Crowned by the Treacherous Big Shot

Gongsun Liuying descended into the cellar.

The overwhelming scent of incense made her dizzy, and she covered her nose.

What greeted her eyes were walls covered in bizarre talisman papers, and on the floor, a gigantic totem painted in vermilion.

She raised her head and saw two lanterns hanging from the beams.

They resembled the eyes of a Fierce Ghost.

An eerie and chilling aura enveloped her, causing a faint shiver down her spine.

A shadow fell on the wall in front of her. Startled, she spun around quickly, only to see Meng Qianqian. She calmed herself.

"What kind of trick are you playing?"

She asked coldly.

Meng Qianqian curved her lips into a slight smile, and with a flick of her fingertips, knocked the lanterns off the beams.

Grabbing one in each hand, she brought them before Gongsun Liuying. "A gift for Senior Sister. Please accept it."

Gongsun Liuying frowned. "Are you out of your mind?"

Meng Qianqian's smile faded slightly. "Please accept it, Senior Sister."

Gongsun Liuying casually picked up one of the lanterns. Upon lowering her gaze, she noticed a set of birthdate inscriptions written on it.

"This is… my birthdate."

"That's right."

Meng Qianqian confirmed.

A peculiar sense of unease surged in Gongsun Liuying's chest. She grabbed the other lantern as well. "And who does this birthdate belong to? What on earth are you trying to do?"

After a pause, as though something had dawned on her, she sneered. "Yan Xiaojiu, don't tell me you're trying to cast the Suppression Technique on me?"

Meng Qianqian chuckled, "The Suppression Technique wouldn't befit the esteemed status of the young mistress. This cellar is prepared for the Wushan Forbidden Technique."

Gongsun Liuying's expression stiffened.

Meng Qianqian fixed her gaze directly into her eyes. "You claim to be the Phoenix Girl, but do you know how you came by your Phoenix Girl Destiny?"

Gongsun Liuying's lashes fluttered slightly.

Meng Qianqian's lips curved subtly. "That's right—it was stolen. The original owner of this birthdate was the true Phoenix Girl whose destiny you stole. By seniority, you should call her 'Little Senior Sister.'"

Gongsun Liuying's pupils constricted in shock. Her pale fingers clenched. "You're lying!"

Meng Qianqian spoke calmly and indifferently. "If Senior Sister doesn't believe me, you can ask your mother. Back then, in order to lure a mother and daughter into the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, she didn't even hesitate to induce early labor. I doubt she would forget such a thing."

Gongsun Liuying took a step back, her chest heaving violently. "You…"

Meng Qianqian smiled sweetly. "Senior Sister, isn't my gift priceless beyond measure?"

The cold light of the Luminous Pearl reflected in Meng Qianqian's smiling eyes, making her aura all the more sinister.

A sudden wave of unease swept over Gongsun Liuying. "Who exactly are you?"

Meng Qianqian did not respond. She turned and left the cellar.

"Stay where you are! I'm asking you a question; who gave you permission to leave?!"

Gongsun Liuying reached out to grab Meng Qianqian, but a sudden sharp pain struck her chest, and a bitter, metallic taste filled her throat.

She bent over and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Impossible… My Destiny is mine… I didn't steal anyone's destiny!"

"I was born as the Phoenix Girl!"

"Yan Xiaojiu! How dare you try to frighten me, disturb my state of mind? I won't fall for it!"

-

Xiao Rong'er had just finished recounting the dowry items again, exhausted to the point of utter fatigue.

As she entered the room, she saw her eldest daughter sitting there, staring blankly.

At her daughter's feet lay two extinguished lanterns.

Xiao Rong'er glanced down and thought the lanterns looked familiar but did not dwell on it right away.

She walked up and sat beside her daughter. "Why are you here? Does your father know?"

Gongsun Liuying slowly raised her head to face Xiao Rong'er.

When Xiao Rong'er saw her daughter's red-rimmed, hostile eyes, she was taken aback. "Liuying, you—what happened?"

Gongsun Liuying placed the lanterns from the floor onto the table.

Now Xiao Rong'er finally recognized them.

Her face changed drastically. "Where did you get these? Why did you take them down? Hurry and hang them back!"

She picked up the lanterns and was about to leave.

Without emotion, Gongsun Liuying said, "So it's true."

Xiao Rong'er froze mid-step, feeling as though she had plunged into an icy abyss.

She took a deep breath to steady herself, then turned with a doting smile. "They're blessing lanterns, like Everlasting Lamps, but meant to pray for the living."

Gongsun Liuying replied, "Everlasting Lamps aren't for blessings. They're to guide the dead."

A flicker passed through Xiao Rong'er's eyes. She smiled lightly. "Ah, yes, yes, your mother has been so overwhelmed these past few days."

"Is this person still alive?"

Gongsun Liuying asked faintly.

Xiao Rong'er paused and looked down at the lanterns in her hands. She quickly realized her daughter was referring to the other birthdate's owner.

She paced back to her daughter's side, sat down, and said coldly, "Dead."

"Good."

Gongsun Liuying said.

Xiao Rong'er opened her mouth, unsure how to respond. "Liuying, actually your mother…"