Hua Qiyue had heard of the Insanity Technique from this body’s previous memories. Qi Artists were rare, and Soul Takers even more so. It was said that there were only three Soul Takers on Tianyuan Continent.
One Soul Taker could kill tens of thousands of soldiers in an instant! Just one move of a finger could cause thousands of soldiers to run away in fear!
As a result, countless people who attempted to take the Insanity Technique book from them were killed. As time passed, no one dared to challenge them. Eventually, the three Soul Takers moved deep within the mountains. Their families were prosperous, and they had countless treasures, but no one dared to lay a finger on them.
But how could this mysterious man in front of her possibly know the Insanity Technique? And if he was really that strong, why would he impart the knowledge to her?
What was his purpose? Who was he? What was the truth behind the green jade gourd?
Obviously, the "master" in front of her was in no mood to explain. He waved his hand, "Go back now. Come here every night. I will teach you Qi Art."
A strong gust of wind blew her over. Hua Qiyue felt the scenery around her changing into the carriage, and then she saw the worried eyes of Lvxin and Youshui.
"Miss? Miss! Wake up!” Lvxin cried anxiously as she shook her body.
Hua Qiiyue blinked, sat up slowly, and looked around. The wasteland was gone; she was back in the carriage.
"I... what happened?"
"How would I know? Miss, you opened your eyes suddenly and didn't move at all. We were so scared. Did you have a brain injury? Should we call a doctor?" Lvxin touched Hua Qiyue's forehead. The temperature was normal. She looked Hua Qiyue up and down and didn’t see anything out of place.
"I... I’m fine." Hua Qiyue replied with a low voice. It seemed that what happened just now was true. This was bad — that demon was clearly not a good person to receive help from.
He wanted to teach her Qi Art and the Insanity Technique. Why? Maybe...he just wanted to get out of the jade gourd? In Hua Qiyue's previous life, she was only a businesswoman, and had never had any contact with a Qi Artist. Faced with this kind of situation… she was at a complete loss. Had it not been for the memory of the former owner, she would have fainted.
She needed to focus —the most important thing right now was to bring her son out from the hellish Zhou’s Mansion.
Seeing Hua Qiyue's serious expression, Lvxin and Youshui did not dare to disturb her. They looked at each other and wondered if they should call a doctor.
Two days later, they arrived at the capital's gate. At Hua Qiyue’s request, they went directly to the temple to visit Master Xuanji.
Thanks to Master Xuanji, Rongfu Temple had become as famous as the renowned Hanyue Temple in only a month. The small temple was always bustling with noise and excitement, with countless pilgrims coming in and out.
The temple was located at the foot of Baili Mountain outside the capital city. There were roads paved with bluestones, blue water rippled in the lotus pond, and the path was landscaped with willows. It was a small temple, but crowded with people. Although Hua Qiyue had a bad reputation, she came from a good family, and a young monk brought her through the back door to visit Master Xuanji.
A visit to the master cost ten taels of silver, which was too expensive for an ordinary family. Therefore, most of the pilgrims crowded at the back door, hoping to catch a glimpse of Xuanji.
Hua Qiyue and Youshui walked into the rear hall together. A monk in a green robe was standing in front of the water pavilion, the breeze gently blowing at the corners of his robe.
"Master Xuanji, this is the young miss of the Hua Family."
Hua Qiyue handed the 10 taels of silver over to the young monk. Once he’d left, she took a closer look at Xuanji. He had thick eyebrows and big eyes. Although he had shaved his hair off, he was extremely handsome.
She was surprised to see how young he was. She’d been picturing a monk over fifty years old who had the mind to cheat pilgrims.
"Youshui, you can leave for now. I have something to say to the Master," Hua Qiyue said with a smile. Youshui immediately shook her head; she couldn’t leave Hua Qiyue alone with that monk. If word got out, the young lady's reputation would be mud.
Instead, Youshui walked out of earshot but remained close enough to watch. Hua Qiyue talked to Master Xuanji for a short while, then they walked towards the back door with smiles on their faces.
Youshui was amazed! She couldn’t hear what they said, and now Xuanji himself saw her off? It was incredible! People could pay Master Xuanji to have him tell their fortune, but he had never treated a female pilgrim like that.
Master Xuanji and Hua Qiyue walked to the back door and caused a commotion among the pilgrims. They screamed, all wanting to be closer to the master, but were stopped by a dozen strong monks.
"Watch your step, Miss. Take care. Remember to adopt a boy born in February as your foster son. He can help you avoid disaster and marry a good husband!" Xuanji's voice was not loud, but many pilgrims heard what he had said.
"Thank you, Master Xuanji. I will remember that."
Hua Qiyue made a bow and left with Youshui, who wore a puzzled look. The pilgrims were talking about her, and their words weren’t negative. They seldom saw her but felt that this lady seemed beautiful and peaceful. She did not look like the useless coward they had always been told she was.
The pilgrims whispered to each other as Hua Qiyue and the servants headed towards the capital city.
Not far away, Second Miss Hua Mengshi sat in her horse carriage and dropped the curtain.
Within hours of Hua Qiyue returning home, the news that she wanted to adopt a foster son spread all over the capital. All of the commoners were talking about it. If a child could be adopted by the Hua family, he would surely have a great future.What happened in the Hanyue Temple was widely spread by storytellers, with embellishments from some of the pilgrims who’d witnessed the scene. It seemed Hua Qiyue’s bad reputation was quickly being forgotten.Hua Qiyue told Youshui to have a master write a notice about the adoption.Once Hua Mengshi returned, she informed the Old Madam that Hua Qiyue had her hairpin stolen in the Hanyue Temple and been framed for flirting with a monk. She also punished Lanzhu with fifty lashes.The Old Madam flew into a rage. A servant framing a noble lady? It was unheard of!For having the courage to confess her servant’s mistake, the Old Madam forgave Hua Mengshi, only fining her two months'
The Madam Dowager was surprised. In the past, when Hua Qiyue came to see her, the girl stuttered and shivered, as if she had seen a tigress who was going to eat her.But today, she looked elegant and beautiful. Seeing her gaunt face, the Madam Dowager thought of how she had neglected her in the past and felt sorry for her."Yue'er, sit down. I know you were wronged. Don’t be scared."The Madam Dowager Hua was a kind-hearted woman, and she felt guilty for how she'd treated Hua Qiyue over the years. The girl had always been scared of her, and she'd just never known how to respond."Grandmother, I’m sorry to make you worry about me. I was unfilial. On my way home, I bought fresh sea cucumbers for you. They were difficult to get, and only the Master Xuanji in the Rongfu Temple had managed to get some. The sea cucumbers can nourish the blood and the face. You have done so much for this family. We should thank you."Hua Meng
The Madam Dowager had always paid little attention to Hua Qiyue, but it didn't mean that others could bully her mercilessly. She hadn't expected that her negligence would cause her granddaughter such a miserable life. No one had told her!Nanny Wang, who worked for the Second Concubine, knelt down immediately when she heard this, saying, "Please forgive me… I was greedy. I saw the eldest miss being bullied by others, so I secretly took away her money… I kept it a secret from the Second Concubine. I didn't expect my crimes to be revealed today. I deserve to die…"The Second Concubine gave her a fierce slap on the face, "Damn servant! How could you treat her like this?"Hua Qiyue looked at all of this coldly. She knew the nanny only took her money because the Second Concubine told her to. The nanny was quite loyal — if Hua Qiyue wanted to get rid of the Second Concubine, she had to get rid of this nanny first, or make her work for her.
Zhou Zhicheng raised his head and saw the woman. He put down the account book with a smile."Princess... It’s you!"Princess Huizhen entered the room, followed by her maid, Cuilian.Princess Huizhen fell in love with Zhou Zhicheng, but the emperor disapproved of their marriage. For one thing, he had an official wife, and for the other, the Zhou family was not rich.Zhou Zhicheng was so handsome that Princess Huizhen fell in love with him at first sight. But the emperor looked down on him, and he did not consent to the marriage. Even though Zhou Zhicheng's wife, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by thieves, the emperor did not change his mind."Zhicheng, I have good news for you!" Huizhen said with a smile. Zhou Zhicheng helped her to sit down. The two of them had been together for a long time and they simply ignored the moral rules between men and women.Cuilian lowered her eyes, not daring to look at them.
"Pa!" Hua Qiyue slapped a stack of letters on the desk and startled Youshui and the servants next to her.She’d received a letter telling her everything about Tianci. His mother, Rong Qiyue, had been killed by some thieves in her room, and Tianci had been poisoned, rendered mute, and abused by a maid.She never thought that just a few days after her death, the ferocious Princess Huizhen would cruelly mutilate Tianci! Hua Qiyue's eyes were ablaze. Lvxin remained silent, not daring to say a word."Wang... thank you. " Hua Qiyue's voice was a little husky. She had been entering the green jade gourd to cultivate the Qi Art these past few nights. She practiced so hard that even Tianpi, the handsome man, was surprised.She had to be strong to protect her son and avenge her parents."Miss..." Lvxin called her softly. Hua Qiyue came back to her senses and the anger in her eyes was replaced by calmness."The thieve
“It should be. I hadn't been to her courtyard for a long time. But the seeds were planted the day before yesterday, how could it grow so quickly? " Butler Wang asked.Hua Mengshi had made some achievements in Qi Arts, and she was now at the second level, the Soaring Cloud. She should know more than the Second Concubine.But Hua Mengshi also shook her head, "I don't know what the herb is. Let him do as she said… we need more information before we act. "The Second Concubine agreed with her daughter and told the butler to sell the herb.The more Butler Wang thought about it, the more confused he got. Why did the Miss want him to sell the herb for her? Of course, it was not proper for a young lady to go out and do such things.When it was done, Butler Wang handed over a bank note for fifteen thousand taels of silver to Hua Qiyue. The two servants were shocked! Hua Qiyue only glanced at Butler Wang indifferently and did no
Hua Qiyue's voice turned a little nasally, as though she was about to burst into tears. Lvxin and the others assumed that she was just too overwhelmed with pity for the child due to her kind nature."Quick, call her ‘Mother,’" Youshui said gently as she patted Tianci's shoulder. However, the child was so terrified, he reacted like a surprised rabbit. He shot a terrified glance at Hua Qiyue, and then hid behind Youshui.Hua Qiyue's heart sank.Youshui heaved a soft sigh and said, "After all the suffering this child has been through, he has naturally developed a fear of strangers. You must be patient."Hua Qiyue nodded and slowly approached the child. Each step she took felt extremely heavy, as though she bore the weight of the heavens on her shoulders and in her heart.She approached him and took Tianci's hand in hers. Frightened, the child struggled with all his might but she refused to let go of his hand.
Soon, Lvxin arranged for someone to send lunch over and there were fruits, fish, congee as well as a wide variety of food.Tianci's eyes lit up when he saw the impressive spread laid out in front of him. He had been fed dog food or worse over the past four days.He looked up at Hua Qiyue, as though waiting for permission.Hua Qiyue stroked his head tenderly and said, "Go ahead, son. But you mustn't be too anxious… if you eat too quickly, you’ll make yourself sick, understand?"Tianci was delighted. He had not known Hua Qiyue for a long time but the tenderness in her eyes made him feel safe. Then, he started to gulp the food down.Hua Qiyue's heart ached when she looked at him, and Lvxin and Youshui couldn't help but wipe at their eyes.The most important thing right now was for Tianci's throat to be healed, and Tianpi of the Mysterious World was undoubtedly the best person to do that.Hua Qiyu