Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Striking First

Wei Yun Xi looked at Wei Ling Yue with innocent longing. In the end, he still reached out and took her, then coaxed in a somewhat stiff tone, “Yun Xi, be good. Your mother only went to the heavens, and she’ll watch over you from up there.”

Wei Yun Xi buried her head against Wei Ling Yue’s neck and closed her eyes, hiding the mockery in them. At the same time, she let a clear teardrop fall onto her trash father’s neck, making the hand that was patting his daughter’s back pause for a moment.

She spoke in a soft, childish voice, “Daddy, are you going to make Concubine Du be Yun Xi’s mother?”

Wei Ling Yue’s eyes turned sharp as he swept his gaze toward Chun Yu and Xia Mo. A hint of pressure rose without him meaning to, and the two girls immediately dropped to their knees in fear.

Wei Ling Yue said coldly, “Yun Xi, you’re still little. These are not things you need to worry about.”

After he spoke, he lightly touched the back of his second daughter’s neck twice, and Wei Yun Xi instantly lost consciousness.

Looking down at the maids kneeling on the ground, Wei Ling Yue ordered, “Take your Miss back to rest.”

“Yes, First Master!”

The two maids stood up shakily, took the unconscious Miss, and hurried all the way back to Yun Xi’s small courtyard.

As Wei Yun Xi fainted, she had one sentence of MMP she wanted to give that trash father. She had underestimated the methods of the Cultivation World. This wasn’t something she could achieve just by acting cute.

Wei Ling Yue entered his wife’s residence. A row of three rooms faced him, all of them used by his wife in life.

The center room was for receiving guests. The left room was the bedroom and the place where she usually cultivated. The room on the right was her talisman-drawing room, and everything inside was still arranged as it had been.

Wei Ling Yue released his divine sense and searched all three rooms. In the bedroom, he took a delicate storage pouch from a hidden compartment in the white jade bed. The pouch was now ownerless, and when he sent his divine sense into it, a satisfied smile immediately appeared on his face. Then he turned and left Zhuo Hua Courtyard.

Wei Yun Xi knew none of this. The next day, she slept until late morning. After she woke up, she cursed Wei Ling Yue over and over in her mind until she finally calmed down. Only then did she call Chun Yu and Xia Mo in to help her change and eat, since she still couldn’t cultivate.

After she ate and drank her fill, Wei Yun Xi began to seriously consider what she needed to do next. She still remembered the novel: the first treasure she gave the female lead Wei Yun Qing, and also the most crucial one, had been a red wooden token. It had originally been left to her by her mother, but Wei Yun Qing had tricked it away.

It was mainly because the supporting character’s mother left too suddenly. She hadn’t had time to explain things to her daughter or leave any clues. On top of that, the treasure hid itself, and even Wei Ling Yue, a late Foundation Establishment cultivator, hadn’t seen through the little wooden token’s true nature.

So Wei Yun Qing had gotten a bargain. Or maybe the protagonist halo had done its work and let the female lead see that the token was special. Either way, Wei Yun Xi’s first step was to keep that treasure firmly in her own hands.

Just then, Qiu Tao and Dong Mei returned. Wei Yun Xi’s eyes shifted, and she said to Xia Mo beside her, “Xia Mo, let the two of them come in. I have questions.”

Xia Mo paused, then went to call them in.

Qiu Tao and Dong Mei greeted her. “Greetings, Miss. May Miss be blessed!”

Wei Yun Xi tried to make her little face look as serious as possible. With her legs dangling, she said, “Get up and answer me.”

“Yes, Miss!”

After the two of them stood, Wei Yun Xi asked, “Has Uncle arrived?”

“Replying to Miss, Feng Manor sent Master Jia Qing over. He’s meeting First Master in the reception hall right now.”

Wei Yun Xi sorted through the relationships on her mother’s side and knew this Feng Jia Qing was her mother’s older brother – her eldest maternal uncle. His cultivation was at the peak of late Foundation Establishment, and his strength was beyond question. He was the current head of the Feng Family and was close to her mother. He had rushed over as soon as he received the news, which showed how much he valued her.

She remembered this part in the book, too. Eldest Uncle Feng wanted to take Wei Yun Xi to Feng Manor for a while, partly to avoid Wei Ling Yue’s ceremony of elevating the concubine to an official wife.

But the original supporting character didn’t appreciate it. She only wanted her father’s affection. Under her father’s hints, she didn’t go to Feng Manor and even attended the ceremony where Wei Yun Qing’s mother became Madam Wei. It made Eldest Uncle Feng feel both angry and disappointed.

After that, he still visited his niece from time to time, but he no longer put that much effort into caring for her.

Wei Yun Xi let out a sigh. She was an adult and could think in terms of her own interests, but for the real five-year-old Wei Yun Xi, after losing her mother, she would naturally cling to her father.

But in the Cultivation World, blood ties might be a bond, yet they weren’t the only thing that held family together. Strength mattered most. Little Yun Xi didn’t understand that. Her mother had raised her too innocently.

After thinking it through, Wei Yun Xi turned to Chun Yu. “You and Xia Mo will go with me to Mother’s courtyard. Qiu Tao and Dong Mei, pack up my usual clothes and jewelry. We’ll need them later.”

It was rare for Miss to have such strong opinions. Chun Yu agreed at once, then nodded to the other three to do as she said.

When Wei Yun Xi reached the main courtyard of Zhuo Hua Courtyard with Chun Yu and Xia Mo, they saw a maid trying to go inside, only to be stopped by the servants guarding the courtyard.

Wei Yun Xi glanced at her and didn’t recognize her, but Chun Yu frowned. Xia Mo, with her fast mouth, said, “Miss, that’s Liu Xu, the senior maid beside Concubine Du. She’s probably here to look over Zhuo Hua Courtyard. Madam’s body isn’t even cold yet, and they’re already this impatient…”

“Xia Mo, don’t talk nonsense in front of Miss.”

Wei Yun Xi said with a cold little face, “Chun Yu, send Liu Xu away. Even if they’re going to clear out a place, it has to wait until Concubine Du becomes Madam Wei. My eldest uncle is still sitting in the front hall!”

“Yes, Miss!”

Chun Yu curtsied and went to send Liu Xu away.

Wei Yun Xi guessed Liu Xu had been sent by Concubine Du to test the waters, so after Chun Yu went over, she dismissed the woman in just a few sentences.

Only then did Wei Yun Xi enter her mother’s bedroom with the two of them.

“Chun Yu, Xia Mo, stand guard at the door. I want to stay inside by myself for a while.”

“Yes, Miss.”

They knew Miss missed Madam, so they withdrew properly and closed the door behind them.

Wei Yun Xi didn’t waste time. She went straight to the dressing table in her mother’s room, pulled out the smallest drawer at the very bottom of the makeup box, and found a lacquer-red little wooden token inside. It was two fingers wide and one finger long. Ordinary cloud patterns were carved on it, so it didn’t stand out at all.

She swept her gaze over the items on the dressing table, picked up a hairpin her mother often wore, and ruthlessly jabbed her own thumb. As soon as blood seeped out, she pressed the bead of blood onto the wooden token. The next second, the token turned into a red streak of light and shot into her forehead.

In Hai Tang Courtyard, Wei Yun Qing suddenly felt a sharp pain in her chest, as if she had lost something important. She couldn’t explain it, but tears fell like pearls from a snapped string. The maid beside her immediately scrambled to wipe the tears and comfort her.

“Miss, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

“I want to go out!” Wei Yun Qing said clearly.

“Miss, where do you want to go?”