If Wei Jingfeng hadn’t spoken, Wei Jie would have remained silent as well.

But seeing his uncle speak harshly to his mother, his handsome face immediately turned cold and stern, speaking word by word: “Has Family Head Wei forgotten? I’ve already changed my surname to Wei, the ‘Wei’ that follows the ghosts! My mother Wei Jie doesn’t need to watch anyone’s face when she speaks!”

Seeing this thorny child Wei Jie being disrespectful again, Wei Jingfeng couldn’t help but glare with widened eyes.

The Wei family’s old ancestor also knew that this uncle and nephew had never gotten along for a long time, so she glanced at her son: “You step back!”

Being glared at by the old lady, Wei Jingfeng immediately retreated respectfully.

The old ancestor didn’t refute Siling’s accusations against her, but instead, leaning on her golden walking stick that was taller than herself, slowly moved her short legs to the banks of the Front River, opening her mouth to ask: “It’s truly rare that today’s family banquet could gather everyone together. However, A Jie, do you know why I set this family banquet by the Front River?”

Wei Jie still held respect for the grandmother who had raised him, so he answered honestly: “Grandmother, you’ve told the children in the family since childhood about the Wei family’s stories of subduing demons and eliminating evil. This Front River is the key location where the Wei family ancestors followed the imperial Xia family in their southern conquests and northern campaigns, turning defeat into victory.”

The old grandmother nodded, indicating he spoke correctly.

Just three hundred years ago, the Xia family competed with various heroes for supremacy, and the Wei family was the Xia family’s retainers.

However, at that time, the Xia family was merely a small marquis, inferior to other contenders in both military strength and financial resources.

But in the end, it was at the Battle of Front River, when the Xia family seemed about to suffer a crushing defeat, that they made a pact with a certain heavenly sovereign.

From then on, as if aided by heaven, they conquered south and north in successive campaigns, with their retainer families all achieving distinguished military merits, being enfeoffed as kings and appointed as ministers.

Finally, the Xia family’s Marquis of Linwei, Xia Jiuliang, ascended to the imperial throne, beginning the Xia family’s three hundred years of prosperity.

These stories were already familiar to everyone in the Wei family, but Wei Jie knew his grandmother hadn’t come to this place to reminisce about past hardships and think of present sweetness.

The old ancestor said, “Back then, that heavenly sovereign asked the Xia Marquis whether he would be willing to exchange the Xia family’s two hundred years of prosperous fortune for three hundred years of imperial dreams and prosperity. The reason for this question was that the Heavenly Emperor had accidentally lost his divine essence in the mortal world and needed to use the wealth of a prosperous family to repair his divine essence for himself, so he could avoid the suffering of falling to the mortal world for re-cultivation.”

Wei Jie suddenly narrowed his eyes, as if remembering something, and said: “Grandmother told me that the Front River is said to be where Goddess Nüwa bathed and changed clothes after creating humans. Her brother Fuxi, unwilling for the heavenly deities passing by to glimpse his sister bathing, took a pair of blessing ritual implements, hanging one diagonally on the mountaintop to perfectly block this section of the Front River, while the other sank to the river bottom. Whenever water flowed past, it would strike that ritual implement, producing thunderous roars. This way, even if passing deities were present, they couldn’t see Goddess Nüwa’s fragrant body and jade flesh, much less hear her sounds of playing in the water… I wonder what intention that heavenly sovereign had in specifically choosing this place?”

After hearing this mythological story told by the grandparent and grandchild, and hearing Wei Jie’s question, Xiaoxiao finally heard the underlying meaning: if this story was true, then this section of the Front River was an excellent place for conducting discussions that could conceal from heaven above and prevent ghosts and spirits from knowing.

That mysterious heavenly sovereign had deliberately chosen this riverside location to make a pact with the Xia family!

She couldn’t help but ask: “Being able to rescue a celestial god and repair divine essence is a tremendous blessed fortune and merit. As long as both parties are willing, it creates an unbreakable bond with the deity, bringing blessings for hundreds of generations afterward. Why the need for such concealment and secrecy, specifically choosing this place that shields from heavenly sight and hearing?”

The Wei family grandmother smiled and looked approvingly at Wei Jie and Xiaoxiao: “You’ve both heard the key to the problem.”

She stood by the river leaning on her walking stick, gazing intently at the river surface mostly covered by the round mountaintop across the way, saying in a heavy voice: “Because that heavenly sovereign had the same thoughts as I do now—he didn’t want the various immortals, ghosts, and spirits to know what I’m about to say next!”

Thanks to this natural barrier, this story passed down through generations could be transmitted from one Wei family head to the next.

Only in this place, unmonitored by ghosts and spirits, accompanied by the concealment of the rushing river water, could the Wei family grandmother dare to speak this shocking secret.

“At that time, the Xia family had been losing battles continuously, fighting until they were utterly routed. Xia Marquis Xia Jiuliang’s two young sons, along with his wife and beloved concubines, had all been captured by enemies. The Xia Marquis’s heart was extremely dejected. It was at this moment that the heavenly sovereign suddenly appeared in the river, transformed into a golden-light water buffalo, directly stating that the Xia family had five hundred years of peace and stability, but they were living mediocrely, spending their lives in ordinariness. He had a method to correct the Xia family’s destiny, transforming them from a mediocre common family to an imperial fate… but it required folding away two hundred years from the Xia family’s five hundred years of destiny to supplement the celestial god. Trading two hundred years of mediocrity for three hundred years of supreme imperial status—how could the Xia Marquis of that time not be moved? So he made this decision that would cause both himself and his descendants to deeply regret.”

Siling asked in confusion: “Why would they regret it? The celestial god truly did accomplish it! Back then, the Xia family rose like a dark horse and became the final victor in the competition among heroes!”

Xiaoxiao, nearby, was also drawn in by the Wei family grandmother’s story, listening intently for a moment. Just then, she suddenly interjected in a low voice: “But… what if the Xia family originally had a heaven-ordained imperial destiny lasting five hundred years?”

Upon hearing this, Siling couldn’t help but gasp!

She felt that this girl Xiaoxiao was too daring in her thoughts!

If what Xiaoxiao said was true, wouldn’t that exalted celestial sovereign have evil intentions, deceiving the mortal emperor’s destiny to fill his damaged divine essence? Such absurd actions, if known by the heavenly deities, would result in divine punishment and destruction of divine essence, even for one as noble as the Heavenly Emperor who ruled the celestial court!

The Wei family grandmother, hearing Xiaoxiao’s bold words, didn’t refute them, but only sighed deeply toward the river water: “Miss Cui, you truly are a perceptive and enlightened person. If the Xia Marquis back then could have been like you, not easily blinded in his reasoning by the tremendous wealth and status someone promised, perhaps many things in this world would have gone much more smoothly…”

Back then, that celestial god specifically chose this place to discuss with the Xia Marquis, unknown to ghosts and spirits.

Even if afterward the heavenly officials in charge of celestial destiny discovered this unauthorized alteration of a mortal emperor’s destiny, they would only consider the Xia Marquis a devout believer honoring the deity, willing to trade his family’s destiny for the Heavenly Emperor’s well-being.

This was just like devout men and women in the mortal world who worship deities to the point of losing their souls, willing to scatter all their family wealth to support temples, all matters of mutual consent.

Such voluntary “good deeds,” even the clear-seeing Heavenly Dao, wouldn’t interfere with.

And the Xia family, because of such “voluntary good deeds,” obtained countless divine artifacts and the great blessed fortune of longevity and safety for generations of descendants.

No one would have imagined that originally, someone had deceived the imperial Xia family, fraudulently obtaining nearly two hundred years of dragon-vein destiny.

Now, everyone present fell silent from shock, and Wei Jie’s brows gradually furrowed.

Grandmother continued slowly: “Such secrets, apart from the original celestial god and Xia Marquis, only had our Wei family’s old ancestor present. He was the Xia Marquis’s bodyguard—the Xia Marquis hid nothing from him. It was thus that he learned secrets he shouldn’t have known. Unfortunately, though the Heavenly Emperor acted cleverly, in the Xia Marquis’s later years, through a chance encounter, he learned the secret that the Xia family originally had five hundred years of imperial destiny. Only then did he realize that he had been deceived by the celestial god, making a tremendously losing deal. Unfortunately, what was done was done. When he made his alliance with the heavenly sovereign years before, he had promised not to tell this matter to outsiders, or else the Xia family’s remaining three hundred years of imperial destiny would also be withdrawn due to oath-breaking.”

Xiaoxiao nodded admiringly. So that heavenly sovereign was actually in the same line of work as her—they had both engaged in swindling and deception.

Only when celestial gods acted, they truly could swindle people until they couldn’t even keep their pants!

The Wei family grandmother continued: “But this secret also became our Wei family’s original sin. After the Xia Marquis pacified the realm, our Wei family’s old ancestor also accepted the position of guarding the Qilao Mountain underworld under the ‘persuasion’ of the celestial god. Receiving imperial sacred commands and divine appointments from the celestial god, the Wei family seemed to have boundless glory. Only the Wei family’s old ancestor knew—where was our Wei family any kind of guardian? That Qilao Mountain was the prison confining generations of Wei family descendants!”

Speaking to the end, the Wei family’s old grandmother’s voice carried desolate grief and indignation, her sharp voice seeming to overpower even the rushing river water.

How excellent were the Wei family’s descendants through the generations, yet just because their ancestor learned of the heavenly sovereign’s secret, and the heavenly sovereign had “benevolent virtue” and couldn’t bear to kill indiscriminately, he had the Wei family “imprisoned” beneath the perpetually dark Qilao Mountain, consorting with those underworld demons and monsters, to preserve the Heavenly Emperor’s unspeakable secret.

Other Wei family disciples might not understand the reasons within, but as the Wei family’s inheritor, from the moment the grandmother learned this secret passed down through single inheritance, looking back at every plant and tree on Qilao Mountain, all became sources of frustrated resentment and hatred!

The Wei family’s forbidden curse made it so that all disciples could not leave within a hundred li of Qilao Mountain, and even if they occasionally left, they had to quickly return to Qilao Mountain within a month or so.

The Wei family grandmother, in her youth, had a rebellious nature and had once left Qilao Mountain and wandered for a long time. Though she later discovered the blood curse and returned in time, she was left with the aftereffects of a shrunken stature, appearing like a dwarf.

The reason the traitor Wei Di and his daughter were able to escape Qilao Mountain and survive seemed to be because Lord Can constantly provided them with Xia family imperial blood to sustain their lives.

This was also one of the reasons the father and daughter remained utterly devoted to Lord Can.

However, in the Wei family’s current generation, a special case appeared who could come and go freely—that was Wei Jie, who possessed half-demon blood.

The female demon’s naturally longevity-extending bloodline seemed to neutralize and counteract the blood curse the Heavenly Emperor had placed on the Wei family.

When Wei Jie left home for many years yet returned safely to Qilao Mountain, it couldn’t help but secretly delight the Wei family grandmother, who saw in this young man a glimmer of hope for the Wei family to escape their fate.

Xiaoxiao quietly listened to this point, but the doubts in her heart grew larger and larger.

She couldn’t help but ask: “Since this is the Wei family’s greatest secret, Old Ancestor, why are you telling me and Madam Siling about it?”

The old grandmother slowly raised her head to look at her, took a deep breath, then said word by word: “Because the Wei family is about to face a great disaster, and everyone present cannot escape!”

Ever since her son brought back the traitor Wei Di’s head from Luoyi City, the old ancestor had guessed that those torn pages had probably fallen into Lord Can’s hands.

If they had fallen into someone else’s hands, it would be somewhat better, but if they truly reached the hands of Xia family descendants, this matter would become utterly uncontrollable!

Those pages from the Book of Life and Death could reveal a person’s fortune over five hundred years, past and future.

If Xia family descendants learned they had been cheated out of two hundred years of imperial fortune by a celestial god, what kind of unbearable scene would ensue?

When that time came and the celestial gods were furious, punishing layer by layer, the Wei family, who had failed in their duty to guard the underworld and lost the torn pages, could not escape responsibility. Once punishment was decreed, none of the Wei family’s old and young could escape.

As for Siling, she was originally an accomplice who had assisted Wei Di and caused the loss of the torn pages, so naturally, she too could not escape responsibility!

When Xiaoxiao finished hearing about the theft Wei Di had committed years ago, many things suddenly became clear.

So two hundred years ago, there had been such heaven-defying things as torn pages from the Book of Life and Death!

If this were the case, then Qinhe and Wan Lian Shi’s prediction about Wei Jie’s descent into demonic cultivation in the dense forest made perfect sense.

That Lord Can held the torn pages in his hands, understanding the future direction of people and events related to him.

However… Xiaoxiao couldn’t help but ask again: “Old Ancestor, these matters you speak of actually have nothing to do with me. How about I take my leave first, and you family members sit down and discuss slowly?”

The old grandmother looked at her with a slight smile: “These matters indeed have nothing to do with Sect Leader Cui… However, I see that you seem to have fallen deeper into demonic cultivation than the last time. I wonder if you’ve had any demonic outbreaks recently?”

Well, this… Xiaoxiao knew that with her level of cultivation, she couldn’t hide anything from this crafty old lady, so she frankly said: “When facing off against the Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi, I carelessly fell into a disadvantageous position and did have a slight outbreak.”

The Wei family’s old ancestor nodded: “The Wei family shoulders the heavy responsibility of subduing demons. By rights, we don’t tolerate any grain of sand in our eyes. But if Sect Leader Cui possesses righteous qi, where evil cannot overcome righteousness, and can assist our Wei family in recovering the torn pages, our Wei family will naturally treat Sect Leader Cui like a benefactor.”

This old lady didn’t speak empty words. Since this young girl had initially hinted that she was making use of people, she might as well speak openly.

Today, she had brought Siling, Wei Jie, and Xiaoxiao all together because she hoped they would all help the Wei family seize the torn pages back from Lord Can’s hands.

Xiaoxiao much admired the old lady’s calculations: “So what exactly is this Lord Can all about? Could it be that your Wei family can’t handle a single idle prince of the mundane world, and must use us?”

The old lady shook her head, gazing at the river water in contemplation, slowly saying: “He… is very strange! Even the Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi can be commanded by him at will. Due to the deep connections between the Wei and Xia families, the Wei family cannot directly break relations with Xia-surnamed imperial family members. Moreover, Wei family disciples cannot linger outside Qilao Mountain too long. To search for Wei Di, Jingfeng, and the others have already been away for a long time, and must immediately return to Qilao Mountain. For the remaining matters, this old woman can only shamelessly request Sect Leader Cui’s assistance in helping A Jie.”

If it weren’t necessary, the old ancestor wouldn’t want to shamelessly beg outsiders. From the lips of the guards who returned with Wei Jie, she had heard about Cui Xiaoxiao leading Wei Jie and the others in breaking through the illusory city.

This girl was no simple matter—brave and resourceful. And this child, Wei Jie, was also a variable in the Wei family, not controlled by the celestial god. Letting the two of them enter the game might break the current deadlock.

Unfortunately, both people were somewhat uncontrollable. So the Wei family old lady used both carrot and stick—first acting to save Siling, making Wei Jie owe a debt of gratitude on his mother’s behalf. Then, hosting a banquet to explain the serious stakes involved, putting several high hats on the Talismonger Sect’s demon-cultivating sect leader, without mentioning anything about nailing people with coffin nails.

After Xiaoxiao sorted through all this, she admiringly cupped her hands: “Old Ancestor, you truly have calculated a fine abacus!”

The old lady smiled bitterly: “In asking Sect Leader Cui for assistance, our Wei family cannot use people for nothing. Perhaps those torn pages can also help the sect leader learn how to escape the demon pearl’s methods. Even if not, after the matter is accomplished, this old body is willing to use these remnant bones to help the sect leader overcome the demon pearl, repaying with life, becoming a demon in your place! This old body means what she says!”

Xiaoxiao wouldn’t count on the old lady suffering for her, but if the torn pages truly contained methods for removing the demon pearl, it would be worth the risk. So hearing this, she seriously considered whether this deal was worthwhile.

Just then, Wei Jie, who had been silent all along, said: “This matter has nothing to do with Cui Xiaoxiao, and today I want to take my mother away. She cannot return to Qilao Mountain.”

The Wei family grandmother said, “Though you worry about your mother, you should also know that it’s still more secure for her to temporarily reside at Qilao Mountain first.”

Xiaoxiao inwardly rolled her eyes. It was over—a stone thrown into a cesspit was about to start splashing people!

Sure enough, the next moment Wei Jie said coldly: “Grandmother, are you using my mother to force me?”

The Wei family’s old grandmother looked up at her tall grandson, tears in her eyes as she said: “You rascal, is this how you see me? You should know that though I have so many grandchildren, only you have a temperament most like mine! Though many in the Wei family refuse to acknowledge you, in my heart, you have always been the Wei family’s eldest grandson! I know the Wei family has actually owed you much, and really shouldn’t ask you to do such dangerous things. If you’re unwilling, today you can take your mother and leave. But if you’re willing to help the Wei family get through this crisis, I must thank you, two masters and disciple, on behalf of all the Wei family’s old and young.”

Speaking to this point, the Wei family’s old lady suddenly threw away the walking stick in her hands, falling to her knees with a thud, bowing formally toward Cui Xiaoxiao and Wei Jie: “Here, this old body first gives thanks!”

A grandmother bowing to grandchildren—how much longevity could one have to bear this?

Even though Wei Jie was angry with his grandmother in his heart, he still had to help her up first.

But the old lady not only refused to rise, she even turned back to call for the Wei family head, Wei Jingfeng, to kneel together. Wei Jingfeng glared at his nephew but knelt without a sound.

These torn pages had been lost for too many years, and by this seventh month, they had reached the limit. If the torn pages didn’t return to their place, the truth would likely be exposed, and Qilao Mountain’s catastrophic disaster would arrive.

The old lady today had recklessly told the whole cause and effect, also with some intention of putting things to death before rebirth.

In the end, Wei Jie didn’t say whether he agreed or not, but after considering his grandmother’s words, he finally persuaded his mother, Siling, to temporarily return to Qilao Mountain and the Wei family to wait for him.

That Wan Lian Shi was simply his mother’s nemesis. With him around, his mother’s safety couldn’t be guaranteed.

After thinking it over, Wei Jie felt that Qilao Mountain was indeed currently the safest hiding place for his mother.

After leaving the Front River, Xiaoxiao remained silent throughout, quietly thinking about the series of events that had occurred since she traveled through time from two hundred years in the future.

As a latecomer, she naturally knew clearly that the Wei family’s final fate was death for the entire clan, with no women or children surviving.

It was just that predecessors all believed it was because Wei Jie’s demonic nature erupted greatly, recklessly opening the underworld, and being obstructed by the Wei family, thus causing the tragedy.

But hearing the Wei family matriarch’s words today gave her even bolder speculations about the Wei family’s destruction.

And all of this, tracing to its source, was actually because some celestial god lacked private virtue, engaging in great deception, cheating away nearly half of the dignified imperial Xia family’s fortune.

Xiaoxiao hadn’t expected that this colleague from the immortal realm had methods of deception countless times more brilliant and vicious than hers, and couldn’t help but sigh deeply.

Wei Jie misunderstood that she was unwilling to be coerced by the Wei family’s carrot-and-stick approach, and said to her while walking: “These matters have nothing to do with you. You don’t need to get involved. Didn’t you tell Yu Ling’er you were going to some Lingshan? Tomorrow, let the fox clan people and Tang Youshu escort you there.”

Xiaoxiao smiled bitterly. According to her original intentions, hadn’t she wanted to stay out of it, hiding in the deep mountains waiting for an opportunity to return?

But now, people and events that had never existed in the trajectory of two hundred years ago kept emerging one after another, and the subsequent direction of events was unknowable.

Yet these changes were closely related to her, this time-traveling troublemaker. Now, with the Wei family in mortal danger and Wei Jie deeply involved, asking her to ignore Wei Jie and just leave like this, Xiaoxiao felt that morally it was unjustifiable.

Since she fell into demonic cultivation, Wei Jie had willingly sacrificed his inner core to save her; how could she abandon him in a crisis?

Most crucially, there was the Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi!

Xiaoxiao had previously fallen for his tricks and nearly been controlled by him in their magical duel, losing face for the Talismonger Sect completely!

She didn’t believe that the Talismonger Sect, her master Tang Youshu had spent his life’s effort establishing, was merely an inferior imitation of the Ghost Sect!

This banner of the Talismonger Sect, whether in the past or future hundreds of years, she had to uphold.

So she smiled and said, “You brat, when do you need to arrange my itinerary? Even if your grandmother hadn’t asked me, I was planning to meet that steward from Lord Can’s manor again! The Talismonger Sect’s doctrine is to uphold justice and subdue demons—how could we possibly avoid demons when we encounter them?”

These words were what her eldest senior brother Ji Wuqi often said to her, and today she had the opportunity to say them once.

Her spirited manner infected Wei Jie. He looked at her bright, sparkling eyes and asked with a smile: “What? You’ve found a way to defeat Wan Lian Shi? If you rely on demonic cultivation to win again, it would be too harmful to your body! But I could transfer my inner core to you again, Master…”

Before he finished speaking, Xiaoxiao had already sent sharp glances his way!

Transfer what transfer! Next time she faced that Wan Lian Shi in combat, she would defeat that scoundrel fair and square!

This matter involved too much. After returning from the Front River, both people kept silent about the shocking secrets they had heard from the Wei family, but they began acting with great understanding of each other.

Wei Jie knew that to investigate the whereabouts of the torn pages, he had to enter the prince’s manor.

But the prince’s manor was protected by sacred objects, and idle people couldn’t approach, so he needed to think of some roundabout methods.

So he asked Xiaoxiao whether invisibility talismans could conceal qi and escape the detection of sacred objects, allowing him to infiltrate the prince’s manor.

Xiaoxiao thought about it and said that although the original invisibility talismans were also effective, their duration was too short, and they required the user to constantly concentrate, or else the talisman’s power would be greatly weakened.

This would be fine normally, but if the invisibility talisman failed while entering the prince’s manor, then the user would be turned into two plates of fragrant roasted meat by the sacred objects.

But the Ghost Sect’s Wan Lian Shi had given her much inspiration. She wanted to try improving the Talismonger Sect’s spirit talismans to make their effectiveness stronger.