Turning the Hand to Cloud, Flipping the Hand to Rain

"Bastard!"

The moment Jade Ruyi died, the entire Willow clan was thrown into chaos. One by one, black coffins slammed open and powerful figures shot up into the sky!

Some coffins opened but no one emerged; instead, terrifying ripples pulsed from within. Divine light churned and brewed inside—though these experts did not show themselves, their presence was deeply unsettling!

As one of the Western Lands’ ten great families, the Willow clan rarely flaunted their strength—but their true power was extraordinary!

God-Burial Valley was the Willow clan’s sacred ground. Quinn killed Jade Ruyi here, violating their deepest taboo. Worse, Jade Ruyi was a True Heaven Palace powerhouse—no wonder the Willow clan was furious.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

Figures descended around Quinn, and at once the wind turned cold and mournful, clouds of gloom swirling. These shadowy shapes stood among the clouds, indistinct—who could tell if they were human or ghost?

These figures were about to tear apart the arrogant rule-breaker who had disrupted Willow clan law—until they saw the Azure Dragon Pearl in Kira’s hand and froze, not daring to advance.

"Everyone, stop!"

Lily Willow snapped, exasperated: "No one touch him!"

She turned to look at Quinn, who stood there unfazed, calmly stuffing a huge jade eye into his Glutton Dragon Pouch.

Her daughter clapped in delight, urging Quinn to do it again.

Lily’s headache grew worse as she glanced at Jade Ruyi’s corpse nearby, making her head throb even more.

Her original intention had been for Quinn and Jade Ruyi to simply meet—just a meeting, nothing more. She didn’t care if they could negotiate, but if they insisted on fighting, it mustn’t happen on Willow clan soil.

She only needed to guard against Jade Ruyi; as long as Jade Ruyi didn’t kill Quinn here, all was well. As for Quinn—just a Six Directions realm youth, hardly worth worrying about.

But things didn’t go as planned.

Jade Ruyi had barely shown her face before that troublesome Quinn sliced her down—and then acted all innocent, which was infuriating!

Killing Jade Ruyi was one thing, but doing it in God-Burial Valley put the Willow clan on the wrong side of the law.

If True Heaven Palace came to demand justice, could the Willow clan withstand it?

"But if we hand Quinn over to True Heaven Palace, maybe we can atone for this mess."

She blinked. "But the Azure Dragon Pearl is in the Little Princess's hands—we can't afford to offend her..."

Just then, a fragrant breeze swept in as several women from True Heaven Palace floated down. Seeing Jade Ruyi's corpse on the ground, their faces twisted in fury. "Lily Willow, what is going on here?" one demanded sharply.

Lily's headache worsened. "This was done by Quinn, the Cult Master from the Central Plains. It has nothing to do with House Willow..."

One of the palace women snapped, "Nothing to do with House Willow? Lily Willow, that's easy for you to say, but the one who died was a True Heaven Palace elder. Don't think you can wash your hands of this!"

Another woman stepped forward, her voice icy. "Clan Head Willow, if you want your family to survive, you'd better seize that Quinn and hand him over to True Heaven Palace at once. The Palace Mistress might show mercy for old times' sake. Otherwise, your entire clan will be wiped out—erased from the records!"

Lily Willow ground her teeth. Suddenly, Quinn’s voice sounded, full of curiosity: "Sister Lily, didn’t you say the True Heaven Palace envoy was Jade Ruyi? I thought she came alone. So who are these sisters?"

Lily shot him a fierce glare and sneered, "I said the envoy was Jade Ruyi, but I never said she came alone. I told you there were several palace sisters, didn’t I?"

Quinn’s face lit up with realization and he laughed. "Ah, that was my mistake. I thought killing just one sister would be enough."

Lily Willow was furious, her voice cold. "Cult Master Quinn, you killed a True Heaven Palace elder and now you’re trying to drive a wedge between House Willow and the palace. What do you expect me to do about this?"

Quinn straightened, smiling. "Sister Lily, I just came from House Hale. Ivy is about to summon all the great families to discuss overthrowing the Palace Mistress, who only seized power through rebellion and now rules with cruelty. The Yu clan has grown overbearing; House Willow is just meat on their chopping block. Jade Ruyi and these palace sisters come and you all have to grovel. The Yu clan nearly wiped out the Bear clan, leaving only a widow and her child. Aren’t you worried you’ll be next?"

Lily felt a chill in her heart—every word Quinn said was true. With Jade Ruyi dead in House Willow, True Heaven Palace would never let them off lightly. Even if they survived, they’d be stripped of treasures and forced to pay tribute for who knows how long.

And House Willow’s greatest treasures were their very own bodies.

Still, Quinn was clearly up to something—trying to drag House Willow into open rebellion against True Heaven Palace.

But when he mentioned Ivy Hale summoning the great families, that did stir her interest.

The Yu clan was ruthless; last time, they’d nearly wiped out the Bear clan.

The Bears had long held the Palace Mistress seat, arousing jealousy, but they’d ruled fairly enough.

The Yu clan was different. They didn’t just seize power—they slaughtered millions, leaving only Raina Bear and her daughter to escape the Western Lands. Everyone else was wiped out.

That went far beyond mere ruthlessness.

"If we could use this chance to overthrow the Yu clan..."

Lily glanced at Quinn, torn. The other Willow experts were furious, but many were also considering his proposal.

Quinn smiled. "Sister Lily, the Bear clan is down to just a widow and her daughter. If Raina Bear retakes the Palace Mistress seat, how could the two of them rule the Western Lands alone? Of course they'd need the power of the great families. When the Yu clan controls True Heaven Palace, you get no say at all—but if the Bears return, that day will be when all the great families finally have a seat at the table."

At last, Lily Willow made up her mind. She turned—not to her elders, nor to the terrifying experts sealed in glowing coffins—but to the little girl by Quinn’s side. "Nannan, what do you think?"

The little girl smiled. "Since Mom has already decided, why ask me? Just make your decision."

Quinn glanced at the girl beside him, who looked about Kira’s age, his heart full of suspicion. He quickly pulled Kira away from her, putting some distance between them.

This little girl was anything but simple. Lily hadn’t asked the elders, nor the powerful figures glowing in their coffins, but this child—she must be the clan’s hidden strategist.

The girl gave him a sweet smile. "I was having trouble deciding whether to rebel against the Yu clan, but Cult Master Quinn helped me make up my mind."

On the other side, Lily Willow turned to the True Heaven Palace women and gave a cheerful, almost cruel laugh. "Sisters, don’t worry. After you die, I’ll awaken spirits in your corpses. Of course, I guarantee whoever wakes up won’t be you. Send these palace sisters on their way!"

The palace women cursed and fought back fiercely, but in God-Burial Valley, even their skills couldn’t save them. One elder tried to break the seal on the chained golden divine coffin, hoping to unleash the god-corpse against the Willow clan. She had just peeled off a talisman when divine light erupted from a nearby coffin, flooding into her eyes, ears, nose, and mouth. Her Primordial Spirit dissolved instantly, leaving only a corpse.

Quinn shuddered involuntarily.

The Willow clan’s true strength was terrifying. If Kira hadn’t been holding the Azure Dragon Pearl, they probably couldn’t have kept them in check at all.

But what chilled him even more was the harmless-looking little girl beside him. Lily had placed her at his side—not by accident, but with careful intent. If this child suddenly struck, Quinn and Kira might both die.

Lily’s rise to clan head was likely linked to this little girl.

"What’s your name, Nannan?" Quinn ignored the battle and smiled at her.

The girl looked up, smiling sweetly. "Cult Master Quinn, my name is Lynn Willow."

"Lynn Willow."

Quinn nodded. Her innocent smile matched his own goofy grin—both could put people at ease. She was quite a character.

"You can never underestimate little girls from the Western Lands."

After a moment, the palace women were killed by the Willow experts. Quinn, Lynn Willow, and Kira Bear watched as a Willow elder brought over a tree root and tapped it on the corpses. Instantly, the bodies stood up stiff as boards.

This was the Willow clan’s spirit-summoning art. Quinn had learned similar techniques in his All-Gods Natural Art, but seeing spirits summoned from corpses still left him shaken.

"Cult Master Quinn, the spirit revived from a corpse is not the original person's soul."

Lynn Willow glanced at Lily Willow nearby and whispered, "She isn’t really Lily Willow, and I’m not her daughter."

Quinn was stunned. "But you call her Mom, and she calls you Nannan."

"No one in House Willow is related by blood—not even our blood is warm."

Lynn Willow said sadly, "Calling her Mom makes my corpse feel a little warmer, almost alive. She feels the same way."

Quinn saw Lily Willow approaching, smiling.

These revived corpses might have cold blood, but at least they felt human. Some people with warm blood don’t have a trace of humanity.

"Cult Master Quinn, satisfied?" Lily Willow looked at him, half smiling.

Quinn burst out laughing and bowed deeply. "Forgive me, Sister Lily. You left Lynn Willow with me—wasn’t that a scheme of your own?"

Lily returned the bow, sighing. "I’m not as ruthless as you."

"I had no choice. Otherwise, how could we join forces?"

Quinn eyed the golden divine coffin in God-Burial Valley, curious. "Who’s sealed in that coffin? Why? I saw divine light from the other coffins too—are those gods as well?"

Lily shook her head. "Those elders have died and revived more than ten times; their bodies have been refined into divine vessels, but they’re different from the god in the golden coffin. That corpse is a true god."

Quinn jumped, staring at the coffin.

Lynn Willow suddenly coughed. Lily Willow caught on, her tone meaningful. "It’s late outside, Cult Master Quinn. Why not stay the night and continue your journey in the morning? Tonight, my coffin... will leave a crack open for you."

Quinn’s scalp tingled and he shuddered. He quickly replied, "I promised Poison Mistress Mina Frost I’d visit her—I've already delayed nearly a year. No time to waste! Kira and I should be on our way! Goodbye!" He grabbed Kira’s hand, called for Dragon Qilin, and fled God-Burial Valley as night fell.

Quinn whipped Dragon Qilin’s rump and hurried away.

Lily Willow and her daughter saw them off, watching until they disappeared, feeling wistful.

Lynn Willow muttered sadly, "Is it really so hard to find a dad with a little humanity..."

Lily Willow comforted her. "Don’t worry, Mom will find you a good father."

Translator’s Note: ‘Nannan’ (pronounced ‘Nan’) is a colloquial pet name meaning ‘little girl’ or ‘darling daughter,’ used affectionately in spoken dialogue.