[天命为凰]

Untitled Part 1

001- Birthday gift

Lu Mingshu would always remember her seventh birthday.

She was born on the second day of February during the flower festival, where numerous brightly colored flowers were in full bloom.

When she woke up that morning, she found that Hui Niang had folded a peach blossom for her. When she put it in her hair, it was especially beautiful.

Afterwards, Hui Niang said, "When I woke up this morning, I heard a magpie call from outside the window. That's definitely a good sign, as it's Miss' birthday today."

As soon as Hui Niang had finished speaking, Xiao Huan ran in while panting. "Miss, miss, I've got big news!" She didn't wait for Hui Niang to berate her for her impudence as she shouted, "It's your father! Your father's sent someone!"

Hui Niang swallowed the words she'd been about to say, startled. "What?"

"My father?" Lu Mingshu quickly turned around.

She hadn't ever seen her father before. However, based on what her mother had told her, her father had left to become an apprentice to a master while she'd still been in her mother's womb, yet had never returned. Her mother simply said that her father had probably been delayed by something.

"That's right, a guest just entered. He claims to have been sent by your father..."

However, before Xiao Huan could finish, she was suddenly smacked by Hui Niang. "What do you mean by 'your father'? Don't you have any manners? You are to address him as 'master'!"

"Oh..." This wasn't the key point, however, thus Xiao Huan excitedly grabbed Lu Mingshu by the arm. "Miss, you haven't seen the horse carriage parked outside! It's so pretty! The person that was sent here is as pretty as a fairy too! When I was outside, I overheard someone say that our master was a Sect Leader. Our master must've had a great teacher and has since become an expert!"

The Lu family's son-in-law, Fu Ze, had originally been very talented in martial arts. However, the town of Qingfeng was located in a remote location, thus there weren't any good martial schools within a hundred mile radius. As such, the Lu family had withdrawn all of their savings in order to help him find a good teacher in the capital seven years ago. Despite this, there hadn't been any news from him since he'd left.

Lu Mingshu had had a wish ever since she was young: She wished that, whenever her father came home, they'd have a family reunion. Never in her wildest dreams had she expected for this wish to come true on her birthday!

Was this a birthday gift from the heavens?

"It must be that master ended up succeeding, and that he's finally here to pick you up! Miss will be able to live a good life from here on out..."

"Miss!"

Lu Mingshu ignored Hui Niang's shouts from behind as she quickly stood up and hurried out of the room.

Her hurried footsteps led her to right outside the drawing room, where she stopped.

A female's voice drifted out of the room, "This is for you."

Lu Mingshu took a deep breath, then tip-toed towards the room and curiously peered in one of the windows.

Both her grandfather and her mother were present, as was a female dressed in beautiful silk fabrics, who was seated atop a guest seat with her back to Lu Mingshu. Though she couldn't see the female's face, she was able to see an exquisite butterfly hairpin pinned in her black hair, which had been rolled up into a bun.

The maidservant by her side was in the middle of handing over an exquisite box to her grandfather when she peeked in.

Her grandfather received the box, carefully opened it, and pulled a piece of paper out.