"Hearing these words, Mingmei burst into tears, realizing the dream her adoptive father had sent truly was real. The churning in her heart became uncontrollable, and she covered her face, sobbing, crying out, 'Why would you do this? The Jian family raised you for twenty years; how could you repay kindness with enmity?'

"The Master retrieved the letter sent by the Jian family from a drawer, spread it flat on the table, and read its contents aloud to Mingmei, word for word. Finally, he looked up and said to her, 'They have already abandoned you and Xin'er. Naturally, I must look out for the entire lineage.'

"Mingmei snatched the letter, holding the trembling paper, reading it front to back once. It didn't quite sound like the handwriting of Father Jian, yet she had no proof to contest it. In a fury, she crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it on the ground, glaring fiercely at the Master. 'The mistakes you made have ruined our family of three. Instead of repenting, you compound your errors. Treating them this way is utterly monstrous.'

"Hearing this, the Master flew into a rage. He strode forward, slapped Mingmei across the face twice, shoved her out the door, and slammed it shut, forbidding her reentry. Knowing the truth of the Jian family's demise and having just endured the Master's blows, Mingmei’s heart broke; she returned to her room and wept without ceasing.

"That evening, the Master summoned his trusted confidants once more to the study to strategize the disposal of Mingmei and her son, his tone devoid of any sentiment. The housekeeper, tasked with executing the annihilation of the Jian family, argued that in the eyes of outsiders, Jian Xin remained a descendant of the Jian line and would forever retain some ties. Should he ever investigate the Jian family's fate in the future, the blame would inevitably trace back to the main household. Therefore, the wisest course was to cut the weeds and dig up the roots, leaving no future trouble.

"After Mingmei’s accusations, the Master’s already meager pity had long evaporated. Hearing the housekeeper's words, he sighed again. 'I had intended to spare the lives of the mother and son, but they failed to appreciate my good intentions. They have brought this upon themselves!' Thus, that same night, four burly men stealthily entered Mingmei and Jian Xin's room, bundled the mother and son into sacks, carried them deep into the mountains, and threw them into a pool.

"The icy pool water surged into the sack, startling a cry from Jian Xin. Mingmei struggled desperately, hugging her son, using every ounce of her strength to lift him high, hoping he might surface and grasp a sliver of life. But, as the Peach Blossom Pool ran a thousand feet deep, Mingmei and Jian Xin quickly sank into the bottomless abyss. Jian Xin could struggle for a short while, but soon he fell silent. Mingmei, in utter despair, drew her son close to her chest, refusing to let go, and closed her eyes.

"Unexpectedly, the pool water did not steal Mingmei's consciousness. In the ethereal darkness, she opened her eyes to see everything awash in crimson. She could move freely without needing to breathe. She tore open the sack and swam upward, holding Jian Xin. When she broke the surface, she froze. The sky was bright daylight, surrounded by mountains on all sides. She and Jian Xin were suspended in the very center of a deep pool. This water was unlike any other; gentle ripples moved across its surface, carrying a faint, blood-like hue. A muffled clap of thunder rolled overhead, and the color of the water gradually deepened from pale to a stark, blackish-red.

"Mingmei trod on the seemingly solid water, quickly bringing Jian Xin up to the surface, and frantically checked his tiny nostrils in the swaddling clothes. The poor baby was no longer breathing. Mingmei was utterly lost. She threw her head back to the sky and let out a heart-wrenching scream that echoed through the valley.

"After the echo faded, Mingmei looked down to see a line of white script appearing in the water: Ninety-nine lives exchanged for an undying form, limited to three days."