Forgotten Legend of the Bloodied Flower

"Miss, is this fine?" One of the two maidservants who followed Mu Bai Ci asked. She came along with Mu Bai Ci from Nan Shu Cheng's Residence because she had no intention of being sold out with the other servants.

She got along well with Mu Bai Ci and wished to follow her.

Anyway, they had no other skills but the skills of maidservants. Thus, following Mu Bai Ci had almost become a certainty for them.

"Yes." Mu Bai Ci nodded. Her expression was calm. She knew that if she were to accept Nan Hua's invitation and didn't show that she wanted a quiet life, she would be dragged into more schemes.

She didn't believe she would lose anything with her brain and capabilities. But she had no intention of getting involved in more schemes. After living her life trying her best to stay alive in that rotten residence, she wanted to live a quiet life.

Her past was not that remarkable.

As a daughter of a poor peasant family, Mu Bai Ci saw how patriarchal her family was. They didn't like daughters and only fed her in order to be able to sell her for several taels of silver.

No matter how much she begged them, trying to please them, they would never agree to her request.

For them, her existence would be nothing more than to be sold away.

That was what her parents were thinking.

She could probably have run away back then, but Mu Bai Ci finally didn't do it. She knew how hard it was for a black household to survive, and as a young girl with no knowledge of the world, how did she expect to live?

So she endured.

Slowly bidding her time and making sure that she was able to stay alive even when she was thrown into that unfavorable situation. Even if she was not favored and there were times when things were difficult, she tried her best to live well.

All she hoped was that she could live well.

At first, she thought that Nan Shu Cheng would be able to live long and that she would stay in his residence for most of her life.

But she was wrong.

She didn't even stay in that residence for more than a decade before being thrown out like this. But she had been prepared and secretly accumulated money so that she could still stay alive in this adversity.

Mu Bai Ci smiled.

"But Miss, if you were to follow her…." you will be able to obtain more glory, power, and money.

"I know, but that's not my aspiration." Mu Bai Ci looked at the maidservants who followed her. "Even if I have some abilities, I know I'm not at the very peak of this world. There are countless other geniuses, and they're all competing for the same reason. Should I stick my neck to the front just because I have the same qualification to compete and put myself in danger? I would rather stay idle and be enough as long as I can protect myself and those around me."

Mu Bai Ci looked at the maidservant in front of her.

The first maidservant lowered her head in shame. She had to admit that she was not paying attention to what Mu Bai Ci wanted when she asked this question. After being close to Mu Bai Ci for so many years, how could she not be clear about Mu Bai Ci's personality?

She was not the type of person who was ambitious.

On the contrary, Mu Bai Ci was the type of person who would rather be ordinary despite having the qualification to compete for more. Blending in the norm of the world, she would try her best to make sure that she would not attract other people's attention.

What she wanted was to live well and comfortably.

And not to live while worrying whether there would be someone who would be aiming for her neck.

It was tiring.

While wealth, power, glory, and so on were tempting, they were not important for Mu Bai Ci. She had already seen so many people losing themselves on their road and those who sacrificed so much on the road without being able to see the light at the end of the road.

So she never put her expectation so high.

It was fine for her to compete a bit, but she must never be the first or the last. She had to be in the middle and not attract other people's attention. That was the only possibility for her to be able to keep her life intact.

"Too many people compete, and the risk is very high. I know that you think I should try to step up because I have the capability to do that, but I don't want to risk my life again." Mu Bai Ci smiled sadly.

A concubine without background was the same as a servant.

One mistake was all that they needed to be sent to their grave. It was impossible for her to relax because she knew that other concubines felt that she was an eyesore in front of them.

They wanted that man's affection.

She just wanted to live.

Because of that, she never tried to actively compete and only tried her best to stay alive within that painful residence. One way or another, she managed to do it and lived well as one of the oldest concubines while many others had died.

When she entered Nan Shu Cheng's Residence, she was not even of age yet.

And perhaps because of that, Nan Shu Cheng never came to her quarter and approached her. With Qu Fei Jiao trying her best to hold the rein, Concubine Mei's occasional strike, and other concubines competing for him, Mu Bai Ci could watch from the sidelines without worrying that Nan Shu Cheng would come to her.

"I was born in a low position and had no big ambition. Being able to live well is already a gift to me."

She just wanted to be idle now that she had already survived that fierce battle for so many years.

Mu Bai Ci looked at the maidservant. "You don't agree, do you?"

"I…" the maidservant opened her mouth, feeling somewhat confused.

"I know that you think it's unfair for me to live in such a low place when I have the chance to live better. But I'm not an ambitious person. For me, having an idle life is the best. Rather than striving for something I know I'll never be able to get, I better be satisfied with what I have. Doing little things and be grateful for what I have, no matter how small it is."

Mu Bai Ci closed her eyes. She had to admit that not many people would agree with her. They would want to live a better life and strive for a better future. On the other hand, she was already satisfied with what she had as long as she could live well.

She looked at her maidservant. "But if you have the high aspiration and determination to work hard to achieve your goal, by all means, you should try. That way, you will have no regret whether you succeed or fail.

I never bound you to follow me. You can choose to walk out and try your own chance and achieve your dream, whatever it is. Our views in life are not the same, so I won't stop you if you have your own path."

The first maidservant listened to Mu Bai Ci and lowered her head. After a few moments, she raised her head with determination. "Miss Mu, I'll do my best to become the richest person in the world. That way, no one will be able to look down on me."

Mu Bai Ci looked into the first maidservant's eyes and sighed deeply. She knew that this young woman had decided her future path; thus, Mu Bai Ci nodded and handed her the life contract that was handed to her when they got out of Nan Shu Cheng's Residence.

After tidying her things, she then walked out.

Only Mu Bai Ci and the second maidservants were left in that house. Mu Bai Ci glanced at the second maidservant and chuckled. "You could also leave to follow your dream. No one will stop you, but you have to remember that once you take your life contract, we will have no other relationship with each other.

"Miss, I know what you meant, but I have no intention of leaving." The second maidservant smiled. "I know my qualification and that I have no skill set needed to survive on my own when I'm out there. It's better for me to follow you and listen to your words."

Not everyone was born to lead.

There were others who would rather follow orders and do their work well. If they could live well when they were following orders, that was already good enough.

Mu Bai Ci smiled.

She was indeed closer to this second maidservant who had accompanied her for so many years in Nan Shu Cheng's Residence.