The Rise of the Witch

"Master, come and have a taste!"

Yu Xi excitedly ran in carrying a large bowl, followed by Gui Ning and Lan Nu, who were also carrying bowls and chopsticks.

Xing Yang changed into some more comfortable clothes and said with a smile, "Aunt Lan made this especially for you. Why are you giving it to me?"

Yu Xi said in a serious tone, "Master, you eat first!"

"Alright!" Xing Yang nodded and said, "Put it on the table, let's all eat together."

Su Wenling bent down to take the large bowl from Yu Xi's hand, placed it on the table, and began to arrange the bowls, chopsticks, and plates.

Xing Yang grabbed Yu Xi's wrist, his heart tightening slightly; the little girl's wrist was actually trembling.

He didn't know how strong Yu Xi used to be, but even an ordinary child wouldn't be so exhausted after holding a bowl.

Despite her young age, Yu Xi pretended to be nonchalant and sat down at the table with great interest, swinging her legs off the ground: "Master, try it quickly."

Xing Yang picked up his chopsticks, took a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth, saying, "Mmm, Sister Lan's cooking skills are naturally superb... You guys start too, don't be shy!"

Yu Xi excitedly picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Su Wenling greeted Gui Ning, but Gui Ning's expression was somewhat uncertain, and she kept getting distracted.

  

Taking the opportunity, Lan gave Xing Yang a wink.

Xing Yang understood and put down his chopsticks, saying, "You guys eat first."

He got up and followed Lan Nu outside.

Lan Nu then lowered her voice and said, "Young Master, this girl's body is too exhausted; she can't take any more nourishment."

Xing Yang frowned and asked, "What do you mean? We can't take any tonics?"

Lan Nu said regretfully, "Her body is like a broken earthenware pot right now. No matter how much water you pour into it, it will only leak out. If you force it in, it might break the pot... Unless you repair the pot first."

Xing Yang thought for a moment and said, "I remember that Sister Rongyan seems to be skilled in medicine. Why don't we let her take a look?"

Lan Nu shook her head and said, "This is a spiritual problem; there's nothing that can be done about her appearance. This child, I'm afraid..."

It's ruined!

Lan Nu didn't say those two words aloud, but the meaning was quite clear.

Xing Yang pondered for a moment and said, "It's alright, I'll ask the others later."

Lan hesitated for a moment, but finally said, "Then the young master should hurry, the girl can't hold on for long."

"Um."

Back inside, Su Wenling and Gui Ning were still eating, but they were both somewhat distracted.

Yu Xi, however, picked up her chopsticks and fiddled with the meat in her bowl, her sallow face flushed with an unnatural redness.

"Why aren't you eating?" Xing Yang asked curiously.

Yu Xi raised her head, tears welling in her eyes: "Master, I can't eat anymore... I only ate one piece, and I can't eat anymore. I used to be able to eat so much..."

The usually strong and stubborn girl suddenly broke down, tears streaming down her face: "Master, is my health doomed? Am I going to die?"

Gui Ning lowered her eyes, her knuckles turning white as she held the chopsticks.

Su Wenling's face showed heartache.

Xing Yang, however, didn't take it seriously and said, "What nonsense are you talking about? With your master here, it's hard for you to die even if you want to... Here's what we'll do: your master will take you to ask a friend. She'll definitely have a solution."

Yu Xi sobbed, "Really, Master?"

Xing Yang wiped away her tears with disgust and said, "From now on, you're not allowed to shed tears, even if you bleed or sweat... Are you still going to eat? If not, we're leaving now!"

Su Wenling put down her chopsticks and asked, "Husband, where do you plan to take Xiaoyu?"

Xing Yang casually replied, "The Great Wilderness."

Su Wenling was taken aback.

Gui Ning was also stunned, looked up at him with a strange look in her eyes.

The next moment, the two said in unison, "Can I come along too?"

Xing Yang asked curiously, "I went there to seek medical treatment. What are you doing there?"

Gui Ning felt a little uncomfortable, but still found an excuse: "I am Yu Xi's aunt, so I have to keep an eye on her."

Su Wenling was much more straightforward. She gently took Xing Yang's arm and said, "Husband, I want to go to the Great Wilderness and see what it's like!"

"Are you going to leave things here alone?" Xing Yang asked.

Su Wenling looked at Lan Nu and said, "Aunt Lan, you can keep an eye on things for me... Aunt Lan, is that alright?"

Previously, Lan Nu had prevented her from going to the Great Wilderness because of her lack of strength. Now that she's going with her husband, Aunt Lan surely won't stop her, right?

Sure enough, Lan looked at Xing Yang and said, "If the son-in-law is accompanying us, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"Husband~" Su Wenling's voice became unusually gentle.

Who could resist such a stunning beauty who is usually aloof and cold?

Xing Yang said helplessly, "Then hurry up and eat, and we'll set off after we finish."

"Okay!" Su Wenling replied, picked up her chopsticks and started eating.

Gui Ning silently quickened her eating pace.

……

Xing Yang held Yu Xi in his arms, while Su Wenling and Gui Ning each put one hand on his shoulder.

The two women felt their vision shift, and in an instant, the world changed completely.

One moment they were in the house, the next they were on a mountaintop. Looking out, the mountains resembled crouching beasts and the rivers resembled sleeping dragons, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Before the two could examine it closely, a heavy pressure suddenly struck, pressing down on their hearts.

The pressure seemed to come from nowhere, as if the entire world was oppressing them. One of them had not yet entered the Spirit Guiding stage, while the other had been injured while doing so. For a moment, they were unable to withstand the pressure, their knees buckled, and they almost collapsed to the ground.

Fortunately, Xing Yang exhaled a faint mist, which spread out and enveloped them, instantly sweeping away all the pressure and making them feel relaxed.

"Is this the Great Wilderness?" Su Wenling gasped for breath before she could take a closer look. She felt that this place was much more vibrant than the Nine Provinces.

Holding her sword, Gui Ning uttered, "All things possess a spirit, and none surpasses this!"

In the vast wilderness, every blade of grass, every tree, every piece of soil, and every stone possesses a spirit. A single one may be inconspicuous, but their sheer number is overwhelming. Even the spirit of this mountain almost forced the two women to kneel.

Yu Xi nestled in Xing Yang's arms, feeling no pressure, and stared wide-eyed around.

Xing Yang pointed down the mountain and said, "This is Xuan Su Valley, the territory of the Mystic Maiden, and the place you will take over in the future. The things in the valley are the foundation of the Yanzi clan."

Su Wenling looked down and saw only swirling clouds and mist around the mountainside, obscuring the view of the valley below: "This is the valley?"

"We'll be in a rush this time; you'll understand later."

As soon as Xing Yang finished speaking, the surrounding fog suddenly thickened and turned into black clouds.

Dark clouds lifted the three of them into the air, and their view rose higher and higher. The mountaintop where they had been standing gradually merged with the earth.

Immediately afterwards, everything around turned into a stream of light; mountains, rivers, and white clouds flew past in front of my eyes, becoming a dreamlike light and shadow...

The black cloud was moving so fast that the two women's eyes and thoughts couldn't keep up with it.

It seemed like a long time had passed, yet it also felt like only a moment; the dark clouds stopped moving forward and hovered in mid-air.

The two women's vision returned, and they looked forward.

A sheer cliff rising straight into the clouds came into view, its top a flat, dark gray color, upon which stood a palace entirely in the dark gray.

The palace's material was indistinguishable, resembling both metal and earth and stone, shrouded in a faint dark light, yet upon closer inspection, it shone with no light at all.

"That is the Ancestral Witch Temple."

Xing Yang looked around and casually remarked, "The Great Heavenly Witch's palace... but she seems quite busy."