Then, with a wave of her hand, she reduced it to ashes.
Afterward, she reached up and pulled out the small hairpin from her hair.
With a flick of her wrist, it transformed into a gleaming longsword.
In the next instant, she leapt into the air.
Her robes swirled with the movement, their vivid colors burning like flames.
The longsword slashed through the air, carving several streaks of violet light before disappearing without a trace.
On the morning before yesterday, she had already noticed something strange.
Her entire body felt full of energy.
Spiritual energy flowed through her veins.
And the powers that had been sealed for so long had suddenly returned—as if they had been waiting for this very moment.
She refused to believe that Jin Xiu had willingly lifted the seal.
If it wasn’t him, then who else could it be?
Could that man also want her to do this?
Or…
Was he using her?
Whether she was being used or not—
It didn’t matter.
Bai Ling had died to save her, his very soul obliterated.
And his murderer had never been punished.
She would never let it go.
Even if no one used her, she would still do it anyway.
The ground showed no signs of disturbance.
Hong Ning nodded in satisfaction.
She shrunk the longsword back into a hairpin, tucked it into her hair, then drew a red silk veil from her waist and covered half her face, leaving only her bright, piercing eyes visible.
Nightfall.
The courtyard gates were tightly shut.
The once modest dwelling had been transformed into a place of extravagant beauty.
Two luminous pearls hung high in the air, casting a soft glow over the surroundings—
Not too bright, not too dim—
Just enough to veil the details.
Inside the room, Hong Ning sat in meditation with her eyes closed.
Then, all at once—
A familiar voice drifted in from outside, laughing.
Her eyes snapped open.
She walked swiftly to the window and peeked through a narrow gap.
“Cousin.”
“Cousin, shouldn’t you be taking care of your husband?”
He chuckled.
“How do you still have time to invite me over?”
Hu Yue had been waiting outside for a while.
Seeing him arrive, she immediately went forward to greet him in person.
Lu Jiu, however, did not bother with courtesy—he simply strode in and took a seat.
The prey had walked straight into the trap—
Without even realizing it.
Hong Ning smiled.
Hu Yue had been in the room tending to her husband and was unaware of the unusual preparations in the courtyard.
She sat with Lu Jiu, offering a polite greeting.
“I was a bit impulsive last time, Cousin. I hope you won’t hold it against me.
“How is Cousin Lu Yao?”
Lu Jiu let out a mocking scoff.
“What could possibly be wrong with her?
“Not long ago, she finally got engaged to that man from Flower Dawn Palace—exactly what she always wanted.
“So now, I suppose I have a powerful new brother-in-law.”
Hu Yue laughed.
“Well, at least someone can keep you in line now.”
Lu Jiu sighed.
“I should probably thank him, actually.
“There’s something I didn’t tell you—last time, he was the one who saved me from the Kunlun Execution Blade.
“The Kunlun Celestial Lord was being utterly unreasonable—
“His son’s cultivation was clearly inadequate, yet he insisted on throwing himself into battle.
“What did that have to do with me?
“And yet, he still went crying to the Celestial Court, nearly getting my father to cut off one of my tails as punishment.
“Luckily, my future brother-in-law spoke for me in front of the Celestial Emperor.
“We even had to offer our Northern Realm’s Sacred Spring as compensation.
“With the Emperor’s influence, Kunlun finally had to drop the matter.”
Hu Yue quickly offered a few words of comfort.
Spoke for him?
Hong Ning’s smile deepened.
Her fingertips slowly curled into a tight fist.
Meanwhile, Lu Jiu continued chatting casually with Hu Yue.
“For the past year, Father has been forcing me to cultivate in the mountains.
“And Lu Yao has been keeping an annoyingly close watch on me.
“Whenever I try to go out for some fun, she immediately brings up Father’s orders to stop me.
“It’s been incredibly boring.
“So today, when I told her I was coming to see you, I thought she would try to stop me.
“I was even planning to ask Aunt to speak on my behalf.
“But strangely enough—she didn’t.”
Hu Yue clicked her tongue and scolded him playfully.
“You’re unbelievable.
“Do you not even trust your own sister?”
Lu Jiu merely snorted, not bothering to argue.
He idly stirred the plate of dried fruit in front of him and frowned.
“Cousin, you’ve had your fill of mortal luxuries.
“You invited me here so earnestly, and yet…
“There’s not a single decent thing to eat?”
Hu Yue smiled, pressing her lips together.
“How could I possibly not have something prepared?”
At that moment, Hong Ning knew the time had come.
She cleared her thoughts, then lifted her veil.
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