Stealing Luck from the Heavenly Dao's Favorite

When Feng Feng heard the report, his eyes lit up.

"Good. Very good. But I take it this isn't the only reason you came?"

Feng Jiaqing nodded right away.

"Old Ancestor, I tested Yunxi's spirit roots. She has mutated top-grade wind, lightning, and ice spiritual roots."

Feng Feng flashed forward and stood in front of him, asking seriously, "Are the results accurate?"

"Of course. The visions from the test were all concealed by the Soul Lamp Hall's array."

"Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!"

Feng Feng repeated the word three times, turning twice on the spot before declaring, "Yunxi must remain at the Feng residence to cultivate."

Naturally, Feng Jiaqing agreed, but he frowned slightly. "Old Ancestor, if the Wei family learns how gifted Yunxi is, I doubt they'll let her go."

Feng Feng nodded. "Knowing the Wei family's mercenary nature, they absolutely won't give up such a promising seedling. Worse, they'll try to milk our Feng clan for cultivation resources, all under the excuse that Yunxi is their daughter. Otherwise, if she makes any achievements in the future, they'll find a way to cut us out entirely."

Feng Jiaqing agreed. "Look at how eager Wei Lingyue is to legitimize that concubine. It's clear he has no love for Yunxi. If Du Ruolan becomes the Lady Wei, Yunxi will only suffer more. She's still young and hasn't even begun cultivating. We can't keep her at the Feng house permanently either."

The old ancestor paced in his courtyard twice, clearly thinking. Then he suddenly turned and stepped into his room. Moments later, he returned with a small brocade box in hand and passed it to Feng Jiaqing.

"Help Yunxi refine this upper-grade artifact. Once she's finished, test her spiritual roots again."

Feng Jiaqing raised an eyebrow, already guessing. "Is this treasure meant to mask her spirit roots?"

Feng Feng nodded. "Yes. It was a trophy from long ago. I set it aside because of its flaws, but it suits Yunxi's situation perfectly."

Without any pretense, Feng Jiaqing opened the brocade box. Inside lay a plain silver ring with no markings, decorations, or even a trace of spiritual fluctuation. It looked no different from a common trinket in the mortal world.

Feng Feng explained further, "This artifact suppresses spirit root visibility. After refining, it will present her roots as one grade lower during tests. But during actual cultivation or combat, it won't interfere.

For example, I have dual fire and wood roots. If I wear this ring, my test results still show dual roots, but their strength drops to fifty points—making me seem much less talented.

But Yunxi hasn't started cultivating yet. If you help her bind this artifact now, it'll have no impact on her actual progress. When she's strong enough, she can remove it on her own. That should be enough to keep the Wei family in the dark."

Feng Jiaqing smiled. "Rest assured, Old Ancestor. I'll explain everything to Yunxi tomorrow. That girl's clever—she'll understand our intentions."

Feng Feng nodded. "We'll need her cooperation. Even if her results look inferior, the Wei family may not release her right away. We'll wait until they finalize their decision about sending juniors to Haoran Sect. Once their eyes shift away, we'll make our move.

"This has to be done step by step. If we rush and slip up, they'll notice."

"I understand, Old Ancestor," Feng Jiaqing replied solemnly.

The two continued their discussion for a while longer before Feng Jiaqing left the courtyard.

After seeing him off, Feng Feng deactivated the protective array and stood alone in the courtyard. With a sigh, he murmured, "Jiayun... this is all I can do for you. I pray you return safely."

The next morning, Wei Yunxi slept until late morning. Only when her stomach growled did she roll out of bed.

Her four handmaids quickly sprang into action—helping her dress, wash, brush her hair, and eat. By the time the full routine was done, it was already noon.

She stretched her small limbs and planned to go see her uncle. There were still a few things she wanted to clarify. But just as she stepped outside her temporary courtyard, she ran into Feng Jiaqing, who was already on his way to find her.

Seeing the little girl looking far more energetic than yesterday, he smiled and asked, "Yunxi, did you sleep well?"

She bowed politely before answering in her soft, sweet voice, "Thank you for asking, Uncle. I slept really well last night. I even overslept a bit. I was just about to come greet you."

Feng Jiaqing waved a hand. "No need for such formality. We're cultivators, not nobles. But I do have something important to talk to you about today."

Wei Yunxi immediately nodded, and the group turned back to the courtyard. This time, all four handmaids were dismissed outside. For safety, Feng Jiaqing even activated a defensive array to block eavesdroppers.

Then, he retrieved the brocade box from his storage ring and explained everything—the silver ring's function, its purpose, the outcome after refining it, and even the potential ripple effects caused by masking her true roots.

Wei Yunxi kept her expression innocently curious, eyes wide and spinning in pretend confusion. But inside, her mind was racing.

This wasn't in the novel.

It made sense though. In the original story, Wei Yunxi never stayed at the Feng residence, and her relationship with the Fengs was lukewarm at best.

Now that she'd come here, things were different.

The Fengs had tested her roots early, confirmed her heaven-defying aptitude, and immediately started plotting to pull her into their camp. Everything they were doing was calculated—to support her while minimizing the Wei family's involvement.

After weighing her options, Wei Yunxi concluded that staying with the Feng family had more benefits than risks.

Not only was Wei Yunqing the main heroine of the novel, but even if Yunxi had god-tier aptitude, she'd still be nothing unless she could actually grow. Du Ruolan would never allow that. If the original Wei Yunxi had been allowed to flourish, she wouldn't have ended up as a treasure boy for the protagonist.

As for Wei Lingyue... he was a classic opportunist. Whichever side gave him the best benefits, that's where he'd stand. If he found out Yunxi's talent was mediocre, he'd probably find ways to swindle her out of every last treasure she had. And once she was no longer useful, she'd be abandoned.

The Fengs were different. Out of respect for Feng Jiayun, they would at least protect her to some extent. And now that they knew how valuable she was, they'd be even more willing to invest in her—especially since she carried the Feng bloodline.

Having sorted all that out, she gave a performance worthy of an innocent child.

"Uncle, I understood some of what you said, but not everything... Still, Mother always told me to listen to you. You won't hurt me, so I'll do whatever you say."

Feng Jiaqing's expression softened. He gently patted her head. "Of course I won't hurt you."

Then he formed a seal and drew a drop of blood from her heart, dripping it onto the silver ring. The artifact turned red as it recognized its master, and he embedded it directly into her spiritual roots.

Wei Yunxi felt a sudden dizziness and a stabbing pain in her chest. Her vision blurred slightly.

Once he was sure the artifact had fully bonded, Feng Jiaqing quickly fed her a Buxue Dan to replenish her blood. After she recovered a bit, he brought out the Spirit Testing Plate again.

This time, without needing to be asked, Wei Yunxi obediently placed her hand on the orb.