She had no time to lose. And she would not.

She knew the capital city was in the middle of the empire, it was built out of white stone so it looked like a pearl in the sunlight, and after a day and night of constant travel, she quickly arrived on the outskirts. Now however she was in front of a dilemma.

She could feel all the powerful Core-Formation Elders inside the City, the gathering was still not done, so she could not really rush in and just take what she needed... Well, she could try, but right now she probably had to be subtle about it... and that was fine too. Her eyes glowing she covered herself in darkness as she rushed into the city. She had never forgotten her prior skill set. She had always been good at getting somewhere without being noticed.

With the pendant hiding her Aura she was little more than a shadow that rushed through the city towards the Royal Palace. Shockingly enough the palace was actually about the same size as the entire city of DongZhou! It was so big and lavishly decorated that Kou felt as if it was to easy to steal and get rich here.

Obviously Kou did not know that the empire had guards in Core-Formation here. every thief would be caught before they could take a second breath.. well at-least every thief below core-formation... and usually those lofty figures that were able to enter core-formation had little need to steal anything, Kou on the other hand, firstly did not give a damn about-face and secondly was equipped perfectly for stealing things, aside from some... rather lacking knowledge of arrays and defensive structures...

She shook her head quickly, freeing herself of the distracting thoughts. She had quietly rented herself a room in a small inn. The rooms were clean and simple, there were no unnecessary adornments and she cared little for a thing like that anyway. Sitting cross-legged in front of the bed she remained unmoving.

She was unsure how to go about this. She knew next to nothing about the Royal family or the treasure she actually had to get. The information Shi Shi had left behind in her soul was lacking. Apparently, the treasure was called "Flowering Blade." from what she could tell it was a bladed fan that could cut through almost anything. That included arrays and seals like on Shi Shi.

Kou had very little idea about how to get information on the royals, and as she did not want her face to be seen even if she was found she used her new ability. Quite quickly she shrunk to about the size of a house-cat. Shockingly unlike Shi Shi who transformed into a shoulder-high fox, Kou's transformation was a silvery fox cub with large golden eyes. It had 2 fluffy tails and was rather cute to look at.

In this new form, she stretched a little and tried out each of her feet before nodding to herself. This was alright she did not feel weird at all. Actually it was quite comfortable. Quickly she left her room. Using the window she simply jumped out onto the roof.

...

She had spent about a day sneaking around the palace, she had even found a dog hole that would lead her into the gardens, which was quite helpful but it still did not give her any clues. Therefore she spend about half a day crouched down in a bush trying to listening to the minds chitchat. Obviously, this was not the actual imperial garden. That was further inside and there would be no dog-holes to be found.

This was more like a side garden for Maids to hang the laundry and do breaks. However, it was still very pretty, nice-looking flowers and trimmed bushes, paved pathways, small lakes. It was quite a nice scene. However, she had no actual desire to watch this place. In fact, it was really boring and the maids kept chatting about princes.

"Prince Ning Yu seems to be about to reach core-formation... it's a shame his face got disfigured.. he was so handsome before."

"Hush, if someone wrong hears you saying this you might just be hanged..."

"First Prince Ning Tian recently came back victorious, he crushed an evil sect under his boot. He was so stunning returning, he really has put himself in the front of the race for the throne."

"Fourth Prince Ning Shun went to the red-light district again. One of my sisters working there saw him. I wish he would just ask us, any of us would gladly warm his bed for him."

...

And on and on and on. Kou's ears were about to start bleeding from all the trivia about princes she did not care for, she was just about to leave but suddenly felt a gaze locking her down, a feeling of suppression overcame her body, slowly she glanced upwards, barely able to move. There in mid-air was a seemingly young man in flowing green robes with a topknot.

His green eyes were focused on her. She felt the shocking power nailing her to the ground. It had to be said that she had just managed to transform. She had by no means Mastered this form, and it was quite a bit weaker than her usual power, she had also concealed her level even further to appear ordinary.

This young prince was undoubtedly strong, in fact, she felt he was a lot stronger than the old core-formation elder back in the sect, but if she were to transform she would surely win, she was sure of it. It would not be easy but she would win.

Therefore she relaxed a little, maybe at this point, it was a smart idea to play a little animal.

What she did not expect was the man landing on the ground and swooping her up in his arms in one go before he stepped back on his flying treasure to leave, he did not talk to the maids at all nor did he care about them.

This tiny creature would make for a great present for his little sister! He had recently fallen into decline in his sister's opinion, and while he had no weird fetish, he treasured her a lot and wanted to be an awesome older brother.

Prince Tian was a fair bit older than his other siblings, he was about a generation older than his second brother, so obviously he was far more powerful. But everyone in their family had a soft spot for Ning Yue the second and youngest Ning daughter.

Obviously, that could not be said for his elder sister.. but.. He shook his head slightly and quickly banished the thought of that banshee out of his head. Once more he glanced down at the little animal. He was not stupid he clearly could sense that this creature had some kind of wisdom in it. It clearly was a low-level spirit with some manner of intelligence, the perfect gift for his sister, if she was lucky she could be able to form abound with it. A bounded spirit was a companion for a lifetime.

And this one was very cute with its snow-white fur and bright golden eyes, it also seemed very docile it did not try to bite him or anything, did not struggle it just looked at him with an inquisitive gaze, once more proving its apparent intelligence.

"You will make for a good companion for my Sister, little spirit. This will also benefit you a lot, given that you will be feed precious herbs and pills in the future if you are good to her." He was not quite sure how much this creature was able to understand him but he still said it as he landed near one of the side palaces.

None of the guards stopped him, they just respectfully bowed with awe in their eyes. This palace was quite nice, it was large and had a big inner courtyard with its own rose garden, everything was neatly and cleanly decorated and there was actually not a single male around. It was just female guards and female maids.

This was just to protect the girl that was currently sitting in the middle of the courtyard.

Kou blinked a few times. Hell, she even rubbed her eyes with her paws just to make sure she was not seeing things. The girl that was currently sitting there was so radiant to the eyes that Kou actually did not want to look at her anymore. Her hair was straight and black, flowing down her back like water.

Her figure was slender and not yet mature, clearly still a child. The face was as if some Master had created the best sculpture in his lifetime, with almond-shaped large eyes, long and full lashes. Her pupils had a striking green color and just slightly under her left eye was an endearing mole. Kou was very certain that a girl like this was just a crime against everyone with eyes. How was one supposed to NOT look, she was so cute! The way she played with the ball in her hands seemed mesmerizing.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

For a moment Kou just stared but then she bit her own paw. Her vision cleared up. The girl was still inhumanely pretty, but the effect she had on her just now had vanished for now. This was clearly some kind of innate ability to charm whoever looked at her! How Kou noticed this? That was fairly easy. She... simply did not get overwhelmed like that by things like appearances! It was clear that there was something wrong, and all the alarm bells in her head had rung at the same time. There was also Xifeng that had told her telepathically that this was the case.

...Although while saying so her voice sounded like she was salivating for some reason...

Shaking her head slightly Kou just glanced at the girl for a moment. She seemed innocent and pure, but she would soon be way closer than she wanted to be as the rude guy just placed her in the girl's lap. It took some willpower to not immediately jump away, however, the small fox face was showing her unhappiness.

"Little flower, I brought you something nice today." The Prince leaned down to pat the girl's head with a warm expression on his face.

The girl's large eyes glanced down to the two-tailed fox puppy on its lap, the long lashes fluttering as she blinked... carefully she reached down to pet its head. The fur was wonderfully soft and smooth, and the creature seemed just mildly irritated as it glanced up at her. Her eyes widened and she immediately fell in love with this adorable little thing, carefully stroking her fur while she pulled out a special bag. Quickly she had a few snacks and pills in her hand. Things that other people would work months for. And here she was feeding this tiny creature such precious things!

The first prince watched with a smile, he did not put much value to these pills and the small creature seemed quite happy to eat them its eyes seemingly glowing. "Big Brother, thank you a lot for this gift, I will treasure her a lot. I'm sure we will become good friends in the future... Hehe, her fur is so soft it feels really good on my skin... I wonder what I should name her."

...

This was not bad at all! Kou found it quite comfortable right now. This girl seemed very pure and she was petting her with a gentle smile, her hand was big and warm, and it felt tingly on her skin, it was fairly nice and her opinion of this girl rose a little. Even if she was that scumbag Ning's little Sister, it did not mean the whole Ning family was bad right?

Kou let out a sigh, she had no time to waste, but staying with this girl for a bit might be an advantage in finding out where the treasure she was seeking was held, and how she might get her hands on it. She felt a little bad about having to use this girl that way. But things had to be done, she could always go and apologize later.

....

A few days later.

Ning Baozhai was the oldest Ning sibling. She was the firstborn girl and only one of two girls next to a plethora of boys. As the firstborn she was obviously rather old already, having already passed what could be called "Middle-aged" but she still maintained the figure and looks of a young female that had just reached her twenties.

She was currently gnawing on her perfectly done nails much to the dismay of some of the maids that currently attended to her, finally a cup filled with rich and expensive tea was thrown at a wall and the woman let out a frustrated growl.

"That bitch Ning Jiao!" her shriek letting all of the maids pale. Ever since little Jiao was born a few years ago Baozhai had no longer the title of "The only princess" No she was now just an old lady that still had no husband because her requirements were too high for anyone's feasibility to reach. Not that anyone wanted to anyway. Baozhai's temper had long since reached far and wide, and most young Masters would keep their distance.

The more specific reason for the current outcry was that pet Ning Jiao had gotten just a little bit ago, a tiny snow white fox puppy with two tails, a creature that displayed clear spiritual wisdom and a certain amount of power. A present such as this was very precious and Baozhai was fuming with jealousy about it.

It had to be said for a cultivator clan like the empirical family they all still counted as comparably young and of the same generation, but Baozhai could not deal with Jiao getting so much attention over her! While she at best got a nod from her brothers! She was beautiful too!

Her shoulders sank slightly as she glanced into the mirror, she clearly was the pearl of the empire, her large watery eyes glowing like the moon! Yes most definitely... She slowly sank into a chair resting her head on her left knuckle. Her life could've been so different...

"Aaah...Aaah.. my beautiful husband.. why, wouldn't you just come to me, Oh beautiful Jian... Baozhai was enraged and asked grandfather to punish you... Aaaah, what a mistake it was, I should've just captured you, I won't find a man as beautiful as him ever again.."She had used up some favor when she asked her grandfather to deal with Jian, even more so when afterward it had come to light that he had actually not done anything to her and he simply refused her advances..

Her Grandfather had punished her afterward, but he had a soft heart for his offspring so she got off fairly lightly. But none of this mattered in the end, once she had found a handsome husband and taken the throne to be empress nobody would ever say no to her ever again.

However for that to happen she would need to hinder her competition a bit, her brothers as of now we're out of her reach, she couldn't do much to harm or hinder them, her little sister, however, was a prime target, even with all of the attention she got. Afterall...She herself was still the big sister.

....

"Granpa, Granpa, look at little Xue, isn't she adorable? Did you know she can spit out ice and such? She will be a very strong spirit once she wakes up I was told by big brother.

This little cute ball of energy...Ning Hao let out a deep and vibrating laugh as he picked the tiny girl up and swirled her through the air. Even with his ripe age of over 200 he was still very active, his body muscular and his skin tanned, he sported an unkempt beard and short on adored hair as well as a simple shirt, with rough and short pants and wooden sandals.

Anybody seeing him wouldn't have guessed that he was the former emperor a figure is far and wide known to be a powerful expert! But as soon as he had given up his throne for his son, he had retreated into the back of the palace to live a life that was simpler, while concentrating on his cultivation.

He was a powerhouse and quite wise, but he had never found the fun in ruling over others, so his rule just lasted for as long as his son needed to gain the necessary cultivation and education to take the throne.

Unlike Ning Hao, his son was quite active with the female world and had gotten him quite a number of grandchildren. A few of them were rather venomous but there were pearls in this big pile of garbage, the first and third prince were decent young men, and the second princes had immediately become everyone's favorite.

He, however, wished that his son had gone a different path in determining the next in line. He made it a competition. And yes, Ning Hao saw the merit in the best of them becoming the next emperor, but this lead to the family estranging, to intrigue and betray. It would not take to long for death to follow...

But Ning Hao was also very selfish. He did not care enough to step up. It would just put him back into the public eye, and he knew that quite a few officials were still pressing for him to return.

"Oi, Granpa, stop daydreaming!" The little girl in his hands had pushed her new fox friend into his face, so he stared into those golden eyes for a moment... they seemed familiar to him.

"Mh, Little one, leave Grandad alone for now, he will play with you tomorrow, alright? Right now Grandad is not in the mood." His voice was strict and he knew that the girl would listen to him when he did that, and she quickly scurried away, taking the small fox with her.

"Mh...Those eyes..."

It was maybe 15 or 16 years ago? Something like that. He remembered how the first princess had come to him under tears, her clothes ripped and her face bloody. She cried and cried, talking about some man that had defiled her body. She was still young at that point and he fell into a rage, who would dare to touch his Grandaughter!

Obviously he did not know this child very well at this point. And the man that she told him was the culprit was actually a rogue core-formation cultivator that had hidden in the dongzhou city!

He had chased this man for a while, he was rather strong for a rogue cultivator, and Ning Hao had some problems dealing with him, but finally, he struck him down, the man seemed very unwilling to go, but for some reason, he smiled when he died his golden eyes starring at the North.

Only later had he found out the truth. That the Princess hat just tired to woo this man and he had repeatedly refused her, he found out he was with child. He found out about all the plots his vile grandaughter had spawned to make him fall for her and to remove the child.

The punishment he revealed to her for deceiving him was light, she would be confined to her room for two years, she would not get any resources and she would not get any money.

The true scope of the punishment, he had never shown her. He had removed any possibility of her becoming empress, personally removing her out of the family register. She was still a Princess, but her status was more like that of a married in princess than a true one.

He had also placed a mark on her that would limit her cultivation to the early gold-core realm, she would never be able to advance any further, which also meant that her life-span was cut short. Even Ning Hao would outlive her, as an early core-formation cultivator barely would live to about 150 years. While Ning Hao was already 200 years old and would probably live to be 600 or even 700 years.

Well, if he managed to reach the next stage in these years he would even be able to live for many thousands of years if he wished too. So the punishment for this grandaughter of his was the vilest thing. All her ambitions and all her dreams would be crushed by time. She would live her life and accomplish nothing with it. In time her arrogant and prideful attitude would crumble.

Ning Hao let out a sigh. "Dumb girl, has not even noticed that she is under watch. It might be time to reveal some of these things to her." The sight of this small fox had brought up the guilt and disdain he had buried deep inside for so long...