Activating the Heavenly Book

Yan Yun happily found a place to change back into her male attire.

After meticulously disguising herself, she emerged with a look of discomfort.

“It’s so tight,” Yan Yun grumbled, pressing her still somewhat “ample” chest. “Why do I feel like they’ve gotten bigger again?”

“Haha, isn’t that good?” Yan Lingyun teased. “Didn’t you always say you liked them big? This is nothing yet; it’s probably still one or two times smaller than a married woman’s, isn’t it?”

Yan Yun let out a long sigh.

She then approached the back door of the Jiang family residence, took a running start, and vaulted over.

As she walked, Yan Lingyun promptly issued a warning.

‘Oh no, your nominal elder brother is currently at your residence. Prepare yourself to deal with him; I suspect he might have sensed something just now.’

Upon hearing this, Yan Yun’s nerves immediately tightened.

‘Damn it, why does he always pay so much attention to me for no reason? Is he really a brother-complex type?’ Yan Yun muttered to herself, yet she steeled herself and continued walking.

As she reached the doorway, Yan Kun’s voice drifted over.

“Oh! So the third Young Master Yan, who’s been ‘married off,’ has returned, has he? Where have you been, pray tell?”

The moment Yan Yun heard his voice, she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

“Why are you here again? Haven’t I told you already? My life at the Jiang family is perfectly fine, even more comfortable than at the Yan family.”

Yan Kun rose, scrutinizing Yan Yun from head to toe, then side to side, with an intensity that filled Yan Yun with no small amount of apprehension.

He seemed to be looking right through her, his gaze unwavering.

‘Strange, the exact same eyes and feeling, yet that silver-haired girl from earlier was unmistakably a female. Why does she feel so similar to Third Brother?’ Yan Kun pondered inwardly.

Yan Yun, seeing the look in Yan Kun’s eyes, immediately knew what he was thinking, so she quickly interrupted him.

“What are you staring at? Do I have flowers growing on me? Second Brother, how have things been at home lately? Are we still holding our own against the Zhou and Song families?” Yan Yun asked, feigning composure.

At that question, Yan Kun’s thoughts finally shifted away from her.

“Alas! The family’s business is worsening by the day. Several of our partners have been snatched away, and within two years at most, both our families will likely have to withdraw from the pill business,” Yan Kun said, his face etched with worry.

Yan Yun immediately furrowed her brows. The Lin family, seeing that direct confrontation wasn’t working, had resorted to cutting off their lifeline (TL Note: A Chinese idiom meaning to remove the underlying support or foundation, often used for strategies that weaken an opponent from within or by cutting off their resources).

Moreover, she had a nagging feeling that this tactic was merely their gentlest approach; the Lin family was likely brewing some deeper conspiracy in the shadows.

“Is that so? Is there truly no way to reverse the situation?”

Yan Kun shook his head.

“The Lin family has invited a Fourth-rank alchemist to the Zhou family. Their pills, both in variety and quality, are superior to ours. There’s simply no way we can compete.”

Speaking of which, Yan Yun actually possessed a method to help both the Jiang and Yan families reverse their fortunes, but doing so would expose her true identity.

At least for now, it was out of the question; she first needed to acquire the Thousand Illusions Necklace.

“Alright, if there’s nothing else, you should head back. Don’t just stand around here,” Yan Yun said, effectively issuing an order for him to leave.

This, however, displeased Yan Kun.

“What, are you trying to send me away so quickly? Are you hiding some secret you’re afraid someone might discover, you rascal?” Yan Kun suddenly leaned close to Yan Yun, questioning her with a suspicious glint in his eyes.

Yan Yun was startled by his words, momentarily thinking Yan Kun had discovered her secret.

However, realizing the impossibility of it, she quickly regained her composure.

“Even if I did, it’s none of your business, alright? Honestly, you’re not a child anymore, yet you still act the same as before, always looking for trouble with me. Do you feel uncomfortable if you don’t annoy me a little? I think you just need a woman to keep you in line,” Yan Yun retorted.

Yan Kun chuckled.

“No helping it, who told you to have such an easily bullied appearance? To be honest, you’re thirteen now, yet you still look so feminine. Those unfamiliar with you would probably mistake you for my younger sister.”

Yan Yun was mortified.

“What can I do about it? I can only say that my mother’s bloodline is stronger than your father’s.”

Yan Kun gazed at his younger brother, who possessed a slender figure and a beautiful face, feeling an indescribable awkwardness.

Even as a child, with his rosy lips and pearly white teeth, he always evoked a mischievous urge in Yan Kun to tease him.

“Ugh! Fine, I can’t be bothered with you anymore. But I must warn you, the situation in the city is very complex right now. As an ordinary person, you should avoid going out unnecessarily, lest you draw unwanted attention. Also, if you have time, you should go home for a visit; he is your father, after all.” With that, Yan Kun strode away.

Only after Yan Yun confirmed Yan Kun had gone far did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.

‘Old Ancestor, do you think my Second Brother truly sensed something?’

‘What do you think? Make your plans early. Oh, and if you have time, try to comprehend the Heavenly Tome. It certainly holds more abilities than I discovered back then; there must be other secrets within it,’ Yan Lingyun reminded her.

Yan Yun nodded, then entered the house, locked the door from within, removed her shoes and socks, and sat on the bed, allowing her consciousness to sink into her Sea of Consciousness.

The Heavenly Tome currently floated within her Sea of Consciousness.

As Yan Yun’s consciousness approached it, the tome immediately emanated a golden radiance, and her consciousness was drawn inside.

Inside the Heavenly Tome was a palace, or perhaps, more accurately, a colossal library.

This was not Yan Yun’s first entry into the Heavenly Tome’s world, but her previous attempts had yielded nothing.

“Old Ancestor, did you never try to open the other books back then?” Yan Yun inquired.

‘I did try, but it was useless. There must be trigger conditions. The Heavenly Poison Sutra (TL Note: A cultivation technique, ‘tiandu jing’) isn’t truly my original creation; it was generated automatically by combining the cultivation methods I practiced. I’m wondering if one needs to observe more other cultivation techniques to trigger the conditions for opening other books?’ Yan Lingyun speculated.

The Heavenly Tome was an unexpected acquisition when Yan Lingyun reached the Divine Venerable Realm.

She hadn’t even had the chance to study it thoroughly before misfortune befell her, ultimately benefiting Yan Yun.

“Is that so? But the problem is, I’ve practically read every book in the Yan family’s library, yet it doesn’t seem to have triggered any conditions, has it?” Yan Yun questioned again.

Yan Lingyun had no answer for this, leaving Yan Yun to ponder it herself.

Yan Yun looked at the Heavenly Poison Sutra in her hand, deep in thought.

‘Wait, could it be that creativity is required to trigger it?’ Yan Yun mused, a sudden realization dawning upon her.

She immediately began to peruse the Heavenly Poison Sutra from beginning to end, simultaneously attempting to modify it based on her understanding of various cultivation techniques and knowledge.

And surprisingly, the moment this idea struck her, all the characters on the Heavenly Poison Sutra instantly floated out of the book.

Not only that, but the entire Heavenly Tome world began to tremble, and vast quantities of golden characters emanated from within the bookshelves.

This sudden turn of events shocked both of them.

‘What? Boy, you’ve activated the Heavenly Tome! How did you do it? I experienced this very scene myself, back in my day,’ Yan Lingyun exclaimed, her face filled with astonishment upon witnessing this.

Yan Yun, too, was utterly bewildered as she watched the massive deluge of characters converging from all directions.

These characters, like countless stars, swirled around her.

“Haha, indeed! I truly am a genius! Old Ancestor, to trigger this Heavenly Tome, one needs a creative heart. You must have had such an intention back then, which is why you activated the Heavenly Tome and created this Heavenly Poison Sutra,” Yan Yun exclaimed excitedly.

Yan Lingyun immediately recalled her memories carefully, and it seemed that this was indeed the case.

However, Yan Yun also discovered a problem: she couldn’t completely reassemble the Heavenly Poison Sutra; it seemed she could only improve it by using the existing sutra as a core.

Yan Yun recognized the characters converging from all around her; they were all records of cultivation techniques she had encountered.

‘Could it be that I can try to integrate the characteristics of other cultivation techniques into the Heavenly Poison Sutra?’ Yan Yun hypothesized.