Mu Xueling had never known regret. As the eldest daughter of the Mu family, she believed that even if the sky were to fall and the earth split, her father and fiancé would always protect her. No danger could ever mar her jade-like skin.

But now, as she gazed at him, an indescribable pain pierced her heart. The agony was so excruciating that her heart became numb to all other sensations.

Mu Xueling's ethereal form was translucent, lacking wrists and ankles, with a ribbon of darkness encircling her. She was merely a lingering spirit, unable to let go of her earthly attachments, trapped in a whirlpool of emotions she couldn't release.

She should have been a vengeful ghost, haunting those who had wrongfully ended her life. Instead, she was but sorrowful spirit of a once-beautiful woman, floating restlessly around her former fiancé.

Yuan Shengze, her ex-betrothed, sat on the filthy ground covered in grime and stagnant water. The stench wafting from the alley was enough to make passersby avert their eyes and hurry past. It was a place so squalid that even beggars avoided it.

Yet Yuan Shengze remained seated there, his gaze fixed on a distant point, a handsome smile playing on his lips. It was as if before him, his beloved was still dancing gracefully, just like that year when Mu Xueling had come of age and promised to marry into his Yuan family.

"Ling'er," he murmured, his voice hoarse and barely audible. In the bustling night filled with lights and noise, Mu Xueling heard him clearly.

"Ling'er, are you hungry?"

Mu Xueling bit her lip to stifle a sob. She knelt before him, desperately trying to call his name repeatedly. But the world of spirits and the living were separate. No matter how hard Mu Xueling tried, it was nothing more than a gentle breeze caressing Yuan Shengze's face.

"Ling'er," he spoke again, his voice slightly louder this time but filled with unbearable pain. Yuan Shengze's handsome face contorted, his gaze growing unfocused. "It was my incompetence that led you to starve. It was my failure that caused you to suffer such injustice. It was I—"

Mu Xueling shook her head vigorously, her coarse hair whipping around her emaciated form. The once-renowned beauty of the northern city now looked more wretched than the poorest beggar in town.

Mu Xueling crawled closer to him, her translucent arms raised high. But being a mere spirit without hands, they passed through his body, unable to touch Yuan Shengze's face.

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"Brother Yuan, Brother Yuan," she lamented, her voice filled with sorrow. Her expression was a mixture of anguish and heartache; her brows furrowed deeply in distress.

"It was I who wasn't good enough. It was I who caused you to be expelled from your family by your father. It was I who led your mother to die of grief. Brother Yuan, you were perfect in every way. It was I who was worthless in all aspects."

Mu Xueling was the daughter of a wealthy merchant in the northern city. The city of Bei, where she lived, was just a small, insignificant place. However, because the northern region was known for its beautiful silk and garments, it soon gained recognition.

Trade and exchanges began to flourish. Her father, Mu Yuanzhong, was a man of foresight. After realizing that the fabric patterns he possessed could be profitable in trade, he quickly sought funds to invest. Before long, the Mu family became a wealthy merchant clan.

Mu Xueling was Mu Yuanzhong's only daughter. Her mother had passed away during childbirth, causing Mu Yuanzhong to dote on his daughter excessively. Even though he had concubines and bed servants, he strictly forbade any of them from becoming pregnant, fearing that his beautiful daughter might feel neglected and stop talking to him.

Mu Xueling grew up surrounded by wealth. Whatever she desired, her father would provide. At the age of seven, the Yuan family began to gain influence, overshadowing the Mu family. Fearing that his source of wealth might be cut off, Mu Yuanzhong proposed to betroth his daughter to the eldest son of the Yuan family.

Yuan Shengze was the eldest son. He was handsome, intelligent, polite, and modest - the ideal young master from a merchant family that many young ladies dreamed of marrying. Even if they couldn't become his primary wife, they still aspired to be his secondary wife or concubine.

The moment Yuan Shengze met Mu Xueling, he fell head over heels in love. He was completely obsessed, unable to think of anyone else. With just a single glance from her, he was ready to do anything for her, even give up his own life if she asked.

"Ling'er," Yuan Shengze collapsed onto the ground in pain, breathing heavily. Beside him lay a motionless body. Yuan Shengze seemed blind to the bloated, unrecognizable face and the overwhelming stench of decay. He reached out to embrace the body tightly, closing his eyes in exhaustion. "Ling'er, will you marry me?"

Mu Xueling nodded frantically, but no matter how much she cried and wailed, Yuan Shengze, being alive, could not hear her voice. Mu Xueling had tried everything. She had attempted to enter his dreams as she had heard in childhood stories, tried to possess him, tried to move objects around him. But because she was merely a sorrowful spirit without vengeful hatred, all she could do was create a gentle breeze, momentarily cooling Yuan Shengze.

Mu Xueling couldn't stop blaming herself. She wished she could go back to that day, the day she decided to hurt him with her own hands. The day she destroyed his life, trampling on his feelings as if he were nothing but a soulless puppet, all for her fleeting glory.

Mu Xueling once prided herself on her choice, believing she had made the right decision. But as the harsh light of reality dawned upon her, a cold darkness crept in to replace her former confidence. Only then did she realize she had chosen her hell. In her folly, she had handed a sharp knife to that despicable man, allowing him to cut her to the bone - a self-inflicted wound that would scar her very soul.