Murong Chao took several deep breaths to calm her emotions before reaching for the upper volume of the Purple-Gold Mystic Art. She attempted to open it but found it impossible to flip through.
She refused to believe it was due to any lack of talent on her part; even the slightest thought of that would dishonor her title as the number one prodigy of the Xuantian Sect.
In that moment, it occurred to Murong Chao: the Purple-Gold Space was left behind by the ancestors of the Murong family, this courtyard was part of Murong Manor, and perhaps this cultivation art required the bloodline recognition of Murong descendants.
With this thought, she did not hesitate to condense a drop of blood and let it fall onto the cover.
A beam of light shot out from the Purple-Gold Mystic Art in her hand, directly piercing between her eyebrows and entering her consciousness.
Her sea of consciousness immediately began to churn. She closed her eyes at once, and the upper volume of the Purple-Gold Mystic Art floated within her mind.
Shock and joy filled Murong Chao’s heart. Only Ancient Arts could manifest within one’s divine consciousness.
This time, she effortlessly opened the Purple-Gold Mystic Art with her will, though she could only turn to the first page.
Murong Chao understood: Ancient Arts were different from other cultivation methods. Only by comprehending and mastering the current page could one proceed to the next.
Cultivation required a state of mental tranquility. She did not begin practicing immediately; after all, without patience and perseverance, she would never have become the prodigy of the Xuantian Sect.
Withdrawing from her divine consciousness, she looked down at her hand. The characters on the cover of the upper volume of the Purple-Gold Mystic Art had vanished. The ancient text could now be opened, but inside, there was not a single word.
Murong Chao was puzzled. If there were no words left, why keep this ancient text?
Glancing at the other two volumes of the Purple-Gold Mystic Art in the brocade box, she placed the now-wordless upper volume back inside. As soon as she did, it automatically shifted to the bottom, and the brocade box closed on its own.
It seemed that only after mastering the upper volume could she access the middle one, and only after mastering the middle could she proceed to the lower volume.
What was the origin of the Murong family ancestors? How did they obtain such an Ancient Art? And how could they leave it for their bloodline descendants in such a manner?
Was there anyone on the Yagu Continent this formidable?
Turning her head, she looked at the rooms on either side. She walked to the right, pushed open the door, and found a bedroom, decorated warmly and luxuriously, perfectly matching her aesthetic.
She did not enter. Instead, she closed the door and turned to the left room. Inside was a study, its shelves filled with books. Based on the aura she sensed, each volume was likely extremely precious.
Murong Chao only glanced from the doorway. There was no rush to examine those ancient texts immediately. She closed the door, left the space, and reappeared on the rocking chair.
Since both lifetimes of Murong Chao were herself, the grudges were hers as well. Counting them, she had quite a few enemies!
Wei Xiangyuan’s grudge could not be avenged immediately. She must return to the Chiyue Kingdom; otherwise, how could she seek revenge against Murong Su?
For now, she would first settle the scores with Chen Qingyang and Jiang Anya.
Chen Qingyang wanted to become the crown prince? He could keep dreaming.
Glancing at the pastries on the nearby table, Murong Chao curled her lips into a faint smile. Jiang Anya had personally made these pastries—what a pity it would be not to let the Jiang family taste them.
She did not have a Spirit-Destroying Pill, but she did possess a Hundred Poisons Pill. She had schemed to obtain it from the Peak Master of the Pill Peak of the Xuantian Sect. Though there was only one pill, and it was only sixth-grade, she was more than willing to use it on the Jiang family.
Without the Jiang family as her backing, would Jiang Anya have dared to strike her with such deadly intent?
With a thought, the Hundred Poisons Pill appeared in her hand. Pinching it between her thumb and forefinger, a flicker of flame emerged from her fingertips, enveloping the pill.
Although not an alchemist, he was still capable of refining the Hundred Poisons Pill into a liquid state. He evenly infused the liquid into the pastries and stored them in his spatial storage.
Glancing at the sky, which had turned gloomy from its earlier bright sunshine, Murong Chao rose and left the small courtyard.
At that moment, two men in flowing robes walked along the streets of the Fengyun Kingdom.
“Shujin, why must you come to the capital of Fengyun Kingdom?” Xie Shikun asked, puzzled.
Qi Shujin narrowed his eyes slightly. “The abbot of Qinglong Temple said that if I want to change my Lone Fiend Fate, I must come to the capital of Fengyun Kingdom.”
Xie Shikun paused. “You, a man devoted to the Dao, believe the words of an old monk?”
Qi Shujin withdrew his gaze and glanced faintly at Xie Shikun. “On the day I was born, my grandfather passed away. When I awakened my spiritual roots, my eldest brother, who had excellent water affinity and cultivation, drowned. At ten, my parents went to a Grotto-Heaven Blessed Land and never returned. The only family I have left is my younger sister, whom I haven’t dared to see for ten years.”
Xie Shikun twitched his lips. His friend truly had an unusually tough fate. “Since it’s already like this, why not cultivate the Path of Emotionlessness? There’s no need to listen to that old monk’s nonsense.”
Qi Shujin curled the corner of his mouth. “Daoism and Buddhism each have their own cultivation methods. Besides, I cannot cultivate the Path of Emotionlessness.”
“Why not?” Xie Shikun asked, confused. In his mind, wasn’t Qi Shujin’s experience precisely the condition for cultivating the Path of Emotionlessness?
Qi Shujin did not answer his question. “It’s starting to rain. Let’s go sit in a teahouse.”
The two men requested an elegant room upstairs facing the street. They drank hot tea while watching the drizzle outside.
“What a stunning beauty!” Xie Shikun exclaimed, looking down at a woman in a pale purple dress strolling leisurely in the rain under a purple oil-paper umbrella.
Qi Shujin turned to look down and twitched his lips. The woman below was shielded by the umbrella, revealing only her figure from the waist down.
“How can you tell she’s a stunning beauty from that?”
Xie Shikun said confidently, “Having admired countless women, I can gauge her beauty without seeing her face. If you don’t believe me, you can go down and take a look.”
Qi Shujin shook his head helplessly. He had no interest in women.
“Ah, she’s coming inside,” Xie Shikun said excitedly.
Qi Shujin sighed. “This is Fengyun Kingdom. Don’t stir up any romantic entanglements.”
His friend was excellent in every way, except for his flirtatious nature and tendency to leave romantic traces everywhere.
“Just admiring is fine. Perhaps we are fated,” Xie Shikun said nonchalantly.
He stood up and pushed open the door. Their elegant room was the first one near the staircase, so any woman coming upstairs for tea would inevitably pass by their door.
“She’s here,” Xie Shikun signaled Qi Shujin to take a look.
Qi Shujin paid little attention, merely glancing toward the doorway. Just then, he saw the woman in the pale purple dress walking past their room, holding a folded oil-paper umbrella still dripping with water.
Her smooth hair, flowing skirt, and breathtaking beauty made her seem ethereal, as if untouched by the mortal world.
Yet, her face looked somewhat familiar.
At that moment, the red string tied around his left wrist suddenly snapped. Qi Shujin’s gaze sharpened as he recalled the words of the abbot of Qinglong Temple:
“Wear this to the capital of Fengyun Kingdom. When the red string breaks, the person you encounter will be the one who can change your Lone Fiend Fate—your only benefactor in this lifetime.”
At that time, Qi Shujin was still wondering how he would identify the person who would change his fate if the red string broke when he was surrounded by many people. He never imagined he would encounter someone under such circumstances.
“So, what do you think? Was I right? Isn’t she a stunning beauty?” Xie Shikun had already returned to his seat and, seeing Qi Shujin’s dazed expression, assumed he too was captivated by the woman’s appearance.
“She looks somewhat familiar. I wonder if I have any fate with her?” Xie Shikun mused, stroking his chin.
Qi Shujin glanced at him sideways. “Whether you have fate with her or not, I don’t know, but my fate with her runs deep.”