Chu Qinghuang patted the egg twice and then flashed directly out of the space, completely unaware of the faint tapping sounds coming from inside the shell.
After leaving the space, Chu Qinghuang discovered that although she had spent a good half-day inside, only two hours had passed in the outside world. Could it be that time inside the space flowed differently than outside? If that were truly the case, it would be fantastic—wasn't this an absolute cheating device? Besides, the spiritual energy inside the space was dense, making it an exceptional place for cultivation.
Emerging from her room, Chu Qinghuang went straight out of the inn and headed toward the outskirts of the city, intending to find a scenic spot to bury the members of the Chu family. However, after searching the outskirts all afternoon, she failed to find a suitable location. With darkness fast approaching, Chu Qinghuang had no choice but to return to the inn and plan to continue her search the next day.
On her way back to the city, Chu Qinghuang spotted a hill of moderate height, its trees and branches growing lush and thick. Following a small mountain path, she walked up the hill and gradually came upon a narrow cleft in the mountain.
The fissure was narrow enough to accommodate at most two people walking side by side. Carefully making her way inward along the crack, she walked for about a quarter of an hour before her eyes brightened. Before her lay a vast patch of green grass dotted with countless flowers and a serene lake. The air was wonderfully fresh, and Chu Qinghuang instantly fell in love with the place.
She wandered around the vicinity and eventually discovered a cave heavily concealed by thick branches. Picking up a few stones, she tossed them into the cave to ensure there were no other creatures lurking inside.
Waiting for about a quarter of an hour and hearing no sounds from within, Chu Qinghuang pushed aside the branches at the cave entrance and stepped inside.
Once inside, she looked around. Although the cave was quite spacious, its end was visible at a glance and did not extend any further inward. Chu Qinghuang took out a shovel and dug a spadeful of dirt, finding the soil soft and loose. Delighted, she swung the shovel and began to dig. By the time she finished digging the first pit, she was already breathing heavily with fatigue.
Throwing the shovel aside, she sat on the ground to rest. "This is exhausting. When will I ever finish digging? Hmm? I wonder if I can use Spiritual Power?"
Chu Qinghuang retrieved a coffin she had purchased from her space, channeled Spiritual Power into her palms, and guided the coffin into the freshly dug pit. A wave of joy washed over her—it actually worked! Although she had learned a great deal as a family heir in her previous life, that world had no such thing as Spiritual Power. Experiencing it for the very first time, Chu Qinghuang found it utterly fascinating.
Using her Spiritual Power to direct the shovel, she managed to dig all the remaining required pits in less than half an hour. She then fetched the coffins out of her space one by one, placed the members of the Chu family inside, closed the lids, and began filling the earth back in.
Chu Qinghuang had not brought out the corpses of every single person from the Chu family; she had only taken the core members. After all, as a prestigious family with a heritage spanning hundreds of years, the main and branch families numbered in the thousands. On that fateful day alone, there had been hundreds of bodies. Bringing all of them out would have easily attracted the attention of the murderers. The very reason Chu Qinghuang had set the fire was precisely because she had taken these dozen or so bodies away—should the murderers return to inspect the corpses and discover that the remains of the Chu Patriarch and core members were missing, they would grow suspicious. Setting a fire charred the bodies beyond recognition, obscuring their identities.
Once all the Chu family members were buried, Chu Qinghuang placed offerings and burned incense before each grave. Walking up to the graves of the Chu Patriarch and the Madam, she burned paper money while murmuring, "Chu Patriarch, Madam, since I have entered your daughter's body and inherited the Chu family's legacy, I will live well in her place from now on. I will investigate your enemies and the poison in Qinghuang's body, and I will exact revenge for you step by step. I will also work hard at my cultivation from now on, and I will come back to visit you whenever I have time."
After burning plenty of paper money for them, she burned some paper maidservants and attendants as well, hoping the members of the Chu family would live a little more comfortably in the netherworld.
Emerging from the cave, Chu Qinghuang restored the branches at the entrance to their original appearance and wandered around the area once more, growing more and more fond of it. The expanse was vast, the scenery picturesque, and it was surrounded entirely by mountains with only that single mountain fissure as an entrance—making it exceptionally secluded.
It was late at night by the time Chu Qinghuang returned to the city. After resting at the inn, she rose early the next morning and headed to the City Lord's Mansion, intending to purchase that stretch of hills.
The person who received Chu Qinghuang was a steward under the City Lord. Naturally, with the City Lord having a myriad of state affairs to attend to, it was impossible for just anyone to be received by the City Lord himself. After Chu Qinghuang stated her purpose, the steward paused slightly, then offered a slight smile. "Please wait a moment, Young Master. A transaction of this scale requires me to report to our City Lord. Kindly bear with me."
"No problem."
After the steward withdrew, Chu Qinghuang took out a book and read while waiting. About a quarter of an hour later, the City Lord leisurely arrived at the main hall. "Sorry to keep you waiting. Is the young master looking to purchase the hills around Yunlai Mountain?"
"Yes. I saw that the trees there are lush and thought the soil and water in that vicinity must be quite good, so I wanted to acquire some property. Might that be convenient?"
"Hahaha... Convenient indeed! That place has lain barren for many years with no one buying it. For the young master to take a fancy to it and purchase it is truly that mountain's good fortune."
"Very well. Where should I go to process the land deeds?"
"Just have the steward handle it. May I ask the young fellow's name? Would four thousand gold coins be satisfactory?"
"My name is Yun Li. Here are the coins."
"Hahaha... The young master is certainly a decisive person. Please wait a moment, the steward will have everything settled shortly."
Chu Qinghuang smiled faintly, sipping tea. About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea later, the steward returned bearing the land deed with the name Yun Li inscribed upon it. Chu Qinghuang took the deed and tucked it away. Just as she was about to leave, she turned back and asked the steward, "Might there be any mansions for sale in our Main City?"
The steward glanced at the City Lord, then asked Chu Qinghuang, "What kind of residence is Young Master looking for?"
"Somewhere relatively quiet nearby, but not too remote. Size doesn't matter much; there aren't many people living there, just as long as it's not too small."
"There is an estate covering nine mu of land. Does the young master think that might be too large? If the young master finds it acceptable, I can send someone to show it to you."
"Take me to have a look first."
"Yes."
After Chu Qinghuang left, the steward said with a worried expression, "City Lord, rumor has it that place... has never been entirely clean. Everyone who has gone there says it's a bit eerie. If we sell it to this young master just like that, will he come looking for us later?"
The City Lord waved a hand dismissively. "He chose to buy it of his own accord, what does it have to do with us? As long as we manage to sell this place off, we save ourselves the trouble of worrying over it."
"Yes."