At dawn, Lian Yue entered the room to wake Wen Qiao, only to find the bed empty and the covers cold.
She was momentarily stunned, assuming her mistress must have risen early while she was in the kitchen preparing breakfast, as had happened a few times before. So, she went outside to look for her.
The Water Gathering Courtyard wasn’t large. Though well-kept, it looked rather old and worn. Since Wen Qiao had little standing in the Wen family, no one had put any effort into repairs over the years.
The plants and trees in the yard grew freely, appearing especially lively that morning.
Lian Yue passed through the courtyard and the hanging flower gate, heading toward a small bamboo grove.
Water Gathering Courtyard lay in the eastern corner of the Wen estate, near a bamboo grove. Although the grove was unremarkable, its winding paths were serene and secluded. Finally, deep within the bamboo forest, Lian Yue found her.
A young girl stood there, dressed in pale moon-coloured nightwear, bathed in the soft morning light. Her delicate features held a calm indifference, yet an ethereal quality surrounded her, making her appear almost otherworldly.
Lian Yue hurried over, speaking anxiously, “Miss, why did you come here? The morning dew is heavy; if you fall ill again, what will we do?”
Without waiting for a reply, she took Wen Qiao’s hand, only to find it cold as ice. Shivering slightly, Lian Yue scolded, half-worried, half-angry, “When did you come out here? Why didn’t you wear something warmer?”
Wen Qiao said nothing, her gaze lowered as she let the maid pull her back to Water Gathering Courtyard.
Once they returned, Lian Yue quickly brought hot water to help her wash up and change out of her thin nightwear.
While etiquette in the Dongling Kingdom wasn’t overly strict, it was still improper for a young lady to wander outside in her nightclothes. Luckily, the bamboo grove rarely saw visitors, or this could have caused unwanted gossip.
A short while later, Wen Qiao was dressed in warm, clean clothes, curled up in a large armchair, sipping hot soup slowly, her long, dark lashes half-hiding her cool, ink-black eyes.
As Lian Yue took the old clothes away, she glanced at the lush plants in the courtyard and blinked, surprised.
When she returned with breakfast, she commented, “Miss, the plants in the courtyard look especially lush today. Even that old peach tree has bloomed.”
Wen Qiao sat quietly, drinking her porridge without a word.
Lian Yue, not understanding cultivation matters, only noticed how unusually vibrant the plants had become overnight and, after a few comments, didn’t dwell on it.
After breakfast, Lian Yue assumed Wen Qiao would settle with a book as usual. But Wen Qiao instead rose and returned to her room.
“I’ll rest for a while,” Wen Qiao instructed. “Do not disturb me unless necessary.”
Lian Yue agreed, thinking her mistress must have risen too early and needed a nap. She ensured no one would disturb her.
Later, when Wen Xian arrived with a few other daughters of the Wen family, Lian Yue blocked their entry.
Wen Xian, known as a gentle and compassionate person who cared for her siblings and servants, hid her annoyance at the maid’s boldness and maintained her pleasant demeanour.
“Is Third Sister unwell again?” Wen Xian asked, feigning concern. “I heard she’s always been frail, constantly falling ill. I haven’t seen her in a while, so I thought I’d take this chance on my day off to visit her.”
Lian Yue, though somewhat fearful of martial cultivators, held a stubborn loyalty to her mistress and would never back down when it came to matters involving her.
In this case, she was especially resolute.
Though Wen Xian was praised as a kind and virtuous young lady, she had never visited Water Gathering Courtyard before. Her sudden appearance today was surely due to the emperor’s decree of marriage.
Lian Yue understood this perfectly and didn’t want anyone, especially those who seldom came by, disturbing her mistress’s rest.
“Miss didn’t sleep well last night and is resting now,” she replied with a concerned expression. “Her medicine only arrived yesterday, so she wasn’t able to take it on time, and she’s been unwell for several days because of it.”
A flicker of delight passed through Wen Xian’s mind.
The household was managed by the second lady, and in the past, servants withholding medicine from an unimportant young lady would have gone unnoticed. But now that Wen Qiao was engaged to the Seventh Prince, her status had changed. If servants dared to withhold her medicine, it would reflect poorly on the second lady’s management, tarnishing the reputation of the second branch.
Thoughts racing, Wen Xian kept up her concerned front, “If Third Sister wakes, please let her know I’ll come by another day.”
“Of course, my lady.”
Wen Xian took one last look at the Water Gathering Courtyard, its age evident everywhere except in the overgrown, flourishing plants and trees, and thought to herself that while the area wasn’t rich in spiritual energy, the vegetation here seemed far more vigorous than elsewhere.
—
Inside, Wen Qiao wasn’t resting.
She was sitting cross-legged on her bed, completely aware of the activity outside.
Opening her eyes, she let a trace of sharpness flash through her dark pupils as she glanced at the wild growth outside. She reached out a hand.
With a slight thought, a tiny, inch-high sprout appeared in her palm. Its delicate roots and two green leaves seemed too fragile to endure even a gentle touch.
Staring at the tiny seedling, now fused with her very flesh, Wen Qiao fell into contemplation.
Last night, when she saw what she thought was a blood moon and was wracked with searing pain, she’d thought she might not survive. But then, a surge of spiritual energy from the heavens flooded into her, triggering a silent transformation within her body.
Her human bones had gradually transformed, evolving into what appeared to be a demon’s bones.
Half-demon bones.
A brief wave of panic swept through her heart, but she quickly calmed down.
Though uncertain why her body had changed, fragments of memory surfaced in her mind, revealing that she had awakened as a half-demon, receiving a fragmentary inheritance that belonged to the half-demon race.
Perhaps because her body was so frail, even her awakened inheritance was incomplete and fragmented.
As a result, she didn’t even know what type of demon bones she now had, nor could she identify the small sprout in her hand.
Wen Qiao realized she would need time to sort out what had happened to her.
Because of her poor health, she had limited time to cultivate, so she often preferred to sit quietly indoors, reading various texts — from astronomy and geography to travelogues and basic martial techniques. Though she had never travelled far, her knowledge was by no means limited.
From what she understood, there were indeed people in this world with inherited mystical bloodlines. Even a trace of such a bloodline, if awakened, could bring immense advantages in cultivation.
Evidently, last night’s events indicated that she had unexpectedly awakened such a bloodline.
This bloodline, however, was of a mystical demon lineage.
Both her parents were human, and she’d never heard of any extraordinary bloodline within the Wen family, so it must have come from her mother’s side.
Her mother’s surname was Min; her name was Min Sudi.
Min Sudi was an orphan. With her outstanding talent, she had been adopted by the Wen family at a young age, growing up alongside Wen Boqing and eventually becoming his wife. Compared to the Wen family, her mother’s background was even harder to trace, and it was said that even her mother didn’t know her own origins.
Wen Qiao decided to let the matter rest for now.
She stared at the tiny sprout in her palm for a long time, and with a slight thought, the little plant vanished from her hand.
Next, she examined her body and couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Despite awakening as a half-demon, she was still burdened by her illness. This new form was of little help; the half-demon body couldn’t cure her condition.
With a soft sigh, Wen Qiao quickly subdued her disappointment. If fate had brought her this, she’d accept it; if not, she wouldn’t force it. There were many things in life that could not be pursued by sheer will alone.
Her heart was steady. Putting aside her questions about the bloodline, she decided to explore her awakened abilities.
She spent the entire day researching, only stopping when Lian Yue, worried about her not eating or drinking, urged her to take a break, or she might have continued.
Through her exploration, she discovered some differences.
For instance, she could sense the emotions of the plants around her. Though they had no true intelligence, she could receive simple feedback about their needs.
Over the next few days, Wen Qiao repeatedly experimented, gradually mastering her awakened power.
In simple terms, she could communicate with plants, understand their needs, and gather information about them. This skill was ideal for nurturing spiritual plants, and if she chose to become a spiritual cultivator, she would undoubtedly excel with minimal effort.
Meanwhile, Lian Yue was in the courtyard, fretting over the increasingly lush plants.
“Why are they growing so quickly? Let’s hope they don’t attract pests.”
Despite her worries, Lian Yue fetched a hoe and scissors, weeding out some wild growth and trimming the rapidly growing branches. She also picked a few of the most beautiful blooms to place in a white jade vase on the table.
Wen Qiao glanced at her busy maid and quietly absorbed a bit of the vital essence that the plants had given her in return.
Finally, the vigorously growing plants settled down, no longer appearing so wildly exuberant.
Although the plants in Water Gathering Courtyard were just ordinary vegetation, as long as they were alive, they held a bit of vitality. They grew rapidly in response to Wen Qiao’s presence, naturally giving back some of their essence to her.
It was a mutually beneficial existence.
These plants were merely ordinary; she couldn’t help but wonder how much vital essence would be given by spiritual plants. With that thought, Wen Qiao decided to look for some spiritual plants to grow someday.
**Nomad: Sorry, I was sick for a while and haven’t been posting new chapters. Only the ones I had scheduled were posted. I will try to get back on track, but please bear with me in the meantime. Thank you.
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