Chapter 123
Chapter 123: The Breakthrough at Last
Facing Yun Zheng’s questioning, the three men stammered and spoke vaguely. Caught off guard and knocked unconscious, they had not even seen whether their assailants were round-faced or thin-faced, male or female—how could they possibly give a clear account?
This outcome was exactly what Yun Zheng had expected. He did not make things difficult for the guards and coachman, simply waved them away before heading to the Peace Keeping Courtyard.
“My lord, I heard the guards and coachman have been found. Well? Did you learn anything?” Madam Yun rose to greet him the moment she saw him, unable to hide her urgency.
Yun Zheng shook his head with a sigh: “They saw nothing before being struck down, so naturally they know nothing. Still, one thing is certain: the attackers acted in a group of at least three.”
The guards had said they were knocked out at the same time—something that would require at least two people. And after knocking out the guards, dragging them to an empty courtyard would take time; by then, chasing down the carriage would be delayed. From this, it was clear the one who attacked the coachman was not the same person who took down the guards.
Madam Yun stared: “…”
What difference did it make whether there were three people or one? How did that change anything?
Seeing her expression, Yun Zheng could guess her thoughts and sighed again: “My lady, when we have no leads at all, this counts as one. It’s something we can pursue further. But there’s no need for us to waste our strength—Prince Qi has already begun investigating. Best we save our energy for other matters.”
As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes. Whether or not this matter was related to that Pei brat, the boy had best stay in bed for a while. He could not be allowed to run around anymore.
…
Grand Commandant Manor.
When Su Qian Xue received word that Mo Yuan Hao had suddenly changed his mind and would not be coming, she nearly coughed blood from fury. Face dark, she smashed the delicately prepared gourmet props she had made for him.
[That damned bastard—why should he decide to come when he wants and cancel when he wants? If he’s so amazing, why doesn’t he just die?]
System: […]
[Host, calm down. He’s the male lead. You need him to complete your task.]
[Host, right now, you need him—he doesn’t need you. So even if he puts on airs, you must endure.]
Su Qian Xue: “…”
This wretched system could drop dead as well. It had said she was the female lead and Mo Yuan Hao the male lead—if so, weren’t they equals? Why should she bow her head? What made the male lead so superior? Why must she curry favor with him, and not the other way around?
[Endure? Endure my foot! Has it done me any good? I’ve been enduring all this time—delivering books to him, asking him out. What more do you want? And you—what are you even? None of your assigned tasks are normal. Without Mo Yuan Hao, can’t you issue me something else?]
In her rage, after cursing Mo Yuan Hao she turned her fire on the system.
[Ding. Host has insulted the system. The system will issue a punishment as a warning.]
The voice hit her like a thunderclap. Before she could react, a surge of lightning coursed through her body.
Sizzle—
A faint crackle sounded as her hair stood on end and her body spasmed violently.
“Ah—!”
She screamed in agony, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Hearing the commotion, her maids and old attendants rushed in. Seeing her in such a state—as though struck by lightning in the dead of winter—they froze in shock. How could there be lightning indoors, unless she had done something wicked?
“Miss!” they cried, flustered, crowding around her.
Wracked with pain, Su Qian Xue could not be bothered with them. She roared inwardly at the system: [You damned thing! Why punish me out of nowhere?]
[Host, did you not hear me? You insulted the system. For harmonious relations, I sincerely suggest you show respect from now on.]
Su Qian Xue: “…”
Respect? For a string of data? And she had only asked what it was—how was that an insult? She had called it worse before and it hadn’t punished her. So now she couldn’t even ask?
[Fine, you win.]
Throwing down the words, she shut the system out entirely.
This punishment had taught her one thing—she could not beat the system. It could find thousands of excuses to torment her. Defiance only meant suffering more. Better to do the tasks and survive than provoke it with sharp words.
Glancing at the mess around her, Su Qian Xue’s head throbbed. That damned Mo Yuan Hao—his heart was full of Yun Wan Yao. The moment anything happened to that woman, he would drop everything for her.
If she had known this, she would not have urged Pei Yu to act so quickly. Now, with only two days left until the deadline, her plan was only one-third complete. This task, like the last, would likely end in failure.
The memory of the lightning made her shiver.
“Miss, the master and madam are awake and wish to see you.”
It was Madam Su’s personal nurse.
Su Qian Xue’s irritation deepened. Su Jian and Madam Su had woken days ago, but while recovering from their injuries, they had overheard servants gossiping about her and Pei Yu. The shock had sent them back into a faint.
That incident had bought her peace—but now that they were awake, life would no longer be quiet. She could only hope they would not feel disgraced enough to force her to marry Pei Yu.
“I understand. I’ll change and come.”
…
The next day.
After feeding, Yun Wan Ning lay on a soft couch, releasing spiritual power as she carved an array pattern onto a jade bead the size of a longan.
Midway through, her spiritual power suddenly broke through. Her sea of consciousness quivered, as though shattering some invisible shackle. A vast, surging force rippled outward.
Crack!
The bead shattered to dust in her hand. Around the room, porcelain cracked. Even the white jade hairpin in Madam Yun’s hair snapped cleanly, pieces slipping down as her coiffure fell loose.
Stunned, Madam Yun picked up the fragments. How had her hairpin suddenly broken?
Yun Wan Ning, too, was baffled. [My spiritual power just broke through? That was so sudden—no warning at all. I didn’t even have time to react. The surge shattered the bead, and though nothing else was in direct contact, the wave still damaged other things.]
Hearing this heart voice, Madam Yun realized the hairpin’s fate was likely tied to the little milk bun’s breakthrough. Such power—if even a mere ripple could snap jade, what might it do aimed at a person?
After putting away the broken hairpin and replacing it, she checked the room. Every porcelain piece was cracked; even a pair of gold bowls had been sliced cleanly in half.
She picked one up with a sigh—Chen’er had given them to the child, who had loved them dearly, planning to use them for meals. Now they were ruined.
Yun Wan Ning, after a brief daze, quickly shifted to excitement: [It’s fine—things can be replaced. My breakthrough is what matters. Ahhh, at last! Let’s see how far I can project my power now that I’m at level two. Last life I could reach over ten li.]
Spiritual power ranged from level one to nine, and higher still beyond that. Each advancement not only strengthened the power but unlocked new skills.
She sent her consciousness out—and a few minutes later, groaned: [Only ten li? Last time it was over ten. Is it because this body is too small? I’m not even a hundred days old.]
Still, for someone stuck inside all day, ten li was plenty. She swept her power through the surroundings: [The Duke of Ning’s estate is huge—about five li across. Luckily, Mother’s courtyard is only two li from the main gate, or I’d have less range outside. From above, the grounds are beautiful, even in winter.]
Then she froze: [Wait—the fengshui is off. I was in such a rush last time I controlled Second Brother that I didn’t check closely. No wonder our family has such bad luck. In the plot, the heroine only appears after Mother’s death, then Father’s, then mine. Our misfortunes—this fengshui must bear some blame.]
[The house is laid out like a phoenix spreading its wings—an auspicious sign—except for the man-made lake, thin and winding like a rope around the phoenix’s throat. Water should mean wealth, but wrongly placed, it brings harm. This formation hides misfortune beneath good fortune. Unless the master breaks free, trouble will follow without end. And wasn’t this estate a reward from the late emperor? Did he know the truth?]