“What is on the lowest floor of the underground section?”
Before the final gate, the Third Elder stopped Su Liumeng, who was planning to enter. Through a small crack in the gate, an unending aura of blood surged toward the ceiling. Behind it felt like a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
An angry roar echoed—a sound that did not seem like it could be produced by a human. It was thick and filled with rage. Heavy iron chains dragged across the ground, clattering as they were swung repeatedly. The seals of the dungeon flickered incessantly before finally being suppressed by the formation.
“Great Elder, you cannot go in there easily.”
“This person has already mastered the mysteries of creation. As the formation continuously absorbs their luck, their strength also grows.”
“This individual is a nameless powerhouse who was captured and thrown into this dungeon 550 years ago by the Twelfth Ancestor during his later years.”
“As for what heinous crimes they committed, the Twelfth Ancestor did not inform the clan.”
The Thirteenth Ancestor had lived to be 500 years old. One strand of Source Qi could increase one’s lifespan by 100 years. For this person to have been captured by the Twelfth Ancestor meant they had lived for at least 600 years. They had already been a Source Rank powerhouse 550 years ago.
Su Liumeng furrowed her brows as she gazed at the seal ahead, her curiosity not enough to make her open it.
‘What is their rank now?’
‘5-Source, or perhaps 6-Source?’
Regardless of the answer, they were an invincible powerhouse rarely seen in the world. Su Liumeng had read the descriptions of the Twelfth Ancestor’s deeds on the stone inscriptions; he had been much more spectacular than the Thirteenth Ancestor. His strength in his later years was likely around 5-Source.
Su Liumeng’s thoughts raced before she silently turned away. “Let us go back.”
She paused for a second before adding, “Find an opportunity to kill him.”
“Keeping a bomb that cannot be controlled once released in the core area of the Su family is simply giving the enemy an opportunity to break us from the inside. Many powerhouses have already been sacrificed to this formation’s eye; it is not as if the formation will cease to function without him.”
“Understood.”
As they passed the Fourth Supreme Elder, the one-armed old man remained sitting in meditation.
Su Liumeng had originally intended to bypass him. However, having been ignored by others so many times, perhaps the memories of the former eldest young lady resurfaced. Unable to fully control her instincts, she casually kicked the Fourth Supreme Elder’s heel as she walked by.
The Third Elder was stunned.
Su Liumeng: “…”
The Fourth Supreme Elder: “?”
The body, which looked like a dried corpse, began to move again. His joints emitted a series of creaks and groans, like a pile of rusted machinery being wound up.
“You — are very good.”
“I am no match for you.”
The Fourth Supreme Elder opened his clouded eyes. He was the one with the lowest strength among the Supreme Elders. He was the Great Elder from two generations ago.
“The blue comes from the indigo but excels it. The younger generation truly surpasses the old.”
“This generation of the Su family has good potential.” The Fourth Supreme Elder closed his eyes once more. “I need to maintain minimal life activity to remain in this world for a few more years. Unless something major happens, do not disturb my meditation.”
“My apologies.”
The corners of Su Liumeng’s mouth twitched. Under the Third Elder’s frantic, eye-twitching hints, she submissively let herself be pulled away by her sleeve.
After leaving the dungeon, the Third Elder breathed a long sigh of relief. “How strange. You actually weren’t scolded.”
“I remember the last person who disturbed the Fourth Supreme Elder’s seclusion was beaten until his head was covered in lumps on the spot.”
Su Liumeng remained silent for a second. “Perhaps… it is because he cannot beat me?”
The Third Elder became even more surprised, her gaze as if she were looking at a monster. “Wait, how old are you this year? You just took over the position of Great Elder, yet even the Fourth Supreme Elder is no match for you?”
“Freak.” The old woman looked at her own aging body and could not accept reality for a long while. Finally, two words popped out of her mouth, though they did not sound much like a compliment.
Su Liumeng’s back stiffened for a moment before she continued walking forward as if nothing had happened.
“Thank you for the compliment. My wife says the same about me.”
The old woman fell silent again. Even while out on official business, she was being fed “dog food.”
The Su family had seven grand elders with actual power, each with their own corresponding responsibilities. The authority Su Liumeng had to familiarize herself with and take over was far more than what could be finished in a single night.
The next was the Fourth Elder.
***
The next day.
I opened my eyes to the sound of a dog barking. My gaze was calm, and my words did not sound angry. “Where did this stray dog come from?”
Si Zhizuo shrunk her neck.
She was definitely angry. The irritability from not getting enough sleep was the most severe kind. It was only when she woke her mother up that she didn’t have a terrible temper.
“Chunqiao.” I ignored my daughter’s small movements and called out loudly toward the screen outside the palace chamber.
The number of personal servants now was several times more than before. The head maids were still Chunqiao and Chunlan. The two of them took turns on duty, so one of them was always staying the night.
Chunqiao kept her head low, not looking at the girl on the bed.
Si Zhizuo sat up and looked at the maid. “You don’t need to handle it. I’ll be right back.”
In the blink of an eye, Si Zhizuo had already returned to her original spot.
Zhizhi’s cold gaze gradually softened, and the dark aura around her body retracted. “There was a little dog that wandered in by mistake. It has been dealt with.”
“How did you deal with it?” My brows furrowed.
Si Zhizuo’s tone softened along with her body. The temperament of a supreme powerhouse vanished in a flash, and she turned back into a soft little ball. “I threw it back to its owner.”
“Mom didn’t think I slapped it to death, did you?”
That was how I had interpreted it. It seemed she had taken my words to heart.
I habitually pulled my daughter into my arms again. “Mm, very good. Stay and sleep with Mom for a while longer.”
Seeing that her mother was in a good mood, Si Zhizuo took the opportunity to complain. “Su Liumeng didn’t come back all night. Maybe she’s out looking for little fairies. Mom, aren’t you going to go catch her in the act?”
“Nonsense again.” I pinched her little hand. “Your head is filled with ‘little fairies’ all day long. You can’t say things like that next time.”
“She is just busy with affairs and has no time to come back and rest.”
“Go to sleep.”
Si Zhizuo lowered her head with a bit of regret.
‘Damn it.’
‘The plan to drive a wedge between them has failed again.’
‘Has their relationship already become this deep?’
She didn’t even need to feel suspicious; she could trust Su Liumeng unconditionally.
As Si Zhizuo watched her mother’s eyelids gradually close, she found herself unable to sleep.
‘Will going to the river to catch fish actually work?’
The results could be inferred from the firefly incident. Because her mother could not swim, she also might not necessarily like going into the water. If it was something she didn’t look forward to doing, it would simply turn into another task where she forced herself to overcome her emotions because of her daughter’s request.
If the process was like that, the result was obvious. It certainly wouldn’t be like what she had envisioned; her mother wouldn’t reclaim her youthful heart.
‘What exactly do I need to do to make Mom stop being so lifeless?’
‘Even if she doesn’t have vivid expressions, she should at least look forward to her own future.’
Now, she completely didn’t care about herself anymore. Every time Si Zhizuo thought about this, her breathing became inexplicably difficult.
“Baby, what are you thinking about instead of sleeping?” I opened my eyes and looked calmly at my daughter, the concern in my gaze nearly overflowing.
A few days ago, I had sensed my daughter’s abnormality. However, I had never been able to grasp the key issue.
“Daughter isn’t thinking about anything.” Si Zhizuo curled her small body inward.
Mom smelled wonderful. Being held in her arms provided a great sense of security, which was also when she slept the soundest.
“If something is wrong, you must tell Mom, do you hear me?” I shook my daughter’s body to emphasize.
Her breathing had already become steady. Her whole person was like a sleeping kitten; no matter how much I shook her, there was no reaction.
My gaze became increasingly helpless.
‘This girl.’
I wasn’t sure if she was doing it on purpose, but she had happened to fall asleep just as I intended to question her.
Si Zhizuo was secretly faking sleep, her small hands actually clutching the corner of her mother’s clothes. In the next second, her eyelashes trembled unconsciously, but it went unseen.
‘Such a crude plan… thinking about it now, it’s completely unfeasible.’
‘Mom’s logical thinking is already deeply rooted.’
‘This is something that is almost impossible to achieve by relying solely on myself.’
‘I must form an alliance with Su Liumeng.’
‘We need to discuss a strategy.’