Each person in this courtyard harbored their own thoughts. Xuan Qiong, facing the storm directly, felt wind and thunder roaring around her, lightning flashing continuously, while Guihai Sheng’s words thundered in her mind. In the chaos of her thoughts, she suddenly grasped something and jerked her head up, her voice changing pitch: “You gave her money?!”
Guihai Sheng choked, momentarily unnatural, then remembering her detestability, immediately became righteous again: “She’s my wife – what’s wrong with giving her money? Besides, that was a long time ago.”
“You gave her money!” Xuan Qiong had maintained her composure until now, but this seemingly trivial point struck her lung like a needle, nearly driving her mad. “You actually gave her money! I’ve been by your side for nearly twenty years, and apart from household expenses, you’ve never given me a single copper coin!”
“Isn’t supporting you enough? Why nitpick about money!”
“Supporting me? When have you ever supported me? Isn’t everything in this house obtained through my efforts running around for you? I’m just your maid, housekeeper, manager! Other managers at least get monthly wages, interest, and dividends – what about me? When I ask you for a hairpin, you won’t even buy it for me!”
“So you’ve been scheming for my money? So you’ve been holding back for the big score, waiting until there’s enough money to take it all and marry your lover, spending my money with him for the rest of your life?”
“If I had such intentions, you’d have been drinking the northwest wind with your whole family long ago! You ungrateful, stingy, white-eyed wolf!”
Guihai Sheng suddenly slapped her with thunderous force. A flash of lightning passed, and Xuan Qiong’s body went rigid as she crashed into the wall.
From outside came the sharp cry of seabirds. Hearing this, Guihai Sheng said hatefully, “I’ll spare you today. Quickly gather up your dowry and return it to my place. When I come back, if I still don’t see it, watch me skin you alive.” With that, he stormed out.
Once he left, the crackling electric field-like air around them returned to quiet, and Xuan Qiong’s hair, which had been standing up, slowly fell back down, clinging tightly to her back.
Guihai Sheng possessed thunder and lightning abilities, supplemented by martial arts to achieve supreme power. But because he pursued power too intensely, over time there was some backlash. In his old age, he gradually lost control of that lightning power – once his temper flared, his whole body would leak electricity, looking terrifying.
Arguing with him was like being in a micro-electric field – high pressure and easy loss of control. Xuan Qiong trembled on the ground, her fairy-like snow-white clothes soaked halfway down her back.
Her servant girl, who had been hiding earlier and didn’t dare come out, now rushed out to help her, crying as she did: “Miss, you scared me to death…”
Xuan Qiong, with anger still lodged in her chest, pushed her away so hard she tumbled over, shrieking: “Get away!”
The servant girl was frightened into kneeling at a distance, crying tremulously: “Miss, don’t be like this, don’t be like this. Someone is framing you – don’t anger yourself over it…”
Xuan Qiong, supporting her aching head, slowly turned to look at her: “You know who’s framing me? What did you hear?”
“Miss… earlier when I went to get your breakfast, I heard the servants from Ganting Pavilion saying that Master has taken a fancy to someone outside – a wealthy young lady. Master wants to marry her as his second wife after Madam passes away. But since she comes from a good family, he needs to provide substantial betrothal gifts. Master is reluctant to touch his own treasure vault and heard that Madam has money…”
Xuan Qiong drew in a breath and instinctively said, “No, that can’t be. He’s not particularly keen on feminine charms…”
The servant girl said, “I don’t understand such matters. I only heard that the wealthy young lady looks somewhat like Madam when she was young, but is even more beautiful than Madam, and comes from a prosperous family. Marrying her wouldn’t be a loss either.”
Xuan Qiong fell silent.
After a long while, she struggled to get up. The servant girl came to help again, and this time Xuan Qiong didn’t refuse, saying with some difficulty: “No, I must go see his secret chamber.” Then she added: “Clean me up properly – don’t let anyone see anything suspicious.”
The servant girl busily used powder to cover the bruises from the beating, while saying resentfully: “Why must you do this? If you go look and the secret chamber wasn’t robbed at all, wouldn’t you be even more heartbroken?”
Xuan Qiong bit her teeth slightly and said slowly: “Heartbroken…”
The servant girl looked at her in bewilderment.
Xuan Qiong’s chest was now filled with furious coldness, unable to suppress her full resentment any longer: “Which day and hour am I not heartbroken? I studied martial arts with him as fellow disciples, developed deep feelings for him, cooked and washed clothes for him daily. But just because I wasn’t beautiful enough, he could turn around and go betroth Chi Fengli!”
“Chi Fengli is like fire, and she burns people like fire too. The first time she saw me, she smiled and said to him, ‘All your fellow disciples are good-looking – why only Xuan Qiong isn’t?'”
“She looked down on me, and hearing those words, he just laughed and said, ‘Who in the world matches my lady’s beauty?'”
“He loves money like life, stingy to an alarming degree, yet likes to show off. When he gets silver, he hides most of it and uses a little for appearances. He gives me the account books, saying he trusts me, but still checks the accounts every day.”
“If even the slightest amount in those accounts isn’t clear, he must investigate thoroughly. Even when the women buy undergarments, it must go through his hands.”
“I can’t get sick or injured – if I’m sick or injured, there’s no one to manage accounts and earn money for him, and it also costs money. The first day he might still show concern at my bedside, but later I’d have to watch his expression.”
“I wanted a pearl hairpin, and he advised me that wooden hairpins had more charm. Only after I had money to buy those things myself did he say pearl flowers looked good.”
“When Chi Fengli gave birth, he was reluctant to hire servant girls and wet nurses, so he had me deliver the baby and tend to her. In the hot summer, both the child and I were covered in heat rash. He found the child’s crying annoying and nearly struck her with lightning.”
On the wall, Pingzong’s expression was shocked.
Xuan Qiong got up, and the servant girl helped her go out. The two walked along the gallery. Xuan Qiong, injured and dejected, wasn’t as sharp in hearing and sight as usual, not noticing that Feiyu and Pingzong were following not far behind.
The servant girl said softly: “Miss, since you understand that Master Guihai is not a good match, why haven’t you been willing to let go all these years?”
Xuan Qiong let out a long breath and said in confusion: “Yes, why? Sometimes I don’t understand myself… Probably it’s unwillingness to give up. The more you invest, the more reluctant you are to abandon it, because once you give up, I’d have nothing left… There’s another reason – because of Chi Fengli.”
“Chi Fengli never suffered any of these hardships – I suffered them all. This is what hurts me most. He’s very respectful and dependent on Chi Fengli because she comes from a slightly higher background than his. He constantly only thinks about having her companionship and care, even considering their daughter superfluous.”
She laughed coldly: “Do you believe it? Because the child needed care and Chi Fengli inevitably became distracted, he could hardly bear it. The first time he properly sought pleasure from me was when Chi Fengli was personally nursing.”
“Later when we were… playing in bed, we nearly crushed that little thing to death. It would have been better if we had crushed her – it would save having to watch their happy family of three while leaving me alone and lonely. Later when Chi Fengli quarreled with him, I suggested leaving the child with the islanders to raise, so Fengli could put all her attention back on him and save money too. You see, as soon as money was mentioned, he immediately agreed.”
At the gallery corner, Pingzong stopped, anger flashing in her eyes. She opened her mouth to speak but was covered by Feiyu’s hand.
Her eyes widened, but they were already red.
The servant girl quietly glanced back and said carefully: “Miss, actually you’ve treated the young lady quite well later on…”
“Of course.” Xuan Qiong smiled. “Chi Fengli took away everything I wanted, so I want to take away everything she possesses. Her husband, wealth, child, everything she cares about and likes – even a piece of tie-dyed fabric, if I don’t let her keep it, she can’t expect to possess it again.”
The servant girl shivered violently.
In the distance, Chi Fengli sat in her wheelchair, listening quietly.
As Xuan Qiong spoke, she actually became pleased, laughing softly: “But what does it matter how much Senior Brother depends on Chi Fengli? He’s ultimately a selfish person, and with my constant guidance, that affection eventually cooled. Chi Fengli conceived again later – he wasn’t pleased but wouldn’t say so. How considerate I was – I brought Chi Fengli a bowl of tonic soup, and that child was gone. Not only gone, but Chi Fengli could never bear children again. I helped him solve a big problem. He doesn’t say it aloud, but he’s quite delighted in his heart.” She giggled as she spoke.
The servant girl lowered her head, not daring to speak or look at her face.
“Actually, I’ve already won these years. Senior Brother listens to everything I say, constantly finding fault with Chi Fengli. Chi Fengli suppresses that fire day by day, gradually crippling herself. As for her daughter, thrown to the islanders to raise, brought up ignorant of proper conduct, not close to her mother, and having learned conflicting martial arts that will surely cripple her eventually. Such a little waste – what kind of noble family could she possibly marry into? Wouldn’t marrying that sailor be fine? At least she has a pretty face…”
Her chattering voice faded into the distance.
Chi Fengli, who had been expressionless, suddenly raised her head.
Pingzong leaned against the pillar, unable to take another step forward.
Chi Fengli suddenly rose up, flying over the gallery, reached out and pulled her daughter out.
Seeing her legs, Pingzong’s knees went weak. She threw her arms around her mother’s legs, tears streaming down her face: “Mother—”
Her voice was full of regret and pain.
The young woman had always prided herself on her status and family background, proud that everyone loved her, never imagining she had never been a welcome existence. Today, watching her beloved family members remove their hypocritical masks showed her that behind what she thought was love and happiness lay cruel rejection and trampling from birth.
Those family elders who had maintained noble dignity before her, once unmasked, revealed poisonous filth and utter unworthiness.
Her pride crumbled instantly. She cried until tears flowed down her chin, soaking her collar.
But Chi Fengli grabbed her wrist pulse. After a moment, her face turned ashen and she slapped Pingzong across the face.
Pingzong’s crying immediately stopped.
Chi Fengli said sternly: “You learned her martial arts?”
Pingzong covered her face and nodded after a long pause.
“Didn’t I tell you that you lack natural talent? Among our three martial arts styles, you can at most inherit from only one person!”
“But, but Aunt Xuan said I had outstanding natural talent, sufficient to control ice and fire, to become the first person in history to fuse ice and fire…”
Tie Ci quietly appeared before the mother and daughter, sighing.
Fatal flattery.
She had noticed when fighting Pingzong earlier – ice in one hand and fire in the other looked incredibly cool, but anyone with half a brain would know it would inevitably cause internal energy conflicts. Even fantasy dramas with dual cultivation of magic and martial arts weren’t this exaggerated.
Chi Fengli stared fixedly at Pingzong, then after a while turned to look toward Xuan Qiong’s direction.
Tie Ci clearly saw a flash of fiery red in her eyes.
This legitimate wife had suppressed and restrained herself through long torment, training herself to appear untroubled by everything. However, her child was ultimately her bottom line. Whoever touched this line was like iron tongs thrust into a furnace, stirring up sparks everywhere.
From over there came the sound of massive shattering.
Everyone turned their heads.
…
Reaching Guihai Sheng’s courtyard, finding no one there, Xuan Qiong entered familiarly and opened the secret chamber.
Then she let out a piercing scream.
The secret chamber was brilliantly lit with treasure light, filled with pearls and jade. Facing the entrance were over ten tall coral trees, vivid as blood, stabbing into her eyes.
The servant girl stood stunned at the door, finally saying softly after a long time: “Not robbed… Master wasn’t robbed…”
Xuan Qiong stood there, her shadow cast on the cold white ground, motionless like a thick patch of mud. Suddenly that mud began to tremble, as if about to shatter into a thousand pieces.
The servant girl accidentally saw her profile and staggered backward in fright.
As she retreated, Xuan Qiong suddenly charged forward. This master who dominated the martial world now acted like a marketplace ruffian, grabbing a bronze vessel from the treasure shelf and swinging it at the coral treasure tree.
With a tremendous crash, coral shattered across the floor again.
This time no one would come to restore it.
Xuan Qiong vented by smashing things, then stood panting in the middle of the room – not from exhaustion, but from anger.
After a while, she returned to the outer room, brought back a bundle cloth, and swept all the jewels and jade from the treasure cabinet into the bundle.
Opening drawers, she found few banknotes left, but took those too.
Finally making one large bundle, she hoisted it onto her shoulder.
Her white clothes like snow, slender and elegant, carrying a large bundle – completely different from her usual image, leaving the servant girl gaping.
Xuan Qiong said calmly: “I’ve figured it out. This man has no heart. These things were all earned through my hard work for him, so naturally they can’t be used by him to betroth others. I’ll take them now.”
The servant girl stupidly said “oh.”
As Xuan Qiong walked past her, she even smiled at her. The servant girl was thinking that having served her for so many years, would she take her along, and should she go… Before she could finish thinking, she suddenly felt ice-cold from head to toe.
Then she lost consciousness.
Xuan Qiong walked past her silently, casually flicking her sleeve.
The servant girl fell rigidly to the ground, shattering into pieces like broken ice.
Xuan Qiong didn’t look back, nimbly leaping onto the rooftop.