The room was steeped in silence, broken only by the soft rustle of tea leaves unfurling in hot water. They floated, spiraling slowly in the glass like fragments of a memory trying to rise to the surface.
Across from her stood two men in tailored suits, faces calm but postures steeped in authority. The elder spoke first, his tone polite but impersonal.
"Second Young Miss, please prepare yourself. We've been sent to escort you to meet your father. The only reason you weren't brought home earlier was due to your mother's resistance. Only recently did your father learn of your living situation. Upon discovering you'd been left to fend for yourself, he sent us immediately."
Jian Dan didn't flinch. Her expression was a careful mask of neutrality, her gaze cool and measured as it settled on the Zhao family's steward and his assistant. Yet within that gaze, she saw it—the glint of condescension. Faint. Almost imperceptible. But it was there, coiled beneath layers of civility like a blade tucked in silk.
She gave a slight, polished smile, one that revealed nothing and conceded even less. "Understood. I have questions for my father—especially regarding my mother. Book the tickets. Let me know when it's time."
Then she rose to her feet and gestured toward the door, her meaning unmistakable.
The two men stiffened. After such a long silence, they had expected confusion, desperation, maybe even tears. But this... this calm authority? This quiet dismissal? It threw them off balance. As if they were not messengers of one of the most powerful families in the capital, but mere deliverymen.
The assistant's face darkened with visible offense, but Steward Zhao remained composed, his expression unreadable. He inclined his head respectfully. "Of course, Second Young Miss. I'll inform you once the flight is arranged. We'll escort you to the airport in advance. For now, we won't disturb your preparations."
Without another word, they turned and left.
The moment they exited the apartment complex, the assistant exploded: "Uncle, did you see her attitude? Acting like some proper Zhao heiress! She's just an illegitimate child kept outside—if not for the Young Master's—"
"Silence!" Steward Zhao snapped. "The Zhao family's affairs are not yours to discuss. Know your place. If you weren't my nephew, I wouldn't have brought you at all. How many times must I say it? Watch, listen, and obey. Her status may be low, but she's still Zhao blood—something we'll never be. The family may scorn her; we cannot. Am I clear?"
"Y-Yes, Uncle. It won't happen again," the assistant mumbled, chastised.
From the window above, Jian Dan stood motionless, watching their retreating figures. Though she couldn't hear the words, the scorn in their eyes had said enough. She turned away, her steps silent as she returned to her room.
"So it's the same as last time."
To the Zhao family, she had never been a daughter. Just a pawn, a vessel to be used, then discarded. But this time, she wouldn't walk blindly into their trap.
"This time… I'll take back what's mine."
With a flicker of her consciousness, she entered her spatial realm. This would be her first true cultivation session since purging her marrow. She couldn't afford carelessness. Inside the bamboo hut, she settled onto the meditation mat.
Her breathing slowed, each inhale and exhale falling into rhythm. Gradually, multicolored spiritual energy gathered around her, weaving into a luminous cocoon. The energy seeped into her skin, threading through her meridians like liquid light before pooling in her dantian. When the reservoir filled, a tremor ran through her—boom—as the energy stabilized. The simple process of drawing energy into the body was completed.
After cleansing the grime from her body, she returned to the mat and immersed herself in the Primordial Chaos Technique's Qi Refining chapter:
"All creation sprang from chaos, birthing the five elements. Through endless cycles, life flourishes..."
Having grasped the essence, she began true cultivation.
The Qi Refining stage was foundational—not just unblocking primary meridians but expanding even the tiniest branches to store more energy. The more robust one's foundation, the longer they could sustain combat.
Jian Dan reveled in the process, guiding the five-colored energy through every pathway. With successive pops, breakthroughs rippled through her:
Qi Refining, Layer 1... 2... 3...
She surged straight to the sixth layer before halting. Further advancement required consolidation.
Next, she dredged up memories of the Jade Bone Demon Physique Art—a body-tempering technique serendipitously obtained in the Green Maple Secret Realm. Dual cultivation of body and spirit would forge an unshakable foundation.
By the time she emerged, night had fallen, the full moon hanging heavy. Jian Dan exhaled. "No repeating past mistakes."
Dawn found her cross-legged before the rising sun, drawing in the faint but potent violet solar energy. At precisely 8 AM, knocks echoed at her door.
Towing her suitcase, Jian Dan took a final glance at the apartment—her home for over a decade in her past life. Every keepsake was already safe in her spatial pouch; only furniture remained.
Steward Zhao and his assistant waited outside. "Second Young Miss, we're here for you. Our flight departs at ten—we should allow time for security."
She nodded, locked the door, and slid the key beneath the doormat without explanation. The steward wisely didn't pry. This time, the assistant held his tongue, merely hefting her suspiciously heavy luggage into the waiting Buick.
The journey was seamless—meals served before boarding, a smooth two-hour flight during which Jian Dan slept, indifferent to the impending reunion.
Steward Zhao observed her closely. "An eighteen-year-old girl, meeting a father she's never known, yet no nerves, no questions..." His estimation of her rose.
By noon, they landed in Jingdu. A black sedan glided to meet them, carrying them toward the city's gilded elite—where the Zhao family's mansion awaited.