In the space, inside the towering spire designed for accelerated cultivation, Mu Qingge sat cross-legged on the third floor.

With her current cultivation level, she could only reach the third floor. To go higher, she would need to break through to the Silver Realm.

Around her, Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan were also sitting cross-legged.

Bai Xi and Yin Chen’s faces showed rare seriousness, though Yuanyuan’s beautiful eyes were wide with curiosity, not understanding what was happening.

He had originally been playing outside with Mengmeng but had been suddenly grabbed by Bai Xi and brought here, saying he was to accompany his mom leader in cultivation.

He was more than willing to accompany his mom leader in cultivation. But why did she need someone to accompany her?

"Qingge, are you sure you want to try this?" Bai Xi eyed Mu Qingge seriously and asked again.

Mu Qingge smiled nonchalantly, nodding confidently.

Yin Chen frowned and advised, "Qingge, the inherited memories of this serpent have not fully awakened. There could be oversights in its proposed methods. Why take the risk? Cultivating in this tower speeds up the process even when alone."

"Hey, you stupid fox. I understand you’re advising Qingge against taking risks, but can you stop slandering me? Do you really think I wouldn’t dare kill you?" Bai Xi’s sharp voice rang out.

Yin Chen tenderly glanced at her, then returned his gaze to Mu Qingge. His expression seemed to challenge Bai Xi, confident that she couldn’t do anything to him.

Bai Xi bared her fangs, casting an icy look at Yin Chen.

Mu Qingge, accustomed to their interaction, ignored them. She addressed Yin Chen instead, "My opponents have never been my peers. Maybe you think I stand out among my peers, but that’s far from enough in my eyes." She needed to step by step reach that man, whose injury tugged at her heart.

Moreover, she couldn’t bear to keep that eternal bachelor waiting too long.

Since she decided to embrace love, she wished not to have loneliness entangled with him!

Mu Qingge’s eyes became more determined and decisive.

Bai Xi and Yin Chen exchanged a helpless glance.

"What’s up with you two, so hesitant? If mom leader wants to cultivate, we just accompany her." Yuanyuan said, puzzled.

It’s just cultivation, why did everyone look so grave?

Bai Xi glared at him and snarled, "You little brat, do you understand? This method allows the four of us to cultivate at four times the speed, but if danger arises, all the risks fall on your mom leader alone."

"What!" Yuanyuan’s face changed, immediately shaking his head, "Mom, if it’s that dangerous, how about we don’t cultivate?"

Mu Qingge shook her head, "Yuanyuan, don’t worry about me. I know what I’m doing."

"Gluttonous snake, if anything happens to Qingge, I won’t let you off." Yin Chen suddenly glared menacingly at Bai Xi.

"Me too!" Yuanyuan’s exquisite little face became stern, standing firmly with Yin Chen.

"This has nothing to do with Bai Xi, she’s only following my instructions. Even if something unexpected happens, you can’t blame her." Mu Qingge intervened to stop Yin Chen and Yuanyuan.

This time, Bai Xi didn’t bicker back at Yin Chen but seriously told Mu Qingge, "Qingge, if something really happens to you, I won’t blame them, I’d hate myself."

The three of them were so heavy-hearted that Mu Qingge couldn’t help but smile wryly.

She spread her hands, helplessly laughing, "What are you doing this for? Nothing has happened yet, but you behave as if I’ve turned into a cripple. Have a little confidence in yourself, and in me."

Mu Qingge’s words left the three in silence.

However, their mood didn’t improve as a result.

Once everyone calmed down a bit, Mu Qingge said, "Alright, let’s start. The thing I lack the most right now is time!"

Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan exchanged glances.

They knew they couldn’t change Mu Qingge’s decision, so they could only relent.

"Remember Qingge, if you feel any obstruction in cultivation, or your meridians begin to ache, stop immediately. Don’t take risks," Bai Xi admonished Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge nodded, closed her eyes, and began cultivating.

As she started, Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan also began their cultivation.

Bai Xi’s method was to use the contract between Yin Chen and Mu Qingge as a bridge for communication. Then use Bai Xi’s body as a medium to harmonize their discord.

Because Bai Xi was hatched with Mu Qingge’s blood, there was an innate dependency, making resonance easier to initiate.

Yuanyuan was placed last, as among the three, his connection with Mu Qingge was the lightest. His following of Mu Qingge began with ’first-sight kinship’ and, being an Abnormal Fire, he was the most unstable, hence placed last.

This setup formed a new circulation system, drawing out individual spiritual power, communicating with each other to accelerate cultivation.

But if any accident occurred during the process, causing loss of connection or a reversal of spiritual power, Mu Qingge would face the fiercest backlash.

Risks and opportunities go hand in hand, no opportunity is risk-free.

The only judgment is whether it’s worth it.

For Mu Qingge, this method of cultivation was worth it!

She willingly took the risk and believed she would succeed!

The four immersed in cultivation gradually used faint spiritual energy to float outside their bodies, weaving it into beams of light, linking and communicating among them.

This spiritual energy fell over them like a canopy, enveloping them together, emitting a crystal sheen. The spiritual energy seemed to merge their auras, but after all, no one had ever tried this method of cultivation.

Suddenly, all four showed signs of pain and grimace, a peculiar red glow flickering on their faces.

The red glow came abruptly without warning, and as soon as it appeared, the spiritual power covering them became extremely unstable.

The spiritual power in the spire was strong, and the time varied from the outside world’s, causing a spike in the spiritual pressure on the four, leading to chaos in the surrounding spiritual energy.

Mengmeng sensed the anomaly and appeared on the third floor. Seeing their contorted faces, she was startled.

That chaotic spiritual energy conflicted with itself, yet seemed entangled.

Mengmeng cried out, "What are you trying to do? Are you trying to hurt the master?" As the Artifact Spirit of the space, she was most sensitive to changes in spiritual pressure.

At that moment, she could already sense countless aggressive spiritual pressures like tiny drills coming from all directions toward Mu Qingge, aiming to drill into her acupoints and damage her meridians.

Mu Qingge’s features twisted more grotesquely, a faint trickle of blood seeping from her tightly pressed lips.

Although Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan looked suffering, they were far less affected than her. Their expressions were primarily anxious.

Noticing Yin Chen about to withdraw and forcibly stop cultivating, Bai Xi abruptly opened her eyes, her black pupils instantly turning into purple-gold vertical slits. She shouted sharply, "Don’t act recklessly! If you force withdrawal now, you won’t save her; you’ll kill her!"

’Kill her!’

Three words made Yin Chen’s breath change; he opened his blood eyes, glaring cold hatred at Bai Xi.

It was as if Bai Xi was the nemesis who might kill Mu Qingge.

Bai Xi sneered coldly, "Put away such senseless looks of yours."

Yin Chen squeezed out a frosty sentence, "Since the plan wasn’t mature, you shouldn’t have voiced it."

"Any opportunity carries risks; both of us can take risks for cultivation, so why can’t Qingge? She is no less than any of us and doesn’t need extra protection!" Bai Xi scoffed.

Her words set off a tempest within Yin Chen’s crimson eyes.

At this point, Yuanyuan opened his eyes and urgently reproached the two of them, "Have you two argued enough? Can’t you see mom leader is in pain? Get to thinking of a way to help her."

"Right! You two—a snake and a fox—combined ages who knows how many years, yet less sensible than a child!" Mengmeng jumped in, addressing them.

Yuanyuan glared in dissatisfaction at the petite girl beside him, retorting, "I’m not a child!"

"Why are you arguing over this now?" Mengmeng rolled her eyes at him, her aura-filled small face turning stern, "Focus your minds and stabilize your auras now."

Bai Xi and Yin Chen’s gazes clashed fiercely in mid-air.

After the collision, she looked away, speaking deeply, "We must work together in unity if we want to help Qingge."

With that, she took a deep breath and slowly closed her eyes.

Yin Chen glanced at her and similarly closed his eyes.

Finally, the two stopped arguing, and Yuanyuan and Mengmeng both sighed in relief.

Under the control of the three, the spiritual pressure of the third layer gradually calmed down, losing its previous frenzy. Mu Qingge seemed to feel slightly relaxed.

However, before she could take a breath, a powerful force abruptly came, fiercely striking her heart.

This power seemed to be external, not belonging to oneself, and after fiercely striking Mu Qingge’s heart, it caused a brief pause in her heartbeat, sucking all the blood back into the heart.

Mu Qingge’s breath halted, her face suddenly turned pale!

Her entire body’s meridians seemed frozen and petrified, showing some signs of cracking.

Collapse occurred in an instant!

Suddenly, in Mu Qingge’s sea of consciousness, the superpower core that belonged to the thunder power seemed to sense its master’s crisis and automatically released several blood-colored electric arcs toward Mu Qingge’s heart.

If Mu Qingge could see those blood-colored electric arcs now, she would certainly find them familiar.

These blood-colored electric arcs were the bloodline heavenly tribulation that she had previously infused into her body while helping Yin Chen with his tribulation. According to Bai Xi, this kind of bloodline heavenly tribulation is rare to appear, and once it does, it signifies the awakening of a world-shaking bloodline.

It was the appearance of the bloodline heavenly tribulation that made Bai Xi curious about Yin Chen’s origin.

But Mu Qingge did not know that such a trace of bloodline heavenly tribulation entered her body and fused with her thunder power.

The blood-colored electric arcs struck Mu Qingge’s paused heart.

The sudden electric current swiftly filled her heart, stimulating it to break out of its pause and resume beating. Blood wrapped in electric current returned to Mu Qingge’s veins.

Fizz—!

The subtle sound of electric current suddenly appeared.

Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan abruptly opened their eyes, their expressions changed, discovering that the spiritual power connecting them had manifested electric current. This current penetrated their bodies, seemingly burning their blood, skin, and bones. A tingling sensation, indescribable to those who haven’t personally experienced it.

Furthermore, the electric current spreading from Mu Qingge bound them tightly, utterly inseparable.

Bai Xi’s expression flickered, this feeling had already escaped her control.

At this moment, she could only guess what was happening to Mu Qingge, but she couldn’t determine whether these changes were good or bad!

"Since we can’t separate, let’s calm down and continue cultivating." Yin Chen said to Bai Xi and Yuanyuan before closing his eyes again.

Bai Xi and Yuanyuan fell silent for a moment before closing their eyes.

The power of bloodline thunder quietly transformed Mu Qingge’s blood, seemingly activating a long-dormant potential in her genes.

This change, she was completely unaware of.

Yet, this transformation caused the Divine Strategy Upper Volume, dormant in her sea of consciousness, to react.

Divine Strategy, the strongest cultivation technique in the legendary Divine Clan.

The Upper Volume refines the body, the Middle Volume refines the spirit, and the Lower Volume contains the Three Thousand Daoist Skills, the Great Magic!

Perfectly cultivating any one of them can become incredibly powerful, intimidating countless realms. If someone could master all three volumes, they would create an unprecedented legacy, traversing the Three Thousand Minor Worlds, Three Thousand Medium Worlds, and Three Thousand Major Worlds, able to destroy or create a realm at will.

Yet, this barely remains a legend.

Because, from ancient times to the present, no person nor god has ever obtained the Upper, Middle, and Lower Volumes of Divine Strategy and mastered them.

Moreover, no one knows that the body refining method from the Divine Strategy Upper Volume originates from the Demon Clan.

Among thousands of worlds, the strongest body cultivators are the Demon Clan!

The changes in the bloodline stimulated the Divine Strategy Upper Volume to slowly unfold...

The golden characters that Mu Qingge could never see, ancient Divine Clan texts, now emitted a faint golden light, enveloping her sea of consciousness.

In an instant, Mu Qingge felt as if she had fallen into a warm ocean.

Her consciousness separated from her body, as her body continued its subtle cultivation while her consciousness entered the sea of consciousness to observe the golden lights.

Gradually, one by one, tall silhouettes began to appear in front of Mu Qingge ’s "eyes," each performing peculiar moves, fixed in her consciousness, with golden lines winding within them, resembling the paths of spiritual power operation.

Mu Qingge was shocked "looking" at all this, watching these images surrounding her.

At that moment, her brain seemed to stop working, concentrating all her mental strength on one thing—memorizing these images!

"Impossible! This is impossible! It defies common sense!"

Gradually, as Mu Qingge memorized those images and they became clearer, the sequence of the golden lines’ paths plunged her into unprecedented shock.

It was as if all previous knowledge had been shattered, like a professor seriously telling you everything you learned before was pseudo-science and what’s before you now is reality.

This impact quickly pulled Mu Qingge out from her consciousness sea.

"Um!"

Mu Qingge let out a muffled groan and freed herself from cultivation.

She slowly opened her eyes.

At this moment, she had no time to enjoy the initial pleasure of experiencing four times cultivation speed, as the images etched deep in her mind were still vivid.

Her clear eyes were filled with astonishment, and her heart was rife with questions.

’Is this the secret of the Divine Strategy Upper Volume?’ Mu Qingge whispered softly. She finally understood the content of the Divine Strategy Upper Volume, but upon understanding, she became even more perplexed.

Common sense told her, if she performed body refinement according to the Divine Strategy Upper Volume, she might explode and die before even starting.

But reason told her, since Si Mo held Divine Strategy in such high regard, it surely wasn’t a deadly secret manual!

If so, Si Mo would certainly have warned strictly against its cultivation. The survivors wouldn’t have carved clues about the Divine Strategy Middle Volume on Xie Ya’s back as a pledge of allegiance to the master.

Thoughts gradually faded from Mu Qingge’s mind.

Some questions cannot be resolved in a short time.

She lifted her gaze but the sight before her made her pupils suddenly constrict in shock.

"What...what happened to you?" Mu Qingge blinked, ensuring she wasn’t seeing things, then asked in astonishment.

Before her, Bai Xi, Yin Chen, and Yuanyuan remained seated as before, unchanged from the onset of cultivation.

However, their hair stood straight, pointing skywards, emitting slight smoke and a burnt smell.

The three of them appeared as if struck by lightning, their faces blackened, devoid of their previous enchanting beauty.

Unknown when, Mengmeng appeared in the third layer, and was looking at them with a sympathetic expression.

"Do you still have the nerve to ask us?" Bai Xi looked at Mu Qingge with a resentful gaze.

Yin Chen sighed silently and averted his gaze.

Yuanyuan added, full of grievance, "Dear mother, what did Yuanyuan do wrong to deserve punishment by the power of thunder? Boohoo, I won’t play with you next time!"

"..." Mu Qingge was bewildered.

She pointed at her nose, uncertainly asking, "Me?"

She electrocuted them with thunder power? Did her thunder power go out of control during cultivation?

Mu Qingge was confused, having no memory of the dangerous sequence of events. The only thing she could recall was the images from the Divine Strategy Upper Volume in her consciousness sea.

"Electrifying us was one thing, but you wouldn’t even let go, forcing us to be at your mercy, it’s too frustrating!" Bai Xi ground her teeth, looking at Mu Qingge with a chilling gaze.

She, the dignified Ancient Holy Beast, Nine Extremes Heaven-devouring Python, was being bullied like this—it was unbearable!

"What exactly happened?" Mu Qingge asked helplessly with open hands.

"You don’t know?" Yin Chen cast a puzzled look at Mu Qingge.

Mu Qingge nodded earnestly.

She really didn’t know.

"Do you know how dangerous it was just now?" Bai Xi cautiously asked Mu Qingge.

She watched Mu Qingge’s every tiny expression change, to prevent her from lying to evade ’responsibility’. However, no matter how she looked, she couldn’t see any clues.

Gradually, she believed Mu Qingge’s words but also frowned slightly.

The process just now was so thrilling, they were all worried about Mu Qingge, yet she herself had no sense of it? How could it be so strange?

And what about that strange electric current? What was that?

"Ahem, don’t you three want to tidy up a bit?" The odd expressions on the three made Mu Qingge remind them involuntarily.

Suddenly, two big figures and one small one stiffened, then disappeared from Mu Qingge’s sight in an instant.

After they left, Mu Qingge’s teasing expression on her face slowly dissipated, and she frowned slightly.

"Mengmeng, was it my Thunder Power that lost control just now?" Mu Qingge looked at Mengmeng and asked.

Mengmeng shook its head, "It didn’t seem out of control, but more like an autonomous action to save you."

"Save me?" Mu Qingge was even more puzzled.

Mengmeng nodded and said, "It was indeed very dangerous just now, the master’s breathing and heartbeat both stopped, and your meridians were on the verge of breaking..."

Mengmeng explained what happened before to Mu Qingge in detail, and after hearing it, Mu Qingge felt a wave of fear.

She was close to reverting back to her useless body!

Now, she doesn’t have a full Genetic Transformation Agent to reshape her meridians.

’Impulsiveness is the devil, the ancients did not deceive me!’

Mu Qingge said cautiously in her heart.

Lately, she had indeed been a bit impatient for cultivation. Being overzealous for quick success is a taboo among strategists.

Mu Qingge pursed her lips, ringing a small alarm bell in her heart.

Although this impulsiveness led her to inadvertently discover the content within the Divine Strategy, it doesn’t guarantee she’ll be this lucky every time.

’It seems that cooperative cultivation, where one reaps multiple benefits, should not be attempted frequently,’ Mu Qingge said to herself.

When she left the space, the sky outside had already dimmed again.

An entire day’s time had unknowingly passed.

Staring at the sky, Mu Qingge was taken aback and sighed at the passage of time.

She did not disclose the content of the Divine Strategy to anyone. Not because of distrust, but because she herself hasn’t figured it out, so there’s nothing to discuss.

"It would be great if that guy were here." Mu Qingge muttered to herself, her fingers unconsciously holding the Palace Bell at her waist. The origins of the Divine Strategy were told to her by Si Mo; perhaps he knows some inside information.

But unfortunately, now the two of them don’t know how many thousands of miles they are apart, and there’s no way to meet.

And this Palace Bell, with its special meaning, can only send through simple messages and cannot be used to discuss something as complex as the Divine Strategy.

Mu Qingge picked up the Palace Bell, holding it in her palm, and gently shook it.

The bell’s sound was crisp and ethereal, echoing throughout the room.

Soon, the Palace Bell lying in her palm suddenly shook and rang again, prompting a joyful smile on Mu Qingge’s lips.

Every time the bell rings, she seems to feel as if Si Mo is right beside her, hidden within the bell, never having left.

With her fingers gently brushing over the Palace Bell, Mu Qingge carefully put it down, letting it naturally hang by her waist, close to her side.

Shortly after, You He and Hua Yue entered the room with dinner.

Seeing Mu Qingge standing in the room, Hua Yue smiled and said, "Little Lord, you’ve been cultivating for a whole day, weren’t you hungry?"

Mu Qingge composed herself, looked at the food brought by the two maids, and smiled, "At first I didn’t feel hungry, but seeing all this delicious food makes me hungry."

Saying this, she sat down at the table and picked up the chopsticks.

After finishing her dinner, Mu Qingge lightly wiped her mouth and looked at the two maids, asking, "Where are Mo Yang and Xie Ya?"

You He bowed slightly and said, "Mo Yang just returned not long ago, and Xie Ya is guiding Xiao Hai in cultivation."

Mu Qingge nodded slightly and said to her, "Call Mo Yang to see me." After saying this, she pointed to her own shoulders, raising her eyebrows at Hua Yue, "Little Hua Yue, your young lord is tired."

Hua Yue pursed her lips in a smile, handed the cleaned bowls and chopsticks to You He, wiped her own hands clean, and walked behind Mu Qingge to place her soft, boneless hands on her shoulders, starting to massage them with the right amount of pressure.

Mu Qingge’s lips curled up in pleasure, and she said with enjoyment, "Hua Yue’s technique is really authentic."

"If the young lord likes, Hua Yue will massage you for a lifetime," Hua Yue said with a coquettish laugh.

Mu Qingge raised her eyebrows and shook her head, "No way, if you stay by my side for a lifetime, won’t you get married?"

"I don’t want to get married!" Hua Yue said shyly.

At this time, Mo Yang arrived in the room.

Hua Yue mischievously stuck out her tongue and obediently stopped the conversation.

The scene in the room was something Mo Yang had long been accustomed to seeing.

This habit of Mu Qingge, he had gotten used to it long ago, he just didn’t understand why the young lord would enjoy such pinching massages.

He didn’t know that in Mu Qingge’s past life, after high-intensity training, this kind of massage was needed to soothe the muscles and meridians, and gradually she grew fond of this way of relaxation.

After crossing over, her keen eyes had discovered Hua Yue’s talent in this area, so naturally, she wanted to nurture it well.

"How goes the investigation?" Mu Qingge asked while enjoying Hua Yue’s massage.

Mo Yang lowered his eyes and said, "The ones sent to gather information have all returned. Regarding the Le Family, they’ve been busy preparing for the ranking competition lately, and on the surface, there doesn’t seem to be any abnormality. However, this subordinate discovered that the Le Family holds a family meeting once every early and late month. Tomorrow is the early month, which is when they hold the family meeting. Additionally, about that mysterious Spiritual Beast Car, I couldn’t find any information..."

Mo Yang frowned, seemingly dissatisfied with this outcome. "But according to what the people of Yu Shui City have described, in several nearby cities, including Yu Shui City, there are incidents of people going missing every now and then. However, the ones missing are mostly common folk without family ties or the poor, and sometimes passing travelers, which hasn’t caught the attention of any powers to investigate deeply. Though the people are worried and angry, they feel powerless."

"From this, it seems that what happened to you last night is not just a coincidence," Mu Qingge said slowly.

Mo Yang pursed his lips and remained silent.

Mu Qingge’s words, he had thought of as well.

This matter originally had nothing to do with them, but they unexpectedly stumbled upon the long-missing Qin Yiyao here. And she disappeared again, her disappearance is directly related to these mysterious missing person incidents.

"Young lord, should we continue investigating?" Mo Yang cautiously asked.

After all, the relationship between Qin Yiyao and Mu Qingge is somewhat complicated.

"Investigate." Mu Qingge said without a moment of hesitation.

She slowly stood up, her eyes flashes coldly, and said to Mo Yang, "What you need to find is Qin Yiyao’s whereabouts. Do you understand?"

Mo Yang’s body trembled, and he immediately said, "This subordinate understands!" Mu Qingge’s intent was clear, she wanted to know Qin Yiyao’s whereabouts. If Qin Yiyao’s disappearance is related to a series of missing person incidents, then they are destined to intervene. If not, they won’t bother with the mastermind behind it.

"I’ll listen to what the Le Family has to say during their meeting tomorrow," Mu Qingge suddenly said. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Mo Yang looked at Mu Qingge in surprise, as if asking how the young lord plans to sneak into Le Mansion and listen to their family meeting content in broad daylight?

The implication in Mo Yang’s eyes, how could Mu Qingge not understand? However, she didn’t explain it, just gave a mysterious smile, "I have my ways."

With that, Mo Yang asked no further questions.

He pulled out a piece of information from his chest and handed it to Mu Qingge with both hands. "Little lord, here is the information on the other four families. We paid extra attention to the Jiang Family, after Jiang Tianyi was stabbed last night and returned to the Jiang Family, they sent out a lot of people to search the city, but with no results. Also, the Sheng Family, for some unknown reason, sent out people secretly searching for something today. Judging by their actions, it seems they are looking for a person, but they’re being discreet about it."

Mu Qingge took the intelligence, but instead of looking at it right away, she asked, "The Sheng Family? Did you find out any grievances between Jiang Tianyi and the woman who was dismembered, her face destroyed, and tongue cut out?" She wasn’t too interested in who the Sheng Family was looking for, but Jiang Tianyi was connected to Qin Yiyao.

Since Qin Yiyao said she attacked Jiang Tianyi to avenge that woman, there must have been some prior entanglement.

Mo Yang said solemnly, "Jiang Tianyi is naturally lecherous, often harassing women in the city, abducting them to abuse as he pleases. Once he tires of them, he discards and harms them. I presume that woman is one of them."

Mu Qingge’s gaze turned colder, and she chuckled, "He’s truly a debaucherous son! But only of the basest kind."

...

In the dark, enclosed room, the air was filled with the scent of rot.

Qin Yiyao awoke groggily, feeling around in the darkness until she touched the damp straw.

"Where is this?" Suddenly, a panicked voice nearby made her realize she was not alone.

All the incidents after leaving Qin Country had made her composed; nothing would make her panic any longer.

She pressed her lips together, calmly recalling what had happened before.

She needed to leave!

Before the Jiang Family realized, she must leave Yu Shui City, escape from their pursuit. Then find a safe place to cultivate and break through to the Purple Realm before making further plans.

Because in this place, she was simply too weak!

But she hadn’t gotten far when she heard the sound of wheels approaching. In an instant, unable to resist, she was seized by a claw linked with chains and dragged into a sealed carriage.

She remembered she wasn’t alone in the carriage.

And shortly after being caught, she lost consciousness. When she woke up, she was here.

So, she faced three questions.

First, where is this place?

Second, what is the purpose of these people capturing them?

Third, most importantly, how could she leave?

Having sorted her thoughts, Qin Yiyao remained calm.

She slowly sat up and tried to adjust to the darkness around her.

Gradually, she saw the vague outlines around her.

Indeed, she wasn’t the only one locked in this place; there were at least a dozen other shadows. Some were motionless, perhaps still unconscious, while others were awake but softly crying in fear.

"Is anyone there? Someone must be there, right? Who are you? Why did you capture me?" The voice from before rang out again.

It was a woman’s voice.

Qin Yiyao assessed internally. And though she was dressed as a man now, she was situated among women. Had her disguise been discovered, or was this place a mixed detention for men and women?

"Stop calling out. When they want us to know, they will naturally show themselves." Qin Yiyao said in a low voice to the people in the darkness.

"Who is it? Who’s speaking?" The voice from before sounded in a panic.

Qin Yiyao pressed her lips and said, "I’m someone who, like you, was captured, and like you, knows nothing."

These words made the speaker abandon their intention to probe for information.

"How could I be so unlucky?" Although her expression was unseen, Qin Yiyao could hear the despair and fear in her tone.

The darkness returned to silence.

The awake ones, having overheard Qin Yiyao’s conversation with the woman, all held their tongues, silently worrying about their fate.

Not long after, the woman suddenly started shouting again, "Ah—! Who are you? Let me go! Do you know who I am? I’m a young lady of the Sheng Family! If you captured me, the Sheng Family won’t let you go!"

The Sheng Family!

Qin Yiyao’s heart skipped a beat.

Of course, she knew the Sheng Family.

Before attempting to assassinate Jiang Tianyi, she had already investigated the five great families of Yu Shui City. The Sheng Family was one of the five tigers.

How did a young lady of the Sheng Family end up captured and detained with her?

"This place reeks, let me out, do you hear?" the woman shouted again.

This statement seemed to fit her identity as the daughter of a wealthy family.

Qin Yiyao pondered for a moment and asked, "If you’re a young lady of the Sheng Family, how did you end up caught?"

The woman in the darkness paused before replying with grievance and resentment, "I just sneaked out from the family to have fun. Who would’ve thought I’d be so unlucky? I really am a young lady of the Sheng Family. Don’t you believe me?"

"Whether I believe isn’t important. What matters is whether the people who captured us believe it," Qin Yiyao said calmly.

Her words silenced the Sheng Family woman.

It seemed to plunge her back into despair.

After a while, Qin Yiyao spoke again, "If you’re indeed a young lady of the Sheng Family, your cultivation shouldn’t be low. How could you be captured so easily?"

In the darkness, the woman’s voice soon came again, "I’m only at the Gray Realm First Layer, not very strong. Besides, they moved too fast. In a flash, I was caught in a carriage and then fell asleep, with no chance to resist."

The same experience as hers!

Qin Yiyao thought to herself.

"And now?" Qin Yiyao asked.

If the Sheng Family’s young lady could resist, there might be a chance for them to escape.

But the Sheng Family’s young lady replied, "I checked after waking up. My spiritual power seems sealed, and I can’t use it at all."

Qin Yiyao was taken aback. Why didn’t she have that sensation?

Then, she smiled wryly to herself: ’It seems my Spiritual Power Cultivation is so weak that I can’t even sense being drugged.’

With that thought done, she composed herself. "Miss Sheng, if you really are the young lady of the Sheng Family, you might face two situations. One, those who captured us believe you and fear the Sheng Family’s power; they’d kill you to keep you silent."

"Kill me? Why?" The Sheng Family’s young lady questioned, showing her sheltered naivety.

Qin Yiyao bitterly smiled inwardly and explained, "Releasing you might result in retaliation from the Sheng Family, so it’s safer to silence you. Alternatively, they may not believe you and, to prevent your escape, torture you harshly before disposing of you with the rest of us."

"Ah! I don’t want that! I want to go home!" The Sheng Family’s woman cried in fear.

She lunged forward in the darkness, seemingly trying to locate Qin Yiyao.

However, it was too dark and filthy here, and the foul smell retreated her steps, leaving her to reach blindly in the dark, shouting, "You’re so smart, you must have a way to get me out of here, right?"

"Help you?" Qin Yiyao’s mouth curled into a slight smile, her drooping eyes hiding her true emotions. "What would I gain?"

"Help me, we’ll escape together. Once back to the Sheng Family, I promise any reward you want!" the Sheng Family woman said quickly.

Yet Qin Yiyao was unmoved. "Those are just empty promises. The crucial part is whether, by helping you, you can also help me."

"How can I help you?" the Sheng Family woman clearly confused.

This time, Qin Yiyao chose not to continue the conversation.

The Sheng Family’s young woman wanted to escape, and so did she. They had to cooperate and collaborate; only then might there be a glimmer of hope. She didn’t even consider relying on the weeping or resigned ones for cooperation or rescue.

Having experienced so much, she was no longer the Princess she once was.

Trying to save others without the ability is just overestimating oneself!

...

As night fell, Mu Qingge lay in bed, seemingly asleep.

Yet, in her dreams, she began cultivation she deemed impossible, following the Body Tempering Technique from the Divine Strategy Upper Volume...