The Su clan residence truthfully could not just simply be considered a mansion. That mansion was just a large portion of a compound reserved for the direct line of the Su family, which Qingcheng is a part of. She has a brother and a sister also in this lineage. Fortunately for Qingcheng, a large part of why she was able to endure this long was due to the support of her direct family, who knew how hard Qingcheng was working to try and reverse her misfortune. It seemed that most of the clan members who ridiculed Qingcheng belonged to the extended family, who were jealous of Qingcheng's former talent.

Yao Meiyue was clearly able to realize Qingcheng's former talent, otherwise she would not have bothered to appear and extend an olive branch to her. It should be said that when it comes to manipulating Tianqi, every person had at least one elemental affinity out of the five that populated the continent – Fire, Water, Wood, Earth and Metal. The more of these elements you had an affinity to, the stronger you would naturally be able to become. Qingcheng was one of those rare existences who had affinity with all five of them, making her a Penta-Essence Tianqi User. Even her siblings could only use four out of five of them. However, she indeed lost everything due to that accident. Meiyue could only lament about this misfortune.

On the way back, Qingcheng attempted to question how Yao Meiyue knew so much about her and her family. Though the spirit was not willing to share a lot, Qingcheng could gather that Meiyue was definitely closely connected to her mother. As for the nature of the relationship, she couldn't figure this out at the moment. Unable to extract more out of Yao Meiyue, Qingcheng inwardly sighed and made her way to the mansion. At the great hall of the mansion which also served as the main family's dining room, sat a handsome, well-kept young man who would be about two years older than Qingcheng. He had short, nicely groomed black hair and his face looked quite pleasant to look at. Actually, this man was in fact Xiao Tie. Though Qingcheng abhorred the idea of getting married to this good-looking fellow, she had to admit that even she would have felt a bit moved if Xiao Tie didn't already have a horrible reputation of being a chauvinistic pig. Every young girl he flirted or had a fling with ended up having horrid relations with him. This didn't improve Qingcheng's image of him at all.

Seated next to Xiao Tie were two old wizened men. Meiyue could immediately identify that they were powerful men in the Tianqi Sage stratum, which could be said to be a whole four stratum higher than Qingcheng herself, and only slightly weaker than a Tianqi Emperor. Truly, the Xiao clan could not be looked down upon either. Most likely, the two old men, who were both stroking their beards pensively upon seeing Qingcheng enter the room, were high-ranking grand elders of the Xiao clan. Nearby, Qingcheng saw her parents and brother and sister seated also.

Yao Meiyue immediately concealed her spiritual signature, which caused a very quick glint to flash from her necklace. This did not escape Qingcheng's sight who had abnormal spiritual perception to begin with, but Su Ran saw this and flashed a look at surprise towards the young cripple. However this look of surprise disappeared as fast as it arose. Qingcheng quickly noted her mother's reaction to heart and would ask about this later. Now, however, she had more important things to worry about.

Xiao Tie chuckled as he saw Su Qingcheng enter the room. "Darling. I know that our marriage is a year from now. You are no longer the bright jade that you once were; why do you insist on resisting? You can't keep hiding behind your parents forever." He flashed a venomous, lustful look at Qingcheng which caused the girl to involuntarily shudder and freeze in place. Her brother, Su Mujian, clenched his fists and stared angrily at Xiao Tie, unable to stand his behavior. Her sister, Su Yanran, remained emotionless before looking at Qingcheng with a genuinely worried expression.

Qingcheng soon regained her composure and cleared her throat. "Shut up," Qingcheng scowled, causing the two elders near Xiao Tie to angrily release their Tianqi aura in response to the girl's impudence. Whether it was due to Meiyue or not, Qingcheng somehow barely managed to resist this imposing pressure, she immediately started to sweat. Su Ran looked worryingly also towards her daughter, but said nothing. "I'm here to issue a challenge!" Qingcheng growled. Her father Su Zhan tilted his head.

"My dear child. You aren't in a position to make demands like that. Why won't you give us any face?! We have been patient enough with you for four years already. Yet you show no signs of recovery!" Su Zhan wasn't angry, but even Qingcheng had to admit that she was at a disadvantage. Out of everyone present, it appeared only Su Ran and Su Yanran had a positive opinion of Qingcheng currently. Su Ran clearly knew something about the necklace Qingcheng was wearing while Su Yanran just seemed to always harbor some deeper feelings for her younger sister. Qingcheng stared angrily at her father for a brief second before softening her gaze. "You really do not understand. This time, I can promise you that from now until the day of the supposed marriage agreement, I will be able to repair my broken body and promote three ranks and then break through to the Geomancer stratum." Qingcheng folded her arms confidently.

A brief glint flashed in Su Ran's eyes, which did not escape Qingcheng's notice. Definitely, Su Qingcheng noted to herself she would confront her mother privately about this matter. Xiao Tie stared incredulously at Qingcheng before he burst out laughing. The auras of his two grand elder companions also relaxed themselves, as they thought Qingcheng was going to do something stupid like attack the guy. After all, Qingcheng was only a cripple while Xiao Tie was already a first rank Tianqi Geomancer. The difference between them right now was like the difference between heaven and earth.

"You make me laugh! I really like it when young women like you know how to be feisty and have a backbone! After all, I wouldn't like for my future wife to be someone weak!"

"You…" Qingcheng growled. "You don't get it. I refuse to be with a guy like you, who squanders the reputation of your clan just to get into bed with women, treating them like conquests. How do you have such a thick face to disgrace your elders and fellow clan members!?" Truthfully speaking, the Xiao Clan itself was not bad. The Xiao and Su clans shared a relatively harmonious relationship, and Su Qingcheng was friends with many of their young ladies. However, the behavior of this Xiao Tie was just too much. Qingcheng couldn't bear it anymore. Even the elders who were with Xiao Tie looked at him with a bit of shame, clearly they now took Qingcheng's side, whose words were filled with a tone that only a middle-aged woman could speak. Clearly, the experiences in Qingcheng's past life contributed here.

"Little b…" Xiao Tie was about to curse Qingcheng out loud when one of his companions slapped him in the back, causing him to choke on his words.

The elder who did this stared at Su Qingcheng before sighing. "Fine. I see what you mean. After all, we do share a good relationship. I would hate for your parents and grandparents to see one of their children get married off to… This guy. You can blame his father for this. But the fact remains that currently you are a cripple. How about this. A year from now, if you manage to become a Tianqi Geomancer like you say you can become, I will force this Xiao Tie's dad, who is my son, to rescind the marriage arrangement, and the ties between you and him, the younger generation, can be cut off. You will then be free to choose who you want to marry. However, this is only under the presumption that you can restore your Tianqi paths." the elder declared.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Elder Xiao Ma…" Xiao Tie grumbled.

"Shut up, brat. You'll still get what you want if she really can't fulfill the promise she made to herself. Clearly, she has set her mind on it. Can't you keep it in for a year, kid!" The elder named Xiao Ma couldn't take it anymore as he began to act a bit more juvenile. This sight made Su Ran a little worried, but upon staring at Qingcheng's necklace, she felt relieved.

"Then, it's settled," Su Qingcheng slammed her palms on the circular dining table. "A year from now. If I fail to become a Tianqi Geomancer, I will be willingly married to this fellow. If I succeed, I will divorce myself of any relations with him! I, Su Qingcheng, will swear this on my life and my clan's honor."

Old Xiao Ma sighed, nodding. Deep in Xiao Tie's heart, however, though he did not show it, he felt a bit excited. How could a cripple stuck at the second rank of a Tianqi User suddenly rise up four levels in the span of a year? Wasn't this too abnormal? Therefore, Xiao Tie actually had no reason to worry. It was like his elder Xiao Ma said. Just endure a year.

"Then, we'll take our leave." The other elder who hadn't spoken at all during this meeting seemed excited to leave, as he began to become afraid of Su Qingcheng's gaze, which at this point seemed to have reminded him of something.

Su Zhan looked quizzically at the other elder's fearful expression. However, he didn't blow it up to big proportions. "Please take care, old He," Su Zhan sighed. "Yanran, Mujian, please see these fellows out." He beckoned to the other two kids who nodded respectfully and began to lead the Xiao clan guys out, leaving Su Qingcheng alone with her mother and father.

"Are you crazy?!" Su Zhan yelled at his daughter who had the courage to speak so defiantly despite being in such a situation.

"I meant what I said, father. I mean no disrespect to you, or the clan. But are you all really comfortable with me being married off to a guy like him? Wouldn't you be afraid about my future with him? I wouldn't have complained if it were a nice man like Xiao Hei, but you had to submit to a guy like Xiao Tie's dad…" Su Qingcheng sighed.

Su Ran and Su Zhan both had awkward smiles. It was indeed like their daughter said. "Aii, it cannot be helped. Our dear Qingcheng seems to possess an abnormal worldly knowledge beyond her years. Why did such a misfortune have to befall our smartest child?" Su Zhan frowned. "I feel unwell. Dear Ran, I need to rest." He immediately left the room before Su Ran could respond.

"Mother, I want to ask you some questions." Qingcheng looked at Su Ran intently, before her mother sighed and nodded.

Qingcheng and Su Ran were sat next to each other on a bed. Actually, this was Su Qingcheng's room, which she had forcefully dragged her mother to. She then fingered her necklace before showing it to Su Ran.

"Can you explain to me what this is all about?"

Su Qingcheng, you brat! Why are you—

Before Meiyue could exclaim her protests mentally, Su Ran opened her mouth to speak. "I don't really like to talk about it, but this… This was before I got married to your old Su Zhan…" Su Ran sighed, it seemed it opened up some unpleasant memories for her. "Knowing the mysteries of this necklace would not benefit you from the meantime. But since you have seemingly caused it to wake up, I have confidence in you being able to meet the challenge."

Nie Ran… The sad, melancholic voice of Yao Meiyue reverberated in Su Qingcheng's mind. If Qingcheng was not wrong, 'Nie' must have been the maiden surname of Su Ran before she got married. That means Yao Meiyue must have been alive long ago before Su Ran even got married. Clearly, the spirit had a complicated past that Su Qingcheng at present didn't want to entangle herself in. Realizing this, Su Qingcheng sighed and gave up trying to ask anything more from her mother. She only smiled when hearing Su Ran's words of encouragement.

Her mother gently gave her pats on the head. "Don't worry about it. Those records… I know you spent a long time reading them, but that necklace which I gave you definitely is a lot better than that. You'll know in due time what I mean. For the meantime, get some rest. I'll leave you alone for now. I better comfort that old fart dad of yours, haha!" Su Ran joked as she quietly left the room, closing the door behind her.

Su Qingcheng stared blankly at the door before the spiritual form of Yao Meiyue suddenly flew out of the necklace. Now that Su Qingcheng could see her face to face, her expression became awkward, reddening quickly. It seemed Meiyue could only be described as a beautiful, voluptuous goddess capable of conquering any man's dream. Gulp.

"Ehhh…"

I'm going to be your Teacher from now on. Otherwise, that Nie Ran wouldn't be able to forgive me for abandoning you! Yao Meiyue spoke, causing Su Qingcheng to be a bit startled as she hurriedly addressed her reverently as 'Master.' Anyway, you should be lucky that you have an abnormal spiritual sense. You definitely inherited your potential from your mother. If it weren't for that guy, Su Zhan, she could have been a Tianqi Emperor also! Aii, it's like love does strange things…

"Err, Master?"

Yao Meiyue shuddered, her image going illusory for a moment before she adopted a demure stance. Quickly, she regained her composure. Right. Sorry about that. I was reminiscing on some old times. Anyway, the first thing to do is to clear your Tianqi paths. I can prepare some medicine for you, but I am in need of ingredients. I know enough to know that your Su clan has almost everything I need. The last thing I require, you will need to get it yourself. Okay, write these things down…

Su Qingcheng nodded as Yao Meiyue recited the ingredients that she needed to prepare medicine. In this world, there were two kinds of medicines. Pills and elixirs. Both were for oral consumption, but obviously one was solid and the other was liquid. This medicine would be an elixir, it seemed Yao Meiyue could be considered something like a scientist in Qingcheng's previous life. Thousand-year-old Ginseng, Devil Lemongrass, Sunset Sky Fruit, Ocean Eye and the last component which could not be easily gained in the Su clan's reserves, the neidan of a First Level Metal attribute beast. Actually, in the Liandou continent, humans weren't the only things out there that could use Tianqi. There were magical beasts that also behaved in the same way, and were ranked similarly except classified in terms of numerical levels. Obviously, a neidan or 'internal core' could not be easily obtained in the clan. Su Qingcheng surmised she would have to purchase these.

"What kind of medicine does Master intend to make?" Qingcheng asked.

You are a rare heaven-defying Penta-Essence user, thus the medicine I will prepare has to have these five essences also to rebuild and fix your broken paths. The ginseng serves as the base, the neidan serves as the coagulating agent, while the other three ingredients will be used to serve as the three elemental essences not accounted for by the other two ingredients. Trust me, I wouldn't mess this up for you. I know your mother trusts me too. Otherwise, she would not blindly believe in you like that. Yao Meiyue explained. Then, somehow, she magicked to existence a giant cauldron in the middle of the room. It seemed Yao Meiyue really was not so simple. This cauldron shall be used to brew the elixir. It is a Sky Xuan Turtle Cauldron, one of the only ones in existence. Thanks to your spiritual sense, I can easily materialize it. But not for very long, since your tianqi paths are damaged and I require some of your energy to keep it in the physical world. Meiyue then made it disappear into thin air. However, once you get fixed up, things will start to fall into place.

"It appears I have a long struggle ahead of me for this one year. As long as my family believes in me, I will persevere." Qingcheng uttered to herself softly. Nodding in approval, Yao Meiyue quickly retreated back into the necklace, which Qingcheng hid beneath her clothes. Rest for tonight and prepare to gather the ingredients in the morning.

Qingcheng decided to sleep early tonight.

While she was sleeping, Su Yanran, Qingcheng's older sister, snuck into the room and stared at Su Qingcheng with a loving expression. "Like mother, I believe in you too. If you somehow fail, I will make sure that dirty Xiao Tie will die in my two hands." Su Yanran whispered into the sleeping Su Qingcheng's ear.