Antler Serpent Goes Into Seclusion for Cultivation

That pattern had always been there, barely noticeable, so no one paid it any attention.

Who would have thought it could be so powerful?

Could it be some kind of magical array?

She was all alone—there was no way she could fight against a magical array.

Grace gave up on the idea of climbing over the wall and headed to the front gate instead.

Thick iron chains were still tightly wrapped around the gate.

She tried every trick she knew, but the lock just wouldn’t budge.

So she had to give up on unlocking it too.

She looked up and down, and when she spotted a gap at the bottom of the gate, she got down on the ground and peeked through it.

All she could see was the ground—and a little bit of water.

She thought about calling out, but then worried she’d alert the Divine Dragon...

In the end, all she could do was walk away, feeling a bit deflated.

After Grace climbed over the wall and the sound of hooves faded, Evan Xiao stepped out from the shade of a nearby tree, rubbing his brow in frustration.

...

When Grace got home, she reported to her father, who then handed her the Spirit Treasure inlaid with Azure Tusk.

At the same time, he brought up the Antler Serpent, saying she should lend it to Queenie Zhu for a while.

Grace thought about it. Her father never liked her second uncle’s family, so he probably wouldn’t force her to hand over the Antler Serpent.

So she told him, "Dad, my Antler Serpent really is something special. Not only does it have razor-sharp teeth, but..."

She leaned in and whispered something in Minister Zhuo’s ear.

Minister Zhuo's eyes narrowed, "Really? It can detect Mythril Ore?"

Grace nodded, "It's basically a treasure-hunting serpent! I can't just lend it to Queenie Zhu—knowing her, she'd never give it back!"

Minister Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "General Evan Xiao's cultivation is nearly at the level of Spirit Practitioner, Grandmaster—the undisputed number one in our Blue Moon Kingdom. Forming an alliance with him is crucial for our family. You could lend the Antler Serpent to Queenie Zhu for now, and I can have them guarantee it will be returned to you unharmed."

Grace shook her head, "No can do. The Antler Serpent is in closed-door cultivation again—no one knows where it is!"

"Closed-door cultivation?" Minister Zhuo raised an eyebrow.

"Yup. It does this all the time—just disappears for days and then pops back up out of nowhere. I asked if it was cultivating, and it nodded!"

"I see... In that case, forget it," Minister Zhuo said.

Honestly, he didn’t really want to give such a precious thing to Queenie Zhu, either.

After decades, he knew exactly what kind of people his second brother’s family were.

If anything good landed in their hands, they’d rather destroy it than give it back.

...

Sure enough, Minister Zhuo went and reported to Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu, saying the Antler Serpent was in closed-door cultivation and nobody knew its whereabouts.

But the next day, when Grace went to greet Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu, she brought up the matter again.

Her face was stormy, and before Grace could finish her greeting, she asked, "Grace, your father says your Antler Serpent is in closed-door cultivation?"

"That's right!" Grace replied.

"Where is it cultivating?" Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu asked coolly.

"No idea," Grace said. "It's a serpent—it can dig a hole and cultivate anywhere, so I can't find it!"

With a loud smack, Dowager Lady Evelyn Zhu slammed her hand on the table and barked, "Kneel!"

"Grandmother, every word I said is true," Grace insisted.

"Kneel!"

Grace Wan saw this and tried to calm her, "Mother, it's so early—please don't get so worked up!"

She turned to Grace and said, "Grace, just lend your spirit pet to Queenie Zhu for a while! I promise, after she's done, I'll make sure you get it back! Don't let a single Antler Serpent get your grandmother so riled up!"