Chapter 5

The imperial palace, Kingdom of Yunze.

“Your Highness, although Pei Zhiyin suffered injuries to her heart, lungs, and meridians, Chief Astrologer Pei arrived in time to infuse her with spiritual energy and protect her body. With the medicine I personally prescribed, her condition has now stabilized. She should make a full recovery in another half month.”

Yun Pan, the Eldest Princess Regent, raised her eyes toward Wenren Du, who stood in the hall in blue-green official robes. The tension that had lingered between her brows for days finally eased a little.

“Good. You shall be rewarded.”

If Pei Zhiyin died, Pei Wenxuan would be devastated. The Pei clan being left without an heir was the last outcome Yun Pan wanted to see.

The palace servants attending in the hall all breathed quiet sighs of relief. The Eldest Princess Regent had been exceptionally furious over the danger Pei Zhiyin had faced, leaving everyone in the palace fearing for their own safety.

Wenren Du did not withdraw. After a moment’s hesitation, he continued.

“Your Highness, there is one other matter.”

“What is it?”

“Pei Zhiyin has awakened the Eye of Heaven’s Secrets.”

Yun Pan nodded slightly. Awakening the Eye of Heaven’s Secrets at eighteen was rather late, but it was good news nonetheless.

“Blue-green?”

To her surprise, Wenren Du slowly answered with two words.

“Molten gold.”

Her grip abruptly tightened around her vermilion brush, dragging a long streak of bright red ink across the memorial.

“What did you say?”

“Your Highness, it is indeed the molten-gold Eye of Heaven’s Secrets. I saw it with my own eyes.”

Yun Pan set down her brush. The molten-gold Eye of Heaven’s Secrets—not a single person possessing it [unauthorized copy]had appeared in three thousand years of Pei clan genealogies. It was said to perceive the causes and effects within charts of fate, representing the highest attainment in the mystic Dao of heaven’s secrets.

If this was true, it meant that far from declining, the Pei clan would enter its most prosperous era in three thousand years. At last, the clan had a worthy successor.

Yet a moment later, the emotions in her eyes grew complicated. Molten-gold eyes were powerful enough to alter the entire balance of power in the Kingdom of Yunze. Two princes of the imperial family, each holding his own fief, were already stirring with ambition. If they learned that Pei Zhiyin had awakened molten-gold eyes, what would they try? Recruitment? A marriage alliance? Bribery? Assassination?

If Yun Pan could not be certain of securing her allegiance, she would have to find a way to eliminate her as soon as possible. She could not allow the future head of the Pei clan to join someone else’s faction.

After weighing the matter for a long time, Yun Pan spoke gravely.

“For now, do not let word of the molten-gold eyes spread.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

After Wenren Du left Qinzheng Hall, Yun Pan raised a hand to rub between her brows.

“Yun Ying.”

“Could the ancient divine artifact have something to do with Pei Zhiyin?”

Spiritual energy rippled in the shadows within the hall. A woman in black appeared silently and dropped to one knee.

“Your Highness, I led our people in searching the area within a hundred li of Jinshan Ridge three times. We found no trace of any ancient divine artifact.”

“However, very few people entered the deep forest of Jinshan Ridge at that time on the day of the incident. After investigating, Young Mistress Pei is the only person who fits.”

Yun Pan rose, her crimson palace robes trailing across the floor as she walked slowly over to Yun Ying.

“Starting today, assign people to protect Pei Zhiyin in secret. Report her daily movements to me in full, down to the smallest detail.”

“Understood.”

Yun Ying accepted the order and withdrew.

Yun Pan returned to the imperial desk and summoned someone to grind ink. Before long, an imperial edict began to take shape.

*

The Pei residence, Kingdom of Yunze.

Pei Zhiyin lounged lazily against the edge of a white jade bathing pool large enough to hold nearly ten people, her fingertips brushing aside the spirit-flower petals floating on the surface. This was her first truly comfortable hot bath since transmigrating into the book.

There were three days left until the disciple recruitment assembly. Through unprecedented cooperation and “voluntarily” taking her medicine, Pei Zhiyin had finally obtained Wenren Heng’s verbal decree permitting her to get out of bed.

Nor had she been idle during those days spent recovering in bed.

She had pestered Pei Wenxuan, wheedling and pleading until she secured permission to go to Xuanqing Town to watch the disciple recruitment assembly.

Naturally, the condition was nonnegotiable—Steward Shen had to accompany her throughout.

Wenren Heng had even volunteered to come along, citing the need to “care for the patient.”

Beyond that, Pei Zhiyin had repeatedly reviewed the original plot over the past few days and finally devised a nearly perfect plan to kill the male lead.

She had rehearsed it in her mind many times, eliminating potential complications one by one to ensure that Gu Changge would die without anyone being the wiser—and that no one would connect his death to the Pei clan.

With everything worked out, Pei Zhiyin was in excellent spirits. All the preparations were complete. All that remained was to “gear up.”

The water rippled gently, reflecting a face both familiar and unfamiliar. With its long, slender phoenix eyes tilting slightly upward and its high, straight nose, it bore a ninety-percent resemblance to her face before she entered the book.

The only difference was those molten-gold eyes. They lent her whole face a touch of divinity, making her beauty seem almost unreal.

Pei Zhiyin stirred the water with her hand, scattering her reflection. She couldn’t help remarking,

“Eyes like these would save me a fortune on colored contacts in the modern world.”

Only after her fingertips had wrinkled from soaking did Pei Zhiyin slowly rise from the pool.

Outside, Steward Shen and the maids had been waiting for a long time. At last, a slender, fair hand lifted the beaded curtain, and a tall figure stepped slowly through.

Pei Zhiyin wore a loose moon-white robe, its collar slightly open to reveal a stretch of her slender, fair neck. Her freshly washed black hair had yet to be dried and hung to her waist, tiny droplets leaving faint damp marks on her robe.

Perhaps because she was only just recovering from serious injuries, her [bailiantales.com]expression held less of its usual mischief and more of a fragile beauty.

Steward Shen paused for a moment, then quickly fetched a soft snow-silkworm towel and carefully wrapped Pei Zhiyin’s dripping hair.

All the doors and windows of the bathing chamber had already been shut tight, keeping out the midsummer heat. Between the beams and pillars, pearls the size of pigeons’ eggs, which kept the seasons eternally springlike, glowed with gentle spiritual light, maintaining fresh air and a temperature as pleasant as March.

Only after her long hair had been dried did she sit before the dressing table. A maid deftly picked up a jade comb and began arranging her hair into a bun.

“Keep it simple.”

In the end, her black hair was gathered high at the back of her head and secured with nothing more than a silk ribbon. Without jeweled ornaments, dangling gold hairpins, or elaborate accessories, the neat, practical style made her look entirely different from the old Pei Zhiyin.

Pei Zhiyin stood and examined herself in the silver mirror.

The young woman in the reflection wore a fitted black outfit cinched at the waist. She had lost some of the pampered elegance of a noble young lady and gained a dash of martial spirit, its edge just beginning to show.

The original owner had adored gauzy dresses with intricate patterns and layer upon layer of fabric—so much so that, while being chased by Wu Zheng, Pei Zhiyin had briefly wanted to strip them off on the spot.

Pei Zhiyin nodded in satisfaction. Now she looked like someone preparing to assassinate the male lead. She fastened her Spatial Pouch to her waist, checked the spirit stones unauthorized copy and talismans inside, and headed straight for Tianji Pavilion, following the route in the original owner’s memories.

As she followed the long flight of blue-stone steps northward, Tianji Pavilion gradually came into view.

Even though Pei Zhiyin had visited countless museums at home and abroad in the modern world, the buildings before her still left her thoroughly awestruck.

Two five-story towers, built entirely from thousand-year-old spirit wood, stood against the mountainside. Sweeping eaves and intricate bracket sets rose in tier upon tier, and an openwork arched bridge connected the two buildings. The spiritual energy surrounding them was so dense that it condensed into white mist, flowing beneath the bridge. From a distance, they looked almost like celestial palaces suspended above a sea of clouds.

The tower on the left was called Guanxiang Tower. It housed the texts on divination, formations, geomancy, celestial phenomena, and heaven’s secrets left by generations of Pei ancestors.

The one on the right was Chengqi Tower, which held the artifacts, spirit treasures, and major heirloom artifacts accumulated by the Pei clan over three thousand years.

Pei Zhiyin couldn’t help clicking her tongue softly.

“No wonder they’re the foremost clan in the Kingdom of Yunze…”

The moment she stepped through the courtyard gate, the blue stone beneath her feet suddenly shone with faint golden light. Ancient script emerged along the edges of the paving stones and flowed slowly across their surfaces.

An elderly man with graying hair and beard approached. He was the steward of Tianji Pavilion. Seeing her puzzled expression, he explained with a smile.

“The formation beneath your feet, Young Mistress, is the Spirit-Suppressing Formation, one of the Pei clan’s great formations.”

“Anyone without Pei blood who enters this place will have almost all their spiritual energy suppressed, regardless of their cultivation, leaving them no different from an ordinary mortal.”

Pei Zhiyin was inwardly astonished. Wasn’t this the ultimate security system, cultivation-world edition? She tried circulating her spiritual energy. It surged as usual, reassuring her considerably.

“You needn’t accompany me. I’ll look around on my own.”

The old man bowed slightly.

“Yes, Young Mistress.”

Pei Zhiyin strode toward Chengqi Tower. The moment she crossed the threshold, the previously silent building seemed to awaken. Gentle spiritual light spread from beneath her feet, and lights illuminated the tower level by level. Countless spiritual patterns climbed its beams and pillars before converging at the vaulted ceiling. The space before her was far more expansive than the building’s exterior suggested.

She looked up. Cabinets hundreds of feet tall lined the space around her, packed with countless compartments. All manner of artifacts and spirit treasures floated quietly inside them: a jade ruler coursing with lightning, an ancient bronze bell mottled with rust…

Any one of these would provoke a scramble among countless cultivators if brought into the outside world, yet the [Read on BaiLianTales]original owner had never once come here? Pei Zhiyin immediately felt a pang of bitter regret. What an outrageous waste!

Just then, she noticed an ancient golden scroll floating in the center of the space ahead.

The scroll hovered quietly at about waist height, tiny runes revolving slowly around it like stars gathered around the moon.

Pei Zhiyin hurried over and tried infusing it with spiritual energy. Sure enough, the scroll slowly unfurled to either side, and ancient golden characters appeared in the air.

《Chengqi Catalogue》

Artifacts: 3,742.
Spirit treasures: 681.
Talisman treasures: 9,300.
Major artifacts: 57.
…

The densely packed catalogue extended to the right, leaving Pei Zhiyin dazzled.

She lightly touched the words “Talisman Treasures” with her spiritual energy. Ripples spread across the entire scroll. As the catalogue faded, images of talismans emerged from within it, each accompanied by its name, grade, and effects.

The very first talisman immediately caught Pei Zhiyin’s eye—the Last Chance Talisman. Once activated, it could block a fatal strike from a Mahayana cultivator.

Pei Zhiyin’s breath caught slightly. A Mahayana cultivator? ​unauthorized copy​There were only a handful in all of Yunze.

She immediately touched the illustrated entry with her spiritual energy.

Humm—

A streak of spiritual light flew from the scroll and wound upward along the towering cabinets, finally stopping before a compartment near the roof. With a soft mechanical click, the compartment slowly detached from the cabinet, floated outward, and settled steadily before Pei Zhiyin.

The protective restriction dispersed, revealing more than a dozen Last Chance Talismans neatly arranged inside.

Pei Zhiyin hesitated briefly before taking two.

For some reason, she felt a little guilty.

Strictly speaking, these things belonged to the Pei clan, not her. Ultimately, she was just an outsider who had stumbled into the world of this book. Once she dealt with Gu Changge, she would be going back.

But then she thought about how the original owner would already be dead if she hadn’t changed the plot. And if Fan Qingyun fell into demonic corruption, Pei Wenxuan would also perish while suppressing the Demon King, her cultivation extinguished with her. In a sense, what Pei Zhiyin was doing now was also defying heaven to change the Pei clan’s fate. Thinking of it that way greatly eased her guilt.

And so Pei Zhiyin gradually grew bolder, until the once-crammed [stolen content]talisman compartments were noticeably emptier.

Next, she opened the artifact and spirit treasure catalogues in turn. Her gaze soon landed on a familiar name—the Immortal-Binding Rope. Her eyelid twitched. This was the very thing that had nearly gotten her killed. Without hesitation, she put it into her Spatial Pouch. Dangerous things were safest in her own hands.

For the rest of her visit, Pei Zhiyin packed away anything she thought might be useful for the assassination. Only when her Spatial Pouch could hold no more did she reluctantly leave.

Once she killed the male lead, she would make sure to return every treasure intact to its rightful owner.