Destiny in Cinders

Chapter 197: King Jing’s Daughter

Though she was pushed away, Madam Huai wasn’t upset. She just shook her head. ”My child, I know you want to save me, but helping people like you is my purpose.”

Healing You Ruhui had visibly aged Madam Huai. Looking toward the window at the thickening snowfall, the old woman calmly said, ”You want vengeance, don’t you? No matter who it is against, you shouldn’t die here. Ruhui, I can see you have so much to do. You don’t have the time for injuries.”

Biting her lower lip, her eyes mirroring a tangle of emotions, You Ruhui hesitated deeply before clenching her fist. ”Madam Huai! You... you’ve been brainwashed by the Heavenly Divine Cult! Qi Soul Lending allows you to accumulate innate qi through helping others and being helped, extending your lifespan and turning bad luck into good. It’s not meant to be used the way you’re using it—treating yourself like a vessel, constantly giving and receiving! All cultivation is meant to elevate oneself, and your lifearc is no different! But the way you’re doing it, you’re treating yourself as a mere tool! This is exactly what the Heavenly Divine Cult wants, isn’t it? Those monsters... they definitely have a dark agenda!” 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ

At this moment, the girl suddenly realized something and blurted out urgently, ”Madam, the Heavenly Divine Cult wants to mold you into a vessel... a living, functional lifevessel! They kept you here to nourish your life and help others, all so you can drain your accumulated innate qi to save someone important later!”

Right from the beginning, she had seen that Madam Huai possessed a rare and auspicious root arc known as Qi Soul Lending. Though incredibly ominous at first, this would change if the bearer helped a noble person escape a deathly tribulation. Then their misfortune would transform into good fortune and perhaps even unlock many wonders for them.

The power of this lifearc grew through the act of helping others or receiving help in return. This accumulated energy was nearly identical to mystical qi, which could be utilized for cultivation, extending lifespan, or continuing to assist others and benefit the local community. Madam Huai’s current state was highly unusual. After encountering a deathly tribulation, she had been rescued from the brink of death by a master, which fulfilled her predestined fate and awakened her lifearc.

Owing to her noble background, a great deal of her knowledge was hidden from the common folk. For instance, she knew that every lifearc bearer would face tribulations. One could only awaken their lifearc by overcoming a tribulation, and it was only through surviving a major deathly tribulation that a lifearc could be elevated.

And this tribulation could take many forms, such as a brutal battle, a deep questioning of one’s soul, a test of resolve, or even discovering a lifelong calling. Everyone had a destiny, but very few could actually survive their tribulations. It perfectly reflected the secular world: It was common knowledge that success required hard work, self-reflection, and drive, but only a handful ever achieved greatness. However, the Heavenly Divine Cult excelled at orchestrating calamities to awaken lifearcs. Madam Huai must have been one of their victims, which would explain her current condition.

”You’re wrong, Ruhui.” Madam Huai showed neither anger nor annoyance. Even as You Ruhui exposed her hidden ties to the Heavenly Divine Cult, she merely shook her head. ”The cult is undeniably ruthless... but if those brutal methods were inflicted upon me, I would submit to them gladly.”

She looked up with a distant expression, as if she were staring directly into her own past. ”Back then... I was actually a bit younger than you are now. It was a winter just like this one. I stumbled upon an unmelting flower on a cliffside outside the city. It’s a breathtakingly beautiful spirit item found only in the northern frontier, resembling ice crystals falling from heaven. I begged my father to pluck it for me, and because he doted on me deeply, he immediately dispatched half of our caravan’s guards to retrieve it.”

”Don’t fall for their lies!” You Ruhui said with utmost sincerity.

”But every spirit item has its guardian. Protecting that ice-crystal bloom was a frost-eyed, white-crested tiger. More than half the caravan was slaughtered; my father died in battle, and the creature’s roar completely shattered my heart meridians. I was on the verge of death and should have shared the fate of the other survivors, freezing up in the biting wind. But by a stroke of luck, the Lord Inspector from the cult saved my life, allowing me to prolong my meager existence here at this terrestrial-vein node until today.”

Turning her gaze back to You Ruhui, the old woman whispered, ”My own selfish desire killed everyone. My life should have ended back then, yet here I am, still drawing breath. The Lord Inspector of the North and my older brother treated me with nothing but kindness. It was only as I grew older that I slowly discovered the cult’s cruelty. But they never forced me to participate; they only ever wanted me to live well.

”And as for me... I have no other choice. I can only offer help to others, doing my utmost for as many people as I can reach. I’m fortunate to be alive, so I dedicate myself to helping others, especially the young. I’m powerless to change the cult, and I can’t earn any merit for them. I can only accumulate merit on behalf of the few people I know. My only hope is that they find a good ending... or, at the very least, die with their bodies intact. I don’t want children like you to go astray, but more than anything, I refuse to see you fall halfway through your journey. I pray you can be different from me, and achieve the things I never could.”

Just as You Ruhui and Madam Huai were sharing a frank conversation, a low-ranking soldier of the Blackguard searching from the shadows noticed a slight movement on his compass. What began as a routine sweep instantly changed. The slight twitch of the needle made his eyes widen as a violent shiver of excitement took hold of him.

I... I actually found her?! I’ve located the target! His instinct was to alert his colleagues, but he hesitated. Recent events within the Blackguard proved that a subordinate’s achievement automatically belonged to their superiors, while their superiors kept all the glory for themselves. In the past, such trivial matters never affected the grand scheme of things. Then again, neither would playing it safe now. So the soldier paused for a moment before deciding to go investigate it alone.

Leaping forward, the soldier slipped through the shadows, tracking the direction of his moving compass. The formation on his helmet flared to life, allowing him to see right through the snow, wind, and solid walls to lock onto two figures hiding in a nearby shed.

It’s true! At this very moment, the soldier was so gripped by joy that he practically wanted to throw back his head and burst into song. Allowing the True Fiend Cult to operate unimpeded was indeed the right move! King Jing’s daughter is every bit the benevolent soul they say she is. Exposing herself just to control the terrestrial veins and save others? Hahaha! Her kindness is going to make me rich!

Whether or not You Ruhui chose to act because of the True Fiend Cult didn’t matter to the Blackguard in the slightest. If it came to that, they would simply abandon Keensight and allow the heavenly fiends to reap a million lives. It would undoubtedly expose her, and the value of the princess’ secret could easily justify a million deaths as a measure to draw her out. Besides, he wasn’t from the northern frontier. Why should he care about the fate of some country folk?

The soldier realized that You Ruhui was in a vulnerable position. The old woman had a lifearc but no cultivation, so he could handle her alone. Unfortunately, he had missed his only chance because at that very moment, amid the endless frost, a figure silently stepped through the howling wind and snow, appearing right behind him.

A blood-lethal qi sword tore straight through black armor, impaling the soldier’s abdomen. The man was instantly ripped from his dreams of wealth and glory and pinned against the wall. Sprinting here at top speed, An Jing clamped his hand around the Blackguard soldier’s throat just as he attempted to send a message. He narrowed his eyes, suppressing the faint crimson flicker within them.

”How strange... one of Grand Chen’s soldiers on a walk?” An Jing said calmly, ”What are you trying to do out here instead of fighting the heavenly fiends, thwarting the True Fiend Cult, and protecting the people?”