"Mother, your daughter is here to see you."

Yun Ji spoke softly, her voice shattered by the wind.

She stretched out her slender fingers and brushed away the fallen leaves and dust on the monument bit by bit. The cracks between her nails were soon filled with black dirt, but she seemed unaware.

After her cultivation was abolished, she proposed several times to repair her mother's tomb, but was stopped by Madam Yun.

"Mother, I am incompetent and have wronged you."

A plate of osmanthus cake and a pot of sake were placed in front of the grave. Both were my mother's favorite things in my memory.

Yun Ji's movements were extremely gentle, as if she was afraid of disturbing the sleeping person.

When she put the third plate of fruit on the table, a tear fell uncontrollably onto the bluestone altar, splashing tiny drops of water.

"Mother, I have found someone I can entrust my life to."

Yun Ji folded her hands in front of her forehead and kowtowed slowly.

When she raised her head, there was dirt on her forehead.

"He was very nice to me, really nice."

The autumn wind suddenly became stronger, blowing up her untied long hair.

A few strands of black hair stuck to her wet cheeks, like black tear marks.

Yun Ji took out a white handkerchief from her bosom and unfolded it carefully. Inside was a slightly faded wooden hairpin, which was the only relic left to her by her mother.

"He helped his daughter recover her spiritual roots."

Yun Ji gently placed the wooden hairpin on the altar, her fingertips trembling slightly.

"You don't know how my daughter managed to survive these years without spiritual roots."

Her voice choked and she had to stop to take a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

The sound of evening drums came from afar, ringing dully all around.

Yun Ji seemed not to hear anything and just stared at the blurred words on the tombstone, as if she could see her mother's gentle smile through the cold stone.

"He also went out of his way to help his daughter improve her cultivation. Now she has reached the Divine Venerable Realm."

She should have been proud when she said this, but her tears flowed even more violently.

"You know what? My daughter is now finally able to protect herself."

A strong wind blew and the osmanthus cake on the altar was blown to the ground and broke into several pieces.

Yun Ji hurried to pick it up, but when she bent down she suddenly broke down and burst into tears.

She huddled in front of the tombstone, her shoulders shaking violently like a lost child.

"If I had met him earlier, I wouldn't have left you."

Yun Ji sobbed and rested her forehead on the cold tombstone.

"It's all my daughter's fault. If I had the cultivation level I have now, I would have been able to protect you."

As dusk deepened, the last ray of sunlight moved away from the tombstone, and the surroundings fell into darkness.

Yun Ji's crying gradually subsided and turned into intermittent sobs.

With trembling hands, she slowly poured the pot of sake in front of the grave.

"Don't worry, mother,"

Yun Ji took a deep breath and suddenly straightened her back.

She wiped away her tears, a hint of determination flashing in her eyes.

"My daughter is living a good life now. I will not let any of those who hurt you go."

She didn't know what she was thinking about, but the tips of her ears turned slightly red.

"He's a good man, and Mother will definitely like him."

The black cat jumped lightly on the roof, its four paws stepping on the green tiles without making a sound.

It passed through many courtyards and finally jumped lightly to Yun Ji's side.

Yun Ji was about to leave, but when she saw the black cat, her eyes fixed on it.

"Black Jade?"

Mo Yu rubbed his head against her knees, his emerald pupils shining brightly in the twilight.

Yun Ji held the black cat in her arms, her fingertips sinking into its soft and warm fur.

"How did you find this place? Didn't I tell you to wait in the room?"

The black cat raised its head and spoke in a clear female voice.

"Master, something's wrong." Its ears twitched alertly. "I just passed by Madam Yun's courtyard and heard her and Yun Lanyi plotting to harm you."

Yun Ji's fingers tightened unconsciously, causing the black cat to let out a soft cry before she hurriedly let go.

"What did they say?"

"During the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival, Madam Yun will ask the Nine Ghosts to perform a ritual to invade your sea of ​​consciousness... to manipulate the master into publicly embarrassing himself and destroy your innocence."

Yun Ji's face turned pale. She hugged the black cat tightly, feeling its warm little body, and only then did her trembling stop.

"I see."

…

The scorching midday sun was filtered through the window lattices of the Nine Netherworld Palace, casting spider-web-like shadows on the bluestone floor.

Yun Lanyi walked into the hall wearing a crimson gauze dress. The jade pendant hanging around her waist that warded off evil spirits broke into two pieces when she stepped over the threshold and fell to the ground.

"What a rare guest."

Jiu Gui curled up on the bone throne, stroking the baby skull on the armrest with his skinny fingers.

"The goddess of the Yun family actually came to my gate of hell herself?"

Yun Lanyi suppressed the urge to vomit and placed the gilded gift box on the blood-stained table.

The moment the lid of the box was opened, the ghostly fires in the hall stopped.

There are nine Xuanyin Ningpo beads neatly stacked in the box, which are the most precious treasures for ghost cultivators.

"My mother wants to ask a senior to take charge of the Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival."

She flicked her fingertips and a white silk handkerchief slipped out of her sleeve.

There was an ice crystal orchid embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief, and a faint fragrance still lingered.

"This is Yun Ji's personal belonging."

"Tsk tsk, the aura of the Holy Yin Spiritual Root." A creepy swallowing sound came from under the black robe, "Hehehe... The Yun family is indeed cruel!"

Li Lingge stood quietly in the shadow behind the screen.

His slender fingers pressed on the winding pattern of the rosewood screen. Through the gap in the screen, he could clearly hear everything the two people said.

Only after Yun Lanyi's footsteps completely disappeared from the house did Li Lingge walk out from behind the screen.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!