Chapter 64: Assassination Part 3

Surprisingly, before Ji Caiyan even returned to the Ji Clan, she obtained points from her.

【Assistant Little Tail No. 2 obtained 50 Yearning Heart Points from silver-grade Ji Yunhuan】

【Assistant Little Tail No. 2 obtained 30 Yearning Heart Points from black-grade Ji Caixi】

As for her relationship with Ji Caixi, Ji Caiyan really hadn’t exaggerated. Bo Xuenong had received points from Ji Caixi’s yearning for Ji Caiyan for three days straight, proving that Ji Caixi thought of her little sister almost every day. Ji Yunhuan thought of Ji Caiyan less frequently, and her feelings were a bit weaker than her mother’s, but as a silver-level strategy target, she gave more points.

Over these few days, Ji Caiyan hadn’t paid much attention to the Ji Clan. She had originally been a sword cultivator, but now her Ghost Moon Vine Bloodline had fully awakened—and thanks to Bo Xuenong’s bloodline in her body—her bloodline had leaped forward. Not only did she possess a demon body, but she had also grown a second spirit root and switched to the demon cultivation path.

Though her cultivation had not broken through, her future path now held the potential to reach greater heights.

The only one who might not have felt great about it was Ye Zhiyao.

The Ghost Moon Vine grew at an astonishing speed. It could serve as a weapon, a poison, or even ropes. Over these few days, whenever Ye Zhiyao showed signs of losing control and craving Shen Yanting, the Ghost Moon Vine would cover her body. The thorns would pierce through her outer clothes and press against her skin. If she struggled, the thorns would break the skin, and the poison—capable of inducing bone-erosion pain in hallucinations—would enter her body and spread at extreme speed.

Ji Caiyan appeared steady and good-tempered, but that was only toward Bo Xuenong and the others.

In Feng Jin’s words, Ji Caiyan was harsh and vicious toward Ye Zhiyao— even more bloodthirsty than Bo Xuenong.

Lately, Ji Caiyan had been poisoning Ye Zhiyao whenever she had the chance, then detoxifying her afterward.

Bo Xuenong even thought she was a bit abnormal.

Shen Yanting had tried to intervene a few times, but every time Ye Zhiyao was saved, she repeated her plea to be killed. Even Shen Yanting couldn’t endure Ye Zhiyao begging for death day after day. She gradually came to feel that Ji Caiyan was better at handling her—keeping her from seeking death or going berserk, and redirecting all her attention to cursing instead.

Now, as long as Ji Caiyan didn’t go for the kill, Shen Yanting pretended not to see it.

Ji Caiyan had previously avoided the Ji Clan and City Lord Mansion like the plague, but now that her injuries had healed, she headed straight for the City Lord Mansion.

Bo Xuenong found it odd that Ji Caiyan went to her fiancé first instead of her eldest sister. “Did you lead us the wrong way?”

“Senior Sister, no mistake.” Ji Caiyan deliberately lowered her voice. “The Ji Clan’s defenses are tight, with many protective clan spirit arrays. One wrong move and we’d alert everyone. If we force our way into the Ji Clan, I’m afraid I’d meet all my uncles, aunties, elder brothers, and sisters-in-law before seeing my eldest sister. This homecoming is to ask my eldest sister if she knows about the faction behind Xu Hongyong’s wife and daughter. Unless necessary, we shouldn’t disturb the Ji Clan members. They’re numerous and powerful, none of them easy to deal with. The City Lord Mansion has a secret passage straight to the Ji Clan, known only to the young clan head and clan head. Years ago, my eldest sister took me through it once to get a good look at Xu Hongyong. I still remember its location. We’ll go to the Ji Clan through there.”

Feng Jin rubbed her chin and suddenly spoke up. “Second Senior Sister, now that your bloodline is purer than anyone in the Ji Clan, shouldn’t you return openly and reclaim what’s rightfully yours?”

“In the Ji Clan, I only have a useless white tag and a fiancé who killed his wife and daughter. What do you want me to reclaim?” Ji Caiyan knocked on Feng Jin’s head. “Feng Jin, what kind of nonsense is in that head of yours?”

“That’s how it always goes in those revenge stories.” Feng Jin dodged Ji Caiyan’s hand, her eyes rolling as she thought. “Second Senior Sister, actually, you could go seize the position of Ji Family Patriarch. Then you could rewrite the Ji Clan rules. Whoever gave you the white tag, give it back to them. Whoever forced that marriage on you, marry them off instead.”

The more Feng Jin thought about it, the more convinced she became, her eyes growing brighter. “Second Senior Sister, once you’re clan head, you can bring the Ji Clan into the Imperial Serenity Sect.”

Ji Caiyan rolled her eyes in exasperation. “That’s my eldest sister’s position. Do you want me to be an ungrateful wretch?”

Feng Jin shook her head. “No, with your clan head like that, your eldest sister won’t become clan head even if she doesn’t die. I’m saying you should seize the position from that elder clan leader. Once you’re clan head, your eldest sister can keep being young clan head.”

“Me as clan head and my eldest sister as young clan head?” Ji Caiyan was almost laughed into anger by Feng Jin, her voice rising a bit. “Outrageous.”

Ji Caiyan called Feng Jin outrageous, but Feng Yingbo gave her several strange looks, her gaze lingering on Ye Zhiyao beside her—and especially on where Ji Caiyan forcibly gripped her hand. “Thank heavens! Caiyan, your Shishu thought you didn’t know you were the outrageous one.”

Bo Xuenong listened closely, her eyes twinkling as she caught sight of Ji Caiyan’s flushed, angry face. She burst out laughing.

Her laughter echoed in their ears, and Shen Yanting tugged at her. “Xuenong.”

Shen Yanting apparently thought it improper, so Bo Xuenong suppressed her laughter, though her lips still curved slightly.

Ji Caiyan’s face flushed green then white, her voice growing louder. “Shishu Feng, I… I was harsh to my master and tied her up to… to keep her from harassing Senior Shishu Shen.”

Feng Yingbo tugged at Ji Caiyan and made a shushing gesture. “Caiyan, keep it down. We’re sneaking around like thieves here.”

Bo Xuenong’s smile froze on her face. She didn’t mind Feng Yingbo pinning the thief label on her, but there was still a Shen Yanting in their group.

She lowered her voice. “Shishu, my master isn’t a thief!”

“Well said!” Feng Yingbo exclaimed as if waking from a dream. She clapped her hands. “Senior Sister Shen, why don’t you wait outside for us? We’ll scout it out and report back. A secret passage like that really isn’t suitable for you—it’s beneath your status.”

Bo Xuenong’s eyes sparkled brighter. “Shishu is right.”

Shen Yanting: “…”

Before Shen Yanting could respond, Feng Jin poked her head over. “Or we sneak in from the rear, while Shishu attacks from the front and takes the Ji Clan in one fell swoop.”

Black lines appeared on Ji Caiyan’s forehead. “That’s my home. Rear attack? Why are you so insistent on making me clan head?”

“For survival!” Feng Jin replied matter-of-factly. “I need to protect Senior Shishu Shen! Protect Eldest Senior Sister! Strength in numbers—the Ji Clan isn’t weak. Why not rely on the power?”

Ji Caiyan barely managed a smile. “You’ve got a strangely good conscience.”

Feng Jin wagged her head. “Depends on who we’re comparing to.”

“Hm?”

Feng Jin pointed at Ji Caiyan’s chest—reminding her it had once been hollow—then at where Ji Caiyan gripped Ye Zhiyao tightly, leaving red marks on her wrist. “Compared to you, Second Senior Sister, my conscience is definitely better.”

With that, she hid behind Bo Xuenong, ensuring Ji Caiyan couldn’t grab her.

Bo Xuenong leaned against Shen Yanting, held Feng Jin’s hand, and blocked Ji Caiyan from approaching. “You can think about what Feng Jin said—not for me or Master, but for yourself and your clan.”

Bo Xuenong wasn’t exaggerating. From the extended plotline she had redeemed from the System, it was clear the Ji Clan’s elder clan leader had clung to power until death, constantly suppressing Ji Caixi. Otherwise, Ji Caixi wouldn’t have pinned all her hopes on her daughter with the better bloodline or sent Ji Yunhuan into a secret realm with half her life on the line for a chance at fortune.

Moreover, he had likely gripped that power tightly for himself alone. Otherwise, how could such a massive clan with a legacy of hundreds of thousands of years collapse into chaos from within the moment the elder clan leader and young clan head died?

Logically, the elders in the clan should have had enough prestige and strength to keep things stable internally. The only explanation was that the Elder Clan Leader had never delegated any power to them during his lifetime.

The tragedy of the Ji Clan mother and daughters, along with the clan’s final collapse, seemed to stem from Ji Yunhuan’s lovestruck folly. But without the Elder Clan Leader pulling strings behind the scenes, it never would have reached the point of total annihilation.

In the original story, Ji Caixi had failed to overcome the Elder Clan Leader. She lost because her bloodline wasn’t pure enough and her strength wasn’t robust enough. But what if Ji Caiyan took her place—with a pure bloodline backed by a divine beast bloodline?

Feng Jin appeared to be provoking Ji Caiyan, and her words weren’t particularly serious. In truth, though, she was genuinely thinking about Ji Caiyan and the Ji Clan.

Without Feng Jin, Bo Xuenong truly wouldn’t have pondered so much on behalf of an unrelated clan.

She became too lost in thought and failed to notice the fleeting astonishment in Shen Yanting’s gaze toward her, let alone the more evident relief that followed.

Before Ji Caiyan could respond, they had arrived at the City Lord Mansion.