Wei Lingyue staggered as he stepped out of the room, then turned without a word and fled in disgrace.
Yun Xi watched his retreating figure with a calm expression before rising and heading toward the main courtyard where her mother once lived. The place had already been vacated, and the old items used by Feng Jiayun had been returned.
The servants moved quickly and quietly, making not a sound. When they saw Yun Xi, they halted and bowed respectfully.
Yun Xi waved a hand and said, "You're all dismissed."
"Yes, Miss."
The servants quickly exited from Zhuohua Courtyard.
With a light flick of her sleeve, Yun Xi closed the main gate of Zhuohua Courtyard and activated her fourth-tier array disk, cutting off all disturbance from the outside world.
The Flying Mist Butterfly fluttered off from her hair and landed on the pear tree in the courtyard. Dian Dian cautiously poked its head out, and once granted permission, it boldly began to explore the courtyard.
The entire Zhuohua Courtyard was tranquil, broken only by the soft rustling of wind through leaves and petals.
Yun Xi stretched with a satisfied sigh, then sat beside the stone table under the pear tree. She brewed a pot of Snow Moon Tea to unwind.
For cultivators, ten years passed in the blink of an eye, but for mortals, it was a significant span of time. The four maids who had once served her had already left the Wei family and built lives of their own.
Feng Xiu, whom Feng Jiaqing had sent to her side, returned to the Feng family after Yun Xi entered the sect. Rumor had it that three years ago, she left Kunyu City to seek an opportunity for Foundation Establishment. Yun Xi sighed. Kunyu City was no longer the place she remembered.
Unlike in the original novel, this time she had truly returned in glory. She had taken the first step in reshaping her destiny, thoroughly outshining Wei Yunqing, and even had the courage to reclaim what was hers from Wei Lingyue. She was genuinely pleased with how she'd handled it.
Meanwhile, Wei Lingyue, overwhelmed by frustration, vented it all on Du Ruolan.
After giving up Zhuohua Courtyard, Du Ruolan returned to Haitang Courtyard, the place she had lived in during her time as a concubine. The maids and servants were busy tidying the place when Wei Lingyue stormed in, fury written all over his face. Seeing this, the staff quickly made themselves scarce.
"Du Ruolan! Look at what you've done!"
With a sweep of his sleeve, Wei Lingyue knocked the beautiful woman off her chair and onto the ground.
Du Ruolan gritted her teeth and only after a moment pushed herself up. Her tone was calm as she asked, "Husband, what have I done to anger you so?"
Wei Lingyue sat in the main seat and responded coldly, "If you hadn't insisted on moving into Zhuohua Courtyard, things wouldn't be so tense between Yun Xi and me now."
Du Ruolan's breath caught. She lowered her gaze and said, "I am your wife. Isn't it only right that I live in Zhuohua Courtyard? You were the one who gave me permission. Besides, once Yun Xi returned, I vacated the place immediately. What more could she possibly want? Surely you and your daughter wouldn't become estranged over something so trivial?"
Wei Lingyue, already frustrated and prone to blaming others, grew even more irritable after hearing her reasoning. He waved impatiently. "Enough with your useless talk. Give me the Beautifying Pill I gave you last time."
Du Ruolan's gaze shot up. "Husband, I planned to give that pill to Yunqing."
Wei Lingyue scowled. "I told you to bring it here. I'll prepare another one for Yunqing."
Of course, he couldn't say that the pill had originally been prepared by Feng Jiayun for her daughter. He had intercepted it. Now that they were asking for it back, he couldn't very well oppose them.
Du Ruolan had no choice but to obey. Unwillingly, she retrieved the pill bottle, which Wei Lingyue then stored in his spatial pouch.
"Yun Xi is now a Jīndān Zhēnrén. You'd best treat her with more respect. The matter of you slipping her a Fusion Spirit Pill has already been exposed. If you don't behave, I won't be able to protect you."
With that, Wei Lingyue turned and left Haitang Courtyard.
Du Ruolan collapsed onto the ground, stunned. She hadn't expected Yun Xi to already know everything. Since Wei Lingyue was unlikely to have told her, Yun Xi must have discovered it herself long ago.
But even at five years old, Wei Yun Xi had held back, waiting until she grew powerful enough to expose the truth. Terrifying. She was even more ruthless than her indifferent mother.
Du Ruolan now regretted not being more decisive back then. Wei Yunqing was far away in the sect, too distant to help. She could only hope that Wei Lingyue would still feel some lingering affection and protect her for Yunqing's sake.
Meanwhile, the very same Wei Yunqing was resting in Baohua City.
After falling into the Baohua Mountain Range mid-journey, she had luckily landed on the outskirts, not the dangerous inner region. To survive and escape the mountains, she had fought off spirit beasts while forging ahead with her sword. On the very day Yun Xi returned to Kunyu City, Wei Yunqing also stumbled her way out of the mountain range.
Though she was in rough shape, Wei Yunqing had broken through in the midst of crisis and reached the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. She had even carved a bright red bracelet out of a spirit beast's innards. After binding it with a drop of her blood, she was ecstatic to find it contained an internal spatial realm.
Although the space inside was less than three hundred square meters, it could store living creatures. She could even enter it herself. However, once inside, the bracelet remained visible in the outside world, unlike Yun Xi's rosewood token, which was in a completely different league.
Still, for Wei Yunqing, this was a major stroke of luck. She gathered some rare items from the mountain outskirts, stashed them inside the bracelet's space, and spent a few days in Baohua City reorganizing it. Now, she was on her way to Kunyu City, determined to come back stronger than Yun Xi.
Just then, Yun Xi sneezed while speaking with Wei Lingtao. Someone must be talking about me behind my back, she thought.
Wei Lingtao looked at her with concern. "Yun Xi, are you feeling unwell?"
Yun Xi smiled gently. "No, it's nothing. Just someone thinking about me, probably."
They soon shifted the conversation to Wei Zongjin's cultivation progress. He was Wei Lingtao's son.
After learning how his son was doing, Wei Lingtao thanked Yun Xi sincerely. With the Foundation Establishment Pill, Zongjin would break through sooner or later. A few more years of tempering would only do him good. It was all thanks to Yun Xi, and he knew it.
Once they finished talking, Yun Xi pulled out a storage pouch and pushed it across the table toward him.
"Patriarch, these are pills I've refined. They'll aid the Wei disciples in their cultivation. There are also three Foundation Establishment Pills in there. Distribute them as you see fit.
I've already formed my Golden Core, so I can save the sect's Golden Core Pill meant for personal disciples. However, I'll need to return to the sect to claim it. Once I do, I'll send it back with someone."
Wei Lingtao's eyes lit up. He had been worrying about Feng Jiaqing's recent breakthrough into Golden Core. Now, with Yun Xi's words, his mind was at ease.
No matter who in the clan used the pill, as long as it produced another Golden Core cultivator, the Wei family would maintain its position as the top in Kunyu City. So he responded with a smile,
"Second Uncle thanks you on behalf of the Wei family. Everything you've done for us, we all recognize. You are the pillar of this family, and the family will always be your refuge."
Yun Xi gave a small smile in return. Her second uncle certainly knew how to speak well. But she added,
"Patriarch, keep the matter of the Golden Core Pill to yourself. No need to spread it around. I also don't want my father to know I intend for you to use it."