Destiny in Cinders

You Ruhui looked at Madam Huai, seeming really unwilling to leave her. Since the assault on King Jing and her escape from the divine capital using the power of the dragonjade all the way to Keensight, You Ruhui had experienced most of what the world had to offer. There were those who wanted to rob her, sell her, and even people so starved that they tried to eat her. Some minor tyrants in their village even wanted to capture her after noticing her high status, probably to get the bounty.

The world was filled with vile and heinous people, all bearing malice. She had never truly felt safe no matter where she went. As she traveled, she grew more and more fearful toward others whose minds were opaque to her. Eventually, she used the Hidden Earth ability to its maximum extent, even overdrawing power from her very soul, and cut off all interaction with other people. All alone, she would escape according to the precise instructions her parents had left her.

She had managed to elude Overseer Cao once more and fainted at the terrestrial-vein node in Keensight where she had wanted to hide. The overuse of her ability caused her to be unable to sustain it. She had basically given up and no longer cared if she would be taken back, sold off, or simply died on the spot. Having lost her parents and her handmaiden friends, she could no longer find a reason to live. Perhaps being taken back wasn’t that bad. At least, she would be able to reunite with her parents.

Yet, when she woke up the next day, she saw Madam Huai’s loving expression and felt her compassionate hand caressing her head. ”All is well now, child. You look tired. Have a warm drink.”

Since then, You Ruhui made Huai Teahouse her home. She was certain that Madam Huai was no normal old lady. As she had overused her stealth ability and sapped her body and soul to their limits, she should’ve ended up in a half-dead state or at least suffered a huge illness after she crashed, and that was taking her imperial blood and innate wonders into account. Normal people who endured that kind of backlash would’ve turned to ash immediately. Yet, she was able to recover as normal under Madam Huai’s care without any lingering side effects or injuries.

Initially, You Ruhui thought that this was due to the treasure she had brought with her. Only later on did she realize that this was Madam Huai’s lifearc at work. Qi Soul Lending allowed Madam Huai to let others lend her qi and also lend her own qi to others. She had no doubt used that power to help You Ruhui recover!

The mere thought of that made You Ruhui feel really guilty. The power Madam Huai had used on her would have kept Madam Huai alive for two to three more decades, yet she didn’t even ask her to pay it back in any shape or form. She even continued to help An Jing selflessly when he ran into trouble with the constables.

That was why You Ruhui wanted to risk using her treasure to sever the binding ties that kept Madam Huai tethered to the terrestrial veins, allowing her to regain her freedom without suffering backlash. She also didn’t hesitate to help the hero, Jing Xuan, who had saved the kidnapped children and charged into the lair of the True Fiend Cult alone, killing fiend fanatics and even a heavenly fiend’s embryo! Even if this would cause her presence to be revealed and result in her being taken back to the divine capital, she didn’t mind it. All she asked for was that the people she helped wouldn’t be affected by her capture.

”Don’t,” An Jing said, stopping her from leaving right away. ”I... still have a way.”

”Wait a moment,” Madam Huai said, shaking her head.

The reason An Jing wanted to help You Ruhui was simple: He merely didn’t want to let Grand Chen get their way. This was an empire that was willing to sacrifice the million citizens of Keensight just to capture the princess. When he got confirmation of this fact, he couldn’t bear to let them succeed no matter what, especially not after how You Ruhui had helped him survive the destructive forces from the terrestrial-vein node, saving him from having to reveal his trump card to the heavenly fiend.

Granted, she was still a figure shrouded in mystery and her fate was probably tied to that of billions more. That was how significant the implications were to be one of the imperial bloodline. An Jing, in trying to help her, could potentially doom tens of millions more lives.

What if You Ruhui’s parents were at fault? What if they were the true evil? An Jing didn’t know for sure, but he dared to make a bet on her. There were times in life when one had to make a decision without knowing better. If the decision was a mistake, so be it. That was better than abstaining from the decision completely. After all, the heavens had left the decision in his hands, so he wouldn’t squander it and was willing to bear the consequences.

According to Yvelbane, others who went to Skysource could only stay there for three days like him. Yet, that was more than enough time for Overseer Cao to move his attention to other regions. They would be able to completely evade the search ability that worked through the city’s terrestrial veins. As long as their search returned nothing, Keensight would no longer be marked for search and surveillance and would become a safe location for them once more.

The only disadvantage of this move was that An Jing would have to reveal the Grandvoid Pathway. Then again, the treasure that You Ruhui had was probably comparable to a shard of Yvelbane in terms of importance, which made the sword soul quite curious about her. Denying Grand Chen that would not be for nothing.

Madam Huai, on the other hand, offered an alternative solution. She looked at the two of them and opened up honestly. ”I have cultivated a secret art of the divine cult called Hundred-Lives Transference. This art allows me to transfer tribulations from myself to others through forming karmic bonds. By helping other people, I’m able to purify my lifearc more and more and raise it from a root arc to a miracle arc.

”This cultivation method was given to me by the Lord Inspector of the North. She believes that with my talent, I would be able to complete that process and become a second incarnation of her.

”While I’m sure this was nothing more than a capricious act of charity on her part, or maybe she sees me as one of the targets to transfer tribulations to, it doesn’t change the fact that she has given me a precious cultivation method. If I had achieved mastery, I would’ve risen to magnificent heights. I am incredibly thankful for what she did for me. That is why I believe the Lord Inspector of the North isn’t doing this just to make me into a lifevessel.”

Madam Huai gradually sat straight against the bedframe. A wheel of light behind her head glowed gently like the moon, manifesting a totem that depicted the manifestation of countless souls.

”However, I don’t like this cultivation method. I want to help others, but I’m not doing it to transfer my tribulation away. That’s why, I’ve inverted this method, turning the Hundred-Lives Transference into Hundred-Tribulations Reception. I will be the one to bear the tribulation of others. I will become other people’s benefactors, just like what I’m doing now.”

The old woman smiled at You Ruhui from the depths of her heart. ”Come, child. Pass all your tribulations to me. I will use my fate to camouflage yours. By doing so, no secret art shall ever find you by virtue of your bloodline or karmic links.”