Chapter 60

Unbeknownst to Cheng Ruyi, Cheng Qingyao was already secretly plotting against her.

In Cheng Qingyao’s eyes, she herself had simply returned to the past; she was still the same person, just endowed with a bit of foresight. Cheng Ruyi was different—it was highly likely her body had been snatched by some wandering malevolent spirit.

In fact, she hoped Cheng Ruyi was a possessed shell. That way, she could hire a Taoist priest to eliminate her, killing two birds with one stone: getting rid of a rival and avoiding a mountain of future trouble.

Meanwhile, the object of her obsession, Cheng Ruyi, had happily returned to the Changle Marquis Estate after her meeting with Prince Rong, bringing along two crates of rare books and paintings he had gifted her.

Rong Susu had already heard the rumors and couldn’t help but feel anxious. The news that Rong Mo was the long-lost Eldest Di Son of Prince Rong had spread. Even if his twenty years of hardship elicited sympathy, it didn’t change the fact that his biological mother was the Princess of Rong. The fake Princess was notorious, but she had held the title of the real one.

To cover up the scandal, the Imperial family hadn’t gone public with the truth. If the fake Princess was “dead,” and Rong Mo was seen as her son, he could easily become a scapegoat for the public’s rage when the Great Disaster struck.

However, no matter how worried Rong Susu was, she knew it was out of her hands. Because it involved Imperial dignity and the Emperor’s gratitude toward Old Master Lin for his “righteous sacrifice,” the truth about the true and false Princesses might remain buried forever.

“Madam, auspicious people have Heaven’s protection. With the young miss around, Young Master Rong Mo will pull through this,” Mo Lan whispered, her confidence in the Young Miss’s luck absolute. Hadn’t the master said the Young Miss possessed the golden light of merit?

Rong Susu sighed, though the gloom on her brow lightened significantly. “One can only hope.” Her daughter was blessed with great fortune; perhaps Rong Mo really was meant to use her hand to cross this hurdle.

The butler entered. “Madam, the Young Miss and Young Master Rong Mo have returned.”

Rong Susu hurried out, with Mo Lan following close behind. In Cheng Ruyi’s courtyard, Rong Susu was stunned to see the two crates of rare treasures. Was her daughter planning to become a scholar of the arts?

As for the zither, Rong Susu knew her daughter’s “skill” was just a clever cheat using her powerful special ability to mimic Master Gongsun Yi’s performances. She didn’t actually understand the music at all.

“Daughter, where did these rare books and paintings come from?” As a daughter of a noble house herself, Rong Susu recognized these items as priceless treasures.

“Prince Rong lent them to me. Once I’m done ‘studying’ them, I’ll send them back,” Cheng Ruyi replied, carefully flipping through a scroll. She turned and gave her mother a playful, proud wink.

Rong Susu breathed a sigh of relief. If they were from Prince Rong, she was at ease. She glanced at Rong Mo, who was watching her daughter with a faint, indulgent smile, and asked curiously: “What exactly are you ‘studying’ them for?”

Cheng Ruyi gave a mischievous grin. “Mom, I’m going to try and see if I can replicate these rare books and paintings…”

She had just simulated it in her mind. Aside from the paintings being a bit tedious, the rest seemed fine. This realization made her quite excited. She really didn’t understand why these ancients loved painting flowers, birds, fish, and elaborate scenes so much—hunting scenes, commoner life, noble ladies on outings… there were so many people, and their clothes and expressions were so detailed. It looked like it would take ages to trace. She decided to focus her efforts on the famous calligraphy rubbings instead.

Rong Mo’s eyelid twitched. Recalling how his fiancée had once learned the zither specifically to test a legend and make poultry lay eggs, he felt a bad premonition rising. “Ruyi… you aren’t thinking of passing off the replicas as the originals, are you?”

Cheng Ruyi nodded as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Exactly, A-Mo! They say good things come in pairs. ‘Unique copy’ sounds so lonely. I’m going to give these rare books a bunch of identical siblings. Just think—on our wedding day, when we display the dowry, I’ll bring out a whole line of ‘unique’ siblings. It’ll be festive and it’ll blind everyone’s eyes!”

Rong Mo broke into a cold sweat. With a train of thought this powerful, why hasn’t she ascended to heaven yet? If she really displayed a bunch of fakes as her dowry, it certainly would “blind” people—but mostly, they’d be the laughingstock of the capital.

“Ahem… Ruyi, after careful consideration… I don’t think our wedding needs rare books and paintings. Didn’t you say you wanted mountains of gold, silver, and jewels?” Regardless of how tacky it was, Rong Mo felt it was better than a mountain of forged scrolls.

Rong Susu’s expression was equally delicate. Giving unique copies “identical siblings”… only her daughter could come up with that. “Daughter, paintings aren’t like zither music. No matter how well you mimic them, they aren’t real. People will see through it at a glance. So, don’t waste your energy.”

“Is that so?” Cheng Ruyi was disappointed that neither her mother nor A-Mo supported her, but then she remembered the grand boast she had made to Cheng Qingyao and cheered up again. “Fine, I’ll skip the books. I’ll listen to A-Mo and just pile up three mountains of gold, silver, and jewels.”

Her eyes sparkled with energy. She had plenty of money now; she had just exchanged this month’s gold and silver at the bank, and her private treasury was overflowing.

As evening approached, the handsome Marquis of Changle returned, bathed in the glow of the sunset. His face was full of joy, and Cheng Yu followed beside him, humming a happy tune. Two servants and several guards followed.

Suddenly, a graceful figure appeared before them. “Second Uncle!”

The Marquis looked up and saw a young girl in a pink, wide-sleeved dress standing not far away, accompanied by a maid in green. The smile vanished from his face. “Oh, it’s Niece Qingyao. What are you doing here?”

Cheng Yu puffed out his cheeks and glared at her defensively. This wicked cousin definitely had bad intentions.

Cheng Qingyao noted their expressions and cursed inwardly, but she maintained a smile. “I have something very important to tell Second Uncle.” She glanced pointedly at the servants and guards.

The Marquis narrowed his eyes, his gaze full of scrutiny. “If you have something to say, say it directly. No need for theatrics.”

“Exactly! Hurry up, we’re waiting to go eat,” Cheng Yu chimed in, peeking out from behind his father.

Cheng Qingyao was privately infuriated by their attitude. Let’s see if you can still laugh in a moment. “Fine, I’ll be direct. Second Uncle, please don’t be angry, but I accidentally discovered that Ruyi is a monster. She has been possessed by a wandering ghost. The real Ruyi was likely killed by the demon that took her body.”

Qiulan, standing behind her, trembled. Her eyes were wide with shock.

Before the Marquis could react, Cheng Yu jumped out, glaring furiously. “What nonsense are you talking about? My sister isn’t a monster—you are!”

Cheng Qingyao’s face shifted. She knit her brows and urged, “Cousin Cheng Yu, I know you have a good relationship with Ruyi, but she really isn’t your sister. Don’t be blinded by the demon.”

Cheng Yu didn’t believe a word. “Cheng Qingyao, you’re just a wicked woman with a hidden agenda!”

The Marquis gave a cold laugh. “Niece Qingyao, you claim my daughter is a monster. Do you have evidence? Without evidence, stop talking rot.”

Cheng Qingyao choked. Evidence? She didn’t have any; this was all based on her speculation. But she couldn’t show that on the surface. “Second Uncle, I know Ruyi well, and her changes lately have been too drastic. It’s like she’s a different person. And she suddenly has this strange, monstrous strength. It’s too eerie. I can’t think of any other reason besides possession.”

Cheng Yu countered sternly, “Sister has always had great strength; you just didn’t know it!”

Cheng Qingyao froze. Was she really naturally strong? Had she hidden it that well? She began to doubt her own guess. It never occurred to her that Cheng Yu would lie to her face.

The Marquis gave his son an appreciative look, then turned a chilling smile toward Cheng Qingyao. “I know my daughter better than you do. Niece Qingyao, you’ve been calculating against my daughter and ruining her reputation in secret for a long time. I was magnanimous and didn’t settle scores with a junior, but now you’ve crossed the line by calling her a monster. Your heart is truly venomous. It seems I need to have a serious talk with my elder brother and ask him exactly how he’s been raising his daughter!”

Seeing his father show such power, Cheng Yu’s eyes practically sparkled. Dad is so cool!

Cheng Qingyao turned pale. So her secret schemes had been seen through all along by this “unreliable” uncle? Hearing him call her venomous to her face made her sway on her feet, panic flickering in her eyes. If this uncle knew, did everyone else know too?

In truth, she was overthinking it. Before, she had her “Heroine Aura,” so the chances of being caught were low. It was only after Cheng Ruyi arrived that her aura was suppressed, leaving clues behind.

“Second Uncle, you wrong me! I’ve never plotted against Ruyi. I only said she was possessed because the contrast in her behavior was so extreme. I was just too worried about her and lost my head…” She gritted her teeth and looked at him with aggrieved eyes, refusing to admit to any scheming. Secretly, she regretted being so impulsive as to confront him directly.

“Enough. I won’t listen to your sophistry. Son, let’s go!” The Marquis couldn’t be bothered with his wicked niece and led his son into the manor.

“Second Uncle, listen to my explanation!” Cheng Qingyao tried to chase after them, but she was blocked by several guards who had no good impression of this girl who was always targeting their Young Miss.

“Miss, let’s go back,” Qiulan whispered, supporting her mistress.

Cheng Qingyao’s face was dark. She looked at the closed gates of the Changle Marquis Estate and stomped her foot in frustration. “Hmph! I was acting out of kindness, yet Second Uncle is so unreasonable. Qiulan, we’re leaving!”

Since the path through her uncle was blocked, she wouldn’t play nice anymore.

Inside, Cheng Ruyi listened as the Marquis and Cheng Yu recounted the encounter.

“Sister is not a monster!” Cheng Yu declared angrily.

Cheng Ruyi’s eyes widened. Cheng Qingyao called her a monster? She was just a normal person with a bit of a special ability. Zombies were monsters—she wasn’t!

Rong Susu was furious. “Cheng Qingyao is truly vicious. If my daughter were labeled a monster, she wouldn’t even be allowed to live!”

“Susu is right,” the Marquis agreed. “Daughter, Cheng Qingyao is rotten to the core. Stay far away from her so you don’t get caught in her traps.”

Rong Mo held Cheng Ruyi’s soft hand tightly, a flash of murderous intent in his eyes. Cheng Qingyao’s plots were becoming increasingly deadly. Cheng Ruyi had already been honest with him; he knew she came from a post-apocalyptic world where she had fought monsters since age five to save countless lives. That was why she had such a thick golden light of merit. She was no demon.

The real anomaly was Cheng Qingyao. Since being recruited by Prince Pingnan, Rong Mo had gained significant favor and used his resources to monitor her. The way she navigated between the two princes and “accidentally” revealed future events proved she had some form of foresight.

Cheng Ruyi nodded. “Don’t worry, Mom and Dad. I’ll stay away from her.”

However, whether Cheng Qingyao would stay away from her was another matter. The heroine of this book was a ruthless returnee. Once she targeted you, you’d be lucky to escape with your skin.

If she really tries to plot against me… Cheng Ruyi gripped Rong Mo’s hand, the fires of battle igniting in her heart.

Back at her own home, Cheng Qingyao couldn’t swallow the insult. She decided to send Qiulan to the famous Yunshui Taoist Temple to find a priest with real power. Compared to the monks of Xiangguo Temple—whom she now feared after the lotus incident—she found Taoists more credible.

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