Chapter 76: The Time Has Not Yet Come

“He won’t fall into demonic ways; his condition prevents him from cultivating demonic arts.” The seal just struck upon Yu Heng was no illusion.

The spectral figure looked seriously at Ji Jiuxuan. “Don’t worry. Since you asked me to spare his life, he won’t die. Soon, disciples of the Xuantian Sect will discover him.”

“So soon?” Ji Jiuxuan was somewhat surprised. To think that even who would find him, and when, could be arranged—was this a power the cultivation world could truly possess?

“Yes. There happen to be a few demons nearby. He’ll suffer, that’s certain.” To dare harm those under his protection—if they weren’t killed outright, they’d still be skinned.

Ji Jiuxuan was even more astonished. That’s the Outer Realms! To be able to sense events so far away—how powerful must Suiyi have been in his life?

“Shall we return? I’ll take you.” Considering the surroundings, the specter thought it best to send her back personally.

Ji Jiuxuan glanced at Moonwhite. She’d better wake it up; otherwise, if someone grew suspicious and found Moonwhite here, it would be troublesome.

Following her gaze, the specter instantly understood her intention. “No need to wake it. I’ll send you both back together.”

As soon as he spoke, Ji Jiuxuan felt, in the blink of an eye, that she was lying on Moonwhite Rabbit’s back, right inside the Xuanheng Courtyard.

Silent as a whisper, as if she and Moonwhite had always been there, and Suiyi’s presence was nowhere to be seen.

Looking towards her ring, Ji Jiuxuan asked, “Suiyi, are you there?”

“Yes, I’m here.”

Hearing Suiyi’s voice, Ji Jiuxuan finally relaxed.

“Rest well. Call me if you need anything.” With those words, the specter fell silent, and the ring’s glow faded into calm.

This made Ji Jiuxuan feel very odd. The specter’s attitude had been so gentle just now; if she weren’t a child, she might have misunderstood his expression as something more—utterly baffling.

Thinking of this, Ji Jiuxuan shuddered. She was letting her imagination run wild.

“System, it’s been so long—do you know Suiyi’s origin now?” Suiyi had once claimed amnesia, so she’d privately asked the system to investigate, hoping to help him if possible.

“His memories can be recovered, but the time has not yet come; the memory fragments have not appeared.”

The system’s words surprised Ji Jiuxuan. “So you know his true origin, don’t you? And… what memory fragments?”

Fragments of memory? She had a bad premonition. Would she have to help Suiyi collect these fragments?

Still, Suiyi had helped her so much. If the time came, she would not hesitate to do her part.

“This is something you’ll have to discover for yourself in the future.”

After that, the system fell silent.

Ji Jiuxuan’s mind couldn’t help but recall the time she’d asked the system about Wen Ying, only to receive the same vague answer: she’d have to find out for herself. Now, it was the same with Suiyi.

This ring was a gift from Aunt Wen Ying—could there be a connection? Did Wen Ying know about Suiyi’s situation?

Unfortunately, Wen Ying was nowhere to be found. She’d have to uncover the truth on her own.

Thinking about Yu Heng’s fate today, Ji Jiuxuan felt even more determined to obtain the Phoenix Plume Emperor Bird she’d coveted for so long. Strike while the iron is hot: with Yu Heng gone, it was the perfect time to steal the bird.

She reviewed the Tianji Chengying technique in her mind for the umpteenth time. It was divided into two parts: incantations and moves.

Closing her eyes to cultivate the incantations, she was unexpectedly interrupted by the system, which had been silent all this time. “Reminder: It is recommended to finish reading the books in the library before cultivating.”

“Can’t I practice now?” She wanted to seize the opportunity to catch the Phoenix Plume Emperor Bird before anything could go wrong.

Yu Heng had been thrown into the Outer Realms and poisoned with the Purple Enchantment Pill—he’d die sooner or later. The Phoenix Plume Emperor Bird was a gift from the Yu family to Yu Heng. Without their indulgence, Yu Heng wouldn’t have dared act as he did. Capturing the bird would be satisfying vengeance.

Not that Ji Jiuxuan would ever admit she was a little greedy—the bird’s flavor was a curiosity she couldn’t ignore.

It was one of the ingredients designated by the system; not cooking it would be a waste of the system’s quest options.

“Now is not the best time. Wait until you’ve mastered Tianji Chengying and then make plans.”

“Fine, if not now, I’ll wait.” She sat down on a chair and produced the gifts she’d received for her birthday.

Both her grandfather and uncle had sent gifts, as had her maternal grandfather—a trove of treasures. She was definitely the wealthiest cultivator of her generation; her stores were quite simply mountainous.

She sorted everything neatly into her spatial storage.

Though she’d only met her uncle once and never seen her grandfather at all, their care was no less for it.

If she ever had the chance, she would certainly travel to the Southern Sea to see their home.

Her master’s gifts included several spatial boxes, full of fine things, but, as expected, books took up the most space—she strongly suspected her master was using this as an excuse to assign extra homework.

Ji Jiuxuan was never picky about books. Everything piqued her interest, so the sight of that pile of unfamiliar tomes filled her with joy.

Taking up the gift from her second uncle, Min Chengjun, she was grateful her maternal grandfather had given her a ring with an immense capacity—otherwise, her collection of spatial boxes might not have fit.

Among her second uncle’s gifts were not only clothes and jewelry but also a variety of delicacies and spices, as well as all manner of materials: spirit stones, pills, talisman paper—everything one could wish for.

Aside from these, Ji Jiuxuan also found puppet servants.

A box contained ten wooden puppets, accompanied by a book detailing their operation.

Reading the instructions, Ji Jiuxuan realized these were like life-skill puppets. She took one out and activated it as directed.

The puppet instantly grew larger, its form changing according to its assigned task, becoming impressively strong.

Excited, she summoned her spatial planting scroll and, with the puppet, flew inside.

Sitting in the fields, Ji Jiuxuan watched as the puppet automatically harvested ripe spirit herbs and fruits, even helping to till the land, transforming barren ground into fertile fields.

Now, all she had to do was plant seeds and water them with spiritual rain from time to time.

This was simply too handy!

She took out another one—the culinary puppet her second uncle had once shown her had tempted her for so long.

In a flash, another puppet expanded. Since Ji Jiuxuan chose a female form, her chef puppet was much more petite than her uncle’s.

If it weren’t so late at night, she’d have asked the puppet to cook for her right then and there.

That left eight more puppets.

Why were all ten puppets only skilled in domestic arts? If only some were bodyguards—she could have ten formidable protectors, which would be wonderful.

She was tempted to study their construction. Someday, she’d have someone forge a few guardian puppets for her—how delightful that would be.

She suddenly missed her senior sister. If only she were here; researching together would never be dull.

Holding the weapon box her junior uncle had given her, she thought, perhaps he would know when Meng Jiao would return.

(End of chapter)