The Ugly Girl Is Actually A Goddess

The chill that always seemed to cling to her, a phantom of a past life, finally began to recede. Lu Hua's eyes fluttered open, greeted not by the familiar sterile white of a hospital, but by the murky green of pond water. Panic seized her, her limbs flailing as she struggled against the suffocating embrace of the depths.

Just as her lungs screamed for air, a hand, strong and surprisingly gentle, seized hers, pulling her upwards. She broke the surface with a gasp, sputtering, her heart hammering against her ribs like a trapped bird. Her savior, a man oddly dressed in flowing women's robes, regarded her with a mixture of relief and bewildered curiosity.

Before she could even process the bizarre sight, a young girl rushed forward, her voice quivering with worry. "My lady! Are you alright?"

Lu Hua's gaze swept across the unfamiliar, archaic architecture, the people in their elegant, ancient garments. "What nonsense are you saying, girl? What prince?" she demanded, the words feeling foreign on her tongue. The man in women's clothing threw his hands up in theatrical despair. "Aiyoo! The princess has lost her mind!"

Confusion, thick and disorienting, swirled in her head. She was no princess. This was no place she knew. A terrifying, yet oddly exhilarating thought began to solidify: had she truly, impossibly, traveled through time?