5: Crazy beauty, Qiu Jinyao

“To wear the crown, one must bear its weight… huh?”

Jun Lingxiao was on his way to feed his little pet, with his wet nurse following behind him, carrying food. This pet was very wary; it wouldn't eat unless he personally fed it.

He muttered the words the Old Ancestor had just said, feeling an indescribable sensation in his Heart-Nature.

In his previous life, he was a modern person, indifferent to concepts like heavenly fate or destiny.

But ever since he was born into this world, he had felt a responsibility on his shoulders, and it was a great one.

This world was bound by chains; no one could Breakthrough to Immortal Emperor, and his responsibility was to push open the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Gate and break those chains.

It sounded like a destiny, but it was ultimately just a rumor, unproven. Even the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Gate… which the Old Ancestor called the Divine Gate, had never appeared again.

And matters concerning the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Gate were considered taboo by the Jun Family, permanently sealed away.

“The responsibility is great, but there’s nothing to fear.”

“Possessing a Holy Physique, wielding the System, backed by the Jun Family—everything has just begun.”

Jun Lingxiao said indifferently, but then he thought of a very important question.

“My Realm is increasing quite fast, but I don’t know what level my strength is actually at right now…”

His only training partners were his teachers, and he had no way to test his strength.

Jun Lingxiao’s wet nurse was not old, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six. She wore a tight Daoist robe, her figure tall and firm, her demeanor very steady, with the aura of a mature older sister.

However, despite being a wet nurse, she was actually still a virgin, having induced lactation through a secret method.

After all, being Jun Lingxiao’s wet nurse meant she couldn't be chosen casually.

“Your Highness, if you wish to test your strength, you can go to the God Tablet Platform,” she said respectfully from behind him.

To her, Jun Lingxiao was both like a son and her master.

“God Tablet Platform?”

Jun Lingxiao heard this and continued walking, then he called up the System to open the map.

He had come to understand it: this System was written as a Villain System, but it actually read as a Travel System. Villain doing whatever he wants = Villain traveling everywhere?

The rewards for his check-in locations weren't better for more powerful places; instead, the more people who had visited a place, and the more powerful those people were, the better the rewards.

Tens of thousands of people had visited the Divine Son Hall over the years, and they were all powerful individuals, so the rewards were high. The Old Ancestor’s residence, however, was different; although the Old Ancestor was powerful, his residence hadn't been visited by anyone in a hundred years, so the rewards were only average.

He could only check in once a day and couldn't repeat locations, so he had to be careful with his choices.

Fortunately, there was a map, but it was shrouded in mist, with a very small range. Currently, there were only two high-value check-in locations nearby.

One was the Jun Family Main Hall.

The other was the God Tablet Platform.

“The check-in locations aren’t going anywhere, so I’ll save the Main Hall for later. It’s better to go to the God Tablet Platform first to see what level my strength is at.”

Jun Lingxiao remained outwardly calm, but in his Heart-Nature, he had already planned to check in at the God Tablet Platform first once he could leave the Divine Son Hall.

But that would be in half a year.

Passing through a long path, they had already reached the back garden in their musings. The Divine Son Hall’s back garden was certainly extraordinary, vast in scale, and filled with numerous rare treasures and exotic beasts. Ferocious beasts that were dangerous outside were merely animals for viewing here.

Entering the garden, winding through paths, Jun Lingxiao found the little one sitting in meditation, Cultivating, in a small pavilion.

Girls developed faster, and perhaps her Physique was also special? Her figure was very tall. One was five and the other eight, but she was a head taller than Jun Lingxiao.

“I’m here.”

“Let’s eat first.”

The wet nurse placed the food on the stone table and then retreated to a distance to wait.

Jun Lingxiao leaned his hands on the stone table, watching her.

She called herself Jinyao, but wouldn't tell him her surname. In their interactions, he called her Yao.

It had to be said that even at such a young age, she already possessed the makings of a great beauty.

Dressed in the Jun Family’s black training attire, her face was exquisitely picturesque, like delicate porcelain, flawless and soft. Her bright eyes were like dazzling stars, and her long hair flowed like a waterfall, smooth and lustrous, exuding a captivating fragrance.

That she was so tall at such a young age was, of course, thanks to her pair of long, slender jade legs. Although they hadn't fully developed yet, judging by their current length, she would likely become another long-legged beauty in the future.

Of course, the most important feature was her pair of Phoenix eyes, carrying considerable majesty and nobility.

“You’re here.”

“Let me tell you…”

Yao opened her eyes and looked at Jun Lingxiao. Her normally calm eyes suddenly brightened. Holding her food in one hand, she began to recount what had happened during her Cultivation today.

Although her expression remained somewhat aloof, she at least treated Jun Lingxiao as someone she could tell anything to.

Jun Lingxiao listened, propping his head with one hand, occasionally nodding.

Although he was younger, in reality, he seemed more like the older brother.

Watching the person wolfing down food in front of him, Jun Lingxiao felt quite emotional. Who would have thought that when they first met, she was like a dying wild wolf by the roadside, with only a breath left, yet desperately trying to bite a piece of flesh from passersby, struggling to survive, a complete mad dog.

But now she had been tamed, turning into a loyal dog.

The little girl who initially made him eat first to prove the food wasn't poisoned now devoured her meal so ravenously.

Jun Lingxiao’s Heart-Nature was filled with emotion.

However, amidst his emotions, he also became serious.

He was, after all, a villain, and Yao… after they spent time together, he learned a lot. For example, this girl came from a prominent Family, she carried a great vendetta, and when she was being hunted and at death’s door, a powerful individual in her Family sacrificed himself and used some Heaven-Defying secret technique to teleport her out, coincidentally landing her here.

Even more coincidentally, it was rumored that this back garden originally had a Formation, but it was removed due to long-term neglect, and the large Formation outside only reacted to Cultivators above a certain Realm, which allowed her to enter.

Sturdy doors were for keeping out the strong, not the ants in the cracks.

No one had ever imagined that someone with such a low Realm, or even no Realm at all, could approach the Jun Family. For a time, she slipped through. Later, the Jun Family’s high-ranking members worked through the night to revise the rules of the great Formation, even specifically setting up various Formations to block teleportation.

And she, having survived on tree bark and grass roots in this back garden for several days, finally waited for a 'sucker' to come in. She immediately held him hostage, hoping to exchange him for food.

But unfortunately, she encountered the Jun Family’s Young Highness on an outing and was captured as soon as she showed her head.

Initially, he intended to hand her directly to the subordinates to deal with as they saw fit, but then he reconsidered. So many coincidences—was it purely accidental?

After some investigation, he indeed found something amiss.

A fallen Young Miss, hunted to near death, then adopted by a villain. After recovering, the Young Miss goes to seek revenge on her enemies, while he, the villain, falls in love with her at first sight. Despite being a high and mighty villain, he then pursues and harasses her until she meets the protagonist, and then he, the villain, gets humiliated and smacked down by the protagonist.

A textbook female lead’s script… but the problem was… “Although she is indeed a beauty in the making, I don’t feel love at first sight…”

Jun Lingxiao propped his head with one hand, thinking idly.

“Xiao.”

“Xiao?”

“Jun Lingxiao.”

“Hmm?” Jun Lingxiao snapped back to reality, finding a hint of worry on the exquisite little face before him.

“What’s wrong?”

He asked.

“…”

The little one pursed her lips and fell silent.

Her usually firm and somewhat aloof eyes rarely wavered, but now they began to shake. Jun Lingxiao understood that her Heart-Nature was wavering.

But he didn't know what she was wavering about.

The two remained silent, but finally, she spoke, asking with a hint of hesitation:

“If I die, will you still remember me?”

Her eyes flickered. In this moment, she looked far more pitiful than when she was a bloody mess.

Hearing this, Jun Lingxiao understood.

“She’s leaving…”

“Yes, she is a wolf, a mad wolf. If she was bullied, there will come a day when she returns it.”

Two years, not long, not short.

Two years had successfully allowed him to enter a girl’s Heart-Nature.

‘No matter what, I will remember you.’

Saying this would allow her to leave with peace of mind, but… whether she was going to seek revenge or to her death, that remained unknown.

Jun Lingxiao was a rational person. He knew what the correct answer was, always had.

But he didn’t want to choose that one.

After a moment of thought, Jun Lingxiao finally spoke slowly:

“I won’t.”

As these words left his mouth, the little person opposite him immediately dimmed. This was, of course, natural.

But Jun Lingxiao didn't care about that. He continued:

“Not only will I not remember you, I will forget you completely.”

“Why…”

The little girl asked, her lips trembling slightly.

She had seen how Jun Lingxiao treated her these past two years. He was truly good to her, unlike those hypocritical siblings in her Family. She had firmly believed this.

But at this moment, that belief began to waver: “Did he not consider me his own?”

The precocious little girl’s Heart-Nature began to fall into self-doubt, her eyes dim, unaware that her lips were almost bleeding from being bitten.

Jun Lingxiao saw this. He first reached out and brushed her lips, saving her bitten, purplish-red lower lip, and then continued:

“If you die, everything is gone. Everything is empty talk.”

“My remembering you is useless, so I won’t remember.”

“And you won’t die.”

Jun Lingxiao didn't say these words with any particular solemnity, but to her, they sounded more serious than ever before.

Hearing this, the little one’s eyes flickered, and her gaze regained its resolve, though she said nothing.

Yes, what was there to say? Anything said now would be superfluous.

Just.

As Jun Lingxiao left, she softly whispered, “Goodbye.”

“Young Miss, he has already gone far.”

“We should go too.”

Watching Jun Lingxiao depart, a female figure appeared behind Yao. This was indeed an Emperor Realm powerhouse!

However, while an Emperor Realm Cultivator could dominate a region in the Upper Thousand Realms, here in the Ten Directions Immortal Court, in the Jun Family, it was not enough.

If not for the tacit approval of many powerful individuals, she would have had no chance to approach any part of the Jun Family.

“Gone…”

“Yes, I should go too.”

Yao watched Jun Lingxiao’s retreating back, a hint of majesty and dominance gradually appearing in her eyes, as if she were a female Emperor.

“Having been away for so long, I should return to the Qiu Family. I, Qiu Jinyao, should reclaim everything that belongs to me.”

“I will not die, and he will not forget. We part ways now, but we will surely meet again in the future.”

“When we meet again, you will be greatly surprised.”

After speaking, Qiu Jinyao took one last deep look at Jun Lingxiao’s back before walking in the opposite direction. Although their paths diverged now, she knew that one day they would meet again.

Only then, she would not be like a little beggar as she was now.

Watching her Young Miss walk away, the figure behind her glanced warily at the sky, then scanned the surroundings, wishing only to leave quickly.

However… she also turned her gaze to the distant Jun Lingxiao. She had heard their conversation earlier.

“Her Heart-Nature, her talent, both impeccable, and most importantly… a five-year-old Spirit Dao Realm!”

She could already imagine what would happen if this news became known to other Families.

Perhaps, they wouldn’t believe it?

But this matter was destined not to spread. The Jun Family allowing her in meant they had no fear, an ultimate fearlessness! If she dared to utter half a word more after leaving, someone would immediately come knocking.

“This generation of the Jun Family is Heaven-Defying…”

The figure sighed again, thinking, “No wonder my Young Miss fell for him, even going so far as to mark him…”

“I wonder if it’s a blessing or a curse.”

After whispering a sentence, the figure no longer thought about what would happen next. She caught up to Qiu Jinyao, activated all her Spiritual Qi, and pulled Qiu Jinyao to tear open the Void Realm, disappearing in a blink.

At this moment, in the sky above, four Elders, including Jun Wenhao, watched Qiu Jinyao disappear.

“Old Ancestor, aren’t you afraid she’ll leak news of my grandson?”

Jun Wenhao looked at the Old Ancestor beside him and asked tentatively.

The other Elders also spoke up.

“That’s right, Jun Lingxiao is the hope of our Jun Family, the hope of our Great Emperor. It’s better to handle this cautiously.”

“It’s still not too late to intercept and kill her.”

“Qiu Jinyao, the unfilial illegitimate daughter of the Qiu Family. Years ago, the Qiu Family publicly announced her death. Who would have thought she’d be in our Jun Family.”

“Although the Qiu Family is not as strong as our Jun Family, they are still one of the Ten Chiefs. There will likely be trouble in the future. I also think it’s better to intercept and kill her.”

They spoke one after another, but it all came down to one meaning.

Kill Qiu Jinyao, hide Jun Lingxiao.

The Old Ancestor, however, scoffed and waved his sleeve: “You fools!”

“Don’t make me smack you. So what if news of Jun Lingxiao gets out?”

“Is our Jun Family afraid?”

“Any rat who dares to speak too much, we’ll smack their mouth rotten! Anyone who dares to lay a hand on Jun Lingxiao, we’ll chop off their paws! And everyone involved, we’ll chop them all off! Haven’t we, the Jun Family, always been like this?”

“We are not afraid, nor do we fear.”

“Moreover, this is his Karma; he must resolve it himself. For him, it might even be a form of assistance…”

The Old Ancestor stroked his beard, smiling faintly as if he saw something.

“This…”

The other Elders had no objections to this, but Jun Wenhao found it hard to speak. This was his precious grandson! How could he not be careful… But the Old Ancestor had already spoken, perhaps his old self was all-powerful and had seen the future. Alright then.

However, he also had doubts in his Heart-Nature.

A few days ago, he went to the Qiu Family to propose marriage. What was the name of that girl they had agreed upon… It seemed to be… Qiu Qinxue.

She seemed to be this girl’s older sister, right?

— — — — — — — —

Half a year passed in a blink.

The peaceful Ten Directions Immortal Court began to stir because of two rumors.

The first rumor stated:

The ancient Qiu Family, ranked fourth among the Ten Chiefs, had produced an unparalleled Genius.

Qiu Qinxue, possessing an Immortal Spirit Physique, had already reached the Spirit Dao Realm at just ten years old, ranking among the top ten on the Prodigy List. She was highly regarded, even considered a candidate for Family Head, and had a marriage contract with the taboo Jun Family. The world looked up to her, lamenting that the Qiu Family was about to produce a Prodigy.

The second rumor, however, stated:

Qiu Jinyao, the illegitimate daughter of the Qiu Family, returned and publicly slew her Elder sister, Qiu Qinxue, even prompting the Qiu Family Old Ancestor to step forward and protect Qiu Jinyao.

From then on, the Qiu Family had only one Prodigy, and that was Qiu Jinyao.

Although Qiu Qinxue was dead, the Qiu Family did not want to give up the opportunity to marry into the Jun Family, so Jun Lingxiao’s fiancée naturally fell upon Qiu Qinxue’s younger sister, Qiu Jinyao.

The fall of one Prodigy, the rise of an illegitimate daughter, sisters killing each other—everything happened so quickly, so suddenly.

The two rumors, explosive in content, even caused a sensation in the region.

However, Jun Lingxiao was unaware of these things. He only knew.

Today was the day he left the palace.