Chapter 56

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

“Ah Jian, I…” Old Madam Gu’s voice was hoarse, her expression weak, and her words carried barely any strength.

“Mother, don’t speak for now. Rest well,” Gu Jian gently reassured her, his tone soft and comforting.

The others in the room, seeing Old Madam Gu awake, exchanged relieved glances. As long as she had regained consciousness, there was no need to fear any immediate danger.

In the Great Jing Dynasty, filial piety governed the realm. If something had happened to Old Madam Gu, her sons—whether legitimate or concubine-born—would have been required to observe a three-year mourning period, which would significantly hinder their careers. Furthermore, even the younger generation’s marriages would have been delayed.

Now that the tension in the room eased, the crowd’s gazes toward Shangqing Zhenren grew even more reverent.

Shangqing Zhenren spoke again, his tone calm and steady: “Marquis, Madam, the Old Madam has passed the critical stage. However, she still requires proper rest and recuperation. Once I return, I will refine a batch of medicinal pills for her. After taking the pills, the Old Madam will recover fully. Now that my work here is done, I shall take my leave.”

With a flick of his horsetail whisk, he bowed deeply. His lean, serene face showed neither joy nor sorrow, as if untouched by worldly matters.

Gu Jian respectfully clasped his hands in a formal salute. “Fourth Brother, personally escort the Daoist Master out.”

Gu Siye immediately nodded in agreement, replying with enthusiasm.

“Farewell,” Shangqing Zhenren said as he turned to leave. His broad sleeves billowed as he moved, making him appear almost otherworldly—like an immortal descending from the heavens.

The curtain was lifted, and Shangqing Zhenren departed, leaving behind a faint trace of sandalwood incense lingering in the air. Everyone’s gaze lingered on the swaying curtain, their faces still marked with astonishment. 

Someone murmured, “Shangqing Zhenren truly is a divine figure.”

“When I recover, I must personally visit Wuliang Temple to thank the Zhenren,” Old Madam Gu said from the bed, her voice filled with gratitude. Her complexion looked noticeably better than when she had just woken up, and her eyes now shone with clarity.

Gu Yan Fei observed silently. From what she could tell, Old Madam Gu’s condition had likely been caused by emotional distress disrupting the liver’s function, leaving her energy stagnated and blocked. Perhaps the prescriptions she had been given previously weren’t appropriate, which had worsened her condition.

Now, however, her symptoms had eased considerably.

“Mother, when the time comes, Yun Rong and I will accompany you,” Wang Shi quickly said.

As she spoke, Wang Shi’s eyes drifted toward the corner of the room, landing on Gu Yan Fei, who had remained seated in her chair the entire time. Her expression turned cold. With a soft cough, Wang Shi straightened her posture and said, her tone lofty, “Yan Fei, your grandmother has been gravely ill. Over these past days, it has been your sisters taking turns caring for her. Today, it’s your turn to show your filial piety.”

Gu Yan Fei rose from her chair slowly, brushing her sleeves lightly. With a faint smile, she replied, “Madam, if the Old Madam were to see me, her condition might worsen. For her sake, I think it’s better to spare her.”

As she spoke, Gu Yan Fei smiled faintly, her beauty captivating yet understated, carrying a hint of elegance and an ethereal grace. She was like a stream of spring water in a master’s painting—serene, untainted, and otherworldly. Now that the Zhenren had seen to her grandmother’s condition, it seemed the right time for her to return and take an afternoon nap.

Wang Shi’s face turned livid with anger, though she struggled to maintain an outward appearance of composure and grace.

Gu Yun Rong frowned slightly, her crescent-shaped brows drawing together, and pursed her cherry-pink lips. Watching Gu Yan Fei’s retreating figure, utterly devoid of attachment or regret, her heart grew heavy. Gu Yan Fei truly feels no remorse. Her heart is blinded by hatred and resentment.

“Mother,” Gu Yun Rong said softly, clutching her handkerchief as she turned to Wang Shi. “Let me stay and take care of Grandmother instead.”

Her tone was perfectly gentle, like a warm spring breeze, offering Wang Shi an elegant way to step down. Wang Shi’s expression eased slightly, and she repeatedly praised, “Our Yun Rong is always so filial,” and other such words.

Gu Yun Rong smiled demurely, but when she glanced back, Gu Yan Fei’s figure had already disappeared behind the curtain.

Gu Yan Fei strolled leisurely, passing through two layers of curtains and stepping over the threshold of the main hall as she exited Cihe Hall. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a plump figure clad in a green beizi dress hiding furtively behind a parasol tree in the distance. The woman peeked out from behind the trunk, revealing half of her delicate face as she looked toward Gu Yan Fei’s direction.

An oval face, crescent brows, a slightly hooked nose, and the subtle downturn of her lower lip… These familiar features formed a face etched deeply into Gu Yan Fei’s memory.

It was her!

Gu Yan Fei narrowed her eyes, recognizing the woman immediately.

It was Su Niang.

In her past life, before she was brought back to the capital, she had only seen Su Niang twice. At the time, she had believed Su Niang to be her mother and had been filled with childlike admiration and longing for the woman.

But after the truth of her origins was revealed, she finally understood why that family had always treated her with disdain, why they had only ever beaten or scolded her. She finally understood why Su Niang had abandoned her in Huaibei for fourteen years, leaving her completely ignored and forgotten.

It was Su Niang’s greed that had shaped the tragedy of the previous life’s “Gu Yun Hua,” plunging her short existence into utter darkness and suffering. Those brief years of life had been filled with bitterness and brutality, ending with her death shrouded in confusion and regret.

But “Gu Yun Hua’s” life was never meant to be like that. She should have grown up under the love and protection of her father and brothers…

In an instant, it felt as though something unseen clawed its way out of Gu Yan Fei’s heart—a monstrous shadow stretching its talons, stirring an intense darkness within her gaze. 

She knew it all too well—her inner demon was surfacing again, just as it had many times in the Yaoling Realm.

Every time her cultivation advanced, the memories of her past life would transform into heart demons, ripping and tearing at her sanity, threatening her progress time and again.

A sharp, metallic tang of blood rose in Gu Yan Fei’s throat, and her fingers, hidden within her sleeve, trembled uncontrollably.

The moment their eyes met, Su Niang’s gaze wavered briefly, betraying a flicker of panic. However, she quickly steadied herself, lifting her chin in a show of false bravado, her confidence brittle beneath the surface.

Things are different now, Su Niang thought to herself. Gu Ce and Madam Xie are both gone. Gu Yan Fei is nothing more than an orphaned girl with no father or mother. She’s only just returned to the marquis household and hasn’t yet found her footing—what could she possibly do to me?

Gu Yan Fei’s dark, fathomless eyes resembled an unbroken, still lake, concealing depths impossible to gauge.

It had been the same in her past life.

After the truth of her origins came to light, Su Niang had remained in the marquis household. At first, she had gone out of her way to avoid Gu Yan Fei. But later, after Empress Dowager Yuan decreed the marriage between Gu Yun Rong and Kang Wang, Su Niang’s confidence had swelled. Her posture grew straighter, and she began facing Gu Yan Fei with the air of a benefactor, looking down on her from a self-proclaimed position of superiority.

Gu Yan Fei had been consumed with hatred and had pleaded with Old Madam Gu to deal with Su Niang.

But the result? Old Madam Gu had scolded her instead:

“Yun Hua, do you want Su Niang to die?”

“Su Niang was at fault, yes, but back then, Yangzhou was in chaos—filled with war and bloodshed. It was she who carved a path through mountains of blades and seas of blood to bring you out of Yangzhou alive…”

“You, however, are far too filled with resentment. You lack compassion and understanding.”

Old Madam Gu’s every word, every sentence, had been like a dagger stabbing into Gu Yan Fei’s heart. In her previous life, she hadn’t dared to oppose the Old Madam.

As these memories surfaced, the fury and madness in Gu Yan Fei’s gaze grew, surging uncontrollably… until it nearly consumed her entire vision. But just as quickly, her expression smoothed out again, like the vast, pitch-black sea at night—appearing calm and still, but hiding a treacherous undercurrent beneath its surface.

She continued forward at an unhurried pace. As she passed by Su Niang, a faint glimmer of red flashed in the corner of her eye, like the glint of blood. Yet she did not pause or look back.

Though it was the depths of winter, beads of cold sweat formed on Su Niang’s forehead. She hurriedly dabbed at her temples with a handkerchief, a lingering sense of unease still gnawing at her heart.