Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

There were fifty-four children over the age of five participating in this spirit root test. Of them, only sixteen were found to possess spirit roots—barely a third. But the Wei clan was still pleased with the results. After all, they now had Wei Yunqing, a child with water and wood dual roots, a combination already considered quite excellent in Kunyu City.

All the children found to have spirit roots were retained within the main branch of the Wei clan. Over the coming year, their fate would be determined. This was their last real chance to change their destiny.

Having spirit roots didn't guarantee success. Only by drawing spiritual qi into their body could they truly begin the path of cultivation. And only after building a Foundation could they be considered actual cultivators—people who had even the faintest chance of pursuing the Dao.

Which was why this upcoming year was crucial. These children needed to first pass the threshold of qi intake. Then, depending on their cultivation speed and individual strengths, their future paths would be decided.

But none of this concerned Wei Yunqing. Wei Lingyue had already decided to send his eldest daughter to cultivate at Haoran Sect.

Du Ruolan was overjoyed when she learned the news. Though she tried to contain it, the happiness still showed on her face, and Wei Yunqing noticed immediately.

"Mother, why are you so happy today?" she asked.

Du Ruolan gently stroked her daughter's hair and smiled warmly. "Of course I'm happy. Your father told me privately that he plans to send you to Haoran Sect for cultivation. The next three months are key. You must draw spiritual qi into your body as soon as possible. If you can reach the third layer of Qi Refining, your chances of being accepted by a good master will be even greater.

With the guidance of a proper teacher, your cultivation will soar. And with Haoran Sect behind you, my position within the Wei family will become more stable. Then, the clan will pour its full support into your growth."

Wei Yunqing nodded quickly. "Don't worry, Mother. I know what I need to do."

After a pause, she added, "Mother, I want to bring Wei Yunxi with me to Haoran Sect."

Du Ruolan froze for a moment, then frowned. "Qing'er, who told you that? Why would you want to bring Wei Yunxi?"

At her young age, Wei Yunqing couldn't quite articulate the reason. She simply felt it would benefit her to keep Wei Yunxi nearby. One had to admit—her instincts for gain and self-preservation were already unusually sharp.

But Du Ruolan saw it differently. To her, Haoran Sect was the second-ranked sect in the western region, and the Wei clan only had a limited number of slots. Why should one be given to Wei Yunxi? She had no intention of offering up a valuable opportunity to Feng Jiayun's daughter.

The Wei clan only secured this rare spot because one of their ancestors had ties to a Nascent Soul cultivator in Haoran Sect. That senior was willing to give them a place—but nothing more. Whether the child succeeded in joining the sect or how far they went would be up to them.

Wei Yunqing seemed to notice her mother's hesitation and tugged at her sleeve. "Mother, I want to bring Wei Yunxi. She has good things with her."

Du Ruolan's eyes flickered. She immediately thought of the ornamental hairpin her daughter had wanted before. Patting Wei Yunqing's hand, she said,

"Don't worry, dear. I understand. But this matter still depends on your father. Her aptitude isn't as good as yours, so he may not agree to send her to the sect."

"But Mother," Wei Yunqing said, visibly anxious, "can't you think of a way?"

"My sweet girl, don't worry. I'll go speak with your father."

Once Du Ruolan had calmed her daughter, she sent her confidants to gather information from Zhuóhuá Courtyard.

Meanwhile, Wei Yunxi had no idea that she was already being targeted by Wei Yunqing again, this time as a so-called lucky charm. At the moment, she was organizing her belongings, preparing the items she needed for the next day's clan school lessons.

Chunyu and the other three maids worked silently beside her. They knew that once their young mistress began cultivating, her path would diverge from theirs. There would be less and less they could do to help her.

Just then, the Wei clan's steward arrived at Zhuóhuá Courtyard, accompanied by a rather plain-looking maid. Bowing respectfully, he said,

"Miss, this is the servant girl the Master has assigned to you. Her name is Zhenzhu. She's at the third layer of Qi Refinement. From today on, she will serve as your personal attendant. She will escort you to the cultivation hall every day and guard you during your practice."

Wei Yunxi raised her brows slightly, but then smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Steward Grandpa. Please thank Father for me as well."

She turned to the maid, who stood silently with her eyes lowered. With a sweet voice, Wei Yunxi asked, "Sister, may I ask your name?"

The maid replied instantly, "This humble servant is called Zhenzhu. I'm unworthy of being addressed as 'sister' by the young miss."

Wei Yunxi didn't know where this woman had come from, and since she had Qi Refining strength, Wei Yunxi remained polite. "Then I'll call you Zhenzhu from now on. Go with Chunyu to settle into the side courtyard. Tomorrow morning, come pick me up for the cultivation hall."

"Yes, Miss."

Zhenzhu was tactful and immediately followed Chunyu out of the main courtyard.

The steward, having completed his task, gave a polite farewell and left. His personal delivery made it clear—Wei Lingyue did care about this daughter's development, at least on the surface.

After he left, Wei Yunxi turned to the remaining three maids and asked, "That girl Zhenzhu looks unfamiliar to me. Have any of you seen her before?"

The three shook their heads. A flicker of hesitation crossed Dongmei's face, and Wei Yunxi noticed instantly.

"Dongmei, do you know her?"

Dongmei shook her head. "No, Miss, I've never seen her before. But I did see her talking with Liu Xu, the maid from Madame Du's courtyard. I couldn't hear what they said though—it was too far away."

At those words, warning bells rang in Wei Yunxi's mind. This wasn't good.

If Zhenzhu had ties to Du Ruolan, then placing her at Wei Yunxi's side could only mean one thing: surveillance.

Xiamo and Qiutao both looked worried. Zhenzhu had cultivation experience. Unlike them, they had no idea how to protect their young mistress from such a person.

Wei Yunxi rubbed her soft, chubby cheek and waved Dongmei over. Whispering a few instructions into her ear, Wei Yunxi watched as Dongmei's eyes lit up. Without delay, she slipped out of the courtyard through the Wei estate's rear gate.

That night, Wei Yunxi stuck to her routine. After dinner, she went to bed early.

Late at night, when all was silent, a shadowy figure crept into the main courtyard of Zhuóhuá Courtyard. The intruder entered Wei Yunxi's room and first picked up the storage pendant by her pillow, inspecting its contents. Then they returned the pendant to its place.

After that, the intruder searched the room thoroughly, but ultimately found nothing of value and left in the dark.

The next morning, Wei Yunxi was woken by Chunyu and stretched with a yawn. Her first instinct was to check the pendant by her pillow. The contents were still there, which gave her some relief. But the moment she touched it, she could tell it had been moved.

"Chunyu, who was on night watch duty?"

"It was Xiamo, Miss."

"Call her in."