After shouting out the bitterness bottled up in her heart, Wei Yunqing's face turned so dark it seemed she could wring water from it. Her expression hardened, and she quickly fell into deep thought, not noticing the faint wisp of black qi that flashed across her brow. In the next moment, the crimson bracelet on her wrist gave a flicker, pulling her drifting thoughts back to reality.
Wei Yunqing gently touched the crimson bracelet on her wrist and muttered to herself,"Good thing I have you. This time, I must form my Golden Core. I have to enter the secret realm of Baohua Mountains.
That woman may have been mocking me, but she was right about one thing. Without going out to temper myself, my combat experience is sorely lacking. Even if I surpass her in cultivation one day, I still wouldn't be her match in a real fight."
After rubbing the invisible bracelet on her wrist for a while, Wei Yunqing activated the spirit-gathering array, closed her eyes, and entered cultivation.
Meanwhile, the other owner of the Enlightenment Fruit Tree, Ye Shaohua, was hiding just outside the spiritual herb field. He had seen the entire meeting between the Wei sisters and now stood there quietly, his gaze thoughtful, as if weighing his options.
Yun Xi didn't even need to extend her divine sense. The Flying Mist Butterfly had already revealed Ye Shaohua's presence to her.
She remembered him well. After the Wei clan's disciples joined the sect, Wei Yunqing had benefited greatly from Ye Shaohua's protection. Even as an outer disciple, she had lived comfortably, earning cultivation resources by cultivating spirit plants. He was her benefactor and strongest support.
Yun Xi hadn't expected that even after entering the inner sect, Ye Shaohua remained just as devoted to Wei Yunqing. If someone told her this wasn't part of a larger plan, she wouldn't have believed it.
Noticing the calculating glint in Ye Shaohua's eyes, Yun Xi gently ran her fingers over the jade token at her waist that marked her status as a personal disciple. Her eyes narrowed with a similar gleam of calculation. The question was, when his own interests were at stake, would Senior Brother Ye still choose to put Wei Yunqing first?
After selecting the spirit herbs required to refine the Beast Spirit Pill, Yun Xi bid farewell to Zong Hao and returned to Lingxue Peak. As for her little Flying Mist Butterfly, it stayed behind on Dan Peak to continue its task of monitoring Wei Yunqing.
Back on her own turf at Lingxue Peak, Yun Xi first followed Zong Hao's instructions, planting the herbs and arranging the formations to ensure optimal growth. Only then did she turn to drawing talismans, refining pills, and concocting medicine.
She didn't plan to enter closed-door cultivation until the Wei clan had fully arrived. She needed to settle everyone properly before she could focus without distractions.
Meanwhile, aboard the slowly approaching airship bound for Haoran City, Yu Feng and Yu Huo were enjoying a leisurely journey. They passed the time sipping tea, playing chess, and occasionally sharing a drink. More often than not, their conversation revolved around Yun Xi.
However, every time they spoke, they activated a sound barrier. The Wei clan heard none of it.
Yu Huo Zhēnjūn sighed, "Come to think of it, Yun Xi almost became my eldest brother's disciple. She missed it by just a hair."
Yu Feng Zhēnjūn replied cheerfully, "Doesn't matter how close it was. Fate didn't bind them as master and disciple."
"But now that I think about it, she's clearly most fated with me. I was the one who brought her back from Kunyu City. Both times she had trouble, I was the one to escort her. I've watched her grow from the start."
Yu Huo Zhēnjūn asked, his words vague but pointed, "You think Yu Ling took Yun Xi as a disciple because of Ancestor Feisheng's prophecy?"
Yu Feng understood exactly what he meant. Twirling the jade cup in his hand, he said, "Very likely. Otherwise, with that cold temperament of his, I doubt he would've taken a disciple even after ascending."
"When Yun Xi first joined the sect, none of them thought highly of her. They figured she was average at best. Funny enough, they actually pinned their hopes on the other girl from the Wei clan. If I recall, she's your registered disciple now."
Yu Huo Zhēnjūn paused, then nodded, "Back then, I did think she had good potential. Dual roots of water and wood, talented in cultivating spiritual plants, so I took her in as a registered disciple to observe her for a while. I planned to decide after the sect's grand competition whether to officially take her as a disciple.
But then a more suitable candidate came along. I followed my heart and accepted Wei Zonghao. He's also from the Wei clan, but looking at it now, I clearly made the right choice. Yun Xi passed on the Yixian Gate's inheritance to the sect. Our Dan Peak benefited the most from it."
Yu Feng nodded, "Exactly. Everything happens for a reason. Even if she hadn't handed over the inheritance, she would've shared insights with her cousin Wei Zonghao. And since you're his master, you'd still benefit indirectly."
"Haha, you're absolutely right. Taking him in was a timely decision."
Yu Huo grinned from ear to ear, feeling like he had regained a few years of youth.
As the two Zhēnjūn continued their pleasant chat, in another room of the ship, Du Ruolan felt as though a heavy stone was pressing on her chest.
From Wei Lingyue, she'd learned the real reason the Wei clan was being brought to Haoran City: it was because of Yun Xi, not her daughter, Wei Yunqing.
"Is that true?" she asked anxiously.
"You think I'd lie about something like this? The two Zhēnjūn are right here on the ship," Wei Lingyue replied, clearly in high spirits ever since they boarded.
His attitude toward Wei Lingtao had shifted completely—no more polite deference. It was Yun Xi who gave him that confidence.
Though Yun Xi had warned him not to covet what didn't belong to him and that she wouldn't take his side if trouble arose, that didn't stop him from throwing his weight around within the clan. And that alone was enough.
Now, he desperately wanted a Golden Core Pill. As long as he formed his Golden Core, even if he didn't ask to rise in position, the clan would naturally push him upward. Surely, Yun Xi wouldn't object then.
Wei Lingyue schemed quietly, trying to figure out how to get a Golden Core Pill from Yun Xi. Meanwhile, Du Ruolan's hands clenched the handkerchief in her lap into a tight knot.
She had thought Wei Yunqing's high profile and their journey to Haoran City were due to her daughter's success in securing the protection of a Yuányīng Zhēnjūn. Who would've thought that everything was thanks to Yun Xi?
Feng Jiayun's man had been scorned, but she had treated him like treasure. And that supposedly average girl had outshone her own dual-rooted daughter, becoming the disciple of a Zhēnjūn and even earning the sect's support to relocate the whole clan to Haoran City. What kind of immense fortune was that?
From now on, the clan would surely follow Yun Xi's lead.
Wei Lingyue was Yun Xi's father. No matter how cold she was toward him, she wouldn't truly cast him aside. But Du Ruolan herself had never been acknowledged by Yun Xi. She used to think that with Wei Yunqing's presence, her status as the Wei clan's madam was secure. Unfortunately, reality didn't unfold as she had hoped. From now on, she would have to keep her head down.
In his private cabin, Wei Lingtao had been watching Wei Lingyue's behavior over the past two days. A flicker of disdain crossed his eyes.
It wasn't that he looked down on his eldest brother, but the fact that he hadn't become clan head back then already said enough. Now, with the clan relocating to Haoran City because of Yun Xi, his brother's ambitions seemed to be rekindled.
But based on what he knew of Yun Xi, those ambitions would be crushed before they even had a chance to sprout. Once they arrived in Haoran City, Yun Xi would definitely fulfill her promise and give him that Golden Core Pill. After forming his core, all problems would resolve themselves. The only challenge left would be dealing with Ancestor Nan Feng.
Still, he believed Yun Xi could handle it.
At that very moment, Wei Nanfeng was running calculations of his own. Truthfully, it was only thanks to the younger generation of the Wei clan that he had the opportunity to return to Haoran City.
He had been forced to leave Haoran Sect years ago. Now that he was back, it was time to settle old scores.