Chapter 11: Family Reunion and Prophecies

Lu Mingyi’s two mothers were both rogue cultivators.

In this era of the Cultivation World, where sects and clans proliferated, rogue cultivators had no backing and usually occupied the lowest status.

But her two mothers weren’t without options for affiliation—they had simply chosen to break away from their families to avoid the constraints of status and lineage. Instead, they took up the trade of escorting caravans for clans and sects.

Because of this, in Lu Mingyi’s sparse childhood memories, the little girl often tagged along with her mothers to one place after another.

Her steady and gentle mother and her enthusiastic, lively other mother filled those limited early years with vivid, bright recollections, even amidst the constant wandering.

Unfortunately, when she was five, her mothers encountered the Demon Sect while escorting a caravan and perished at the hands of its minions.

That job had been for the Shen Family, so Family Head Shen Pianchen, out of regard for her old ties with Lu Mingyi’s mothers, took the girl back to the Shen Family.

Even to this day, Lu Mingyi returned to the Shen Family for the New Year alongside Shen Mingzheng.

After receiving Shen Mingzheng’s message, Lu Mingyi abandoned any thought of resting and hurried straight to Jin Que Pavilion on Pill Peak.

Shen Pianchen and Xia Huan had likely come discreetly this time, bringing only a few high-cultivation guards.

When Lu Mingyi entered Jin Que Pavilion, Xia Huan was just finishing brewing a bowl of medicinal soup and handing it to Shen Pianchen, who sat in the high seat.

Shen Pianchen had always been refined and serene, her face pale from chronic illness, but Jin Que Pavilion’s opulent splendor cast a glow on her features, making her complexion appear healthier.

Before Lu Mingyi could pay respects to Shen Pianchen and Xia Huan, Shen Mingzheng rushed forward, grabbed her hand, and scrutinized her from head to toe, her willow brows furrowed tight. “Why haven’t you replied to my message?”

“A’Zheng!”

Shen Pianchen and Xia Huan spoke at once, disapproving of Shen Mingzheng’s behavior.

“A’Zheng, Little Yi just arrived—let her catch her breath at least.” Shen Pianchen coughed lightly a few times and downed the medicinal soup Xia Huan had brought.

Xia Huan gently stroked Shen Pianchen’s back to help her breathe, her face—six parts similar to Shen Mingzheng’s but more heroic—now stern with displeasure. “Shen Mingzheng, is this how you act inside your own sect? Where did I teach you those manners and family rules went?”

Oh no, Lu Mingyi thought. Shen Mingzheng hated it most when Xia Huan lectured her on etiquette and family rules. Sure enough, the other’s face soured further, her grip on Lu Mingyi’s hand tightening. “In my own pavilion facing my own mother, what manners do I need to follow?”

“You!” Xia Huan’s anger flared, but mindful of Shen Pianchen’s presence, she held back from exploding. “Can’t you learn from Lu Mingyi? You two are together every day—how is she so even-tempered while you’re this hot-headed? If you keep acting so recklessly, just wait for the family law!”

At these words, Lu Mingyi immediately heard Shen Mingzheng’s voice:

[Lu Mingyi, Lu Mingyi! I’m your daughter—why does she bring her up the moment she arrives? She can’t even fly on a sword now—what does she have to compare with me?!]

These were obviously not words Shen Mingzheng could say aloud in public, so Lu Mingyi knew it was that voice stirring trouble again.

She reflected further: stripping away the targeted barbs, the tone really did match Shen Mingzheng’s quite well.

Even so, with no intention of striking yet, Xia Huan—as a Cavern Void Realm cultivator—still let some of her aura leak out, which no ordinary person could withstand.

At least, not the currently weakened Lu Mingyi, who was only at Foundation Establishment Third Layer.

She was already swaying on her feet when Shen Mingzheng, refusing to yield to Xia Huan, opened her mouth to speak for real. “Hmph, I didn’t do anything wrong in the first place…”

“Enough!”

Shen Pianchen gave a low rebuke. Her Cavern Void Late Stage cultivation erupted, interrupting the standoff between Shen Mingzheng and Xia Huan while perfectly shielding Lu Mingyi. She even pushed a chair her way to sit.

But this surge of spiritual power aggravated her old injuries. Shen Pianchen couldn’t hold back and covered her mouth, coughing violently.

“Pianchen!” “Mother!”

The mother and daughter who had just been arguing instantly cast aside their spat, their faces both etched with tension and worry.

“It’s fine—just my old ailment, nothing serious.” Shen Pianchen waved it off, then turned disapprovingly to Xia Huan. “We’re here to see Little Yi and A’Zheng. Are you here to visit them or harass them?”

“I just got anxious for a moment…” Xia Huan said cautiously, afraid of provoking Shen Pianchen further.

At the same time, she shot a dissatisfied glance at Lu Mingyi, who was nearly slumped in her chair.

—If not for accommodating her, Pianchen wouldn’t have needed to use spiritual power.

Lu Mingyi caught the look but set it aside for now, her own concern fixed on Shen Pianchen. “Aunt Shen, has your old injury flared up again?”

Shen Pianchen smiled faintly, her light brown eyes gazing with distant gentleness. “Just the usual old problem—don’t worry about it. More importantly, Little Yi, A’Zheng wrote home saying you were injured again and punished to Taiqing Sect’s Contemplation Cliff. Are you alright? Your Aunt Xia and I brought a medical cultivator from home—we’ll have them check you later.”

As head of the Shen Family, Shen Pianchen was a prodigy in her own right. At eight hundred years old, she’d reached Cavern Void Late Stage—the highest talent among all past family heads. Her pill refining skills were otherworldly; even Ming Xuan, peak master of Taiqing Sect’s Pill Peak, admitted inferiority.

Yet, she’d developed a hidden ailment birthing Shen Mingzheng. Then came the Demon Sect’s chaos, where she suffered a sneak attack—not only stagnating her cultivation but leaving her frail and sickly as she was now.

In a way, Lu Mingyi and Shen Pianchen shared a kindred suffering.

Lu Mingyi smiled. “Thank you, Aunts, but I just got a bit chilled—nothing major. A good night’s sleep will fix it.”

“You’re not checking this or that—waiting to develop chronic issues?” Shen Mingzheng kicked the leg of Lu Mingyi’s stool from beside her.

“You’re not the one who knows how tough I am. If you’re really worried, lend me your Candle Dragon Wax to warm up with!”

Shen Mingzheng huffed. “If I hadn’t mentioned it, when were you planning to ask? I’ll send it over later!”

Watching their banter, Shen Pianchen kept her smiling demeanor, but Xia Huan’s expression soured. She cleared her throat. “Ahem, besides visiting you two, we have serious matters to discuss.”

Lu Mingyi noticed Shen Mingzheng’s face change at these words. She placed one hand on the back of Lu Mingyi’s chair—a rare proactive closeness since adulthood. “What is it?”

Shen Pianchen continued, her expression tinged with reluctance. “Little Yi, you just came down from Contemplation Cliff, so you might not know yet… Azure Moon Sword Venerable divined a prophecy a while back.”

It’s this after all.

Lu Mingyi, who had already heard from Ji Xuyun, was surprised not by the news itself but how widely it had spread—even reaching the Shen Family outside the sect.

She didn’t hide it. “I know. On my way here, I ran into a junior sister who told me. Azure Moon Sword Venerable divined someone colluding with the Demon Sect, obtaining the Five-Colored Stone, and disrupting the world—and the description matches me perfectly.”

“You know?”

The three others were astonished—not that she knew, but that she knew something so major and remained so nonchalant.

Lu Mingyi blinked. “Yeah… what’s wrong with that?”

“No, Little Yi, this is good—just stay like this.” Shen Pianchen chuckled and shook her head. “I thought hearing this prophecy would leave you furious…”

“Exactly!” Shen Mingzheng rarely interrupted her mother, declaring to Lu Mingyi without hesitation, “You, colluding with the Demon Sect? You’d better watch yourself these days—don’t let me catch some body-snatcher possessing you.”

“Ha, then just roast the possessor with fire for me!” Lu Mingyi laughed heartily.

She knew Shen Mingzheng understood her character—she’d never have any ties to the Demon Sect.

But Shen Mingzheng just huffed a few times, muttering, “I wouldn’t roast with fire…”

“Hm? What’d you say?” Lu Mingyi leaned in curiously, only for Shen Mingzheng to shove her away.

“This isn’t playtime!” Xia Huan’s face hardened again. “The prophecy is one thing—don’t you two have other thoughts?”

At this, Lu Mingyi and Shen Mingzheng both sobered.

Shen Mingzheng said, “Setting aside the Sect Leader’s divination accuracy for now, who spread this rumor is far more pressing.”

Lu Mingyi added, “It’s spread so widely—someone must be fanning the flames. And after all this time, neither the Sect Leader nor the peak masters have denied it, so the rumor must hold truth. But accessing the Sect Leader’s divinations requires considerable status within the sect.”

Shen Pianchen watched one poised and composed, the other spirited and assertive, feeling deeply gratified. Even Xia Huan, usually indifferent to Lu Mingyi, had to admit the two shone brilliantly side by side.

The only pity was Lu Mingyi’s cultivation…

“So, any ideas on this person’s motives?” Shen Pianchen slightly closed her eyes, pushing aside stray thoughts to continue.

Lu Mingyi pondered. “This person is likely from the Demon Sect, infiltrated Taiqing Sect long ago, and earned trust from many. Spreading this, combined with rumors of the Demon Venerable stirring again, aims to sow chaos. If the righteous path fractures, they might more easily uncover the Five-Colored Stone.”

“You think you’re the bait tossed out by the Demon Sect?”

“Exactly.” Lu Mingyi nodded.

“How do you know they aren’t targeting you specifically?” Shen Mingzheng interjected suddenly.

Lu Mingyi was baffled. “Target me for what? I’m just Foundation Establishment now—might drop to Qi Refining anytime.”

“Don’t forget, who drove off that Demon Sect Saintess? I hear she’s vindictive—maybe this is her tormenting you on purpose!”

“That’s even weirder. She was Golden Core Great Perfection back then—at least Nascent Soul now. If she wanted revenge, she’d just come chop me—why this roundabout way?” Lu Mingyi couldn’t fathom it.

Shen Mingzheng glared. “Her muddying the waters and targeting you aren’t mutually exclusive! Who asked you to appear in the Sect Leader’s prophecy?”

Lu Mingyi wanted to say targeting her was trivial—the Demon Sect using her as bait meant they wouldn’t let her off easy anyway—but Shen Pianchen rapped the table. “Enough. You two see the situation clearly enough, though there are still gaps.”

Satisfied despite the gaps, Shen Pianchen smiled faintly. “Understandable—you’re young and don’t believe in fate. Your biggest oversight is that Little Yi is the ‘Child of Prophecy’ in Azure Moon Sword Venerable’s divination.”

Lu Mingyi froze, not fully processing, and thus overlooked Shen Mingzheng’s face darkening beside her.

“In truth, Azure Moon Sword Venerable’s divinations have never erred to date.” Shen Pianchen spoke, reminiscing with a sigh, her expression complex. “The prophecy states: ‘The Metal Heavenly Spiritual Root born in Jiangxia on the twentieth of July in the Xin You year shall become the master of the Five-Colored Stone and overturn the six realms.’ It doesn’t mention the Demon Sect, but it does say you’ll master the Five-Colored Stone.”

Lu Mingyi processed this, then asked, “No other Metal Spiritual Root cultivators born that exact year, month, and day?”

“None.”

“The Sect Leader’s divinations have truly never failed?”

“Never.”

Finally, Lu Mingyi fell silent, then shook her head. “Then I won’t bother with any ‘Child of Prophecy.’ I don’t even believe the Five-Colored Stone is real—let alone becoming its master.”

[Hypocrite! Becoming the Child of Prophecy—you must be thrilled to death inside, right? Thinking you’ll return to those days of being surrounded by admirers like stars around the moon, the world’s top genius again?]

A burst of words exploded in her ear—Shen Mingzheng’s voice laced with resentment.

Stunned, Lu Mingyi looked up to meet Shen Mingzheng’s somewhat gloomy gaze.

Seeing Lu Mingyi look over, Shen Mingzheng was clearly quite surprised as well. She furrowed her brows tightly, averted her gaze, but then forced a smile as she said, “What are you looking at me like that for? Go on, keep talking about the Child of Prophecy?”

Hearing this, a gust of unfamiliarity and helplessness swept through Lu Mingyi’s heart. She immediately shot back, “Don’t call me that! I don’t want it!”

Shen Mingzheng was obviously in a foul mood herself, and Lu Mingyi had rarely ever spoken to her so sharply in the past. Her eyebrows shot up high—she was genuinely angry now.

Shen Pianchen and Xia Huan, seated atop the high platform, had no idea why these two had suddenly clashed. Shen Pianchen slapped the table again and turned the conversation. “Alright, I know you don’t like hearing about all this fate and destiny nonsense, Little Yi, but since it’s a divination from the Azure Moon Sword Venerable, you still need to take it to heart.”

With the Shen Family Head speaking, Lu Mingyi naturally listened. She cupped her hands in a salute and acknowledged the words.

“Besides, what A’Zheng said about the Demon Sect Saintess isn’t entirely baseless,” Xia Huan added from the side. “This saintess is extremely skilled at disguise and infiltration. Sixty years ago, she infiltrated the Qianji Sect under the alias Zhou Yulai, causing massive trouble for the righteous path. If there’s truly a spy in the Taiqing Sect right now, it’s very likely connected to her.”

The Qianji Sect had once been a major sect in the Cultivation World, but it was no longer the glory it once was. The Taiqing Sect, on the other hand, was at the height of its power these days. For the Demon Sect to infiltrate it wouldn’t be easy—they’d need their most capable undercover agent for the job.

At this point, Shen Pianchen let out another sigh. “Originally, with you under the Long Rainbow Sword Venerable’s tutelage, Little Yi, we could’ve been at ease. But now the Azure Moon Sword Venerable is gravely ill, the Long Rainbow Sword Venerable is occupied with sect affairs, and to top it off, the invitation for her eight-hundredth birthday banquet has already gone out… now there’s even an apprentice acceptance ceremony added on…”

“Apprentice acceptance ceremony?”

Lu Mingyi had been listening patiently to the two elders up to this point, but she couldn’t hold back and blurted it out.

“Oh, looks like your junior sister didn’t tell you about this.” Shen Mingzheng chimed in as well.

But at this moment, Lu Mingyi read a hint of schadenfreude on the woman’s bright and alluring face. “Half a month ago, the Long Rainbow Sword Venerable announced it to all sides. She’s taken a new direct disciple, and the apprentice ceremony will be held together with her birthday banquet—to bring good fortune to the sect leader.”