When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken.

Lang Jiuchuan’s thinking was simple — her dream was beautiful, but reality was cruel. If that day truly came, could the Lang Family really escape unscathed?

The future was not worth arguing over. Lang Zhengping said nothing further. Knowing she was heading out with Shen Qinghe and the others, he offered only a single word of caution — stay safe — and left it at that.

“These two Five-Thunder Talismans were drawn by me. They are extraordinarily powerful — capable of leveling an entire estate. Do not use them unless absolutely necessary. Keep them to ward the house and protect the family.” Lang Jiuchuan handed over two Five-Thunder Talismans she had drawn after advancing her cultivation on the mountain.

Lang Zhengping was so moved that his hands trembled as he accepted them, saying, “I will keep them safe and will not speak of them to others lightly.”

Lang Jiuchuan then tossed out a small bundle of protective talismans. “Body-protection talismans — I drew extras. Hand them out as you see fit. I’m leaving now.”

Lang Zhengping: “……”

She left the small study and found Cui Shi standing at the doorway. The two women’s eyes met, and for a moment, neither spoke.

Lang Jiuchuan could only give a slight nod before stepping past her.

“I’m sorry.”

Lang Jiuchuan paused mid-step. She turned her head slightly and saw the grief in Cui Shi’s eyes. “Take care of yourself, Madam,” she said.

Cui Shi watched her leave, her gaze heavy with bitterness.

Returning to her own study, Lang Jiuchuan was in no hurry. She first checked on the two small paper figures she had sent out, and when she saw what was happening on Tantai Cong’s end, her expression went cold. Her hand clenched into a fist.

A member of the Imperial Family, and a cultivator of the Dao, no less — yet he thought nothing of taking lives simply because things had not gone his way. Was it depravity he was cultivating?

Lang Jiuchuan’s eyes turned sharp and cold. Through the paper figure, she stared fixedly at Tantai Cong as he raged like a mad dog, utterly unlike the image he projected in public. So this is his true face.

To think he was not merely stupid — he was wicked, too.

Someone appeared before Tantai Cong. Lang Jiuchuan’s brow lifted slightly. It was the Daoist called Mingqing who had previously been at Zhishang’s side. He walked in and immediately rebuked Tantai Cong — he could not handle a single task properly. How did he expect to assist the Young Master in the future?

Tantai Cong had yet to cool his temper. Born the pride of heaven, he gave a cold snort. “She married into the Tantai Clan — that makes her a daughter-in-law of the Tantai. If anyone speaks of assistance, it should be her assisting me and the Tantai Clan. Has Daoist Mingqing not read the situation clearly?”

Mingqing’s face darkened. “Do you dare say those words before the Young Master? Third Imperial Prince — the Young Master does not need you and you alone.”

Tantai Cong’s expression finally shifted. He argued back stubbornly, “If I’m not the only one, then let her pick someone else. Didn’t you hear what that Lang Jiu said? She claimed Rong Huanxuan had fallen into demonic deviation. Those words are already spreading outside. I’m starting to wonder myself — has Rong Huanxuan actually damaged her Dao root? Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. If nothing had happened to her, why would someone like her seek a marriage alliance?”

A person of such towering pride, who had previously only set her eyes on the Gong Family’s Young Master — after those rumors spread and the Gong Family rejected her marriage proposal, she had immediately sought a union with the Imperial Family, and the choice had fallen on him.

In the past, Tantai Cong would have been genuinely thrilled at such a windfall. But now, he was starting to wonder if he was being used as a fool. After all, Lang Jiuchuan possessed the Golden Lotus Proof of the Dao — would her words ever be careless and unintentional?

The more Tantai Cong thought about it, the more he believed Lang Jiuchuan had not spoken without reason. Rong Huanxuan must have had some problem with her cultivation, which was why she had settled for second best and entered a marriage alliance with him.

Through the paper figure, Lang Jiuchuan watched every shift in Tantai Cong’s expression. The corner of her mouth curved upward. Enmity and suspicion before they are even wed — truly delightful. Now to make sure it stays locked in place.

Mingqing observed Tantai Cong’s stubborn stance, then said, “Regardless, Lang Jiuchuan today caused the Imperial Family to lose face. She is a thorn in the side of both you and the Young Master. If she is not eliminated, she will become a serious threat.”

“You don’t have to tell me. I’ll make her pay sooner or later.” Tantai Cong’s gaze was sinister and cold.

Only then did Mingqing give a satisfied nod. He was about to say more when he suddenly sensed something amiss — the feeling of being watched by unseen eyes. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end, and he walked toward the direction where the paper figure lay hidden.

The paper figure burst into flame and crumbled to ash.

Mingqing was left with a face full of soot. His expression was dark as he turned to look at Tantai Cong, who had followed him over. What a useless wretch — not even aware that someone had infiltrated his own territory.

Lang Jiuchuan felt a faint trace of disappointment. This Mingqing was sharper than Tantai Cong, but even so, only marginally.

The Rong Family.

When word reached Rong Huanxuan that Lang Jiuchuan had broken through the scheme, her face twisted with fury. When she heard of the auspicious sign of the Golden Lotus Proof of the Dao, her envy turned savage, and her eyes grew ferocious.

Such a scheme had instead become a stepping stone for her rise. How could Rong Huanxuan not hate it? What gave that demon woman the right?

At that very moment, the head of the Rong Family sent someone to summon her. With an uneasy heart, Rong Huanxuan arrived at the Patriarch’s cultivation courtyard. Before she could even speak, she was struck across the face.

Rong Huanxuan screamed, clutching her cheek, staring at him in disbelief.

She had been struck.

She — the Young Master of the Rong Family — had been struck.

“Was it you who had Tantai Cong spread the talk of demonic possession? Such a petty scheme that cannot even injure your enemy — and you actually came up with it. Have the years you spent cultivating the Dao and studying its arts all been learned from the infighting of inner courtyards?” The Rong Patriarch’s eyes were filled with disappointment.

Rong Huanxuan was aggrieved. “She truly is a spirit that has taken over a body — you know this yourself.”

“What she is matters little. What matters is whether you can strike her down to the dust. Such a method — had it been used against an ordinary noble girl, she would have been destroyed without question. But you deployed it against someone who practices the arts of the Mystic Sect. It is nothing short of absolute stupidity. What does a rumor amount to? True strength is the only hard truth!” The Rong Patriarch was furious. “I said it long ago — the person who was able to destroy a Foundation Establishment Daoist while using that body is no simple matter. And yet you thought a mere smear of demonic possession would drive her into a corner with nowhere to turn?”

“All under heaven are intolerant of demonic evil.”

“And yet the result — she proved herself in reverse. The Golden Lotus Proof of the Dao. Such a phenomenon — even I have never witnessed it!” The Rong Patriarch’s face was grim. “A celestial sign of this magnitude will only make people flock to her side. Dealing with her will be even harder than before.”

The Rong Patriarch was filled with deep regret. He should never have allowed her to act freely. Now they had been pushed into an even more disadvantageous position. And as for that so-called offhand remark of Lang Jiuchuan’s — was it truly offhand?

No. She had been digging a pit for the Rong Family.

The Rong Patriarch’s cold, serpent-like gaze swept over Rong Huanxuan where she lay on the ground. He had never thought her stupid before, but with a comparison, it became ever more apparent how lacking in substance she was. To think he had once believed…

He closed his eyes, rage burning inward. To think the Rong Family’s next generation had only this one Dao root. To think…

Rong Huanxuan said, “Grandfather, our union with the Tantai Clan will be formalized soon. We are the Xuan Clan — how could she ever stand against us? What does it matter if she struts around a few more days?”

“And then let her grow stronger and stronger?” The Rong Patriarch nearly laughed from anger. Did this child not understand that giving an enemy time was the same as burying years off one’s own lifespan?

“Get out of my sight. Go face the wall in the Dao courtyard.”

Hearing the contempt in his words, Rong Huanxuan’s eyes flashed with fury, though she dared not argue back. She turned and stalked away in indignation.

The Rong Patriarch watched her leave without a trace of reflection or remorse, and felt his disappointment deepen further. He drew a long breath, walked out of the cultivation courtyard, and made his way to the forbidden grounds of the Rong Family. He hesitated for a moment at the threshold, then stepped inside.

That woman — she absolutely cannot be allowed to keep jumping around. Otherwise, the Rong Family will know no peace.