Consort Bella Simon's eyes burned with hatred as she spoke each word with chilling clarity: "I, Bella Simon, offer my life in exchange for a curse—may the Simon Family lose their spiritual power for generations, reduced to mere mortals!"
Grand Astrologer Simon's eyes flashed with panic. Bella Simon had always been exceptionally gifted, and a curse cast at the cost of her life was impossible to resist. If the Simon Family became ordinary people, no one would ever be able to break the curse!
Just as Grand Astrologer Simon was lost in shock, a shadow flickered. When he regained his senses, Bella Simon was gone.
Grand Astrologer Simon's face was filled with despair, as if he had aged years in an instant. He never imagined things would turn out this way, nor that his obedient, sensible daughter would be so resolute. He could feel the power within him slowly slipping away, yet he was powerless to stop it.
"Hey! Who are you? Why are you hiding here?" A little girl, about five years old, looked at the slightly older boy before her and asked.
The little girl was as delicate as a porcelain doll. Her big, watery eyes stared curiously at the boy covered in blood, and her rosy lips pouted slightly as if in thought, making her look irresistibly cute.
But the boy only looked at her with guarded eyes, because he had escaped—he simply couldn't endure the painful training any longer.
The little girl didn’t mind his wariness at all. Suddenly, she said, "Wait here for me!" Then she turned and ran off.
The boy wanted to run away, afraid the girl might bring someone to catch him. But he was too weak from blood loss to move at all.
Soon, the little girl returned, sneaking back with a pile of things. "Here... I'll help you with your wounds. It will hurt, so you can't make a sound!"
The little boy nodded, gritting his teeth and enduring the pain in silence.
The little girl finished bandaging all his wounds, then asked, "What's your name?"
Jin Luo.
The little girl giggled, "I'm the master of this place! But don't worry, I won't tell Mother." She pouted and muttered in a low voice, "I don't know why Mother brings so many people back—no one wants to cultivate, but she insists on forcing them."
Jin Luo said nothing as he looked at her. How could someone so pure and transparent, like a glass doll, ever understand?
The little girl continued, "I may not understand all this, but I know you can't escape. Once you're healed, you should go back. There's food and water here; I'll check on you again tomorrow!"
After a few steps, the little girl suddenly remembered something and returned. "I'll set up a simple illusion barrier for you. As long as you don't run into an expert, you won't be discovered."
"Sister, where did you go?"
The little girl was stopped in the garden by someone who looked exactly like her—a younger girl.
"Susie? I didn't go anywhere! I was just playing in the garden for a while."
"Liar! There's blood on you!"
Fiona Yun glanced at the bloodstain on her white princess dress, frowning. She must have gotten it while tending to Jin Luo's wounds.
Susie Yun tugged at her, shaking her arm. "Sister, tell me! If you don't, I'll go tell Mother!"
Fiona Yun said helplessly, "Alright! I'll tell you, but you mustn't tell Mother, okay?"
Susie Yun quickly nodded in promise. Fiona Yun reluctantly said, "I just saw an injured boy and helped him out."
Susie Yun frowned, "An injured boy? Sister, how could you help someone so casually? What if he's a bad person? What's his name? Take me to him!"
"He said his name is Jin Luo. Don't worry, he's not a bad person! No bad people can get in here anyway—he must've escaped from the training compound."
"Then we have to tell Mother and let her punish him!"
"Susie!" Fiona Yun frowned, wanting to say more, but was interrupted.
"Young ladies, the family head requests you in the study!"
"Come on, Sister! Hurry up or Mother will be angry." Susie Yun pulled Fiona Yun along as they ran.
In the study, a handsome man frowned deeply, looking at the beautiful but stern woman behind the desk. "Lillian, do you really want to do this? If you fail, both Fiona and Susie could die. Even if you succeed, Susie will become an ordinary person. That's not fair to her!" This man was Ethan Yun, father of Fiona and Susie, and master of the Yun Sect.
Lillian Shang replied firmly, "For the sake of the Shangguan Family, I have to do this!"
Ethan Yun clearly disagreed. "Fiona and Susie are both exceptionally talented. There's no need for such measures."
But Lillian Shang refused to listen to his advice. "Fiona and Susie may be gifted, but it's not enough! If I can transfer Susie's abilities to Fiona, Fiona will surely lead the Shangguan Family to new heights."
She had thought about it for a long time before choosing Fiona Yun. Though both daughters were still young, small things made it clear that Fiona was more suited to lead the Shangguan Family.
"But you said there's only a sixty percent chance of success!"
"Even so, I have to try!"
Knock, knock... The sound of knocking interrupted their argument.
"Come in!"
Susie Yun led Fiona Yun into the study, asking obediently, "Mother, did you need something from me and Sister?" She was actually a bit afraid of her mother, but did her best to play the role of a good daughter.
Lillian Shang activated a hidden mechanism behind the bookshelf and said, "Follow me inside!"
Ethan Yun couldn't help but call out, "Lillian..."
Lillian Shang frowned, "I've made up my mind. There's no point in trying to persuade me!"
Ethan Yun sighed. He knew that once Lillian Shang was set on something, no one could change her mind. Glancing at Susie Yun, his eyes filled with a trace of sorrow.
Fiona Yun had remained silent, but seeing Ethan Yun's expression, she couldn't help but frown, unable to guess what was about to happen.