While fighting these absurd ideas in my mind, I suddenly noticed a crushed paper crane by my pillow.
It had been squished into a strange shape when I turned over in my sleep.
My heart moved; I already guessed whose paper crane it was.
I carefully unfolded it.
A glowing message floated in the air.
[Message to my wife.]
[Training on the back mountain, don’t worry.]
Looking at the words in the sky, my cheeks flushed a little.
I teased, “Aren’t you embarrassed by the cheesiness?”
“Writing such a short note, who’s it even for?”
At this point, deep within my consciousness, the little ball of energy leapt excitedly.
Yes!
The bad woman isn’t coming back.
Better if she never returns.
The little devil in my heart gleefully chirped.
Then Mom would belong only to me.
She’s not really a demon, but to others, it’s about the same.
Just a terrifying ghost standing on the path can scare countless people stiff.
“Mom, what are you planning to do today?”
That question definitely meant she wanted to go out.
Mainly, she wanted to go out with Mom.
“What to do? What can I do…”
What I could do was indeed a problem.
I thought about it, “Make you clothes?”
No, since she asked that, she must want to go out.
I tilted my head.
“Yesterday I made clothes, so today let’s do something else.”
“Eat…”
“Shall we go out for a walk?”
I already knew where the Su ancestral mansion was—a sort of lower-tier secret realm belonging to the world, with its own borders.
This small realm had mountains and water and was home to other prominent families.
Though I said “just a walk,” the playful part of me was already excited.
No hesitation—I set to work immediately.
I packed some barbecue tools into my spatial bag, a jade bracelet gleaming green on my wrist.
“Where are we going?”
“I don’t know either, just wandering around.”
I had some ideas but wasn’t ready to reveal the destination yet.
Maybe we could climb a mountain—there might be some cute rabbits to catch that would taste great.
Thinking of cute rabbits, my mouth started to water.
The little ball sensed Mom’s mood and also felt a little drool coming on.
“Mom!” The little one’s voice rose.
“What tasty thing are you thinking about?”
Her big eyes opened wider, almost clearly saying, “Tell me what you want to eat! Baby wants to eat too.”
“Um…” I dodged the question, “Of course, soft and fragrant little rabbit.”
“Rabbit, huh.” The little one slurped, “That is really cute…”
Ahem—
I suppressed my expression.
Calm, calm.
Can’t corrupt the little baby.
Not even born yet, but already turning into a foodie.
I called up Chunqiao and Chunlan, two locals, reported to the Elders, and stepped out of the Su mansion’s grand gate.
This was the first time since marriage that I left the enormous Su family.
“Miss, ahead is the Mo family’s territory.
Among the three top-tier great families, only the Mo family lives in this small secret realm.
The others live on the other side: the Xuanyuan, Shangguan, and Dongfang families.”
“Mo family, huh?” My eyes flickered.
It should be the Mo family that Shangguan Xiyue married into.
I didn’t know much about the Mo family or whether they trained their heirs the same way as the Su family.
The male party able to marry Shangguan Xiyue must hold a significant status—at least a notable young master.
I rubbed my throbbing temples.
Si Zhiruo clenched her tiny fists and suddenly interjected, “Mom, are you planning to wipe out the entire Mo family?”
The little one’s latent violent nature gave her an eager feeling.
I paused.
“…”
I wanted to knock her little head, but she wasn’t born yet.
I couldn’t just pat my own belly—that might cause contractions and who knew how painful that would be.
My raised hand couldn’t find a target, so it just drooped helplessly.
“Be cautious.”
I added, “At least… wait until they don’t break the engagement, then kill them.”
“You can’t let me have no chances.”
Shangguan Xiyue definitely didn’t want to marry.
I hate forced matches the most, and even more hate parents using children as tools.
The debt of giving birth is greater than the sky; children must obey unconditionally.
After hearing Su mother repeat this once more, it became the theory I despised most.
I have a daughter too.
Thinking about raising her that way, I’d strangle myself in the night to save her from such disgrace.
“Give a chance, then kill?”
Si Zhiruo’s expression stiffened.
Was it just her imagination?
It felt like Mom’s killing intent was no less than hers.
“Miss, do you want to make a formal visit?” Chunqiao hesitated.
“If it’s a formal visit, you need to submit documents in advance.
Su family members will appear, hand over a formal invitation slip that shows your identity.
The Mo family will then receive you with corresponding rank.”
“If it’s a spontaneous visit, you don’t need such formalities.
Just have the gatekeeper send a message, and you can enter to visit.”
Chunqiao was asking which approach I wanted.
Go in now? I hesitated, then made a decision.
The cat wasn’t with me.
I didn’t know anyone inside or even who I was going to attack.
Why bother going in?
Better to wait until I meet Shangguan Xiyue in the capital city.
As Shangguan Xiyue’s only close friend and sworn sibling,
I had full say over her marriage.
Inwardly, I kept snorting coldly.
Fine, she claimed her family was just a slightly wealthy clan already moved into this small world.
What kind of upstart could that be?
Every family that could live here was formidable.
Compared to the Su family, they were inconspicuous but still officially recognized, a giant admired by many outside.
“Next time.” I passed by the Mo family gate.
Many people nearby glanced at me.
As the newly married legitimate young lady of the Su family,
Though rarely going out, I had already gained some fame.
Below a mountain roughly two thousand meters tall,
Chunqiao looked at my big belly and, without worrying about boundaries, mustered courage to stop me.
“Miss, you can’t climb mountains… just walk around normally.
You can’t do such strenuous exercise.”
“Who said I want to climb mountains?” I glared at the maid.
Getting rejected outright, I stubbornly retorted.
She was good in every way except she meddled too much.
But it was for my own good.
“Just walk a bit higher. It’s not like we’re climbing mountains.
When we reach a clean spot, we’ll set up the cooking tools.”
Chunqiao glanced up.
About three hundred meters away, there was a relatively spacious clearing.
The little maid secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness it wasn’t far.
“Let me help you, Miss.”
“Okay.”
I didn’t insist on pretending I could climb mountains despite being close to delivery.
Chunlan went ahead, carefully clearing stones and any tripping hazards.
Watching the two maids busy about, a different idea came to me.
Why not take these two to the capital city?
Having served from childhood, Chunqiao and Chunlan handled every detail perfectly.
They were like two people in one, far better than any nanny or confinement lady.
“I’ll be returning to school in a few days.”
“Do you want to come with me?”
Although Su Liumeng had entrusted them to me, it was the modern era.
Talking about selling servitude contracts felt awkward.
So I gave them the right to refuse in a more gentle way.
Who knew the two nearly burst into tears upon hearing that.
“Miss has already entrusted us to you.
We were born to serve Miss, and will die for Miss.
How can you ask if we want to go?”
Chunqiao and Chunlan immediately knelt down.
They wondered if they had done something wrong since Miss changed her tone and was essentially sending them away.
Chunqiao trembled with fear lying there.
How could a master ask their servants’ will?
Even if the answer was no, it meant yes.
Once asked, of course, they’d overthink it.
I rubbed my temples painfully.
“Sorry to say it, you two should pack up these days, say goodbye to friends, handle things, and come with me to the capital in a few days.”
It was probably unnecessary.
I almost forgot.
The way Su family people and outsiders think may differ.
For these two maids raised from childhood, their master was their sky.
Everything said was law.
They spent their lives thinking of how to serve her.
Tell them modern logic and they might call you crazy.
Different worldviews can’t be forced.
Hearing this, the two stood up, wiped tears, and happily exclaimed,
“I thought Miss didn’t want us anymore.”
After the small incident, Chunqiao continued helping me forward.
I paid attention to my steps.
Though slower, the pace was steady.
No dramatic falls.
“Do you have family at home?
Do your parents know you’re traveling far?
Are they reluctant?”
I suddenly remembered not everyone was like me—an orphaned single mother.
Parents of family-born children were also servants of the Su family.
“No.” Chunqiao happily replied.
“My parents are glad to follow Miss and have a chance to earn Miss’s favor.”
Chunlan said the same.
“How old are you this year?”
I thought for a moment.
Chunqiao answered respectfully, “Miss, I’m sixteen.
Chunlan is a few months younger and will be sixteen next spring.”
“We’re both adults now.
Miss, don’t worry about our lives.
Wherever we go, we can take good care of you.”
The Su family was an ancient clan.
Their method of determining adulthood differed from the real world.
Girls aged fifteen who had come of age were adults—eligible for marriage and the like.
Makes sense.
The Su family had moved to a small secret realm with no ties to the outside world.
No need to follow outside rules.
Like primitive people in modern society.
Can you really expect primitives to abide by civilized rules?
If they didn’t eat you, that was already merciful.
Near the small platform, I took out the barbecue rack from my spatial bag and several large pieces of charcoal.
Holding a handkerchief, I didn’t worry about dirtying my hands.
Chunqiao put the charcoal on a stone by the side, telling me to sit on a carpeted spot.
“Miss, you’re noble and delicate.
How can you do rough work?
Leave these tasks to us.”
After exchanging glances, Chunqiao and Chunlan automatically divided the chores.
Chunlan casually picked up two stones, then, to my shock, threw two steps forward with unerring precision and killed a rabbit.
I was stunned.
Simply put… no wonder she’s a family-born daughter of a feudal clan.
Generations of carefully selected heirs, a true all-rounder.
The fragile little maid could easily take down a few strong men with one strike.
Chunlan shyly smiled, holding the rabbit by the ears.
“Miss, I’ll go a little further to see if there’s more food.”
Chunqiao drew a dagger that flashed coldly in the sunlight.
“Miss, I’ll prepare the food on the other side.
You’re pregnant, and the smell of blood might upset you.”
Pregnant women really couldn’t tolerate strong smells.
At that moment, I thought these two maids were perfect and resolved to take them to the capital.
As personal attendants, being able to keep watch at night was already very competent.
But with these two, it was just basic.
You never knew when they’d surprise you in unexpected ways.
Meanwhile.
On the other side of the mountain, something was happening.
In a place I couldn’t see,
An old Daoist was calculating with his fingers, adjusting his direction as he moved forward.
The old Daoist was very old, eyes burning with a fierce determination to exorcise demons and uphold the Way.
After being kicked several kilometers away last time, he had returned to his small Daoist hall and devoted himself to cultivation.
Driven by shame and courage.
Painfully diligent.
He finally broke through a bottleneck that had lasted a century and cultivated his first source qi.
With this small step forward, the old Daoist’s confidence had swelled beyond anything before.
After all, few source-level experts existed.
He could now stride across the land without fear.
So, the first thing he did after emerging was to find the Ghost King in the Self Realm who had easily defeated him and take revenge.
The old Daoist excelled at divination; otherwise, he wouldn’t have foreseen the birth of a Ghost King lurking perfectly at its birthplace, ready to uphold righteousness.
This time, he calculated the exact location.
Though he couldn’t clearly see the Ghost King’s precise realm.
He didn’t mind.
Such breakthroughs were nearly impossible.
The Ghost King, while possessing a physical body, should naturally suppress ghostly energy.
He even calculated the location of the Ghost King’s host body, which was linked to the Su family and currently inside their ancestral mansion.
Originally, the old Daoist planned not to act.
Exorcising demons and upholding the Way was one thing; charging headlong into the Su family’s home to die was another.
His sense of justice was broad.
Demons he could defeat were demons; those he couldn’t were the Way.
Just as he hesitated, his eyes suddenly brightened.
Like a light at the end of a dark tunnel.
He pinpointed his target—the Ghost King’s mother.
Without a single strong Su family member accompanying, just himself and two maids, brazenly heading out.
Isn’t that courting death?
Or a godsend?
The old Daoist had never been so excited, rubbing his hands like a fly as he walked along the other side of the mountain toward the location he had calculated.
His robe was blue, white beard and hair giving him the aura of an immortal Daoist.
Holding a divination banner, his face radiated a sacred aura no ordinary person could comprehend.
“The fierce ghost revived, attempting to overturn heaven and earth’s laws, must be punished by heaven.”
“This is a great calamity.
We Taoists must follow heaven’s will to correct disorder.”
I was preparing chopsticks when my ears twitched.
Following the breeze, I heard a very familiar voice.
Then,
Those two sentences echoed clearly into my ears.
I tilted my head adorably.
Exorcising demons and upholding the Way—that’s… talking about me?