Somewhere in Creation, on a planet known as Earth, somebody died.

A boy of sixteen summers.

A tragedy for people living on modern Earth.

After all, one could say that he had barely reached manhood, yet his life ceased.

For the boy, though? Well… for the boy, it was a Blessing, as his Destiny would not be satisfied with such an early Death.

No…No, the boy’s Destiny would not be satisfied at all.

Because of its dissatisfaction, the boy’s Soul, which should have been picked up by the Local Soul River and made its way to a perfectly normal Reincarnation, refused to be picked up.

Instead, Destiny provided him with a different transportation service.

This service ignored any Boundary trying to define it and disregarded any Law trying to change it.

Still, just because that was its nature, it did not mean none tried doing precisely such a thing. And when they did, all they achieved was a partial success. Yet, partial success was still a success. Because then they could understand more of that undefinable nature despite its nature.

When they did, plans were drafted, and experiments were executed. And on this day, the boy became the target for one such experiment.

This new transportation service anointed The Chaos Flow, picked up the boy’s Soul. It carried the Soul within its currents across the Chaos Sea of Creation, where the boy’s Destiny would find its fulfillment.

In what shape and what form? Did not matter. All that mattered was achieving that fulfillment.

By betting on that Destiny, which sought its fulfillment, the boy’s Soul became the glass bottle carrying the message across the Chaos Sea of Creation.

Pushed and pulled, battered and bruised from the Chaotic nature of this current dubbed Chaos Flow, the Destiny of the boy’s Soul eventually sensed something.

Exerting its influence, Destiny nudged the boy’s Soul toward the sensation.

How long it took to reach that destination was of no consequence. All that mattered was to arrive intact. Fortunately for the boy’s Soul, that was what happened. And although bruised and battered from the wild currents of the Chaos Flow, Destiny arrived with a POP.

All at once, the Chaotic nature of the Chaos flow vanished as if it never existed in the first place.

Instead, a different current picked up the boy’s Soul.

This one was extremely gentle, like a calm river passing through a flat plain. It gently carried the bruised and battered yet intact Soul toward its destination.

When the Soul arrived at its destination, it found a human boy of sixteen summers lying on a bed made of straws. However, if one looked closer, one would realize that no life existed in that body.

Maybe it was from an injury? Maybe it was some inborn defect? Or maybe, it was the cold night that killed him. Because the poor boy could barely cover his body while sleeping.

Nevertheless, the boy was dead, and it was too late to save him. As such, with no life present in this 16-year-old dead body, a new Soul hijacked it for its own purpose.

What happened next could only be called a miracle.

The incoming Soul entered said dead body. Specifically speaking, it entered the frozen head and centered itself right in the middle of the brain.

Had this been some other World, it may have stayed there and done its miracle that way. Unfortunately, this World held different Laws regarding Souls. Hence, the Soul, which had survived the passage through the Chaos Sea of Creation, if battered and bruised, popped like a balloon poked by a sharp instrument.

When it did, the miracle occurred.

By being immersed in Chaos for so long, the Soul had changed its inherent nature, and now that very transformative effect spread across the dead body. Thus, the miracle would transform what it wanted and energize what it needed by bringing life back to the dead body because Destiny desired it to be so.

The actual effects would only be understood by the boy in the future.

Unfortunately for this Destiny, which promised Grand Adventures for the boy in question, this Destiny was not the only one poking its fingers at the meta-physical guiding forces of Creation.

When the Soul popped, it also released the things it had been carrying, as that was a Soul's primary purpose.

The first was expected. It was the boy’s Consciousness, which usually hid in the Soul.

At least it was so on Earth.

How it worked in this new world was a different agenda.

The other one, a golden orb the size of a golf ball, carried out its own agenda.

As such, the moment it was free of the Soul, it flew out of the still-reviving head of the still-reviving boy. Once outside, the golden orb floated half a meter above the dead head.

There it glowed for a moment before transforming into a golden parchment.

The rolled-up parchment opened by itself, and a moment later, two things emerged from it. One was a smaller golden orb and the other a black fountain pen with fancy golden markings.

The smaller golden orb stayed in place for a moment, as if deciding things, before returning to the reviving head. Once there, it interacted with the boy’s Consciousness in some profound ways.

The black fountain pen, on the other hand, held different plans. It began to glow with golden light before transforming. Within moments, It lost its previous pen form and became a rolled-up golden parchment.

It was smaller and less fancy looking than its big brother floating beside it, but there was no doubt about it.

The black pen had become a Contract parchment.

When the transformation ended, the smaller Contract flew into the still-reviving head and joined the Spiritual Egg. Once there, the Contract interacted with the Spiritual Egg and the boy’s Consciousness in such profound ways that none would ever be able to untangle the mess they made.

After everything settled down, certain profound forces tied between the boy who signed a Contract and the being who offered the contract peppered out of existence.

Thus, ending any further ties between them.

Hence, after the Spiritual Egg and the Contract found their rightful place, the bigger parchment rolled itself shut.

Moments later, it transformed back into its golden orb form.

There it stayed for a moment before sounds emerged from it infused with a joyful and playful nature.

~Thank you, Delivery Boy.~ The golden orb emitted. ~Have fun with your Grand Adventure!~

With the thanks proclaimed, the golden orb ignored the reviving boy and flew outside the neglected construct, masquerading as a house.

Once outside, the golden orb flew upwards into the air. It flew and flew before stopping at least a few kilometers above the ground.

There it stayed for a moment before more sounds emerged from the golden orb.

This time they were infused with Power which shook the very strings of Reality as they professed their purpose.

~Where Chaos Flows, Destiny Follows!~

With profound workings hidden behind the words proclaimed, Reality shifted around the golden orb.

Once the shift was over, the golden orb was swallowed up, yet for all intents and purposes, the golden orb remained in place. It was not before profound forces picked a destination for the golden orb, that it began to glide through the air as something gently carried it forth.

If the Chos Flow was the big river connecting Worlds to the Chaos Sea of the Creation, then this tiny tributary was merged with a World. As such, it gently carried the golden orb within its current, although there was no set destination.

On the contrary, a set destination would have defeated the purpose of the Creator of the golden orb.

Thus, the golden orb went on a journey to find itself a Host, as that was its primary purpose.

Time was meaningless as the golden orb got carried around the World.

It passed vast mountain ranges, ocean-sized lakes, and mighty rivers that seemed to have no end. Even the forests appeared mystical, in size and bounty, with megafauna encapsulating everything.

Along the journey, the golden orb passed many ecosystems like deserts, marshes, and even enormous plains full of massive hordes of herbivores stampeding their place in this World.

Yet, there was one plain that had taken its fancy. Many times the current carrying the golden orb circled the dark red plain infused with blood and hatred from all the beings fighting on it.

If one counted the sheer numbers involved, the plain could only be named an Eternal Battlefield.

Humans, Beast, Not Beast, and something Eldritch-looking fought for their lives in a free for all type of scenario. In their wake, only decimation was left behind. Yet, even that decimation was filled with blood and dead bodies.

No matter how one tried to rationalize it. There was no denying that the sheer amount of death and violence would follow one for the rest of their life… if one survived this Eternal Battlefield.

On the other hand, those same dead bodies were an attractive force for the golden orb. During the many instances, the current had circled this Eternal Battlefield, soft nudges pushed the golden orb to decide, yet for some reason, the golden orb refused to do so.

Ultimately, the current moved on with its purpose.

The current and the golden orb continued on their journey.

Mountain after mountain and forest after forest, the two journeyed until something strange occurred. The very air of the world seemed to shift. After the shift was over, everything became less… prominent, as if the world was missing something essential.

Whatever it was, it was not critical to the golden orb. But as it traveled, the golden orb seemed to come across more cities than ever before.

It was as if quality got substituted by quantity.

Something triggered inside the golden orb because of that. Maybe it was something else, but it could not be denied that at that moment, the current shifted its destination somewhat.

Once more, the journey carried over mountains, forests, lakes, and plains until suddenly, the golden orb trembled slightly.

Almost instantly, the current carrying the golden orb shifted into high gear. The current rushed as if not daring to ignore this opportunity.

In moments, a city appeared in front of the golden orb. Yet it did not slow down.

Once inside the city, it curved around a Grand Palace, fit for an Emperor, in the middle of the city before actually settling in what is known as the Southern District of the Capital city Zhongyang Feng[Central Wind].

There it came upon a mansion. In that mansion existed a courtyard.

The courtyard in question was neither small nor big. Neither was it plain or magnificent. If one had to describe it, one could declare it held elegance because of its simplicity and layout. The reason? Small wooden bridges led to a small wooden island built upon the small lake lodged into the middle of the courtyard of this mansion.

Upon the small lake nested lotus pads, and as currently, it was summer, those lotus pads were blooming with lotus flowers.

If one observed carefully, one could spot a few carp loitering around the small lake.

Yet, despite the elegance, it could not hide the Chaos it spawned from the golden orb and the current that carried it.

The Chaos spawned mostly from a flailing little girl in the waters of the small lake.

The little girl looked to be around 13 years of age, and it appeared she did not know how to swim. Baggy and wet clothes only made her efforts to stay afloat that much harder.

Unlike how it was usual with small lakes, this small lake held far more depth than it should have for its size. Perhaps, the builder compensated for something. Whatever the reason had been, right this moment, it proved to be the downfall for the flailing girl, as with every attempt at staying afloat, she lost strength.

Still, the most curious phenomenon occurred.

Despite the girl's arms flailing upon the surface of the small lake, no sound emerged from her. Neither had any of her cries for help emerged from her gaping mouth, despite the little girl trying her best to shout.

What could have helped her was a young man, who had yet to become a full-fledged adult, standing still on the nearest bridge. Yet, contrary to the hope in the girl's eyes, he did not attempt to help a fair maiden in a life’s crisis.

If somebody was there, they would notice the ridiculous expression on the young man's face. As if he could not believe what he was seeing. However, if a very observant person saw his face, one would see a glint of disdain and hate upon his face and sky-blue eyes.

Thus, the young man observed the little girl because his initial plan had derailed from the story he had planned to sell.

Still, he had a message to send across. Hence, he took advantage of the unexpected actions of the little girl. One hand movement of his signaled the guards to use an Illusion based Spiritual Art.

Thus, the silence of the girl's attempt at calling for help.

The Spiritual Art would never fool a proper Cultivator of the Foundation Realm or higher. But it was enough to deceive the servants and the mansion guards, at least for a few moments.

At the same time, his mind reasoned when he should intervene. If he interfered too early, his message would not come across. Nevertheless, if he intervened too late, there would be trouble coming his way for not intervening early enough.

Shaking his head, the young man admonished himself.

Sometimes, I hate being born this handsome.

Yet, just as the young man thought about that very fact, the unexpected occurred.

The little girl’s brown eyes rolled in on themselves. The next moment, her body ceased all motions. Like a dead rock, the little girl sunk into the depths of the small lake.

Stunned, as his improvisation also derailed, the young man panicked for a moment. His Spiritual Sense told him the one thing he'd tried to avoid.

As if the Karma of his inaction manifested his punishment ahead of time.

“Yu Jiao!!!”

His shout was louder than it should have been.

Backed by his Qi, it echoed past the small lake and the courtyard. It reached into the depths of the mansion he was unwillingly visiting on this day.

At that exact moment, the young man shouted, he jumped into the lake and swam towards the little girl. The moment he reached her body, he placed his right hand on her back, and through his hand, he pushed his Qi into her lungs to expel the water while still in the water.

That his Qi was incompatible with water only made it more effortless.

However, the more important part was outside his capability. Still, the young man tried his best by enveloping the stopped heart with his Qi. The Yang property of his Qi should have at least produced some results, yet no matter how he tried, the heart of the little girl refused to budge.

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With no beating heart, no blood flowed in the girl's body. With no blood delivering oxygen to the brain, the only thing awaiting the little girl was Death.

Recognizing his inadequacy, the young man cradled the little girl with his arms. With plenty of Qi spent, the young man produced a stable but momentary foothold in the shape of steam.

With Qi transforming the water instantly into steam, the young man defied the basic Laws of Reality. He jumped out of the small lake and onto the small bridge he used to be on. The very instant his feet touched down on the wooden bridge, his ears picked up a commotion manifesting inside the mansion.

Placing the little girl on the ground, he continued to use his Qi on her heart. Unfortunately, for some unknown reason, it simply would not start its iconic rhythmic sounds all living beings possessed.

In his eyes, genuine concern emerged. It was not the kind of concern used for loved ones. But the one that spelled trouble for a naughty child caught doing what they should not be doing in the first place.

Curses… Should have stuck with the original plan. Even if it made her even more enamored with my handsomeness.

With every moment that passed, his concern only increased. And it grew even further once his ears picked up the first footsteps behind him.

With no other choice, the young man shouted at the circumstances in his mind.

Why… won’t… your… stupid…. heart… ughhhhhhh.

Only to be interrupted by a sharp spike of pain on his right back side, while the right side of his face felt the harshness of water hitting his handsome face.

“JiaoJiao!” The middle-aged man cried right before he kicked the young man away. With fury, only a father would manifest while seeing a man stand above his daughter's body while pressing on her chest.

Only after the fury spent itself did the mind remind the father to check on his daughter. That was also the moment he noticed her wet clothes and body. A momentary frown manifested as his Spiritual Sense notified him of his daughter's bodily condition.

Urgently the father crouched down, and his frown transformed into a full-blown panic. “He Shoushan, I need you… NOW.” In the same instant, the father tried doing the exact same thing as the young man being fished out of the waters by his hidden guard.

Yet no matter how much Qi he poured into the heart, it would not budge.

“Nooo… No, no, no, my little girl, don’t leave me yet.” Again the father cried out after seeing the situation not changing.

A few moments later, more footsteps arrived. Only the desperate crying of a father’s cry never ceased echoing in everybody's ears.

On the contrary, it only increased in disparity.

Four people arrived.

One female and three men.

Two of the men were middle-aged and wore what looked like guard armor. Thus, they were inconsequential.

The last man wore a white robe. His old face, white hair, eyebrows, and beard indicated an ancient appearance. As if Death was already a step behind him and reaching for his existence. Yet, one would not notice that fact by the spring in his steps.

The female wore a thin summer blue robe that stressed her deep blue eyes. However, for one single moment when she arrived at the scene, her eyes displayed satisfaction. The next moment, that same satisfaction was hidden.

Only shock and concern remained.

“Husband, move away. Let the Elder do his job.” The woman spoke with urgency in her voice. “Doing it blindly will only worsen the problem. Elder, please hurry.” With a voice full of hope, she requested the Healer to begin his miracle.

Nodding his affirmation, the old healer urgently stepped towards the lying little girl.

“Lord…” Yet the old man never got to complete his sentence. His Lord and employer, whom he wanted to request to stop everything he was doing and move away, jumped a few paces away from the little girl.

The sudden action surprised the old man, just as it did the others.

The first thought that came to him was that he wanted to nod to the Lord’s quick reaction, but when he glanced at his face, he saw genuine shock.

Something about the shocked face irked the old man. Only he had no time to ponder upon it. He filed away the thought and urgently rushed to the little girl. However, when he pressed his right palm on her small chest and poured his Medicinal Qi to begin the healing, facts connected in his mind.

Just like the Lord before him, the old healer interrupted his attempt and healing and distanced himself away from the body, although not as urgent as his Lord.

“Husband? Elder? What happened? What is the problem?” The female inquired as things were not progressing as she imagined they would.

The man, on the other hand, ignored her outright.

A moment later, the elderly healer ignored his feelings and approached the little girl lying on the cold wooden bridge. This time, he was much more cautious when touching her body and pouring his Medicinal Qi inside her.

Just like the first time, his Medicinal Qi burned the moment it reached inside the girl’s body.

I didn’t mistake it after all. There is a flame inside Jiao, and it is burning my Qi like wood would in a heat stove.

No, that doesn’t matter. Why do I not feel any heat?

Withdrawing his Qi from her chest area, at least that which had not been burned away, he examined the rest of her body.

It’s all over her body.

Hmm… When I look from the outside, I neither see nor feel any flame. Yet her insides are on fire.

Still confused about what was going on, the old man continued his examination. That was when he noticed an anomaly.

No leftover burn scars, often associated with Fire Qi, remain in her body. Yet there is a flame. Neither do I notice the side effect of Fire Qi consumption, yet the flame continues consuming my Medicinal Qi.

Hmm… wait a moment. The Lord's earlier reaction was far too exaggerated for just this. Could it be?

Realizing something was amiss, the old man ended his examination.

Addressed the man in question, he voiced his concern. “Lord, could it be that the flame ate your Jade Qi just as easily as it did mine?”

As if the question brought the father to the here and now, the man nodded and replied. “Yes. Its sudden manifestation was nothing compared to its ability to consume Jade Qi I had poured into JiaoJiao.”

“Husband? Elder? Would you tell me what is going on? What do you mean by flames?” The only adult female on the scene inquired. Her voice portrayed confusion, but it did not betray her inner feelings of being excluded from the discussion.

Stealing one glance at the Husband and Concubine, the old man briefly explained things. “As you heard the Lord say, a flame manifested in Jiao’s body. It's not harming her physically, but any Qi used to inspect her body is consumed, which only confirms the flames' existence. Yet, there is a problem.” The old man posed and answered immediately after. “All fire is brief and powerful. That is its nature. The same is reflected in Qi of the Fire Element. Here is the problem. The flame inside Jiao is so powerful that even the Lord's Jade Qi was consumed. Jade Qi is one of the densest and hardest Qi types I know, much less my Medicinal Qi which belongs to the Wood Element.”

“I am following you, Elder, but I still do not see what you're implying.” The lady voiced out.

“Think Ai.” The Lord admonished his Concubine. ”With the rate that flame consumed foreign Qi, and with Jiao having no Cultivation base, how is it staying around? It should have long since peppered out of existence. Therefore, the flame must be ingesting something, as that is its nature.”

“Oh…“ Hearing the sign of understanding, the Lord sighed. Still, his Concubine's next words did shake his mind once more. “Then will Jiao be alright? I don’t see her chest moving.”

Concubine Ai’s words reminded the old man that there were more pressing matters than the mystery of the flame.

The old healer collected thoughts and fixed his actions.

Immediately, he expertly poured more Qi inside the little girl with an even stronger control behind it.

The majority of his Qi got burned away. Nevertheless, the parts that passed through touched her heart. That was also the moment when he turned pale from understanding. And this time, the horror was too much for the old man.

It was instantly displayed on his face for all to see.

Immediately after, he retrieved his wrinkly hand and jumped away from the impossibility he had witnessed.

Yet, the old man's reaction put aside, the flame inside the little girl's body blazed only hotter. If such a thing could be said for a flame producing no heat. Either way, it was as if the pure recognition of such a flame even existing became the fuel the flame needed to stabilize its existence.

Out of the kindling smoldering in the little girl’s body, it finally reached outside her body. In fact, it manifested from every pore in the girl's body.

Everybody present could feel it. Even the young man, fished out of the lake by his guards, could feel it. In fact, even regular people would feel something being there because now, the flame began consuming the Qi in the air.

Therefore, causing a chain reaction through the Qi in the air.

Thus, declaring its presence and purpose.

The stronger one's Spiritual Sense, the sharper one would feel it. Yet, that was all they knew about the flame and its effect.

What they could not see, however, was the flame in question.

No matter how they searched with their eyes, no flame existed. Hence, the only indicator pointing at its presence stayed Spiritual Sensations delivered directly to their minds.

Again, all of them were stumped due to the flame in question. Only after the young man came near them and voiced his confusion had everybody come to their senses.

“What is that?” The young man inquired with a tiny bit of hope in his mind that maybe things had not progressed to the worst-case scenario.

Still, while he sought an answer, none were sent his way.

“Elder, what did you do?” Immediately the Lord requested an answer.

Just hearing the voice, one could feel that not delivering one would become a terrible choice for the old man.

“I… I… Nothing!” The old healer replied before settling his emotions. “Nothing aside from diving deeper through the flame and… seeing what it truly did.”

“Go on, say it.” Again the Lord requested, but it was not just him that was curious.

“It’s… ugh… burning the Roots of the Young Lady.” The old healer replied.

“Roots?” The sole female murmured. Although everybody heard her. “Wait… Elder, you are saying that… that Flame,“ The female pointed at the flame in question. ”is actually devouring the Heavenly Roots inside Jiao?”

“Yes, Concubine Ye. That is precisely what I witnessed.” The old man nodded before adding on his inner musings. “I swear, I have seen people cut and sever roots in all kinds of manners. I have seen them maimed beyond recognition, even if it killed the person in question soon after. I have even seen the ashes left behind with Fire Spiritual Arts, yet… this is my first time seeing them actually… ingested. As if the Young Lady’s Roots were the most common wood in the world, much less the Heavenly variant.”

Hearing the healer voicing out his views it finally dawned on them.

Then, on that precise moment of sinking understanding, the flame blazed once more and expanded its radius of consumption. At the same time, it gained more intensity as the very Qi in the air screamed out of existence.

Every Cultivator present felt that. It hurt their Spiritual Senses because the Qi in the air acted as their medium for sensing stuff. To them, it felt like they would be consumed as well if they kept touching the flame with their Spiritual Senses.

Concurrent with its expansion, the speed at which it burned Qi from the air increased with new Qi being supplied as if it had no choice but to rush into the flame.

The Spiritual Sensations aside, the increased intensity provided less shock this time. Hence, when the young man spoke, many eyes settled on him. “It must be because the Heavenly Roots in question are broken. Why else would it be possible? After all, without Qi in them, they are not that much different from common ones. Honestly, in her case, they are worse than common ones.”

At the same time those words were said, Lord remembered the relief of kicking the young man away.

As such, with a convenient outlet to pour out his frustrations, he addressed the young man.

“Xia Jingjie.” The following words were infused with enough Qi to cut into the young man's mind. “You better fess up what happened! Or, I will Swear to the Heavens to cut you down despite being the Southern Prime Minister's son.”

To enforce his threat even further, the Lord used his much higher cultivation to press on Xia Jingjie from all sides.

Xia Jinjie felt like he was stuck in a press, and it was trying to squeeze the apple juice out of him. Only when his guards reappeared beside him did the Core Stage Supresion relax enough for him to talk. Still, even his Core Guards could not resist forever despite being in the same stage as the Lord of the Yu Clan.

After all, the Lord’s anger fueled the process.

Useless guards. Now they appear.

Too bad for the young man, the guards in question could not have imagined that the Lord of the Yu Clan would treat the son of the Southern Prime Minister like a common street dog baring his way forward.

Finding his composure, Xia Jingjie replied. “When you say it like that, I guess… I can’t rid myself totally of the blame. But before your anger causes mistakes, let me explain myself first.”

Not being cut apart on the spot became a good sign, and Xia Jingjie continued his long-prepared speech, if with some correction.

“We all know that Yu Jiao liked me.” Xia Jingjie pointed out by pointing at his face as if that would explain the reason for a young maiden’s infatuation. ”After all, is that not the reason you were so adamant in arranging her marriage to the Xia Clan? Especially if one considered her…,” There he stopped for a second to find the right words and not anger the man. “unfortunate condition. So… with a straight face, I rejected her affection by voicing out the very reason being her unfortunate condition.”

“Are you implying that the Xia Clan rejected her because of her broken Roots, or was that your personal rejection?” The Lord inquired, squeezing on the guards protecting him even more, regardless of how that was possible.

The Lord would not have been bothered as much even if Xia Jingjie used the word broken as he had 13 years to come to terms with that, unlike his little girl.

“My own.“ Xia Jingjie answered. “Still, the Clan has voiced out previously that Yu Jiao did not meet the requirements for a marriage contract. Especially not for the position of the Main wife.” Again Xia Jingjie replied in the most neutral wording he could without trying to offend the man in front of him. “Thus, I flat out rejected her feelings.”

Here he turned a bit hesitant as it was here that things took a different road. “Umm… I turned away after saying all that. Hence, I was too late to notice Yu Jiao had already jumped into the lake.” With a grimace on his face, Xia Jingjie pointed out one thing. “A similar scenario occurred in the past. So… I… may have hesitated for a few moments to jump after her.” Shaking his head, Xia Jingjie spoke the most important part. “By the time I got to her, water was in her lungs. That was easy to take care of, but her heart was the opposite of easy.”

“The rest? You already know.” Xia Jingie pointed at his back, his clothes, and the little girl in question.

A moment of silence ensued as everybody processed the young man delivered.

Yet, all of them knew the young man did not tell the complete truth. Especially Xia Jingjie’s guards, who were ordered to silence the girl’s cries and keep the deed hidden.

Only they knew their role and displayed no outward sign of having done anything.

Even without everything being voiced out, the Lord already imagined the scenario. After all, he knew best how those in power looked down upon his daughter with her broken Heavenly Roots.

Still, that didn’t mean he would swallow it down. “I see… Since that is the case, then deliver my message to the Southern Prime Minister that any and all dealings with Clan Xia are canceled. Any future negotiations will be... thoroughly negotiated.”

While unhappy with how things turned out, Xia Jingjie knew it was out of his hands now.

“Now, since your purpose here is done, I would like to ask you to leave… immediately.” Turning away from Xia Jingjie, the Lord looked at the two guards by his side. “Escort the Young Master out of the premises.”

Taking his cue, the young man nodded and made his due leave, along with his guards, who vanished moments later.

“Lord.” The old healer called out, yet he did not need to say anything.

“I know.” The Lord nodded back at him with understanding.

The bastard probably waited and watched my girl drown a bit to let his rejection settle in before fishing her out.

To think, I was thinking of marrying my girl to him.

Sighing at the regrettable events transpiring, the Lord of the Yu Clan focused his attention on the here and now. The past remained the past. All he could do was promise himself to not spoil his daughter as much as he already did.

Thinking of his daughter, the Lord returned to observing her body and the invisible flame enshrouding her.

Observing her for a while, he heard the elderly healer speak.

“Lord. As far as I know, your lineage is associated with Fire and Earth.” The old healer remarked before correcting himself. “At least, before Practicing the Heavenly Jade Mantra. Is there a chance there is some bloodline hidden in there somewhere?”

Nodded at the conjecture, the Lord rethought his lineage. “Aside from the one associated with the Heavenly Jade Mantra? Well… I can't flat-out deny it.“ The Lord said before shrugging his shoulders in denial. ”However, in my honest opinion, the chance of that occurring is excessively low, and even lower if I take that flame into account. I am sure I would have remembered a flame like that being mentioned anywhere.”

“How about the late Miss Li?” Again the Elder asked, but the Lord denied that one as well.

“The Li’s lineage primarily consisted of Wood, Water, and Earth.” The Lord answered. ”That was how my late wife explained it to me. So I doubt it is from them either.”

“Then I… am truly out of options here.” With the last attempt on locating an answer failing, the old man admitted his lacking understanding. “I think we can only let everything proceed without interference. Although… let me check if we can at least move the young lady.”

With a small conjecture formed in his mind, the old healer inched closer to the flame.

This time he withdrew every shred of Qi he could inside his body. With caution, his right forefinger touched the outer rim of the ongoing flame. Touching and not spontaneously combusting into thin air, the old man nodded with relief before finding some courage inside his old bones.

Plunging his right hand deeper and still not catching on fire, he slowly closed in on the little girl. With one further touch of her body confirming his thoughts, he picked up the girl, princess style, and carried her away from the little bridge.

The Lord and his second wife followed a few steps behind him. The old man carried her to a smaller and separate courtyard inside the Yu Family Mansion.

The old man had no trouble finding the girl’s quarters, as the Lord had employed him shortly after the little lady was born to look after and improve her health.

Nobody knew why she was born with broken Heavenly Roots. And the mother that could have shed some light on that fact died during childbirth.

Ever since then, the young lady had been in poor health and often needed help.

Annoyed by the constant calls for a healer, the Lord employed the best healer his money could find and hired him to look after his little girl. Which basically meant nothing as the Yu Clan was as rich as one could get in the Azure Wind Empire without being destroyed by the other Five Great Clans.

Once they were in her room, the old man placed her on the bed and distanced himself. “Lord, whatever the purpose of that flame is, it is beyond me. I can not even check if the young lady’s heart is beating without risking going up in flames.”

“Elder, is there a way aside from Qi that can be used?” The Lord inquired of the old healer.

With a slightly dumbfounded face, he replied. “Aiiii… this event must have shocked me more than I even realized. Give me a moment.”

With that said, he took the young lady’s hand and placed his fingers on the inner side of the wrist to check for the pulse.

It was an old technique that used no Qi. One just had to feel the pulse on the wrist. However, as it was highly unreliable without enough experience, it was rarely used. After all, why bother when you can just touch anywhere and check with your Qi?

Nevertheless, using the old analog way the old healer checked, rechecked, and then cursed in his head.

No words were said, but a distinct gaze bore into the old man’s surprisingly straight back.

“One second, Lord.” The old healer declared.

Nearing closer to the little girl, he placed his right ear upon her chest and listened as hard as he could through the screaming Qi still rattling his Spiritual Senses.

When he finally heard a very weak thump, he rejoiced. “It’s there. Weak, but it's there.”

“Thank the Heavens.” With the definite confirmation, relief echoed from the Lord.

“Indeed, thank the Heavens for their mercy.” Came from Concubine Ye, beside the Lord. Though, a hidden glint vanished from her eyes as fast as it appeared.

“Indeed.” Agreeing with them, he interrupted them. “While it is heartening, the young lady is still with us… I must say that I don’t know how long this will take. Whatever this is. In that case, Lord, I must request that you send some of your servants to the Market and have them buy food for the Young Lady.”

“Food? Why? We have food here?” Concubine Ye inquired.

“Ah, are you afraid there would be a bad interaction if we nurture her with food filled with Qi? ” The Lord asked.

“Maybe? I don’t know.” Replied the old man while rubbing his long white beard. “But let’s not take the chance and have her starve during or after this tribulation has passed.”

“It will be done, don’t worry.”

Agreeing to the request, all three looked at the young lady of the house clad in an invisible flame.