The black tortoise glared fiercely. “I am the divine beast Xuanwu!”

With ten thousand years of cultivation, one of the four sacred beasts—how could he be compared to a mere turtle?

Ignorant humans, knowing nothing of heaven’s vastness.

“Big turtle! Big turtle!”

Xuanwu frowned. “I said, Xuanwu!”

“Turtle!”

“Big!”

“Outrageous! Let me show you the price of angering me!”

Leaves rose without wind, aligning in the air, shimmering coldly as they all aimed at Jiang Yuanxi.

Jiang Yuanxi calmly pulled out a talisman. With a flick of her brush, the talisman transformed into a shield before her.

The familiar aura made Xuanwu pause.

“Faith power from the mortal realm?” How could a mere child possess the power of belief?

Xuanwu fixed his gaze on Jiang Yuanxi. “Who exactly are you?”

Jiang Yuanxi placed her hands on her hips, looking confident.

“Your grandpa, Jiang Yuanxi!”

“Heavenly Thunder, heed my command—strike!” A talisman flew into the sky.

Dark thunderclouds rapidly gathered, forming an ominous mass above.

Within the thick clouds, boundless power condensed. In a flash, a pillar of lightning as thick as a water barrel roared downward.

“Holy sh—” Xuanwu cursed, instantly shrinking his body and dashing toward Jiang Yuanxi.

He dove into her arms.

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes widened as she watched the lightning descend upon her.

Jiang Yuancheng, caught off guard, instinctively let go.

The next moment, the smell of something burnt filled the air.

The oppressive aura vanished, and Jiang Yuancheng could finally open his eyes.

When he saw his sister before him, one thought ran through his mind: I’m doomed. My butt is definitely not safe.

Jiang Yuanxi was charred black, her clothes crumbling like ash.

Only her eyes remained stark white.

From her arms, a black turtle fell onto its back, limbs stiff in the air.

“Sis! Don’t scare your brother!” Jiang Yuancheng’s lips trembled as he frantically wiped the soot off her face.

Why was she so dark now?

He reached out, attempting to smooth her singed, upright hair.

But the moment he touched it, Jiang Yuanxi’s once silky black locks disintegrated before his eyes.

Jiang Yuanxi clenched her fists.

The immense pressure made Xuanwu struggle to breathe.

“Turtle,” she said coldly. “You’re really something, huh?”

Xuanwu’s limbs trembled, his eyes welling up with tears.

Had he just kicked an iron wall?

The next second, Jiang Yuanxi’s fists and feet rained down on him like a storm.

She used all her strength.

At first, Xuanwu wasn’t worried—he could just retreat into his shell.

But then, he saw cracks forming on his shell.

And before his eyes—”Crack!”—it shattered.

“Stop! Stop! I was wrong!”

Xuanwu clutched the broken pieces of his shell, pleading for mercy.

Jiang Yuanxi finally grew tired and stopped.

Xuanwu hurriedly gathered his shattered shell.

When he reached the last piece, he couldn’t pick it up.

Looking up, he saw Jiang Yuanxi stepping on it.

Xuanwu pouted and withdrew his hand. “That piece… it’s a gift for my master. Haha…” His heart bled.

The shell of a Black Tortoise—indestructible to mortals—had just been smashed to pieces by this girl.

Even if he wanted to complain, who would he go to?

For survival, he had no choice but to offer up part of his home.

In his ten thousand years of cultivation among mortals, he had never suffered such humiliation.

Hugging the last remnants of his shell, Xuanwu wept bitterly.

Jiang Yuanxi lifted the piece of shell, which detached from Xuanwu’s body and returned to its original form.

It was as large as a basin—enough to make a fine meal.

She tossed it into a talisman, along with Xuanwu.

“Ahh! Save me! Save me!”

Meanwhile, the sounds of two people wailing like slaughtered pigs drew closer.

Jiang Yuancheng swiftly removed his outer robe, wrapping his sister up into a bundle.

The surrounding little ghosts, witnessing the scene, didn’t dare approach.

Jiang Yuanxi’s face was cold. “I’ll count to three. Reincarnate, or I’ll burn you all to ashes.”

As soon as she spoke, the ghosts fled in terror.

But there were always reckless spirits, eager to feast on human flesh while Jiang Yuanxi was weak.

Since the little girl was defenseless, they lunged at the other three.

Seeing this, Wang Hanqi and Zheng Yufa screamed and sprinted toward Jiang Yuanxi.

“Scram!”

A golden light flashed—the vengeful ghosts were obliterated, turning into dust.

Wang Hanqi and Zheng Yufa exchanged glances, then leaped forward and clung to Jiang Yuanxi’s leg.

A powerhouse! She was truly a powerhouse!

Wang Hanqi: “Little sister, whatever you want, your big bro will bring it down from the heavens for you!”

Zheng Yufa nodded frantically. “I’ll teach you to read—The Three Character Classic—I’ll make sure you top the imperial exam!”

..

The imperial astronomers and imperial physicians were fully prepared.

Behind the emperor stood a group of officials—some watching the show, others waiting for an opportunity to stir trouble.

Upon hearing that the Grand Duke’s son had taken the Xihe Princess to Duke Mu’s estate, Zheng Guang hurriedly packed up and rushed over.

The Grand Duke’s heir was notorious for his mischief.

Zheng Guang had long wanted to impeach him.

Now, with both witnesses and evidence inside, he only needed the imperial astronomers to enter and retrieve them.

An opportunity delivered straight to his door.

“Open the gate!”

At the emperor’s command, before anyone outside could act, the door suddenly swung open from within.

A charred figure appeared before them.

Attached to her legs were three human-sized accessories.

With each step she took, they dragged deep grooves into the ground.

Since they refused to let go, Jiang Yuanxi had no choice but to drag them out.

Madam Chen immediately spotted her precious daughter.

“Yuanxi!”

Jiang Fengyuan pulled at her sleeve. “Dear, you’ve got the wrong person.”

His daughter was delicate, fair-skinned, and adorable—how could this blackened monk be her?

“Father! Mother!”

“Holy—”

Jiang Fengyuan jumped in shock and crouched down for a closer look.

“Yuanxi?” He asked hesitantly.

“Daddy!”

“Ah! Who did this? Where’s her hair?! What happened?!”

Zheng Guang hid his smirk.

“Your Majesty, the Grand Duke’s son has repeatedly endangered the Xihe Princess, showing blatant disregard for the royal family! He may even have treasonous intentions!”

The Grand Duke sneered, pointing at the figures clinging to Jiang Yuanxi’s leg.

“Minister Zheng, take a look. Do you recognize them?”

“Of course not!”

Then he spotted a familiar face.

“Yu’er?!”

Zheng Guang’s eyes widened.

“Why are YOU here?!”

For the first time, the infamous impeaching official shut his mouth.

The emperor’s face was dark the entire time.

“Why are you all still lying on the ground?! Speak!”

The two officials hastily picked up their disgraceful sons.

..

The chief imperial astronomer knelt before Jiang Yuanxi.

“Your Highness, please teach us the art of exorcism!”

Xuanwu, still recovering, jumped in fury.

“You’re the demon! Your whole family is full of demons!”