"Miss."
A servant gestured forward.
"This way."
"Mm."
Zhou Ruxuan nodded. As the two crossed a courtyard, the faint sound of crying drifted from within.
"This is Ying'er's courtyard, isn't it?"
She paused for a moment.
"What's wrong?"
"In response to your question, Miss," the servant said, bowing his head. "Miss Ying'er is to be married into the An family of Waang City soon. I imagine she's upset about leaving her family."
"Married off..." A look of confusion crossed Zhou Ruxuan's face. "How old is she?"
"Ah, that's right. Ying'er is already sixteen this year. She's reached the age for marriage discussions."
The servant agreed.
"Aunt Xuan!"
Just then, a boy of about ten ran over, glaring at Zhou Ruxuan with furious eyes.
"You're the one who stole my big brother's spot to enter the Profound Ice Cave, aren't you?"
"You must be Zhou Yao," Zhou Ruxuan said, her expression unchanging. "The spots for the Profound Ice Cave are decided by the family and the clan elders together. This year, it was simply my turn."
"You're lying!" the boy shouted, pointing at her angrily. "There's no precedent for a woman from the Zhou Family to enter the Profound Ice Cave! It's just because the Patriarch spoils and favors you."
"I won't accept it!"
"And another thing..."
He pointed to the next courtyard and said,
"Sister Ying is getting married at sixteen, but you're an old woman of twenty and still living in the Zhou Mansion! Everyone knows you and that Zhu Ju have been carrying on for ages. You should have married into the Zhu Family by now!"
"You're just trying to monopolize the Zhou Family's resources, which is why you keep delaying your marriage! It's against the rules!"
SLAP!
Zhou Ruxuan's hand flew out, her pretty face dark and cold.
"Shut your mouth!"
"What do you know?"
It was true that her father had favored her when she was young.
But in recent years, she had hardly used anything from the Zhou Family. All her resources came from Zhu's Cloth Workshop and the mines outside the city.
As for the right to enter the Profound Ice Cave, she had traded Spiritual Ore for it.
"Oof..." The boy clutched his face, backing away as he burst into tears.
"But it's true! My older brothers and sisters all say so! The family's resources are limited. If you take them, there's nothing left for us!"
"I won't accept it!"
Just then, two servant women rushed over in a panic. One of them clamped a hand over the boy's mouth.
"Oh, my heavens!"
"Young Master, how could you run off like that? If the Mistress finds out, we'll be skinned alive!"
"Hurry back, hurry back!"
Watching the servant women drag the boy away, Zhou Ruxuan's expression didn't soften in the slightest.
Instead, it grew even colder and more severe.
She could feel many eyes on her, all filled with hostility.
The once-warm Zhou Mansion felt increasingly cold.
She didn't believe the boy had come to complain on his own accord. His words were certainly not his thoughts alone.
Even...
Even her second brother was the same!
For something as important as entering the Profound Ice Cave, her second brother hadn't even shown up. He clearly wanted to distance himself from her.
For a moment, Zhou Ruxuan thought, 'I should just marry into the Zhu Mansion and be done with it. It would save me from all this suffering here.'
'No!'
'I still have to continue my Cultivation and reach the Sixth Grade.'
'Father said that if I can become a Sixth Grade before I turn thirty, everything will change.'
"Let's go."
"To the Profound Ice Cave."
"Yes," the servant replied, resuming his lead.
After passing through several checkpoints, Zhou Ruxuan entered the ice cellar alone. She pushed open a heavy wall of ice, revealing a cavern that descended straight into the earth.
The Profound Ice Cave was the core of the Zhou Family.
Even the founding of the Zhou Family was related to it.
According to legend, this cave was formed from the Essence Spirit of a powerful expert who had passed away long ago. Cultivating the Profound Ice Force here was twice as effective.
She continued downward.
One after another, frozen human figures came into view.
"Father!"
Stopping before one of the ice sculptures, Zhou Ruxuan's eyes reddened, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.
Zhou Huaishan was not dead.
Or rather,
none of the Zhou Family ancestors frozen here were truly dead. Their conditions were simply untreatable, so they were sealed in ice, their lives suspended, waiting for a future descendant to find a cure and bring about their Resurrection from the ice.
These ice sculptures, these ice coffins—they were the proof of the Zhou Family's legacy, passed down through the generations.
HUFF...
She let out a long breath. The warm air turned to white mist, then condensed into frost that fell to the ground.
Zhou Ruxuan's expression hardened. She strode into a nearby ice chamber and sat down cross-legged.
*
*
*
「Midnight. The Lii River.」
A warship bearing the emblem of the Divine Dynasty Navy slowly entered the mouth of the river, coming to a stop on the calm water.
"Brother Zhu."
Zhang Kui, his face covered by a thick beard, stood on the deck and called out in a booming voice, "This is as far as I can take you. Any further and we'll be outside our patrol area."
"I appreciate the trouble." Zhu Ju cupped his fists. "Getting me this far has already saved me a great deal of effort."
"Haha..." Zhang Kui laughed heartily. "Here!"
He handed over a Token and said, "Take this. With it, and the Primordial Crystals you have, you can get what you want from that old monster."
"Don't be in a hurry to come back."
"The Island of Continuous Mountains is a fine place, filled with treasures from the East Sea and rarities from the mainland. It's a place that makes you want to stay forever!"
"I have long heard of its fame," Zhu Ju said, his gaze fixed on the distance. "I was just about to go and see for myself."
He had been in this world for many years but had never truly ventured outside Taiyuan Prefecture. This was the perfect opportunity.
"Men!" Zhang Kui shouted. "Lower a boat and see Brother Zhu off to sea."
SPLASH!
WHOOSH...
A small boat was lowered into the water. Zhu Ju leaped onto it, cupped his fists to the men above, and with a light tap of his foot, the boat shot across the water, heading straight for the East Sea.
On the large ship, one of the men spoke in a low voice, "Chief."
"He's just an Eighth-Grade Martial Artist, and already twenty years old. He's unlikely to achieve much on the path of Martial Arts. Why are you so polite to him?"
"Hmph..." Zhang Kui scoffed lightly. "I do things as I please."
"Zhu Ju's Cultivation may not be high, but he has a good character and we get along well. That makes him a friend."
"If someone has a malicious heart and commits evil deeds, I wouldn't respect them even if their Cultivation was profound!"
"In life and in work, how can one bully the weak and fawn over the powerful?"
"...Yes." The man's expression shifted, and he lowered his head. "You are right to correct me, Chief."
...
「Island of Continuous Mountains.」
On one of the islands, a man in a white robe stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the moon. His eyes seemed to be filled with its shimmering light.
It was as if moonlight itself was descending from the heavens and pouring into his pupils.
"My Lord."
A person entered from outside the courtyard, holding up a letter. "The Obsidian Spirit Vein we were excavating in Taiyuan Prefecture has been taken by a local family named Zhou. They are now selling the ore."
"Obsidian?" The man withdrew his gaze from the moon and turned his head, his face betraying no emotion.
His skin was firm, like a youth's, but his expression was calm and astute, making his age impossible to guess.
"I recall it was a small mine?"
"Yes," the subordinate replied. "I estimated that fully excavating it would yield a profit of five to eight thousand Primordial Crystals."
"Since it's a small mine, its loss is no great matter. However, Obsidian is quite rare. Buy it back," the man said with a wave of his hand. "Also... how did we lose it?"
Several thousand Primordial Crystals seemed to be a trivial matter to him.
"We were originally cooperating with the Celestial Eagle Thieves. However, for some unknown reason, they offended the Huang Family. Except for their leader, Yue Xihong, and a few others who managed to escape, the rest were all killed," the subordinate replied.
"The Spirit Vein was also lost to a merchant named Zhu Ju."
"Hmm..."
"This person has recently been spotted on the Island of Continuous Mountains."
"Oh?" The man raised an eyebrow. "A merchant from Taiyuan Prefecture coming to the Island of Continuous Mountains to do business. That's rather uncommon."
"My Lord, that is not the case," the subordinate said. "Zhu Ju obtained a Merit Token from the Navy and intends to trade it for something from Old Cripple."
"As for what he wants to trade for, I was unable to find out."
The Divine Dynasty Navy can earn merit by killing Water Bandits, Water Demons, and the like. This merit can be exchanged for various resources.
However, going through the official channels for this exchange is troublesome, which has led to a private market.
Some people specialize in buying merit from the Navy, as they have the means to quickly exchange it for resources.
The Navy commanders are also happy with this arrangement.
After all, if they went through the normal process, it would take at least half a year. It's better to sell it to others at a discount.