Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Different Treatment

When Wei Ling Yue heard that, the hand holding his teacup stiffened for an instant. Could he say he hadn’t prepared anything at all? But faced with his daughter’s eager eyes, he felt awkward and couldn’t bring himself to say it.

Wei Yun Xi knew, even with her toes, that this scumbag father hadn’t prepared a thing. But that didn’t stop her from demanding benefits. She deliberately let disappointment seep into her voice as she said, “Father, you didn’t forget my birthday gift, did you? When Sister Yun Qing had her birthday, you prepared a gift for her. That red ribbon was so pretty. Sister wouldn’t even let me touch it.”

As she spoke, Wei Yun Xi began gathering tears. If her scumbag father dared say he hadn’t prepared anything, she would cry right there. She was a child now-she had the right to cry and make a fuss.

Seeing the situation turning bad, Wei Ling Yue immediately rummaged through his storage pouch and pulled out an egg.

The egg was only the size of a chicken egg. Its white shell was dotted with irregular black speckles. It looked like a quail egg she recognized, except it was twice as big as one.

“Yun Xi, this is a spirit beast egg your father happened to obtain while traveling and training. When you can cultivate, keep this spirit beast egg at your side and nourish it. The day it hatches, it will recognize you as its master on its own, and it will be loyal only to you.”

Wei Yun Xi rolled her eyes inwardly. Did he think she couldn’t tell? This was something he had pulled out last minute to fool her. That spirit beast egg was probably a dead egg. If it were truly good, her scumbag father would never be so generous and give it to her.

Still, Wei Yun Xi knew when to take what she could get. She immediately accepted the flashy egg with a bright smile, carefully put it into her storage pouch, then happily returned to Zhuo Hua Courtyard.

After sending off his younger daughter, Wei Ling Yue went back to Hai Tang Court. Du Ruo Lan was still waiting for him.

Wei Yun Xi slept well through the night. The next day, Chun Yu dug her out of her blankets early. After washing up, dressing, and eating a simple breakfast, she was carried to the Wei Family’s ancestral hall.

When Chun Yu brought Wei Yun Xi over, some people were already gathered there. Each had one or two children over five at their side. They were all direct-line and branch-line children of the Wei Family, here to test spirit roots so they could decide what road to take next.

Wei Yun Xi saw Wei Yun Qing standing at the very front. Now that she was the legitimate daughter, she was full of confidence as she leaned close to her mother. Her gaze swept around casually, then landed on Wei Yun Xi.

She curled her lip at Wei Yun Xi, then looked away, as if she couldn’t be bothered to pay attention to her younger sister.

Wei Yun Xi touched her small round chin. Her face stayed smiling, but inwardly she sneered. Wei Yun Qing was still immature right now, not as skilled as she would be after growing up. Her petty thoughts showed plainly, so she wouldn’t be hard to deal with.

But Du Ruo Lan was right beside her, guiding her. If Wei Yun Xi confronted them now, she probably wouldn’t gain anything. So Wei Yun Xi decided to avoid their edge for now, especially since after today she would be a three-spirit-root cultivator with average to below average aptitude, making her even less suited to fighting them head-on.

“Quiet. We begin testing spirit roots now. We’ll start with the branch line. Any child whose name is called, come forward.”

After the Clan Elder shouted that, he began reading names.

“Wei Zi Nan!”

“Here.”

The little boy was the first called. Nervous, he walked up with stiff, awkward steps and placed his small hand on the spirit-testing orb. After a moment, the orb didn’t react.

“No spirit roots! Next, Wei Cong Shan!”

When Wei Zi Nan heard he had no spirit roots, he drooped his head and went to his father for comfort.

The second, Wei Cong Shan, tested with water, wood, metal, and fire-four spirit roots. The values were uneven, ranging from thirty-five to fifty, with none above sixty. It counted as lower-tier, but still somewhat above the very bottom.

Even though his aptitude was ordinary, Wei Cong Shan was still happy that he could cultivate.

An hour later, the branch-line children finished testing. Most had four or five spirit roots. There were only three children with three spirit roots. Then it was time for the direct-line children.

This time, Wei Yun Qing stepped up first without hesitation. She tested as water and wood dual roots, both with values around eighty-five, an upper-middle aptitude. Both she and Du Ruo Lan were satisfied.

The Clan Elder was delighted too. He patted Wei Yun Qing’s head and said, “Yun Qing, your aptitude is very good. You must cultivate well.”

“Yes. Yun Qing will cultivate hard and won’t shame the Wei Family.”

“Good. Good.”

The Clan Elder was pleased with her answer.

As Wei Yun Qing walked back, she shot Yun Xi a provocative look.

Wei Yun Xi rolled her eyes inwardly. Then she walked forward with a show of nervousness, rubbing her hands before placing her little paw on the orb. A moment later, three lights lit up on the orb.

The Clan Elder looked disappointed, but he still announced loudly, “Wei Yun Xi-water, wood, and fire-three spirit roots. The values are the same, sixty-five each.”

Only then did Wei Yun Xi relax. The concealment had worked. But she pretended not to understand and asked, “Clan Elder Grandpa, are Yun Xi’s spirit roots bad?”

The Clan Elder was patient with children, so he explained gently. “Yun Xi, even though you have three spirit roots, don’t lose heart. Your spirit roots support each other. They’re much better than spirit roots that clash. And your spirit roots are suitable for alchemy. You can inherit your mother’s craft.”

The Clan Elder’s words were fair, and he truly was thinking for Wei Yun Xi’s sake.

Wei Yun Xi smiled as well. It seemed the Wei Family wasn’t made entirely of scum. At least this Clan Elder viewed things from the perspective of the clan’s next generation.

“Yun Xi thanks Clan Elder Grandpa for your guidance. Yun Xi will work hard, cultivate well, and learn alchemy.”

After that, she performed a proper bow and returned to Chun Yu’s side.

After hearing the Clan Elder’s words, Chun Yu’s worries eased a little. Even if her little mistress didn’t have the best spirit roots, her aptitude was still decent. And with alchemy as a foundation, her cultivation path should be easier in the future.

When Du Ruo Lan learned Wei Yun Xi had three spirit roots, her expression relaxed. Even after the Clan Elder said that, she didn’t care. Everyone knew dual roots cultivated faster than three roots. Maybe Wei Yun Xi would be trapped at the Golden Core Stage for life. Old Ancestor Feng of the Feng Family had been piled up into a Golden Core cultivator with pills too, and he would stop there as well. After losing all hope of advancing, he had focused on alchemy.

Du Ruo Lan estimated Wei Yun Xi’s future value would be refining pills for the clan, then providing cultivation support for her own daughter. Just thinking about it made her happy.

And her husband had mentioned that after this round of testing, the clan would decide the list of disciples going to the Hao Ran Sect to cultivate. Her daughter had a strong chance of making the list. She needed to speak to her husband properly about it. Her own life was already set, but her daughter’s aptitude was so good that she had to start from a higher point.

Nearby, Wei Ling Yue was also considering the cultivation paths of his two daughters.

The older daughter had dual roots. As long as nothing unexpected happened, reaching the Nascent Soul Stage would not be a problem, so she had to be sent to the Hao Ran Sect.

As for the younger daughter, he hesitated. In truth, he leaned toward keeping the younger daughter in the clan and raising her there. The Third Clan Elder’s words just now reminded him: the younger daughter’s spirit roots suited alchemy.

The Feng Family refused to teach the Wei Family the core of their alchemy. But if Yun Xi went to learn, would they still have an excuse to refuse?