Wei Lingkai was deeply intrigued by Yun Xi's near-death ordeal in forming her Golden Core. He took the initiative to ask,
"Yun Xi, would you mind telling me about it?"
"Of course."
Yun Xi didn't mind sharing her cultivation experience. It was, after all, a form of information exchange. She spent about the time it took for an incense stick to burn to roughly recount the events leading up to and following her Golden Core formation. Wei Lingkai listened with astonishment. Compared to his own cultivation path, Yun Xi's journey was clearly far more harrowing.
"Yun Xi, I doubt anyone could surpass the way you formed your Golden Core."
"You're not wrong, Uncle. I quite literally risked my life for it."
Yun Xi admitted it openly. She had no desire for others to think her breakthrough was easy or purely due to luck. Her growth in strength was earned with blood and determination.
Having understood her ordeal, Wei Lingkai realized immediately that her method couldn't be replicated. He shifted the topic back to the Wei Clan Ancestor.
"Yun Xi, just now you stopped me from returning to the clan to recover. You said the Ancestor has emerged from seclusion. Did something happen?"
Yun Xi replied with a pleasant smile,
"He hasn't had the chance to do anything—yet."
Wei Lingkai knew at once something was amiss and got straight to the point,
"Can you tell me what's going on?"
"Alright."
Yun Xi proceeded to recount the confrontation she had with the Patriarch over Wei Yunqing. She stated only the facts, without embellishment or emotional bias.
After listening, Wei Lingkai let out a long sigh. Of course he knew what was in Wei Nanfeng's heart. It was one of the reasons he seldom returned home after joining the sect. Still, he had fulfilled every responsibility expected of a Wei Clan son—he had never failed to give back to the family.
Seeing that Wei Lingkai was genuinely absorbing her words, Yun Xi spoke more directly,
"Although I've had limited interaction with the Ancestor, even from this single encounter it's clear: Wei Nanfeng is a man with an intense need for control. He doesn't tolerate anything—or anyone—slipping beyond his grasp.
In the past, it was Ancestor Chen Yin. Now, it's me. And it could very well be you next. That's exactly why I don't want you going back to recover."
Yun Xi wasn't speaking without reason. In the original novel, Wei Lingkai—this Little Uncle—only appeared briefly when the female lead and her rival entered the outer sect of Haoran Sect. His role had been to support the younger Wei Clan disciples. After that, he vanished entirely.
Later on, he was mentioned just once in passing by the protagonist. She said the uncle who had once helped them disappeared after going out to cultivate. It was assumed he had fallen.
Now that she thought about it, Wei Lingkai had most likely perished in Xiaohe City, and the culprit was probably Xiao He. As for Xiao Ye, he had likely survived, albeit through disgraceful means, and thus spent the rest of his life under the thumb of evil cultivators.
What Yun Xi didn't know was whether, in her past life, Xiao Lei had delivered Wei Lingkai's distress token to Wei Chenyin. Had Wei Chenyin come to Xiaohe City to search for him? The novel never detailed any of that.
But this time, thanks to Yun Xi's intervention, everything had shifted. Wei Lingkai had been saved. Xiao He had failed. Xiao Ye was dead. The traces of evil cultivators had surfaced once more, and their schemes were doomed to collapse.
It was becoming increasingly clear: Yun Xi was fated to be entangled with evil cultivators. Everything that happened around her—and everyone close to her—seemed connected to them in some way. Though mostly unintentional, she couldn't ignore the pattern. One incident might be coincidence. Repeated incidents? That was no longer chance, but something orchestrated by fate.
On the other hand, Wei Lingkai didn't immediately give a firm response to her words. But in his heart, he agreed with her assessment of the Ancestor. Many of his own thoughts had clashed with Wei Nanfeng's values. Otherwise, after entering the sect, he wouldn't have grown so close to Ancestor Chenyin.
Noticing the hesitation in Wei Lingkai's eyes, Yun Xi continued,
"Little Uncle, you were rescued by Ancestor Chenyin and me. We're probably the two people in the family the Ancestor resents most. We can't be manipulated or controlled.
Now that you owe us your life, if anything were to happen in the future, even out of a sense of repayment, you'd likely side with us. Do you think Wei Nanfeng would ever want to see that happen?"
Wei Lingkai finally sighed and said,
"Yun Xi, say no more. I understand what you're trying to tell me. Once things are settled here, I'll return to the sect for closed-door cultivation. I won't return to Kunyu City until I've formed my Golden Core."
Yun Xi smiled gently,
"Then rest well for now, Little Uncle. I won't disturb you."
With that, she left quietly and respectfully.
Yun Xi fully admitted to sowing discord. She simply couldn't stand the idea of Wei Nanfeng dominating the family. Nor did she want him to keep propping up Wei Yunqing. The root of the issue lay in weakening his power.
Before, she'd been young, with average aptitude, no parents around, and no value to exploit. Even if Wei Nanfeng had emerged from seclusion earlier, he likely wouldn't have spared her a second glance.
But now things were different. She was the fastest cultivator among her peers, even outperforming the dual-spirit-rooted Wei Yunqing. She had a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn as her master and a future as bright as the stars.
However, she refused to be obedient. She didn't show any deference to Wei Nanfeng, that biased old Ancestor. And that had touched a nerve. In his eyes, she was undoubtedly the second coming of Wei Chenyin.
Wei Nanfeng would never allow such a thing to happen again. He would inevitably direct family resources toward Wei Yunqing to suppress Yun Xi.
But he seemed to have forgotten one thing. A clan with only one Golden Core cultivator might allow for complete control. But once a second or third Golden Core cultivator appeared, the balance would break. Decisions would no longer rest with one person alone.
Yun Xi had already promised Wei Lingtai, the clan leader, a grand vision. The sect's Golden Core pill for inner disciples was sitting in her storage bracelet. She just needed to choose the right moment to return it to the clan. The family head needed to be drawn to her side.
Then there was her Little Uncle. She and Wei Chenyin had worked together to save him. She didn't do it so he could go back and be manipulated by Wei Nanfeng. Unlike Wei Chenyin, Yun Xi wasn't one to hold back. She was clear about her debts and her vengeance.
Meanwhile, Wei Chenyin was recounting the sequence of events to Xiao Yuan Zhēnjūn. For the parts she hadn't witnessed firsthand, Cao Yi, Zhang Lingrui, and Lin Keyang filled in the gaps.
During this, Xiao Yuan Zhēnjūn received a message talisman from Yi Zhēnjūn and learned the extent of Wei Lingkai's injuries. They were exactly as Elder Chen Yin had said—he had nearly lost his life. Xiao He had been a single step away from succeeding.
In the end, Xiao Yuan Zhēnjūn solemnly promised,
"Friends of Haoran Sect, this incident occurred in Xiaohe City. As the City Lord, I cannot shirk responsibility. Because of your intervention, the evil cultivators' plot was foiled. Rest assured, I will give you all a proper account."
Wei Chen Yin immediately cupped her fists and said,
"Zhēnjūn, you're too kind. We were merely searching for a fellow sect member. What happened was pure happenstance, hardly worthy of merit.
However, evil cultivators are unpredictable. We would like to know their goal. Have they set their sights on Haoran Sect? If you discover anything, we hope you'll inform us. That way we can alert our sect upon returning."
Her request was reasonable, and Xiao Yuan Zhēnjūn readily agreed. The four then withdrew from the main hall of the City Lord's residence.
As they headed to their temporary lodging, they passed by Xiao He, now bound in a Spirit-Locking Ring, with Xiao Lei following behind, her face pale and haggard.