Stepdaughter of a wealthy family? The little darling of a Beijing tycoon

As Shen Jingshu stepped into the Li family's gate, the butler, seeing her carrying an umbrella, quickly stepped forward and asked, "Miss Jingshu, did a friend bring you back?"

"Yes, that's right." She nodded in response, handed the umbrella back to the housekeeper, and then turned and went upstairs to her room.

Meanwhile, during the day, Shen Xinyi and Lu Manman had already gone out shopping as planned.

She figured out Lu Manman's preferences in advance and tried to please her in every way, and the two got along better and better.

Along the way, Shen Xinyi subtly inquired about Lu Ze's recent situation, keeping her thoughts hidden.

Lu Manman, being straightforward, saw through her thoughts at a glance and teased with a smile, "You wouldn't happen to have a crush on my brother, would you? My brother is outstanding in looks and family background, he is indeed very popular."

Both of them were senior high school students, with only two or three months left until the college entrance examination.

Lu Manman casually suggested, "Xinyi, if you're really interested, why don't you try your best to get into Peking University? Then you'll be my brother's junior, and I can help you two get together."

Shen Xinyi was overjoyed, but pretended to be shy and said vaguely, "We'll see when the time comes." The two of them played around and had a great time all day.

After Shen Jingshu returned to her room and finished washing up, she opened her social media and immediately saw a message from Lu Jingxing: Have you arrived home yet?

She replied with a light tap of her finger: I arrived a long time ago, didn't you see me walk in?

A moment later, Lu Jingxing replied: I've arrived too.

Shen Jingshu politely said: Then get some rest.

She put down her phone and sat cross-legged to meditate again.

Today, by holding hands closely with Lu Jingxing, the purple energy he absorbed was far more abundant than usual, and his cultivation level improved significantly.

But she couldn't stop thinking about the thunder that struck the mountain during the day—that was a once-in-a-lifetime lightning-struck piece of wood, and she couldn't let anyone else take it first.

Before we knew it, it was late at night. The torrential rain outside the window gradually stopped, and the night was quiet and deserted.

Shen Jingshu changed into light sportswear, put on a pair of non-slip shoes, and took out several talismans for circulating qi from her personal space and put them away close to her body.

Confirming that there was no movement around her, she moved nimbly, using the spiritual power of the talisman to silently leap out of the second-floor window and head straight for the place where the lightning strike was indicated by the divination during the day, behind the Li family's mountain.

Her movements were as light as a shadow in the night, swiftly gliding across the courtyard, precisely avoiding all surveillance cameras along the way.

Even if it's unavoidable occasionally, the camera can only capture a fleeting black shadow, which anyone would assume is just a trick of the night.

In just a few breaths, Shen Jingshu arrived at the mountain peak marked by the divination.

About twenty meters ahead, a towering ancient tree was cleaved in two by lightning. The broken branches were charred black and still shrouded in faint smoke. It was indeed a piece of high-quality lightning-struck wood.

She immediately stepped forward, and with a flick of her finger, took out tools from her personal space, deftly disassembled the entire piece of lightning-struck wood, and stored it all in her storage space.

Just as he put away the treasure, his divine sense suddenly became alert—a cultivator was rapidly approaching this place.

Clearly, the other party was also after the lightning-struck wood.

Shen Jingshu immediately held her breath and hid deep in the dense forest. She affixed an invisibility talisman to conceal her figure and quietly observed from a high tree.

She knew in her heart that there must be like-minded people hidden in this world, otherwise no one could cast that insidious curse of borrowing fortune from the Li family.

A moment later, a man and a woman rushed over.

The two rushed to the broken tree, only to find it had vanished. The young girl immediately looked annoyed: "We were too late!"

The older man beside him remained calm and composed, saying in a nonchalant tone, "It's alright. Treasures are all about fate; you can't force them. We can only say that we are not destined to have this item."

It was clear that both of them were members of the Xuanmen (Taoist sect). The man was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old and possessed profound Taoist cultivation; the young girl named Yue Ru was no more than twenty years old and respectfully nodded to the man: "Yes, Master."

The man paused for a moment, looked down the mountain, and slowly said, "Since I'm here, I might as well go and see an old friend."

Yue Ru looked on in surprise: "Master, do you still have old acquaintances here?"

"Okay. You go back first, I'll be right back."

"Then Master, please be careful in everything you do."

The two then went their separate ways down the mountain.

Shen Jingshu, hidden in the treetops, narrowed her eyes slightly, clearly sensing the pure cultivation aura flowing around the two—especially the master, whose cultivation level was not to be underestimated.

Shen Jingshu focused her attention and carefully examined the two people, discovering that there was no trace of the evil black energy of evil cultivators around them. The spiritual energy surrounding them was pure and righteous, clearly indicating that they were members of a respectable and upright Xuanmen sect.

In her previous life, she was an ordinary mortal. If her soul hadn't left her body after death and she hadn't had the opportunity to become a disciple and cultivate, she would never have known about the existence of Xuanmen Taoist methods and fellow cultivators in this life.

Once the master and apprentice had completely disappeared from sight, she retraced her steps. Activating her speed-traveling talisman, her movements were as swift as the wind. She avoided the main gate, deftly scaling the wall to return to the Li family mansion.

He took two steps back to use the momentum to leap up, and in a few steps, he climbed onto the second-floor windowsill and silently slipped back into his room.

She secretly rejoiced that she had talismans in her space, as her current cultivation level was not enough to support the ability to teleport.

He couldn't help but recall the days he spent cultivating with his master in another world—when he could fly through the air on a sword, teleport using mystical arts, and live a carefree life, just like an immortal.

At first, she was amazed and delighted every day. Later, she got used to it and realized that such supernatural powers were ultimately just a fantasy for ordinary people.

After returning to her room, she changed out of her clothes, which had been covered in dust from her trip into the mountains, tidied herself up, took a thorough shower, and then lay down on the bed to rest.

Meanwhile, at the Lu family's residence, the following morning...

The butler rushed inside and reported, "Master, a distinguished guest has arrived."

As soon as Lu Jingxing finished speaking, a figure moved with astonishing speed, appearing at the gate of the mansion one moment and then instantly entering the living room, his movement almost instantaneous.

Upon recognizing the visitor, Lu Jingxing immediately stood up, his tone full of respect: "So it's Master Lingxu. What brings you to my humble abode?"

Master Lingxu's gaze settled on Lu Jingxing's face, his eyes suddenly narrowed, and he blurted out: "Young friend Lu, you have found the sliver of hope and opportunity in your destiny."

Lu Jingxing remained silent upon hearing this, but raised his hand gently and invited, "Now that you have come, why not sit down and have a cup of tea?"

"Alright."

Master Lingxu did not inquire about who had received that sliver of opportunity. The two sat quietly facing each other, silently drinking tea. In the time it took to drink a cup of tea, they had already reached a tacit understanding.

A moment later, Master Lingxu rose to take his leave: "I came here only to take a look at the current state of your destiny. Now that the opportunity has arrived, you should seize it. I'm leaving now. If you encounter any difficult matters in the future, you can come to the Xuanmen to find me."

"Thank you for your guidance, Master. Take care."

As soon as he finished speaking, Master Lingxu's figure suddenly flashed out, so fast that only a faint afterimage remained before he disappeared without a trace.

Lu Ze was already used to it—this man was the number one Xuanmen master of the era, with unfathomable cultivation. His appearance remained unchanged for twenty years; time seemed to have left no trace on him.