My father would never have taken this path. But unexpectedly, it was destiny that the little girl accidentally ended up on Yunzhou Island.
"Grandmother, I think I was wrong about Yunzhou Island."
Old Madam Ji reached out and touched her small face. "You donât need to blame yourself; this is all destiny. When will you be back? Have you encountered any danger now?"
"Grandmother, donât you want to see Great-grandfather again? Great-grandfather doesnât have much time left, and neither do my great-uncles!"
Upon hearing these words, Old Madam Jiâs brow furrowed. "What did you say?"
Her father had transferred all his Power to Xiaosuisui, and his time was running out; that she could understand. But just now, Suisui had added "and my great-uncles"! This, she couldnât comprehend.
"Grandmother, Great-grandfather has activated the Array of Heaven. My seventh uncle and I are the key people to break through it. If we succeed, Yunzhou Island will undergo earth-shattering changes. After that, I donât know if Yunzhou Island will even exist in this world anymore."
"The Array of Heaven? Thatâs the Dragon-Locking Array! It seals a regionâs Qi-borne fortune, nourishing all things. Itâs said that breaking through the Array of Heaven allows one to soar to the nine heavens!"
Old Madam Ji clutched her chest, gasping for breath, and nearly fainted.
"Grandmother, do you know the wonders of this Array of Heaven?"
"What wonders? Thatâs a fatal trial! No wonder your Second Aunt divined a hexagram of great misfortune! So thatâs what it was! That damned old codger, Yun Yi! What was he rushing for? Youâre still so young, and he sent you into such a dangerous place?"
Old Madam Ji was so furious she started cursing. Even though decades had passed since she last saw him, she still wanted to give her old father a thorough tongue-lashing.
"Grandmother! Do you want to see Great-grandfather? While I still have a little time, I can let you meet him!"
"I wonât see him! That wretched old man! He was born to be my bane. Back then, he failed to trick me into inheriting all his Power, which would have been disastrous for me. I never expected he would bring disaster upon you!"
"Grandmother, since you donât want to see him, then donât! If we successfully break through the array, I will do my best to protect the lives of the people on Yunzhou Island!"
"Child! Did they tell you that if you and your seventh uncle successfully break through the Array of Heaven, youâll both be fine, but if you fail, Yunzhou Island and all of you will perish?"
Xiaosuisui nodded. "It seems so. When I entered the array, I think I heard Great-grandfather, the National Master, and His Majesty, my adoptive father, say that. Thatâs why they forcibly sent His Majesty, my adoptive father, the National Master, the pretty big sister, Princess Ata, and Li Yanyan away from Yunzhou Island."
Old Madam Ji couldnât help but shake her head. "Theyâre deceiving you. You must have figured it out by now. If the Array of Heaven is broken through, Yunzhou Island will face the danger of annihilation. After all, that means seizing an immense Qi-borne fortune and unsealing the bindings of a whole region of heaven and earth. Tiny Yunzhou Island cannot withstand such a massive influx of fortune."
Xiaosuisui had inherited all the Power of the old Island Master Yun. Coupled with her own proficiency in the Qi Observation Technique, she quickly discerned the intricacies of this array after entering the Array of Heaven.
"I did figure it out, but Iâm a little confused. If this array isnât broken, my seventh uncle and I will die inside. Great-grandfather clearly knew I possess great Qi-borne fortune and would surely be able to break this array. So why didnât they leave Yunzhou Island on the ship with His Majesty, my adoptive father, and the others? Why stay here and take such a huge risk?"
"My Suisui has indeed grown up. It seems your cultivation of understanding othersâ minds hasnât been in vain; you even know how to reflect on things now."
"Grandmother, do you know the reason behind this?"
Old Madam Ji sighed softly upon hearing this and said, "Thatâs because opportunity and danger coexist! If they were to leave, it would mean losing a great opportunity."
In fact, it wasnât just about the opportunity. Old Madam Ji also knew that if the people of Yunzhou Island left with the Emperorâs ship, there was a high chance that even the Emperor and his retinue would perish at sea and never return!
"But if they donât leave, they might lose their lives too!" Xiaosuisui said dejectedly.
"Even so, they are doing this willingly. Child, go ahead and do what you must, boldly! Donât worry too much. This is the choice of the people of Yunzhou Island! Regardless of whether they succeed or fail, Grandmother only hopes that you and your seventh uncle can return safely!"
"Grandmother, are you really sure you donât want to see Great-grandfather?"
When Old Madam Ji heard Xiaosuisui press her again, she erupted in anger. "What would I see him for? To thank him for sending the two of you into such a perilous place? I canât even give him a good thrashing here, so whatâs the point of seeing him!"
Xiaosuisui was speechless and could only send Old Madam Ji out of the Dream Realm.
"Sheâs awake! Motherâs awake!"
Seeing Old Madam Ji slowly awaken, Huo XingâEr was instantly overjoyed and hurriedly asked, "Mother, did you see Suisui? How is she? Is she truly in danger? Where should we go to find her?"
Old Madam Ji sat up, closed her eyes for a moment, concealing all her sorrow.
"Sheâs fine for now, thereâs no danger. You donât need to look for her."
"Thatâs good. Then when will they be back?" Ji Youran asked. "I heard Xiaosuisui inherited the true essence of my Medical Skill from before my amnesia. Iâm still waiting for her to return so we can exchange insights!"
When Ji Youran heard that Xiaosuisui and his younger brother were alright, his heart immediately settled.
"They wonât be back for quite a while," Old Madam Ji stated.
"Ah!" Huo XingâEr exclaimed, a sudden sense of foreboding washing over her.
"She and Old Seventh have entered a forbidden place. They wonât be able to leave for quite some time. You and Third Sister-in-Law should stop looking for her."
After saying this, Old Madam Ji was unwilling to speak further and directly ushered Huo XingâEr and Ji Youran out of the room.
Suisui! Grandmother knows, if you wanted to save them, you definitely could, right? But your grandmother is very selfish; I only want you both to be safe!
ăIn the Array of Heavenă
Xiaosuisui slowly awoke. Ji Youzhi opened his eyes, looked at her, and said softly, "Youâre awake!"
Xiaosuisui nodded. "Iâm alright now. Seventh Uncle, letâs prepare to break through the array!"