76 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 75: Compassion While discontent over the management of the three prominent families erupted into a storm of public resentment in the city, Xiang Shiyan's journey back to Mount Yucang with Zhu Yu was interrupted by the incident of "a demon infiltrating the Zhu residence to steal a family heirloom." However, she didn't express any complaints and settled comfortably at the Zhu residence. On the second day of Xiang Shiyan's visit to Huaihai City, the Zhu residence was burgled, and it appeared to be the work of demons. She promptly requested Zhu Cheng to notify the Xu and Bai families and to have the matter decided by a council of the three families, subsequently making no further moves. It's likely they were cautious about revealing this incident, not wishing to hand such a rare opportunity on a silver platter to the other two families. Xu and Bai had received empty promises but hadn't experienced the real benefits yet. They might join forces to eliminate the Zhu family, and after sharing the methods of creating the artificial cauldron, they could divide Zhu's resources and assets. The ownership of the Heavenly Spiritual Cauldron might even be up for discussion. Even if matters didn’t take such a disastrous turn, the Xu and Bai families would at least seize the chance to extort a substantial sum from Zhu Cheng, hindering him just as he begins to venture into the cauldron business. Xiang Shiyan had no patience to wait for Zhu Cheng to slowly devise a plan favorable to him. To ensure the Zhu family had no escape route and couldn't seek help from the other two families, she incited public anger by spreading a mixture of true and false rumors, dragging Xu and Bai into the flames as well. A few days ago, the rumors had reached a point where they couldn't be ignored, and at that time, each family should have noticed it. However, neither the Zhu family nor the other two took significant action; they merely gave a lukewarm explanation that people had been dispatched to thoroughly investigate the matter and then brazenly suppressed the spread of the rumors. This made Xiang Shiyan question: Did they really take all the cultivators in the city for fools? If the brains behind the three families were truly this limited, then she needn't exercise such caution. A few more days passed, and by now, Xiang Shiyan had resided in the Zhu residence for almost half a month. She wondered how things were going for Huai Ye and the others in the secret realm. The last time she checked, the system informed her that Huai Ye, Qin Miao, and He He had separated from the other seven members of their team and were heading towards a location she had marked on their map. If not for Qin Miao's leg injury, preventing Huai Ye from carrying two people with his sword, they might have already retrieved the Cloud Cloak by now. Xiang Shiyan felt a twinge of unease at how Qin Miao seemed to persistently trail behind Huai Ye like a shadow. She suspected that this was also orchestrated by the world's will, which is why, amidst such chaotic circumstances, so many coincidences occurred, leading to Qin Miao ultimately being carried along by Huai Ye. In the original work, the ten-member team was only separated by an illusion array after entering an immortal cave from the prehistoric era. Qin Miao and Huai Ye were inseparable, and almost no matter what Qin Miao said, Huai Ye, blinded by love under the protagonist's aura, always followed his lead. When Qin Miao was trapped by an illusion at the entrance of the inner chamber, Huai Ye quickly broke free from the illusion alone, delving deep into the cave to retrieve several magical treasures and a dusty, faded spirit robe. The Dragon Bone Blade resonated within Qin Miao, giving him the illusion that the spirit robe was akin to himself. So, when Huai Ye offered to share half of the treasures she had obtained with him, he feigned humility and only took the seemingly low-grade spirit robe. Huai Ye mistakenly believed him to be a self-reliant man, moved for a long time. Reading this, Xiang Shiyan could only sigh silently. Not only Huai Ye, but the other originally diverse female characters were gradually molded into the same kind of person once they were "conquered." The once silent and emotionally blunt Huai Ye became excessively sentimental, and despite being a distinguished golden core cultivator, inexplicably fumbled and became submissive around the mid-foundation stage Qin Miao, as if she couldn't survive without a man acting as her father. "Sometimes I really wonder about this creator, what kind of environment did they grow up in to produce someone this idiotic?" "If you wish, I can incite cyberbullying against the author within the main world's network. The central system's checks on such violations aren't too strict," the system offered, displaying a cold indifference towards certain human moral standards. "What? Uh, no need..." Xiang Shiyan's expression turned a mix of surprise and amusement. "Are you experienced with this?" The system responded in an even tone: "The previous task target was a soft-spoken heroine from an outdated male-centric romance novel. After eliminating all male protagonists, she had a happy ending with the green-tea rival. She was a lawyer and found loopholes in the central system's regulation agreements. While the agreements aren't perfect yet, you can freely use the system. If the central system were to discover this and you land in trouble, she could still represent you, 'half-price for a second trial, twenty percent off for counter-suits.'" Xiang Shiyan paused, speechless. "Such a service isn't needed for now... Just show me what Huai Ye and the others are doing." "I've located the coordinates of star-marked individuals: Qin Miao, Huai Ye. Ten Jade Cang Mountain disciple tokens have been detected 11 kilometers from their current direction." "Oh, it must be led by Elder Jingwu's first disciple, right?" "Yes, based on their pace, the two groups should meet at Mist Gorge, just as in the original story." "I can only hope the advice I gave before departure is of help." Xiang Shiyan frowned slightly, hinting at some concern. She muttered to herself, "I warned Huai Ye not to consume anything given by anyone else, and requested He He to keep an eye out..." The system nagged in her mind, "If the plot progresses as it did in the original, not only would fanfiction become a minefield, but the host's aura value could drop below 10." Once the aura value drops below 10, the immortality protection of the protagonist's aura ceases. Xiang Shiyan wore a gloomy expression, "That's not my concern. I'm worried that Huai Ye might..." and just like in the original, end her life inexplicably after being humiliated. With a deep sigh, her expression shifted back to the usual calm and aloof Moon Harmony Lord. Xiang Shiyan turned around as the door creaked open on its own, revealing a girl standing on the porch, hand suspended in mid-air as if frozen in the act of knocking. Without movement, speech, or expression, one couldn't easily distinguish between the twins. Xiang Shiyan scrutinized carefully but still couldn't ascertain the newcomer's identity. Sensing the expectation in the girl's eyes, Xiang Shiyan lightly coughed, indicating for the visitor to state her purpose. The girl standing at the door slowly lowered her hand and smiled slightly after a pause, "Master Aunt, my father requests your presence." Xiang Shiyan nodded slightly. It was Zhu Yun. After a few days of careful guidance, Zhu Yu's attitude towards her had indeed softened significantly. Although she still tended to keep a stern face, she occasionally pretended to cry coquettishly or joked with her, just as before. However, Zhu Yun had become more distant, acting as if they were mere strangers to delineate boundaries. Following the girl, Xiang Shiyan inquired as she stepped out, "Did the City Lord mention what this is about?" "No, but I reckon it's about the three-family meeting," Zhu Yun, considerably shorter, replied as she walked, her words lingering as she side-eyed Xiang Shiyan, seemingly reproaching her for asking something she already knew. Truth be told, the two sisters really looked remarkably alike. After nearly ten days with Zhu Yu, Xiang Shiyan thought she had grasped enough distinguishing features to tell them apart reasonably well. Zhu Yun was frail and often sick, while Zhu Yu was healthy and robust. They could be told apart when standing together, but separating them made it difficult again. Ordinarily, carefree Zhu Yu had livelier eyes. Upon reflection, that day, the Zhu Yun who confronted Xiang Shiyan also seemed a bit bolder and more spirited. She rubbed her temples, feeling a persistent headache over the blurred lines between the twins. Luckily, their differing personalities and mannerisms offered some clues, otherwise, Xiang Shiyan truly wouldn’t know whom to recognize. She glanced over at Zhu Yun, who seemed oblivious to her gaze, her hair whirl visible and showing no particular interest. Possibly at Zhu Cheng's behest, Zhu Yun had remained indoors during Xiang Shiyan's stay, even refusing to leave her room for meals. Her thoughts drifted, suddenly realizing it was Zhu Yu's tenth day attempting to draw qi. While not alarmingly fast or slow, many spend ten days or half a month at this stage. Nonetheless, Xiang Shiyan worried about Zhu Yu's impatience and potential discouragement. She thought to ask Zhu Yun how her sister was progressing in her cultivation today but swallowed the words. Inquiring about this matter to Zhu Yun, who struggled with cultivation, seemed too cruel. Xiang Shiyan looked again at the serene-faced girl, reminded momentarily of the glowing spark occasionally seen in her sister, feeling an unfamiliar touch of pity. Making children ponder too much is a failing of adults to begin with. Zhu Yun escorted her to the main door, where a light wooden flying boat waited, meant for traversing the city's limits. Though she could reach her destination swiftly by sword, Zhu Cheng likely wished to keep Xiang Shiyan out of sight from the city's cultivators. "This way, please," Zhu Yun said, as a red-clad guard at the boat's entrance lifted the curtain, face stern. Xiang Shiyan couldn't resist reaching out to ruffle Zhu Yun's hair. The girl paused, then frowned and turned her head slightly in displeasure. "Master Aunt, please don't touch me." "Alright," Xiang Shiyan replied casually as she settled into the flying boat, missing the fleeting, unsaid look on the girl's face as she heard the response. The flying boat whipped up a gale as it ascended into the sky, gradually shrinking into a distant speck in the girl's view. Staring at the disappearing black dot, the somber expression on Zhu Yun's face left the guards at the door speechless. It was rare to see the young miss, just a child, with such a grave demeanor, something about which seemed unsettlingly out of place. The girl touched her hair where it had been ruffled; though the woman's gesture had been quick and almost indifferent, stirring her hair without even leaving a trace of warmth, she couldn't shake off a sense of irritation. For a cultivator, the first step on the path is drawing qi into one's body. Xiang Shiyan had taken five days, Gong Ning seven, whereas Zhu Yun... When she returned from Xiang Shiyan that evening, she couldn't hide her joy. Somehow, however, she was pierced by a fleeting look of envy in her sister's eyes. Half boasting, half consoling, she vaguely described to Zhu Yun the entry method that Xiang Shiyan had taught her that day. Late at night, while Zhu Yun was nestled tightly in her arms, she suddenly woke up from a hazy sleep only to have her sister cough up blood on her chest. Ah, the Heavenly Spiritual Root. Merely hearing a few words and unconsciously circulating her qi through her meridians, Zhu Yun had somehow succeeded. As Zhu Yu screamed for the maidens, she watched Zhu Yun struggling in pain on the bed. Her gaze filled with a mixture of compassion and envy until she caught Zhu Yun's tear-filled eyes, both sisters overwhelmed by the emotions in each other's gaze. Zhu Yu came to her senses, feeling a raging beast within her. She hated to admit that in that moment, as she saw her poor, tearful sister, the surge in her heart was not the jealousy she had expected, but instead... love. A possessive love for this precious jewel had stirred something within her. It made her want to retch. Clenching and then relaxing her fists, Zhu Yu turned her back on the distant-looking flying boat carrying Xiang Shiyan, walking back into the Zhu residence with a dark expression. Attention, recognition... she craved these things she rarely received, not realizing how far she had lowered herself, to the point where she even harbored such expectations from a stranger she had known for just ten days. After a few steps, she suddenly gripped her sleeve tightly, feeling foolish for having been so gleeful to report her cultivation progress to Xiang Shiyan. She felt humiliated. A sheen of tears suddenly blurred Zhu Yu's vision as she stiffened her face to wipe away the salty, cool tears trickling into her mouth. She wanted to collapse and cry her heart out, but with servants watching her, she had to remain Zhu Yun. The young miss straightened her back, walking forward with her gaze fixed ahead. It took Zhu Yu the full ten days to pass the entry stage. She thought, Indeed, an extra is just an extra. --- Author's Note: Cough, cough, don't misunderstand, "love" here refers to sisterly affection and possessiveness. We are well-trained authors, groomed by Green River, who definitely do not write about inappropriate family relations. My Sundays and Mondays as if: Various deadlines: Awaken, Hunting Time Sorry, fam, I really am writing until I'm frothing at the mouth QAQ Also, I still haven't drawn the Little Phoenix (Hah, a woman out of my reach) No card flaunting in the comments! Otherwise... 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