Blazing Sun Mansion, Evening

The main hall was filled with delicious food and drinks as Lu Shun’s subordinates and martial artists enjoyed themselves at the banquet. Lu Shun watched them with a sober expression, thinking about the troubles ahead. They were having a small celebration before leaving that night to ensure they reached Mount Hua on time.

On the other side of the room, Senior Edina stood with the support of her cane, her face troubled and confused. She couldn’t understand what was happening. In her past life, a banquet like this had never occurred—or at least she was sure she would remember if it had, especially since her aunt was not present.

Edina considered four possible explanations for this situation. One, a banquet like this did happen, but Lu Shun had secretly returned and then continued his journey, and she was only present this time because she ran into him. Two, the banquet happened, but she didn’t remember it because it was so long ago. Three, for some reason, the past was changing. Four, she was not really in the past but in a world very similar to her own.

The uncertainty gnawed at her, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that something significant was happening. She needed to figure out what was going on before things spiraled out of control.

She decided she needed safeguards and alternative plans since she couldn’t explain why things were different. Lu Shun called out to her with a smile, “Edina, what are you doing over there? Come eat with us. I rarely see you these days, and I’ll be away again soon. Share a meal with me!”

With a smile, Senior Edina walked up to him and sat beside him to eat. She knew that Lu Shun was aware of Aunt Li Mei's treatment towards her, so this was likely his way of ensuring she had something healthy to eat, even if just for one evening.

After the banquet, Lu Shun carried Senior Edina to her room in Jinwei Mansion. Unlike other times when Aunt Li Mei’s lackeys and Xiao Min would deny him entry, they couldn’t do so today since he was literally carrying Edina, the heiress of the mansion. In previous instances, they could claim that Edina didn’t want to meet him, but this time, that excuse wouldn't work.

Once in her room, Lu Shun quickly and discreetly observed the surroundings. The dust indicated the room had only been cleaned a few weeks or a month ago, the broken window looked like it had been that way for months, and the mattress appeared worn out, suggesting it had never been properly taken care of. As he set Senior Edina down, he said, “Oh, about Jade Grass Commerce, apparently Father and Grandfather agreed that the store was not making any profit and decided to pull the sect’s investment two months ago. So, they won’t be making any visits to the Wisdom Mansion. I’ll look into the dress once I return from Mount Hua, so please don’t worry about it or walk to the Wisdom Mansion without someone’s help again.”

Senior Edina tried to look somewhat sad and said, “It’s a disappointment, okay, I won’t, Brother Shun.” However, inside, her heart was screaming, 'Okay! This is exactly the same as my past life, so I’m not in a different world! My plan should work.’ With a nod, Lu Shun left her and exited Jinwei Mansion.

After Lu Shun left, Senior Edina immediately sat at the table and began writing a letter to her younger self. She detailed everything she had done and her thoughts, adding more lines for Junior Edina to memorize as she thought of them. She also included words of encouragement and reassurance, knowing that a scared young girl might give up on the plan at the last minute. She had to make Junior Edina believe that everything would be alright.

As Senior Edina wrote, her mind lingered on future plans and some past events. In her previous life, Jade Grass Commerce was a clothing store in which the sect had invested heavily for its new business strategy: "ready-made clothes." It was an investment-heavy strategy with upfront costs, so when the sect saw no immediate return, they withdrew all their funding, leaving the store in financial trouble and debt. Despite this, Jade Grass Commerce managed to stay in business for a year before receiving investment from the Shining Blade Sect, the governing sect of Shenzhou Province, and a small rival of Blazing Dawn Sect in the region.

The Shining Blade Sect hit a jackpot with their investment. Within three years, Jade Grass Commerce became one of the biggest commercial merchant groups in the central plains. Previously, commoners had to get their clothes tailored after buying fabric separately, which significantly increased the price. It was a fine price for noble families but for commoners it was extortion. However, with the advent of ready-made clothing, everything changed. Commoners could now buy clothes at much lower prices, making Jade Grass Commerce the go-to place for clothing.

The success of Jade Grass Commerce was so significant that by the time Senior Edina went to the Leon Empire, she heard about their expansion into the Demonic Sect's Hazu Mountains in the north and selling to the barbarians in the south of the continent. If Senior Edina could get Junior Edina to invest in Jade Grass Commerce after gaining financial control of Jinwei Mansion before the year ends, she believed they would have enough money and influence to change the trajectory of the future.

Sometime later at Mu Mansion, inside Li Mei Cha Mu’s room.

Li Mei was sitting on a chair as the maids prepared her hair for sleep. In front of her, Xiao Min knelt, shaking with fear. Li Mei’s beautiful and calm face bore a hint of the rage building behind her eyes. She spoke in a calm voice, “Xiao Min, what do you think your job is in Jinwei Mansion? A simple head maid? You’re not even 30 years old yet, so why do you think I gave you such a high position despite your lack of experience?”

The calmness in her voice was more terrifying than her usual outbursts, indicating a genuine rage. Xiao Min, with a forced smile, replied, “To observe things around Edina and make sure she stays out of your way, Mistress Li Mei.”

A smile crept up on Li Mei’s face. It might have made any man’s heart flutter, but it only terrified both the maids working on her hair and Xiao Min to their core. “I see you know your role, but I think you don’t quite understand it. How else could Edina have met Lu Shun?”

Xiao Min shivered, “I... I don’t know how, but that cripple woke up way before me and walked all the way to Wisdom Mansion.”

Xiao Min had stopped being too observant with Edina for a few months now. Since Edina walked so slowly without help, it seemed nearly impossible for her to do anything unnoticed. However, last week, a report that Edina was looking around the Sect had made Xiao Min more vigilant for a few days but thinking Edina wouldn’t do something like that again, she had leisurely slept in this morning as usual, only for this to happen. As soon as Xiao Min finished speaking, a deadly, threatening aura filled the room. Li Mei’s anger was so intense that her murderous Qi emanated from her body, causing both maids beside her to faint on the spot. As a half-step martial artist, Xiao Min felt the aura pressing her into the ground, choking her, and crushing her body. She was no match for Li Mei’s Grade 7 martial artist Qi and prepared herself to depart from this world when the pressure suddenly stopped.

“What did they talk about? Lu Shun brought her to Jinwei Mansion, right? What did he say?” Li Mei demanded.

Xiao Min, lying on the floor and unable to move a single muscle, weakly replied, “Something about Jade Grass Commerce selling a dress that Mistress Elara picked.”

Li Mei went into thought for a few minutes, her expression hardening as she considered the possibilities. She then said, “Leave and take those maids with you.” Xiao Min, exhausted, stood up with wobbly arms and legs. She supported the unconscious maids to the exit, noting that Li Mei had formed a protective Qi around them to prevent further harm. Just the sheer amount of Qi had made them faint.

Once Xiao Min left, Li Mei called out, “Chuang Chi!” As her voice fell, a beautiful woman with slender legs, wearing a Hanfu with side slits, walked in. She bowed and said, “You called for me, Mistress Li Mei? Master Han has yet to return.” She immediately mentioned Li Mei’s husband, believing that was the reason for Li Mei’s summons. The mention of her husband calmed Li Mei significantly.

Li Mei replied, “Do you know what the Jade Grass Commerce is? I feel like I’ve heard the name before.”

Being a disciple of the Blazing Sun Mansion and one of the administrative staff at the Mu Mansion, Chuang Chi had worked closely with Li Mei on various matters. She answered, “I believe it was one of the twelve stores from which we pulled our sect’s investment two months ago, Mistress Li Mei.”

Li Mei recalled the meeting with all the sect leaders two months ago where she agreed with her brother and father to pull investment funds from twelve stores and merchant groups that were not profitable. “Send for the head of the commerce by next week. Tell him the Mu Mansion wants to invest in their business.”

Chuang Chi bowed and left, having heard the footsteps of Li Mei’s husband entering the mansion through her advanced hearing martial arts technique. Li Mei wanted to invest in this store because her spies had informed her that the Leon Empire had gotten wind of Edina’s situation. She was preparing to shift the blame onto Xiao Min. She could have just bought the dress, but that would be too suspicious. Instead, she decided to invest in the store and say she found the dress that Elara had selected for Edina by accident. She planned to gift it to Edina right when the blame was shifted onto Xiao Min, to improve her image in the eyes of the Leon Empire and the Imperial authorities. After all, the dress had emotional significance, and acting against her at that point would look bad for anyone pointing a finger.

As expected, the sliding door opened, and Li Mei’s husband, Han Cha Mu, appeared. His strong, muscular body filled the doorway. As soon as he entered, Li Mei jumped into his arms.