On the sixteenth of June, a great drought gripped the land. The imperial court was hard-pressed dealing with disaster relief and saving the people — and yet the Mystic Sect had a grand occasion of its own, one that drew quite a few notable figures from various orders in the cultivation world to the Rong Family estate. The Rong Family had once again reinstated a Young Master — and it was none other than the former Young Master who had been deposed for over a decade: the fourth son of the Rong Family, Wu Youzi.

The Rong Family had been quite eventful this past half-year. One piece of scandalous news after another had come out of them, the most curious and gossiped-about being the matter of Rong Huanxuan falling into demonic corruption, after which the Rong Family patriarch had seen fit to do away with his own kin — and that kin was, without question, his own flesh and blood daughter.

Even though the patriarch’s publicly offered explanation was that she was an illegitimate daughter whom, for the child’s sake, he had registered under his son and daughter-in-law’s names.

But people were not fools. The fourth young mistress of the Rong Family was known for her ostentatious ways, attending every gathering, large or small, that any of the clans had hosted. What she looked like and what Rong Huanxuan looked like — everyone had a fair idea.

The two could not be said to be cast from the same mold, but those phoenix eyes of theirs told no lies.

Still, the Mystic Clans had long held deep-seated prestige, and though the Rong Family stood at the bottom of the Mystic Clans’ ranks, the patriarch had already reached the Foundation Establishment stage. Everyone harbored contempt in their hearts but dared not voice too much.

And then Rong Huanxuan was deposed, the fourth young mistress was said to have suddenly died of unnatural causes, and now the former Young Master was ascending again. Whether there was a connection between these events, no one could say.

Everyone wanted to know: a Rong Family that had suffered blow after blow was now suddenly and brazenly reinstating a long-deposed Young Master. What were they scheming?

On that day, the sky was clear and the air was refreshing. The Rong Family’s clan-protecting grand formation had been shut down ahead of time, allowing guests to come and go freely. Yet many astute visitors noticed something: the Rong Family was no longer as it had been. The clan members of any standing all wore expressions of anxiety, solemnity, and apprehension.

Adding to this was the fact that for such an important occasion, the Rong Family patriarch was still in closed cultivation and had not appeared.

Guests arrived like clouds gathering.

The moment Lang Jiuchuan appeared, she drew numerous glances — some filled with respect, some flickering with suspicion and unease, others simply wearing the expression of someone there to watch the spectacle.

Within the Daoist world, she was now a figure of some renown: a female cultivator who had attained Gold Lotus certification of the Dao, whose master’s identity was unknown yet whose Daoist arts were profound, who had slain demons and purged evil — her meritorious deeds were recorded in the Registry of Merit of the Surveillance Office.

And she had never concealed her enmity toward the Rong Family. Word had it that during the purging of the water demons at Qongshui River, she had openly declared she would not cooperate with the Rong Family, demonstrating how deep her grievances against them ran.

But now, with the Rong Family investing a new Young Master, she had appeared here — could it be that she and the Rong Family had buried the hatchet?

The two people at her side — one appeared to be the manager of her shop, while the other was… the Piao Manager of Tongtian Pavilion?

To have the manager of the mysterious Tongtian Pavilion in attendance at her side — the sect standing behind her was all the more mysterious, and worth investigating.

Investigating her, too, was the Imperial Princess Tantai and her companions.

For such an “unusual” gathering, the Imperial Princess Tantai had come to observe as well. And with her arrival, even this ill-assorted gathering started to take on some semblance of a proper grand occasion.

After all, this was the Huguo Holy Maiden. Her honored presence was enough to cast luster upon the Rong Family — just look at those clan elders, who at the sight of her looked as though they had found a family member in their hour of need, tears practically streaming down their weathered faces.

And indeed, the Rong Family’s clan elders were in a panic. The fourth son’s rebellious streak had been growing bolder and bolder — they could sense that the situation was turning unfavorable. Some had even attempted to force their way into the forbidden grounds to physically break down the patriarch’s seclusion door and drag him out of isolation. But each time they made it halfway, that rebellious wretch would appear like a phantom, either fighting them off or killing, stubbornly refusing to let anyone disturb the patriarch’s seclusion.

What was he trying to do? This was clearly the prelude to rebellion!

And yet did he not fear the patriarch’s eventual emergence? Whatever Wu Youzi had done to stand on his feet again, however uncanny his methods, could he possibly contend with a patriarch at the Foundation Establishment stage?

The only one who had ever been able to keep his rebellious nature in check was the patriarch alone — just as in years past, when he had let himself become bewitched by that woman from outside the clan, and was eventually made to comply with the clan’s arrangements.

But the patriarch, the one who could suppress him, was unable to emerge. So they had to seek outside help. The Holy Maiden was one such option — she represented not only the imperial family but Da Han itself. Surely, for the sake of Da Han’s stability, she would not stand by while the Mystic Clans descended into internal strife and the Rong Family fell into chaos?

The Imperial Princess Tantai had no interest in the people who wished to approach her, so naturally no one came close. She had been invited to the seat of honor, presiding there in cold, transcendent splendor, wholly at odds with the surrounding din. She listened to the discussions around her, those glass-like eyes sweeping the entire gathering before coming to rest upon Lang Jiuchuan, who stood in a corner.

From the time she entered the capital to this moment, she had weighed up everything this woman had done, again and again. That she acted in the ways of the righteous path was genuine — but so was her opposition to the Rong Family, and she had been deliberately targeting them.

Why?

What had the Rong Family done to provoke her?

Was she using the Rong Family as a stepping stone — out of personal grievance, or for some other purpose? This question weighed heavily on her.

The Imperial Princess Tantai watched Lang Jiuchuan conversing lightly with the two people at her side — that relaxed, yet unmistakably spectator-like posture — and for a brief moment felt a disorienting sense of déjà vu. So alike.

She gripped the messaging jade talisman concealed in her sleeve. The tips of her fingers trembled faintly.

Lang Jiuchuan noticed the Holy Maiden’s presence as well. She glanced over, her brow arching slightly, her thoughts briefly turning inward.

The Holy Maiden’s return to the capital — was it merely a coincidence?

“Strange,” A’Piao said, looking at the Imperial Princess Tantai, then back at Lang Jiuchuan. “The more I look at this Holy Maiden, the more I get a faintly uncanny sense of familiarity.”

“What?”

A’Piao didn’t answer, only looked toward Fuqi. “Who do you think she resembles?”

Fuqi furrowed his brow. “In temperament, she is somewhat like Little Jiu — though not entirely. In aura, there is a resemblance.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s brow gave a small jolt. She pointed at herself. “Like me?”

A’Piao nodded. “They are clearly two different people, and you are even someone who has come back in a borrowed body — and yet, there is something about her that feels off, like you and yet not like you.”

“Could she be one of my scattered souls or spiritual essences?” Lang Jiuchuan murmured, rubbing her chin.

A’Piao’s expression twitched. “Not that kind of resemblance. It’s more like… the same sort of person.”

Lang Jiuchuan’s gaze grew deep and still. “Then is she here because of me?”

Just as her long-awaited vengeance was within reach, the Holy Maiden had returned to the capital — and now appeared at the Rong Family’s gathering. Was this a coincidence?

Lang Jiuchuan found herself feeling something she had not anticipated: a reluctance to believe that this person could be the hidden mastermind they had been calculating against all along.

“She is dangerous. The Daoist elder at her side is even more dangerous. Don’t go near her,” Fuqi warned sharply, fixing his gaze on Elder Bafang.

Elder Bafang was likewise watching Lang Jiuchuan, his brows drawn together tightly. This woman carried a hint of unorthodoxy — not the kind belonging to demons and deviants, but the kind that gave the impression she was an anomaly, a heretic of sorts.

A person like this — attaining Gold Lotus certification of the Dao?

Could that truly not be some manner of illusion?

And the two people at her side were even more unorthodox. Though they were straining with some treasure to suppress it, something about them was still distinctly off.

“Holy Maiden, this woman is out of the ordinary. Caution would be wise. Moreover, one should perhaps…”

The Imperial Princess Tantai lowered her eyes, and said mildly: “I know my own mind.”

Elder Bafang said no more, though his brows drew together even tighter. It seemed that encountering this person had caused the Holy Maiden to lose some measure of her composure as well.

“There — is that the former fourth son of the Rong Family?”

A commotion arose. The guests in the square all turned to look at Wu Youzi, who came streaking through the air.