Chapter Sixty-Six: Seeds of Doubt

Feng Ke’er was flung out of the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants by an inexplicable force that seized her collar and tossed her aside.

“Heng’er!” A startled cry reached her ears, and in the next instant, she landed in a soft, fragrant embrace.

Looking up, she saw Qin Hanyan’s face, a mixture of surprise and joy.

It turned out Qin Hanyan, quick-eyed and deft, had rushed over and caught her in her arms at the crucial moment.

“Grand-aunt,” she blinked, uttering a weak greeting, but inwardly she was rejoicing—ever since she’d encountered the mysterious black-robed figure in the forest, she’d been extra cautious, reverting to her appearance as Qin Heng. Previously, upon entering the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants, she’d been defeated instantly, and upon awakening, had resumed her true form. Since then, she thought herself the only living soul in the place and, to avoid trouble, hadn’t bothered to transform again.

Qin Hanyan assumed she’d been frightened, so after setting her down, she scrutinized her closely and asked with concern, “Heng’er, are you alright?” But as soon as the words left her lips, she realized it was a pointless question. The person before her, except for the blue-trimmed white robe of a Qi Refining disciple, was exactly as she remembered from before. Aside from a brief flicker of panic in her eyes, “Heng’er” was well-dressed, her complexion rosy, and she appeared even more spirited than before entering the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants.

How could this be? Qin Hanyan sucked in a breath, about to inquire more closely.

Seeing this, Feng Ke’er felt a pang of anxiety and quickly tugged at her robe, peeking behind Qin Hanyan, then joked, “Grand-aunt, where’s Uncle Qin? He promised to come fetch Heng’er today, so I changed into the new robe he gave me.”

Qin Hanyan’s eyes dimmed slightly at her words.

Just then, Qin Jun finally arrived, catching the tail end of the conversation and angrily revealed, “Third Brother, don’t mention that turncoat. You ended up in the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants all thanks to him!”

“What happened?” Feng Ke’er had guessed as much, but feigned ignorance.

Qin Hanyan waved her hand, “It’s a long story. Jun, you can fill Heng’er in after we return.”

Jun had to hold his tongue.

“Heng’er, I sense a great fluctuation of spiritual power within you—what happened?” she asked, gazing straight into Feng Ke’er’s eyes. She had intended to use the Heart-Sight Technique, but as before, she saw nothing. This reminded her of a similar situation not long ago in an abandoned courtyard at Wild Chicken Slope. In the sect, it was customary not to question the source of treasures. Qin Heng was her direct descendant; her precious grandchild acquiring a treasure was cause for joy, so she’d paid it no mind before. But now, she realized Heng’er harbored too many secrets, prompting her to pay closer attention.

Suspicion arose. Feng Ke’er feigned innocence, her smile blooming, and announced, “Grand-aunt, the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants is a wonderful place for cultivation. Heng’er didn’t dare slack off, practicing day and night, and it seems I’m about to break through again.” This was the excuse she’d prepared in advance. She’d hoped to use the opportunity for self-reflection to slip away unnoticed. Unexpectedly, the forest’s restriction had thrown her out without warning. Fortunately, she’d planned ahead and crafted a plausible explanation.

Qin Jun exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes wide, “About to break through again? Third Brother, you’ve only been inside for a month.”

Only then did Feng Ke’er truly realize how quickly her cultivation had advanced—a leap from mid Qi Refining to third stage Foundation Establishment in just a month. Was she too monstrous?

But it wasn’t her fault; after all, the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants was crawling with oddities.

Qin Hanyan frowned and advised, “Rapid advancement is good, but haste makes waste. Progressing too quickly can be problematic. Heng’er, you must first settle your mind and consolidate your realm.”

In other words, she was recommending seclusion. Previously, Feng Ke’er had deliberately adjusted her cultivation to appear on the verge of breaking through from early to mid Qi Refining, waiting for this exact advice. She suppressed her smile, clasped her fists, and solemnly accepted, “Yes.”

Unexpectedly, Qin Hanyan suddenly asked, “Heng’er, were the man-eating ants in the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants difficult to deal with?”

Feng Ke’er shook her head honestly, “Grand-aunt, the rumors about man-eating ants in the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants are false. The forest only contains flowers, grass, and trees—no man-eating ants, nor any other living creatures.” To prove her words, she put on a plaintive look, “So, these past thirty days, Heng’er hasn’t had a bite of meat and survived on fasting pills.”

Qin Jun interjected incredulously, “Third Brother, you mean there was nothing edible in the forest?”

Feng Ke’er pursed her lips and pulled a five-hundred-year-old ginseng from her storage pouch. “Second Brother, the miasma inside is thick. I could only see things within ten meters, and since I needed to cultivate, I stayed near the entrance and never ventured deeper. This is the only thing I found—I planned to give it to Mother to restore her health. By the way, Second Brother, has Mother given birth yet? Is it a boy or a girl?”

Mentioning the newborn sister, Qin Jun’s face broke into a smile. “She gave birth ages ago—a girl. Third Brother, our family finally has a daughter.”

“Really? That’s wonderful!” The topic shifted, and Feng Ke’er carefully stowed the ginseng back in her pouch, clapping her hands in delight.

Qin Hanyan looked on, her expression softening, her gaze shimmering. She called to them, “This isn’t the place for conversation. Heng’er, when and where do you plan to enter seclusion?” She implied Feng Ke’er should do so immediately.

Feng Ke’er rubbed her hands, looking at her with pleading eyes. “Grand-aunt, could Heng’er go home first to see Mother and my little sister before entering seclusion?”

Qin Jun chimed in, “Yes, Grand-aunt. Third Brother hasn’t met his sister yet, and Mother misses him.”

“No.” Qin Hanyan refused outright, her face stern and uncompromising. “Heng’er, your spiritual power is unstable—you must consolidate it in seclusion. As for your mother and Han’er, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to see them after you emerge.”

“Han’er?” Feng Ke’er’s eyes sparkled. “Grand-aunt, is that my sister’s name?”

Qin Hanyan nodded and asked again, “Where do you plan to enter seclusion?”

Feng Ke’er lowered her gaze, tracing circles on the ground with her foot. “Heng’er doesn’t know. After advancing, Uncle Qin never arranged a place for Heng’er to stay. I, like other disciples assigned planting tasks, built a shack near the spirit fields and lived there. After a month of neglect, it must be uninhabitable now.” In truth, she fancied that valley. But seeing that Qin Hanyan no longer trusted her, she had to find another way to achieve her goal and reduce suspicion.

Sure enough, Qin Hanyan nodded slightly. “I see. The outer sect has been chaotic lately. Housing can wait. You’d best return to the valley; I don’t think seclusion is necessary. Just meditate for a few days. If your old shack has collapsed, build a sturdier one.” She then instructed Qin Jun, “Jun, help Heng’er with this.”

He accepted the task.

Thus, the matter was settled.

Qin Hanyan mounted her flying sword and returned to the inner sect, while Feng Ke’er and Qin Jun headed for the valley.

Once Qin Hanyan was out of sight, Qin Jun tugged at Feng Ke’er’s sleeve. “Let’s go.” As they walked, he resumed the earlier conversation, recounting recent changes in the outer sect.

Feng Ke’er had already guessed that Uncle Qin was behind her being thrown into the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants. But the fact that the entire outer sect’s management had been “double regulated” was unexpected. She stopped in shock. “How could this be? Uncle Qin is a member of the Qin family, personally chosen by Grand-aunt. Why would he harm me?”

Qin Jun turned, fixing her with a piercing gaze. “What else? Jealousy. Jealous that Grand-aunt favors you. He says he’s also a Qin, but the family has never shown him any care. He struggled for years in the outer sect. Finally, after establishing his foundation, he got some attention from the elders, but it was all for you.”

Feng Ke’er stroked her new robe, letting out a sigh.

“What’s wrong?” Qin Heng raised an eyebrow.

“Nothing,” Feng Ke’er murmured, lowering her eyes. “Uncle Qin gave me this robe... Big Brother, I really feel awful right now.” She admitted she was laying it on a bit thick.

Qin Heng opened his mouth, but only managed, “Let’s go,” before turning away and striding off like an ostrich.

“Big Brother, wait for me!” Feng Ke’er breathed a sigh of relief and deliberately trotted after him.

Soon, they arrived at the valley where Feng Jiu had entered seclusion.

Wary of any tricks, Feng Ke’er had already released her spiritual sense to scout ahead. Without the miasma from the Forest of Ten Thousand Ants, she was delighted to find her range had expanded to nearly a thousand miles, enough to cover the entire outer sect.

She was amazed at herself.

The makeshift shack built by Meat Bird earlier had completely collapsed into a heap of ruins. But the protective wards he’d set remained intact, and the stone walls were still covered in dense vines.

Where was Ziyu? Feng Ke’er picked up a long stick and poked at the pile of wood.

“Qin Heng, what are you looking for?” Qin Jun asked, puzzled.

Feng Ke’er kept searching. “That day, I competed with Senior Sister Ziyu in spiritual sense and accidentally knocked her out. Then, Uncle Qin sent another senior brother to summon me. Before I left, Ziyu hadn’t woken up, so I moved her into the shack. I want to see if she left me any message. Big Brother, have you heard anything about her lately?”

Jun nodded. “No need to search. She’s dead—hanged herself in her own quarters.”

Feng Ke’er’s stick paused and she gasped, “Hanged herself? When?”

“That very night.” Qin Jun snorted dismissively. “I only heard about it afterward—I was in seclusion. If she hadn’t sparred with you before dying, I wouldn’t have bothered to find out.”

Ke’er responded quietly, tossing aside the stick. “Big Brother, I want to live somewhere else...”

“Sure.” Qin Jun glanced around and pointed to another patch of level ground in the valley. “How about there?”

“Perfect.”

Working together, they built a round, temporary grass hut in less than an hour, much sturdier than Meat Bird’s old shack. Feng Ke’er was quite satisfied.

Qin Jun didn’t even stay for a drink, saying he needed to return to the inner sect to report to Qin Ruhua.

Feng Ke’er handed him the five-hundred-year-old ginseng to take to Qin Ruhua, and, acting cute, insisted he promise to say a few kind words to Grand-aunt on her behalf—she really wanted to see her mother and newborn sister.

Meanwhile, she promptly released her spiritual sense to keep tabs on their movements.

As she expected, at the gates of the inner sect, Qin Hanyan was already waiting. “You’re back. Is Heng’er settled? What did she tell you?”

It's been a long time since I begged for votes—requesting votes, recommendations, and reviews. (To be continued)

Tongtian Codex, Chapter 66: Doubt Concludes!