Chapter 230
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Chapter 230: Title
“Guards! Drag her out!”
The girl in red dress gazed at her with frosty disdain, as if An Xiao were mere filth beneath vermin’s feet.
The contempt prickled An Xiao’s pride, yet resistance remained impossible in this stolen body. Her seventh rank cultivation – painstakingly achieved through years of discipline – had evaporated like morning dew.
The stout servant hauled her from the woodshed into blinding daylight. Sunlight stabbed her dark-adjusted eyes, reducing the world to smears of light and shadow. Before she could blink away the glare, icy water cascaded over her body, leaving her soaked to the bone.
“Sichen belongs to me.” The crimson-clad figure loomed like bloodstained silk. “Know your place, gutter rat.” With that, Ghost in Red swept away as abruptly as she’d arrived.
Alone in the courtyard, An Xiao assessed her predicament. Bruises mottled her skin, but no broken bones – small mercies in this wretched crossing over to Another World. She lay motionless, letting solar warmth seep into her battered flesh.
Her supposed crime? Apparently embroiling herself in some messy love triangle. How pathetically mundane. If not for the Blue Star Heavenly Dao’s mandate to Resolve the Cause and Effect, she’d abandon this farce immediately. Special Bureau operatives weren’t meant for such soap operatic nonsense.
“Miss! Oh poor Miss!” The approaching wail preceded Qingqing’s frantic hands. “This humble servant should’ve warned you about Second Miss’s approach!”
An Xiao suppressed a wince as the maid jostled her ribs. “Qingqing. Assistance.” She kept her tone flat – reasonable for someone recently pummeled.
“At once, Young Miss!” The servant sniffled while helping her rise. “How dare Second Miss treat Houye’s trueborn daughter this way! If the Madam were alive—”
An Xiao let the chatter flow, extracting nuggets of information between Qingqing’s tearful ramblings. This body’s lineage mattered less than completing her mission, yet local politics might prove useful.
“My chambers,” she interrupted weakly. “Now.”
Every limping step clarified her priorities: recover strength, gather intelligence, escape this petty nobility drama. The faster she resolved this world’s entanglement, the sooner she’d return to proper dimensional work – far from love-hate struggles and pampered Second Misses.
An Xiao finally returned to her resting place—a dilapidated courtyard starkly contrasting the resplendent architecture she’d passed along the way.
Houye… technically still a marquis. Her status should have been respectable, yet she couldn’t fathom how it had deteriorated to this.
No matter. The immediate priority was regaining her strength. Though cultivation couldn’t be rushed, every day counted. The sooner she began, the quicker she’d reclaim her capabilities for future endeavors.
An Xiao bided her time.
She understood her seventh-rank cultivation barely qualified as mediocre. While Tier One and Two practitioners were rare on Blue Star relative to its population, absolute numbers told a different story.
Her current standing rendered her practically insignificant, eliminating any urgency for swift action.
Yet she didn’t remain idle long. As a trained operative of the Special Bureau, extracting information from a teenage girl was child’s play.
Though nominally assigned to logistics—a department typically handling support—personnel shortages often thrust them into frontline operations.
Why did supply clerks need combat training and diverse skills? The answer lay in the Bureau’s founding days of severe understaffing, when every agent pulled quintuple duty.
Five days later, her wounds had mostly healed. This world’s inhabitants clearly possessed remarkable recuperation. How then had the original host perished from such minor injuries?
The mystery lingered briefly before being dismissed—greater concerns demanded attention.
Her situation now clarified: this was the capital of Heavenly Inquiry World, where she held status as the former legitimate daughter of Dingyuan Marquis House.
At thirteen summers, the original host’s life fractured when Houye wed a princess. The mother was demoted to concubine, later drowning under suspicious circumstances. The girl survived through hardship, her spirit remaining defiantly unbroken.
"Resolve the Cause and Effect," An Xiao muttered around a grass stem in the courtyard, frustration tingeing her voice. The sparse Spiritual Energy here slowed cultivation—five days merely yielded faint energy perception.
And this was her second attempt! For ordinary people starting fresh, progress would crawl compared to Blue Star’s richer environment.
Online lore suggested causal bonds stemmed from post-crossing blood ties—inescapable connections binding the living. Did this mean… eliminating them all?
She shuddered. As Zhongxia’s agent, she’d been trained in lethal measures, but only against heinous criminals. Cold-blooded murder in another world breached her ethical code.
Yet none could deny this was the swiftest solution. She sighed, considering darker implications. If every tasker’s inaugural mission involved this dilemma, some would inevitably choose the bloody path. With varying moral compasses among seventy thousand potential crossers…
Zhongxia’s pre-departure lectures about "ethical conduct across worlds" rang hollow. What jurisdiction could they possibly enforce here? Blade-wielding taskers answering only to themselves…
"Perhaps departure’s timely," she mused, revisiting her initial plan. This Marquis House held nothing for her—these days spent convalescing and reconnoitering had served their purpose. The first task’s completion beckoned elsewhere.
From the looks of it now, the likelihood of accomplishing her first task appeared exceedingly slim. Under such circumstances, remaining here to squander more time became utterly unreasonable.
An Xiao possessed a decisive spirit. The notion of departure having surfaced in daylight hours, she packed spare garments by nightfall and summoned Qingqing to her chamber.
This summons stemmed not from benevolent intentions to bring the little girl along, but rather from recognizing Qingqing’s genuine care during recent days. Through discerning eyes, An Xiao perceived the authenticity behind the young maid’s ministrations.
A forewarning before departure seemed only proper.
"What? My lady wishes to leave? This cannot be! Should the Madam discover…"
"They’d revel in my disappearance… Qingqing, I’ll no longer remain where even survival depends on fortune’s whims." Shadows deepened across An Xiao’s countenance. "The recent incident wasn’t inaugural. Who’s to say providence will smile upon me next time?"
Qingqing’s heart constricted with sorrowful apprehension. Though her mistress spoke truth, how could a sheltered noblewoman endure beyond Marquis House’s gilded confines?
"Without Identity Card, my lady might be apprehended ere journey’s start."
The ancient travel documentation system’s existence in this world surprised An Xiao, yet she refused to be constrained by such trivialities. No Identity Card? Living as wanderer for a time proved manageable. Beggar’s bowl if necessary – such resolutions hardened her resolve.
"Death itself would be preferable to lingering here." Her unwavering gaze pinned Qingqing in place, voice steel-edged. "To endure Xia Xiaotang’s torments here? I’d sooner dash my head against stone."
Qingqing recoiled at the declaration’s ferocity. "Speak not such ill-omened words! The Madam’s heart would break…"
"Break?" Bitter laughter escaped An Xiao. "My mother molders in grave, beyond witnessing anything." Unspoken lingered the suspicion – the original host’s mother died by design, that Lotus Pond demise no accident.
Marquis House festered with poisonous intrigues. Remaining meant sinking deeper into lethal quagmires. The unresolved karma of maternal death complicated severance – did justice demand pursuit? Blood debts inevitably spawned complications.
Witnessing unshakable determination, Qingqing clenched teeth. "Take me, my lady! This humble servant would safeguard your journey."
An Xiao’s head shook. "You yourself foretold perils ahead. Knowing this, how could I permit your company?"
"Remain here. Without my presence, Xia Xiaotang’s malice won’t fix upon you."
"When circumstances permit, I shall return."
This vow An Xiao carved within her soul. Qingqing’s recent care, akin to life-saving grace, demanded eventual recompense from one who honored debts.
Moonlight silvered the night, its beauty lost on both women.
Bundle secured, An Xiao tapped Qingqing’s crown. "No final parting this. Cease this funeral gloom."
"I merely…" Qingqing’s attempted smile contorted into grimace. "My lady must preserve herself. Qingqing will await your return."
"Return I shall."
Through labyrinthine corridors An Xiao slipped, scaling rear walls with feline grace while evading patrols. Child’s play for one who’d mapped routes through two nights’ reconnaissance.
Unseen by departing mistress, silent tears traced Qingqing’s cheeks.
"Gone… My failure complete… May freedom bring joy… Though belated…"
Whispers dissolved in night winds, heard by none save the weeping maid.
At perimeter walls, An Xiao vaulted effortlessly into freedom’s embrace. Not once glancing back at gilded prison, she breathed true air of Heavenly Inquiry World for the first time.
Dawn’s first light found her striding toward distant tavern.
This world actually imposed a curfew, forcing An Xiao to sit in an alley for two full hours through the night.
As dawn tinted the sky, An Xiao beheld this ancient world for the first time. Though she restrained herself from gaping like a fool, curiosity still prickled at her senses.
Her primary mission remained clear in her mind.
Inside the tavern, after ordering an inexpensive pot of tea and snacks, An Xiao settled into an inconspicuous corner. In this information-starved ancient world, taverns served as vital hubs for news.
When departing the Marquis House, she’d packed lightly—spare clothes, a few silver fragments, and the jewelry left by her body’s original mother. The collection was modest: a jade pendant, a hairpin, and a jade bracelet.
The pendant could be parted with, but the bracelet… that would stay unless desperation struck. It felt wrong to profit from a dead woman’s heirlooms while inhabiting her daughter’s flesh.
…Yet An Xiao acknowledged she’d pawn them all if survival demanded it.
She lingered from morning till noon, when the tavern buzzed with activity. Sipping thrice-watered tea now tasting like tepid water, she eavesdropped on nearby chatter—even idle gossip might yield clues.
“They say the northern nomads have united under one banner, eyeing our Sheng Dynasty like wolves.”
“The old emperor withers daily. The crown prince should ascend—his reforms already benefit the realm. Those new soaps from plant pods surpass traditional cleansers entirely.”
“And those mirrors! Clearer than any bronze plate, capturing faces like still ponds…”
An Xiao nearly choked on her tea leaves. Glass? Soap? What formidable traveler had achieved this?
She drank steadily while absorbing mentions of the Sheng Dynasty’s capital. Qingqing’s limited knowledge as a maid had painted a prosperous empire, but these conversations revealed cracks beneath the gilt—an aging ruler, restless borders.
“Have you heard of Yunmeng Marsh near Yueyang City?”
“The auspicious signs? They say a silver dragon dances above the waters, making lotuses bloom unnaturally bright. Their seeds supposedly cure illnesses.”
“Indeed! The old emperor ordered Yueyang officials to gather them as tribute.”
“Speaking of Yueyang—the Ye family’s ancestor has reappeared! A three-hundred-year-old relic. Can mortals truly live that long?”
An Xiao’s secluded spot proved ideal, capturing conversations from multiple tables.
“They whisper of a ghost in red haunting Dingbei County’s dilapidated temple—luring strong young men to their doom…”
“Strange occurrences multiply daily.”
“True words. May the new sovereign ascend swiftly to purge these improper customs…”
“…”
An Xiao listened stone-faced. These anomalies reeked of traveler interference. Her fellow taskers had arrived merely five days prior—too recently for such widespread chaos. Most incidents traced back a month, aligning perfectly with the World Fusion.
The populace remained oblivious, unsurprising in this ancient world where news traveled slower than oxcarts. Such ignorance served travelers well.
Task regulations were explicit: avoid outrageous acts revealing their foreign nature. Success required gradual assimilation—gentle nudges until the Heavenly Inquiry World embraced them as its own.
When the task reaches full completion, their final objective is to ascend Mount Tai to establish cosmic coordinates – a matter to be settled between celestial orders.
Successful placement would bind this realm as Blue Star’s subsidiary world, though numerous challenges await them first.
The coordinate ritual demands at least three local treasures. True treasures, as defined, must embody a civilization’s collective aspirations. For Blue Star, these would be artifacts like the Imperial Seal and other legendary divine artifacts representing cultural heritage.
Travelers have already made contact with this world’s royalty, An Xiao noted. The coordinate ceremony couldn’t be performed by outsiders – it required willing participation from natives to symbolize their voluntary submission to Blue Star.
Yueyang City
The Ye Estate
"Ancestor." A youth approached with ceremonial deference. "The lotus harvest concludes. His Majesty summons you to the Capital City for royal audience."
The addressed ancestor possessed youthful features resembling a woman in her early twenties. Her blue-white long dress flowed like liquid dignity, radiating an ineffable aura of authority.
"Understood. You’re dismissed."
Ye Er, freshly returned from Blue Star, surveyed her courtyard’s exquisite arrangements. Each displayed artifact would be considered priceless even among Yueyang’s elite families, yet here they sat as casual ornaments.
She’d initially planned leisurely immersion in this world, reveling in legitimate escape from bureaucratic duties. With inter-realm communication severed, why not enjoy this working vacation?
Her plans shattered when sensing her True Form’s impatience – apparently eager to conclude this world’s conquest for newer ventures. Now she must accelerate the timeline.
Imperial successions traditionally required Mount Tai’s Fengshan rites to announce heavenly mandate. With the old emperor’s lifespan dwindling, installing a new ruler presented the perfect opportunity.
A silver blur interrupted her strategizing, resolving into a fluffy four-year-old clinging to her skirts. "Ye-jie! Playtime!"
This was Ao Lan. Their fates intertwined a month prior when Ye Er, materializing in Yueyang City during rotational leave (conveniently dressed in period-appropriate blue ruqun), rescued a silver-scaled Carp from Yunmeng Marsh fishermen. The "white Carp’s" desperate, oddly intelligent gaze had been unmistakable – any field agent would recognize dragonkind.
Lacking local currency, she’d bartered her jade bracelet for the thrashing fish. Thus began her entanglement with the dragon child who’d forgotten his true form during escape attempts.
Ao Lan now chirped cheerfully, having imprinted on his Special Bureau savior. Ye Er tolerated his antics – partly from professional duty as Zhongxia’s governing agency member, partly because his resemblance to a plush toy disarmed criticism.
More perplexing was her doppelgänger’s legacy here – Ye Shengge, the Ye family’s 29th patriarch who’d achieved Ascension three centuries past. The ancestral hall portrait showed startling resemblance, right down to the "Ye Er" alias used during her predecessor’s wandering years.
While suspecting her True Form’s narrative meddling, their last encounter suggested cosmic coincidence rather than intentional parody. Perhaps during world-forging, certain… inspirations had manifested.
"Why seek me? Shouldn’t you be shadowing Zhao Hanxuan?"
"Iceberg Face trains with swords. Zi Chu prepares Capital matters." The dragonling’s report held unchildlike precision. "Ye-jie… must you go? They say the old emperor seeks immortality secrets from you."
Affection showed in his informal address. Ye Er hoisted him effortlessly. "The Capital’s inevitable. Remember our purpose. Now – didn’t you crave tavern in the southern city’s lotus leaf chicken?"
The child’s eyes sparkled. "And sweet and sour ribs! And roasted duck legs! And braised pork! And-"
Laughter trailed their departing figures through the moon gate.
