Gongsun Yu

"Mom?" Liuli cried out in shock.

The woman glanced at her without responding, then instantly flashed before Tongxuan and thrust her sword. In an instant, it shattered countless layers of space into innumerable fragments, its tip aimed straight at Tongxuan's head.

Tongxuan's expression turned grim. He summoned a whisk, mobilized all the Dou Qi in his body, and held it before his forehead as he shouted, "Dust Transformation Shield!"

Dazzling golden light erupted from the whisk, forming layers upon layers of golden energy shields before him that barely received the woman's strike.

Yet those energy shields held for only a moment before the cherry-colored sword pierced through them. In the end, its tip landed squarely between Tongxuan's brows. Sensing trouble, Tongxuan tore through layer after layer of space and retreated explosively. Yet no matter how far he fled or how many voids he broke through, that sword remained pressed against his forehead!

Tongxuan could no longer hold back. He spun his whisk, raising a powerful energy tornado, then smashed it toward the woman's sword.

With a clang.

The Sword Tip did not move in the slightest. It remained fixed against his forehead.

"Tongxuan, are you sure your High-level Half-Saint cultivation isn't fake?" the woman mocked.

Cold sweat streamed down Tongxuan's face as he hurriedly shouted, "Peak Master Yu, there has been a misunderstanding! Please, give the Ancient Clan some face!"

Having lived for nearly a thousand years, Tongxuan understood when to bend and when to yield. When it was time to put aside his pride, he absolutely could not keep acting tough.

What was more, the person before him was someone he could not afford to provoke.

The Wife of Sword Clan Leader, the Former Peak Master of Kongming Peak, formerly a Five-star Dou Saint—Gongsun Yu! Eighteen years ago, due to certain unknown secrets, her cultivation had fallen below the Dou Saint realm. After all these years of recovery, she had barely returned to the High-level Half-Saint realm.

But even though her cultivation was now on the same level as Tongxuan's, she had once been a Five-star Dou Saint. Her understanding of power naturally surpassed his by an immeasurable margin. Suppressing him completely was no problem at all.

The woman snorted coldly and slightly turned her Sword Tip, sweeping out a streak of Sword Qi that sent Tongxuan flying thousands of zhang away.

Tongxuan steadied himself miserably and coughed up a mouthful of old blood. His aura had weakened considerably, but he did not dare show the slightest anger and obediently flew back. He knew that if he angered her again, this former Peak Master of Kongming Peak of the Sword Clan might truly take his life. The only reason she had not killed him was because he was an elder of the Ancient Clan. The face she was giving was the Ancient Clan's.

The woman sheathed her sword behind her back, looked at him coldly, and said, "Speak. What misunderstanding?"

After adjusting his condition, Tongxuan said bitterly, "Peak Master Yu's daughter came into contact with our young lady, and then the guards we had arranged had a... minor conflict with her."

"A minor conflict?" Gongsun Yu narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, and her aura rose another level.

"Cough, cough, cough. It truly was only a minor conflict. Ling Ying—our young lady's guard—thought your daughter intended to harm our young lady, so he intervened to question her. He was no match for her, so he used a Spatial Jade Slip to summon this old man here," Tongxuan hurriedly explained. He did not dare slight this woman.

A hundred years ago, Gongsun Yu had gone wandering out of boredom and happened upon a Soul Hall Elder slaughtering a small city in the Central Continent. She killed him with a single strike of her sword. Then, following the trail, she found the Human Hall, one of Soul Hall's headquarters at the time, and demolished most of it, severely damaging Soul Hall's strength.

With a temperament that fiery, who would dare provoke her?

"Mom, calm down, it's nothing serious!" At that moment, Liuli flew over, panting, and stopped beside her.

"Were you hurt?" the woman asked.

Liuli froze for a moment, then said with a grin, "I'm fine. With your daughter's strength, how could I possibly lose to a Minor Dou Huang?"

The woman sighed in relief, returned her sword to her Storage Ring, and the tense expression on her face relaxed as well.

Grinning, Liuli hooked her hand around Gongsun Yu's sleeve and gently shook it. "Mom, it really wasn't a big deal. We just had a little misunderstanding."

"You little rascal!" Gongsun Yu glared at her, raised a hand, and smacked the girl on the head. "What misunderstanding? Explain it to me."

Liuli pinched her chin and thought for a moment. Raising her voice slightly, seemingly intending to explain it to Tongxuan as well, she said, "Well, didn't I attend the Ancient Clan young lady's—um, I think her name was Xun'er—first birthday celebration when I was little? She was rather cute, so I remembered what she looked like. This time, when I came out to gain experience, I got curious and decided to come take a look around the Xiao Family. I happened to run into her and recognized her. Later, because I wanted to give the Xiao Family some gifts, I borrowed the Ancient Clan's name to make a gesture."

"You really don't know how to stay out of trouble!" Gongsun Yu heavily smacked the Young Girl's head again.

"Ugh... Mom..." Liuli covered her head with her little hands, her face full of grievance.

"...Sigh." Gongsun Yu sighed, turned toward Tongxuan, and gave him a slight bow. Somewhat apologetically, she said, "Just now, Yu'er was too anxious and attacked rashly without asking about the situation, neglecting proper etiquette. Yu'er apologizes."

"It is nothing. We were at fault first in this matter," Tongxuan hurriedly returned the bow.

"The Ancient Clan should know the Sword Clan's usual way of doing things. We have no great interest in the Xiao Family, so shall both our families put this matter behind us?" Gongsun Yu smiled faintly. Her previous domineering air vanished, replaced by an intelligent, gentle grace.

"Then let this matter be put to rest. However, Miss Liuli should avoid excessive contact with our young lady for the time being. We placed her here precisely so that she could keep a low profile."

"Elder Tongxuan, I am merely passing through this place. I will not remain in the Jia Ma Empire afterward." Liuli nodded slightly and agreed.

"Excellent. Then this old man shall take his leave first." Tongxuan stroked his beard and made a light gesture, bringing the unconscious Ling Ying over.

Behind him, space tore open to form a small wormhole that slowly swallowed him and Ling Ying. At last, the spatial rift closed, and the two vanished from this world.

After the two members of the Ancient Clan left, Gongsun Yu slowly turned to look at Liuli again.

"Mom, you're... not going back?" Liuli asked with an awkward laugh, feeling somewhat guilty under her gaze.

"What do you think? That explanation you just gave was full of holes." Gongsun Yu raised her hand, preparing to give her another smack.

"W-What are you talking about?" Liuli covered her head and played dumb.

"You only saw the Ancient Clan's young lady when she was one year old, yet you remembered her appearance for eighteen years? And even recognized her? Also, our Sword Clan has had no dealings with the Xiao Family for hundreds of years. What exactly is your purpose in coming here now?" Gongsun Yu directly exposed the biggest flaws in her story.

"Uh..." Liuli was in a difficult spot. She could not exactly tell her mother that she knew the direction of the coming decades perfectly well—she knew who the biggest backer was, after all.

"Mom, doesn't your daughter like reading?" Liuli said with a grin, preparing to make up an excuse.

"Do you? You like reading?" Gongsun Yu was skeptical.

"Hey! Don't distrust your daughter so much!" Liuli retorted indignantly.

"So, what did you read?" Gongsun Yu smiled and affectionately rubbed the Young Girl's little head.

"Well, I read an ancient text that recorded information about the Tou She Ancient God Jade." Liuli calmed herself and began lying in earnest.

"The Tou She Ancient God Jade?" Hearing those words, Gongsun Yu's expression became serious.

"Yes. More than a thousand years ago, the Tou She Ancient God Jade appeared, and the nine ancient families fought over it. The Ancient Jade was divided into nine pieces, with each clan holding one. And the Xiao Family—or rather, the former Xiao Clan—very likely possesses one of them. That is why I came here to sound them out and casually make contact. Then things backfired, and I ran into the Ancient Clan's young lady. As for how I recognized her... the power of the bloodline within her is comparable to mine. I sensed it the first time I saw her too. It felt very familiar." Seeing her mother begin to ponder, Liuli finally felt the weight in her heart lift.

"So, you wanted to take that jade?" Gongsun Yu asked.

Liuli nodded. "For the current Xiao Family, that jade no longer serves much purpose. They may not even know what the Ancient Jade is used for. So I wanted to acquire it through a trade. As long as the benefits we offer are sufficient, the Xiao Family will certainly let it go."

"You absolutely cannot do this." Gongsun Yu shook her head and refused.

"Why?" This time, it was Liuli who was confused.

"The Tou She Ancient God Jade has always been in the Xiao Family's hands. Not only does our Sword Clan know this, but the entire Nine Ancient Clans know it. Yet in the thousand years since the Xiao Clan declined, not one family has dared to seize it. Do you know why?"

Liuli paused, gradually understanding what her mother meant.

"Balance!" Gongsun Yu placed both hands on Liuli's shoulders, looked her straight in the eyes, and said, "With each clan holding one piece of jade, no one says anything. But once that balance is broken, the family holding the most Ancient Jade will inevitably become the target of all. A tall tree catches the wind!"

"But hasn't the Ancient Clan already acted?"

"The Ancient Clan is now powerful, the strongest force on the continent in plain view, but aren't they still acting secretly? Only a small number of people know about this matter. Yet even if it is discovered, we have no way to condemn them. The Ancient Clan is clever. They did not choose to seize it by force, but used this method instead. When the Xiao Clan declined, the Ancient Clan was the protector personally appointed by the Xiao Family's clan leader. By placing the Ancient Clan's young lady in the Xiao Family, they can completely claim that they are protecting the Xiao Clan's remaining bloodline and deterring petty villains while carrying out their plan. Whether they succeed or not, the rest of our clans have no spies within the Xiao Family, so we cannot know. But everyone's eyes are fixed on this place. At the slightest movement, every faction will learn of it."

"Other than the Soul Clan, the Ancient Clan, and our Sword Clan, the other five clans have all begun to decline to varying degrees. Thus, they are faintly showing signs of joining forces. Meanwhile, the Soul Clan's movements have become increasingly frequent over the past few years. The situation has already begun to change, and any accident could become the fuse for a great war. So it is better for us to stay in line."

"I understand. Liuli was rash." The Young Girl lowered her head and admitted her mistake.

Gongsun Yu smiled gently, stroked Liuli's head, and comforted her. "It's fine. You are still young. These are not matters you need to worry about yet. Your father and mother are here."

"Mhm, I understand." Liuli smiled sweetly and hugged Gongsun Yu coquettishly.

"Your father will handle the rest. Let this matter pass, and continue your journey as planned," Gongsun Yu said softly as she patted Liuli's back.

"Mhm! My next stop is Jia Nan Academy. I'll cultivate diligently there for a while and stabilize my cultivation, then begin preparing to break through to Dou Zong." Liuli told her of her plans.

"Jia Nan Academy..." Gongsun Yu considered it for a moment, then said, "I'll go with you."

"Huh? Mom, there's no need to trouble yourself. You should go back." Liuli immediately became unwilling. She still had plenty of little plans to carry out along the way.

"No! You have only been away from home for how long, and you have already caused so much trouble. I must keep an eye on you." Gongsun Yu put on a stern face, her tone leaving no room for argument.

"Fine..." Liuli agreed unwillingly.

"Besides, I need to go see an old acquaintance."

"Who?" Liuli caught the scent of gossip and perked up.

"I'll tell you on the way." Gongsun Yu grabbed Liuli's hand, took her sword from her Storage Ring, and drew a flourish in the air before them.

Space was sliced open, forming a passage. Gongsun Yu forcibly pulled the Young Girl into it.