The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 417 If Lang Jiu were smart, she would know when to stop.
Behind Qingyang Temple, there is a pavilion called Wangxian Pavilion. At that time, a man and a woman stood in the pavilion. They were Rong Huanxuan, the young master of the Rong family, and her guardian elder, Liu Xiao.

Liu Xiao was only in his early forties, but his face looked like he was over sixty. He was frowning as he advised Rong Huanxuan to leave.

“Young Master, a wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall. Since the patriarch has sent a message, you should return to the clan immediately.” Liu Xiao looked down at the dark gold runes embroidered on her black robe, his tone filled with helplessness.

Rong Huanxuan turned around and looked at him coldly, saying, "The patriarch told me to turn back, which means I should avoid that woman. What, have I, the young master of the Rong family, reduced to avoiding an ordinary woman? Does Elder Liu look down on me?"

Her tone seemed to carry an icy chill.

Liu Xiao looked up and met her gaze.

The girl before him was undoubtedly beautiful. She had a pair of slender, almond-shaped eyes with upturned corners and deep-set pupils. Her eyebrows slanted upwards towards her temples, her nose was straight and delicate, and her lips were as red as blood. Between her eyebrows, a blood-red flame was painted, which added to her aura of sternness and unapproachable majesty.

Liu Xiao realized he had offended her, and lowered his eyes, glancing at her well-tailored black robe, which fluttered in the breeze, lifting the embroidery on the hem.

When did the young master start wearing only black robes? It seems to have started after those bad news spread.
The young master's aura also seemed to have undergone a huge change, becoming somewhat gloomy and cold, but she also became more dignified. She became more mature, as if she had taken on the responsibility of being the young master, but she was not very obedient and had a lot of resentment.

"Your subordinate dares not." Liu Xiao took a step back, cupped his hands in a bow, and said, "But Elder Lingxu has perished."

Rong Huanxuan's pupils contracted slightly, becoming even darker, and a fleeting look of surprise and resentment flashed deep in her eyes.

To be able to kill a Daoist priest in the Foundation Establishment stage, how strong must one be? Does that mean one's cultivation level has already surpassed that of a Foundation Establishment expert, and one's spiritual power and talent are already outstanding?
When Rong Huanxuan realized this, her cold and beautiful face showed not regret for Ling Xu's fall, but resentment and indignation, and even more so, jealousy.

First there was the Grand Preceptor's disciple, hailed as the number one genius, who was carefully taught by the Grand Preceptor and reached the Foundation Establishment stage at a young age. Now there is another wandering ghost from who-knows-where who can kill a Foundation Establishment expert with a broken body. In contrast, what about myself?
She was clearly exceptionally talented and had never been lazy in her cultivation, making her the number one in the entire Rong family. Yet, she failed to establish her foundation and instead damaged her Dao foundation. Her years of cultivation nearly vanished in an instant. If the family head hadn't made a decisive move, she would probably have regressed to the point where she was even inferior to an outsider disciple of the Rong family.

Everyone said she shouldn't be so eager for quick success, but who was she doing it for? Wasn't it for the Rong family? She wanted to elevate the Rong family's status, even if it meant ranking them above the Feng family!

It's really unfair of God. What's wrong with having one more genius in this world?
Rong Huanxuan's face was somewhat distorted. Liu Xiao noticed this unintentionally, and his heart sank slightly. He suddenly felt a sense of desolation, as if he were witnessing the death of a rabbit and the sorrow of a fox.

Do such cold-hearted people really deserve our help?
No, they all signed a contract and cannot betray it.

Liu Xiao silently recited the Heart-Cleansing Mantra once before saying to Rong Huanxuan, "Young Master, your Dao foundation is currently unstable..."

"Shut up!" Rong Huanxuan snapped at him, her upturned phoenix eyes sharp and piercing. "Elder Liu Xiao, you are one of the top five elders of the Rong family. Don't say things that boost others' morale while diminishing our own. Is a cowardly, timid person worth your fear?" Hearing her mocking tone, Liu Xiao nearly coughed up blood in anger. He forced himself to speak, "Young Master, Elder Lingxu's cultivation was above mine, and what happened? And Zheng Yangzi, the same thing. Now they've all died at the hands of the same person. Isn't that something you should take seriously, Young Master?"

Rong Huanxuan pursed her lips and said, "I regret Elder Lingxu's fall, but he only just entered the Foundation Establishment Realm last year. His foundation is not yet solid, which is why that person succeeded. Who knows what underhanded tricks she used or if someone was helping her? If she were to face my grandfather, let's see if she has such ability?"

Her smug and arrogant expression made Liu Xiao's anger surge. He took back his earlier words about being responsible. This girl was spoiled. Even though her Dao foundation had been greatly damaged, she didn't know how to restrain herself and cherish what she had. She just had to court death!
“Regardless of what tricks she used or whether anyone helped her, the fact remains that she caused the death of a Foundation Establishment cultivator; that's a testament to her skill.” Liu Xiao said with a dark face, “Young Master, are you going to disobey the Clan Head’s orders by not leaving?”

"How dare you! Don't try to intimidate me with the head of the family!" Rong Huanxuan suddenly flew into a rage, raising her hand and slapping him in the chest.

Caught off guard, Liu Xiao was struck in the chest, his throat immediately filled with a metallic taste, and he vomited a mouthful of blood.

He was shocked and looked at her hand. Was he seeing things? He thought he saw an ominous aura flash across her hand, and then there was her sinister tone from earlier.

Liu Xiao looked up at her, his brows furrowed.

Rong Huanxuan panicked for a moment, but quickly regained her composure. She put her hands behind her back, maintaining her usual haughty demeanor, raised her chin, and said disdainfully, "Uncle Liu, don't you understand that a general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders? Besides, that person just fought Elder Lingxu. To cause Lingxu's defeat and death must have required a tremendous expenditure of energy and spiritual power. She's not a god who can recover instantly. If she appeared before us, perhaps we could capture her and appease the spirits of our two Rong family elders in heaven."

Liu Xiao remained silent. He naturally understood this. Although Ling Xu had just entered the Foundation Establishment stage, he came from a legitimate Daoist sect, had extremely high talent, and his cultivation was strong enough. To cripple him would definitely consume a great deal of spiritual power and essence. It was impossible for that person to recover and recuperate so quickly.

"Having said that..."

“Uncle Liu, if she were smart and sensible, she would know when to stop. If she really dares to attack me, the Rong family will not let her off, and they will not let the Lang family behind her off either.” Rong Huanxuan smiled smugly: “A mere wandering ghost from who-knows-where, possessing a corpse, should keep a low profile and live a quiet life. Instead, she has to make such a fuss. Does she really think no one can deal with her? If she implicates the entire Lang family, with so many lives lost, how can she bear the consequences and make amends?”

Liu Xiao felt a chill in his heart. He knew when to stop. This showed a complete disregard for the two deceased elders and a lack of intention to pursue the matter.
“Young Master, the Lang family is just an ordinary noble family, not a Xuan clan. Now that the Surveillance Bureau has been established, and you are about to marry into the Tantai family, you must not undermine the royal family. If you deal with ordinary people, not only will the Surveillance Bureau not let it go, but I'm afraid the other two families will not be able to either. I heard that the Gong family is protecting this person.”

Rong Huanxuan shrieked, "That's because they don't know this woman is possessed by evil spirits. If they did, would Gong Tinglan, that self-proclaimed righteous young master, tolerate it?"

Evil spirits should be punished by everyone.

"Alright, you don't need to concern yourself with this matter. Since you're going to be an ordinary person, then use the ordinary methods!" Rong Huanxuan coldly glanced down the mountain, where it seemed someone was slowly walking uphill.

Liu Xiao's gaze sharpened. They've really come?
(End of this chapter)