After activating the flying boat's protective barrier, Yunxi pushed the defenses to the limit, the shimmering dome of spiritual energy hardening into a crystalline shield against the outside air. She quickly embedded nine top-grade spirit stones into the control array—the polished gems humming with power as they began to glow with a steady light—set the flight direction toward the distant horizon, then lay flat on the deck without hesitation, telling Li Li to feed her every recovery potion and healing elixir available in their stores.
Dian Dian anxiously circled her on the wooden deck, its soft fur bristling as it rummaged through its little stash of gathered items to see if there were any heavenly treasures suitable for her current condition. Cong Shan enlarged its body to act as a sturdy wall and quietly guarded her side, watching Li Li rush back and forth with glass vials clinking in its paws.
Li Li kept muttering while working, its voice a low rumble of concern that matched the vibration of the boat. "Zūnshàng, that was way too risky. How could you use a mutual destruction secret art like that? You're about to break through to the mid-stage of Unity. Why compete so fiercely with someone like that? It wasn't worth it."
Yunxi swallowed the healing and recovery potions—the bitter, viscous liquids sliding down her throat—and slowly felt them take effect. The sharp pain in her dantian eased as the medicinal energy began to knit her damaged meridians back together. The somewhat listless Yuányīng inside gradually regained its spirit, sitting upright once more, and under the protection of the Seven Colored Lotus, her dantian began storing spiritual energy again.
Once the metallic taste in her throat completely faded, she slowly sat up and crossed her legs to meditate. To recover as quickly as possible, she took out a high-grade spirit vein she had obtained earlier—the crystalline structure pulsating with raw, concentrated power—held it in her hand, and circulated her cultivation method to replenish what she had lost during the battle.
This was the first time Zhu Sheng had seen its master fight someone head-on, and only then did it truly realize how dangerous the cultivation world was. That male cultivator's shift from arrogance to compromise happened solely because Yunxi was strong enough to threaten his life. He clearly understood he had no ability to take her away by force, and there was even a chance he could be killed instead. That was why he had left in disgrace. Otherwise, he wouldn't have given up so easily.
Three days later, she finally opened her eyes. She put away the now dim spirit vein into her space and immediately saw six eyes staring at her in unison. She smiled faintly, trying to reassure the worried creatures. "Don't worry. I'm fine. I just ran out of spiritual energy and interrupted the secret art before it reached completion, so there was a little backlash."
Because Dian Dian and Cong Shan were bound to her by contract, they felt her physical condition much more clearly through their shared spiritual bond. Once her injuries stabilized, they finally relaxed their defensive posture. Li Li wasn't contracted to her, so the sensation was weaker, but after hearing from Dian Dian that she was truly fine, it felt reassured as well.
During those three days of recovery, all three had kept constant watch and taken on the task of vigilance, fearing that the mid-stage Unity male cultivator might return to finish what he had started. Hearing her words now, they finally let their tense hearts settle.
Li Li was the first to ask the question that had been lingering in the air. "Master, what was that man actually trying to do?"
Yunxi didn't hide anything and briefly explained Su Miu's identity, his stated purpose as a representative of the Su family, and the course of their battle within the barrier.
Dian Dian got so angry it hopped in place on the deck. "Master, that man was far too rude. He relied on being just a little stronger than you to try to intimidate you."
Cong Shan added in its muffled, deep voice, "If he wanted to invite Master to reunite with your mother, he should have said so clearly. Why act so mysterious and threatening? Only a fool would follow a stranger without asking anything. Doesn't he have even that much common sense?"
Li Li rolled its black, grape-like eyes, thinking through the implications. "Zūnshàng, can that man's words be trusted? His way of inviting someone to reunite only offends people. Or does he not get along with your mother and wanted to pressure you just to provoke her? Or maybe he wanted to use your mother to threaten you? Li Li thinks his appearance was far too coincidental. You stayed at the Haoran Sect in the Chuyue Mountain Range for nearly sixty years and they never came. The moment you left seclusion, they showed up. It doesn't feel like anything good."
Hearing this, she smiled and patted the creature's head. "That's exactly what I was thinking. That's why I used such a violent method to intimidate him. If I had compromised even once, there would have been countless compromises afterward. I wanted him to know I'm a lunatic who doesn't play by the rules. From now on, whether it's him or the Su family, they will think very carefully before doing anything."
Dian Dian still sounded aggrieved, its voice small. "Master, but you really did use the secret art, and the backlash you suffered was real."
She pinched the small beast gently. "Relax. I know what I'm doing. I controlled the progress of the secret art very carefully. It was enough to let him feel the Heavenly Dao's lock without truly damaging my spirit root."
The plan working so smoothly was thanks to the Seven Colored Lotus protecting her dantian, and also the Mosang Ring hidden at the base of her spirit roots—the one that altered their attributes for concealment.
The Seven Colored Lotus didn't need explanation. Its seven layers of petals were like seven layers of spiritual protection. Even if the Heavenly Dao wanted to extract the spirit root at the bottom of her dantian, it would take a great deal of effort to bypass those barriers. On top of that, the Mosang Ring tightly bound her three spirit roots, and she hadn't completed the final hand seals of the secret art. That was how she managed to scare her opponent while minimizing harm to herself.
Only then did Li Li swish its fluffy tail. "Zūnshàng, you didn't kill him because you were worried about your mother, right?"
Yunxi sighed and nodded, her expression softening. "At first, I didn't know his purpose. When he called my name, I knew there was definitely something hidden behind it. From his attitude, it was obvious he had been tracking me the whole way. His target was clear, and he even spoke Feng Jiayun's name. That's why I forced him with a mutual destruction secret art—to make him reveal his background. It's just that I don't understand the Su family at all."
After all, she was an ascended cultivator in a new realm. Even the Haoran Sect had only managed to gain a foothold in the spirit region thanks to the Ancestor Hao Ran. In sixty years, they had gathered only surface-level information. Truly valuable intelligence was still out of reach, or rather, they hadn't found the right channels to acquire it.
This made her think of Wan Bowen, the so-called know-it-all from her past. There were likely similar figures in the spirit realm who traded in secrets. She needed to find a way to contact such people later. Poor information flow seriously affected her judgment and safety.
Just like this time. She knew nothing about the Su family's standing. She didn't know what status Feng Jiayun held there, or why the Su family's Ancestor would send such a powerful junior to bring her back for a so-called reunion. If it was truly just a reunion, was there something else involved in the shadows?
And why was her mother in the Su family in the first place? Was it voluntary? Forced? Or the result of some secret deal? She had no way of knowing the truth. That was why, in that instant, she chose to let force speak for her. She showed her fist and made it clear she wasn't someone to be bullied or manipulated.
In truth, killing Su Miu would have been easy. During the fight, a single soul-piercing strike would have turned him into a fool. But before understanding the Su family's true intentions, she didn't want to make an enemy of them.
If that ended up implicating her mother, then it would be her fault as a daughter. Even if she was no longer the original Wei Yunxi, even if the Wei family bloodline had been stripped away through her own choice, Feng family blood still flowed in her veins. For the sake of that gift of life alone, she couldn't push things to the extreme.
In the book, Wei Yunxi lost her protection after Feng Jiayun's so-called fall, was suppressed by Wei Yunqing, and died such a miserable death. But it was clear that in the early years, Feng Jiayun had truly cared for her daughter.