Chapter Sixteen: Return to the Jiang Family

Jiang Family Villa.

Jiang Mingqian beamed at Jiang Wangshu, his face full of joy. “It’s good to have you back! It’s so good to have you back!”

He turned and shouted at the servants, “Quick, make some of Xiao Shu’s favorite dishes!”

Mu Guannan came down from upstairs, her face also alight with happiness. “Xiao Shu, you’ve finally come home! Your father has been so worried about you…”

Her concern seemed utterly sincere, as if she were truly a loving mother.

Jiang Wanwan followed close behind, her smile sweet. “Sister, you’re back!”

The moment Jiang Wangshu saw Jiang Wanwan, a flicker passed through her eyes. Her thumb unconsciously rubbed the knuckle of her forefinger before she smiled and spoke, “Dad, Auntie, it’s really been so hard being away…”

Jiang Mingqian was momentarily surprised, but his smile only grew brighter, laughter ringing out as he placed a sturdy hand on her shoulder and ushered her inside.

“Wonderful, wonderful! Xiao Shu, you don’t hold a grudge against your father—what a relief!”

Everything seemed harmonious, laughter and warmth filling the air.

Jiang Wangshu gazed at the sumptuous table laid with spiritual delicacies, pinched her thigh hard, and with tears shimmering in her eyes, she said, “It’s been so long since I’ve had such a rich dinner! Before, if I came home late, I couldn’t even find a steamed bun.”

A flicker of panic crossed Mu Guannan’s face, but before she could explain, Jiang Mingqian interjected, “From now on, Xiao Shu, whatever you want to eat, just say the word.”

His gaze skimmed over Mu Guannan and landed on the cook standing by. “Madam Liu, from now on, let Miss Xiao Shu’s preferences take precedence in preparing the spiritual meals.”

Madam Liu instinctively looked to Mu Guannan.

Mu Guannan forced a smile. “Miss Xiao Shu is the Jiang family’s treasure, of course her wishes come first.”

Jiang Wanwan was just about to speak up for her mother when Mu Guannan discreetly nudged her and shook her head.

Biting back her resentment, Jiang Wanwan lowered her head, hiding her expression.

Madam Liu hurriedly bowed her head in assent.

Jiang Wangshu immediately called to mind every precious spiritual delicacy she knew, listing them all one by one. When she finished, she turned to Jiang Mingqian, her eyes brimming with tears. “Daddy, these were always Wanwan’s before. May I have them now?”

Jiang Wanwan’s composure cracked. These nourishing foods that improved cultivation—she was only allowed to have them once every two weeks, and now Jiang Wangshu had claimed them all. What would she eat? She didn’t want her cultivation to crawl along like a turtle’s.

“Dad…” Pain shot through her waist—a silent warning from her mother’s earlier advice—so she swallowed her protest.

She poked at the spirit-infused rice, watching Jiang Mingqian and Jiang Wangshu chatting and laughing together, unable to eat a bite.

They had spent ten years driving a wedge between father and daughter, yet it couldn’t compare to Jiang Wangshu’s simple return. In the blink of an eye, their relationship had healed as if nothing had ever happened. At this rate, would there be anything left in the Jiang family for her?

Still…

A sudden thought brought a faint, secretive smile to Jiang Wanwan’s lips as she looked at Jiang Wangshu, her eyes flashing with barely concealed smugness.

Jiang Wangshu kept up the charade with Jiang Mingqian, reaping a reward of a hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones, some Qi Nourishing and Calming Pills, and a scattering of trinkets.

Back in her room, she used her system’s scanning function to make sure there were no formations in place, then let her smile drop in an instant.

She tossed everything Jiang Mingqian had given her onto the table and began to search the room.

Not in the jewelry box.

Not in the bookshelf.

Not in the wardrobe, either.

In no time, her orderly room was in complete disarray.

Earlier today, when she’d unlocked her eighteenth domain, a memory from the original owner had suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Before her mother died, she had given her a bright green feather pendant and urged her to never let it leave her side.

Unfortunately, the original owner had eventually forgotten about it. For some reason, that memory had surfaced in her mind with striking clarity.

It was as if she had lived through it herself.

Her mother’s gentle voice seemed to linger in her ears, filling her with an urgent need to find the pendant.

It wasn’t really her concern, and yet she couldn’t let it go. In the end, it was what brought her back to the Jiang family.

But where could it be?

Jiang Wangshu looked at the chaos she’d made of her room, then glanced at the system in her mind.

Database update: 80% complete…

For now, she could only rely on the system.

She put the room back in order, went to the bathroom to fetch a cup, filled it with water, then pulled out a small water pouch from her pocket and released the little black fish inside.

The little black fish flicked its gauzy black tail, its golden eyes filled with naked discontent as it blew a string of bubbles.

Jiang Wangshu tapped the side of the cup. “Keep watch tonight. If you wake me up, I’ll make you suffer again.”

The little black fish sulkily turned its back on her, flicking its tail. He hadn’t surrendered to her—no, it was just that the memory of that soul-wrenching pain was still too vivid.

He’d once heard humans say, “Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west—never underestimate a youth.”

He had no choice for now, but he didn’t believe he’d be powerless a hundred years from now.

If nothing else, he could outlive her.

Hmph! Mere humans—how could they compare to the ocean folk, whose lifespans rivaled the heavens?

Jiang Wangshu, of course, had no idea what he was plotting.

She was truly exhausted today.

First the exam, then scrounging for usable talismans at noon, and fighting monsters in the afternoon… it was all just too much.

The next moment, deep, even breathing sounded from the soft bed.

The little black fish glanced around, left a sliver of his mind on alert, and began to cultivate in silence.

In Jiang Wanwan’s room—

“Aaah! Mother, I’m going to explode!” Jiang Wanwan screamed in frustration, stamping her feet.

“Did you see how smug that wretch Jiang Wangshu looked? We’ve slaved away for Uncle Jiang all these years—did we ever get anything like that?”

Mu Guannan looked at her daughter with a headache. She’d suffered much in her own youth, so she’d always been indulgent with her only child, but she hadn’t expected to raise her to be so short-sighted.

“Wanwan, calm yourself.”

Seeing her mother’s displeasure, Jiang Wanwan could only pout and sit down, her voice plaintive. “If you hadn’t arrived in time today, I would have died in that beast horde.”

Remembering how Jiang Wangshu had flung her into the monsters, Jiang Wanwan’s fear surged anew.

That wretch could turn on someone in an instant—just a few words, and she’d thrown her straight into the beasts, clearly out for her life.

Mu Guannan recalled the scene, fear knotting in her heart. Her urge to lecture melted away, her gaze turning cold and ruthless.

“Don’t worry, Wanwan. I won’t let anyone bully you. There will be someone to deal with Jiang Wangshu.”

She had already reported Jiang Wangshu’s situation to the master. Jiang Wangshu wouldn’t be smug for long.

In fact, Jiang Wangshu had walked right into their hands. She would make sure to keep a close eye on her and not let her leave the Jiang family.

She had no idea what tricks Jiang Wangshu had up her sleeve, but once she left their sight, no amount of tracking could find her.

She couldn’t afford to let her escape again.

In the Jiang family’s study—

Jiang Mingqian lay on a wooden rocking chair, holding an object aloft, his mind whirling.

A lush green feather pendant, clearly carved from jade, yet each barb was distinct, the feather itself supple, as if it would flutter in the breeze. In the moonlight, it glowed with a gentle luster, obviously no ordinary object.