In the garden of the White Jade Palace, three reclining chairs and three tables faced a water mirror floating in the air, its size that of a millstone.
This mirror was a magical treasure left behind by Donghua Emperor. It could clearly display everything happening in every place and to every person in the mortal world.
Legend had it that the Queen Mother of the West had copied it from her own Qiankun Mirror, though it lacked the ability to cross through time and space or imprison space.
The three tables were laden with Golden Phoenix Wine, Fragrant Spring Wine, Nine Foot Platform Wine, and other fine immortal brews;
Queen Mother Longevity Peaches, Golden Jade Grapes, Golden Loquats, and all kinds of Immortal Fruits;
Lotus Flower Pastries, Pea Flour Cakes, Flower Cakes, and all sorts of pastries.
White Deer Immortal had shamelessly used the Queen Mother of the West's name to beg these delicacies from the various immortal residences.
For this livestream of Bai Yu and Qing Shi undergoing tribulation in the mortal world, she had invited Ancestor Lu over well in advance.
As soon as Ancestor Lu arrived, he picked up a jug of Golden Phoenix Wine from the table, reclined in a chair, and began drinking.
White Deer Immortal remembered that Chen Tuan had helped compile the Chart of Heavenly Karma for the mortal world. He might be able to help, so, to show her sincerity, she personally went to invite him to the feast.
After a crane's cry rang out, a white crane landed in the garden. White Deer Immortal and Chen Renfeng leaped down from its back. Chen Renfeng had been dragged here and could not go to the mortal world to look for Chen Qing and Bai Yu, so he was secretly stewing in resentment.
By then, Ancestor Lu had drained an entire jug of Golden Phoenix Wine. His face was flushed.
Slightly tipsy, Ancestor Lu greeted them. White Deer Immortal picked up a bunch of grapes from a plate, plucked one, and stuffed it into Ancestor Lu's mouth before eating one herself.
Chen Renfeng saluted Ancestor Lu and took a seat beside him. The white crane obediently stood behind him.
Spiritual Energy flowed between White Deer Immortal's fingers. With a wave of her hand, she revealed scenes from the mortal world in the water mirror: a mortal residence, where a little girl was playing everywhere.
Chen Renfeng had followed White Deer Immortal here in hopes of taking this opportunity to search for the jade pendant. He had found no clues at all in the mortal world. As soon as he sat down, he imagined himself watching martial arts films at home in his later life.
White Deer Immortal sat cross-legged on her chair, laughing heartily as she ate grapes, spitting the skins carelessly all over the floor. Chen Renfeng graciously picked up a plate of Flower Cakes and handed it to the white crane behind him.
Ancestor Lu found it boring. Having drunk quite a bit, he yawned and rose to leave.
White Deer Immortal was displeased. She tugged on Ancestor Lu's sleeve and said, "Emperor, stay a little longer."
Ancestor Lu shook his head. "Watching Bai Yu be reborn in the mortal world is so boring. When I first arrived, it was so much fun watching Qing Shi play all over the mortal world!"
White Deer Immortal tossed the grapes in her hand back onto the plate. Across Ancestor Lu's seat, she snapped at Chen Tuan, "Qing Shi was reborn as a little prince and had a perfectly good life, yet you had to let his mother die and make him wander around with a disheveled Daoist. Look at him—he lived like a little beggar and suffered so much."
Chen Renfeng said aggrievedly, "Supreme Immortal, this is Heavenly Karma. You can't blame me."
Seeing this, Ancestor Lu decided not to leave after all. He sat down and said casually, "Bai Yu's life has only just begun. Let's keep watching..."
The world displayed in the water mirror showed Shànchǎn City in Southern Expedition Country—the residence of Marquis Gao.
After lunch, four children were playing with Moro dolls in the courtyard. These clay dolls were shaped entirely by the children's nimble hands, then dressed in clothes, shoes, and hats, making them lifelike.
"Ice Snow, let me see yours!" the tall boy said.
"Wait a moment. It'll be done soon!" the little girl replied sweetly.
"Give it here!" The tall boy snatched it away, held it up, and examined it from every angle with a laugh. "Who is this clay figure you made?"
"He's my father! Give him back, give him back!" the little girl shouted as she tried to snatch it back, but she was too short to reach. Two other boys, one short and one fat, joined in jeering from the side.
During the struggle, the little girl scratched the tall boy. He shoved her away and cursed, "You little bastard, stay away from me." Then he threw the clay figure at her feet, smashing it to pieces.
The little girl fell but did not cry. After being cursed at, a furious fire burned in her eyes. She climbed up and charged, knocking the tall boy down. Straddling him, she beat him while cursing, "Gao Lianghu, you're the little bastard! Pay me for my clay figure!"
The tall boy was the eldest son of Marquis Gao's eldest son. He was used to being arrogant and domineering. Unable to break free from the frenzy of his uncle's daughter, Gao Bingxue, he hurriedly shouted, "Liangcheng, Mowei, pull her off!"
Gao Liangcheng was Gao Lianghu's younger brother, while Gao Mowei was the son of his third uncle.
Gao Bingxue was small and weak. Before long, Gao Liangcheng and Gao Mowei dragged her aside and pinned her to the ground. Gao Lianghu got up and viciously planted a foot on Gao Bingxue's face. "You're a little bastard. Everyone in the marquis's residence knows your mother slept with another man. Poor Second Uncle still treats you two like treasures..."
"Let go of me! Gao Lianghu, you're slandering me! I'll tear your mouth apart!" Gao Bingxue was pinned firmly to the ground, her eyes red with fury.
"Come on! Come on, you little bastard!" Gao Lianghu began kicking Gao Bingxue angrily. He hated that his second mother had made him lose face in front of his friends. There was another secret, too: his Second Uncle's newly acquired dancer, Liu Qian'e, had given him gifts and told him to cause more trouble after he returned.
Gao Bingxue took several vicious kicks to the chest and head. She lay face-down on the ground, eyes closed and unmoving.
"She's dead? Brother, you beat Little Sister to death!" Gao Liangcheng released her and staggered back in fright.
Gao Lianghu's expression also changed in fright. He crouched down to check whether she was still breathing, and just as he reached beneath her nose, Gao Bingxue suddenly opened her eyes and punched him in the chest.
Gao Lianghu was struck as though by a heavy hammer. His body flew backward and crashed to the ground. Blood streamed from his mouth and nose, and his chest had caved in. It was clear he would not survive.
The three children scrambled to their feet and ran into the house, shouting for the adults. Gao Bingxue returned to her mother's room and crawled beneath the table. She rubbed her fist, unable to believe it.
In the garden of the White Jade Palace on Penglai Immortal Island, a bolt of heavenly lightning struck White Deer Immortal. After she transformed into her beast form, the skin on her back split open, revealing flesh. Her cultivation, visibly at the peak of the Golden Immortal realm, began to falter, and her Karma Value dropped to eight hundred thousand.
Seeing this, Ancestor Lu cursed angrily, "You reckless fool! Why didn't the heavenly lightning strike you dead?"
White Deer transformed back into human form and sat weakly on the ground.
Chen Renfeng hurriedly said, "White Deer Supreme Immortal, after the Chart of Heavenly Karma was activated, Lord of Mount Tai created the Five Quarters Karma Records, which now operates in the mortal world. Anyone who dares interfere without authorization will be struck by the Heavenly Dao's lightning."
The white crane helped White Deer Immortal up. She said weakly, "I felt sorry for Bai Yu, so I stepped in to teach that brat a lesson..."
Ancestor Lu rose and said, "That's enough. Everyone disperse." He shook his head and left angrily.
White Deer Immortal did not try to persuade Ancestor Lu to stay. Instead, she turned and asked Chen Renfeng, "Will Bai Yu be affected?"
Chen Renfeng sighed. "Killing the future third Shànchǎn Marquis reduced her Karma Value by one thousand!"
White Deer hurriedly asked, "Can it still be changed?"
Chen Renfeng pointed at the sky. "Would Supreme Immortal like to take another strike from the heavenly lightning?"
White Deer glared at him angrily, then waved her hand and looked toward the water mirror.
In the dungeon of the Gao residence in Shànchǎn Prefecture, Southern Expedition Country, Gao Bingxue and her mother had been imprisoned for her accidental killing of her elder brother. Three days had passed, and they had not had a drop of water.
In the gloomy dungeon, mother and daughter drifted in and out of sleep. After waking, Gao Bingxue called out, "Mother, I'm cold!"
Her mother, a beautiful woman, pulled her into her arms and comforted her for a while.
"Mother, I'm hungry!" Gao Bingxue cried weakly.
"Xue'er, I'm hungry too. Bear with it for now. Your uncle will come to save us."
"Mother, where did Father go? When will he save us? Your brother's home is so far away."
"Xue'er, your father... your father must have been delayed by something."
Just then, a lantern came in accompanied by footsteps. When he was still ten paces away, a loud voice called out, "Second Sister-in-law, you've suffered! Little Brother came late!"
Hearing this, Gao Bingxue rose from her mother's arms and clung to two wooden bars. "Third Uncle, we're here!"
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