Chapter 59: Shutting Down

At this time, the Jiang Family in Jindu.

Grand Concubine Jiang had been favored in her earlier years; when she was favored, she had once requested a grace for the Jiang Family out of longing for her kin, and the Former Emperor had bestowed a residence upon them, located no more than two quarters of an hour's journey from the Imperial Palace.

Seeing that her daughter had let out a sigh of relief upon learning the news that Cheng Xi was safe and sound, only to then lock herself in her room, the Marchioness of Yunping came to counsel her.

"Why must you hang yourself from a single tree? There are plenty of talented young men in Jindu; that Li Zhi'an is not your fated match, so just let it go," the Marchioness of Yunping sighed.

Upon hearing her mother's words, Jiang Miao's eyes turned red again; she simply could not understand why Li Zhi'an was able to find Cheng Xi, when she and Yan Shengyu had walked over half the mountain that day until their feet were blistered, yet they had not discovered any trace of Cheng Xi.

Later, the two of them were so thirsty, hungry, and exhausted that they truly could not hold on any longer, and they had barely managed to descend the mountain; after the Empress Dowager regained consciousness, she also sent people to search the mountain, but they still did not find Cheng Xi.

All of them had thought that Cheng Xi was in grave danger; Cheng Xi had saved them that day, and if not for her, they feared they all would have returned to the Nine Netherworlds.

Yet, only a few days later, Li Zhi'an sent a memorial into the palace stating that he had found a heavily injured Cheng Xi, and in order to treat her, he would delay his return to Jindu.

The moment she received the news, Jiang Miao first felt a sense of relief—Cheng Xi was still alive.

Then, she shut herself off.

Why did it have to be Li Zhi'an who found her!

The Marchioness of Yunping was naturally unhappy in her heart, but there was nothing to be done; Cheng Xi had saved her daughter that day, and if Jiang Miao were to continue targeting her, her reputation would be ruined in the future.

"Miaomiao, you are different from Mother. Mother can only be an ordinary person with a limited lifespan for her whole life, but you have awakened your talent; your future prospects are extraordinary."

"You must look forward in all things. You are obsessed with romance now, but in a few years, you will understand that strength is what matters most."

"Cheng Xi has the grace of saving your life; once we repay her kindness, we will be even. In the future, as long as you become increasingly powerful, you will find that all problems will be easily resolved."

Jiang Miao said with some hesitation: "But Cheng Xi also has talent, and she is much stronger than me now. I heard that the Marchioness of the Duke of Zhen is now regretting it so much that her intestines are turning green, and she is privately saying everywhere that Cheng Xi deliberately released false news so that she would take the bait and break off the engagement."

The Marchioness of Yunping sneered, "You believe this? Use your brain when doing things! Cheng Xi has a stepmother if she has a mother; she must have long discovered that something was wrong between Jiang Weiran and Cheng Fenglan. Perhaps at that time, her talent had indeed not yet awakened and she wanted to protect herself, so she deliberately found an excuse to avoid them by going to the villa."

"With her gone, the Li Shi mother and daughter naturally would not let go of a golden son-in-law like Jiang Weiran, and it just so happened that at this juncture, Cheng Fenglan tested for talent. How could the Marchioness of the Duke of Zhen not be tempted?"

Although the Marchioness of Yunping did not like Cheng Xi, she also looked down on Cheng Fenglan's conduct; it was truly too unpresentable.

Jiang Miao felt that what her mother said made sense, and her expression dimmed again as she said softly: "I will definitely become stronger in the future, and I will also repay the life-saving grace. Once I have repaid the life-saving grace, I will no longer owe Cheng Xi anything."

"That is my good daughter. You must remember one thing: being strong yourself is the foundation; everything else is unimportant."

"I understand."

"Rest well; Mother will come to see you again tomorrow."

After the Marchioness of Yunping left her daughter's room, Jiang Mama, who was by her side, whispered: "My Lady, are you really letting the Eldest Miss give up on the Chief of Tongtian?"

"My daughter is naturally very outstanding, but she is not the most outstanding among all the young ladies in the Capital. Li Zhi'an has a good family background, a handsome appearance, and great ability; I fear it will not be easy for Miaomiao to make him bow his head."

"Since it is destined to have no result, why let her suffer this hardship? Now that I think about it, I really should thank Cheng Xi; if it weren't for her, I truly wouldn't have a better reason to persuade Miaomiao." The Marchioness of Yunping had always been very pragmatic.

Although she could not be counted as a noble person, she was not a true villain either; Cheng Xi had saved her daughter, and if she really liked Li Zhi'an, Miaomiao absolutely could not compete with her.

Thinking of this, the Marchioness of Yunping looked up at the sky and said softly: "To us, the Capital is already the pinnacle of existence, but to the Four Great Academies, it is merely a brick beneath their feet. Once Miaomiao is admitted to an Academy in the future, she will have better prospects and better young men waiting for her."

"My Lady is wise; you are right," Jiang Mama hurriedly said, "My Lady, regarding the Talisman Bead you asked me to inquire about, this old servant has indeed obtained some news."

Upon hearing this, the Marchioness of Yunping's face was filled with surprise, "Really?"

"Yes, I heard that a shop in Ghost Street will have Talisman Beads for sale in half a month."

Ghost Street?

The Marchioness of Yunping frowned slightly.

But Talisman Beads were simply too rare; even if she did not like Ghost Street, as long as she could obtain a Talisman Bead, she was willing to make the trip.

Talisman Beads were indispensable items for those who had awakened their talent. Although the Marchioness of Yunping did not know what this thing was used for, she had heard Lady Fang say that Talisman Beads were crucial to every student entering an Academy.

Lady Fang's son was the direct disciple of the Dean of the Qinghe Academy, so this statement naturally could not be wrong.

Once this news spread, I fear all the noble families in Jindu would take action.

"Then go and buy it; no matter the price, we must secure it," the Marchioness of Yunping said decisively.

Jiang Mama said with some hesitation: "My Lady, I heard that one needs an invitation to reach Ghost Street."

"Then find a way to get an invitation," the Marchioness of Yunping frowned and said.

Although Ghost Street was located in Jindu, the things sold there were very strange, and the Imperial Court did not interfere much.

Trying to use power to make them back down was impossible.

Before Cheng Xi had returned to Jindu, news regarding the Talisman Beads had already reached her ears through Ji Muzhi.

Previously, she had been interested in this thing, but upon learning that Talisman Beads were only the lowest-grade implements for storing Spirit Essence, she lost interest.

She now only wanted to figure out what was going on with the Fire Phoenix in her dantian, but it had yet to awaken; Cheng Xi pondered that since Talisman Beads could appear in Ghost Street, perhaps one could buy higher-quality Talisman Beads in Ghost Street.

If she could buy one with more abundant Spirit Essence and absorb it into her body, perhaps the Fire Phoenix would awaken.

This was a Fire Spirit; once subdued, she would have fire for Artifact Refining in the future, and it would be a fire seed that had already awakened its intelligence.

Thinking of this, Cheng Xi felt that this injury was truly worth it.

Think of every treasure she had obtained in her past life; were they not all taken from mountains of corpses and seas of blood?

She had truly never seen one like the Fire Phoenix that had bumped into her on its own.

On the day of the return to Jindu, Cheng Xi boarded Li Zhi'an's carriage.

Three Jade Qilin Horses pulled the carriage, and the speed was extremely fast, as if it were about to fly.

The distance that would take an ordinary person three days on horseback, they covered in half a day to reach Jindu.

The Jade Qilin Horses felt Cheng Xi's scorching gaze and subconsciously took a step back, always feeling that their backs were a bit cold.