Jolting awake from a restless dream, Li Qiao clutched her forehead and let out a low curse.
What on earth was going on?
That woman’s face lingered in her mind, refusing to fade away.
Staring at the jade pendant in her palm, Li Qiao sank deep into thought.
She got up and quietly slipped out of the house, heading straight for Jade Mountain. The cave there had already collapsed.
The mountains were bathed in bright moonlight.
Li Qiao stood silently in front of the cave. She flung out a talisman, blasting the entrance open, and then stepped inside, her eyes scanning the surroundings.
The beam of her flashlight cut through the darkness ahead.
Suddenly—
A thick cloud of black mist surged toward her, and more of it kept pouring in from deeper within. Their sole purpose was to attack Li Qiao.
This place was bad news!
As she made a hasty retreat, she sealed the entire cave once again. The black mist trapped inside slammed viciously against the barrier, unable to escape.
Li Qiao watched in silence, then immediately summoned the Black and White Impermanence.
“Lady, do you have new orders for us?” Little White asked enthusiastically.
Little Black, as always, remained cold and aloof.
Li Qiao pointed at the cave and said, “Have any of the spirits in there reported to the Netherworld?”
“Let me check.”
Little White pulled out a tablet from behind his back and began swiping across the screen. Li Qiao stared in astonishment. “The Netherworld is this advanced now?”
“The times are changing. The Netherworld’s systems are gradually modernizing, which makes things a lot more convenient for us.”
Little White said this with complete seriousness as he kept swiping.
But the more he scrolled, the deeper his frown grew. “How is this possible? There’s no record of them at all.”
“When people die, they’re supposed to fall under the Netherworld’s jurisdiction. How could there be no record? If there isn’t, then that’s a failure on your part.”
Both Black and White Impermanence visibly stiffened.
Little Black spoke gravely, “Lady, Little White and I will get to the bottom of this. Please give us two days.”
“Fine.”
She wasn’t about to make things difficult for them.
With that, the three parted ways.
After Li Qiao left, the Black and White Impermanence reappeared. Little White’s gaze turned profound. “Old Black, what do we do now?”
“Report to Lord Yan.” There was no hiding this.
Ah, a thousand years had already passed…
—
The next day.
When Li Qiao came downstairs, she noticed that everyone was home except for her grandfather and her fourth brother, Li Shaoyu. At the breakfast table, she studied everyone’s facial features—they were already beginning to change.
All of this was thanks to He Jingnian!
He was the one variable the Heavenly Dao had overlooked.
Just as she was feeling cheerful about it, Li Shaojin mentioned taking her to a friend’s place for a small gathering.
“Sure.”
Li Qiao agreed without hesitation.
After breakfast, as Li Shaojin drove Li Qiao away, her eyes met Li Man’s. There was a fierceness in Li Man’s gaze.
“That adopted daughter of the Xu family is trouble. Qiaoqiao, stay away from her.”
“Did you notice something, big brother?”
Li Shaojin’s expression turned a little awkward before he finally said, “She tried to seduce me.”
“…” Li Man must have lost her mind.
Wasn’t she always going on about the Li family going bankrupt?
Why would she try to seduce big brother now? Had she been kicked in the head by a donkey?
For a moment, Li Qiao couldn’t make sense of Li Man’s motives at all.
“Big brother, stay away from Li Man.”
“I know.”
He hadn’t liked Li Man from the very first moment he laid eyes on her. All her ambition was written plainly in her eyes.
After arriving at a courtyard residence, Li Shaojin’s friend appeared. She was a young woman, around twenty-three or twenty-four years old!
She wore a flowing white dress, her long hair drifting softly in the breeze.
“Shaojin, is this your little sister? She’s absolutely gorgeous!”
“Hello, I’m Li Qiao.”
“Qiaoqiao, nice to meet you! I’m your brother’s friend, Tang Liusu!” Her smile was warm and lovely. Li Qiao shook her hand in return!
