107 - Little Peasant Wife

Liu Wen Yao stammered, "You... you must choose your words carefully!" With accusations like this looming over him, especially when the emperor had been displeased with him for quite some time, there would surely be an effort to make an example out of him. If things escalated, he was in for trouble. He didn't dare to meddle any further and could only look towards the National Master. The National Master narrowed her eyes dangerously and said, "Qin Yi Shu, you're getting audacious, daring to oppose me. Never mind anything else—can you, a mere cripple with the frail old and young of the Qin family, possibly contend with me? Even if I were to take this child away, what could you possibly do about it?" To her, they were nothing more than ordinary mortals, unworthy of her consideration. Even if they were from a family of military renown, the emperor himself listened to her—she was confident she could handle the Qin family and Qin Yi Shu. She thought this as she cast a malevolent glance at Qin Yi Shu. "I hope your memory is intact and that you recall the last time you angered me, it wasn’t just about ending up crippled and useless." Gu Bai Wei was so angry that she was almost jumping in place, yet she dared not risk opposing the National Master, or else... Qin Yi Shu’s gaze was indifferent, seemingly unthreatened by her words. She responded, "The world is not governed by a single court. Surely the National Master has spent so long in her high position that she has forgotten there is also the Martial Alliance. Quite coincidentally, this time, the leader of the Martial Alliance is none other than myself. Should the National Master make a move against me, then on the side of the Martial Alliance..." She paused meaningfully, while the National Master was fuming with rage. The Martial Alliance was the only entity in the mortal realm capable of challenging practitioners, boasting true masters, akin to a nine-star warrior's strength, comparable to early-stage Foundation Establishment cultivation. An eight-star warrior was at the peak of Qi Refining's tenth level, while in front of her, Qin Yi Shu was a seven-star warrior, equivalent to the eighth level of Qi Refining. It might not have seemed significant, but the point was that the martial artists in the mortal realm were numerous and had connections with the rogue cultivator alliance in the cultivation world, sharing deep ties. The leader of the Martial Alliance even had the ability to exchange information with people from the cultivation world. If a brutal demonic cultivator rampaged through the mortal world, the leader could invite the rogue cultivator's practitioners to intervene and address the issue. When she first arrived in the mortal realm, it took her some time to understand the societal dynamics. She had people investigate the Martial Alliance's affairs. Over the years, regardless of money or manpower, she sent people to suppress the Martial Alliance's influence. Yet, the identity of the alliance’s leader was concealed exceedingly well, eluding her completely. For years, she acted cautiously to avoid provoking the Martial Alliance unnecessarily. Who would have thought that the alliance's leader was right under her nose? A fierce glint flashed in her eyes as she prepared to seize this moment to eliminate Qin Yi Shu, resolving the threat for good. Suddenly, a strong female cultivator clad in white descended from the heavens, landing at the center of the assembly. Startled, the National Master’s expression changed dramatically as she exclaimed, "It's you!" Indeed, this was the very cultivator who had previously appeared outside her courtyard, guiding her to this place. Chapter 64: Rebirth The female cultivator glanced at the National Master with an indifferent expression, unleashing an overwhelming pressure that only a high-level cultivator could exert. The National Master immediately clutched her chest, coughing up a mouthful of blood. The cultivator walked slowly towards Jing Ao Xue and murmured, “This one is still alive, truly fortunate.” Liu Er wiped her tears and hurriedly asked, “Is it true?” The cultivator looked at Liu Er, nodded with a complex expression, and said, “The Li Mu Burnfire within her body protected her heart at the critical moment. Although the sword pierced her superficially, the unique energy inside her is quickly healing the damage. Feed her this pill, and in three days, her condition will improve.” As she spoke, she retrieved a pill from her storage bracelet and handed it over. Liu Er quickly took it and struggled to turn Jing Ao Xue over, placing the pill into her mouth. But Jing Ao Xue had already lost consciousness and couldn't swallow. Panic-stricken, Liu Er looked to the cultivator for help. The cultivator’s expression grew more peculiar as she took out a white porcelain bottle from her storage bracelet. "This is the Nine-Turn Spiritual Spring Water, a single drop formed over a millennia, and it can help her recover faster." Liu Er thanked her, opened the bottle, and fed the water to Jing Ao Xue, before asking, "Who are you?" This was the question everyone present wanted to ask. They couldn’t make out the cultivator’s face, only that her presence emitted a tremendous pressure, making it hard for most to breathe. Qin Yi Shu squinted her eyes and laboriously asked, "Are you a rogue cultivator from the cultivation world?" Surprised, the cultivator glanced at her. Her aura was entirely restrained for Liu Er and Zhang Qiao Er, directed fully at the National Master, while others felt less oppressed but still ought to be drenched in sweat. It seems this mortal was indeed formidable—no wonder she would eventually become the ruler of a nation. The cultivator chuckled lightly and replied, "No, my purpose here is to take these two children to the cultivation world." She was Duan Mu Yi Ren, the legitimate daughter of the Duan Mu family in the cultivation world. Recently, after breaking through to the mid-Golden Core stage, unfamiliar memories had surged into her mind. They were her memories, but the events in them happened far in the future. In simpler terms, she had been reborn. It wasn't a full rebirth; just fragments of future memories flashing before her. But that alone was enough to make her scalp tingle and her spine chill. In the future, the demon race once again invaded, swiftly occupying much of the cultivation world. The demon and human races were forced to retreat and had no choice but to ally. Thus, the king of the demon realm, Phoenix Feng Xian Ming, and the strongest female cultivator of the new human generation, Jing Liu Er, wed. This alliance brought a turning point for both races, something she remembered being overjoyed about. However, before the final confrontation with the demon race arrived, the demon king and Jing Liu Er both suddenly passed away, and their child, the next demon king, mysteriously disappeared. Evidence suggested the two had a conflict, leading to a mutual destruction given their similar strengths. The already precarious alliance broke apart entirely because of this, leading to an endless conflict between human cultivators and demons. In such circumstances, they could not withstand the demon race's invasion. The Hong Ze continent turned into a hellish inferno, and she was killed by demons while fleeing. Not only her, but her family and the entire cultivation and mortal realms were also destroyed. She did not know why she had returned to this time, and spent confused, isolated days closing herself off in her cave dwelling before deciding to try and avert the coming catastrophe. She recalled that during the most critical times, many powerful cultivators emerged, delaying the demon invasion and buying precious survival time. Among them, the most lauded were Jing Liu Er—an early Nascent Soul stage cultivator—and her confidante, Zhang Qiao Er. These two were the strongest against the demons and the quickest to break through to the Nascent Soul and advance to the Out-of-Body stage. If she could hasten their cultivation process and take them to the cultivation world early, they could gain greater power. That was her purpose in coming to the mortal realm. She wasn't initially acquainted with Tian Zhi University’s talents like Jing Liu Er and Zhang Qiao Er, but once they became famous, their pasts were thoroughly uncovered. She learned they had known each other from childhood, living in the same village until they were taken into the Liu residence, becoming dark guards for the demon-cultivator National Master. Due to their extraordinary talents and fortuitous encounters, they reached the Foundation Establishment stage within five years. That’s how Jing Liu Er, before the National Master could harm them, killed her mother’s enemy, meaning the National Master, and ventured with Zhang Qiao Er into the cultivation world’s largest sect—Xuan Tian Sect. Thereafter, they advanced at an unprecedented pace, becoming the youngest Nascent Soul powerhouses in the cultivation world within a century. Jing Liu Er was particularly renowned, the most talented and powerful genius cultivator in the thousand-year history. She was even lauded as the embodiment of benevolence and fortune, which later made her the human race’s representative who married the Phoenix of the demon world. Yet, Jing Liu Er and Zhang Qiao Er were always acknowledged as a pair in the cultivation world. When the marriage was announced, the entire cultivation world lamented for these star-crossed lovers. She, too, once believed this until witnessing Jing Liu Er attempt to kill Zhang Qiao Er in a battle against demons. Startled, and with no one around, she fled immediately. She couldn't understand this even at her death. After Jing Liu Er’s death, Zhang Qiao Er single-handedly shouldered the burden against the demons, and in the following decades, replaced Jing Liu Er as the only hope for the Hong Ze continent. Therefore, Duan Mu Yi Ren was more inclined to support Zhang Qiao Er. After arriving in the mortal realm, she followed the clues from her memory to Duo Bao Village. She happened to witness young Jing Liu Er being captured. Initially wanting to intervene, she hesitated, believing destiny’s wheel turned according to its own path. Now, with Jing Liu Er’s mother still alive, she wondered if without experiencing the loss of a loved one, Jing Liu Er might not become self-reliant in the future. This hesitation was characteristic of her, often leading to stagnation in her cultivation despite her Golden Core late stage achievement. Her family elders had often sighed, saying she overthought everything, doing too little, achieving nothing. Cultivation meant contending with the heavens. Knowing her shortcomings well, this was evident in her handling of Jing Liu Er's situation. After witnessing Jing Liu Er's capture, Jing Liu Er’s mother returned from the fields, finding her child missing. She immediately bit her finger to draw a Tracking Sigil and locate Jing Liu Er. If things continued this way, her initial plans would be thwarted. Thus, she quickly interfered with the Tracking Sigil mark and shifted it onto something Jing Liu Er carried, misleading Jing Liu Er’s mother. She felt guilty, but compared to the world's well-being, Jing Liu Er’s mother was insignificant. Moreover, Jing Liu Er’s mother was half-demon. With a blood feud against demon-kind, and family members killed by them, she naturally felt no sympathy for her life. Yet fearing Jing Liu Er might fall into demonic paths, she followed the mortals to Liu’s residence. Unexpectedly... Chapter 65: Resolution Unexpectedly, the half-demon—Jing Liu Er’s mother—caught up quickly, bringing Zhang Qiao Er into Liu’s residence, locating Jing Liu Er. Observing from the shadows, she realized if this continued, Jing Liu Er would be rescued by her mother.