More Than One
One month later.
The afternoon sun shone through the delicate window lattice, casting dappled light on Jing Feiyao, bathing her still-charming figure in a golden glow.
Sitting on the couch, Jing Feiyao reclined languidly, her brows slightly furrowed, as if troubled by something.
A few feet in front of her, a boy of about fifteen or sixteen was meditating and cultivating.
The boy's name was Xing Qiwen, the third son of Jing Feiyao and Xing Gaohan.
Xing Qiwen has good talent for cultivation, but his temperament is somewhat lacking. He started cultivating at the age of ten, and with the Xing Family's ample resources, he is currently only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer.
"Qiwen, you're distracted again. If you cultivate with such half-heartedness, when will you ever Foundation Establishment?" Jing Feiyao's stern voice rang out.
Having been seen through by his mother, the boy simply stopped pretending to meditate and opened his eyes.
"Mother, I made a promise with Da Niu to go fishing for sea monsters today. I've already cultivated for two hours today, please let me go?" Xing Qiwen pleaded.
"No way!" Jing Feiyao refused decisively. "Big Ox only has a third-grade Spirit Root; his chances of reaching Foundation Establishment in this lifetime are slim. Spending all your time with him will only hinder your cultivation."
"But my father agrees to let me play with him," Xing Qiwen said stubbornly.
The "great father" he referred to was his father's killer, Xing Wenyao.
Teenagers are playful and lack self-control.
Xing Qiwen couldn't understand his mother's good intentions. He suddenly stood up and shouted.
Anyway, I'm going to the beach today.
After saying that, he walked straight out of the palace without waiting for his mother's consent.
Jing Feiyao watched her son's departing figure, her lips slightly parted, wanting to speak several times to ask him to stay.
But in the end, she could only sigh deeply, her eyes filled with undisguised disappointment.
She knew very well that even if she forced her son to stay, he wouldn't seriously pursue his cultivation.
With Xing Wenyao's deliberate indulgence, Xing Qiwen has developed a lazy and playful personality that is difficult to change in a short time.
Sudden.
She noticed a Message Jade Slip in her storage ring pulsating slightly.
A message has been sent!
Jing Feiyao took out the Message Jade Slip and began to examine it.
[Madam, do you still remember me?]
A hint of surprise flashed in Jing Feiyao's eyes, and she quickly replied.
[Shan Yue, you've got some nerve. Instead of finding a remote place far from the Xing Family to eke out a living, you actually dared to return to the vicinity of Fangzhu City.]
[My safety is no need for you to worry, Madam. I dared to return to Fangzhu City, naturally confident that I could evade the Xing Family's pursuit.]
So, what did you contact me about?
[I would like to ask the First Madam to help me steal something from the Xing Family.]
[What a ridiculous joke! A thief begs his owner to steal his own belongings. Utterly absurd!]
[Madam, don't be so quick to refuse. I dare to approach you because I'm confident in my abilities.]
Jing Feiyao's expression tightened slightly, and a bad premonition rose in her heart.
[Shan Yue, what do you mean by that?]
[I have some evidence of your affair with the guard. If I were to spread this evidence throughout Fangzhu City, I wonder if you would still have the face to remain the matriarch of the Xing Family. When Xing Wenyao sees this evidence, I wonder if he would execute you, this promiscuous woman.]
A flicker of panic crossed Jing Feiyao's face, but she quickly regained her composure.
[This lady has always been virtuous and upright; how could she be the kind of shameless woman!]
[It seems the lady won't shed tears until she sees the coffin. But this guard is quite handsome, with a tall and upright figure; no wonder the first lady is so persistent in clinging to him, hehehe...]
It seems that after spending so much time with Song Wen, Shan Yue has also picked up Song Wen's strange laughter.
Jing Feiyao knew that Shan Yue must have evidence, given how convincingly she spoke to him. She gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing with hatred like blades.
What do you want to get?
[Holy Spirit Pill.]
[That's impossible! The Holy Spirit Pill is in the Xing Family Treasury; I had no chance of accessing it.]
[That's your problem, Madam! Remember, you only have one day. If I don't see the Holy Spirit Pill by tomorrow, the evidence will circulate throughout Fangzhu City.]
Jing Feiyao put away the Message Jade Slip, her face ashen.
After a moment's thought, she took out another Message Jade Slip.
She relayed the information about Shan Yue's threats to her without reservation.
On the other end of the Jade Slip was Jing Lie, who replied after reading the message.
What evidence does Shan Yue possess?
[I don't know either; she didn't say it explicitly.]
Where is the guard you had an affair with now?
[I've already left the Xing Family. In the years before Xing Gaohan's death, he was in seclusion for many years. I couldn't bear the loneliness and had an affair with a guard. After Xing Wenyao came to power, I was afraid he would find out, so I dismissed the guard.]
[Foolish! This kind of thing should be done discreetly, so why didn't you kill the guard? The evidence Shan Yue has likely come from the guard, or perhaps that guard is even in her hands.]
[Actually... it wasn't just one person.]
[What? More than one person?]
[The guards I had an affair with! Because there were quite a few of them, I was worried that if they all died, it would attract the attention of the Xing Family, so I secretly dismissed them.]
"[You... this is utterly absurd! You have disgraced the Jing Family's reputation!] "Jing Lie rebuked sharply.
[Jing Lie, you have no right to criticize me. You were the ones who sent me to seduce Xing Wenyao, to whisper in his ear and get him to agree to cooperate with you and kill Xing Gaohan.]
Over the past few years, I have been providing you with internal intelligence about the Xing Family, assisting you in gradually eroding and weakening Xing Family power. All this is so that one day, the Jing Family can annex the Xing Family.
I've given everything for my Lineage. Now that I've encountered a small problem, are you really going to stand idly by?
Jing Feiyao sent several messages in a row.
Jing Lie replied, "[When did I say I wouldn't care about you! It's just that this matter is a bit difficult. Shan Yue is operating in the shadows, and moreover, her pursuit of the Holy Spirit Pill means that there is likely a Nascent Soul Realm cultivator behind her. Things aren't as simple as you think.]"
[What should I do? Do I really have to steal the Holy Spirit Pill?]
[This is probably the only way.]
[Doesn't the Jing Family covet the Holy Spirit Pill? Are they willing to give it away so easily?]
[While the Holy Spirit Pill is precious, for the entire Jing family, the formula for the Holy Spirit Pill and the complete cultivation method of <Concentrating Spirit Thorn> are the most valuable. How is the progress of the family's request for you to obtain the third level of the <Concentrating Spirit Thorn> cultivation method?]
[Xing Wenyao treated me very well, practically indulging my every whim, but he was very wary of me in this matter, forbidding me from setting foot on the fourth floor of the Sutra Repository.]
[You'll need to put more effort into this matter. Also, you should intensify your investigation into intelligence regarding Cloud Ridge Mountain. Xing Xinyu has been stationed Cloud Ridge Mountain year-round; there must be some secrets hidden there.]
[Right now I'm embroiled in trouble, and instead of helping me resolve my issues this Shan Yue, you're trying to use me to steal Cultivation Method and information.] Jing Feiyao's tone was clearly filled with anger.
[Go to the Xing Family Treasury and see if you can obtain the Holy Spirit Pill. If you do, I will ask the Patriarch Wuming to use the Holy Spirit Pill to lure out Shan Yue and the people behind her, then kill them and eliminate any future trouble for you.]