The Rise of a Family: Starting from Daily Intelligence - Chapter 416 (Patreon)

Chapter 416: Ennoblement, Bloodline Awakening, and Family Expansion

Fu Changsheng gazed into the deep pool. The water was dark as ink, a faint blue sheen rippling across its surface, as if it connected to another world.

His spiritual sense pierced the surface and sank toward the bottom.

At the rift on the lakebed—

Three spirit grasses exuding a chilling yin aura came into view.

“Heavenly Yin Grass!”

Just as Patriarch Ouyang had mentioned.

Each stalk was pitch-black, its leaves long and blade-thin, the edges glowing with a ghostly blue phosphorescence. Every plant brimmed with dense yin energy.

But they were still short of full maturity.

Yongwei seemed to sense something as well.

However, her spiritual sense was far weaker than Fu Changsheng’s, and the water itself appeared to hinder divine perception. Even as a formation master, Yao Yao had failed to detect it.

Nine Nether Valley was far too uncanny.

Fu Changsheng decided to cut the knot with a swift blade. “Yao Yao, set up a Nine-Palace Locking-Spirit Array here to keep the yin from leaking and to keep other foul things from drawing near.”

“Father, the Heavenly Yin Grass is at the bottom?”

“Mm.”

“Great!”

Yao Yao couldn’t hold back a cry. After a brush with death, they had finally found the Heavenly Yin Grass. Without delay, she quickly produced the Nine-Palace Spirit-Fixing Plate. Array lines spread like a spiderweb and covered the pool.

Fu Changsheng looked at Yongwei. “Yongwei, come down with me.”

Yongwei was a little nervous, but she still nodded. “Yes, Father.”

On this trip into Nine Nether Valley,

she had almost been a burden from start to finish, and she felt deeply ashamed. Hearing that she could actually help this time, she was a little excited.

Splash!

Water exploded upward.

The two slipped beneath the surface.

The pool was bone-bitingly cold. Wan wisps of wandering shades drifted about, but they were cowed by the Thunderstriking Sword at Fu Changsheng’s side and dared not draw near.

The deeper they went, the colder it grew.

After the time for a cup of tea—

Three Heavenly Yin Grass plants, each eight feet tall, appeared before them.

“Father, it’s Heavenly Yin Grass!”

At the sight of the spirit plants, Fu Yongwei’s fear vanished. She dove faster, then examined them carefully and said with regret, “Heavenly Yin Grass is nine feet tall at maturity. It will also congeal a Heavenly Yin Pearl. If the pearl is buried in a place of dense yin, it can take root and sprout again in a few years. These three are still short by about three years.”

Fu Changsheng nodded in satisfaction.

Given Yongwei’s familiarity with Heavenly Yin Grass, she might truly be able to help bring them to ripeness.

Before he could speak,

Fu Yongwei was already raring to go. “Father, protect me while I work. I’ll force them to ripen.”

“Good.”

That was exactly what he’d been waiting for.

Fu Yongwei took a deep breath. This was her first time ripening a spirit plant since stepping into Purple Mansion, so she was inevitably a little tense. She closed her eyes, calmed her mind, then formed a hand seal with her right hand and chanted under her breath.

Hum!

The yin energy around her seemed to respond to a summons, howling as it surged toward her. At the same time, the spiritual power within her circulated; a faint green radiance rose from her palm and merged in midair with the onrushing yin. Together they formed a complex talismanic seal like an Eight Trigrams diagram.

“Spirit plants, heed the arcane—let life force reverse… Offer!”

Boom!

In the next instant,

all the yin in the pool swarmed at once.

Blending with the faint green glow within Fu Yongwei, it became a post-calamity gentle rain that fell in fine threads upon the Heavenly Yin Grass closest to her.

The plant grew at a speed visible to the naked eye. Its leaves unfurled and its glow flared bright!

Gugaga— The cries of yin puppets echoed.

Clearly,

the aura spilling from a Heavenly Yin Grass at the moment of maturity had lured the pool’s yin puppets hither.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Fighting had already broken out above the pool.

Fu Changsheng’s thoughts stirred; Qiu Chan flashed forth.

“Qiu Chan, go up and help Yao Yao hold the array!”

“Yes, Master.”

Qiu Chan answered and shot skyward.

As the Heavenly Yin Grass reached nine feet, a gray bead the size of a soybean began to form at its leaf tips.

Plink!

The bead dropped to the ground.

That meant this Heavenly Yin Grass was fully mature.

Fu Changsheng’s face lit with joy.

His gaze fell on Fu Yongwei. After ripening one plant, her face was white as paper, a sheen of cold sweat studded her brow, and she swayed on her feet—she had clearly spent too much. Yet she still had no intention of stopping. Seeing this, Fu Changsheng hurried to halt her.

“One plant is enough. We’re leaving.”

Because the Heavenly Yin Grass had matured,

the battle overhead had already grown extremely fierce.

If they forced another to ripen,

first, Yongwei wouldn’t be able to bear it; second, if another fourth-rank Yin Puppet King was drawn over, that would be disastrous.

Fu Yongwei was a little unwilling. “Father, then won’t the remaining two Heavenly Yin Grass go to waste?”

From what they’d just gone through,

even if Father formed a Golden Core, he wouldn’t necessarily come back to this accursed place—and in three years he absolutely wouldn’t have a core yet. A single Heavenly Yin Grass was worth a fortune, and transplanting it was fiendishly difficult. Once uprooted, if it wasn’t planted again in a place of dense yin within the time of a single incense stick, it would wither instantly.

“It’s fine.”

Fu Changsheng had no such worry.

The rear court of the Heavenly Dragon Temple in his Five Elements Space could support the plants.

Thus,

without the slightest delay, he deftly took out a specially made jade box, carefully placed the matured Heavenly Yin Grass within, sent a sealing hand seal into it, and sealed it completely.

The sounds of fighting above the pool suddenly stuttered, then dispersed in a roar.

Seeing this, Fu Changsheng quickly formed a seal and used the Five-Spirit Conveyance Technique to uproot the other two immature plants. He wrapped them in spiritual power and, though it looked like he stored them in a pouch, he in fact tossed them straight into the Heavenly Dragon Temple’s rear court, planning to have Qiu Chan return and plant them as soon as they got out.

As he carried Fu Yongwei toward the surface,

a familiar mechanical chime rang out in his mind:

“Ding.”

“You have added three Heavenly Yin Grass to the clan and gained 1,000 family contribution points.”

Immediately after—

the contribution tally on his panel changed to two thousand seven hundred.

Splash!

They burst from the water. At the pool’s mouth, the light-curtain of the array Yao Yao had set was raked with cracks, and several yin puppets still lurked nearby.

“Father, how did it go?”

“The Heavenly Yin Grass is in hand. We’re withdrawing!”

“Okay!”

Yao Yao answered crisply and pinched a seal. Flags uprooted themselves one after another and turned into streams of light that fell back into her pouch.

“Go.” Fu Changsheng urged the Azure Flood Dragon on and sped the group away from the cold pool.

The exit from Nine Nether Valley was nothing like the entrance.

After the time for a cup of tea—

“Father, something on the right!” The needle on Yao Yao’s Spirit-Fixing Plate spun madly and stabbed toward the right. Not far away, threads of blood-colored mist seeped from a rock fissure.

Fu Changsheng swept it with his spiritual sense.

A seemingly abandoned cave hid a fourth-rank yin beast. It had sensed them and was on the verge of waking.

Fu Changsheng patted the Azure Flood Dragon.

It twisted hard, changing direction. Its horns scraped the stone wall and threw a spray of sparks.

Good thing for Yao Yao’s warning plate.

Otherwise

they would have been in for another desperate battle.

The rest of the road went far more smoothly than the way in.

From afar they could already see the twisted light screen at the end of the gorge—the exit was close at hand.

“At last, out with only a fright.”

Fu Yongwei let out a small breath and silently resolved to spend more time dueling in the clan’s training hall. On this trip, without Father and Elder Sister to lead her, she would likely have perished long ago.

As she was thinking that,

suddenly

a mortal sense of crisis rushed straight at her.

She looked up—

and three fourth-rank Yin Puppet Kings with human faces and bat wings swooped down from the vault overhead, talons aimed straight at her crown.

Fu Yongwei froze on the spot.

“Little Green!”

Fu Changsheng moved like lightning. He slashed with sword fingers and the Thunderstriking Sword shot skyward, barely checking the three human-faced, bat-winged kings for an instant.

Seizing the opening,

Fu Changsheng drove the Azure Flood Dragon hard toward the light screen.

The Yin Puppet Kings roared. Countless ghost-blue chains whipped out and coiled around the Azure Flood Dragon.

“Nine-Palace Reversal!”

Yao Yao bit her tongue and sprayed blood over the array plate. All the chains went rigid, as if struck by thunder.

Qiu Chan took the chance to cast out seven copper coins. They arranged themselves into the Big Dipper in midair and lit the last hundred-pace stretch like day.

Boom!

In the next instant,

the Azure Flood Dragon leaped, dazzling daylight pouring over them. It carried them through the exit. Behind, the light screen healed like a wound sealing shut. In the last sliver of a gap, they glimpsed a multitude of pale hands clawing frantically.

“Whew. We finally made it out!”

At the same time—

The Prince of the Seven Commanderies’ residence stood with crimson doors soaring high, golden studs gleaming in the sun. A scarlet, gold-brocade carpet ran down the nine jade steps, while armored guards lined both sides, iron glinting coldly.

In the main hall, a purple sandalwood altar table held the memorial tablet of the former prince. Blue smoke curled from a gilded incense burner. The ever-burning lamp cast its glow on the gold-lettered words: “The Seat of Prince Zhou Jingheng of the Seven Commanderies.”

Within the hall—

Zhou Xuanming wore a black python robe embroidered in gold with a seven-clawed flood dragon. At his waist hung the Mountains-and-Rivers Seal left by his late father, engraved with eight characters: “Guard the Seven Commanderies, Secure the Rivers and Mountains.” It glimmered faintly with green light, resonating with the State Altar Tripod on the sacrifice terrace outside.

“Zhou clan’s Xuanming, step forward to receive the investiture!”

The Vice Minister of Rites cried the decree. Zhou Xuanming strode forward, went to one knee, his back straight as a pine, his gaze deep and calm.

“By command of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:

“Prince Zhou Jingheng of the Seven Commanderies, our sister’s son, was peerless in loyalty and valor, but died young to our sorrow. His son, Xuanming, is exceptionally gifted, versed in both civil and martial disciplines, and can carry on his father’s will. From this day, he shall inherit the title of Prince of the Seven Commanderies, bear the tally of the seven commanderies, and—on behalf of the Son of Heaven—guard the borders and keep our rivers and mountains secure!”

As the words fell, drums and bells thundered outside the hall. After nine peals, the echoes rolled through the residence.

A ritual officer approached with a gilded tray. Upon it lay a crimson-gold tiger tally and a black-iron command arrow—symbols of the lordship over the seven fiefs.

Zhou Xuanming received them with both hands. The moment his fingertips touched the tally, a faint dragon’s roar seemed to stir within the hall. Startled, many looked up. On the dome above, where nine golden dragons were painted, one dragon’s eye seemed to open a slit, as if scrutinizing the new prince.

“Your subject, Zhou Xuanming, thanks Your Majesty for this grace!”

His voice was not loud, yet each word rang like iron. As he rose, his robe rippled though no wind blew. The Mountains-and-Rivers Seal at his waist flashed, answering the State Altar Tripod outside. A wisp of purple qi descended from heaven and coiled about him for three breaths before dispersing.

—An omen of Heaven-bestowed princely mandate!

The hall stirred in awe; many bowed their heads.

When the ceremony ended, Zhou Xuanming turned and stepped out of the main hall. Sunlight fell across his shoulders, revealing the blade hidden in his eyes.

From this day, the Prince of the Seven Commanderies’ seat had a new master.

The investiture barely concluded, incense still drifted in the main hall and the purple qi had yet to fade. Zhou Xuanming, though only in early Purple Mansion, stood at the head seat in his black python robe, the Mountains-and-Rivers Seal faintly aglow at his waist. His bearing was heavy and restrained, with a hint of dragon and tiger.

Just as the guests were about to step up and offer congratulations, a burly figure strode out first.

The Lei clan’s patriarch wore the ceremonial robe of a seventh-rank aristocratic house threaded with arcane thunder. Filaments of lightning danced around him as he moved. His tiger eyes shone. He clasped his fists with a salute, his voice like muffled thunder:

“Congratulations, congratulations to Heir Xuanming—no, we should call you ‘Prince of the Seven Commanderies’ now! The Lei family has prepared a humble gift—pray accept it!”

With a sweep of his sleeve, three beads of purple-black jade rose into the air. Thunder patterns flowed within them, and a low rumble sounded from inside. Faces in the hall changed—these were treasures refined from Purple Firmament Profound Thunder, enough to wound a Golden Core true person!

Zhou Xuanming’s eyes flickered. He brushed his wide sleeve; a clean radiance received the beads.

Smiling, he said, “Grandfather, we are one family. There’s no need for such expense.”

The Lei patriarch’s smile reached his eyes. “Good! Worthy of the Grand Princess’s grandson—the blood of my Lei clan!”

The compliment praised Zhou Xuanming’s deep roots while also reminding everyone present: behind this new prince stood not only the Grand Princess, but the Lei clan as his mother’s kin, plainly intent on helping him take full control of the residence and all its resources.

After the Lei patriarch,

the great houses of Jingzhou came forward in turn with lavish gifts.

In a corner of the hall, Zhou Kang’er stood in a plain white brocade robe. He took down from his belt a green jade token that his late grandfather had given him. He looked up at his stern, austere father on the high seat. Fondness shone in his eyes—and a sliver of unease.

This should have been his seat.

While Grandfather lived, he had promised in person to make Kang’er Heir-Grandson and pass him the title. But fate’s joke was cruel—Grandfather died suddenly, Father Zhou Xuanming seized the position, and he—the “almost Heir-Grandson”—became an awkward existence overnight.

“Father…” Zhou Kang’er drew a breath, stepped forward and saluted. His voice was clear but tinged with unease. “Your son congratulates Father on inheriting the princely title.”

The hall quieted a degree.

Zhou Xuanming sat straight on the throne. His gaze swept over coldly, without a hint of warmth. He only grunted and looked away.

Zhou Kang’er forced a smile and tried again. “If Father has any commands, your son is willing—”

“Stand down.” Zhou Xuanming cut him off, tone cool as if to a stranger. “Affairs are pressing today. Don’t be an eyesore.”

—An eyesore?

Zhou Kang’er felt as if struck by lightning; his face went bloodless. He opened his mouth, but said nothing in the end. He bowed deeply and turned to leave. His back looked thin, yet it was ramrod straight—as if that alone could preserve the last shred of dignity.

…

Night, the inner court of the residence.

Zhou Xuanming sat alone in his study. On the desk lay a jade slip—the late prince’s will—naming “Kang’er as Heir-Grandson.”

He tapped the desk with his fingertip, eyes shadowed and unreadable.

“My lord~” A honeyed voice sounded. The door opened a crack, a waft of fragrance drifting in. A voluptuous beauty in gauzy silks glided close and melted against his shoulder, fingertip stroking his brow. “Why the frown? Is it because of Kang’er?”

Zhou Xuanming frowned slightly, but did not push her away.

Her red lips curled; she whispered at his ear, “Everyone knows the late prince doted on Kang’er and even… thought to pass the title straight to him.” She paused, her tone turning soft and low. “But now, you are master of the Seven Commanderies. If Kang’er remains in the residence, some may… harbor ill intent.”

Zhou Xuanming’s eyes cooled.

Seeing this, the enchantress cooed, “This concubine only worries for my lord… After all, Kang’er is young. If someone were to use him—”

—Use him?

His fingertip stilled; cold grew behind his eyes.

A flicker of triumph flashed in the temptress’s gaze before she hid it. She wrapped her arms and legs around his waist.

…

At dawn the next day,

Zhou Kang’er had barely opened his door when the residence’s steward arrived with a squad of guards, faces stern.

“Heir-Grand—no, Young Master Kang.” The steward lowered his eyes. His tone was respectful, yet distant. “The prince commands that you vacate the residence today and go to the Qinglan Retreat to cultivate in quiet.”

Zhou Kang’er stared. “What?”

The steward presented a token—the same green jade token Kang’er had worn yesterday. The three characters for “Heir-Grandson” had been erased, leaving only the single character “Kang.”

“The prince says that now you’ve come of age, you should temper yourself outside. It isn’t suitable to linger in the residence.”

Zhou Kang’er’s fingers trembled as he took the token—and then he laughed.

“Father… how considerate.”

He looked toward the main courtyard. The last glimmer of hope in his eyes went out.

—On that day, the Prince of the Seven Commanderies’ residence no longer had an Heir-Grandson.

—Only an abandoned son, cast out by his father.

As for the days to come—where should he go?

Fu Changsheng returned from Nine Nether Valley to Huizhou Prefecture and turned to Yao Yao. “Yao Yao, take Yongwei to the main peak and see where we can plant a grove of Heaven-Soul Fruit trees. That whole area will be Yongwei’s residence from now on.”

Heaven-Soul Fruit was the key to breaking into Purple Mansion.

Only if the clan continually nurtured new Purple Mansion cultivators could it go farther.

The single orchard by the Water Curtain Cave in Yunshan Commandery was no longer enough.

When it came to her specialty, Fu Yongwei’s confidence surged. She smiled. “Rest easy, Father. I’ll raise another Heaven-Soul Fruit grove as soon as possible.”

The two left.

When Fu Changsheng returned to the clan head’s residence, Liu Meizhen and Gan Muwan were speaking in the receiving hall. Seeing him return, Liu Meizhen waved. “Husband, just in time—we were about to discuss something with you.”

When he sat,

Liu Meizhen said to Gan Muwan, “Muwan, tell your father again what you just told me.”

“Yes.”

Gan Muwan gathered her thoughts.

In a few words, she said, “Father, word that we’ve built a teleportation array has spread through the market. When I was at the Yunshan commandery fief, many itinerant cultivators came every day to ask if they could borrow our teleportation array.”

By imperial regulation,

those outside the great houses could not use the official teleportation arrays.

Gan Muwan was well aware of that.

“Father, I was thinking… Our Huizhou fief is vast, and we haven’t even set up a single commandery yet. Why not let those itinerants marry into the Fu clan—men-in-marriage or women marrying in—and have them help us open up new lands?”

As she spoke,

Gan Muwan lifted her eyes to peek at Fu Changsheng, a bit uneasy.

Over a century ago, after Luo Feng Mountain was sacked by the Heavenly Dragon Tribe thanks to a guest elder’s betrayal, Fu Changsheng had become wary of outsiders.

So,

she struck a compromise—

not recruiting guest elders, but only those willing to become members of the Fu clan.

Fu Changsheng pondered a moment, then turned to Meizhen. “Meizhen, what do you think?”

“Husband, I think Muwan’s suggestion is excellent. If these itinerants are willing to become Fu clan members, first, our strength grows. Second, when they open up territory themselves, they’ll value what they build far more than we would if we handed it to them. They won’t let others take it easily. In a sense, they’ll be our first line of defense against outside enemies.”

For a clan to grow,

it had to draw in fresh blood without end.

Fu Changsheng thought it over and nodded. “All right. But Muwan, you’ll need a plan to manage them afterward. Our system of rewards must be revised in tandem from now on.”

“Yes, Father. Mother-in-law and I were just now working through the details.”

Having her decision affirmed, Gan Muwan was visibly excited.

Fu Changsheng gave a few more instructions and left the rest alone. For clan governance, the most talented by far were his daughter-in-law Muwan and Meizhen. With those two working together, he looked forward to them bringing Huizhou Prefecture fully to life.

At present, aside from completing the main peak and setting three forbidden areas, the fief was still undeveloped.

When he left the receiving hall,

a familiar mechanical chime rang in his sea of consciousness:

“Ding.”

“You have opened a rapid-growth channel for the clan—merit for the ages. You gain 3,000 family contribution points.”

Oh?

Fu Changsheng blinked.

Plainly, the reward was for Gan Muwan’s policy.

He hadn’t expected the system to grant as much as three thousand points.

“When the Heaven-Soul Fruit in the Water Curtain Cave ripens, Muwan should make her push for Purple Mansion.”

It was a commendation—

and a hope that she would come up with more and better strategies for the clan’s development.

Back in his secret chamber,

he sent a message to Widow Wang, asking her to come.

When she received it, the upright, handsome image of the clan head flashed through Widow Wang’s mind. Heat flooded her cheeks and her heart pounded. But thinking of the stunning, peerless Lady of the House, and the celestial second madam who had just married in, she touched her face. The heat died in an instant. She mocked herself.

“A man like the clan head—godlike—how would he ever look twice at me?”

Steadying her thoughts,

Widow Wang didn’t dare delay. She hurried toward Fu Changsheng’s secret chamber.

At the door,

before she could speak, the stone gate rumbled open. Fu Changsheng’s voice came from within.

“Enter.”

Gazing at the shadowed entrance,

she suddenly felt nervous. She was only an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator who had joined the Fu clan halfway through life—beneath the clan head’s notice, surely. Yet he had summoned her alone.

She truly couldn’t understand

why he wanted to see her.

She ran through everything she’d done since joining the Fu clan—great or small. By her own reckoning, even a nitpicker would find no fault. Heart steeled, she stepped inside.

The moment she entered,

a pungent medicinal scent flooded her nose. Before she could react, the door slammed shut behind her. Arrays spun to life. In a blink the chamber sealed tight.

“Gulp.”

She swallowed nervously. From the corner of her eye she saw, in the training room, a huge medicine vat bubbling and churning. The clan head controlled a strange flame and kept adding all kinds of rare blossoms and herbs.

She had sharp eyes.

She clearly picked out Tian-sang Grass among them.

A third-rank mid-grade spirit herb—yet the clan head was tossing in six stalks without batting an eye.

Widow Wang felt dizzy.

From the look of it,

the clan head was going to refine… medicine?

But the Lady of the House was a master alchemist. If he needed help, he should have sought her. Why call her here?

Suddenly,

a chilling rumor came to mind.

They said

some demonic cultivators loved to refine living “medicine people.”

Could it be—

At the thought,

Widow Wang’s knees gave out. She collapsed with a thump and knelt. “Clan Head, since I submitted to the Fu clan, I’ve never done anything against heaven and conscience. Please, for the sake of the ten-plus years I’ve worked diligently on the fief’s construction, spare my life!”

Fu Changsheng, busy with the medicinal bath, looked up at Widow Wang—tears streaming, terrified—and froze.

He realized her mistake

and shook his head. “Don’t be afraid. This bath is to awaken the hidden spiritual physique within you.”

“Huh?”

Tear-streaked, Widow Wang lifted her head. “C-Clan Head, you… you’re not turning me into a medicine puppet?”

“Of course not.”

After adding the final Heavenly Yin Grass to the vat, Fu Changsheng said, “You were born able to divine by lots and to commune with resentful spirits. Haven’t you ever thought that odd?”

She had always believed herself a calamity-type constitution, and that those strange abilities stemmed from it. Had she been wrong all along? Was she truly a so-called heaven-favored child with a special spiritual physique?!

Widow Wang trembled with excitement. She forgot all about status and stared straight at Fu Changsheng. “Clan Head, can you tell me which physique?”

“It’s hard to say for certain. Take the bath first—then we’ll see.”

He couldn’t guarantee she would awaken the Yin Maiden Profound Physique in one go. Before that, the less she knew, the better—for her own good.

By now,

the Nine-Suns Red Lotus Flame blazed at full.

The Heavenly Yin Grass finally fused with all the other herbs in the vat. A gust of clammy wind swept the chamber.

“The bath is ready. Disrobe and enter. I’ll assist from the side.”

Fu Changsheng formed a seal with his fingers. A soundproofing restriction fell silently over the training room.

Widow Wang rose and stepped to the vat. She looked down at the nauseatingly dark liquid and decided to go all in.

A man of the clan head’s stature

would hardly scheme against a little Foundation cultivator like her.

She bit her lip, undid her sash, and pale skin gleamed in the candlelight.

Splash—

The instant she stepped in,

the tar-black liquid roiled.

Widow Wang shivered.

Fu Changsheng’s hands moved like butterflies through flowers. He sent one seal after another into the vat. With a hum, the medicinal power in the bath was drawn forth and transformed into threads of nether qi that seeped into Widow Wang’s body.

“Mm—”

She groaned with pain.

The medicine was not burning hot, but searingly cold—like ten thousand needles stabbing into her marrow.

At first,

she gritted her teeth and bore it.

But as more and more of the power poured in, the pain burrowed into her soul. She could no longer endure.

“Aah—!” Widow Wang screamed. Her ten fingers clamped the rim of the vat till the knuckles went white.

Fu Changsheng’s eyes tightened. He formed seals and barked, “Quiet your mind. Refine the medicine with me—quick!”

Before the words had faded, he slapped a Soul-Suppressing Talisman inscribed with ghostly script between Widow Wang’s shoulder blades!

Widow Wang convulsed. Her pupils dilated; the whites of her eyes turned pitch-black. An inhuman shriek tore from her throat—

“Gegege…”

The laughter sounded as if from the Nine Hells. All the candles in the training room guttered out at once, leaving only the vat’s ghostly blue glow. Widow Wang’s hair floated though no wind blew. Dense dark-violet lines crawled over her skin like living things, finally converging at her brow into a bewitching ghost-eye sigil.

And more—

as her spiritual physique awakened, Widow Wang’s very bearing transformed. Even her features seemed subtly altered.

In that moment,

she was like a celestial maiden descended.

Fu Changsheng took a half-step back at once.

The next instant—

Bang!

The medicine vat exploded!

Widow Wang hung in midair, yin energy surging like a tide.

Fu Changsheng’s gaze fell on the ghost-eye sigil at her brow—and his pupils shrank. By rights, those with the Yin Maiden Profound Physique should not bear such a mark.

Could Widow Wang harbor other secrets still?

Just then,

a familiar mechanical chime sounded in Fu Changsheng’s sea of consciousness:

“Ding.”

“You have successfully helped Widow Wang awaken the Yin Maiden Profound Physique. You have added a promising asset to the clan and gained 1,300 family contribution points.”

Immediately,

the contribution tally on his panel changed to seven thousand.

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