Liu Tián Qǔ had carefully watched the expressions of the Grand Prince, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, and Wang Fèn Yǒng as they escorted Wēi Yǒng Měng to the residence hospital. Liu Tián Qǔ kept a close eye on them as they escorted Jūn Zhōng Xīn, Měng Tiān Cái, and Wēi Wò Yàn to their courtyards as well. Liu Tián Qǔ was absolutely certain that the Lord, Lady, and Heir to Wang Royal Manor also felt the strange energy that was extremely potent in her home. They tried to hide it, but the closer everyone had got to the inner courtyards. The more shellshocked the Grand Prince, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, and even Wang Fèn Yǒng appeared to be.

At times they couldn't hide their shock. Liu Tián Qǔ took careful note of where they were when the Grand Prince, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, and Wang Fèn Yǒng appeared most shocked. It was as everyone entered the Inner Courtyards of Liu Residence. The energy was the thickest in the inner court. However, Liu Tián Qǔ's goal as of this moment was to find out what this energy was? Where did it originate? And why was it so potent in her manor? There was one thing perplexed Liu Tián Qǔ the most. It was that no one else seemed to feel it. She aimed to uncover this mystery before the day was done.

A short while later, as everyone was entering the Wang Royal Manor Courtyard, Liu Tián Qǔ decided to strike. It was the perfect time while everyone was still shellshock and caught off guard.

"I see the Grand Prince, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, and Wang Fèn Yǒng feel it as well." Liu Tián Qǔ said, hoping that one of them would bite the bait she just threw out.

Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā tripped over the doorstep of the huge receiving room that Liu Tián Qǔ just escorted everyone into. The Grand Prince who walked behind her reached over and grabbed Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā to keep her from falling on her face. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā hardly waited until she caught her balance before she looked over and gawked at Liu Tián Qǔ in deep soul capturing shock. "How? You feel the energy of the knell stones? How? Why are there so many in your residence? What's going on? Why do you feel the energy of the Knell Stones!? Only people of royal bloodlines can feel it's energies!" The confounded flabergasted Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā rambled.

"I don't know why I am able to feel it either. However, that is why I used the excuse of showing you Wang Royal Manor Courtyard to get you alone. I was hoping you all could help shed some light on this phenomenon after feeling it as well." Liu Tián Qǔ mixed lies with truth as she looked at the stunned Grand Prince, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā, and Wang Fèn Yǒng.

For the first time in a long time, the Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā felt her brain failed her. Her thoughts were in complete disarray. Even the Grand Prince and Wang Fèn Yǒng seem to be shocked speechless. They all stared at Liu Tián Qǔ as though seeing a ghost.

Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā finally closed her eyes. Her head tilted to the side. She covered her forehead with a hand. Holding her forehead, Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā stood still as a statue. She was lost deep in thought. She struggled to get her thoughts in order. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā seemed oblivious to the Grand Prince, who finally seem to come back to himself. The Grand Prince took hold of Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā's free hand and led her over to the high table in the receiving room. The Grand Prince then seated her at the table. The Grand Prince's actions were so natural it was obvious that this was not the first time he's done something like this.

After carefully seating his wife a the table, the Grand Prince took a seat next to her. As Liu Tián Qǔ quickly went about making a pot of tea. Wang Fèn Yǒng turned on his heels and left the receiving room. Liu Tián Qǔ eyes followed his retreating back as he left. However, she continued to quickly go about making a pot of tea from the large pot of hot water that sat on a brazier on extremely low fire next to the high table.

When Liu Tián Qǔ thought of this idea earlier in the front receiving room. She had quietly gave an order to the housekeeper to have all the servants that were assigned to the Wang Royal Manor Courtyard dismissed. Liu Tián Qǔ wants to have this conversation in private with the Wang's without the possibility of one of the servants overhearing it.

Liu Tián Qǔ's servants were new to the residence. Most of the servants that Housekeeper Gao hired happened to be servants from other Manor's who were sold. There had to be a reason that those servants were sold away from the Manors where they worked. As of now, Liu Tián Qǔ didn't trust them. Liu Tián Qǔ was not naive. She was sure that many of them would have to be weeded out. Until that time, Liu Tián Qǔ decided not to take any unnecessary risks with any of the new servants.

A short moment after leaving, Wang Fèn Yǒng returned, carrying a very beautiful but weird looking stone in his hand. The stone in Wang Fèn Yǒng hand looked like a Selenite crystal. however, inside the stone seemed to be an odd shining glowing blue stone with flecks of gold. It looked like a glowing blue lace agate with flecks of gold surrounded by crystal clear Selenite crystal. Wang Fèn Yǒng approached the table where Liu Tián Qǔ stood pouring tea, and his parents sat. Taking a seat a the table Wang Fèn Yǒng gave Liu Tián Qǔ a meaningful look the set the stone on the table.

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Everyone's gaze locked on the strange-looking stone. Liu Tián Qǔ felt the intense energy rolling off the stone. However, she almost dropped the teapot in shock when the beautiful, strange stone reverted back to an ordinary-looking gray stone within several heartbeats. It looked like one of those normal gray stones that could be found in any garden, walkway, or beach, and they were plentiful in Liu Residence. They were all over the place. Liu Tián Qǔ shocked gaze jumped from the stone to Wang Fèn Yǒng, their gaze locked.

In a low voice, Wang Fèn Yǒng said, "Now you try, pick up the stone, I want to see what happens."

"Okay, Big Brother, one moment." Liu Tián Qǔ quickly finished pouring the last cup of tea. Liu Tián Qǔ set the teapot back onto the tea tray in the center of the table. She carefully passed everyone a cup of tea. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā was still lost deep in thought, so the Grand Prince took the cup of tea. He gently set the cup of tea down in front of his wife.

After serving everyone tea, only then did Liu Tián Qǔ reach for the stone. When Liu Tián Qǔ picked up the stone, the stone turned a complete glossy black like shungite stone with glowing pure white flecks. It gave of the image of a light shining in the darkness.

Liu Tián Qǔ screamed out in shock as she felt an overbearingly powerful force yank at her very soul as if it was trying to pull her soul into the stone. The pressure intensified by the second. The agony seemed to pierce every cell and molecule of Liu Tián Qǔ body. It felt as if her very being was beginning to unravel. It was an excruciating soul shredding tormenting agony, unlike anything Liu Tián Qǔ ever experienced. She was unaware that that level of pain was even possible. It couldn't even be label as pain. It was completely beyond pain.

Liu Tián Qǔ was unaware that she was screaming in agony. Suddenly Liu Tián Qǔ felt an ancient primordial presence. The presence seemed to look in her direction. The presence seemed like it was drawn to her, and it had began to move towards her location. Suddenly the pain was gone. However, darkness swallowed her. Liu Tián Qǔ had fainted from the intense pain.

Liu Tián Qǔ was not unconscious long at all. Several short moments later, Liu Tián Qǔ's consciousness returned. When she came to herself, she was lying on the floor. On one side of her lay Wang Fèn Yǒng, who was unconscious, on her other was an unconscious Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā who

was lying in the arms of her husband, the Grand Prince. The Grand Prince's face was pale with fright and fear-filled his eyes as he held his wife in his arms, whispering for her to wake for him.

Just as Liu Tián Qǔ slowly sat up, Wang Fèn Yǒng and Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā simultaneously regained their consciousness. Liu Tián Qǔ's was pale as a sheet of paper. Phantom streaks of agony rippled through her soul. For the first time since her reincarnation, Liu Tián Qǔ felt true all-consuming soul capturing fear. At that very odd moment. Liu Tián Qǔ's mind flashed to the Wizard of Oz. An American movie she had seen in her past life. For some bizarre reason, she heard Dorothy's voice in her mind saying, "Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore."

A gloomy Liu Tián Qǔ inwardly thought, 'Damn it, I am definitely not on earth anymore! What the hell is going on here?! A rock just tried to suck my soul into it?! Things like this do not happen on earth! What the hell kind of place is the Northern Lands where rocks, innocent-looking rocks turn weird colors and try to stuck people's soul into it!'

Outwardly Liu Tián Qǔ turned to Wang Fèn Yǒng, who was also sitting up. Then she turned to Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā. The Grand Prince was helping his wife off of the floor. He assisted her back over to the table. Liu Tián Qǔ turn back to Wang Fèn Yǒng and ask, "Big Brother what... what just happened here?" Liu Tián Qu couldn't control the fear that leached into her voice.

"I don't know, nothing like this has ever happened before. When you started screaming, I reached over to grab the stone from your hand. When I touch the stone, the pain spread to me as well, and I was pulled into the same inert stasis as you." A pale-faced Wang Fèn Yǒng explained as he looked over to his mother. Before asking, "Imperial Mother are you okay?"

Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā said, "Yes, I am okay, Fèn Yǒng."

Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā looked at her son with an inexplicably unfathomable look in her eyes, "You didn't scream. How come you didn't scream? Never had I felt such agony in my life. It's obvious you felt it too. How did you bear it?"

When Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā saw her son get dragged into the inert stasis that Liu Tián Qǔ was dragged into. Fear exploded in her heart as she watched her son silent bear what seemed to be excruciating pain. Wang Fèn Yǒng's face had turned red, and sweat broke out all over him and poured down his face as he had clenched his teeth against the pain. When he didn't scream, Lady Wǔ Gāng Hu had thought the pain was bearable. So she took the chance of trying to knock the stone from their hands. However, as her hands connected with her son's hand, she too was dragged in.

Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā couldn't understand how, when, or where her son learned to bare such pain. It had felt like her soul was being shredded, and the core of her being was being obliterated. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā experience many wounds and injuries in battle and was even tortured before. But, never had she experienced such agony. Yet, her silent son, who hated people and hated to be touched, never screamed. Lady Wǔ Gāng Huā never knew that her son had such a high tolerance for pain.

Instead of answering, Wang Fèn Yǒng said, "Good, I am glad Imperial Mother is okay." Looking over to Liu Tián Qǔ, Wang Fèn Yǒng asked, "Are you okay?"

With a nod of her head, Liu Tián Qǔ answered, "I'm okay. Are you okay, Big Brother?"

With a faint nod of the head, Wang Fèn Yǒng said, "I'm okay."

Wang Fèn Yǒng then looked over to the Grand Prince and said, "Thank You, Imperial Father."

It was the Grand Prince who used the hilt of his sword to knock the stone from their hand.