Chapter 12

Chapter 12: A Thunderbolt from a Clear Sky

When Wei Yun Xi heard the news in the Cultivation Hall, she also joined the rest of the Wei Family children in making amazed, envious sounds.

Wei Yun Xi rubbed her chubby chin and thought to herself, [No wonder she’s the female lead. She really does have luck and ability. Then I need to lie low even more!]

That afternoon, after returning to Zhuo Hua Courtyard, Wei Yun Xi pretended to “work hard” and sat in meditation for half an hour longer than usual. In the end, she simply slumped to the side and fell asleep, wasting another night.

When Zhen Zhu saw this from outside the door, she had no intention of urging Miss to cultivate. She even stopped Chun Yu and the others from getting close, and her excuse was ready-made: Miss was sensing spiritual energy, and it wasn’t convenient for them to disturb her.

Now Chun Yu and the other three maids were extremely wary of Zhen Zhu. Ever since Xia Mo’s incident of falling asleep in the middle of the night, Chun Yu, Qiu Tao, and Dong Mei had all experienced the same thing. There was no need to guess who had done it.

Even though they knew it, there was nothing they could do. They weren’t Zhen Zhu’s match. All they could do was follow Miss’s instructions: avoid conflicts with her as much as possible, and do their best to take care of Miss’s daily needs.

On the day after Wei Yun Qing succeeded at Qi Induction, the two sisters met again at the entrance of the Cultivation Hall. At this time, Wei Yun Qing’s features were even more refined, and you could vaguely see Du Ruo Lan in her face. Only her eyes looked a lot like Wei Ling Yue. It was as if she had taken the best of both of them, and it was no wonder Wei Ling Yue favored her a bit.

Wei Yun Xi walked up smiling and greeted her. “Congratulations on succeeding at Qi Induction, Sister. I can never seem to get it right. Can you teach me?”

Over the past two days, Wei Yun Qing had heard too much flattery, so she was already numb to it. She also didn’t want to give her little sister any pointers. She didn’t want to be surpassed, so she replied perfunctorily, “What tricks do I have? I just cultivate the way the Sixth Elder taught. The most important thing is to calm your mind and focus your spirit, and push away stray thoughts. Have you done that?”

Wei Yun Xi looked embarrassed and fiddled with her fingers, then said with a red face, “If I sit too long, my legs go numb…”

There was no need to say the rest. Everyone understood, because they all had the same problem.

Wei Yun Qing spread her hands as if helpless. “Then there’s nothing I can do. If you can’t even endure sitting in meditation, then it doesn’t matter how much I say.”

Seeing Wei Yun Xi’s disappointed face, Wei Yun Qing’s mood improved. She patted Wei Yun Xi’s shoulder and said, “Little sister, don’t worry. I’ve already begged Father and Mother. When I go to the Hao Ran Sect to cultivate, I’ll bring you with me.”

Wei Yun Xi’s heart sank with a “thunk.” She knew things were about to go wrong, but she still replaced the disappointment on her face with joy. She grabbed Wei Yun Qing’s hand and confirmed, “Sister, is that true? You can really take me to the Hao Ran Sect? But I only have three spiritual roots, and I haven’t even succeeded at Qi Induction yet!”

The other children in the Cultivation Hall perked up their ears to listen to the sisters’ conversation. A few of the older kids had already realized what was going on, and the way they looked at Wei Yun Xi and Wei Yun Qing already held dissatisfaction.

Wei Yun Qing felt proud inside, but on the surface she comforted her. “Mm, it’s true. I’ve already begged Father and said I don’t want to be separated from you. Even if you haven’t succeeded at Qi Induction, you can still join the Hao Ran Sect with me.”

Wei Yun Xi’s heart sank further, but she still pretended to be thrilled. She tightened her grip on Wei Yun Qing’s hand and said happily, “Thank you, Sister. I… I’ll work hard at cultivating and try to succeed at Qi Induction before the Hao Ran Sect starts accepting disciples.”

After that, before Wei Yun Qing could say anything else, Wei Yun Xi let go of her wrist and trotted into the Cultivation Hall on her short little legs. She picked a spot and closed her eyes in meditation, looking like she was working hard.

With her eyes closed, Wei Yun Xi cursed up a storm in her head. That thief of a heaven really wouldn’t let her go. She had worked so hard to twist the plot, but that thief of a heaven still wanted to shove her back onto the original track and make her the female lead’s little cash cow.

Her original plan had been to separate from the female lead first, so she wouldn’t have a chance to skim resources off her. She firmly believed that as long as she stayed far away from the female lead, she could rely on her own luck and walk out a wide, bright road.

But now the female lead clearly wanted to cling to her and suck her dry, so she had to think of another strategy. If the two of them entered the Hao Ran Sect, the problems she would face would be even greater, but it would also make it easier for her to keep close watch on everything the female lead did. She just didn’t know how much her uncle could help her this time.

After returning to Zhuo Hua Courtyard that day, Wei Yun Xi put on a pumped-up look and forced herself to sit in meditation for half an hour longer than usual. That also made her even closer to the specks of spiritual energy. As long as she sent out an invitation, she believed the specks would enter her body, but she had to hold back.

When Zhen Zhu saw Yun Xi fall asleep again, she quietly left Zhuo Hua Courtyard and went to Hai Tang Court in the dark to see Du Ruo Lan.

After hearing what Zhen Zhu said, Du Ruo Lan’s brows knit tightly as she asked again and again, “You searched all of Zhuo Hua Courtyard?”

“Yes, Madam.” Zhen Zhu lowered her head. “This servant searched everything, including the quarters where the four maids live. I didn’t find anything at all.”

“Did you try to get information out of those four maids?” Du Ruo Lan asked.

Zhen Zhu replied, “Replying to Madam, those four rarely interact with me, but I heard Chun Yu chatting and saying that Miss Yun Xi stayed at the Feng Family for a period of time. The things her mother left behind should have been kept at the Feng Family.”

Du Ruo Lan’s face went dark when she heard that. She hadn’t expected the Feng Family to be so shameless, to actually do something like this. No wonder Zhen Zhu hadn’t found anything.

She waved her hand to send Zhen Zhu back, then went to find Wei Ling Yue.

Wei Ling Yue had just finished cultivating. His cultivation had hit a bottleneck recently, and he always fell just a bit short of breaking through to the peak of the late Foundation Establishment Stage.

So he took out the storage bag Feng Jia Yun had left behind and wanted to find a suitable pill to use for the breakthrough.

Just then, Du Ruo Lan came to see him and told Wei Ling Yue what her maid had “accidentally overheard.”

Wei Ling Yue felt a bit dissatisfied. In his eyes, those things all belonged to the Wei Family, but he couldn’t say that out loud. If he did, his greed would look too ugly.

Du Ruo Lan’s beautiful eyes shifted, and she brought up their daughter’s trip to the Hao Ran Sect. “Ling Yue, I heard Yun Qing say that Yun Xi still hasn’t succeeded at Qi Induction. If we send her to the Hao Ran Sect with that kind of aptitude, isn’t that a bit inappropriate?”

Wei Ling Yue glanced at Du Ruo Lan. “Wasn’t it you who said Yun Qing wanted Yun Xi as company, and asked me to send the two sisters to the Hao Ran Sect together?”

Du Ruo Lan smiled slightly and said bluntly, “Ling Yue, I didn’t know before that the Feng Family would do something like this. I thought Yun Xi had the pills her mother left behind. Even if she relied on pills to cultivate, she still wouldn’t fall too far behind Yun Qing. That way the two sisters could support each other, and the Wei Family wouldn’t lose face. But she’s still young. She listened to the Feng Family and left all the good things there. Once she enters the sect, how will she cultivate? We can’t possibly make Yun Qing share her own cultivation resources with her, can we?”

Wei Ling Yue said calmly, “The Wei Family doesn’t covet the Feng Family’s things. Yun Xi is still young. Once she starts cultivating, she’ll understand how important cultivation resources are.”

Du Ruo Lan pressed, “Then about Yun Xi going to the Hao Ran Sect…”

“I’ll think about it,” Wei Ling Yue said.