The Rise of the Witch

Suwen Lingfeng acted swiftly and efficiently, arranging everything here in just one day. The next day, he returned to Chaoge with Xingyang.

Perhaps because they were in a hurry, Su Wenling chose to ride the Horned Dragon Steed with Xing Yang, and with Yu Xi also on board, the broad horned dragon steed could easily accommodate everyone.

Yu Xi's small body was completely hidden behind Xing Yang. The Horned Dragon Steed galloped up, and the fierce gale was completely blocked by Xing Yang. She could still leisurely enjoy the scenery that was like flowing light.

Su Wenling needed to lead the way, so she sat at the very front. When Xing Yang rode the horned dragon steed, he wrapped his arms around her, almost pulling her into his embrace.

As the horned dragon steed began to run, Su Wenling seemed unable to withstand the fierce wind and nestled directly against Xing Yang's chest, her head lowered and pressed tightly against him, her face obscured, only her ears were red.

Logically speaking, at the Spirit Guiding Realm, one can resist the fierce wind with a mere thought... With the soft, fragrant jade in his arms, Xing Yang certainly wouldn't be so clueless as to expose her.

After being a nominal couple for so long, this was the first time they had ever been this close.

On the first day of their journey, Su Wenling blushed a little, but by the second day, she was already at ease and could even whisper in Xing Yang's ear.

……

Within the city of Chaoge stands the Feng General's Mansion. "General" is an official title, and there are many similar titles in the imperial court, each with its own name.

For those who hold positions in the imperial court, being born into a noble clan is merely a ticket; how far they go and how high they climb depends on their personal abilities.

  

General Feng was one of them. He was born into the small clan Fangfeng clan and was roughly related to Su Qiantong of the Demon Suppression Division. He was an elder of her mother's lineage.

But a few days ago, General Feng was suddenly imprisoned on charges of plotting to murder the emperor's son.

In the past, this crime would have been serious enough, but now the struggle for the throne is in full swing, and the emperor's son is one of the chosen ones. General Feng must be crazy to try to harm the emperor's son. No one would believe there was nothing fishy going on.

Feng Xin'er is a young lady from General Feng's mansion. There are many young ladies like her. The best way for a small clan to climb up the social ladder is through marriage and having children. If they can give birth to a child with excellent aptitude for immortality, the entire clan will benefit greatly after raising him.

Zhu Rong is the best example. She rose from a declining small clan to become the head of one of the five major clans. As a result, her small clan received a lot of support and became a middle-class clan. It is not impossible for her descendants to become a superior clan after they are raised.

General Feng married several wives, the highest-ranking of whom came from a medium-sized clan, while the others were women from small clans, including many commoners. Naturally, they had many children.

Hyacinth was just one of the unremarkable young ladies; her mother was even just an ordinary commoner woman with outstanding looks.

If it weren't for General Feng's imprisonment, the outside world wouldn't even know that General Feng's family had such a daughter. Even if they knew that such a person existed, they wouldn't have any impression of her; she would just be a name.

But suddenly, the name Feng Xin'er became inexplicably popular. The reason for this was that the Emperor Prince mentioned her at a gathering and expressed his desire to bring her into his household.

At first, others thought it was just the prince talking nonsense while drunk. After all, as the prince, he could marry women from the five major clans, so why would he be interested in an ordinary, unremarkable woman?

Unexpectedly, General Feng was subsequently imprisoned, on such a baseless charge...

Many people then grasped the meaning behind it, and as a result, more and more people became curious about hyacinths.

……

That night, the brightly lit general's mansion slowly dimmed, until finally only a courtyard in the northwest corner still shone with light.

In that bedroom, a young girl was hunched over a desk by the window, copying something.

Structurally elegant small characters flowed from her brush: "I have three treasures, which I hold and cherish. The first is compassion, the second is frugality, and the third is not daring to be the first in the world. Because of compassion, one can be courageous; because of frugality, one can be generous; because of not daring to be the first in the world, one can have a long-lasting capacity..."

This is the "Tao Te Ching," which, like the "Huang Ting" and "Taishang Weiyan," belongs to the category of methods for cultivating immortality and regulating the mind.

As she was writing, she suddenly looked up at the darkness outside the window.

A moment later, she lowered her head again and continued copying.

A figure appeared silently by the windowsill—a young girl in a blue dress, her features exquisitely beautiful beyond compare. She toyed with a small golden snake in her hand, her voice clear and slightly mocking: "You saw me just now, didn't you?"

The girl copying the book was Feng Xin'er. Without even looking up, she replied, "No, it's just that too many people have been spying on me lately, so I've gotten used to looking up."

"Lies!" the woman in blue mocked. "Are all humans so prone to lying?"

Hyacinth paused, her pen still holding the pen: "What?"

The woman in green sneered and said, "Humans are really complicated. They clearly heard it, but they refuse to believe their ears."

Feng Xin'er finally put down her pen, looked up at the woman in green, and asked, "You're not human?"

"I am a demon!" The woman in green's voice was as clear and striking as the light of dawn. She raised the small golden snake in her hand and added, "It is too!"

Hyacinth frowned and leaned back slightly.

The woman in green had been staring at her, and seeing this, she spoke up, "Are you afraid of me?"

Feng Xin'er appeared calm, but her hands clenched tightly under the table. She maintained a calm tone and said, "You are a demon, so naturally I am afraid of you."

The woman in green suddenly leaned closer, staring into her eyes without saying a word.

Even the wind could see that her delicate, jade-like skin was truly flawless, with not even a pore visible.

Leaning back again, Feng Xin'er's throat bobbed as she said, "My cousin works for the Demon Suppression Division. You'd better think this through!"

The woman in green scoffed, saying, "You have many young ladies in your family. According to your human way of thinking, they're all your cousin's sisters. Do you think she would specifically hunt me down for just one person?"

Feng Xin'er took a deep breath and said, "In the entire General Feng's mansion, my cousin is only close to me!"

The woman in green shifted her gaze, her tone abruptly changing to a lighthearted tone: "The Emperor insists on taking you as a concubine; could it be related to your cousin?"

Hyacinth didn't speak, but her eyes clearly conveyed an "impossible" meaning.

Although she used her cousin's name to intimidate the demon, she didn't mention that her cousin was just a minor inspector in the Demon Suppression Division.

There are tens of thousands of such inspectors throughout the entire Nine Provinces. Who is her cousin? Is she worth the Emperor's attention using her?

Oh, she was recently promoted to captain, but what does that even mean?

The woman in green didn't expect an answer from her. Instead, she changed the subject and said, "No matter what kind of being it is, the mental circle formed from childhood is the hardest to break. However, when it finally manages to break through it and thinks that the whole world is in its heart, another circle slowly forms in a place it is unaware of."

Hyacinth was somewhat confused.

The woman in green explained, "You are afraid of me, you are afraid of demons, you think demons are scary. This is a kind of consciousness, a circle of consciousness formed from childhood. You need to break through many of these small circles of consciousness to take the first step in awakening your spirit."

Always remember this: humans are just one type of living being in this world. All beings have thoughts and are of the same kind. Don't see humans as just humans, and don't see demons as just demons. When you have this feeling, you will break free from this confinement.

Hyacinth asked incredulously, "Are you teaching me how to awaken spirituality?"