After My Rebirth, I Ended Up Happily Ever After with the Saintess - Chapter 6

The incident at the Family Grand Competition registration office was like a stone dropped into a calm lake—though it didn’t cause a massive tidal wave, it did send out undeniable ripples in the deep waters of the Night family.

The name Ye Li was no longer merely a label associated with the word “waste.” Now, terms like “Aura Awakening Stage,” “clashing with a steward,” and “suspected of hiding one’s strength” began to quietly link to her, circulating in the whispered conversations of the young disciples and servants.

Naturally, these rumors also reached the ears of the Night family’s high-ranking members.

Inside the Night Family Council Hall, the faint scent of sandalwood permeated the air.

Patriarch Ye Tian sat solemnly in the main seat, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his purple sandalwood chair, his expression calm, making it impossible to gauge his mood. Below him, several elders sat on either side.

“Regarding that collateral line girl, Ye Li, have you all heard?” Ye Tian slowly began, his voice low.

An elder with a ruddy complexion and a slightly portly build, Third Elder Ye Lang, scoffed and spoke first. Ye Lang was known to be at odds with the strict First Elder, who managed the family’s disciplinary matters. While his own cultivation wasn’t top-tier, he was skilled at maneuvering for influence: “I’ve heard some idle gossip. She must have gotten lucky, somehow reaching the Aura Awakening Stage, and now she’s too big for her britches, making a scene at the registration office. The mere initial stage of Aura Awakening, what does that count for among the Night family’s younger generation? It’s not worth making a fuss over.” His tone was filled with disdain; he clearly did not take Ye Li seriously.

Another elderly man with a gaunt face and eyes as sharp as an eagle’s was the elder in charge of family discipline, First Elder Ye Xiao. He let out a cold snort, his voice hoarse but authoritative: “Whether it’s a scene or not remains to be seen. But it’s a fact that this girl’s recent behavior is highly unusual. Injuring a wicked servant, contradicting a steward… I also heard that a few days ago, two collateral line disciples under Ye Lang tried to find trouble with her in the market and inexplicably came away worse for wear. The rules cannot be broken.” His words carried scrutiny, focused more on whether Ye Li’s actions had violated family rules.

Fourth Elder Ye Yun, the only female elder, was more thoughtful. She mused for a moment: “This girl’s parents died early, and her aptitude… was indeed extraordinarily poor in the past. Her sudden progress now is certainly strange. Did she perhaps stumble upon some fortune? Or was the previous testing flawed? We should keep a slight watch on her. If she truly proves to be a talent, it would be a blessing for our Night family.” Her attitude was relatively neutral, with a touch of curiosity.

Ye Tian listened to the discussions, his gaze profound. As the Patriarch, he naturally considered more. Ye Li’s parents back then… were quite remarkable individuals, unfortunately… His fingertip paused, and he said flatly: “The Grand Competition is imminent. Whether she’s a horse or a mule, we’ll know once we bring her out for a walk. Pass down the order: simply pay a little attention to her during the Grand Competition. If she genuinely has ability, the family will naturally not overlook her. If she’s just putting on a false display… Hmph, the Night family doesn’t keep useless people.”

Although his words were bland, they set the tone—wait and see. The high-ranking members wouldn’t interfere for now, but their attention was now slightly focused on her.

In Search of Truth

Ye Li, the one in the eye of the storm, was unaware of all this, and even if she were, she wouldn’t care. The attitude of the high-ranking members was merely a passing breeze to her. Her ambition had never been limited to this small Night family.

At this moment, she was utilizing the last bit of free time before the Grand Competition for another important matter: investigating the mystery of her original body’s parents’ disappearance.

This was not only to settle the karma required after occupying this body, but also because, deep within the original owner’s fragmented memories, the snippets concerning her parents’ disappearance always carried an unusual air. It wasn’t something that could be explained by a simple accident or a failed mission.

The Night Family Library, first floor.

This area primarily housed family history, local chronicles, basic cultivation techniques, and miscellaneous old records. Few people came here normally, with only a few old servants tasked with cleaning.

Ye Li had changed into a plain, old gray outfit, lowering her head, disguised as a cleaning servant, and slipped in unnoticed. She didn’t dare to venture to higher floors to search for confidential documents—that would be too easy to expose herself. She could only search for potential overlooked clues in these most basic, most inconspicuous records.

Dust motes danced in the light beams filtering through the windows. She quickly and quietly flipped through the records, their pages yellowed with age. Her focus was on personnel movement logs, mission scroll summaries, and ordinary internal correspondence from more than ten years ago.

Her reading speed was astonishingly fast. Her powerful divine soul ability made her almost instantly memorize what she saw and rapidly extract key information. Soon, a large amount of data converged and was sorted out in her mind.

The original owner’s father, Ye Feng, had been a noted genius in the collateral line, reaching the high-level of the True Essence Stage at a young age. Her mother, Su Wan, came from a small, long-declined family and was gentle and virtuous. Although their marriage wasn’t a perfect match in terms of family status, they were once an enviable couple.

Approximately twelve years ago, Ye Feng and his wife accepted a family mission: to escort a batch of important medicinal materials to the neighboring “Blackwater City” and complete a transaction with the counterpart there. The mission itself wasn’t particularly difficult; with Ye Feng’s strength at the time, he could handle ordinary risks.

However, once they left, they never returned.

The family’s later conclusion was that: they were ambushed by powerful bandits en route and the entire party perished. No bodies were ever recovered, and only memorial tombs were erected.

Unraveling the Threads

This conclusion seemed plausible, yet Ye Li sensed a different scent from a few subtle details.

First, the list of medicinal materials. In an inconspicuous backup entry record, she found the detailed manifest of the medicinal materials escorted during that mission. A few of the main ingredients, while precious, were not extremely rare treasures. However, in another set of family internal resource consumption records from the same period, she discovered that shortly after Ye Feng and his wife departed, the family secretly mobilized a small, elite squad of guards, personally led by an Elder whose strength had already reached the Spirit Sea Stage, who left the family under the guise of “hunting high-level spirit beasts.” Their direction… also seemed to be west.

The timing was too much of a coincidence.

Second, the account of the “bandits.” In those years, while the trade route to Blackwater City wasn’t completely peaceful, there was no rumor of a powerful bandit force capable of wiping out a team led by someone in the high-level True Essence Stage. Afterward, the family did not organize a large-scale force to clear out the supposed “bandits,” seemingly accepting the loss.

Finally, a seemingly unrelated record about a dispute over family internal resource allocation. The time was shortly after the disappearance of Ye Feng and his wife. The record was vague, only mentioning that Third Elder Ye Lang and another Elder responsible for external affairs at the time (now deceased) had a fierce argument over the distribution of a few mines and medicinal fields. Ultimately, most of those highly contested resource points were allocated to the faction under the Third Elder.

Ye Li’s finger traced those few lines of text, her eyes slightly narrowed.

Third Elder Ye Lang… Her impression of this person was that he was greedy and skilled at managing his own faction. The original owner’s parents didn’t seem to have a direct conflict of interest with him… but what about the resources and manpower that became available after their disappearance?

And that elite squad that was secretly mobilized… what was its actual purpose? Were they really hunting spirit beasts? Or was it… something else entirely?

She felt she was touching an invisible net. Her parents’ disappearance was likely far more complex than a simple accident. It might involve internal power struggles within the family, and perhaps even… a connection with a certain power in Blackwater City?

Just as she was deep in thought, faint footsteps and muffled conversation reached her from the library stairwell.

Ye Li immediately grew alert. Like a nimble cat, she silently concealed herself behind a tall row of bookshelves, holding her breath.

The newcomers were two stewards responsible for the daily patrol. While checking the shelves for dampness, they were chatting quietly.

“…I heard that the Third Elder managed to secure quite a few benefits in the resource allocation after this Grand Competition. His branch’s young lads will likely get a good share of the medicinal pills.”

“Sigh, tell me about it. We, the ones with no backing, won’t even get a sip of the soup. I heard the output at the western mine pit hasn’t been good lately, and two miners died. Even the compensation was heavily deducted…”

“Shush! Keep your voice down! Can you talk about that carelessly? I heard that the mine pit might be involved with Blackwater City’s ‘Scorpion Gang,’ something unclear. Last time…”

The voices gradually faded, the latter part of the conversation was hard to hear clearly.

But the words “Blackwater City” and “Scorpion Gang” clearly registered in Ye Li’s ears!

Scorpion Gang… The original owner’s memory held a vague impression—it seemed to be an infamous underground gang in Blackwater City, known for their ruthless methods.

Western mine pit… Blackwater City… Scorpion Gang… Her parents’ mission destination was also Blackwater City!

A faint thread seemed to be connecting!

Ye Li’s heart rate quickened slightly. She felt she might have found a crucial breakthrough point. Her parents’ disappearance was highly likely linked to the exchange of interests among certain individuals within the family, and possibly collusion with external forces (like this Scorpion Gang)!

She cautiously emerged from behind the bookshelves. After confirming no one was present, she quickly restored the books she had examined to their original positions and left the library like a phantom.

Focus and Resolve

Back in her secluded spot beneath the stone cliff at the back mountain, Ye Li’s mood was not entirely calm.

The investigation now had a preliminary direction, but it also made her aware of the inherent dangers. Involving family Elders and even an external gang, with her current strength, a single misstep could lead to eternal damnation.

But this line of karma, she had to resolve. This was not only for the sake of the original owner, but perhaps it could also become a leverage point for her to shake the Night family in the future.

She suppressed the turmoil in her heart, her gaze once again becoming calm and sharp.

The most important thing at present was still the upcoming Family Grand Competition. She needed to openly acquire resources, earn qualifications, and elevate her strength on that arena!

Only when she was strong enough would she be qualified to explore the truth, settle the karma, and claim vengeance!

She sat down cross-legged, sinking back into cultivation. Spiritual energy slowly circulated within her body, carrying a subtle, chilling intent to kill.

The wind howls before the rain. The waters of the Night family seemed to be stirring with an undercurrent because of her return.