Yan Wuxin indifferently swept a glance over the crowd and then headed toward the small hut from her memories. Along the way, she searched through the memories in her mind while observing her surroundings.
In Mingtian Dalu, Huanli was divided into seven levels: Xuanzhe, Huanzhe, Lingshi, Da Lingshi, Lingsheng, Lingzun, and Linghuang. Each level was further divided into low, middle, and high tiers.
The Huanli cultivated by each person varied. Besides the five common Huanli—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—there were also three rare types: wind, thunder, and ice. Among them, the ice attribute had appeared only once in ten thousand years.
Apart from cultivators, there was another, highest-level existence in Mingtian Dalu: the Liandanshi. Liandanshi were always scarce, as one needed to possess both fire and wood Dual Attributes to become one. Thus, Liandanshi were highly sought after in Mingtian Dalu.
As for her, she had been tested on the day of her birth and found incapable of cultivation, thereafter becoming the “waste” everyone called her.
After absorbing all the relevant information, Yan Wuxin’s expression darkened, and a bloodthirsty glint flashed in her eyes. A waste, was she? Since fate wanted to play with her, she would gladly oblige!
Following her memories, Yan Wuxin arrived at the small hut where they lived. The house was not large, and everything inside was visible at a glance. The yard was littered with debris, though the house itself remained relatively intact.
In a corner of the room, a man dressed in white held a bundle of clothes, quietly weeping. His expression was one of despair, and he was pounding his legs with one hand.
This man was the original host’s older brother, Yan Wuhan. Yan Wuhan had doted on Yan Wuxin since childhood and had even become disabled and unable to cultivate after saving her when they were young.
At that moment, a loud “gurgle” from his stomach made Yan Wuhan stop his actions. Yan Wuxin awkwardly turned her head away. She had been hungry for nearly a day and night. Earlier, she had been preoccupied with her thoughts, but now that her attention had returned, she felt the emptiness in her stomach. She needed to find something to eat to fill her belly before she could think about anything else.
Yan Wuhan was stunned for a moment before reacting, calling out in disbelief, “Xin’er.”
Yan Wuhan was very handsome, with large eyes, a high-bridged nose, and finely sculpted facial features. Beneath his thick, dark hair, his phoenix eyes sparkled like twinkling stars that seemed to speak.
“Xin’er, it’s wonderful! I knew you weren’t dead. How could you ever abandon your brother and father?” Yan Wuhan excitedly tried to pull Yan Wuxin into his embrace, only to find himself grasping at air.
“Xin’er.”
Yan Wuxin pursed her lips. “I don’t like being hugged.”
These words struck Yan Wuhan like a thunderbolt. His sister’s way of speaking was different from usual. Could it be…
“Xin’er, you…” He didn’t utter the word “normal,” afraid of hurting his sister.
“Don’t worry, I’m perfectly normal.”
Yan Wuhan sniffled and nodded repeatedly. “Perhaps it’s Mother’s spirit in heaven watching over us, making Xin’er normal again.”
Yan Wuxin didn’t respond. After a long while, her stomach rumbled again, and unable to bear the scrutiny, she announced she would go find something to eat. Yan Wuhan frowned, unsure how to broach the subject.
The day before, the front courtyard had been ransacked, and now there was no food left in the pot. Their father was away, and all the edible wild vegetables nearby had already been dug up by him.
“I’ll go find food.” Without waiting for Yan Wuhan to speak, Yan Wuxin quickly ran off.
“No, I can’t let Xin’er get into trouble again.” Yan Wuhan thought for a moment and quickly crawled forward.
The general’s mansion was vast, and it took Yan Wuxin a full half-hour to reach the kitchen.
The kitchen had just finished serving lunch, with exquisite dishes laid out on the tables. It was clear that her return had instantly killed everyone’s appetite in the entire mansion.
Indeed, in ancient times, someone who had stopped breathing and crawled back from a mass grave was considered a great taboo. Now, she wasn’t foolish—the fact that the general’s mansion hadn’t performed exorcisms or sent her away was already a blessing.
Yan Wuxin walked in and glanced at the food on the tables, but she had no intention of taking any. She believed in self-reliance—it was safer to prepare her own meals. So, under the astonished gazes of all the kitchen maids, she began searching for ingredients.
“Well, if it isn’t the Fourth Miss? Your and your brother’s meals are right here.” A sharp, mocking voice called out to Yan Wuxin.
Yan Wuxin turned and saw an old woman carrying half a bucket of spoiled food and leftovers. With a loud thud, she slammed it down at Yan Wuxin’s feet, then looked at her provocatively.
“You eat it,” Yan Wuxin replied coldly, her expression completely blank as she glanced at the spoiled food.
The old woman hadn’t expected Yan Wuxin, now seemingly normal, to react this way. Instantly, her temper flared.
“Hey, do you really think you’re the Fourth Miss of the general’s mansion? What are you, anyway? It’s not just a day or two that you and your brother have been eating leftovers. Today, we’ve saved so much for you—you should be kowtowing in gratitude! What, you want to cook for yourself? Or maybe you want to eat what the masters don’t want? What a joke!” The old woman’s cutting words reached Yan Wuxin’s ears, and she was met with a cold glare.
“Oh, don’t glare at this old servant like that—I’m scared, hahaha!” The old woman laughed heartlessly, while the other servants whispered and snickered, showing none of the fear they had felt when they heard Yan Wuxin had returned alive from the mass grave.
Yan Wuxin smiled, a flicker of cruelty flashing in her eyes. She crooked a finger at the old woman.
“What, you useless thing have something to say? I’m listening,” the old woman sneered, her eyes full of scorn as she curled her lip disdainfully.
But the next moment, Yan Wuxin’s ghostly figure flashed forward. She grabbed the old woman’s head and shoved it into the bucket of water. Caught off guard, the old woman was forced down, leaving the surrounding servants stunned.
“Mmph! Mmph!” The old woman struggled desperately, hurling faint red Huanli at Yan Wuxin. But Yan Wuxin sidestepped, completely unfazed, her grip on the old woman’s head unyielding.
Everyone present was shocked. Although the old woman’s Huanli wasn’t strong, it should have been more than enough to deal with a talentless waste. Yet what were they seeing? The Fourth Miss, who was supposed to be useless, was actually overpowering an old woman with Huanli. Could it be that the Fourth Miss could cultivate now?
The old woman’s struggles grew weaker and weaker. Finally, just as she was about to suffocate, Yan Wuxin released her hand and kicked over the bucket. The old woman fainted, her face covered in filth, making everyone take a step back in disgust.
Yan Wuxin swept a cold gaze over the surroundings. The cooks and servants were frightened by her stare, shrinking back and not daring to utter a word.
“Nanny Wu actually couldn’t handle the Fourth Miss.”
“Yeah, isn’t the Fourth Miss supposed to be useless? Could it be that the Fifth Miss is possessed by a ghost?”
“The Fourth Miss’s eyes are terrifying.”
“Right, she must be possessed by a ghost. Otherwise, how could she suddenly deal with someone who can cultivate?”
When Yan Wuhan arrived, he saw Yan Wuxin stepping on the old woman who had packed the food. The servants, one after another, were hiding as if they had seen a ghost, leaving him instantly bewildered.
Was this still his foolish and timid sister?