Chapter 7

Song Changge smiled faintly. Being friends with a beautiful woman was certainly pleasant, especially one who was both knowledgeable and talented.

She said frankly and sincerely, “My spiritual potential is very low, and my foundation is weak. Once we enter Kunlun Academy, I’ll inevitably fall behind at first. I’ll have to ask you to look out for me then. Don’t look down on me.”

Lin Jiaye thought to herself, So Song Changge had already planned all this out and was waiting for me here. Still, she liked dealing with practical, intelligent people. Communicating with someone on the same wavelength was far easier and more comfortable.

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ll definitely do my best to help you.” Lin Jiaye paused, then continued, “From now on, I’ll call you Changge, and you can call me Jiaye. We’re going to be classmates, so we can’t keep calling each other Third Miss and Miss Lin.”

“All right, Jiaye.”

“Oh, right. There’s something I should remind you about. Kunlun Academy holds one midterm trial and one final assessment every year. Those two things are entirely up to you. You have to survive the trial and then pass the assessment before you can move on to the second year.”

Hearing this, Song Changge found it a little strange. Why did the trial sound more dangerous than the assessment? By normal logic, the midterm should be easier than the final.

She was just about to ask for clarification when Cuiliu knocked on the door and said, “Miss, Master wants you to go to the study.”

Song Changge’s eyelid twitched. Being summoned at a time like this—could word of what she had done at the Treasure Market have already reached Song Beiyou?

She could not help feeling a little guilty. Whenever Song Beiyou dealt with the government in the past, she always valued harmony above all else. Situations like today, where relations were openly torn apart, were extremely rare. If Song Changge had acted impulsively just to show off and ended up bringing endless trouble to the family, she would feel terribly sorry toward Song Beiyou.

“Ahem, Jiaye, I’ll go see what she [bailiantales.com]wants first. Feel free to walk around here as you please. Don’t stand on ceremony. If you need anything, just tell the maids.”

“Go ahead.” Lin Jiaye sat down and picked up a spirit stone. “These spirit stones are still uncut. I’ll polish and shape them.”

Song Beiyou’s residence, Weiming Pavilion, was very close to Qingfeng Residence, separated only by a garden and a pond.

Apart from Song Changge’s birth mother, Song Beiyou had two other wives, each of whom had borne her a daughter.

The eldest daughter was away doing business, while the second daughter was studying elsewhere. Both of their residences were relatively far from Weiming Pavilion, making it obvious that Song Beiyou doted most on her youngest daughter.

Feeling uneasy, Song Changge entered Weiming Pavilion and turned toward the study on the right. Seeing Song Beiyou flipping through account books, she remained outside the door and waited for a while.

Then she suddenly sensed something strange behind her. She turned toward the main entrance, but there was not a single person in sight.

Although it had lasted only an instant, she was certain that someone had been watching her just now, their gaze cold and vicious. Considering that all five dishes at breakfast had been poisoned, perhaps it was the same group of people.

Song Beiyou drew several red circles before closing the account book and rubbing between her brows. When she noticed Song Changge standing outside the door, looking toward the entrance with a grave expression, she paused.

That was an expression she had never seen on her daughter before.

“Xiaoge, you’re already here. Why aren’t you coming in?”

Song Changge withdrew her gaze and read the original at bailiantales.com walked into the study, still thinking about the identity of whoever had poisoned her.

She had watched plenty of dramas about scheming within wealthy households in her previous life. Surely something that melodramatic was not actually happening to her now? Had Song Beiyou’s favoritism toward her caused resentment among the other branches of the family, prompting them to poison her so they could fight over the inheritance?

Then again, the Song family was the wealthiest family in Qingdi City. If anywhere was fertile ground for vicious household infighting, this was certainly it.

Song Changge sighed inwardly. Perhaps she had been cursed somehow. In both of her lives, all she wanted was a warm and harmonious family, yet she could never have one.

Seeing her distracted, Song Beiyou asked in confusion, “What were you looking at just now?”

“Nothing.” Song Changge shook her head.

Song Beiyou studied her for a moment, then smiled warmly and openly. “If something is troubling you, you can tell me. I’ll handle it for you.”

Song Changge hesitated. Then, remembering that Song Beiyou was one of the few people she could trust, she decided to tell her the truth.

“Someone in the residence is trying to harm me.”

Surprise appeared on Song Beiyou’s face. “Why do you say that?”

Song Changge truthfully told her about the poisoned breakfast.

“If they only want to harm me, then once I leave, they’ll naturally settle down. What I’m worried about Read on BaiLianTales is that someone has planted a spy inside the residence, and they may be planning to target you.”

Hearing such thoughtful words from her youngest daughter, Song Beiyou could hardly believe it. Combined with the report she had just received from the Treasure Market management, she suddenly felt as though her daughter had grown up overnight.

She remembered Lihua once saying that demons could absorb unusual energies from heaven and earth. Nine stars had aligned in the sky last night, causing extraordinary energy throughout the Human Realm to surge. Perhaps Changge had unknowingly absorbed something, finally awakening her mind.

But if her mind had awakened, did that mean her demonic nature might also revive?

Although Lihua had personally placed a seal on Changge, Lihua had been dead for many years. Her demonic power had weakened, and it was entirely possible that the seal had begun to loosen.

That was also one of the reasons Song Beiyou was sending Changge to Kunlun Academy this time. She hoped her younger sister Hanyan could temper and guide her while adding another layer of protection on top of the existing seal.

Song Beiyou stood up. “I understand. I’ll investigate this thoroughly. I’ve also heard about what you did at the Treasure Market. You handled it correctly. But remember one thing: a little impatience can ruin a great plan.”

A great plan?

Song Changge blinked. Could it be that Song Beiyou already had a strategy for dealing with the government’s expansion?

Of course she did. She was the richest person in the city, widely experienced and full of methods. Why would she need Song Changge to worry about her? In her previous life, Song Changge had been a poor nobody who worried about her next meal. She had never seen much of the world and knew nothing about strategy or political maneuvering, let alone how to advise the wealthiest person in the city.

“Oh. I won’t be so impulsive in the future.”

Song Beiyou patted her on the shoulder. “Forget it. I can teach you commerce and government strategy gradually in the future. The real reason read the original at bailiantales.comI called you here is because I have a gift for you. Come with me.”

Song Beiyou walked past rows of bookshelves and entered an inner room within the study. Inside stood three rotating bookcases. Every book displayed on them was extremely precious, sealed beneath glass covers and further protected by mystic arts.

Even members of the Song family were forbidden from entering this inner room freely unless they had Song Beiyou’s explicit permission.

Song Beiyou stopped in front of the innermost rotating bookcase, reached out, and pressed an inconspicuous point on the central pillar before softly reciting an incantation.

So even the richest person in Qingdi City knew mystic arts. Song Changge had assumed her head was filled with nothing but money and business.

A moment later, there was a click.

A crack unexpectedly appeared in the floor of the inner room, slowly opening to both sides.

Song Changge leaned forward to look. Clear blue light shone from below, and the moment it touched her body, she felt cool and refreshed all over. It was even more miraculous than the cold jade beneath her bed.

Song Beiyou descended the stone steps. When she looked back and saw Song Changge still standing there in a daze, she beckoned to her.

“This is the Song family’s secret chamber. It’s your first time entering. Sooner or later, everything here will be handed over to you.”

There were twenty stone pedestals inside the secret chamber, each holding a treasure. Song Changge swept her gaze across them and saw unfamiliar blades and swords, beads, stones, fans, secret manuals, and other objects.

Her attention was quickly drawn to a luminous pearl in the center. It was only the size of a grape, yet it ​unauthorized copy​radiated dazzling blue light, illuminating the entire secret chamber so brightly that there was no need for lamps.

Beside the luminous pearl lay an orange spirit stone. Even from a great distance, Song Changge could feel the tremendous spiritual power contained within it. She swallowed. The color of the orange spirit stone was exceptionally pure, so it was probably Rank 9. It had to be worth somewhere between nine thousand and ten thousand gold yuan—and even with the money, one might not necessarily be able to buy it.

Song Beiyou, however, paid no attention to any of these treasures and walked straight toward a reddish-brown treasure box.

She opened it.

Inside was a tiny bronze furnace.

Song Beiyou carefully took the furnace out and placed it in Song Changge’s hands.

Song Changge turned it this way and that but could not see anything special about it. The bronze furnace was only the size of her palm and much lighter than an equal volume of ordinary bronze. She could easily hold it in one hand.

Puzzled, she asked, “What is this?”

“This divine artifact is called the Alchemy Furnace. Legend has it that hundreds of millions of years ago, the Yuanling Continent was home to a Creator God and a World-Destroying Demon. The two fought for millions of years until both ultimately perished. Their primal bodies transformed into the Ten Gods and Ten Demons, while their spiritual power became the Ten Great Divine Artifacts and the Ten Great Demonic Artifacts. The Alchemy Furnace ranks tenth among the divine artifacts.”

“Ah. So it’s in last place.”

Song Beiyou burst out laughing. “I’ll tell you a secret. Although the Alchemy Furnace ranks tenth, in many situations, it’s even more useful than the divine artifacts ranked above it. You’ll understand in the future.”

“It’s that impressive?”

Song Changge looked at the tiny Alchemy Furnace in her hands. Truly, one could not judge a divine artifact by its appearance. If she had not known what it was, she suspected no one would even want it if it were tossed onto a market stall.

“Oh, and you absolutely must keep this divine artifact safe. Don’t let anyone know you have it. These days, the Human, Demon, and Divine Races are all coveting these ancient artifacts. If word gets out, it could bring fatal disaster upon you.”

Song Changge sucked in a cold breath and muttered inwardly that perhaps she should simply refuse it.

Otherwise, if she accidentally lost it or attracted trouble because of it, the consequences would far outweigh the benefits.

“I’ve already given it to you. Don’t even think about backing out now.”

Song Changge gave a guilty smile. No one knew a daughter better than her father. Song Beiyou had seen through her thoughts almost immediately.

“Then I’ll head back and study it first.”

“Stay and have dinner with me. It’s been a long time since the two of us ate together.”

At the thought of sitting at the same table as Song Beiyou’s other two wives, Song Changge still felt uncomfortable. Although having multiple wives was perfectly normal in this world, she was not capable of accepting it yet.

Everything else about Song Beiyou was wonderful. The only thing that bothered Song Changge was how heartless she seemed toward the birth mother Song Changge had never met. There was not a single trace of that woman anywhere in the house, as though she had never existed at all.

To avoid the awkward family dinner, Song Changge told a small lie.

“Maybe another time. I already promised Jiaye that we’d go out for dinner.”

“All right, then.”

A trace of disappointment flashed through Song Beiyou’s eyes.

Song Changge returned to her room and hid the Alchemy Furnace beneath her pillow. Unable to contain her curiosity, she immediately opened Records of Myriad Things and searched for information about the furnace.

Unfortunately, the book only briefly mentioned that the Alchemy Furnace was a magical artifact belonging to the Great God Shennong. As for its abilities and how to use it, there was not a single word.

Song Changge sighed. It seemed Records of Myriad Things was not an all-knowing encyclopedia after all. It was more like a general introduction to mystic studies—broad in scope, but lacking depth.