The Young Lady Only Wants to Cultivate Immortality Chapter 29

Shi Qingqian learned about A’Ling’s incident on her way back from the academy to Huo’s small residence. She had obtained a Purple Yang Artifact Refining Pouch from Apothecary Yang Xia, intending to give it to A’Ling, but was troubled about how to do so. That lucky chance with the whip was unlikely to happen again. Shi Qingqian considered giving it to A’Ling while she was asleep, but then remembered that the whip incident wasn’t just about A’Ling being asleep; it also required her to be refining something at the same time.

Looking at the Purple Yang Artifact Refining Pouch in her hand, Shi Qingqian thought about the current power of the Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip; it wasn’t particularly strong. If she could add a Dark Dragon Crystal to enhance its defensive capabilities, that would be even better. But that item was truly hard to find. For now, improving the Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip’s power would have to rely on practice.

Ever since she decided to make amends for her past mistakes, Shi Qingqian always felt that what she gave wasn’t enough. She wanted to give more and better things, but worried A’Ling wouldn’t accept them. She truly didn’t know how to make A’Ling forgive her.

While she was contemplating, she suddenly heard shouts approaching from afar, calling her name. The carriage stopped, and Sun Juhao, in a panic and trembling with fear, scrambled inside.

“Qingqian, quickly, hurry home and save A’Ling! Go save A’Ling, something’s happened to A’Ling!”

As soon as Sun Juhao entered the carriage, she clutched Shi Qingqian’s sleeve, crying and pleading with her to save A’Ling.

“What happened? Where is A’Ling?” Shi Qingqian firmly held down the panicking Sun Juhao, trying to make her calm down and explain clearly.

Stared at by Shi Qingqian’s sharp gaze, Sun Juhao miraculously calmed down somewhat: “At home, at home! The Master came looking for her. A’Ling must have caused trouble again. He looks even angrier than last time…”

Sun Juhao didn’t dare to imagine what Huo Zhen, even angrier than last time, would do to A’Ling. Every time she recalled A’Ling’s miserable state from before, she found it hard to breathe.

Shi Qingqian’s face darkened when she heard it was Huo Zhen. “Stay still.”

No sooner had she spoken than Shi Qingqian conjured four talismans, affixing them to the four corners of the carriage. Golden light flashed and quickly connected into a frame. Shi Qingqian formed hand seals and initiated the spell with such speed that Sun Juhao had no time to react before Shi Qingqian vanished from the carriage.

Sun Juhao’s tears froze in her eyes, her mouth wide open enough to swallow an entire egg. She looked around the carriage in shock; the person had truly vanished.

How powerful! Sun Juhao knew that cultivators always possessed astonishing abilities, but this was her first time seeing a living person vanish, and she was stunned. Then, remembering how powerful Qingqian was, she thought that with her going to save A’Ling, A’Ling would surely be fine. Sun Juhao’s anxious heart eased slightly.

When Shi Qingqian’s Spatial Transfer finally landed her outside Huo’s small residence, her usually serene expression furrowed slightly. There was a spiritual barrier around the small residence, preventing her from transferring directly inside. She looked up at the faintly shimmering barrier high above; it was already covered in black markings. This barrier wasn’t set by Huo Zhen.

It was A’Ling…

The Sound-Eating Birds on the rooftop seemed very low-level and weren’t Huo Zhen’s. It was A’Ling who had set up the barrier and released the Sound-Eating Birds. Realizing this, Shi Qingqian breathed a slight sigh of relief. But before she could fully exhale, she saw demonic energy continuously seeping out from within the barrier. Shi Qingqian’s dark pupils flickered. This is bad, she thought to herself.

The Sound-Eating Birds on the rooftop were too low-level, and the sounds from inside kept leaking out: sharp, agonizing screams and cries for help, startling the neighborhood dogs on the street into barking one after another.

Hearing that the cries for help were Huo Zhen’s, Shi Qingqian’s hand, poised to break through the barrier and rush inside, suddenly withdrew. Her anxious heart finally settled at that moment. As long as it’s not A’Ling, it’s fine. Shi Qingqian took a few steps back, standing on the steps of the small residence. Seeing lights illuminating in the distance, she feared people might come to investigate what was happening at the Huo family. Fortunately, it was late, and there were few pedestrians on the road, so for now, no one had discovered anything unusual about the Huo family.

Shi Qingqian didn’t delay. Knowing A’Ling was safe, she could free up her hands to deal with the trouble outside first. Shi Qingqian re-set the barrier to prevent the demonic energy from leaking out, and then cast an illusionary spell. Even if the Huo family residence collapsed at that moment, outsiders would still see it as a scene of peace and normalcy.

Having done all this, Shi Qingqian activated a spell to break through the barrier and flashed inside. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she saw A’Ling, emanating a black aura, under the lamplight.

The night was unsettling, and the mist was faint. Rustling cold winds rose from the ground, carrying grit, making the figures’ skirts billow and hair dance wildly in the night.

Shi Qingqian’s pupils violently contracted. Black demonic energy had completely surrounded A’Ling’s body from the knees down, like a cicada forming its cocoon, already covering her past the knees. A continuous stream of black demonic energy seeping from the tip of A’Ling’s drooping left index finger, encircling her from bottom to top, as if to completely engulf her.

This is bad!

Shi Qingqian saw that A’Ling’s eyes had no whites, her pupils were unfocused, and her entire gaze was pitch black. Oh no! A’Ling was falling to the demonic path!

Shi Qingqian rushed towards A’Ling, seeing the Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip in A’Ling’s hand amidst the black mist, and a head ensnared by the whip. It was Huo Zhen. His face was strangled blue and purple, and he looked as if he was about to die. Shi Qingqian immediately scattered another stack of talismans to reinforce the barrier; this scene absolutely could not be seen by outsiders.

“Let go!”

Shi Qingqian snatched the Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip from A’Ling’s hand and threw it aside. She looked down at the person on the ground. Good, not dead. Still alive. She didn’t care whether Huo Zhen lived or died, but he absolutely could not die by A’Ling’s hand. Leaving aside whether patricide, a practice that drew reproach and violated natural laws, would affect A’Ling’s future cultivation to become an immortal, Shi Qingqian believed that A’Ling herself, when clear-headed, would never truly kill Huo Zhen. She was an exceedingly soft-hearted do-gooder. Though she appeared ferocious and full of thorns, she was actually very tender-hearted. Otherwise, why would she have given all the remaining spirit stones from treating her injuries to Jin Siliu, and then eagerly delivered shoes to them after getting the spirit stones back?

Giving shoes to a demon… Heaven knows how shocked Shi Qingqian was when she found out. How could there be such an idiot in this world? So foolish it made her heart ache… To think there would be someone who would pity a demon. Truly, so foolish it made her heart ache…

“A’Ling, wake up. Don’t fall to the demonic path.”

“A’Ling, quickly, wake up!”

Shi Qingqian firmly gripped A’Ling’s shoulders, trying to awaken her. She mustn’t fall to the demonic path, absolutely not! A soft-hearted idiot like her cultivating the demonic path would be courting death!

“Wake up, A’Ling, there’s no time!”

Shi Qingqian infused Spiritual energy into A’Ling’s chest, attempting to help her regain consciousness. But as Shi Qingqian’s Spiritual energy infused, the black aura in A’Ling’s eyes intensified, and the demonic energy on her body accelerated upwards, passing her legs and rising directly to her waist.

Shi Qingqian’s eyes were filled with shock. How? What’s going on? A’Ling didn’t seem to be suffering from cultivation deviation. If it were merely a cultivation deviation from carelessness, it would be only the initial stage of falling to the demonic path. The Spiritual energy she gave should have protected her heart meridians, so why was demonic energy still seeping out? This demonic energy, it was as if it had been sealed within A’Ling’s body and was now collectively awakening.

It shouldn’t be, how could this be?! This is impossible. Shi Qingqian had clearly probed A’Ling’s body after the Beast Hunting Trial and found no demonic energy! There were only two situations where she couldn’t detect demonic energy: one, the other party simply had no demonic energy; two, the other party’s demonic energy was like hers, integrated into their bones and blood. But how could this be? Both Huo Zhen and Lin Nianli were mortal cultivators, not demons, and ordinary demons wouldn’t have this ability either.

Shi Qingqian’s mind recalled Jin Siliu mentioning the Tearless Key. Among A’Ling’s possessions, only that item could possibly be related to demons. What exactly is it? Is there something Jin Siliu hasn’t told me?

While Shi Qingqian was in her stunned state, the demonic energy on A’Ling’s body had already bypassed her chest! Shi Qingqian cupped A’Ling’s face, seeing that her eyes were completely black, with no other color at all. Her black eyelashes had grown significantly longer, casting a shadow beneath her eyes. Her consciousness was completely gone.

In this situation, A’Ling could no longer awaken on her own. Shi Qingqian looked down at A’Ling’s left hand, from which black demonic energy was still seeping from her finger. That must be the source of A’Ling’s demonic energy. Shi Qingqian’s gaze moved upwards, resting on A’Ling’s lifeless, puppet-like, expressionless face. The dazzling radiance she usually held was completely gone from her deep black eyes. She shouldn’t be like this.

Shi Qingqian’s heart felt empty. After a moment of silence, she raised her hands, one arm embracing A’Ling’s lower back, the other taking hold of A’Ling’s left hand. Without a trace of hesitation, she lowered her head and took A’Ling’s index fingertip into her mouth, forcefully biting open the pad of the finger.

With that initial hint of blood, all the demonic energy stopped overflowing outwards, flowing one after another along the fingertip into Shi Qingqian’s body. As the demonic energy transferred, A’Ling’s body no longer emanated a black aura. The black aura, which had enveloped A’Ling like a cicada’s cocoon, unraveled layer by layer, circle by circle, along A’Ling’s body, down her arm to her wrist and palm, finally gathering at the fingertip, and completely flowed into Shi Qingqian’s body.

As the black demonic energy continuously flowed into Shi Qingqian’s body, her face grew increasingly pale, as if all the blood had been drained from her. She even faintly began to feel somewhat transparent. The red mole at the corner of her eye was as bewitching as a Soul-Devouring Nail. As her body grew more transparent, crimson patterns gradually appeared around this point of deep red, as if something was crawling out from within the red mole, leaving behind crimson trails like winding blood vines.

Shi Qingqian felt the crimson point at the corner of her eye burning fiercely, like sparks searing her eye. Her breathing gradually became suppressed and rapid. While absorbing A’Ling’s demonic energy, Shi Qingqian simultaneously regulated her internal energy. She needed to condense A’Ling’s demonic energy into a pearl, then find a way to extract it. If A’Ling’s demonic energy were allowed to rampage freely within her body, Shi Qingqian didn’t know what the consequences would be. She exerted all her effort to block the demonic energy within her, but A’Ling’s demonic energy was too potent and would not obey her commands.

Out of necessity, Shi Qingqian could only activate the deeply hidden demonic energy within her own body. If Apothecary Yang Xia knew that the demonic energy she had painstakingly concealed had been released by Shi Qingqian again, she would probably want to dig up her skull. Shi Qingqian disregarded such concerns; she looked down at her gradually transparent body, faintly seeing her own demonic energy guiding A’Ling’s demonic energy to condense in one place, much like a cultivator forming a Golden Core within their body. But A’Ling’s demonic energy was too strong; it was restless within her body, constantly trying to attack Shi Qingqian’s Golden Core. Shi Qingqian had no choice but to activate not only her demonic energy but also her Spiritual energy, using the Spiritual energy to wrap around her internal Golden Core, and then wrapping a layer of demonic energy outside the Spiritual energy, preventing the demonic energy from invading. If her Golden Core were to be invaded by demonic energy, she would have no choice but to fall to the demonic path.

The night wind rustled, yet beads of sweat continuously seeped from Shi Qingqian’s forehead, large drops rolling down her temples and into her collar, soaking the white fabric. The hair at her temples was damp and clung tightly to her face, and the red patterns at the corners of her eyes now covered her entire cheek, snaking into the dark hair that adhered to her face.

Time passed by second by second, as if forcefully slowed. The black mist in A’Ling’s eyes receded little by little, her dark pupils gradually clearing as if a dense fog had lifted. Seeing the whites of A’Ling’s eyes become visible, Shi Qingqian’s tightly suspended heart finally found something to lean on. Excellent, as long as it works. She was so afraid that even she wouldn’t be able to withstand A’Ling’s peculiar demonic energy.

Once the anxiousness in her heart subsided, the previously ignored discomfort within her body surged forth. The chaotic demonic energy rushing within her body felt like countless incredibly sharp blades, their edges slicing through her internal organs. She felt as if fresh blood was gushing out from within her, blades tearing, ribs cracking. She exerted all her strength to swallow a mouthful of blood that rose up her throat. Shi Qingqian’s hand, supporting A’Ling’s back, suddenly tightened. Now, she needed A’Ling’s support to keep herself from collapsing. The demonic energy within her was rapidly draining all her Spiritual energy, and with her Golden Core sealed and unable to provide internal power, she had clearly reached her limit.

Shi Qingqian was in such agonizing pain that cold sweat poured from her body. The biting wind by her side instantly chilled her sweat-soaked back, making her feel cold and hurt. Shi Qingqian unconsciously leaned towards the source of warmth in front of her. She tightly embraced A’Ling, using her body to support herself from falling, drawing warmth from her to prevent her heart from growing cold. Gradually, Shi Qingqian’s eyes filled with tears from the intense pain, falling alongside the sweat beads down her temples and into A’Ling’s tightly clinging light grey collar, like morning dew drops leaping into green grass and vanishing. Only the low, rapid breathing and warmth by her neck continued.

Just then, the small door connecting to the Huo family mansion was suddenly opened from the mansion’s side, and someone entered. Shi Qingqian thought, This is bad. The barrier she had set with Spiritual energy would now break on its own, as her Spiritual energy was exhausted and her internal power sealed. She clung to a thread of strength, pressing down the demonic energy within her body. The red patterns on her face receded like a retreating tide, quickly withdrawing into the red mole at the corner of her eye, making the mole burn so fiercely that Shi Qingqian’s brow twitched violently. It hurt too much, truly too much. The sensation was like having molten iron forcefully poured into the corner of her eye, scalding her until her eyes blurred with tears, and her vision was hazy, unable to clearly see who had arrived.

“What are you two doing?!”

Lin Nianli stared in shock at the two embracing figures in the courtyard. Shi Qingqian was even biting A’Ling’s hand. Their posture was intimate, yet the atmosphere was incredibly strange. Just now, she had heard repeated screams leaking from this side. It wasn’t the first time she’d heard sounds from here, but this time it felt wrong; it didn’t sound like A’Ling’s, but rather like her husband’s. Although she knew this was unlikely, remembering that Shi Qingqian also lived here, she couldn’t help but come to check. A’Ling and Shi Qingqian had always been at odds; how had they become so intimate now?

Shi Qingqian had already recognized who had arrived from the sound, but she couldn’t afford to be distracted. Fortunately, all of A’Ling’s external demonic energy had been drawn into her body, so at this moment, no matter who came, they wouldn’t be able to see A’Ling’s abnormality. She needed to condense the demonic energy within her into a pearl, or she might be exposed. There was only a little more chaotic demonic energy left. Shi Qingqian bit A’Ling’s fingertip again, and a trace of blood energy entered her body, mixing with her demonic energy. The demonic energy rapidly ignited, acting like patrolling guards within her body, hunting down the remaining scattered demonic energy.

Just then, another scream. Lin Nianli saw a familiar figure lying on the ground. When she made out the face, she realized it was Huo Zhen!

“Husband, what’s wrong? This, what happened?”

Lin Nianli quickly ran to Huo Zhen’s side. Seeing Huo Zhen covered in blood, her eyes instantly reddened. She tremblingly reached out to check his pulse.

Shi Qingqian looked at this scene and thought, This is probably troublesome. Just as she was about to retract her gaze, she heard a familiar voice by her ear.

“What are you doing?”

Shi Qingqian withdrew her gaze from the ground and met A’Ling’s eyes. They were so close that she not only felt the voice by her ear but also felt the speaker’s breath on her face, ticklish. A’Ling looked at Shi Qingqian’s mouth, where a finger was held. That looked like her finger. Shi Qingqian looked at the clear-eyed A’Ling. A’Ling seemed to be looking at her mouth. Right, her mouth, and A’Ling’s finger. Her body stiffened unconsciously, and she involuntarily took a sharp breath through her mouth. Oh no!

Sure enough, the next instant, A’Ling frowned tightly and forcefully pulled her hand back, kicking away Shi Qingqian, who was still embracing her. She had a disgusted expression and vigorously shook her hand.

“How disgusting! Are you crazy? Do you think you’re a dog?!” A’Ling’s scalp tingled. That warm, damp sensation on her hand couldn’t be shaken off no matter how much she tried. The corners of her mouth twitched twice involuntarily. She looked at Shi Qingqian with both disgust and shock, her dazed eyes filled with confusion and surprise. She truly couldn’t understand why Shi Qingqian would suck on her hand. The word ‘suck’ alone made her entire scalp feel like it was about to explode!

Before she could curse again, the sharp scream from behind made her already tingling scalp feel as if her skull had been ripped open.

“Husband, wake up, are you alright? Don’t scare me—”

What the hell? She seemed to hear that woman’s voice. A’Ling turned around, following the sound, and truly saw a ghost. On the ground lay a woman in a peach-red dress with scattered flowers, paired with a gold-embroidered peony stole, and a head full of pearls and jade. What should have been noble accessories looked somewhat comical due to their excessive use. And because she was crying too sadly, her body trembled, the ruby earrings at her ears swayed, and the hairpins on her head also quivered independently. Her oval face was plump and well-proportioned, her skin smooth and moist. If not for the mature charm she exuded, one wouldn’t guess from her appearance that her child was already eighteen.

A’Ling looked at the pair of black, bright eyes, so similar to her own, now brimming with mist. Her heart was touched. She hadn’t expected to see her ‘birth mother’ again in this lifetime under such circumstances. A’Ling looked at Huo Zhen, lying motionless on the ground, seemingly unresponsive to Lin Nianli’s cries. Memories instantly flooded back. She had apparently fought with Huo Zhen, she had apparently injured him, and then Huo Zhen had tried to kill her. Enraged, she had directly chopped off his hand. She also seemed to have choked Huo Zhen with the Wandering Amethyst Gold Whip.

A’Ling saw the purplish-blue mark on Huo Zhen’s neck. She anxiously pursed her involuntarily trembling lips, her breathing became rapid, and her entire being plunged into an unprecedented panic. She unconsciously looked behind her, with a pleading expression she didn’t even realize she had, and anxiously asked Shi Qingqian, “He… he’s dead?” After asking, A’Ling swallowed hard, looking at Shi Qingqian with hopeful eyes, as if wishing to receive reassurance from her.

Shi Qingqian sighed faintly in her heart. Her thoughts were indeed correct. She knew that such a ‘do-gooder’ with a ‘soft heart’ would not genuinely want to kill someone while clear-headed.

“Don’t worry, he’s not dead,” Shi Qingqian answered directly.

Upon hearing that Huo Zhen was not dead, A’Ling suddenly relaxed the tension in her stiff body. Not dead, that’s good, not dead. She didn’t really want to kill him; she just wanted to teach him a lesson. She looked at Lin Nianli on the ground, who had recovered from her initial panic and was now infusing Spiritual energy into Huo Zhen, without even glancing at her.

A’Ling hadn’t expected them to meet under such circumstances in this life. In her previous life, her relationship with Lin Nianli could best be described as strangers. From the moment she and Jin Siliu arrived at the Huo family, Lin Nianli looked at her like a stranger. Although they shared similar features and should have been the closest people in the world. A’Ling had tried, but whether she deliberately tried to please or deliberately made mistakes, Lin Nianli’s eyes simply didn’t see her. She never cared for her, nor did she make things difficult for her; she simply treated her as if she didn’t exist. Especially after Huo Zhen arranged for her to live in this small residence and sealed the courtyard gate, she saw her even less.

In her previous life, the total number of times they spoke could be counted on two hands. Usually, it was during festival celebrations or banquets when Lin Nianli would say polite words to several children, not just to her. In A’Ling’s memory, Lin Nianli always maintained an aloof demeanor, her expression and gestures stiff, always preferring to look down on people with a slight lift of her chin. This was the first time she had seen Lin Nianli in such a disheveled state, kneeling on the ground, her clothes wrinkled, tears still on her face, her nose red, while infusing Spiritual energy and calling Huo Zhen’s name. She had always known their affection was strong, but now she understood it even more clearly. When she was injured last time, Lin Nianli couldn’t possibly not have known, yet she never came to see her even once. She probably hadn’t shed a single tear for her either.

She truly felt a bit envious of Huo Zhen. Even a piece of trash like him had someone who genuinely loved him, someone who would worry and cry for him. How was it that only she seemed to have no one? A’Ling thought to herself, How much of a failure must she be?

While A’Ling was lost in thought, Lin Nianli continuously infused Spiritual energy into Huo Zhen without regard for the cost. Finally, Huo Zhen’s tightly closed eyes slowly opened. A’Ling, pulling herself out of her low spirits, felt her anxious heart settle upon seeing Huo Zhen awaken. Seeing him awake, Lin Nianli didn’t bother to wipe the bloodstains from her hands. She helped him, half-embracing him as he sat up.

“Husband, how are you? What happened? Who injured you so badly?” Lin Nianli asked, glancing at Shi Qingqian. Shi Qingqian was the only one here capable of injuring Huo Zhen to this extent. Although she didn’t know Shi Qingqian’s current cultivation level and had never cared, Elder Zeng had once detected that Shi Qingqian possessed a Pure Immortal Physique, so she must be extraordinary.

Thinking of this, Lin Nianli gathered Spiritual energy in her palm and became fully vigilant. As soon as she learned that Shi Qingqian was not a Huo family child, she had advised Huo Zhen to drive her away. And at that time, Shi Qingqian herself intended to leave after changing her surname. But her husband insisted that since much had been spent on her previously, he implied that Shi Qingqian should repay it before leaving. Wasn’t this just raising a wolf that would eventually bite them? When Shi Qingqian was little, they confined her to the embroidered building, uncaring. Although they released her at age five, there was no guarantee that Shi Qingqian didn’t remember what happened before she turned five. However, she also knew that her husband was doing it for Changsheng’s sake. Ever since Shi Qingqian’s Pure Immortal Physique was detected at age ten, he had eagerly offered her heavenly treasures, hoping she would assist her younger brother in the future. Originally, nothing was wrong; the mistake was that damned Jin Siliu, who dared to swap children into the Huo family. She wanted to kill that dog right then, but her husband stopped her, saying that Jin Siliu had been kind to Shi Qingqian, and their letting Jin Siliu go was a gesture of respect to Shi Qingqian, so that even if she had no blood relation to the Huo family in the future, she would remember the Huo family’s kindness.

Now it seemed, this was a person who only remembered grudges and forgot kindness! Indeed, as soon as the matter of the true and false young miss came to light, Shi Qingqian immediately changed her surname, clearly not someone grateful to the Huo family. This time, inflicting such a vicious blow, she must have harbored resentment for a long time!

Huo Zhen clutched his neck, coughing violently. After finally catching his breath, he stared fiercely at A’Ling with a pale face. “Little beast… cough cough… How dare you commit patricide?!”

A’Ling saw that Huo Zhen still had the strength to curse, and regretted not whipping him more. All her prickles rose, and her voice reverted to its usual ferocity. “Who’s talking to a ghost? You’re not even dead, so how is this patricide?!”

Huo Zhen was so angered by these words that he nearly couldn’t catch his breath, and a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out. A’Ling hastily retreated, This is too close, she didn’t want to get splattered with blood. But as she jumped back a step, she bumped into a cold body. A’Ling turned back irritably to Shi Qingqian, who had appeared behind her at some point. “Is the courtyard so big there’s no other place for you to stand? Why do you have to stand here like a pole?!”

“Watch out!” Shi Qingqian had been watching Lin Nianli intently. She had just seen faint light gather in Lin Nianli’s palm. As soon as she saw Lin Nianli unleash her move, Shi Qingqian embraced A’Ling and flashed to the side, dodging the sneak attack. A’Ling turned back in surprise, looking at Lin Nianli, who was slowly rising from the ground. Her face was full of fury. She raised her hands, brought them together, and slowly opened them again, a cluster of blue flames igniting in her palm.

“I didn’t expect it to be you, unfilial child! How dare you severely injure your father like this!”

Lin Nianli had originally thought it was Shi Qingqian, that ungrateful wretch, but she hadn’t expected it to be the wild girl she disdained the most who had caused the injury. How dare she act so insolently? If she wasn’t taught a lesson today, she might even dare to kill her later. A’Ling looked at the faintly glowing blue light in her hand; those specks of light were like heavy stones falling into her heart, causing a huge commotion. This was the first time Lin Nianli had ever gotten angry at her, or attacked her, and it was for Huo Zhen. A’Ling felt a pang of jealousy.

“Azure Dragon Butterfly Tail, teach this disrespectful and unfilial child a good lesson for me!” As Lin Nianli spread her hands, countless azure butterflies, fanning their splendid, goldfish-like tails, surged towards A’Ling. The blue-glowing butterfly tails were like spinning sharp blades. When they passed the Jujube trees in the courtyard, they cut directly through trunks thicker than a leg. The iron wings buzzed, stirring up wood chips and pulverizing the fallen Jujube fruits, their crimson juice scattering like a blood mist in the air.

A’Ling let out a self-mocking laugh. These two, husband and wife, used their biggest killing moves on her. She was about to summon Little Wandering when she found that Little Wandering, without her command, charged forward on its own, sweeping with one whip and then quickly spinning into a circular reaper, sweeping all the piles of Azure Dragon Butterfly Tails to the ground. A’Ling was shocked. Was her Little Wandering this strong?

“Ah, my butterflies!” Lin Nianli wailed and collapsed onto the ground, looking at the countless Azure Dragon Butterfly Tails scattered everywhere. She carefully picked up a few of the Azure Dragon Butterfly Tails that the wind generated by Little Wandering had blown to her feet, striking a pose of heartbroken sorrow. A’Ling suddenly burst out laughing.

Her sudden laugh made everyone in the courtyard look at her. Lin Nianli glared at A’Ling with eyes full of poisonous resentment. Seeing that she could still laugh, she wished she could rush forward and tear her mouth apart. Huo Zhen was full of trepidation. He always felt that A’Ling, that idiot, no matter what, secretly hoped they would be good to her. Such a person was the hardest to drive away. He never expected A’Ling to fight back one day. Shi Qingqian was more surprised, wondering why A’Ling suddenly laughed. She clearly used to wish for Lin Nianli to just look at her more.

A’Ling didn’t want to laugh either. She pressed her face hard, preventing her smile from spreading. Laughing out loud now made her seem too much like a major villain about to spout grand declarations, but she had nothing to say. She couldn’t help it, though; Lin Nianli’s cry of ‘my butterflies’ was just too funny.

A’Ling glanced at Huo Zhen on the ground. Her father, her butterflies, all on the ground. It was inexplicably amusing.

Huo Zhen worried that A’Ling still had some tricks up her sleeve. At this point, he had only lost one hand, and with Apothecary Yang Xia, it might not be impossible to reattach it. Just now, A’Ling had been trying to strangle him like a madwoman. He used his remaining hand to push himself up, interrupting Lin Nianli’s curses, and stared directly at A’Ling. In his eyes, there was now a hint of fear, more than the indifference and disgust he had shown before.

“The Huo family has no unfilial child like you! Leave! From now on, my Huo family does not welcome you!”

A’Ling had just suppressed her smile. Hearing these words, for some reason, she wanted to laugh again. Hearing Huo Zhen tell her to leave, she wasn’t angry at all. Perhaps it was because Huo Zhen was so pathetic now that he no longer had the right to drive her away. The words he spoke seemed full of confidence, but the unconcealed panic in his eyes only made his bluster a joke. If she didn’t want to leave, let alone Huo Zhen driving her away, she could even drive Huo Zhen out of the Huo family right now. In the face of absolute power, she could even be Huo Zhen’s father!

“Good,” A’Ling replied with a smile, neither angry nor annoyed, nor did she think about further troubling the two on the ground. A’Ling even wanted to laugh. Perhaps because she had given Huo Zhen a good beating, a stone that had been weighing on her heart seemed to have been knocked loose. A’Ling even began to examine her past self. Why had she been so concerned about these two people before, so desperate for them to give her a second glance, so desperate for them to show her a shred of care? It was as if only with their attention would she, A’Ling, be considered loved, and not a pitiful creature.

A’Ling looked at the two people on the ground. They clearly were suited to looking at each other more. The same kind of trash. What was there to be so obsessed with being loved by such trash?

“Remember what you said today. From now on, all ties between us are severed. I have no more connection to you, or the Huo family. Tomorrow, I will go to Er Wu Hui Registry to make a public statement.” In her previous life, after A’Ling fell to the demonic path, Huo Zhen immediately went to Er Wu Hui Registry to publicly sever ties with her. In this life, their relationship would be cut off by her own hand!

Under Huo Zhen and Lin Nianli’s shocked gazes, A’Ling went to the main house to pack her things. She didn’t have much, and A’Ling finished packing in a few moments. Coming out of the house, A’Ling threw a Universe pouch in front of the Huo couple.

“You raised me for two years. I calculated how much it would cost to rent a house like this in the east of the city per month, multiplied by ten years, plus the cost of daily meals also multiplied by ten years. Even so, it’s less than twenty thousand spirit stones. I’ll double that for you. Here are fifty thousand spirit stones; keep them. From now on, between us, you owe me; I owe you nothing. I advise you to walk around me if you see me on the road in the future, otherwise, my whip just happens to need a sparring partner!”

As soon as A’Ling finished speaking, she fiercely whipped an empty spot near the two, and the ground instantly turned scorched black. Seeing their faces turn even paler, A’Ling felt satisfied. She pursed her lips and put away Little Wandering. As she passed Shi Qingqian, A’Ling paused. She hadn’t settled the score with her for what happened just now. When she was packing, she found two small holes on her finger, clearly bitten. She didn’t know what Shi Qingqian had done to her. But the two on the ground were still watching her, and she didn’t want to discuss these things with Shi Qingqian here. Besides, Shi Qingqian seemed a bit abnormal. She was always pale, but today she was so pale she looked almost transparent. Her entire being exuded a kind of lifelessness. A’Ling hadn’t even felt her presence when she was standing right next to her. When something was out of the ordinary, there was a high probability of danger. A’Ling decided to settle the score another day.

“I’m giving you back the main house. I wish you, oh no, I wish you all.” A’Ling turned back to glance at Huo Zhen, then turned back to Shi Qingqian. “I wish your family everlasting love.”

Shi Qingqian’s brow twitched violently. She reached out, intending to stop A’Ling and explain, but as she moved, her peripheral vision caught sight of Huo Zhen and Lin Nianli on the ground. Her outstretched hand made a turn in the air and retracted. In the end, she said nothing, watching A’Ling leave the courtyard, walk up the steps, and exit the door.

Lin Nianli saw A’Ling truly leave, and her anxious heart finally settled. She collected the remnants of her scattered Azure Dragon Butterfly Tails and glanced at Shi Qingqian, who stood like a pillar in the courtyard, staring at the gate. A hint of doubt flickered in her heart, but she said nothing, helping Huo Zhen back to the adjacent Huo family mansion and resetting the spiritual barrier. Once they left, the entire courtyard was left with only Shi Qingqian, even the Jujube trees that had always been there were gone. The courtyard was empty, with only scattered debris on the ground.

After A’Ling left the Huo family, she looked back. The Huo family’s small residence, with its white walls and black tiles, was as ordinary as could be. A’Ling couldn’t understand why her former self had allowed herself to be trapped in this residence for so long. She was leaving. This time, upon leaving, she would have no more connection to the Huo family. A’Ling hadn’t felt such a lighthearted mood in a long time. Even the road beneath her feet seemed to be paved with clouds, making her steps feel light and airy. She caressed the warm Little Wandering on her wrist. How nice, Little Wandering was still with her.

A’Ling’s eyes shimmered with a purple glow, her gaze gentle, as if asking Little Wandering, or perhaps murmuring to herself: “Little Wandering, why have you become so strong in this life? Is it because I’ve become stronger?” How wonderful. We’ve both become stronger, and we’ll become even stronger, strong enough for everyone to look up to, strong enough that no one can harm us even a single bit. A’Ling’s nose couldn’t help but sting, and she looked up at the quickly moving clouds in the night sky. She then thought of a practical question. Where would she stay tonight? Fortunately, she now had money, so she wasn’t afraid of sleeping on the streets. She was thinking of finding an inn to stay in for the night, then slowly finding a small house; she didn’t like staying in crowded inns.

Suddenly, her waist warmed. A’Ling looked down and saw a faint light seeping through the fabric of her belt. A’Ling took it out and saw it was Gu Jingyang’s Phoenix Feather message. She had forgotten. Every night, this chatterbox always had endless stories. On a few nights, A’Ling couldn’t sleep and chose to listen in person. It felt like the ‘bedtime stories’ she’d heard of in the mortal realm. Too bad she wasn’t a child anymore, or she’d definitely find it interesting.

“A’Ling, do you want an artifact refining pouch I have? It’s just right for refining your whip.”

A’Ling finished listening to the message, her eyebrows raised high. Right, why had she forgotten about the artifact refining pouch? She did need one for Little Wandering, but that wasn’t the most urgent matter now.

“I’ve moved out of the Huo family home. I need to rent a room now. Do you know of any places to rent a house at this late hour?” A’Ling thought that the Gu family was large and wealthy, with extensive businesses. Gu Jingyang might know where to rent a house. Not long after she sent her Phoenix Feather message, A’Ling hadn’t even walked a few steps before she received Gu Jingyang’s reply. This kid, could she possibly be holding onto a Phoenix Feather all night without letting go?

“Come to my place first, we’ll talk face-to-face.” Gu Jingyang’s voice in the night was like her name, warm like sunlight. A’Ling’s heart also warmed. But A’Ling didn’t want to stay at the Gu family home; it would make her uncomfortable. Just as she was about to refuse, she received another message.

“Come quickly, if you don’t, I’ll come and catch you myself!”

A’Ling let out a laugh. She talked as if A’Ling were trying to escape. Just as she was about to reply, Gu Jingyang’s message came again. A’Ling took a deep breath. Alright, if she didn’t want to keep receiving messages all night, she had no choice but to go to the Gu family. A’Ling put away the Phoenix Feather, smiling happily. She had forgotten that she now had a friend too. She looked up at the moon, its clear, cold silver light visible through the clouds drifting across the night sky. Tonight was even a full moon. A’Ling’s empty heart also felt somewhat filled, and her steps were light as she headed towards the Gu family.

The moonlight was cold but could illuminate the path forward.

Shi Qingqian walked under the moonlight into the main house she hadn’t stepped into for a long time. It was empty inside, just as empty as when she had left it to A’Ling before. She slowly walked through the four corners of the room. She hadn’t felt the room was so empty before. She saw that on the desk she used, someone had carved a pattern at some point. Walking closer, she saw a small figure falling to the ground, with text beside it: Shi Qingqian, crawl for me. It was clear whose handiwork it was. Shi Qingqian gently caressed her name. In her mind, she instantly conjured A’Ling’s appearance and voice when she cursed those words, and couldn’t help but purse her lips.

“Cough, cough.”

Shi Qingqian could no longer hold on. She collapsed onto the chair in front of the desk, and a mouthful of fresh blood she coughed out stained her name on the table red. She rolled up her sleeve to wipe it away, but only made it dirtier. The fresh blood seeped into the engraved lines of her name, a blinding crimson. She picked up a Cleansing Talisman, infused her dwindling Spiritual energy into it, and a white light flashed. The carving on the table was restored to its original state. A smile appeared on Shi Qingqian’s lips, and she finally couldn’t hold on any longer.

She quickly conjured four talismans and affixed them to the four corners of the wall. One golden light connected to another. Just as they were about to form a complete frame, Shi Qingqian suddenly stopped. Her gaze fell on a hint of white under the bed not far away. Shi Qingqian struggled to keep her heavy eyelids open, and under waves of dizziness, activated a retrieval spell, pulling out the item from under the bed. Looking at the message paper fluttering into her palm, and reading the back-and-forth dialogue on it, her hand, clutching the paper, gradually tightened, her transparent fingers showing the stark white bones within. Looking at the parts of the conversation concerning her, Shi Qingqian’s eyes trembled violently.