Be good, let me take a look

Shi Zhao entered the Imperial Palace again, as easily as driving a familiar road.

Mm, returning to the Imperial Palace was just like coming home.

She really wanted to tell the Stone Emperor, "Old geezer, hand me the imperial jade seal so I can crack a walnut."

Unfortunately, the Stone Emperor had already announced that he would enter a brief period of secluded cultivation, shutting her out in advance.

Though she knew the Stone Emperor was preparing for the future calamity of the Eight Regions, she still ground her teeth in irritation. By comparison, even the Willow Deity's actions back then were starting to look downright charming.

"Hey, who are you? Why are you outside Father's place of seclusion?"

A carriage drawn by several auspicious birds came through the air. A girl in a yellow dress, with bright eyes and pearly teeth, poked her head out and questioned Shi Zhao.

Shi Zhao blinked, seemingly recognizing the newcomer, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly.

"So it's little Sixteen. Haven't seen you in a few years. Don't recognize me anymore?"

With a light leap, she boarded the carriage before it could land and appeared before the girl in yellow, giving her a fright.

"You're..." Before the Sixteenth Princess could react, a pair of hands began kneading her cheeks. Her eyes widened, and certain memories came flooding back.

"Aaaah, it's you? Zhaoyang!!"

"Finally remembered, huh? Come on, let's catch up."

Shi Zhao laughed, scooped the Stone Emperor's most beloved daughter up around the waist, and ran off, leaving the birds pulling the carriage and the princess's maids and guards staring at one another.

Their princess had been abducted inside the Imperial Palace, but the culprit seemed to be a princess too?

"Ahem, she'll be fine. You can all go back." The Old Guard Captain appeared before the hall at some point, cleared his throat, and dismissed them.

He turned and entered the hall. "Your Majesty, was this part of your calculations too?"

"I'm merely letting them get reacquainted. They met in the Scripture Temple back then. Now that they've met again, it's good for them to grow closer," the Stone Emperor said.

Recalling what had happened back then, the Old Guard Captain's mouth twitched involuntarily.

At the time, Shi Zhao had been so absorbed in studying bone text that she practically lived in the Scripture Temple, and the Sixteenth Princess happened to visit during that same period.

But the way the two had become acquainted hardly seemed pleasant.

Initially, the Sixteenth Princess had approached Shi Zhao to greet her. However, Shi Zhao had been wholly focused on her studies and had no desire to waste time on the little girl who had come over.

Then she noticed that the little girl kept making noises beside her, scrunching up her face as she racked her brains. Unable to help herself, Shi Zhao had gone over and offered a few pointers.

She had left her with one final remark: "No matter how stupid someone is, surely they can still learn bone text?"

When had the little princess ever suffered such humiliation? She immediately flew into a rage.

And then... she meekly followed behind Shi Zhao, behaving herself perfectly.

"Come on, let me take a look."

"No way!"

"Be good and listen. Let me see whether you've improved over the years."

"No! Hit me if you dare... hey, you're actually doing it?"

After a friendly and affectionate exchange, Shi Zhao left in excellent spirits. She couldn't deal with the old geezer for now, but bullying his daughter was as easy as turning her hand.

Of course, teasing was teasing. She hadn't gone too far.

"Miss, that woman from the Rain Clan has been sent over. What should we do with her?" A Man came to ask.

"Who sent her? Make the Rain Clan bleed a little more to ransom her back," Shi Zhao said.

Earlier, she had only been deliberately provoking the Rain Clan. She hadn't actually wanted to take on a servant.

"Uh, she came of her own accord. She even said she wanted to follow you." A Man pouted, clearly already aware of everything that had happened earlier.

"Why do you look jealous? Don't worry. I have no plans to take on attendants for now. Working hard to improve my cultivation is what matters most. Besides, having you is enough, A Man."

Shi Zhao reached out and brushed a finger along her little maid's nose, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

A Man's pretty face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head to look at her toes. A maiden's blush outshone every beautiful view.

Only then did she seem to wake from a dream and bring up another matter with some concern.

After Third Grandfather had been escorted away the previous night, he had chosen to leave on his own.

"Third Grandfather told me not to tell you yet. He said his wish had been fulfilled. Having returned to the Imperial Capital once more, he had no regrets left for the rest of his life. Staying here would only make him a burden," A Man said.

"Where did he go?" Shi Zhao sighed softly.

"The Western Frontier."

Shi Zhao fell silent. That made sense. Where else could the old man go, apart from the Second Ancestral Land, where he had spent half his life? He had long since grown accustomed to everything there.

The glorious years of the past had all dissolved into bubbles and shadows. Better to find a familiar patch of earth and pass the remainder of his life there.

"Did Third Grandfather leave alone?" she asked.

"I secretly sent word to Martial King Manor. Fourth Grandfather accompanied him." A Man stuck out her little tongue, having firmly embraced the approach of acting first and reporting afterward.

Shi Zhao glared at her. So she was the only one who hadn't known?

After thinking it over, she decided to give A Man a small punishment for taking matters into her own hands. "I think you've been slacking in your cultivation lately. Stay here with Qingfeng and cultivate properly."

This had been Shi Zhao's intention all along. If they kept following her, her own cultivation was still shallow, and should anything truly go wrong, she would struggle to protect them completely.

Another reason was that everyone's path of cultivation was different. She felt that quiet, secluded cultivation suited A Man and Qingfeng better. Their progress had already been held back somewhat in Stone Village.

Since they had a choice, why make them suffer alongside her?

Only after spending another few days with the two did Shi Zhao steel herself and slip away quietly.

Still, wandering around the Imperial Palace over those few days had brought her some unexpected gains.

"A few traces left by that ancient God-Striking Stone. A pity there's so little-just a stray scale and half a claw, not even enough to piece together a single fragmentary move," she said regretfully.

Among the Ten Fiends, the most mysterious was actually the God-Striking Stone. Only a handful had existed throughout the ages. Its Precious Technique had rarely circulated in the world, and no one even knew exactly what made it so heaven-defying.

After turning it over in her mind, Shi Zhao recalled that the God-Striking Stone seemed to possess several traits: evolving by eating earth, being indestructible, and always hitting its target when thrown.

Evolving by eating earth sounded ordinary, but it was anything but simple. Its potential for growth was extraordinarily high. Meanwhile, its indestructibility resembled the Indestructible Scripture, both boasting peerless defense. She wondered whether there was any connection between them.

Always hitting its target was particularly impressive. If it involved cause and effect, then it truly defied the heavens.

As for its understanding of formation patterns, she didn't know whether that was learned afterward or grasped innately. As a natural-born divine stone, it seemed reasonable that it could harmonize with the Dao.

"It's also possible that every God-Striking Stone's Precious Technique develops through its own continuous evolution, so they aren't all identical." Shi Zhao felt

that this might be the truth.

Start with a stone, evolve entirely by eating earth, and once it reached a certain level, its Precious Technique would manifest on its own.

Meanwhile, over those few days, the Imperial Capital had been anything but peaceful.

The Rain Clan had undoubtedly been thrust into the teeth of the storm. The imperial guards' deployment had stirred up towering waves that surged among the major powers.

Everyone knew that the Rain Clan had provoked the imperial family this time. A host of its experts had been dragged into the Heavenly Prison, and it had paid an unimaginable price to settle the matter.

"Have you heard? The Double Pupils One has appeared. He's setting up an arena in the Rain King Mansion and has declared that anyone under thirteen can come fight him."

"Heh, the Rain Clan has really worked its abacus well. They've brought in the Double Pupils One to suppress the Imperial Capital's younger generation and restore their reputation."

"Who doesn't know that most of the most talented children of kings and marquises are away cultivating? Some have even joined the Primordial Divine Mountain. Who here can stand against the Double Pupils One now?"

The moment Shi Zhao stepped outside, she heard the news and grinned. She turned toward the Rain King Mansion, ready to join the fun.