Du Ruolan's eyes finally reddened at those words. Tears slipped down silently as she held Wei Yunqing close, sobbing softly, releasing the suffocating frustration in her heart.
Wei Yunqing could only hug her mother and try to comfort her. At this moment, she couldn't tell whether she hated Wei Yunxi more for exposing the truth, or Wei Lingyue more for hurting her mother. Yet in her memory, her father had always favored her more.
After Du Ruolan vented her emotions, she took her daughter's hand and said earnestly,
"Qing'er, don't confront Wei Yunxi head-on from now on. For someone with only a three-spirit-root constitution to form a Golden Core, she must have her own opportunities. You're no match for her right now, so you must focus on protecting yourself first."
Wei Yunqing didn't like hearing that. She had her own opportunities too. She touched the bracelet hidden on her wrist and gave a perfunctory nod.
"Mother, I understand. My current cultivation may be lower, but that doesn't mean I'll always be beneath Wei Yunxi. One day, I'll surpass her, become the foremost figure in the Wei family, and earn the title of a core disciple in Haoran Sect."
Only then did Du Ruolan nod in relief.
Wei Yunxi withdrew her divine sense. With Dian Dian pinched in her fingers, she returned to her room to cultivate. She had another female protagonist to deal with—she couldn't allow that person to surpass her.
Meanwhile, Wei Lingyue, still in closed-door cultivation, had no idea his daughter had already mapped out the path of his future. And Du Ruolan, who claimed to love him the most, had indirectly fulfilled Wei Yunxi's prophecy. Until the day he shut his eyes for good, he remained only the Wei family's respected elder, with his cultivation forever stuck at the late Foundation Establishment stage.
After cultivating through the night, Wei Yunxi went to see the head of the Wei family. She was ready to stay openly at the Feng family estate for a few days.
The Wei Patriarch looked somewhat conflicted, but after some deliberation, he finally spoke.
"Yun Xi, Du Ruolan is now your father's wife, and Yun Qing has also returned. Her cultivation might not match yours, but who knows what the future holds. It's best not to let things turn too sour between you sisters."
Wei Yunxi understood. He was advising her to leave some room for maneuver. He must have heard how Wei Yunqing had carried a blood-soaked Du Ruolan back to Haitang Courtyard the day before.
She immediately smiled and replied,
"Second Uncle, I might be young, but I'm not the type to bully the weak. Yesterday, I simply told Du Ruolan that the Beauty Retaining Pill Father gave her to coax her was actually my mother's. Father reclaimed it to mend our relationship. After hearing that, she got so upset she coughed up blood."
Wei Lingtao looked at Yun Xi's innocent little face and sighed inwardly. He swore to himself that he would always treat his children equally, never repeating his elder brother's mistakes. Discord among children was a taboo in any family.
Since Wei Lingtao had nothing else to say, Wei Yunxi took her leave and went to the Feng family estate.
Upon seeing her, Feng Jiaqing asked,
"I heard Wei Yunqing came back yesterday too. How's her cultivation?"
"Mid Foundation Establishment. Still lacking a bit."
"Good. There's no need to stir up conflict with her here in Kunyu City. Just focus on your cultivation. Don't let trivial matters distract you."
"Don't worry, Uncle. I understand."
"That's good. I'm planning to enter a short seclusion to stabilize my cultivation. I probably won't be around when you return to the sect, so I'll accompany you more over the next couple of days."
Wei Yunxi waved her hand.
"No need. Stabilizing your cultivation is more important, Uncle. A Golden Core cultivator has a lifespan of five hundred years. We'll have plenty of chances to see each other again. No need to rush.
You should go into seclusion. In the meantime, I'll work with Ancestor Feng on refining Golden Core pills. With our combined efforts, we might stumble upon a surprising breakthrough. You don't need to keep me company."
Feng Jiaqing knew his niece had a mind of her own, so he didn't insist. He brought her to Feng Feng's residence, arranged everything, then began his seclusion.
Wei Yunxi wasted no time exchanging alchemy insights with Ancestor Feng. To her, alchemy was like chemical fusion—combining various spirit plants in precise ratios, filtering out harmful impurities during fusion, and extracting the medicinal essence.
Ancestor Feng used methods handed down through generations, while Wei Yunxi brought fresh perspectives and modern techniques. Their discussions sparked frequent breakthroughs, and both made notable progress in their alchemy.
Wei Yunxi began refining third-tier pills, slowly regaining her alchemy rhythm and mastering new techniques bit by bit.
Ancestor Feng, watching her use the Ziyu Panlong Cauldron, commented,
"That's a good furnace, but a bit strained for third-tier pills. Also, you should pay close attention to your alchemical flame. You need to find a flame that's compatible with your spiritual roots. Only then can you walk further along the path of alchemy. Upgrading the furnace would also help."
Wei Yunxi nodded.
"Don't worry, Ancestor. I'll go to the Refining Peak to upgrade the furnace once I return to the sect. As for a rare flame, that's something you can only encounter by chance. After the sect competition, I'll go out to train and look for one."
She had already mapped out her short-term training plan.
Ancestor Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Very good. You've already formed your Golden Core. There's not much more the family can do to help you now. The future is up to you. That said, I've had Jia Qing prepare some spirit stones for you. They'll definitely come in handy."
Spirit stones were the universal currency of the cultivation world.
"Thank you, Ancestor."
Wei Yunxi accepted with a grateful smile.
The following night, the Flying Mist Butterfly brought back new information. It had made a discovery regarding Wei Yunqing.
"You're saying she wears a red bracelet on her left wrist and once took something out of it?"
"Yes, Master. I flew into her room to observe her closely. That's when I noticed it. In the middle of the night, she suddenly vanished from the prayer mat. Only the red bracelet remained. Then, at dawn, she reappeared. I saw her touch her left wrist afterward."
The Flying Mist Butterfly's answer was certain. Though its combat power was weak, it was a third-tier beast. As long as it masked its presence, Wei Yunqing wouldn't be able to detect it.
"Alright, I understand. Keep watching her tonight. If she disappears again, send me a message immediately."
"Yes, Master."
After severing the connection with the Flying Mist Butterfly, Wei Yunxi sat in her courtyard and began piecing together the clues.
Wei Yunqing was incredibly lucky this time. She had found a spatial artifact. More accurately, something—or someone—had given it to her as compensation.
Because she had kept her spatial wood token and had the strongest support in the form of a chat group, Wei Yunqing had managed to survive and progress step by step. So far, Wei Yunxi still hadn't been able to crush her beneath her heel. Instead, Wei Yunqing had become her whetstone.
That was why someone behind the scenes had rushed to set things right, trying to forcibly steer the plot back to its original course. But with Wei Yunxi's presence as a disruptive variable, compounded by several butterfly effects, the story had already gone off script. In the original novel, she hadn't formed her Golden Core this early.
Wei Yunxi thought it over and made a decision. She would take a risk and try to seize Wei Yunqing's opportunity for herself.
When the Flying Mist Butterfly sent word that Wei Yunqing had vanished again, Wei Yunxi immediately released her divine sense. It swept into Wei Yunqing's courtyard, slipped past the barrier, and twined around the red bracelet resting on the mat like a vine. She began forcibly erasing the spiritual imprint left on it.
Inside the spatial realm, Wei Yunqing suddenly felt her chest tighten. Her eyes flew open, and in the next breath, she let out a sharp cry, clutching her head as she was kicked out of the space.