"What's all this panic? Speak slowly—what happened?"
Zhao Mufeng, having weathered many storms, remained composed, sitting firmly in his chair as he silenced Butler Zhao's flustered state.
Butler Zhao wiped the sweat from his brow and glanced at Jian Dan. Jian Dan also looked at him in surprise before turning to Zhao Mufeng.
"Father, before I returned, I visited both of them at the hospital. Aside from looking a little pale, Ziyu was fine, and Zihan was recovering well. Auntie Qian was with them—Ziyu just missed you. I came back to suggest that you find time to visit her. But now…?"
She trailed off, turning back to Butler Zhao, waiting for his explanation. Butler Zhao met Zhao Mufeng's gaze and said,
"The caregiver watching Zihan just reported that… Ziyu attacked him."
"What?" Jian Dan was genuinely shocked. "How could Ziyu hurt anyone?"
The implication was clear—how could a paralyzed girl possibly harm someone?
Butler Zhao wiped his forehead again and continued,
"Miss Ziyu asked Young Master Zihan to help her sit up, but then… she bit his neck and wouldn't let go. The caregiver didn't dare pull them apart, and… Young Master's carotid artery was torn. He's in emergency surgery now."
He finished in one breath, then hunched his shoulders, afraid of Zhao Mufeng's wrath.
"What—?"
Zhao Mufeng shot up from his chair. "Prepare the car—we're going to the hospital!"
Without another word to Jian Dan, he strode out of the study.
Jian Dan did nothing but watch them leave. She walked to the window, observing as a black car sped away from the Zhao estate. A faint smile curled her lips before she leisurely descended the stairs.
Soon after, she also left the villa. Once inside the car, Zhou Bing glanced at her through the rearview mirror. Jian Dan gazed at the passing scenery and asked lightly,
"What is it, Brother Zhou?"
"I never thought Zhao Ziyu—a young girl—could be so vicious! Biting and refusing to let go… Truly…"
"Even a cornered rabbit will bite," Jian Dan replied. "Let alone a pampered princess like her, suddenly betrayed by her own mother and brother, left paralyzed, missing a kidney—it's no wonder she snapped."
"True…"
Silence settled in the car. Jian Dan stared out the window, contemplating her next steps. Soon, she would return to accompany Du Yanran in their final act—after which, the girl would become a thing of the past.
One Week Later
At noon, Jian Dan returned to a place she hadn't seen in a year—a place filled with memories of her mother, her carefree childhood, and her once-close friend, Du Yanran.
The old house she had left behind had already been sold, but she wasn't short on places to stay. After storing everything in her magnolia pendant's spatial storage, she headed straight for Luoxia Mountain.
Luoxia Mountain lay on the city's western edge, named for its breathtaking sunset views. Deep within its forests lay an opportunity Jian Dan had once discovered.
Years ago, after achieving some cultivation progress, she had ventured into the mountains alone and stumbled upon a Spirit-Cleansing Fruit. At the time, the fruit was malnourished and inedible, so she had transplanted it into her magnolia pendant's space to nurture it.
Once ripe, Du Yanran had taken it, using it to purge one of her spiritual roots, boosting her cultivation speed beyond Jian Dan's.
Back then, Jian Dan hadn't given up the fruit without thought. As a five-spiritual-root cultivator, removing one root wouldn't drastically improve her speed. More importantly, she had valued her friendship with Yanran.
Besides, neither of them had known if they could ever leave their spirit-starved planet. They had no concept of cultivation's end goal—only the desire to grow stronger and avoid oppression.
Sometimes, a single choice leads to vastly different outcomes. And now, the reincarnated Du Yanran was the one who desperately needed this opportunity. When Jian Dan had first found the Spirit-Cleansing Fruit, she hadn't recognized it. She had only sensed its faint spiritual energy—similar to her own—and carefully transplanted it.
It wasn't until her cultivation improved and she unlocked the "Tome of Ten Thousand Beings" that she learned of its true value. Excited, she had told Du Yanran—but she had never revealed where she found it.
Now, moving like a seasoned cultivator, Jian Dan's high ponytail swayed in the wind as she leaped effortlessly between tree branches, heading deeper into Luoxia Mountain.
She vaguely remembered the location—past a towering locust tree, there was a steep slope. Back then, she had just reached Foundation Establishment and was recklessly practicing her newly learned sword flight in the woods. Predictably, tangled branches sent her crashing down the slope, where she smashed through a rock and discovered the hidden fruit.
This time, without Foundation Establishment-level flight, she relied on her Shadow Step Technique, taking longer but arriving smoothly. Yet, the closer she got, the more she sensed a faint spiritual energy fluctuation.
From the top of the locust tree, the energy pulses grew clearer—as if someone was breaking through a cultivation barrier.
Jian Dan's sharp eyes focused below.
When she saw the figure meditating beneath the tree, her gaze darkened.