Gu Qingyuan's body was riddled with poison. Junior Sister Ye's old illness had not yet healed, and now he himself was heavily injured.
Only now did Bai Yang truly realize how important his master was.
Every time he had been wounded or poisoned in the past, she had been there to protect him, providing the finest pills as if they cost nothing. With her care, recovery had always been quick.
But now that his master had left them to their own devices, they were caught in one crisis after another.
Bai Yang clenched the pill bottle in his hand. His determination to make amends and return to her side burned stronger than ever. Not far away, he sat cross-legged on a small bed and began to heal his wounds with the aid of the pill.
＊
Several days later, Song Wanníng returned to the Song Clan.
Things had changed. The once lively estate now felt sparse and hurried. The number of disciples was few, and those who remained moved about in haste. The old bustle was gone.
Song Qingyun still held his post as clan head. His wife, Lady Mu Yuan, claimed to be in closed-door cultivation, but had actually left the clan in secret.
When he saw his daughter return, Song Qingyun was overjoyed. He quickly brought her into the study, his expression barely able to hide his excitement.
"Wanníng, just as you predicted—there really was a spiritual vein there! And not just any vein, it's a top-grade spiritual vein! Look! This is the spirit stone we extracted from it!"
He presented a radiant, golden-hued stone. Its glow reflected faintly against Song Wanníng's flawless face.
"A metal-attribute spiritual vein," she remarked coolly, taking the stone without surprise. Her expression remained calm.
In her previous life, that vein had ended up in Ye Chuxue's hands. It had become her trump card, her source of wealth and influence. With it, she had bought loyalty across the realm.
Now, it was Song Clan that had claimed it first. The vein would nourish her family's rise.
"The matter of the spiritual vein must be kept absolutely secret. If word gets out, other factions will come scrambling for a share."
A top-grade vein was a blessing, but also a curse.
The longer it remained hidden, the better.
Song Qingyun chuckled, the lines at the corners of his eyes tightening with practiced confidence."Don't worry. All the miners we brought in are loyal. We've already told the world they're out on a long training journey. Even within the clan, only a handful know what's really happening."
He paused, then added with a more serious tone, "Your mother went herself to oversee things. Not a single word will leak."
"Good." Song Wanníng nodded, a flicker of satisfaction passing through her eyes. "Then speed up the excavation. The more we can extract, the better."
A sharp glint passed behind her lashes. "And once the stones start coming in, Father, don't be stingy. Use them to push our disciples to cultivate harder. The Song Clan is strong, and that strength has drawn envy. When a full-scale conflict erupts, we won't be able to escape."
She remembered clearly. In her past life, Gu Qingyuan and Bai Yang had led a siege against Song Clan, rallying cultivators from all corners.
They had been waiting for an excuse. A sign of weakness. A crack to exploit.
"Well said. I understand." Song Qingyun's face turned grim. Just thinking about how those people had tried to slaughter the entire Song Clan filled him with killing intent.
"I'll arrange some field training for our disciples. They need to be ready when the storm hits. I've also been reaching out to old allies. If we need them, they might be willing to lend support. Our clan can't face this alone."
He had thought it through. If they dared to strike once, they would strike again—and not with mercy. Their goal had always been total annihilation.
The Song Clan might resist with all its strength, but numbers had weight. Still, this time, they were prepared.
Song Wanníng nodded. A cold light passed through her gaze.
Her father had his responsibilities. As the head of the clan, he would handle the defense.
Her duty was to grow stronger. To be able to stand tall when danger came, and protect her people.
After bidding him farewell, she returned to her courtyard.
Though she hadn't lived there in years, the place looked untouched. The windows were polished, the stone paths free of dust. A faint fragrance of medicinal herbs lingered in the air, reminding her of the years she had spent refining pills with trembling hands, still innocent, still full of hope.
She dismissed the servants with a wave and entered alone.
After activating the protective formation, the courtyard fell into stillness. Not a breeze stirred.
At the center of the room, she paused.
Inside her storage ring lay the pearl she had won at the auction.
In her past life, it had gone to Ye Chuxue.
This time, she had stolen it from under her nose. The pearl was finally in her possession. But she knew better than to celebrate too soon. Just having it didn't mean it would serve her.
Still, she couldn't let it go. She had to try.
With the chaos of the sect, home was the safest place. If there was a time and place to tame it, it was here.
Song Wanníng took a slow breath and carefully retrieved the pearl. She examined it thoroughly. Nothing about its appearance revealed any secrets. Her brows arched slightly. Without hesitation, she pricked her finger and let several drops of blood fall onto the pearl.
The blood slid down the smooth surface and dripped to the floor without being absorbed.
Drip… drip…
Her veins pulsed. A surge of dark emotion rose in her chest, clouding her eyes with violent fury.
She gritted her teeth.
But before it could consume her, she forced herself back to clarity and pressed it down.
"You don't want to recognize me as your master?"
Her voice was quiet, edged with menace. She squeezed more blood from her fingertip and tried again.
She was giving herself one more chance.
And giving the pearl one too.
But again, the pearl refused her, flinging the blood off its surface as if in contempt.
It was mocking her.
"Hah."
Song Wanníng laughed.
As expected. Treasures with sentience always chose their own masters. And if the destined master was not the heroine, it would never be anyone else.
If she held onto it, it would only find its way back to Ye Chuxue. Sooner or later.
That, she would not allow.
Especially not after spending so many spirit stones.
How could she let it go so easily?
"If you won't obey, then let me teach you what obedience looks like."
She took the pearl and headed for the pill furnace.
There, she bound the pearl in place above the flame, ensuring it had no way to escape. Then she lit the fire.
This was no ordinary flame. It had been extracted from a foreign fire—wild, violent, and nearly impossible to tame. The blaze surged to life. The room filled with suffocating heat.
The pearl glowed in the center. It couldn't speak, but Song Wanníng could feel its defiant energy, as if it was saying it wasn't afraid.
She didn't care.
She fed the flames with spiritual power, letting the fire scorch the pearl directly. She had all the time in the world to tame it.
And if it still refused to yield, she would destroy it without hesitation. Losing a few spirit stones meant nothing. What mattered was that this pearl never returned to Ye Chuxue's hands. Never became a weapon to be used against her again.
Relaxed, Song Wanníng pulled over a stool and sat down. She watched as the flames played across the pearl's surface, changing its glow with every passing second.