The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

What made her feel even more ironic and secretly angry was that, even in the Zuo family, she could still feel the deep-rooted gender discrimination.

Although both were at the first-class level of the Void Aperture realm, she, Zuo Qianqiu, and Zuo Chunqiu were collectively known as the "Three Autumns of the Zuo Clan." However, the attention and expectations of the family's higher-ups were clearly more focused on the two male members. Although she was allocated a considerable amount of cultivation resources, she could always sense subtle differences in treatment in certain details, such as the level of importance given to guiding other cultivators, access to advanced cultivation techniques, and opportunities to participate in important affairs.

It seemed that in the minds of those clan elders, investing in her was far less "safe" than investing in Zuo Qianqiu or Zuo Chunqiu.

This realization caused her sense of belonging to her family to gradually become more complicated, even leading to dissatisfaction and alienation, rather than the initial gratitude she felt.

But she couldn't show it.

She was only nine years old... She needed the family's resources to grow up and needed to rely on the protection of this "giant".

After leaving the Zuo family, she, a nine-year-old cultivator in the Qi Refining stage, found it difficult to move an inch in this "man-eating" world.

Therefore, she could only suppress her dissatisfaction and continue to work hard to improve herself.

She told herself: Only by becoming strong enough to transcend the constraints of this family can she truly control her own destiny.

When I was ten years old, my mother, Ning Yuhe, passed away.

In the two years since moving into the new house and enjoying a comfortable life, my mother's health has not truly improved. The three years after my father's death had already broken her both physically and mentally. Everything that followed was less about enjoying life and more about holding on to her last breath so as not to worry her daughter.

When she saw her daughter become the young patriarch with a bright future, and her younger sister also found a partner, the tension that had been building up in her heart for so long finally eased.

Once that breath is released, no matter how fine the spiritual rice and meat, or how gentle the nourishing elixirs, they cannot hold onto a heart that has long since withered and is only held together by obsession.

My mother passed away peacefully. On a sunny afternoon, she lay on a deck chair in the yard, basking in the sun, and slowly closed her eyes. There was even a faint, relieved smile on her lips.

Zuo Qingqiu knelt before the bed, holding her mother's already cold hand, without crying.

My tears had already dried up when my father passed away that winter.

She just felt a void in her heart, with cold wind howling inside.

My parents are both gone.

Her only remaining relative in the world was her younger sister, Leng Qiu.

As for her younger sister… Zuo Qingqiu looked at Leng Qiu kneeling beside her, crying her heart out, and felt a strong urge to protect her, as well as a trace of indescribable guilt.

My younger sister's aptitude is only at the lowest level, the E-grade Void Aperture, and her cultivation speed is so slow it's almost despairing. Although the family has given her a lot of cultivation resources because of her, her E-grade aptitude means she won't go far on the path of cultivation, and she might even never be able to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage in her lifetime.

But she possesses a first-class acupuncture point, indicating a promising future.

Is this fair?

That's not fair at all.

But that's fate.

In this world, the level of one's Void Aperture almost determines everything.

All she could do for her sister was to protect her as much as possible, so that she could live out her life peacefully and happily under her protection.

However, things changed much faster than she had anticipated.

When she was twelve, she heard some news: the Taihua Sect, a first-class sect that ruled over millions of miles of land, was about to begin its once-a-decade "entrance examination".

As long as you pass the assessment, you can become a disciple of the Taihua Sect and enjoy a superior cultivation environment, richer resources, more systematic inheritance, and a more open atmosphere than the Zuo family.

Taihua Sect is a sect, not a family.

There, strength and potential are the only true measure of success. While gender and background do have an impact, they are never as blatant and rigid as those in the Zuo family.

A single thought, like a weed, grew wildly in her heart.

Leave the Zuo family!

Join Taihua Gate!

There lies a wider world, a chance to break free from family constraints and truly take control of one's own destiny!

Moreover, the sect's atmosphere might be more favorable to those with lower aptitude like her younger sister? Or perhaps, once she gains a foothold in the sect, she can find a way to bring her younger sister over?

Once this thought takes hold, it can never be stopped.

She carefully planned and looked for the right time and reason. In the end, she used the high-sounding words of "pursuing a higher path and bringing glory to the Zuo family" to ask the clan elders for permission to participate in the Taihua Gate entrance examination.

The elders were not surprised by her request.

It's normal for a genius with exceptional talent and insight to have lofty aspirations.

As a first-class sect, Taihua Sect is indeed very attractive.

But the elder's response was cold and realistic.

At that time, Zuo Xiuxian, who was not yet a senior clan elder, personally summoned her. In the quiet study, looking at this twelve-year-old girl with exceptionally firm and bright eyes, he slowly said:

"Qingqiu, your desire to reach a bigger stage is understood and supported by the clan."

"But there are some costs you need to be aware of."

"First, if you choose to participate in the Taihua Sect's assessment, you will lose the status and benefits of the Zuo family's 'Young Ancestor.' The Taihua Sect is not close to Cuiwei Mountain, and the family cannot send people across tens of thousands of miles to deliver resources to you every month. Your cultivation at the Taihua Sect will mainly rely on the sect's supplies and your own hard work."

Zuo Qingqiu's heart sank, but she could barely accept it.

She has confidence in herself.

"Secondly," Zuo Xiuxian's tone became more serious, "your sister, Zuo Lengqiu, must remain in the Zuo family. She cannot go with you. Even if you successfully join the Taihua Sect, even if you have sufficient ability and obtain permission from the sect, you cannot bring her to live with you."

Zuo Qingqiu looked up abruptly, her face instantly turning pale: "Why?!"

"That's the rule." Zuo Xiuxian's voice was calm but unquestionable. "Your sister is also a member of the Zuo family. Her cultivation will be arranged by the family. Besides, her talent is ordinary. Going to a place like Taihua Sect, where geniuses gather, might not be a blessing. Staying in the family, with the family's support, will be more secure."

A high-sounding reason.

But Zuo Qingqiu understood the underlying meaning.

Leaving her younger sister behind is like leaving a "hostage," a bargaining chip to control her. The family is unsure how much loyalty she, a prodigy with extraordinary talent but a clear lack of belonging to the family, will retain once she leaves.

Leaving her younger sister behind would make her more cautious.

Cold-blooded and calculating, yet in line with the logic of prioritizing family interests above all else.

Zuo Qingqiu stood there, her fingers icy cold.

On one hand, there is the opportunity to break free from family constraints, pursue a higher path, and take control of one's own destiny.

On the other hand, she has to leave her only relative, her young sister, alone in a family she doesn't like and even finds oppressive.

What should she choose?

That night, she sat in her room, looking at the cold moonlight outside the window, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

The younger sister, Leng Qiu, had already fallen asleep, her breathing even, with tear stains still on her little face—she had cried for a long time during the day after hearing that her older sister might leave, until she was exhausted and finally fell asleep.

Zuo Qingqiu walked to the bedside and gently stroked her sister's hair.

Sister, I'm sorry.

She said it silently in her heart.