Volume 1, Chapter 12: This Woman Is Fated for Calamity

“Yan’er, come quickly and pay respects to His Majesty, the Imperial Tutor, and the Crown Prince.”
Feng Shuangling smiled gently, taking Zhaoyan’s hand as they approached the main seat.

Meanwhile, those seated in the central positions fixed their gaze intently on Zhaoyan.

When Zhaoyan met the deep, dark eyes behind the mask of the Imperial Tutor, his expression flickered with surprise before curling into a slight smile. Though she could not discern his emotions, she felt his eyes resting on her.

Beside him, Crown Prince Bei Linghe’s eyes widened with shock as he stared blankly at Zhaoyan.

“Zhaoyan pays respects to Your Majesty, the Imperial Tutor, and the Crown Prince.”

A complex emotion flashed briefly in the Emperor’s eyes, but it quickly vanished as he spoke, “Well done, truly a child of the Yun family.”

As he spoke, a finely crafted longsword appeared in his hand out of thin air. The sword flew toward Zhaoyan, hovering before her. “This is a sacred-grade spiritual artifact. I now bestow it upon you as a gift for our meeting.”

Zhaoyan’s eyes flickered, her thoughts racing. The Emperor was testing her.

If she accepted, it would reveal her ability to cultivate, ruining the plan she and Mo Chenlan had devised. But if she refused, she might fall into the trap set by the Imperial Tutor.

Yun Wuhen, looking at the sword before him, hesitated, then spoke, “Your Majesty, Yan’er is not skilled in cultivation…”

In short, she was someone who could not cultivate; the sword would be useless to her.

These words stirred murmurs among the crowd. As twins, the elder sister was outstanding, but the younger was a useless cripple unable to cultivate.

Yun Chujian flushed with embarrassment at the crowd’s reactions, wishing she could disappear.

Voices rose all around, eyes cast at Zhaoyan filled with sympathy, pity, scorn, and schadenfreude.

“So it turns out she’s a useless cripple who can’t cultivate.”

“What a waste of such a beautiful face.”

“Don’t say that. She’s still the legitimate daughter of the Yun family. Even if she can’t cultivate, her status on the Four-Star Continent is still high.”

“Do you think it might be connected to what was said to the Imperial Tutor eighteen years ago?”

“Could be! Notice how the Holy Maiden hasn’t appeared at the banquet even after all this time. Could it be that she really is cursed? That her return would doom the Holy Maiden?”

Nods swept through the crowd; more and more people believed Zhaoyan to be a cursed star, an ill omen.

Yun Chu frowned displeased. Though she knew her sister was in seclusion, she had no desire to explain. Letting others misunderstand was fine if it meant driving that useless one back to the countryside to avoid further disgrace.

Suddenly, the blazing sun darkened as thick clouds gathered, rumbling thunder and flashing lightning as if the heavens were swallowed by darkness.

Boom!

Everyone in the square was stunned by the sight.

“Isn’t this the same phenomenon as eighteen years ago?”

Someone’s voice sparked a firestorm of whispers.

Zhaoyan glanced up at the ominous sky, a cold smile playing at her lips. Phenomenon? Ha!

“Stop spreading nonsense. Yan’er is no cursed star.”

Madam Feng stepped forward, gripping Zhaoyan’s hand firmly, speaking sternly.

Zhaoyan felt a subtle warmth in her heart—Madam Feng was the only one on her side.

At that moment, the Yun family’s elder suddenly dashed in, panicked: “Bad news, head of the family! Bad news! The eldest young lady is in trouble.”

“What!”

A wave of unrest swept through everyone.

“What did you say? What happened to Jun’er?”

The family head and madam both showed anxious worry.

“The eldest young lady was suddenly poisoned, and her blood turned blue… she has since fallen unconscious.”

Madam Yun staggered, but Yun Wuhen caught her swiftly. “How could this be? Jun’er was supposed to be in seclusion. How did she suddenly get poisoned?”

The elder lowered his gaze, stammering.

In the crowd, Yun Chu and others sprang to their feet. Wasn’t the sister in seclusion? How could this… It must be her! Without a doubt, it was her.

Baili Xingchen furrowed his brows deeply, concern etched in his eyes. Theoretically, one could not be poisoned during seclusion.

Nearby, Yun Jingmo and Yun Zhiyue exchanged glances, puzzled by the situation.

Zhaoyan’s lips curled slightly as she watched the scene unfold. No surprise if the blame soon fell on her.

Blue blood? The crowd exchanged uneasy looks; this didn’t sound like mere poisoning. All eyes turned toward the figure cloaked in red.

“Hurry and bring the Holy Maiden here for the Imperial Tutor to examine.”

The elder took the order and left with the steward.

“It’s definitely her! She’s the cause of my sister’s misfortune. Before she returned, my sister was fine. How come after just a few days of her coming back, my sister fell ill?”

Yun Chu’s face burned with rage as he strode forward, eyes blazing with undisguised murderous intent toward Zhaoyan.

Madam Yun looked at Zhaoyan in disbelief. “It can’t be. Yan’er would never harm her own sister.”

“Mother, she’s the cursed star. If anything happens to my sister, I won’t let her off.”

“Yun Chu, she’s your second sister. How can you say such things?”

Madam Feng scolded Yun Chu sharply. Though he was reluctant, he dared not defy his grandmother, only shooting Zhaoyan a fierce glare.

Soon, the steward arranged for Yun Zhaojun to be carried in. Everyone craned their necks but was blocked by a translucent veil, only faintly seeing a motionless young girl lying there.

The Imperial Tutor took a red cord and wrapped it around Yun Zhaojun’s wrist.

After a moment’s pause, he spoke gravely:

“Eighteen years ago, I warned that this girl’s fate was cursed. At best, it harms her parents and siblings; at worst, it could bring ruin to the realm.”

Shock rippled through the crowd. They believed the Imperial Tutor’s words implicitly. Could the Holy Maiden’s misfortune truly be caused by the second Miss Yun?

“Head of the Yun family, the blood of the eldest young lady has been completely consumed by the Bloodthirst Curse. To save her, a blood transfusion is necessary. However, the blood cannot come from just anyone.”

“Perhaps from the eldest young master or the second young lady. You must decide.”

In short, Yun Zhaojun’s condition was because Zhaoyan had returned—the curse within her had inflicted harm.

Yun Wuhen and Madam Yun staggered back, grief-stricken and hesitant to decide. All eyes turned to Zhaoyan, filled with sympathy, pity, regret, and anger.

The eldest young lady was the Holy Maiden, blessed with the Phoenix fate. The eldest young master was a rare genius and the only male heir of the Yun family. The second young lady was a cursed star and a cripple. The choice was clear.

At best, the curse harms parents and siblings; at worst, it can doom the realm. Now, sacrificing her life to save the Holy Maiden might rid the world of calamity.

Zhaoyan watched their performance impassively, as if the matter concerned her not at all. Then her hand was grasped.

It was Madam Yun, who knelt before her in front of everyone, pale as death, eyes full of sorrow and helplessness:

“Yan’er, for the past eighteen years, your mother has wronged you.”

“I know many things were beyond your control, and I do not blame you. But your sister—her fate should not be this way!”

“Mother now kneels to beg you. Please, save your sister. Consider this a desperate plea from a mother.”