Chapter 196 Returning the Property to its Rightful Owner

Lu Yao gathered a wisp of blue light at her fingertips, weaving that bloody past into a dream, and gently sent it into Zhong Zhengxuan's dream.

Zhong Zhengxuan attended a meeting all day and fell asleep feeling tired but fulfilled.

She frowned in her sleep—

She dreamed that she was still a child.

Born into a family of Taoist masters, Zhong Zhengxuan's inability to draw in Qi and cultivate has always been a regret.

Although she has also achieved great success and brilliance on other paths.

But ultimately, it's not without regrets.

In her dream, she dreamed that she could draw qi into her body since she was an infant.

She can see the metaphor of stars in the sky.

Spiritual energy flowed through her body.

At the spirit-testing ceremony, the elder's voice resounded throughout the ancestral hall: "Top-grade spiritual root!"

Her father excitedly lifted her high, and her mother proudly kissed her cheek.

But the image suddenly distorted.

After the younger brother was born, the praise turned into sighs of regret: "It's a pity he wasn't born a boy..."

The father's drunken murmur pierced the ears: "If only Zhengming's spiritual root could be like his sister's..."

Terrifying dreams followed one after another.

In the cold, damp Taoist temple, the iron chains dig painfully into her wrists.

Her father's indifferent profile flickered in and out of focus as the strange Taoist priest used a blood-stained bone knife to carve a talisman on her back.

In the midst of excruciating pain, she saw her spiritual power transform into golden threads, being forcibly extracted...

When she woke up again, she was already at home, in her own soft little bed.

Her father said she had a high fever and she couldn't remember anything.

From then on, spiritual energy ceased to circulate.

Whenever the night is deep and quiet, she still habitually looks up at the starry sky, but she can no longer glimpse the secrets of heaven from the trajectory of the stars.

All that's left is the meaningless flashing frequency.

"Ah!" Zhong Zhengxuan woke up suddenly, her pajamas soaked with cold sweat.

The stars outside the window were still there, but she suddenly clutched her chest.

It was empty, as if something of vital importance had been lost.

In the darkness, a cold voice suddenly rang out: "Do you want to take back what rightfully belongs to you?"

Zhong Zhengxuan looked in the direction of the sound.

Outside the window, under the moonlight, stood a hazy figure, his clothes fluttering but not sinister.

"Who are you?"

"The person who tells you the truth."

Zhong Zhengxuan was silent for a moment, "You're a streamer, and you only just got internet access in a thousand years?"

"As expected of Minister Zhong, he guessed my identity in just two sentences."

Zhong Zhengxuan chuckled self-deprecatingly, "The Zhong family has kept this a closely guarded secret for thirty years, and no outsider has known it. Now the entire internet knows that Master Qiannian has no secrets in his eyes. I can't think of anyone else with such ability."

“You could have become one of the world’s top cultivators.” Lu Yao’s voice suddenly became serious. “If your spiritual root were still intact, Zhong Zhengming wouldn’t even be able to touch the hem of your clothes.”

Recalling the scene of his spiritual root being taken away in his dream, a hint of ferocity rose in Zhong Zhengxuan's eyes.

How many resources has she secured for the Zhong family through her shrewd maneuvering in officialdom over the years?

The position of Director of the Paranormal Affairs Bureau is coveted by many scions of powerful families.

Zhong Zhengming was not the one most favored by his superiors.

Ultimately, it was her outstanding political achievements and impeccable reputation that led the leadership to choose the Zhong family as the representative of the new era of Taoism.

It turns out that all her hard work over the years was just to benefit a family that had taken away her spiritual roots.

Zhong Zhengxuan asked coldly, "What will he do after he regains his spiritual root?"

"Back to square one."

"And what about me?"

"The choice is yours. You can choose to seek enlightenment and cultivate yourself, or you can choose to continue your current journey."

Lu Yao read about Zhong Zhengxuan's journey and saw that she had made remarkable achievements in officialdom and accomplished many practical things.

Even without practicing Taoism, she can still realize her own value.

Zhong Zhengxuan pondered.

"No matter which way I go, I need to get my things back first."

Lu Yao nodded. "I will visit the Zhong family tomorrow. I hope Minister Zhong will grace us with his presence at this grand event."

The following day, Zhong Zhengxuan hid in a dark corner of the side hall.

To have reached her current position, she naturally has her own trusted confidants in the Zhong family.

Several maids discreetly set up a vantage point for her with an excellent view.

She hid in the shadows, observing the behavior of the Zhong family elders, Zhong's father, and Zhong Zhengming.

Zhong Zhengxuan felt a chill creep up her spine and into her heart.

It's not just because of the spiritual root that was taken away.

Furthermore, because she had genuinely believed that the Zhong family was a respectable and prestigious family of Taoist masters.

Over the years, she has argued for her family at various meetings, using her accumulated political capital to pave the way for the Zhong family.

But what I'm seeing now...

The elders secretly plotted to seize the sect's relics brought by Lu Yao, and even attempted to embezzle this clan's treasure.

They were completely different from the upright and honest image they usually cultivated in front of her.

What terrified her most was that Zhong Zhengming had already used evil magic to turn her father into a puppet, and was now secretly setting up an array to reach out to more people.

What she saw completely overturned her understanding of her family.

"What a fine example of a righteous sect of Xuanmen..." She sneered silently, suddenly remembering what she had written in her performance report: "The Zhong family has a pure and upright family tradition."

It turns out that all these years, the family glory she was so proud of was nothing but a meticulously woven, colossal lie.

Zhong Zhengxuan couldn't help but walk out and coldly observe their expressions.

When Zhong's father saw that she had heard everything about the change of spiritual roots, his face turned ashen, and he still wanted to explain and make excuses.

Zhong Zhengxuan didn't want to hear another word; it would only taint her ears.

Zhong Zhengming showed no remorse whatsoever, as if it were a matter of course.

“Let’s begin.” Zhong Zhengxuan turned to Lu Yao, her voice eerily calm.

Lu Yao smiled slightly and lightly traced a line in the air with her finger.

A dazzling golden talisman appeared in the air, spun and split, turning into two streams of light that entered the hearts of the brother and sister respectively.

As the golden rune pierced his heart, Zhong Zhengxuan suddenly felt a heart-wrenching pain.

It was as if something was taking root and sprouting inside her.

She knelt on one knee, her back instantly soaked with cold sweat.

Meanwhile, Zhong Zhengming on the other side let out a shrill scream.

He frantically scratched his chest, as if trying to dig something out.

Strands of azure spiritual light emanated from his seven orifices, weaving into a dazzling galaxy in the air.

With a flick of her fingertips, Lu Yao directed the galaxy slowly toward Zhong Zhengxuan.

When the first ray of spiritual light entered her brow, the long-dormant spiritual energy awakened in her meridians like a spring tide.

Zhong Zhengxuan saw the shining light on the spirit-testing stele, the destiny trajectory in the starry sky, and... the life that was stolen from her all those years.

Zhong Zhengming had collapsed to the ground, his skin turning ashen at a visible rate.

He was horrified to discover that he could no longer sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, just as he had when he was born.

"Returning it to its rightful owner." Lu Yao withdrew her magic spell, looked at the pure spiritual light flowing around Zhong Zhengxuan, and said softly, "Welcome back, the true owner of the spiritual root."