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Li Zi had little interest in these hot-tempered elders. She was more curious about how the heroine would change after her rebirth.

The system immediately perked up. [She crouched outside Ji Zheng's courtyard for four hours without seeing him. But knowing Ran Zirou's temper, if she hears you spent the whole night with your two senior brothers, she'll probably come looking for trouble.]

Li Zi fretted. [I haven't even undergone marrow cleansing yet. I can't cultivate at all. Ran Zirou is already at the second Qi refining stage, isn't she? Wouldn't killing me be a piece of cake?]

Imagining Ran Zirou crouching outside until her legs went numb made Li Zi even more worried.

Ran Zirou was the undisputed heroine of this world.

Her skin was as pure as ice and as smooth as jade, and her breathtaking face could send any man into a swoon.

On top of that, she had the memories of her previous life.

With her own useless constitution, Li Zi probably really couldn't stand a chance.

Ji Zheng and Fu Chaoqing, meanwhile, frowned deeply as they listened to Li Zi's thoughts.

Fu Chaoqing lowered his voice. "If this girl really is a scourge upon our sect, shouldn't we do something about her? Why don't we discuss it with our master and martial uncles first?"

Ji Zheng considered it for a moment, then shook his head.

"They're probably busy smoothing things over between our martial uncle, the sect master, and the Hehuan Sect Master. They won't have time for this. I'll go take a look and find an excuse to throw her out."

Fu Chaoqing hurriedly stopped him. "Let me go instead. If you lose control of yourself, your cultivation will be ruined."

Ji Zheng awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose.

Meanwhile, Li Zi was still discussing with the system how to avoid being killed by the heroine.

Fu Chaoqing came over and patted her head. "I'm going to Eldest Senior Brother's courtyard to fetch a medicinal ingredient. Drink that bowl of medicine on the table."

Li Zi's dull almond-shaped eyes instantly lit up. "Yes, Senior Brother."

[Huh? Fourth Senior Brother is going to Eldest Senior Brother's courtyard. Won't he run into Ran Zirou? System, keep an eye on things for me. Be ready to watch the drama unfold at any moment.]

[You got it!]

Half a quarter of an hour later.

Outside Ji Zheng's small courtyard.

Ran Zirou had been crouching there for a long time.

She wore the sect's disciple robes, with only a thin layer of gauze underneath. Beneath her willow-leaf brows, her clear, limpid eyes sparkled with every glance.

She had prepared thoroughly to win Ji Zheng over.

She had even taken a rose-petal bath, leaving her body soft and fragrant, and carefully arranged her hair. Her long hair looked casually tied up, but every detail had been deliberate. A single loose lock fell against her jade-white neck, making her look all the more alluring, her charm seeping into the bones.

The moment Ji Zheng saw her like this, he would surely lose control.

"Martial Niece Ran?"

Just then, a clear, cool voice came from behind her.

It wasn't Ji Zheng.

Ran Zirou frowned slightly, displeased that someone had come to spoil her plans.

But when she turned around, her cherry-red lips parted in surprise, and starlight gradually rose in her limpid eyes.

What an exquisite man.

"Uncle Fu!"

At that form of address, the smile on Fu Chaoqing's face stiffened.

That was right. Given their family relationship, Ran Zirou did have to call him uncle.

Even if they were very distant relatives.

"Martial Niece, you..."

Ran Zirou smiled sweetly. "Uncle Fu, you can call me Rourou."

Faced with her flowerlike beauty, Fu Chaoqing gave a dry cough and looked away.

"Your mother came to our sect today. Have you seen her?"

Ran Zirou covered her lips in surprise, her beautiful eyes widening. Her jet-black pupils made her look utterly harmless.

"My mother?"

Of course she knew she had a mother.

And that mother was an utterly shrewish, lowly woman.

She had been pampered in the imperial palace since childhood, surrounded by admirers like stars clustered around the moon. Her imperial father had always been frank with her: she was not his biological daughter, but the daughter of a fairy from the Immortal Realm.

Countless times, she had imagined what a perfect woman her mother must be.

Was she a fairy as pure as ice and flawless as jade, or a gorgeous, captivating blossom of worldly wealth and splendor?

Or perhaps an aloof cultivation genius, cold as frost—a sect elder.

But she had never imagined that all her fantasies would shatter the moment she met Immortal Ziyang.

She and Immortal Ziyang looked very much alike, but they were entirely different sorts of people.

Immortal Ziyang was mercenary, shrewish, and rather vulgar. She had clawed her way out of some tiny place in the Mortal World and had been involved with countless men.

How could an exalted princess like her possibly accept that?

She was a princess!

How could her mother be a slut any man could have?

And so, in her previous life, she had soon killed Immortal Ziyang and disposed of the Hehuan Sect along the way.

That past had been buried forever, and she had remained an exalted princess, revered by all.

Now that she had been reborn, everything could begin anew. Naturally, that woman was still alive too.

In her previous life, all the senior brothers in the sect had protected her in every possible way. Not one of them had ever brought up Immortal Ziyang.

Why had things suddenly...

Seeing her reaction, Fu Chaoqing understood. "So you didn't know. That's all right. Now you do."

"Immortal Ziyang is a sect elder's direct disciple in the Hehuan Sect. Her status is quite high. What sense does it make for you to be doing chores in our sect? Come, I'll take you to the Hehuan Sect. They shouldn't have gotten far. We can catch up with them on the road."

This was the best solution Fu Chaoqing could think of.

Since they knew in advance that Ran Zirou would bring disaster, there were only two ways to deal with her.

Either kill her or drive her away.

But Ran Zirou was Immortal Ziyang's daughter. If they killed her, the Hehuan Sect and their sect would probably fall out completely this time.

They had only just learned that there might be a misunderstanding between the Hehuan Sect Master and their own sect master. Causing an incident like this before that misunderstanding was cleared up would spell trouble.

Sending her away was the most appropriate course of action.