Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Forbidden Grounds of the Ning Family

A new bride, at such a time, should feel at least a measure of anxiety, and ought to say something. Yu Youwei pursed her cherry lips, a fleeting hint of mocking laughter brushed her face, but her skin, pale as early spring pear blossoms, betrayed not a single extraneous emotion.

“Does diligent cultivation necessarily lead to a breakthrough?” She glanced at her siblings, who seemed unconcerned, and Ning Zhongwu, with that careless smile, asked, “Mother, then tell me—why is it that I train five hours more every day than Third Brother, yet I haven’t established my foundation?”

Both hands are flesh, and Mrs. Yu quickly tried to soothe him. “Your opportunity hasn’t arrived yet. If you keep working hard, you’ll break through soon enough.” Her words made everyone laugh, though she still didn’t understand what they found amusing.

Ning Guodong chuckled and flicked his second son’s forehead. “Get out of here, stop pestering your mother. There are only twelve hours in a day—where do you find fifteen to train?”

“Second Brother’s an idiot!” Ning Mofei made a face at him, grabbed Yu Youwei’s hand, and ran off.

At the heart of the Ning residence lay a pond shaped like the Taiji yin-yang fish: one half filled with water, the other dry. The watery side was the Yin Pond, shrouded in cold mist; the dry side, the Yang Pond, held the outlet of the earth’s fire veins, circled by four pill refinement rooms, each marked with the characters for Heaven, Earth, Mystical, and Yellow.

The ancestral Hall of Eternal Purity sat to the left of the pond. In autumn, leaves and blossoms withered, and the intricately carved stone path beneath the dense woods was blanketed in golden leaves, crunching softly underfoot.

It was a forbidden place, rarely visited, deep and tranquil.

“Hardly anyone comes to the ancestor’s side,” Ning Mofei suddenly remarked.

Yu Youwei, lost in thought, replied absentmindedly, “Oh,” only to notice his eyes darting nervously, clearly afraid some monster might emerge from the shadowy woods. She mischievously said, “There’s a pale ghost drifting in the trees, right behind you—shall we run?”

Ning Mofei didn’t dare to look back; he simply scooped her up and dashed away, only stopping outside the Hall of Eternal Purity. He turned and shouted, “The ancestor is here, so we needn’t fear monsters!”

This fool, terrified as he was, didn’t forget to take her with him. Yu Youwei’s heart warmed. “Silly, there are no monsters—I was teasing you!”

“You tricked me too?” Ning Mofei’s eyes darkened as he sulked, his back turned to her.

She slipped her arms around his waist from behind, tilting her head to see his pout, so pronounced it seemed he could hang an oil bottle from it. His foolish, adorable expression stirred within her a sudden, wolfish urge. She bit her tongue hard and cooed, “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore, so don’t be angry, okay?”

“No,” Ning Mofei remained facing the wall, stubbornly refusing her verbal apology. “I’ll only forgive you if you give me a kiss.”

The ancestor was inside; even if he wasn’t intentionally eavesdropping, he’d surely notice any commotion outside. Yu Youwei quickly changed the subject, “Aren’t we here to see Third Brother? Why haven’t we heard his voice?”

Ning Mofei, forgetting his anger, rushed up the steps, only to collide with an invisible barrier and bounce back. Thankfully, Yu Youwei caught him before he could fall.

“Ah, there’s a boundary here!” Yu Youwei pressed her palm against the barrier, releasing a faint red magic, but was suddenly pulled through by a powerful force.

She found herself in a space blanketed with white mist, surrounded by flickering streams of black light. At first glance, these drifting lights seemed chaotic, but upon closer inspection, they moved according to some hidden pattern, colliding and intertwining to burst forth countless black sparks.

Yu Youwei dared not let these black lights or sparks touch her. The Azure Frost sword shot from her wrist, weaving a dense net of sword-light around her. The black streams clung to the net like wisps, dissolving into smoke, while the sparks exploded against the sword barrier, staining the surrounding mist with darkness.

A faint layer of black haze coated the gleaming blade. “Damn it, what kind of array is this?” Yu Youwei grew anxious.

The Ning ancestor wouldn’t harm her, but he must be treating Ning Third inside, which explained the high-level defense array; he likely wouldn’t have time to rescue her. If the fool Ning Mofei thought to find help, she’d be saved. Otherwise, lingering in this sinister array might destroy her Azure Frost.

With danger mounting, Yu Youwei suddenly heard Little White Bear’s lament, “How did Lord Bear end up with such a clueless master? In the Profound Yin Spirit-Eroding Array, even spirit treasures turn to stone. That broken sword will be utterly ruined soon.”

She looked down to find the cub sprawled at her feet and asked in surprise, “You understand arrays?”

“No.”

“Then what was that about the Profound Yin Spirit-Eroding Array?”

“Lord Bear guessed.” The little bear stood upright, hugging its front paws, wearing a “I won’t tell you the truth” look that begged to be smacked.

“Then guess again: what should I do now?” Yu Youwei humbly sought advice from her beast companion. Though she called it her pet, the little thing seemed able to block mental commands, making her title as master somewhat hollow.

“Do nothing,” Little White Bear declared, planning to keep her in suspense, until Yu Youwei grabbed the scruff of its neck and shook it wildly. It quickly pleaded for mercy, then said, “The Profound Yin energy here is extremely pure—try refining it. If you can absorb it, you’ll make a killing.”

It sounded unreliable, but Azure Frost was a growth-type bloodline treasure, able to inherit and display cultivation techniques based on her progress. If it was destroyed, she’d lose the subsequent methods of the Flame Evolution Art. She had never considered returning to her family for techniques. For Azure Frost’s sake, she had to risk believing the bear.

She shielded herself with magic, withdrew Azure Frost, and sat cross-legged to cultivate. Oddly, as soon as she put away the sword, the black lights and sparks only circled her, never drawing close.

She possessed dual mutated dark shaman roots, but only fire techniques so far. The affordable wood techniques were beneath her, the ones she admired out of reach, so she continued with fire cultivation. Entering meditation, red light radiated from her, forming ripples that spun around her, drawing in the black streams like moths to a flame.

The Flame Evolution Art’s grade was unknown, but in this array, though her magic circulated awkwardly, after a full cycle, she really did absorb and convert some Profound Yin energy, with the faint promise of a breakthrough.

Yet Yu Youwei hoped her advancement would be gradual and natural. Many strive for rapid progress, only to face insurmountable bottlenecks later.

She was about to finish, intending to ask the knowledgeable Little White Bear for a way out, when suddenly her magic spun out of control, rushing like a wild horse into a hidden point near her heart.