“It seems that the Wu family is going to marry off their legitimate daughter, and that must be referring to Wu Zhi alone, right?”
After his yuan-shen returned to his body, Wu Ming, who had been sitting cross-legged in the inn’s side room, stood up, slightly frowning: “It’s come to this; it appears this girl is in a weak position. I wonder whether Senior Sister Wu Qing has been implicated?”
“It looks like I must return immediately…”
Undeniably, since their late-night conversation over wine at the small pavilion, his impression of Wu Zhi had indeed changed somewhat, although he had not developed any romantic feelings for her.
“Hmm? I feel admiration for Wu Zhi, but not much romantic affection! My current emotional turmoil is partly due to worrying about Wu Qing being implicated, and partly because of my deep-rooted chauvinistic tendencies. After all, she might very well be my fiancée in name, even though I haven’t acknowledged it. Before I actively give up, if someone else intervenes, I feel a bit annoyed…”
Cultivators are selfish by nature. Even if Wu Qing were captured now and used to threaten him, unless he was overpowered, Wu Ming estimated he would more likely turn tail and flee immediately, waiting until his martial cultivation reached completion before returning for revenge. This would be even more true regarding Wu Zhi.
“Still, we have our karmic connection… Within my capabilities, I should still offer some protection… Of course, if the situation becomes unmanageable, I’m not the kind of hot-blooded hero who persists in the face of the impossible…”
“After all, I’m still that transmigrated person…”
A faint expression of peculiarity crossed Wu Ming’s face.
In Yunping County, at the Wu family’s fortress.
“Halt… Huh? Master Ming!”
Zhao Song, who was leading a patrol, saw Wu Ming approaching. He was first startled, then rubbed his eyes, looked again, and immediately became delighted: “Master Ming has returned!”
He stepped forward to bow respectfully: “You’ve been gone for over a month, which has greatly worried the young mistress…”
“Mm… I know.”
Wu Ming waved his hand and walked through the gate first.
Frankly speaking, after living in the Fusang world for five or six years, this body had matured from fifteen or sixteen to over twenty. However, since he had attained his Daoist cultivation, his appearance had forever frozen at eighteen—eternally youthful. Compared to before, he had lost his youthful naivety and gained more maturity and elegance, though at a glance, there seemed little change.
“Greetings, Master Ming!”
Inside the mansion, Wu’s steward, Wu Tiehu, and several housekeeping matrons came forward to pay their respects. Li Xiuyun, blushing, also stepped forward with a curtsy, her face showing joy.
“Hmph! You still remember to come back?”
Inside the main hall, Wu Qing, dressed as a Daoist nun, glared at him with her phoenix eyes brimming with anger.
“I was unavoidably delayed… Sister should have received my Dao-message already, right?”
Wu Ming sat down casually, leisurely stretching: “This time, being cut off from the world for over a month, I gained greatly!”
“At least you didn’t die out there!”
Wu Qing had a sharp tongue but a soft heart. Guessing that Wu Ming had gone to complete a cycle task, she had been quite anxious. Only after receiving his Dao-message did she feel slightly reassured.
“Ah?”
At this moment, carefully observing Wu Ming, she couldn’t help but express surprise again.
“You… you… you…”
In Wu Qing’s eyes, Wu Ming’s appearance had slightly changed; he had grown taller, but that was secondary. The key was that he exuded a Daoist aura, every movement natural and harmonious, his qi hidden yet unfathomable. She was greatly shocked: “You… you’ve become a Daoist Immortal?”
Achieving Immortality grants a lifespan of two hundred years. More importantly, one’s yuan-shen remains conscious after death, enabling immediate reincarnation or transmigration. At the very least, one can follow the path of deities—a great achievement and blessing! Among countless disciples in Daoist academies, fewer than one in a hundred ever attain this. Unexpectedly, Wu Ming had directly achieved it.
“Just fortunate!”
Wu Ming glanced at Wu Qing and noticed that her inner qi was still a deep red with a stubborn streak of white, immediately realizing she was still stuck at the final stage.
Breaking through this bottleneck requires either great fortune or persistent cultivation—there is no room for slack.
However, Wu Ming himself had solidified his foundation over several years in Fusang and had even begun advancing toward the rank of Celestial Master, everything proceeding naturally.
“Breaking through to Immortality is neither easy nor difficult. With your cultivation and fortune, Senior Sister, you should easily surpass this bottleneck. But now, you’re hindered—are you entangled with other sects? The Wu family?”
At this point, Wu Ming’s cultivation surpassed Wu Qing’s, so he spoke in a didactic tone.
Wu Qing possessed great fortune and talent. If she focused solely on cultivation without external distractions, breaking through the bottleneck would be effortless. However, now she was entangled in external fortune and burdened by calamities.
“Pity… With my current authority, I still can’t erase the mark of the cycle on Wu Qing…”
Observing closely, Wu Qing’s anomalies could not hide from Wu Ming’s eyes. Even the cycle participant’s aura on her was completely visible under his authority as a Master Controller, prompting Wu Ming to silently sigh.
“It’s said that the Wu family intends to marry Wu Zhi to the son of the Ding Marquis. Senior Sister previously helped Wu Zhi, so your fortunes are entangled. When her fortune declined, it immediately affected your cultivation?”
Wu Ming shook his head. This was the “calamity” of cultivators—mysterious yet perceptible to him.
“Correct!”
Wu Qing nodded, her beautiful eyes scanning Wu Ming’s figure repeatedly: “A true Immortal’s insight is indeed profound. But how did you know about the Wu family?”
“Just happened to hear about it… I wonder how Wu Zhi plans to respond?”
The customs of the Zhou dynasty resembled those of ancient times in his past life, where marriage for women followed parental decrees and matchmakers’ words, with personal wishes barely counting.
Especially in aristocratic families, the clan leader often held absolute power over life and death, commanding immense authority.
“Although the previous incident intimidated Wu Zhi’s elder and second brothers, it also alerted the Wu family’s patriarch. I think her current challenge will be difficult…”
Wu Qing sighed, a trace of sorrow evident on her face, prompting Wu Ming to silently sigh again.
He knew that both women possessed the “Phoenix Fate,” naturally entangled, and their subsequent actions had deepened this karmic bond, pulling Wu Qing completely into it. If she abandoned Wu Zhi, Wu Qing might never break through to Immortality!
“In the end, this is also partially my fault. If it weren’t for Wu Qing seeking a future path for her wayward younger brother, she wouldn’t have partnered with Wu Zhi, agreeing to alter her fate and getting deeper involved…”
As an Immortal, with profound insight into causality and fortune, Wu Ming instantly grasped everything.
“To resolve this, the lower strategy is to ignore everything, remain passive, and simply watch Wu Zhi succeed or fail. The middle strategy is for me to personally intervene, performing rituals to sever the entanglements and then gradually repairing Wu Qing’s foundation. The best strategy, however, is to unravel the root cause, fulfilling Wu Qing’s promise directly, which could help Wu Qing achieve clarity and possibly break through her bottleneck…”
Wu Ming sighed inwardly. Altering fate was extremely difficult. Without his intervention this time, Wu Qing and Wu Zhi would have faced a deadly deadlock!
He calmly asked: “Is Wu Zhi planning a coup?”
Wu Qing shuddered, waved her hand, instantly sealing the surroundings with a Daoist technique, her expression turning solemn: “Correct! She is preparing to mobilize forces to force her father to step down, transferring the clan leadership to her, even planning to declare herself the military governor of the Southern Phoenix Army and establish her own domain!”
“Indeed…”
Wu Ming sighed: “What great ambition… but without favorable timing, it will ultimately lead to self-destruction!”
Dingzhou had seven commanderies. During the chaos, two domains emerged. The Ding Marquis governed Dingyuan Commandery, and another military governor, Qi Lin, governed Pingshan Commandery—both were legitimate and powerful, collecting taxes independently and appointing their own officials, effectively local emperors.
Now, two more commanderies, Chufeng and Nanfeng, had emerged.
However, the Wu family in Nanfeng had sidelined the governor, while the Li family in Chufeng still relied on imperial authority—these were merely nominal vassals, with officials still needing official appointments from the court, effectively possessing power without official recognition.
Now Wu Zhi’s move was to “legitimize” her position.
“What a bold girl! Her ambition likely sees formal recognition as only the first step. The second will be to conquer Chufeng Commandery, thereby ruling two commanderies, gaining immense prestige to suppress opposition… However, this plan is extremely risky—success brings smooth sailing, while failure leads to irreversible disaster…”
Wu Ming faintly perceived Wu Zhi’s ambition for Dingzhou, sighing inwardly.
With such strategy and courage, if she were a man, she would undoubtedly become a warlord in chaotic times. Unfortunately, she was a woman…
“Exactly… This plan is too risky. I’ve advised Wu Zhi similarly, but she insists on her own way!”
Wu Qing said: “Although she previously participated in major affairs in Nanfeng, stepping into the spotlight is entirely different, especially regarding the struggle for supremacy?”
Although the “Phoenix Fate” is extremely auspicious, it can only benefit a husband, not be used directly by the woman herself!
Wu Zhi’s approach was walking a tightrope, traversing mountains of blades and seas of fire, even more perilous than that.
“When does Wu Zhi plan to act?”
“In seven days!”
“If I hadn’t returned, I suspect Senior Sister Wu Qing would have forcibly altered her fate by now?”
Wu Ming glanced at Wu Qing, knowing her outwardly strong but inwardly even stronger nature, similar to Wu Zhi’s.
Indeed, Wu Qing’s delicate face flushed pink, showing a hint of embarrassment at being seen through.
“Alright… Wait for three days first. Let me meditate and divine the heavenly fate before deciding further!”
Wu Ming closed his eyes for a while, observing Wu Qing’s fortune. He saw heavy calamity suppressing both internal and external fortune, giving a sense of instability, prompting him to speak gravely.
Fearing her recklessness, he carefully warned: “Altering fate concerns the fortune of both the Wu and Wu families. Senior Sister, please don’t act rashly. Otherwise, if it fails, I will also be implicated!”
“Hmph! Do you think I would be so reckless?”
Wu Qing snorted coldly, turning her back, her delicate hand secretly clenching tightly as she silently thought: “An Immortal! If I could attain Immortality sooner, I wouldn’t need my younger brother’s help anymore! Wu Qing, Wu Qing, didn’t you swear to protect your younger brother? How could you be so useless now?”
Given the gravity of the situation, Wu Ming disregarded Wu Qing’s feelings and directly entered the secret chamber to begin divining the heavenly fate.
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