Furthermore, Yun Ya seemed to have some connection with the royal family of Wei, and if she were to accompany her mother to the capital, she would inevitably be drawn closer to this man, which was not what she wanted.

In the evening, when Madam Xu returned, Feng Miao Jun explained the situation and then asked: “Would you like to go with him?”

“I would not.” Madam Xu shook her head without hesitation. “It might benefit me and the Feng business, but what about An’an? I cannot put you in danger for my selfish desires. Besides, someone like Prince Zi Yan is destined to soar high above—he’s certainly not a suitable match for someone like me.”

Feng Miao Jun felt a lump in her throat and after a long moment, she smiled: “Don’t worry, he won’t come looking for you again.”

It was truly excellent that her foster mother could see the advantages and disadvantages, saving her from having to explain further.

“Is An’an so confident?” Her foster daughter’s words were increasingly convincing to her. When had this mysterious change begun? It seemed to have started after Feng Miao Jun’s disappearance.

“Of course.” She knew that, regardless of time or place, there was one type of woman that men always despised:

The aggressive and overbearing kind.

That was precisely the role she had played today. She also employed a small technique in questioning Xiao Yan—instead of asking “Do you like my mother?” she had substituted the subject by asking “Do you want to be my stepfather?” thereby focusing his attention on herself.

His feelings for Madam Xu were already insincere. Now that he disliked her, he naturally came to dislike Madam Xu as well—this was the effect of transferred emotion.

If Feng Miao Jun had gone out of the estate that afternoon and retraced the old path she had taken on the day of the incident, she would have discovered a familiar figure standing on a section of abandoned embankment two li away along the river.

The river had changed its course some ten years ago, and this section of the embankment had been abandoned for a long time. It had collapsed in many places, with wild grass growing taller than a person.

Attendants were busy working. At Yun Ya’s feet, a steep slope had been cleared to reveal an array formation beneath.

The formation was a perfect circle with complex lines and esoteric characters, all carved three fen deep into the stone without the slightest disorder. Small recesses had been carved at the four cardinal positions of the array, all currently empty.

Xiao Yan, having left the Feng estate, strolled over and crouched down to observe: “To find such mystical workings in this remote countryside—no wonder you rushed here. The complexity of this formation is unlike any I’ve seen in my life. What is its purpose?”

Yun Ya gazed at it while answering: “This is a Mountain-Moving Array.”

“A Mountain-Moving Array?” Xiao Yan was greatly surprised. “The legendary array that allows one to take a single step and travel a thousand li away—this is it?”

“It’s not quite that exaggerated, but several hundred li is certainly possible.”

Xiao Yan clicked his tongue in amazement: “Wasn’t this lost long ago? How did it appear in Juping Village?”

“Its last appearance was forty years ago. Though the formation itself is difficult to draw, the real reason for its disappearance is the rarity of spirit stones.” Yun Ya also half-crouched down, extending his hand along the crevice to feel the recesses. “Spirit stones were embedded here. Each time the Mountain-Moving Array is activated, it consumes four purple spirit stones.”

“How expensive!” Xiao Yan hissed. “With the diminishing spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it’s already very difficult to find high-quality spirit stones. Those who can produce four purple spirit stones at once are exceedingly rare in this world.” These were priceless treasures that even he couldn’t obtain.

He glanced at Yun Ya: “You already know who this person is and what they’re trying to do?”

“Mo Ti Zhun.”

As soon as the name was spoken, Xiao Yan’s expression immediately turned solemn: “Mo Ti Zhun? Mo Ti Zhun of Jin Kingdom?”

The corner of Yun Ya’s mouth curved upward, the smile finally reaching his eyes, suddenly making his celestial-like face incredibly animated: “He wanted to beat me to it, but he miscalculated the timing. I’m afraid this time his efforts were in vain.” And he also lost four purple spirit stones.

Xiao Yan asked in astonishment: “Who was he trying to beat to it?” Given Mo Ti Zhun’s status, anyone he would try to outmaneuver would be no ordinary person.

Yun Ya’s smile grew even brighter: “Me.”

Xiao Yan was puzzled, but Yun Ya stood up and dusted the dirt from his hands: “You just came from the Feng estate?”

Xiao Yan shrugged, knowing that Yun Ya didn’t want to elaborate on the previous topic.

“You’ve taken a liking to that widow?”

Xiao Yan was slightly surprised: “You know even this?” Truly worthy of being… someone with remarkable skill in reading people’s minds.

“Were you planning to take her with you?” What value did the Feng family have that would warrant Xiao Yan’s noble visit? It must be the beautiful widowed mistress. This prince was naturally inclined toward romance, and his motives weren’t hard to guess.

“Forget it.” Xiao Yan shook his head, his interest fading. “My real duty is to escort you back to the capital. If I brought a woman back with me, I don’t know how my royal father would view me.”

Yun Ya didn’t say much more: “Alright, our business here is done, let’s be on our way.”

What had he come looking for, and did he find it? Xiao Yan wasn’t clear, but he had grown accustomed to the mysterious nature of Yun Ya’s actions. The person before him seemed approachable, but was quite willful, choosing not to acknowledge anyone he didn’t want to—be it Xiao Yan or…

Yun Ya turned around and took the lead in walking back.

The facts were quite clear now. Mo Ti Zhun had also discovered the Giant Turtle in Dragon Rise Pool and had the same plan as Yun Ya—to obtain the dragon pearl during its transformation. But this was within the Great Wei’s borders, and the area around Dragon Rise Pool had been tampered with by Yun Ya. Mo Ti Zhun himself was also entangled in various affairs and couldn’t travel back and forth frequently, so he had set up a Mountain-Moving Array in Juping Village, intending to teleport directly to Dragon Rise Pool on the day the Giant Turtle ascended.

This array had been laid down for some time, allowing the wild grass on the slope to grow back and completely conceal the formation. Given that few people visited this area, no one had discovered it.

As for why Mo Ti Zhun hadn’t arrived in time that day, allowing Yun Ya to leisurely slay the Giant Turtle, Yun Ya could only surmise that he had misjudged the Giant Turtle’s cultivation level and miscalculated its transformation time.

After all, Yun Ya had made the same mistake himself. This Giant Turtle’s physical characteristics made it appear younger than its actual age, leading to inaccurate predictions.

But this mistake was truly delightful. Mo Ti Zhun had used spirit stones to rush to Dragon Rise Pool, only to discover that someone had already claimed the dragon pearl ahead of him. His expression at that moment must have been quite a sight.

At this moment, the smile on Yun Ya’s face was genuine, though it soon faded.

So, was this the entire story behind the incident? Mo Ti Zhun had tried to steal a chicken but lost the bait, failing to interfere with Yun Ya’s acquisition of the dragon pearl and losing a Mountain-Moving Array in the process. Had everything developed according to Yun Ya’s expectations?

x

Was the dispute that occurred at the Feng estate in Juping Village on the same day as the Giant Turtle’s ascension merely a coincidence?

Why were both connected to Juping Village? Could he be overthinking this?

Yet he still vaguely felt that something wasn’t quite right.

The commotion caused by Xiao Yan’s men clearing the embankment slope was substantial. They hadn’t intended to keep it secret, so the nearby villagers soon learned of it. Word spread quickly, and after the nobles departed, wave after wave of visitors came to see.

When Feng Miao Jun heard about it, she felt a stir in her heart and brought Peng Bai along to join the spectacle. Sure enough, a dozen or so onlookers were standing on the embankment, and two more wouldn’t make a difference.

Everyone’s attention was drawn to the strange lines on the ground. After staring for a while, some complained of dizziness. Feng Miao Jun shared the feeling—it seemed that if one focused intently on the lines, they would begin to move like snakes, becoming bewilderingly complex within moments. Having witnessed the various wonders of this world, she glanced back at Peng Bai, saw his almost imperceptible nod, and then retreated from the crowd.

None of them noticed a figure flashing past the tall grass.