Chapter 14

Jiang Yiguang’s departure was remarkably brisk, without even a word of goodbye.

Fu Juan looked up, watching Jiang Yiguang’s retreating figure until it completely vanished from sight.

She and Jiang Yiguang could be said to have grown up together. In her everyday life, traces of Jiang Yiguang were more or less always present. She had thought she understood Jiang Yiguang, but now, it seemed she had been overconfident. How could the heart of a moody, unpredictable person be easily seen through?

Jiang Yiguang’s departure let Wang Xuanming breathe a sigh of relief. He lowered his head, about to speak to Fu Juan, but before he could open his mouth, the wheelchair slid forward, and the words stuck in his throat. He knew Fu Juan’s impression of Jiang Yiguang was terrible, but at least in that moment, she had been somewhat alive, unlike the cold, jade-statue indifference she showed towards everyone else. If he wanted to achieve his goal, he still had a very, very long road ahead.

Meanwhile, worried about Lu Yaotiao, Jiang Yiguang momentarily forgot about Fu Juan, whom she’d originally wanted to avoid.

After getting the address, she rushed over and found Lu Yaotiao and Xie Chaoyun sitting on a bench outside the mall, looking like they were having a pleasant chat.

Jiang Yiguang looked up at the sun.

Even if it was just a warm early spring day, sunlight should be something a ghost spirit with such heavy Negative Energy would avoid, right? But on second thought, this millennium-old great ghost wasn’t even afraid of demon-subduing magical artifacts. Perhaps “sunbathing” was just like a sauna to her.

“Why are you so hopeless?” Lu Yaotiao glared at Jiang Yiguang upon hearing her call out.

Jiang Yiguang knew she was talking about Fu Juan but pretended not to understand and ignored it. Her probing gaze lingered on Xie Chaoyun for a moment before shifting to the box of Peach Blossom Pastry beside her. Her eyes paused. This unregistered ghost—where did she get money? Could it be an illusion, transformed by magic?

Sensing that inquisitive stare, Xie Chaoyun smiled politely at Jiang Yiguang. “I have other matters. I’ll take my leave first.”

Jiang Yiguang desperately wished the ghost lady would vanish. Otherwise, with a millennial ghost that couldn’t be kept or stopped, she’d be on edge no matter what. Watching Xie Chaoyun’s figure disappear into the crowd, Jiang Yiguang’s tightly strung heart suddenly relaxed. She turned to Lu Yaotiao, who was playing on her phone, and asked, “How did it go?”

Lu Yaotiao glanced at Jiang Yiguang and said cheerfully, “The upperclassman sent me a ‘sorry.'” The panic that had surrounded her in the mall was gone. Lu Yaotiao was back to her usual self, her smile light and carrying a hint of mischief.

Jiang Yiguang: “…”

Lu Yaotiao added, “What a coincidence. That lady is the upperclassman’s relative. After she talked to the upperclassman for a bit, she just turned and left. But her complexion didn’t look good, like she was sick.”

Xie Chaoyun and Xie Qingdu looked similar; there was definitely a connection. The word “relative” might be believable. As for “it’s fine now,” hopefully. Anyway, she had already reported her suspicions about Xie Qingdu to the Xuanzhen Dao Court. It wasn’t her place, an outsider, to handle it. “Something did happen at the Fox Immortal Temple,” Jiang Yiguang said, not telling Lu Yaotiao the details, but earnestly advised, “Don’t associate with Xie Qingdu recently, and also, it’s best if you don’t go out.” She wasn’t sure if only those who prayed at the Fox Immortal Temple were being possessed, or if everyone who went to South Mountain was being affected by the “Qi.”

Seeing Jiang Yiguang’s serious expression, Lu Yaotiao quickly nodded. After a moment, she couldn’t help but smile and ask, “Jiang Jiang, have you decided to keep trying?” When they first met, Jiang Yiguang already bore no resemblance to a child of the Mystic Sect. She’d vaguely heard people from the Xuanzhen Dao Court talk about her mediocrity and incompetence, saying she was unworthy to be Jiang Li’s daughter. Jiang Yiguang herself had acted willfully and arrogantly, as if she didn’t take the Mystic Sect seriously. But sometimes, Lu Yaotiao could detect a trace of unwillingness and pain in Jiang Yiguang’s words.

She wanted to be like her mother too, didn’t she?

Jiang Yiguang let out a light snort.

Or was it the damn system forcing her along? Since she had seen her future end, how could she continue down the dead-end path laid out by fate?

After these encounters, Jiang Yiguang lost interest in shopping. After seeing Lu Yaotiao home, she also returned to the Jiang Residence.

She called Jiang Li, but no one answered. That was within her expectations. Whenever Jiang Li went out to handle those occult matters in the past, she was always unreachable. The longest time was nearly half a year, as if she’d vanished completely. Sitting on the sofa, Jiang Yiguang felt inexplicably down. A long while later, she opened her character panel and chose to exchange her remaining Daoist Skill Points.

She had made her choice. Whether willing or not, she would make a trip to South Mountain.

Before that, the more skills she learned, the better.

After a bout of dizziness, Jiang Yiguang’s consciousness entered the Eternal Space. Projected on the screen was a distinctively textured black pearl, with the name “Migu Pearl” inscribed in seal script beside it. The Classic of Mountains and Seas recorded: “On Mount Zhao Yao… there is a tree shaped like a paper mulberry but with black veins. Its flowers illuminate the surroundings. It is called the Mystical Grain. Wearing it, one will not get lost.” Like peach wood, Mystical Grain wood was also used to make magical artifacts. Jiang Yiguang remembered there was a small piece in the study. She looked down at the table; besides the Mystical Grain wood, there were also knives, brushes, cinnabar, and other items. As she watched in puzzlement, the screen began to play a video.

It wasn’t learning a talisman spell, but directly carving an array on the Mystical Grain wood to form a pearl!

She was still crawling, and they wanted her to run?

When Jiang Yiguang emerged from the Eternal Space, she was covered in sweat. But she had no time to shower; she rushed into the study to find the Mystical Grain wood. After countless failures, she had barely managed to successfully carve it two or three times. She had to carve the Migu Pearl while she could still grasp that elusive, profound Dao Rhythm.

Unlike the virtual simulation in the space, every stroke in reality consumed her essence and spirit. At this moment, a faint, pale golden spiritual energy gathered at the tip of her brush. As she moved the brush, it slowly formed profound lines, coiling like dragons and snakes. Jiang Yiguang dared not even breathe heavily. When the final stroke landed, and that small piece of Mystical Grain wood transformed into a perfectly round, lustrous pearl under the effects of spiritual power and the talisman array, her heart finally relaxed. Drenched in sweat, she slumped limply into her chair.

Without looking in a mirror, she knew her face must be pale as paper.

“Do I have to endure this kind of torture from now on?” Jiang Yiguang rubbed her forehead, muttering to herself.

The system answered stiffly: 【It’s mainly because the Host’s spiritual power is insufficient, and the time spent truly training is too short. Absorbing Qi and nurturing the body are both indispensable.】

She had a golden finger like in those novels, but unfortunately, the golden finger couldn’t make her soar to the heavens in one bound.

Jiang Yiguang muttered an “I know,” rested for a few minutes, then started searching for the beginner’s textbook Jiang Li had personally compiled for her in the past.