57. The Meaning of Reputation and Affection
“Brother Shijie, what brings you here? It seems you haven’t used this Sound Transmission Stone in over twenty years.”
A burly man watered his apple trees while speaking to the dull gray stone in his hand.
He was in a good mood.
Ever since that little ancestor disappeared, his precious darlings hadn’t been struck by lightning.
It was probably that little ancestor’s doing, getting back at him for almost whipping her.
“Brother Nine, I won’t waste words. I’ll just say this,” Wu Shijie’s face was grim, his voice menacing. “The Cloud Rainbow Sect and the legendary Great One Engineering Sect have reappeared.”
“What!?” Ghost Lord Nine was shocked. “Are you certain it’s them?”
“Who would dare claim to be from those sects, knowing the risk?” Wu Shijie continued, “Besides, my Hehuan Sect has been almost completely destroyed by them.”
Ghost Lord Nine frowned, sensing this wasn’t a simple matter. “Those people did this?”
“Only two people turned the tide of the battle,” Wu Shijie said. “Their strength is unfathomable. That’s why I’m warning you, Brother Nine. I hope you’ll take this seriously.”
“Tell me everything you know about them.” Ghost Lord Nine didn’t hesitate. “The Cloud Rainbow Sect must not be allowed to exist. They threaten our plans!”
…
…
Meanwhile, on their way back, Miss Gong was still wondering why her relationship with her “home” was now Indifferent.
The remaining Hehuan Sect members being hostile was understandable. They were Wu Shijie’s loyalists, seeking revenge.
And the Heartflame Empire Faction 1 and Faction 2 likely referred to the Fifth Princess and the First Prince, respectively.
Helping the old Daoist would surely displease the First Prince, so his hostility was also understandable.
But the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace…
That was her home.
Why had her relationship with them worsened? Could it even become Hostile or Hatred?
Attacking her own mother could actually happen, and she would be on the receiving end? That was absurd.
“The affection levels are based on the host’s current disguised identity.”
“Otherwise, as the Young Palace Master of the Pear Blossom Blood Orchid Palace, all righteous sects would be hostile towards the host, wanting to kill you.”
This time, the system explained without being prompted.
Hearing this, she felt relieved.
“Then if I reveal to my mother that I’m the Sect Master of the Great One Engineering Sect, will my reputation and affection level recover?”
“Yes.”
Then it was fine.
The people in the Blood Orchid Palace were always busy. They wouldn’t have time to bother her. Indifferent was indifferent.
Her priority now was to figure out how to utilize these new demonic cultivator followers—
“Bang!”
Suddenly, a loud noise came from the roof of her carriage.
Like something heavy had fallen on it.
What was that?
“Stop.”
Gong Yiling immediately ordered the driver to stop, then asked Qiu Shui to check.
But before Qiu Shui returned, she smelled a strong scent of blood.
This was…?
Suddenly, Qiu Shui and the driver screamed, “A dead body!?”
Yes, when Gong Yiling went outside to investigate, she saw a head dangling from the roof of the carriage.
Eyes vacant, blood dripping from the mouth, face pale.
A dead body.
Confirming what it was, Gong Yiling felt a wave of nausea, instinctively stepping back and closing her eyes.
She had never seen a real corpse before. The strong smell of blood and her instinctive revulsion made her recoil.
But after calming down, she opened her eyes again and frowned in surprise.
She recognized this face… it was Long Yingchi, Shangguan Ziyuan’s guard captain.
“Isn’t this…”
Qiu Shui also recognized him, looking at Gong Yiling, puzzled. “Master, who attacked him?”
“Attacked…”
That didn’t make sense…
According to the book, Long Yingchi, as Shangguan Ziyuan’s guard captain, appeared even during the year-end ceremony. He couldn’t have died now.
And they wouldn’t target Long Yingchi specifically. If anyone, it should be Shangguan Ziyuan…
Oh, wait!
In the original story, Shangguan Ziyuan wasn’t even here.
If anyone would try to kill her while she was outside, it could only be the First Prince, who wanted to usurp the throne…
Wait!
Gong Yiling suddenly understood the meaning of the reputation and affection updates.
It wasn’t like a game, where her actions automatically lowered her reputation. The changes occurred because the other party learned something.
This meant the First Prince now knew that Shangguan Ziyuan had found a way to treat the Grand Elder.
So, what would they do?
“Oh no!” Gong Yiling’s heart sank. “Shangguan Ziyuan is in danger!”
…
…
“Should I convey the First Prince’s message, Your Highness?”
On a cliff edge, several men in black surrounded a red-haired woman in a purple dress.
Shangguan Ziyuan looked at the corpses scattered around with grief. They were her closest confidants, all killed in a matter of minutes.
And Captain Long, after being surrounded and killed, had been thrown off the cliff.
“Shangguan Qingyun!”
She gritted her teeth, then coughed up blood.
During the fight, she had been struck in her dantian, crippling her cultivation. Severely injured, both internally and externally, just standing and speaking was a struggle.
“Father was already planning to pass the throne to him. Why would he do this!?”
“Because of Your Highness’s identity,” the man in black sneered. “The First Prince has discovered that you possess the Royal Fox Bloodline. Combined with the Grand Elder’s support, he couldn’t risk leaving you alive.”
“The Royal Fox Bloodline…” Shangguan Ziyuan smiled bitterly. “This bloodline has only brought me loneliness and pain, and yet my brother sees it as… a threat.”
“Enough talk, Fifth Princess.” The man in black gathered true essence in his palm. “Don’t worry, your master will soon join you down below.”
“You…!” A look of determination flashed in Shangguan Ziyuan’s eyes. “You will pay for this! Even as a ghost, I, Shangguan Ziyuan, will not let you go!”
With a final palm strike, she fell off the cliff, disappearing from sight.
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