Preston blinked in disbelief. “What? You… you did it?”

  She nodded. “I didn’t kill her because she was Father’s child. If I could, I’d love to have a sister to grow up with. But she hates the Evercrest family, Grandpa. She’ll destroy us if we let her live.”

  Preston could only stare, shock written plain across his face.

  Lauren’s smile was bitter. “You don’t believe me, do you?”

  He didn’t answer.

  “She has an extremely rare Light Spiritual Root,” Lauren continued, voice low, “and she was born with the Jade Phoenix Marrow Body. She’s already joined the Moonlit Sect as a direct disciple of Immortal Herbert. To her, the Evercrests are filth. She’ll come back one day, and when she does, it’ll be for revenge.”

  Now Preston finally understood the weight of her words. He had never thought the family had done wrong. What clan would accept a prostitute’s child into its genealogy? Allowing Nelson to raise her outside and assigning her a caretaker had already been the greatest leniency he could give.

  And if she intended to repay that by slaughtering them all…

  “Alas,” he muttered, face ashen. “Your father’s sin.”

  Then another thought struck him. “But, Lauren… you were only ten at the time. How could you possibly know all this?”

  “I dreamed it,” Lauren said simply.

  Preston’s mouth twitched. “A dream?”

  To her, it was the only word that fit. Her past lives had felt exactly like dreams—long, vivid dreams that left scars even after waking.

  “There’s no way to explain it, Grandpa. It was as if her fate was written. She was destined to kill us. I stabbed her myself, checked her breath. She was dead—completely dead. And yet… she came back.”

  Preston remembered too well: when he first saw the girl, she had been nothing but a bloody husk. By all logic, she shouldn’t have survived.

  And yet she had.

  In this world, there were always wonders beyond reason.

  Lauren met with Preston in secret, passing him everything she had prepared and leaving him with careful instructions. She didn’t leave until the first light of dawn.

  “Grandpa, don’t let anyone else in the family know I came back. I don’t want to stir up trouble.”

  Preston nodded. “Fine. But… will you at least go see your mother?”

  “Just a quick look. Then I’ll go.”

  Her parents lived apart, east and west wings of the house. Lauren only dared steal a glance at her mother before slipping away.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  At dawn, she used the Magical Pearl to alter her appearance, bought a fat pig at the market, and guided it quietly toward the Sky-Covering Valley. She tied a small bag around the animal’s neck—inside were letters she’d written for everyone, along with some trinkets she’d chosen as gifts. Then she fastened a string of firecrackers to its tail, lit the fuse, and sent the squealing pig charging inside.

  The Valley, usually silent, erupted with startled cries at the crack of firecrackers echoing off the cliffs.

  When the men rushed to investigate, they found a terrified pig barreling through the clearing, fireworks exploding behind it.

  Butcher’s eyes lit up. Drool practically dripped from his mouth as he lunged forward, hugging the squealing beast like a long-lost lover. He danced in circles, shouting, “Hah! Who the hell sent me such a fine, fat pig? Gods above, this is the best gift ever!”

  “Wait,” someone pointed out. “There’s something hanging from its neck.”

  Light flicked his fingers, and the pouch floated free into his hand. Inside were letters. He scanned the contents. “It’s from Lauren. The girl we sent away years ago.”

  “What? Let me see!” Flower Wife snatched the letter, reading it aloud with tears streaming down her cheeks. “My Lauren… she’s alive and well. She’s joined the Thunder Sect—she’s Immortal Drake’s disciple now!”

  Devourer’s expression darkened. He plucked the letter from her hands, ignoring her furious glare, skimmed it, then wordlessly passed it back.

  Flower Wife clutched it tightly, reading again and again, voice breaking. “Her master treats her kindly, and her senior brother too. She says not to worry about her."

  "Oh—she even went to the memorial for me. Such a good child.”

  Viper, bored, rifled through the bag and pulled out a deck of cards. “What the hell are these?”

  “Cards,” Flower Wife sniffled, wiping her tears. “She says we can use them to pass the time.”

  Viper sneered. “Cards? What’s the fun in that? Killing’s better.” His tongue darted out, licking his lips.

  Whack! Light’s palm smacked the back of his head, leaving a lump like an egg.

  Viper sulked, slouching to the side, muttering curses under his breath.

  Meanwhile, Butcher had unsheathed his cleaver. “Well? Are we roasting it or stewing it?”

  Everyone else just stared at him. They were cultivators who’d long since abandoned mortal diets. Only Butcher still obsessed over meat.

  Light’s body flared with golden light as he whisked the pig from Butcher’s arms.

  “Master! What the hell are you doing? You don’t even eat meat! Why are you stealing my pig?”

  “Amitabha,” Light intoned, there was the faint streaks of blood-red in his golden aura. “This is no ordinary pig. It’s Lauren’s gift. A pet. A token of her affection. You will not eat it.”

  Butcher’s face drained of color. “A-a pet? I was wrong, Master. Of course, it’s a pet. I’ll help raise it, take good care of it, yes?”

  Light’s aura dimmed, and calm returned to his features.

  The butcher, however, looked heartbroken. To keep such a plump pig alive instead of cooking it was crueler than killing it outright.

  Viper sidled up, smirking. “Relax. Pigs don’t live long. Feed it well, fatten it up. When it dies of old age, the meat will be yours. That’s fair, right?”

  The butcher’s face lit with sudden joy. He slapped Viper on the back and laughed. “Now that’s reasonable.”

  ......

  After leaving Mistvale, Lauren went straight for the teleportation array, planning to regroup with Nash and the others.

  If things went smoothly, she might even get there before them. Then she could wander the South Sea, sniff around, and see if she could pick up any trace of Blue or Black Water.

  The problem was, the teleportation array in Prague didn’t link directly to the South Sea. She’d have to transfer through other cities, a pain in the ass.

  By the time she reached an intermediate city, the array had already closed for the night.

  Lauren sighed, booked a cheap inn, and decided to continue tomorrow.

  She had just settled in when a long-distance message from Elder Zane reached her.

  “Ms. Lauren, there’s news about the woman from Moonlit Sect.”

  Lauren straightened immediately. “What about her? Has she reached Core Formation?”

  “No. She only just recovered from her injuries. Word is, she’s headed to Shadowfen’s auction this year.”

  “Got it. Thanks.”