Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 36

Chapter 36: Chapter 36

Feng Jiao Xue stayed indoors for a few days. "indoors’ being her small realm cultivating, solidifying her cultivation after the break through.

"Are you sure this is that trash’s place?" A servant frowned kicking a pebble.

"Yeah, a trash should live like trash" Another huffed looking around the now neatly cleaned courtyard.

"So, she’s still alive." Another scoffed.

"Unfortunately" The second servant replied in distaste. "I thought that the trash already died in a hole somewhere after being gone for so long"

"Tsk. Damned wench! She must have fed the crown prince an elixir or something! How could he stomach being with that ugly trash!" The first servant angrily yelled, brandishing her sword to strike down a tree only to be repelled back.

Yin Xiao who was looking at the servant from inside the courtyard ’huffed’, taking back his Qi before entering the little realm and looking for Feng Jiao Xue.

He followed her spiritual signature and found her sitting crossed legged below the waterfalls.

"Ngough" Yin Xiao gently nudged Feng Jiao Xue with his hoove to get her attention since Huang Jin De was also cultivating so he had taken it upon himself to ’guard’ their terriroty.

Feng Jiao Xue opened her eyes and petted Yin Xiao. "What’s wrong?" before he could answer Feng Jiao Xue already felt the presence of four others in the courtyard.

"Nevermind" she patted his head before vanishing from her her place and appearing on her bed.

Feng Jiao Xue adjusted her mask, her eyes narrowing as she assessed the four intruders in her courtyard. Their presence was an insult, but she had no intention of letting it pass unnoticed. These servants had chosen the wrong day to test her patience.

With a flick of her wrist, her slender whip materialized in her hand. It shimmered faintly, infused with her Qi, the energy coursing through it giving the weapon a sharp, almost ethereal edge. The coiled the whip around her hand, the sound of it snapping against the air enough to make the servants flinch.

"So," she began, her voice cold and laced with disdain, "you came here to insult me in my own home. I hope you didn’t think you’d leave without consequences."

"You sure this is a good idea?" Huang Jin De asked through their bond, having been broken out of his cultivating state due to th commotion. "What happened to staying low-key? The previous one could be excused as no one would associate you from the burned faced young miss of the Feng clan but this is a little bit too open."

Feng Jiao Xue’s lips tilted up slightly. "Don’t worry. I already have figured out my course of action. Make a plan and imagine every possible ways it can fail then make a plan for those failures and think of how they can fail."

"That’s... a little bit convoluted but as long as your sure, I’ll be here to support you" Huang Jin De sighed.

Seeing Feng Jiao Xue standing there, the first servant, emboldened by her lack of action, stepped forward with a sneer. "Consequences? What can a trash like you—!"

"Craaaa!" The crack of her whip cut through the air, silencing him mid-sentence. The tip of the whip struck the ground near her feet, sending up a spray of dirt. The servant stumbled back, her bravado faltering.

"You-, you- how can this be?! Who are you? There’s no way your that trash! This is the Feng Clan’s territory! You will not get away with trespassing he-ahh!"

"You talk too much," Feng Jiao Xue said flatly, hand firnly on the handly of her whip as the tip circled around the servant’s neck like a snake to it’s prey.

The second servant lunged at her, their sword aimed for her midsection making Feng Jiao Xue throw the first servant away with her whip.

Feng Jiao Xue’s movements were swift and precise. She sidestepped the attack and lashed out with her whip. The weapon coiled around the blade, and with a sharp tug, she disarmed the servant, sending their sword clattering to the ground.

"Careless," she remarked, snapping the whip again. This time, the tip struck the servant’s wrist, leaving a red welt.

The remaining two servants exchanged uneasy glances before attacking in unison.

"Kha! Kha!" The first servant coughed, hacking with her hand on her neck. "Get back up! Tell the guards there’s an introder in the clan!"

Feng Jiao Xue’s eyes gleamed behind her mask as she leaped into the air, her whip spiraling around her like a serpent. It struck the first servant across the shoulder, sending them crashing to the ground again, then coiled around the ankle of the second, yanking them off balance.

"Pathetic," she muttered, landing gracefully on her feet.

The rank two cultivator, stepped forward cautiously. He didn’t attack immediately, choosing instead to gather his Qi. Feng Jiao Xue watched him with interest, her whip hanging loosely at her side.

"Let’s see if you’re worth my time," she muses with cold blank eyes while a corner of her lips curled up.

The leader unleashed a burst of fiery Qi, aiming it directly at her. Feng Jiao Xue flicked her whip, and the energy surged forward like a wave. The whip’s Qi-infused tip collided with the fire, splitting it apart and dissipating it harmlessly.

The servant’s eyes widened in disbelief. "How...?"

"Your Qi control is sloppy," Feng Jiao Xue said calmly. "If this is the best you can do, you’re not even worth practicing on."

She moved in a blur, her whip striking with deadly precision. It coiled around the leader’s wrist, pulling him forward until they were on their knees before her. The other servants, battered and defeated, could only watch in stunned silence.

Feng Jiao Xue leaned closer, her voice dropping to a chilling whisper. "You thought you could walk into my courtyard and disrespect me? Let me make one thing clear, you’re alive because I allow it."

The leader trembled, their face pale. "We... we didn’t mean to—"

"Silence," she snapped, tightening the whip around their wrist until they winced in pain. "You’ll listen now."

She turned her gaze to the others, her tone sharp and commanding. "None of you will speak of what happened here. If word reaches anyone about this incident, I’ll make you pay. Do you understand?"

The servants nodded frantically, their earlier arrogance replaced by fear.

"Good," she said, releasing the leader and letting them collapse to the ground.

Feng Jiao Xue stepped back, her whip coiling around her arm as if it were a living extension of herself. She looked down at the group of defeated servants, her expression unreadable behind the mask.

She threw four small vials with green liquid at them. "Drink"

"What- what is this?" The first servant asked her hand trembling as she reached for the vial.

"It won’t kill you but..." She languidly coiled her whip back. "This will. Drink"

They looked warrily but a crack of her whip and they all complied.

In an instant, their faces turned purple as they collapsed to the ground writhing in agony, clawing their very skins that felt like being chewed on by a thousand fire ants. This was a ’milder’ version of the poison she gave her servant when she first arrived in this world.

"Perfect." She crossed her arms and leaned on Yin Xiao as he appeared beside her, curiously watching the fallen servants.

After a while she threw another vials at them. This time she threw small vials have light blue color.

"The antidote. Drink" She coldly informed them.

As if humans parched in the desert for a long time, they scrambled and drink the vial.

They gazed at her, eyes widened as they trembled before bowing at her feet. "Young miss is magnanimous, please forgive us! We were blinded! We’re sorry!" they all pleaded anxiously.

"Silence" She snapped looking at them with narrowed eyes.

"The antidote will only be for a week, after that...you know what would happen" She smirks making them all beg for her mercy even more in tears.

The courtyard was silent except for the rustle of leaves in the breeze. The servants knelt on the ground, trembling under Feng Jiao Xue’s icy gaze. The coiled whip in her hand seemed to emanate an oppressive aura, and the faint marks of its previous strikes lingered on their sleeves.

"Miss Feng, please! Spare us!" the first servant stammered, bowing repeatedly until her forehead touched the ground. Desperation laced her tone as she pointed a shaking finger at another servant. "I-It was all her idea! She told us to come here!"

"Me?" The second servant’s eyes widened in outrage. She scrambled to defend herself, her voice high-pitched and panicked. "Don’t listen to her! She’s lying! She was the one who said we should check if you were still alive!"

The third servant shook his head violently, his hands pressed together in a plea. "I swear, it wasn’t me! I didn’t even want to come! It was her!" He jabbed his finger toward the fourth servant, his tone rising with panic. "She’s the one who wanted to teach you a lesson for seducing the crown prince!"

The fourth servant burst into tears, her voice trembling as she clasped her hands in front of her. "No! That’s not true! I thought we were here to clean the courtyard! I didn’t know they were going to insult you, Miss Feng! I would never—"

"Enough. I will give you mercy. I can give you the antidote if you serve me"

Immediately, they all nodded like pecking chicken, kowtowing towards her promising that they will serve her well.

"Swear it upon your Dao," Feng Jiao Xue replied icily. Her eyes swept over the others, who flinched under her piercing gaze. "All of you. Swear upon your cultivation and the Heavens themselves that your loyalty is mine."

Wang Bo’s face turned ashen. "Swear... on our Dao?" His voice trembled, and he looked around nervously. A Dao oath was no trivial matter; breaking it could cripple a cultivator’s path or even lead to Heavenly Retribution.

"Yes," Feng Jiao Xue said coldly, her voice brooking no argument. "Swear it now, or..." She cracked the whip against the ground, the sound reverberating through the courtyard like a thunderclap.

Zhang Min was the first to bow low, her forehead pressed to the dirt. "I, Zhang Min, swear upon my Dao that I shall remain loyal to Feng Jiao Xue. I will speak no word of what happened here and will serve her faithfully. Should I break this oath, may my cultivation shatter, and the Heavens strike me down!"

A faint ripple of energy echoed in the air as her oath took hold, binding her words to her soul.

Li Fang followed quickly, her voice quivering. "I... I, Li Fang, swear upon my Dao the same! My loyalty, my silence, my service... all belong to Feng Jiao Xue. Should I falter, may I face the wrath of the Heavens!"

Wang Bo hesitated, his hands trembling. But the weight of Feng Jiao Xue’s gaze pressed down on him like a mountain. "I—I, Wang Bo, swear upon my Dao that I will be loyal to Feng Jiao Xue, and I shall not betray her trust or reveal what happened here. If I do, may my cultivation crumble, and may the Heavens punish me!"

Lan Mei was last, choking on her sobs as she whispered, "I... Lan Mei, swear upon my Dao. I am loyal to Feng Jiao Xue. I will not betray her... I will not—cannot go against her will. Should I break this oath, may my soul be destroyed by Heavenly Retribution!"

The air grew heavy, charged with an unseen force, as their Dao oaths solidified. Feng Jiao Xue regarded them coldly, her whip vanishing into her spatial ring with a flick of her wrist.

"Remember this moment," she said, her voice like frost. "You are bound by more than fear now. Serve me well, and I may forget this transgression. Betray me, and the Heavens themselves will ensure you suffer. I will give you the antidote every week if you swear your

"what- what do you want us to do young miss?" Wang Bo asked with a flattering expression trying to earn her favor.

"Simple, for now. You four came at just the right time~" Her tone turned into a slight purr.

"I want you to subtly spread the word about how I am treated. Don’t get caught but I’m sure you four knows how to do so" She remarked.

"yes, yes, it will be done! I have lot’s of friends in the capital! We can ’let it slip’ a few times how pitiful young miss is" Lan Mei agreed immediately her eyes glinting with greed seeing an opportunity.

Feng Jiao Xue is still a direct descendant of the Feng family and seeing as she is not really a trash, they never really bullied her before, it was all her previous servant that did it for them, so if they can serve her well, maybe they can get some benefits!

As if thinking so as well the other three looked at each other and vowed to get her orders done.

"Now, get out of my sight," she said coldly. "And remember, if I see any of you here again, I won’t be so merciful."

The servants scrambled to their feet and fled, leaving behind their weapons and what little dignity they had left.

As the courtyard fell silent once more, Feng Jiao Xue removed her mask and let out a soft sigh. Yin Xiao trotted over, nudging her hand with his nose.

"They were unworthy," she said, stroking his head. "But I suppose they served their purpose."

Huang Jin De’s voice broke the quiet as he emerged from the shadows, a smirk playing on his lips. "Well, that was entertaining. I didn’t know you could use a whip like that."

Feng Jiao Xue glanced at him, her expression softening slightly. "It’s a weapon like any other. It just requires control."

"Control, huh?" Huang Jin De chuckled. "Remind me never to get on your bad side."

She didn’t reply, but the faint smile tugging at her lips said enough.

"So, what exactly are you planning?" Huang Jin de asked curiously.

"Didn’t we already agree on it? The Feng Clan will serve as a powerful backing. All we have to do is deal with the second uncle’s family. For now, we start small"

Feng Jiao Xue knew the reason why no one ever bothered with her aside from them. They saw her as a disgrace, a shame to the family. Her parents where a powerful couple and had perhaps hoped she would bring prestige to the clan only to tern up as a good for nothing. The members of this clan take great pride in it and she was but a stint to it. She can’t really fault them for not caring.

But....

Feng Jiao Xue looked at a certain mountain where an old man is quietly cultivating inside one of its cave.

Surely, they would have feared his retribution...