Soul Attack

After being thoroughly disciplined by Vesa, Feng Xue had turned completely docile, now doing everything in her power to assist Mingyue. Not just because of the horrors she had experienced… But also because of the promise. A body. A second chance. 

"Hmph! Uncle? What uncle?" Mingyue scoffed, crossing her arms. "He always made my life difficult on purpose, jealous of my talent. No matter what I did, he'd find fault in it. Then he'd pull the elder card to justify it." Her voice turned cold. "A hateful man. If my family ever does plot against me, I'd bet he's one of the masterminds."

Feng Xue hesitated before asking, "Why would they plot against their own? If you can't trust your own family… who can you trust then?"

[No need to worry about that,The Queen has me and the King. Feng Xue, just focus on your task.]

Mingyue ignored their conversation and turned her attention to something more important. "Vesa, can you show me Jian Feng's status? Or do I need to see him directly?" Vesa didn't answer with words. Instead, a display appeared before Mingyue.

***

Name: Jian Feng Xueqi

Power Level: 8.5

Life Force: 105/210

Cultivation Level: Core Formation Stage - Late Level

[The target is frustrated and feels afraid of his situation.

Has hostile intentions.]

***

Mingyue wasn't surprised. "Vesa, can you create a map like the one in the secret realm?"

[If you mean a basic map of the area, that's possible. But I assume the Queen wants something more… detailed? Like the locations of all cultivators here?]

"Yes. Can you do it?"

[Not yet. But if the Queen is curious, I can try detecting the strongest cultivator in your family.]

Mingyue's interest piqued. "Do it." She had always been curious about this. The patriarch was known to be in the Nascent Soul Stage, but every great family had an ancestor hidden in the shadows—a silent protector. After a short pause, Vesa's response flashed in front of her.

***

[The strongest cultivator I can sense is in the Nascent Soul Stage, Queen. However, I also detected a strong formation in the area ahead.]

***

Mingyue's brows furrowed. "Near the center? That should be our family treasury."

[No, Queen. There is a formation there, but it's weaker. The powerful one is in the northeast of the city.]

Mingyue's eyes narrowed. She knew that place. The ancestral graves. Every year, the family gathered there to pay respects. But beyond the outer area, the deeper sections were strictly off-limits. Only the patriarch was allowed inside. "Forget it," Mingyue said after a moment. "I'll check it later." A sly grin formed on her lips. For now, she had something else to do. She sent a silent command to Zan Lu.

Outside the carriage, Zan Lu approached Jian Feng with slow, deliberate steps. He reached into his robes and pulled out the photo—the one taken earlier. Jian Feng's eyes flickered to it, his jaw tightening. Without a word, Zan Lu crumpled the paper. The moment it creased— Jian Feng felt it. 

A sharp pressure crashed into his soul, squeezing it like a vice. His breath hitched. His heartbeat pounded in his ears. 'What… What is this!?' Panic clawed up his throat as he staggered back, eyes wide. "What… What do you want!?" he demanded, his voice uneven. For the first time in his life— Jian Feng Xueqi felt fear from a commoner.

Zan Lu smirked. "You? Know your place." His tone was calm, but there was an unmistakable air of superiority. "I may just be an attendant, but a weakling like you has no right to speak to me that way." He lifted his other hand, revealing a match. With a flick, he struck it against the box.

Whoosh.

A tiny flame flickered to life. Jian Feng instinctively focused on it, expecting to sense the usual flow of qi when fire was conjured. But—nothing. Just for a brief moment, he felt something—a whisper of qi, there and gone. His mind raced. 'These people… they're not ordinary cultivators.' His fingers twitched slightly as his suspicion grew. 'Could they be from an ancient family?' Normally, fire fueled by qi would continuously consume energy, making its presence felt. But this? It defied logic.

Zan Lu took a slow step forward, moving the tiny flame closer to the crumpled photo in his hand. Jian Feng's breath hitched. The moment the ember neared the paper, heat pulsed through his very soul. A sharp, burning sensation flared inside him, deep and real. His heart pounded. His survival instincts screamed at him. His pride as an elder was meaningless in the face of this unknown power. He immediately bowed his head. "I-I apologize! Please forgive my rudeness!"

Inside the carriage, Mingyue was barely holding in her laughter. "I only get three soul attacks a day, and you wasted one just to prank your uncle?" Feng Xue's voice dripped with exasperation.

Mingyue, still grinning, waved it off. "Oh, it's worth it. You have no idea how much I suffered under him when I lived here." Then, a glint flashed in her amber eyes. "And besides… it's not just a prank."

Outside, Zan Lu straightened his back, his earlier act of arrogance now shifting into something real. He felt it. That intoxicating sense of power. A man like Jian Feng—an arrogant cultivator from a prestigious family—was groveling before him, a former commoner.

A rush of pride swelled in his chest. He had chosen the right path by following Lady Mingyue. Looking down at Jian Feng, he twirled the paper between his fingers before speaking. "I can return this to you." His voice was smooth, casual. "Even better… I can give you this artifact."

Jian Feng's gaze snapped to the strange device in Zan Lu's hand. Greed flickered in his eyes. In the Xueqi Family, he was far from the top. His position was low—overshadowed by stronger, more talented members. Even his own son was nothing but a disappointment, wasting his days lazing around instead of cultivating. 

But if he had this artifact… If he could harness this strange, powerful technology… He could change his fate. More resources. More influence. A better future for his newborn granddaughter. He had already spread rumors that she was talented, using the strange phenomenon at her birth as proof. He knew what he saw that day. But because he was the only witness, the patriarch and the elders dismissed it. They chose to wait until she was older, until her talent could be confirmed.

'This artifact… it could be his leverage.' Jian Feng swallowed hard. "Of course, sir," he said quickly. "What can I do for you?"

Zan Lu tilted his head, his expression unreadable. "Oh, nothing too complicated." He waved a hand vaguely toward the city. "I heard rumors that one of your family heirs had an accident… but why shut down an entire city over it?"

Jian Feng's expression darkened slightly. His lips pressed into a thin line before he finally answered. "I apologize, sir… but I can only say this much." His voice dropped. "Our family is grieving. And… some bastard took advantage of our loss to steal an important artifact. That's why the city is on lockdown."