"Second Young Master Lie, what is the origin of Divine Court?" Lie Sisi accompanied Lie Changshun when they left Qingxin Courtyard, and only after Lie Chang'an had left did she start to ask.
When Lie Sisi was in Qingxin Courtyard just now, she behaved humbly, and Lie Changshun was very satisfied with her attitude.
Lie Sisi had come with Second Young Master Lie to watch Third Master Lie punish and humiliate Yue Jinghua. Unexpectedly, the other side argued eloquently, and neither Second Young Master Lie nor Third Master Lie pursued the matter.
Upon reflection, she concluded that the reason must be related to the Divine Court.
"Sisi, you are still young. There are some rumors on the continent you have not yet heard of. First, tell Second Young Master Lie, how many levels of cultivation are there for Dark Practitioners? What powerful figures exist on the continent?" Lie Changshun led Lie Sisi to sit beside a pavilion in the mansion. Lie Family Mansion has flourished in recent years, but the scant population has always been an awkward issue.
Within the senior branch, Lie Changgong met with misfortune, leaving only Lie Rou's lineage. The second branch only has the grand-daughter Lie Sisi, and for the third branch, only Lies Mends to the third generation - no wonder Lie Chang'an had such a great reaction upon hearing that Lie Meng might have met with misfortune.
"The Canglong Continent was divided into two by the Blood Mist Sea. The West Continent is shrouded in blood mist and has been severed from the Eastern Continent for a thousand years. As for the Eastern Continent, the realms for Dark Practitioners include Dark Human Realm, Jade Dark Realm, Dark Earth Realm, Heavenly Dark Realm, Dark Pill Realm, Yin Yang Realm, Two Realm of Soul Seizing, Immortal Realm. There are many masters on the continent, and it's said that all below Jade Dark are mere ants. Above that are the National Guardian Heavenly Generals of Longzhan Country and Rui Song Duchy. Our Shang Kingdom also possesses peak Dark Practitioner masters, rumored to be genuine masters who have formed Dark Pills. However, the most renowned on the entire Eastern Continent are the ten Dark Saints. Alas, all ten Dark Saints are reclusive experts with elusive whereabouts, and outsiders rarely get a chance to see their true faces. Why does Second Young Master Lie ask this? Could Divine Court be connected to the National Guardian Heavenly Generals or the ten Dark Saints?" Lie Sisi asked, puzzled.
"The major powers you mentioned are still incomplete, to be precise, there should be two main countries, three strongholds and one hall, specifically Longzhan Country, Rui Song Duchy as two strong countries. In addition, there are Mercenary Guild, Assassin Alliance, Danlu, Divine Court. Seven of the top ten Dark Saints come from these three strongholds and one hall, with Divine Court occupying the first, fourth, and eighth saint positions." Sisi is truly wise, Lie Changshun thought contentedly, then said,"Lie Family Mansion has developed rapidly over the years, but it still falls far behind some truly old elite families of the Eastern Continent. That boy Lie Meng is a lost cause, this disappearance is likely to bring more harm than good."
Lie Changshun snorted. How could he not know the thoughts of his third brother? Although the population is sparse in Lie Family Mansion, he has been relying on Lie Meng being the male grandson, hoping to one day monopolize the Lie Family Mansion.
Lie Sisi listened with a swayed and captivated mind, a subtle gleam slipping through her eyes, and thought to herself: Canglong Continent truly harbors hidden dragons and crouching tigers, I've been on Canglong Continent for over three years, and yet what I know of this continent is merely the tip of the iceberg. Although she thought this, her expression remained humbly serene.
"Shang Kingdom is only a tiny country, sandwiched between the two major countries - Dragon War Empire and Rui Song Duchy. The balance of power between these two has been relatively maintained, allowing for the current prosperity, but how long this prosperity can last is uncertain. Mercenary Guild and Assassin Alliance, frankly, are just profiteers who take people's money and do their bidding, not a threat. Danlu and Divine Court, however, besides the two main countries, are major forces indeed. Danlu is a gathering place for alchemists of the continent, back then Madam of Lie Old Castle, Feng Wanwan, as a High-level Alchemist, was highly sought after within the borders of Shang Kingdom, any easterly pharmacy acknowledged by Danlu would rise meteorically in status, showing the influence of Danlu. Humph, only pity the elder sister-in-law. As for Divine Court, its origins are even more profound and mysterious, rumored to have a history of nearly a thousand years, with talents and wealth within the court even surpassing the combined total of the two major countries. Not to mention other aspects, just possessing three Dark Saints is enough to make others envious," Lie Changshun seemed both concerned and reverent.
Among the three brothers of Lie family, Lie Changgong had the most outstanding talent, breaking through to Heavenly Mysterious Realm before he was even thirty. As for him and his other brother, they were individuals of moderate talent, unsure if they could even step into the Heavenly Mysterious Realm in their lifetimes.
"Cousin Jinghua's fate is truly good, being favored by the Divine Court," Lie Sisi bit her lip, her eyelashes fluttering to conceal the jealousy in her eyes.
"It's just a token of a palace disciple after all. Divine Court, from low to high, is divided into three levels: palace, judge, divine. A palace disciple is merely someone on errands. Sisi, you possess good talent, especially in alchemy where you have been found to have exceptional talent. For the next few years, first study some alchemy recipes at home and Xuanji Academy, and concoct more Elixir Pills. When the time is ripe, I'll find a way for you to be accepted into Danlu. After that, Divine Court will also be within reach," upon hearing this, Lie Sisi couldn't contain her joy.
Thinking of the ineffectual descendants of his elder and younger brothers, Lie Changshun felt consoled, though he had only this one granddaughter, she was growing more and more outstanding, unlike Yue Jinghua, who although extremely talented as a child, grew up to become less impressive.
When Lie Sisi was twelve years old, after waking up from a severe fever, it seemed like she had an overnight epiphany, becoming much more intelligent, and she also developed an outstanding appearance, which would surely bring glory to Lie Family Mansion. Remembering this, Lie Changshun felt a wave of relief, as for the life and death of Lie Meng, he truly wasn't concerned.
After the meal, Yue Jinghua accompanied Lie Rou, setting up an altar to worship their ancestors and offer incense.
Lie Rou did not go to the ancestral temple of Lie Family Mansion; instead, she ordered several old servants to set up a table of offerings in the direction of south within Qingxin Courtyard. The altar was placed in the north wing's courtyard, bearing the ancestral tablet of Madam of Lie Old Castle, Feng Wanwan.
"Kneel and bow several times to your great-grandmother, that spot was where she practiced alchemy," after going mad, Lie Changgong left to wander the continent alone. Although both old members of the Lie family believed him to be dead, Lie Rou always refused to accept it, so she never went to worship at the ancestral temple, but only worshiped in the courtyard facing south, where Feng Wanwan's alchemy room was located.
After Yue Jinghua finished her rites, she looked up and noticed the alchemy room ahead was pitch dark.
"Mother, I want to check the alchemy room," after Feng Wanwan's death and Lie Changgong's disappearance, all the alchemy recipes and tools left from her previous life were taken by the Lie brothers. Yue Jinghua and her mother were not fond of reading books, only Yue Chen would occasionally visit the alchemy room to read books.
After getting Lie Rou's permission, Yue Jinghua went to the alchemy room alone.
Yue Jinghua's purpose in visiting the alchemy room was naturally not to reminisce about the deceased. After returning to Jingxin Courtyard, she discreetly noticed that there were only a few old slaves in the courtyard, and Lie Rou was dressed in plain clothes. After inquiring Hongling, she learned that after arriving at Lie Family Mansion, the Lie family had arbitrarily deducted their salary. All the expenses of the courtyard were funded by the young lord of Longzhan Country, who was Yue Jinghua's elder brother, Yue Minzhi.
With the Yue family bankrupt, Yue Minzhi stayed alone in Longzhan Country to pay off debts, and the salary he could send was limited. Additionally, Yue Jinghua had previously spent a substantial amount of money to get into Xuanji Academy, and now Jingxin Courtyard was impoverished.
Upon entering the alchemy room, Yue Jinghua felt a wave of intense energy.
In the alchemy room, there were four or five large herb cabinets filled with inexpensive herbs left by Feng Wanwan that the Lie brothers disdained.
Due to the stuffy and unventilated side room, these herbs were well-preserved.
Apart from that, there were some worn-out books and several dusty Elixir Furnaces scattered on the floor.
At first glance, anything of value in the alchemy room seemed to have been taken away by the Lie brothers.
Yue Jinghua's experience from two lifetimes told her not to judge by appearances.
Especially after she became a Summoner and made significant progress in Divine Sense.
She walked to the easternmost bookshelf and pushed it, following a heavy creaking noise, several stone bricks noticeably different in color from the surroundings revealed themselves.
After tapping lightly a few times, a smile spread across Yue Jinghua's face.
"No wonder my great-grandmother chose this place for the alchemy room; indeed, there's a Dark Fire Spiritual Vein hidden here. Those two old fools of the Lie family really missed the point this time. They took away the alchemy recipe and medicine book, but overlooked the most important part," Yue Jinghua delightedly remarked, having discovered during the ritual that the flow of fire elements was very active in the alchemy room.
She extended her hand, her fingers supple and boneless, and quickly made a sealing gesture. In a moment, a seed-sized azure flame danced in Yue Jinghua's hand.