Turning the corner upstairs brought one right to Earth Room No. 2, where Jiang Qing was staying. Jiang Manhan stopped, looked up at the room number to confirm she was in the right place, and kicked the door open with a resounding crash.
Jiang Qing, who was sitting cross-legged meditating inside, was startled out of her focus. The warm current flowing toward her dantian instantly reversed and rushed back through her meridians.
Looking up at the culprit standing not far away, Jiang Qing struggled to suppress the fury blazing in her eyes.
Even without much knowledge of the cultivation world, she knew that disturbing someone during meditation was a major taboo.
At best, it caused a setback in cultivation; at worst, it could trigger a cultivation deviation.
Fortunately, Jiang Qing had only just begun her practice, and the warm current inside her was extremely weak—otherwise, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
Born into an immortal cultivation family and possessing cultivation herself, Jiang Manhan could not possibly be unaware of this principle.
Naturally, Jiang Manhan knew. She simply didn't care.
At that moment, Jiang Manhan tilted her proud little chin upward. Her gaze fell upon Jiang Qing sitting on the bed, a flash of jealousy darting across her eyes.
"You wretched thing really do have some blind luck. Who knows what kind of stray dog's fortune you stumbled into to not only repair your spiritual root, but actually break through to the Qi Condensation 1st Layer."
Jiang Manhan let out a cold snort, her eyes radiating bone-chilling murderous intent.
Jiang Qing frowned. Logically speaking, she and Jiang Manhan had never crossed paths before, nor did they harbor any grudges. Where on earth was this murderous intent coming from?
She decided to check the other's system panel first; perhaps it would yield some clues.
A system panel quickly materialized above Jiang Manhan's head.
Name: Jiang Manhan (Supporting female character on a smooth ascending path)
Aptitude: Wood-Fire Dual Spiritual Roots (Mid-Upper Tier)
Cultivation: Qi Condensation 6th Layer
Destiny Grid: Minor Fortune (Cyan), Personal Charm (Blue), Femme Fatale (Blue), Hidden Arrows (Black), Acacia Demonic Curse (Black)
Life Script: Advances smoothly all the way to the Nascent Soul stage. Unfortunately, she is too arrogant and willful, eventually offending someone she shouldn't have. She is captured and taken to Jile Palace to serve as a cauldron for the young sect master, ultimately dying from the draining of her vital essence.
Recent Turning Point: Three months from now, on the way to White Cloud City, she will inadvertently encounter a heavily injured elder. Believing his days are numbered and having no descendants, the elder will take her as his disciple and bring her back to Zhongzhou.
Reading Jiang Manhan's system panel left Jiang Qing with complicated feelings.
She hadn't expected the other's ending to be even more miserable than her own—at least her own death had been relatively normal. But Jiang Manhan? She was going to be drained dry until she died. That method of death was truly repulsive.
"What's this? Struck dumb? Didn't you hear this young lady talking to you?"
Seeing that Jiang Qing was simply staring blankly at her without responding, Jiang Manhan felt her anger spike instantly.
"If I remember correctly, you must be thirteen years old this year. Reaching only the Qi Condensation 1st Layer at thirteen means you started far too late, no matter how decent your spiritual root is. In front of me, you are still nothing more than an ant."
Mid-sentence, Jiang Manhan took a step forward.
With a flick of her hand, a silvery-white whip materialized out of nowhere.
She lashed out, and the whip seemed to transform into a bolt of silver lightning, striking straight toward Jiang Qing.
Not expecting a lethal attack out of nowhere, Jiang Qing's expression changed drastically as she violently threw herself backward.
Failing to dodge completely, the whip landed on her arm.
Jiang Qing glanced back; sure enough, the fabric of her left sleeve had been torn open by the whip, revealing bloodied and mangled flesh underneath.
She took a sharp breath. If she hadn't already reached the Qi Condensation 1st Layer, that single whip strike would have cost her her life.
In that instant, Jiang Qing had truly felt the brush of death, leaving her with lingering terror.
Following the shock came an uncontrollable surge of anger.
"We have no grudges between us! Why are you trying to kill me?" Jiang Qing demanded angrily.
"Hmph, wouldn't it be better to just stay your useless self? Why did you have to restore your spiritual root? Speak! What kind of lucky encounter did you stumble into? If you dare hide even half a word, see if I don't beat you to death!"
As Jiang Manhan's voice fell, the whip in her hand lashed out once more.
Having just entered the Qi Condensation 1st Layer, Jiang Qing possessed zero combat methods and could do nothing but dodge continuously.
"Stop!"
Hearing the commotion and rushing over, Jiang Tan arrived just in time to witness this scene. His anger flared instantly at the sight. What an absolute disgrace.
"Slap!"
In a fit of fury, Jiang Tan raised his hand and struck Jiang Manhan across the face. Although he channeled no spiritual energy, Jiang Tan was a Foundation Establishment cultivator after all; with a single blow, Jiang Manhan was knocked flat to the floor.
From Jiang Qing's angle, a trace of blood could be faintly seen trickling from the corner of Jiang Manhan's mouth.
For some inexplicable reason, Jiang Qing's mood improved considerably.
Even so, neither of these father-and-daughter pair were any good—they were all pretense—so she figured she'd better look for a chance to slip away.
Staggering to her feet, Jiang Manhan stared at Jiang Tan in utter disbelief.
"Dad! For the sake of this good-for-nothing, you actually hit me?"
"If you keep acting so willful, Han'er, you can crawl right back to the ancestral hall and reflect on your mistakes."
Jiang Tan let out a cold snort, then shifted his gaze to Jiang Qing standing nearby.
His look was somewhat complex. Had she really grown this much after several years apart?
She looked a bit thin. He remembered this child being quite plump when she was little. Had she suffered too much bitterness over the years? Had he perhaps shown her far too little care?
Seeing that her father not only ignored her but stared blankly at Jiang Qing with a dazed expression, Jiang Manhan felt a burning blend of jealousy and hatred.
"Dad, you misunderstood just now. I heard younger sister had started cultivating, so I just wanted to test her out a bit," Jiang Manhan deliberately explained in a loud voice.
Jiang Manhan's deliberate loud exclamation violently snapped Jiang Tan out of his daze.
Wearing a mocking expression, Jiang Qing said, "A misunderstanding? What a massive misunderstanding indeed. I've only just begun cultivating; if the family head hadn't arrived in time, I'd probably have been beaten to death by a single whip stroke from her."
Jiang Manhan's expression instantly soured.
This bitch was as aggravating as ever—why hadn't she just beaten her to death sooner?
Jiang Manhan's changing expression did not escape Jiang Tan. This time, however, he didn't fly into a rage; he merely asked coldly, "Tell me, why did you resort to violence against your own sister?"
Jiang Manhan remained silent.
Jiang Tan's tone grew increasingly icy. "I sent you to fetch your sister home, and instead you start a fight? What is her cultivation level? What is your cultivation level? Were you trying to beat her to death?"
Things having reached this point, Jiang Manhan knew she could no longer argue her way out. She had no choice but to bow her head in admission of guilt. "Your daughter was wrong; I didn't measure my strength properly. Dad, I originally went to persuade younger sister to come home, but she refused. She said you'd ignored her all these years and only remembered her now because you must be coveting her fortuitous encounter. When I told her you aren't that kind of person, she refused to believe it, which led to a verbal dispute. I let my temper get the better of me and struck her. I hope Father will forgive me."
Jiang Qing mentally cursed up a storm, thinking to herself how there could possibly be someone so utterly shameless in this world.
Clearly, the girl had wanted to murder her and covet her opportunity, yet now she was turning things around with a straight face to smear her instead.
Unable to stomach any more of this, Jiang Tan said with a gloomy expression, "Do you take your father for a fool who's easy to hoodwink? Covet Qing'er's opportunity? If anyone is coveting it, I reckon it's you! Let me warn you: no matter how your sister's spiritual root was restored, it has nothing to do with you, and you are forbidden from plotting against it. If I catch you trying anything, get lost and never return to the Jiang Family."
Jiang Manhan raised her head, tears welling in her eyes. "Dad, how many times have you even looked at her since she was little? Yet right now you're protecting her like this. In the future, will there even be a place for me in the Jiang Family?"
Jiang Tan gave a cold snort. "Put away those messy, crooked thoughts of yours and focus properly on your cultivation. The Jiang Family will naturally not shortchange your share."