At the same time, inside the main house of the Shangguan family, Shangguan Qiuyue was sitting on the bed, looking a little lost.
After the awakening of her powers, the young girl had been in this state ever since she woke up.
She was nothing like ordinary people, showing no joy at “finally stepping into cultivation.”
Instead, her feelings were quite the opposite.
By her side, Lin Yayue watched her with worry, wanting to comfort her but not knowing what to say.
“Mother, I hope you can tell me, who is Mr. Yun Mu… no, who exactly is Xiao Mu? Why did I see him when I was communing with the stars…”
“Qiuyue… daughter, mother already told you, it’s because of the treatment last time, that’s why you’re like this. After all, there’s a part of him inside your body, isn’t there? These feelings…”
“Mother! Then what about that giant peach blossom tree? There isn’t one in our yard! And you’ve all said I have almost no connection with him, but why did I find letters in the side courtyard that I wrote to him, and why do I call him Xiao Mu in those letters!?”
“Letters? Wh-what letters, let me see, Qiuyue, be good, let mother take a look.”
Hearing this, Lin Yayue was clearly flustered: she had heard Shangguan Hongzhi say before, if they didn’t clear away everything related to Yun Mu, it might cause the girl to remember something.
Back then, Lin Yayue thought this was a good thing—after all, as her mother, she couldn’t bear for her daughter to suffer the pain of amnesia forever.
But when she found out this would affect the girl’s awakening, admission to school, cultivation, and a series of other matters, she immediately ordered the Shangguan family to clear away everything connected to Yun Mu, and even checked it herself for reassurance.
After all, nothing was more important than Shangguan Qiuyue’s future.
Yet now, the girl brought up handwritten letters—something she knew nothing about.
How could she not panic?
“Qiuyue… let mother see… maybe you…”
“Mother! Please stop! There’s no ‘maybe’ about it. Even though I’ve lost my memory, I recognize my own handwriting.”
The girl nearly shouted, her tone tinged with anger.
“Do you know? I dreamed of Yun Mu as a child, so small, so pitiful, do you know? Besides sadness, I can’t feel anything else, and I don’t believe this is just an effect of his bones.”
Shangguan Qiuyue pressed her hand against her chest, her tone full of disappointment.
“Mother, I can see—not just with my eyes, but your emotions too, do you know? The color of your nervousness and panic when you lie, I can see it all. Please, stop lying to me. I’m begging you.”
“Qiuyue… daughter, mother truly didn’t lie to you, I…”
Lin Yayue was already in tears.
Her secret was exposed.
She felt uneasy, but she truly didn’t want her daughter to know the truth.
Otherwise, the girl would surely resent them for hiding the truth, and would surely feel guilty about having the boy’s bones in her body, perhaps even affecting her future.
She knew the girl would one day find out, but she wanted to delay that moment as long as possible.
Her selfish love for her daughter was above all else—even above Shangguan Hongzhi and herself.
“I understand now.”
After a long silence, the girl’s red lips parted slightly.
She lowered her eyes to look at the letters in her arms, feeling the faint flutter within her that was connected to the boy far away, and pulled it inward, thinking of something, and let out a long breath.
She controlled her emotions, returning to her usual calm demeanor, scooted over to the side of the bed, and pulled the worried Lin Yayue into her embrace.
“Sorry, mother. I was too emotional just now. I won’t ask about this anymore, all right?”
“No, Qiuyue, it’s mother’s fault, I’m the one who should apologize…”
But the hug didn’t calm this loving woman.
The more she spoke, the more her voice broke, tears like broken kite strings streaming down and wetting the girl’s shoulder.
So, Shangguan Qiuyue said nothing more.
She just gently patted her mother’s back, her eyes dark as ink glimmering with faint, almost imperceptible gray light.
The beautiful woman’s crying… gradually weakened…
The sound of gentle pats on the back… gradually became the only sound…
If one looked closely, it would not be hard to see that in the girl’s hand, starlight power was flowing—mainly gray, but mixed with six other colors—seeping little by little into the woman’s body.
Lin Yayue leaned against Shangguan Qiuyue, her sadness growing weaker, while drowsiness grew stronger and stronger.
Until she could no longer keep her eyes open, and as she heard Shangguan Qiuyue softly whisper, “Six Souls Lacking One Master: for Hao Hua,” she realized something was wrong, but it was already too late.
The girl had planted her own starlight power within her mother’s emotions, using the Secret Art Divine Power of Fifth Heaven.
Combined with Lin Yayue’s complete lack of vigilance, even though Qiuyue was just a novice in cultivation, Lin Yayue found it hard to resist.
Shangguan Qiuyue gently laid her unconscious mother onto the bedding, glanced around the familiar room, got up and walked to a closet, took out her Universe Pouch, and from it retrieved a Magic Robe inscribed with many runes, putting it on before turning to look back.
“Sorry, mother. I hope you can forgive me for leaving without saying goodbye. Once I find Xiao Mu and uncover the truth, I will come back.”
“Sorry.”
***
Half a stick of incense later, the girl had already left the street, hiding her presence as she moved lightly through the crowd.
She didn’t notice that, far above in the sky, Qin Junyin and Shangguan Hongzhi were watching her every move, but made no attempt to stop her.
“Hongzhi, Qiuyue’s power, it’s being influenced by the Liuli Bone, isn’t it?”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. The Liuli Bone, master of emotions, does have a great impact on Qiuyue’s awakening.”
“Hmm… I can sense that peculiar power on her. I suppose she used that to leave from Yayue, it’s quite interesting.”
Qin Junyin nodded in satisfaction, paused, and his tone brightened, “Say, have you noticed? That girl even inherited our Old Qin Family’s Emperor’s Starlight Fate…”
“After all, Yayue is your sister, and Qiuyue has a quarter of the Qin bloodline. It’s perfectly normal for her to have it.”
“True, but the Southern Dipper governs life, the Northern Dipper governs death, Former Emperor’s Destiny, Rear Emperor’s Chariot. I wonder which one the girl received… She can’t be like Luo Yi, who got the entire favor of all six stars of the Southern Dipper, right? She doesn’t look like it…”
“Your Majesty, I really don’t know. As soon as Qiuyue finished awakening, I came to find you. But, we can bring her back now and ask her in person—she shouldn’t fear her uncle…”
“No need,” Qin Junyin shook his head, pulling back the eager Shangguan Hongzhi.
“You don’t need to be so controlling. Qiuyue is still young, she should go out and experience the world a bit. I’ll have people keep her safe…”
With a wave of his hand, a few black shadows flashed by, vanishing instantly, but even so, Shangguan Hongzhi was still worried.
“That’s not it, Your Majesty, that’s not what I meant. I’m just thinking… in another half a month, if Qiuyue leaves for too long and misses the Ancient Kingdom Academy entrance exam, she’ll have to wait till next year.”
“Ancient Kingdom Academy entrance exam? Shangguan Hongzhi, are you saying that my niece, as Qin Junyin’s niece, needs an exam to enter the Ancient Kingdom Academy? Aren’t you underestimating me?”
“That’s not what I meant…”
“All right, enough of that. There’s no need for you to worry about this. The important thing now is to go see my sister.”
Qin Junyin took a step forward, then stopped and continued, “And, in the future, don’t interrupt at will. Understand?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Mm.”
He drifted away.
Shangguan Hongzhi looked a few more times at the girl in the crowd, thoughts flashing through his mind, his eyes turning cold.
He cast a spell where he stood, attaching it to the girl before following after.