INE Chapter 107: Changqin

The news Madam Ji delivered was so shocking that Ji Rong was left speechless and choked with emotion.

After hearing the electronic voice, she calmed down significantly.

She thought to herself, it seems pretty easy to raise the heroine's favorability now.

Without hesitation, she spoke to the system, "Change."

【Beep, Initiating exchange for "Mind Reading" ×1】

【Congratulations, player. The exchange was successful.】

【"Mind Reading" has been activated.】

With the ability to read minds, Ji Rong was preparing to have a conversation with Madam Ji and use her newfound skill to peer into her thoughts.

But suddenly, everything went black, and she collapsed onto the bed.

Just before losing consciousness, she thought she saw a look of panic in Madam Ji's eyes.

In that moment, Ji Rong understood Madam Ji’s thoughts:

"I've already lost one daughter, I can't lose Changqin."

When she regained consciousness, Ji Rong found herself in a spirit form once again.

However, she was already accustomed to this light, ethereal state, so she wasn’t particularly surprised.

She even slowly got up from the ground and began observing her surroundings.

This time, the system was more considerate and provided some hints:

【The current plane the player is in is Xuanji City, twenty-one years ago.】

Twenty-one years ago?

Ji Rong looked around and found that the Taiping Hall was filled with guests.

At that moment, the City Lord of Ji raised his cup and said loudly, "Honored heroes, thank you for traveling thousands of miles to attend my daughter's full moon banquet. I am deeply honored."

It suddenly dawned on her that the City Lord was hosting the original host’s full moon banquet. No wonder so many people were gathered here.

But since Madam Ji had mentioned that the original host wasn't her biological daughter, who was the true guest of honor at the banquet?

【Please search for clues on your own.】

Heh, am I supposed to look for clues myself, or rely on you, this useless system?

【...】

With that thought in mind, Ji Rong decided to take advantage of the fact that no one could see her and swaggered around the banquet.

She looked around and suddenly spotted a familiar face among the guests.

The woman had a moon-like face, wearing a cloud-water blue long gown and carrying a jade flute at her waist.

It was none other than Meng Ruo, the 18th generation leader of the Tianyin Sect.

Ji Rong gazed at the gentle smile on her face and thought, maybe I should call her Meng Lan.

At that moment, Meng Lan was standing beside Madam Ji, gazing at the swaddled child, and with a soft, affectionate smile, said, "The young master really looks like Madam, their eyes and brows are like they were carved from the same mold."

A one-month-old baby, what could be seen?

Ji Rong thought to herself but, out of curiosity, she leaned over to take a look at the baby in the swaddle.

The baby girl was carefully cradled in Madam Ji’s arms, her bright eyes wide open as she beamed at the adults with a cheerful laugh.

Seeing this, Ji Rong was taken aback.

Holy crap, it really does look like her.

The baby’s eyes and brows indeed resembled Madam Ji's, gentle and clear like a spring mountain.

Looking at the baby in Madam Ji's arms, Ji Rong suddenly remembered the first time she met Meng Lan. The latter had taken her hand and asked with concern if she remembered her.

This was really a huge discrepancy.

...Even if she truly was the young master of Xuanji City, she was so young, she couldn’t possibly remember Meng Lan, right?

She had to admit, even though Yan Haiyao and Meng Lan’s relationship was merely superficial, they both had the same ability to tell blatant lies.

Next, Ji Rong saw Meng Lan take the baby from Madam Ji and hold her with practiced ease.

Then, with a smile, she said, "Young Master, you must grow up quickly, and when you’re older, come to our Tianyin Sect. Aunt Meng will teach you how to play the flute."

"...."

At this moment, Ji Rong could only think one thing:

What a huge flag.

Time passed, and the little girl grew up in the blink of an eye.

At this time, Madam Ji’s health worsened. She often woke up in the middle of the night, coughing incessantly.

After the coughing fit, there was always blood on her handkerchief.

Because of this, the City Lord of Ji found many spiritual pills for Madam Ji. She had to take several every day to alleviate the symptoms slightly.

Once her health improved, Madam Ji attended her niece’s wedding.

Looking at the wrinkles forming at the corners of her sisters' eyes, and then at her own youthful and vibrant face from the effects of the medicine, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.

The newlyweds bowed to heaven and earth, forever joined in the bond of marriage.

Madam Ji hugged her young daughter, lost in thought for a moment, reminiscing about her own past.

A few days later, Meng Lan arrived with her first disciple, Tang Yu, to visit the City Lord of Ji.

After hearing about Madam Ji's condition, she gave the City Lord many medicinal pills.

While chatting, Meng Lan casually mentioned something from the past: "It’s rumored that the High Priest predicted that the Demon Seed would appear in the world in ten years."

The City Lord of Ji looked at Meng Lan and shook his head. "The Divine Sect follows the will of Heaven, and they trust in fate. But I’ve never been one to believe in fate. So, I will refrain from commenting on the Heavenly Demon Seed."

Meng Lan couldn’t help but laugh. "No matter what the Divine Sect says, I still think that Chu Changli’s talent is extraordinary. She’s the most likely person in a thousand years to break through to the Returning to Dust realm. It's a pity that she turned to the demonic path."

The City Lord of Ji paused for a moment before offering a novel thought.

"Perhaps the Divine Sect doesn’t want Chu Changli to break through to the Returning to Dust realm, which is why they issued the execution order against her."

Meng Lan’s expression changed slightly. "City Lord, you must be careful with your words. The Divine Sect represents the will of Heaven."

The City Lord of Ji gazed into the distance, where his daughter was playing with Tang Yu.

Then, he smiled and said, "So, does this mean that Heaven cannot tolerate Chu Changli?"

Ji Rong felt a little embarrassed when she heard this.

The old City Lord really was bold, even saying something like that.

While the two were conversing, Tang Yu, holding a rattle, was amusing the young girl.

The little girl was as beautiful as jade, clutching Tang Yu’s sleeve. Her bright eyes shone with excitement as she tried to reach for the toy in his hand.

"...."

Ji Rong suddenly recalled that before she left the Tianyin Sect, Tang Yu had smiled and told her that he had met her many years ago, though back then she was lively and adorable, very different from who she was now.

Looking back now, it wasn’t just different, it was as if someone else had taken her place.

Ji Rong was deep in thought, wondering how the original host had joined this family.

But suddenly, the scene shifted. The eaves of Taiping Hall were adorned with white lanterns. Not only were the lanterns white, but even the servants were dressed in ghostly white robes.

Madam Ji leaned against the City Lord of Ji, her body limp as she had fainted from crying.

At this moment, the usually dignified City Lord of Ji was trembling.

He gently stroked the golden-coated coffin, in which lay his precious daughter, still too young to reach adulthood.

The City Lord’s daughter had passed away from illness.

The girl had loved to sit on the swing in the courtyard, enjoying the wind and sunshine as she kicked her legs back and forth.

He didn’t have the courage to open the coffin again and look at her pale face.

He only murmured, "Is this divine punishment, or is it retribution?"

Madam Ji was overwhelmed with grief, so the City Lord didn’t hold a grand funeral. Instead, he chose an auspicious day to bury his daughter in the courtyard.

At this point, several of Madam Ji’s sisters had passed away. Watching her family members leave one by one, she became increasingly melancholic.

Sometimes, she would say to Ji An, "Husband, I think it's time for me to go. I’ve lived many more years than I expected. I should be content. The pills you've been using to extend my life are not a permanent solution."

"I've been defying fate all this time, but now that Rong'er is gone, I’m tired. Fate is like this, and I no longer want to resist."

It was at the moment when Madam Ji had no hope left that one day, a girl appeared in front of Taiping Hall.

The girl was dressed in light silk clothes, holding a sword in her arms. She was looking up, gazing at Ji Chengzhu who stood at the entrance of the hall.

At that moment, Ji Chengzhu had just buried his daughter.

He looked at the girl standing at the foot of the steps, meeting her clear and indifferent eyes.

After a long while, he asked, "Where did you come from?"

The girl replied, "I came from the snow."

"Do you know where this is?"

The girl remembered the plaque she had seen outside the city and answered, "Xuanji City, Taiping Hall."

Upon hearing this, Ji An stepped down from the steps and smiled, asking, "Then do you remember your name?"

The girl shook her head, pointed to the sword in her arms, and said淡ly, "I don’t know my name, but I remember it’s called Qinghe."

Ji Rong was stunned upon hearing this.

So, the original owner was sent to them as a daughter?

It turned out to be true.

The day Ji An lost his daughter, the girl arrived in Xuanji City holding a sword, as if it was fate arranged by the heavens.

The girl was like a blank sheet of paper. She didn’t know her name, so Ji An gave her the name of his daughter.

She didn’t know her status, so Ji An gave her the title of Young Mistress.

He taught her to sword fight, to write and paint, and treated her as his own daughter.

The girl’s talent was extraordinary, and she learned quickly.

However, the girl seemed indifferent to everything.

She was particularly fond of cleanliness, liked wearing white clothes, and enjoyed the sugar paintings sold in Xuanji City, and it had to be in the shape of a phoenix.

Other than that, the girl was cold and distant, like someone from another world.

One day, the girl was learning the zither with Guan Yue.

She accidentally cut her finger on the zither strings, causing it to bleed.

The blood dripped down the strings and fell onto a withered evening primrose.

Then, something strange happened.

In an instant, the flower revived, its petals unfurling, turning into a pure and crystal white blossom.

Madam Ji, who had been leaning against the corridor, gazing at the girl playing the zither in sadness, thought: If only her own daughter were still alive, she would be this age now.

Just as she was lost in thought, the next scene almost made her cry out in surprise.

She saw Guan Yue's vacant eyes, as though she had lost her sanity.

Suddenly, she lunged at the girl, sinking her teeth into the girl’s delicate and fragile neck.

Ji Rong’s heart raced at the sight, but the original owner’s expression was as indifferent as ever, void of emotion.

She calmly asked Guan Yue, “Aunt Guan, what are you doing?”

Her composed demeanor was truly admirable.

Fortunately, Ji Chengzhu arrived in time and separated the two.

From then on, Ji Chengzhu realized that the girl’s blood was unusual, and the fragrance on her body was captivating. So, he planted many flowers in her room to cover the scent.

But the girl was too lazy to tend to real flowers, so she replaced them with paper flowers and had Guan Yue spray perfume on them to complete Ji Chengzhu’s task.

At this point, Ji Rong felt that there were no more valuable clues.

She was about to ask the system to help her leave Madam Ji's memories when the scene shifted, bringing her to the girl’s coming-of-age day.

It was drizzling in Xuanji City.

The sky was hazy, like it had been covered by a layer of dim, translucent silk.

Ji Rong watched as the girl, dressed in the light silk gown embroidered with plum blossoms, walked slowly across a carpet covered with phoenix flowers.

The servants whispered that the phoenix flower was the Young Mistress's only favorite flower.

Then, something magical happened.

Ji Rong watched as Mei He stepped forward and smiled at the girl. "How about naming her ‘Changqin’?"

The girl looked at Mei He, slightly furrowed her brows, her expression seemingly full of confusion.

Ji Rong couldn’t tell what the original owner was thinking, but it seemed like she was about to nod in agreement.

Just then, a maid carrying a golden tray accidentally bumped into the original owner.

The intricate silver jewelry cut the girl’s wrist, and fresh blood oozed out.

Ji Rong, having witnessed the effects of the girl's blood, already knew what was about to happen.

Sure enough, the housekeeper who had been scolding the maid suddenly lunged at the girl, eyes fixed on the blood on her wrist.

The next moment, his throat was sliced by a flying sword.

Ji Rong turned to look at the person who had thrown the sword, and to her surprise, it was a familiar face.

Dressed in blood-red robes, pale and frail, it was Gong Yu.

She silently thought to herself: perhaps it was because the original owner resembled Yue Qianqiu, which is why Gong Yu stepped in to help.

Sure enough, Gong Yu later gave the girl a blood jade bracelet as a greeting gift.

Mei He also gave Ji An a pill, telling him to use it to cover the girl’s blood fragrance.

Before leaving, Mei He said to the girl, “I will see you again at the peak of Bixue Mountain next year.”

Ji Rong thought: Mei He probably said this thinking the original owner had returned.

Meanwhile, Gong Yu looked at Mei He with an inscrutable expression.

Suddenly, Ji Rong realized that Gong Yu’s hostility toward Gu Baiyi seemed to stem from the belief that Mei He wanted to use the Heavenly Demon’s blood to activate an ancient formation and resurrect Yue Qianqiu.

Thus, Mei He’s actions likely had ulterior motives in Gong Yu’s eyes.

But Mei He had told her that she would return, so there was no way Mei He would seek the sword to activate the formation and revive her.

Though Ji Rong herself was Yue Qianqiu, from an observer's perspective, some things were still unclear.

Why did Gong Yu want to stop Mei He from resurrecting Yue Qianqiu? Was it just because he didn’t want Mei He to atone for her sins?

Ji Rong couldn’t understand.

However, she decided to finish her task in Xuanji City before returning to Wanjian Sect to explain everything to her disciples.

As for how she could prove her identity as the "Sword Saint" that was a tricky issue.

But there was still time. She would figure it out.

Ji Rong thought Gong Yu's behavior was strange enough, but she never imagined that the most confusing part would come next. After the girl took the pill, Guan Yue began tending to her wound. The girl stared at the blood jade bracelet on her wrist, then suddenly turned to Madam Ji and said, "Mother, I want to go to the Wanjian Sect to cultivate."

Madam Ji was stunned. It was the first time the girl had called her "mother." However, she quickly composed herself and replied, "Changqin wants to go to the Wanjian Sect? Your father and I were just discussing whether we should send you to the Tianyin Division for cultivation."

The girl furrowed her brows slightly. "But I only want to go to the Wanjian Sect."

"Why?" Madam Ji asked.

"Because I've always not known who I am, why I am here, or where I should go. But when I saw Master Mei and Elder Gong, I felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if I had seen them somewhere before."

The girl relaxed her expression and smiled. "Mother, maybe if I go to the Wanjian Sect, I'll finally learn who I am."