Xu Wanci waited an entire day and night.
Her courtyard seemed sealed off—not a single soul appeared, not even a fly.
Bathing in the morning sunlight, Xu Wanci slowly closed her eyes, veiling the confusion in her gaze.
Had Sect Leader Ning issued some kind of order?
Based on her understanding of him, leaving a defensive artifact on her should have been enough. It was unlikely he would issue a separate command concerning her.
As for the two elders from the Enforcement Hall, they wouldn’t go out of their way to interfere either.
Assuming Sect Leader Ning and the others had indeed left a defensive artifact on her—how was it triggered?
And how strong was its protection?
The people who would normally trouble the original owner would have been the best test subjects, with both motive and controllable cultivation levels.
Xu Wanci quickly steadied her emotions.
She opened her eyes, suppressing a faint sense of regret, and calmly looked ahead.
In the original story, the female lead, Jiang Qiuning, would awaken soon.
Once she did, the Jiang family… the Taiqing Sect might not be able to suppress them anymore.
After all, the Jiangs were one of the three great clans of the cultivation world, with deep-rooted power. If they truly decided to kill her, even a defensive artifact from Sect Leader Ning might not be enough to save her.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.
From the moment she opened her eyes in this world, everything she had done was for the sake of survival.
Now, she had no time to test the hypothetical defensive artifact.
What she needed was to take the initiative—to dispel Jiang Qiuning’s hatred and suspicion of her.
At this thought, her long lashes trembled slightly.
For now, she only needed to test whether the artifact would hinder her plans.
On a cold jade bed that nourished the body and regulated spiritual energy lay a graceful figure.
Jiang Qiuning, the daughter of the Jiang family head, was the most talented and perceptive among her peers. Before even reaching a hundred years of age, she had been designated the next head of the Jiang family.
Yet now, she lay unconscious on the jade bed, her aura gradually stabilizing but her eyes still closed.
Chu Qingchuan sat at her bedside, his gaze filled with worry.
Just then, the woman who had slept for two days finally opened her eyes, revealing pupils as clear as autumn waters.
Chu Qingchuan’s voice brightened with relief. "Qiuning, you’re awake?"
Hearing him, Jiang Qiuning instinctively curved her lips into a soft smile.
She turned her head slightly, her jade-white fingers lightly resting over Chu Qingchuan’s hand on the bed. Her gaze was gentle. "Qingchuan, you’ve worried for me."
Chu Qingchuan clasped her hand in return, using his other arm to carefully help her sit up against the pillows.
Then, he brought a cup of rejuvenation water—kept warm by spiritual flames—to her lips, his voice tender.
"Qiuning, how do you feel now? Is there any discomfort?"
Jiang Qiuning took a small sip before reassuring him,
"You’ve forgotten—the artifact on me was enough to withstand the spiritual beast rampage. My coma was only due to the impact on my spiritual energy, which loosened my cultivation barrier."
"In a way, this was a blessing in disguise. I’m now just a step away from mid-stage Nascent Soul. A breakthrough shouldn’t be far off."
She leaned back slightly, signaling for him to set the cup aside, and blinked before asking,
"Did anything happen while I was asleep?"
The moment the question left her lips, she noticed the faint stiffness in Chu Qingchuan’s expression.
Pretending not to notice, she continued smoothly,
"Or is it just exhaustion from worrying over me?"
Chu Qingchuan exhaled imperceptibly. He still hadn’t figured out how to explain the matter of Xu Wanci to Jiang Qiuning.
After all, Xu Wanci had indeed done wrong. Even if there were reasons, it didn’t erase the harm done to Qiuning.
A pang of guilt pricked at his heart.
He set the cup aside and spoke with even more gentleness. "You’ve just woken up. Focus on recovering first."
"There will be time for everything else later."
Jiang Qiuning’s brows lifted slightly before she nodded agreeably.
News of Jiang Qiuning’s awakening spread quickly, drawing many disciples close to her and Chu Qingchuan to visit.
Duan Ziwei, upon hearing the news, immediately tore a teleportation talisman and appeared at her door in an instant.
Chu Qingchuan frowned at the disturbance and stepped out to intercept him.
"Duan Ziwei, Qiuning needs rest—"
Before he could finish, Duan Ziwei cut him off with a scoff.
"If Qiuning needs rest, then why are you still here?"
He gave Chu Qingchuan a once-over before lifting a storage pouch brimming with treasures.
"She’s been unconscious for days. She’ll need rare materials to recover properly."
Crossing his arms, he added with a condescending smirk, "Then again, someone of your… humble origins wouldn’t understand."
Just then, a soft voice from inside diffused the tension.
"Qingchuan, let him in."
Chu Qingchuan froze. Qiuning rarely contradicted him in front of others—why today?
Duan Ziwei didn’t wait for his reaction. Brushing past him with a smug grin, he strode inside.
Jiang Qiuning greeted him with a nod. "Duan Daoist."
Then, to Chu Qingchuan behind him, she explained gently,
"Many must have been worried during my coma. It’s only right to reassure them today."
Her voice softened further.
"After this, I’ll rest properly. Alright?"
Chu Qingchuan’s stiff expression eased. He smiled faintly. "Of course."
Duan Ziwei had no interest in watching their affectionate exchange. He nudged Chu Qingchuan aside and eagerly placed his storage pouch on the table.
Before he could speak further, more disciples arrived to pay their respects.
Soon, the area around the Ruoxu Pavilion buzzed with activity.
Amid the chatter, everyone competed to express their concern.
Jiang Qiuning handled them with effortless grace, her smile never wavering. With just a few words, she soothed the crowd, leaving each person feeling uniquely valued.
When the room settled, she barely needed to ask—her slightest curiosity prompted eager explanations.
One of her close friends spoke up first. "Young Mistress Jiang, you wouldn’t believe what’s happened these past days…"
Then, remembering the events involved Xu Wanci—and the recent rumors between Xu Wanci and Chu Qingchuan—she hesitated.
After a cautious glance at Chu Qingchuan, she coughed and said,
"Who knows what Xu Wanci did? After harming you, she walked out of the Enforcement Hall without punishment! She’s still safe and sound in the Sword Peak!"
Upon hearing her words, Jiang Qiuning’s face flickered with rare astonishment.
Xu Wanci… wasn’t punished?
Instinctively, she turned her gaze toward Chu Qingchuan. When she saw him avert his eyes, countless thoughts raced through her mind.
Yet in the end, she merely wore an expression of magnanimity and said, "The judgment of the Discipline Hall’s elders must have its reasons."
"Perhaps I was prejudiced and wronged her."
At this, one disciple couldn’t hold back:
"I bet Xu Wanci used some underhanded trick to deceive the elders!"
Another disciple nearby quickly chimed in:
"Exactly! When Xu Wanci attacked, so many of us were there. Are you saying we all saw wrong?"
"That’s right! A scheming wretch like Xu Wanci is a disgrace to the Taiqing Sect. If you ask me, even if she isn’t executed, she should at least be expelled!"
Soon, the crowd erupted into a clamor of condemnation against Xu Wanci.
Chu Qingchuan listened to their voices, his brow furrowing imperceptibly, but in the end, he said nothing.
Duan Ziwei, who knew the truth, clenched his fists tightly. Just as he was about to speak, a faint set of footsteps sounded from outside the door.
The others heard it too, and their eyes turned toward the newcomer in unison.
It was an excessively slender figure, with features as delicate as a painting and a sickly pallor to her face. The blue robes she wore only accentuated the cold, distant aura around her.
That was… Xu Wanci?
Once they recognized her, disgust filled their eyes.
Chu Qingchuan’s emotions were a tangled mess he couldn’t even begin to unravel: Had Xu Wanci come here… because of him?
Did she realize her feelings for him…?
He moved protectively in front of Jiang Qiuning but, unusually, remained silent.
Jiang Qiuning glanced at Chu Qingchuan, and though her expression didn’t change, her heart sank at the hesitation in his eyes.
Meanwhile, Duan Ziwei froze for a moment upon seeing Xu Wanci. His ingrained impressions of her made him instinctively rise to shield Jiang Qiuning.
After all, the accusations Chu Qingchuan had made about Xu Wanci hadn’t been proven yet.
But Xu Wanci harming Jiang Qiuning? That was indisputable, with both witnesses and evidence.
Now that Jiang Qiuning had just woken up, what if Xu Wanci tried to hurt her again—?
Duan Ziwei’s mind raced with ways to restrain Xu Wanci while minimizing harm to her.
Under the weight of everyone’s loathing and shock, Xu Wanci stepped forward, one slow footfall at a time.
Even though the door was open, she still raised her hand and knocked lightly three times.
Perhaps from disuse, her voice carried a faint rasp:
"May I come in?"
She stood at the threshold, her gaze fixed calmly on Jiang Qiuning, who sat on the bed. Her eyes were solemn, tinged with an inescapable remorse.
Jiang Qiuning studied this version of Xu Wanci, and a sliver of wariness rose in her heart:
To harm her and still walk free from the Discipline Hall… and now, to even have some influence over Chu Qingchuan…
This Xu Wanci was unfamiliar, and that made her all the more dangerous.
Jiang Qiuning was certain Xu Wanci was putting on an act.
But she wanted to see what game she was playing.
Her voice was cool as she replied, "Come in."
Xu Wanci felt the weight of their hatred, their vigilance, even their desire to see her dead—yet her expression remained serene.
Calm, even expectant, she took step after step forward. Her eyes held regret, but also a quiet relief, as if she were nearing release.
Jiang Qiuning sensed something unusual in Xu Wanci’s aura, and for a fleeting moment, confusion flickered in her heart—before it hardened into caution.
Her tone was indifferent as she asked, "What brings you here today, Xu Wanci?"
Xu Wanci had always been acutely sensitive to others’ emotions. She could easily detect the wariness and disgust beneath Jiang Qiuning’s composed facade.
Her gaze was sincere, unwavering, as she met Jiang Qiuning’s eyes:
"The injuries you suffered that day were my fault."
"I heard you had awakened, so I came to apologize."
The moment she spoke, skepticism filled the disciples’ eyes:
Xu Wanci, here to apologize?
Impossible.
Now that she’d been released by the Discipline Hall and even caught Sect Leader Ning’s attention, why would she meekly come to apologize?
This had to be a wolf in sheep’s clothing—she must have ulterior motives!
She probably just made up an excuse to see Senior Brother Chu.
Everyone knew about Xu Wanci’s infatuation with Chu Qingchuan. What other reason could there be?
Even Chu Qingchuan and Duan Ziwei wore traces of doubt.
Jiang Qiuning listened, her expression unchanging:
Was Xu Wanci playing some reverse psychology, or was she plotting something else?
Xu Wanci seemed oblivious to the scrutiny. Her focus remained steady, her voice carrying an unprecedented gravity:
"Within my bones and blood grows a Midnight Frost Orchid."
"I offer it as my apology. I hope Sect Heir Jiang will not find it unworthy."
At her words, the skepticism in the onlookers’ eyes vanished, replaced by stunned silence:
A Midnight Frost Orchid?!
Had Xu Wanci lost her mind, giving away such a priceless treasure?!
