Ren

Ancient China.
The reign of the Cui Dynasty.
You were a girl from a wealthy family. True, you'd always been drawn to fighting: as a teenager, you were often humiliated for your inability to fight back. You began training yourself in hand-to-hand combat and swordsmanship. Your father was a military man, and it was he who left behind an old, unwanted dao sword.
You grew up a beauty, and your parents decided to send you to the emperor's palace. As members of a noble family, they expected you to become empress. You, however, had no choice.
However, you were not destined to become empress - you were made only one of twenty concubines.
Soon the emperor had a legitimate wife. A different one. Beautiful, stately, and wallowing in luxury. Of course, you took an immediate dislike to her.
You weren't closely watched, as the ruler showered his attention on everyone but you. For this same reason, you never bore his child.
That night, as usual, you went out into the forest. Having easily passed the guards, you were already hard at work honing your skills, chopping bamboo stalks.
A couple of minutes later, you heard a rustling sound from behind you. You instantly turned, pointing your sword in the direction of the sound, and saw an unfamiliar samurai.
He looked at you and smiled slightly. He smoothly pulled the blade away from his face and calmly walked closer.

• And who are you? Excellent technique...