Inside the royal city, rumors about Princess Qingping, Xia Qingdai, harming her younger sister Xia Yuwei spread like wildfire through the streets and alleys.
The original version simply said that she attracted a monster that killed her sister, but now it has evolved into a more sensational story.
"Have you heard? Princess Qingping personally released a demonic beast and used a magic spell to immobilize Miss Yuwei, watching helplessly as she was bitten to death!"
"And that's not all! The princess didn't even leave her a whole corpse. Miss Yuwei knelt on the ground begging her to let her go, and the Xia family patriarch and madam also knelt down, but she just kept Miss Yuwei outside the barrier, watching helplessly as she was devoured clean by the demon beast! I heard that her intestines were pulled out, and her bones were chewed to pieces."
"Even Lord Xia and Madam Xia admitted to this. There were so many people present at the time. How could she be so heartless! Letting our own kind be eaten by demonic beasts, how could she do such a cruel thing!"
As the rumors spread, they were constantly embellished. Some said they saw Xia Qingdai sneer, others said she even used evil magic to scatter Xia Yuwei's soul, and still others swore that those demonic beasts were all raised by Xia Qingdai.
—
More and more indignant citizens gathered in the square in the center of the royal city.
An elderly man with white hair shouted, "Miss Yuwei was such a kind person! How could she die so mysteriously..."
"She can kill her sister today, she can kill us tomorrow!"
"Does being a cultivator give you the right to act with impunity?"
"We demand an explanation!"
"We urge the imperial court to severely punish the murderer!"
The enraged crowd began to gather at the princess's residence, demanding that Xia Qingdai come forward and explain. Some people started throwing rotten vegetable leaves and rotten eggs at the gate, and the scene briefly spiraled out of control.
On the top floor of the Drunken Immortal Pavilion, Xia Mingde, looking at the state of the people below, poured wine for several court officials: "Gentlemen, I beg your help."
Censor Liu stroked his beard and chuckled sinisterly, "Tomorrow I'll impeach her for 'murdering her own relatives and raising ferocious beasts.'" He suddenly lowered his voice, "But I've heard that Xia Qingdai is extremely formidable... I'm afraid..."
"You're overthinking it." Xia Mingde pushed a bag of gold beads over. "No matter how powerful she is, she's still bound by the imperial aura in this royal city. Even if she's a cultivator, she still has to listen to His Majesty."
Moreover, I heard that she is currently in seclusion. Her seclusion not only prevents her from knowing who is scheming behind her back, but also confirms that she has a guilty conscience.
—
Finally, the emperor, with a solemn expression, summoned the third prince.
"This matter has blown up too much," the emperor said, rubbing his temples. "Public opinion is outraged, and the ministers have submitted numerous memorials impeaching us. I cannot ignore it."
The Third Prince cupped his hands and said, "Father, you are wise. There is probably more to this than meets the eye. Although my acquaintance with Princess Qingping has not been long, I know she is not one to kill innocent people indiscriminately."
"I know," the emperor sighed, "That's why I sent you to find out the truth. If she is truly innocent, I will bring her justice."
The Third Prince immediately dispatched a trusted aide to the Princess's residence. However, the guard responsible for delivering the message quickly reported back:
"Your Highness, the Princess is currently in seclusion. Her servants say she hasn't left the residence for several days and knows nothing about the outside world. I want to go find her, but I can't get in touch with her at all!"
The Third Prince frowned deeply: "What should we do?" He paced back and forth, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck him: "Go and invite Immortal Master Wei Ji of the Xuantian Sect! He is highly respected and might be able to help."
Meanwhile, inside the Xia residence, jubilation reigned. Xia Mingde, holding a wine cup, said smugly to his confidant, "See? No matter how powerful she is, she can't withstand the clamor of the masses!"
"Your Excellency is wise," the confidant flattered. "The whole city is now condemning her, and even the imperial court has been alerted."
Xia Mingde smiled coldly: "That's not enough. Go, spend more money and have the storyteller make the story even more exciting. I'll make sure she has no place to stand in the capital!"
—
Meanwhile, Bai Ying, who was being insulted by everyone, was still in seclusion in her room repairing her body.
Inside the secret chamber, a misty aura filled the air. Bai Ying sat cross-legged in the center of the spirit-gathering array, enveloped in a faint, moon-white halo. The healing jade pendant floating before her chest emitted a warm, emerald light, like a clear spring, continuously nourishing her broken body.
The scene of the fatal blow from Patriarch Huayang was still vivid in her mind. That palm strike not only shattered her protective qi, but also tore apart all eight extraordinary meridians, shattered her dantian, and even cracked her internal organs. If it weren't for this repair jade pendant, she would probably have perished long ago.
The spiritual energy emanating from the jade pendant was like a gentle spring breeze, repairing her injuries at an extremely slow yet steady pace. Bai Ying could clearly feel her broken meridians reconnecting and her shattered dantian slowly rebuilding. Even more miraculously, in this process of destruction and reconstruction, her physique was undergoing a transformative change.
"Since we must rebuild our foundation, let's take this opportunity to thoroughly refine our physical body."
With a thought, Bai Ying began to circulate the "Lingxiao Body Refining Technique" from the Lingxiao Sect's library. Fine black impurities gradually seeped from her skin, then dissipated as wisps of black smoke under the cleansing power of her spiritual energy. Each circulation made her meridians more resilient, her bones more crystalline, and her flesh and blood purer.
Bai Ying was immersed in deep cultivation. Until one moment, a crisp "crack" sound suddenly came from within her body, as if some kind of shackle had been broken. The spiritual power that was originally like a trickle suddenly transformed into a rushing river, surging and flowing through her meridians, which had been widened several times over.
"This is..." Bai Ying suddenly opened her eyes, golden light swirling within them. To her astonishment, she discovered that not only had her injuries been completely healed, but her cultivation had also broken through to a realm she had never been able to reach before—the half-step Nascent Soul stage!
This realm, which he had cultivated diligently in the psychedelic space for a hundred years without ever reaching, has now been unexpectedly broken through in a desperate situation.
She could clearly feel that her divine sense was more than ten times stronger than before, and her perception of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had become much more acute. Every gesture she made carried a natural and innate Daoist charm.
"Just one more step, and I can truly step into the Nascent Soul stage..."
Bai Ying was immersed in the joy of her breakthrough when she was suddenly interrupted by a series of urgent knocks on the door.
"Princess! You've finally emerged from seclusion!" Xiao Tao's voice was trembling with tears. "Something terrible has happened!"
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