Chapter 147: Wrongfully Accused as a Thief-Dumped While Cultivating Immortality in Old Age—Now That I’m Dead, System, You Finally Show Up?(With a single stroke, the landscape is brought to life.)

The Ji family dungeon.

It was a place where all who opposed the Ji family were imprisoned. Do not mistake the Ji family's imprisonment for mercy; it was merely a means to extract every ounce of value from you before you perished. Flesh and blood were used to refine medicine; internal organs were harvested to cultivate exotic insects; bones were used to forge artifacts; and souls were refined into magical treasures. Everyone thrown into the Ji family dungeon suffered until they died in agony. None ever escaped, and in the end, their very souls were scattered, never to be reincarnated. The Ji family dungeon was, in every sense, a living hell on earth.

The moment Xiao Junlin was thrown into the dungeon, he was forced to swallow a medicinal pill. This pill, known as the Golden Silkworm Pill, was the size of a thumb and pure white in color. It contained an insect egg that would hatch inside the human body, feeding on the prisoner's flesh and blood as it grew. Once it had consumed the prisoner's internal organs, the incubation would be complete, and it would burst forth from the body, fully matured as a Golden Silkworm. These silkworms could spit out threads of white jade blood, which could then be woven into precious immortal garments. The higher the prisoner’s cultivation level, the higher the grade of the resulting Golden Silkworm, and consequently, the higher the grade of the immortal garment produced. For instance, the Golden Silkworm nurtured within Xiao Junlin could produce threads capable of weaving an immortal garment fit for a Great Completion Heavenly Immortal.

Of course, if you believed that your utility in the dungeon was limited to this, you would be greatly underestimating the place. Every day, your vital essence and bone marrow would be drained, much like a pig raised for slaughter, until you finally succumbed to death. Even then, the soul would not be spared. The entire dungeon was equipped with soul-devouring vessels that harvested the departed spirits to be refined into soul-type artifacts, soul banners, or soul beads.

At this moment, Xiao Junlin, looking like a dead man walking, was locked away in the dungeon.

...

Meanwhile, Chu Feng accompanied Ji Ling'er back to her family home. Ji Ling'er's father was merely a cultivator of the Unity realm, and her mother, one of many wives, was of the even lower Nascent Soul realm. Fortunately, for those who cultivate immortality, progeny is hard to come by. Ji Ling'er had only two brothers and one sister. However, this sister was not biological; she was an adopted orphan who shared a trace of the Ji family bloodline, though the familial connection was distant by five or six generations. Years ago, when Ji Ling'er was lost and subsequently adopted by the Zhao family, her mother, missing her daughter, chose to adopt this girl of the same age. Since Ji Ling'er was of true Ji blood, she could not be left to wander, and was eventually brought back.

Clearly, she was not held in high regard. Although her aptitude was top-tier, her lack of status meant her assigned protector, Han Wendong, was only of the Spirit Severing realm.

Upon this return to the Ji family, Jiang Yan, An Miaoyi, and Chen Wanwan did not follow, choosing instead to stay at an inn. Ji Ling'er's father, Ji Dongchang, was one of the three major stewards of the Tai-Xu Holy City and maintained his own estate there. Yet, upon Ji Ling'er's return, there was no sign of welcome. Her two brothers did not appear, and both her mother and her adopted sister went out of their way to avoid her until the third day.

Suddenly, the quiet residence erupted in noise. A large group of people stormed in, led by a middle-aged man—none other than Ji Dongchang—accompanied by his two sons, Ji Ling'er's mother, and her adopted sister.

The moment they entered, Ji Dongchang sat in the main seat and roared in fury, "Disgraceful child! Kneel!"

Ji Ling'er was stunned. Fearing that her father disapproved of her relationship with Chu Feng, her face turned deathly pale, and she was about to kneel when Chu Feng grabbed her arm, holding her in place.

Ji Dongchang raged, "Ji Ling'er, look at the mess you've made! You snuck off to the Eastern Wastelands—you should have just stayed there! The moment you return, you steal the Fortune Divine Pill that your sister worked so hard to obtain! Do you have any idea how important this pill is to her? It was meant to elevate her aptitude, to allow her to achieve a Divine Body and become the future of our Ji family!"

"Hand over the Fortune Divine Pill immediately, then kneel and apologize to your sister! I will let this pass for now, otherwise, you shall face family discipline."

When Ji Ling'er had first returned, she had tried to please her parents and relatives, valuing their kinship. But she had been met only with her parents' indifference, her brothers' coldness, and even the contempt of the servants. This was precisely why she had begun to think of Zhao Yan and the Zhao family—because it was with them that she had found true affection, whereas in the Ji family, she found only alienation. She had hoped that with her extraordinary achievements under Chu Feng's guidance, she could prove her worth to her parents. Instead, for three days, they had hidden from her, and now they had appeared only to demand accountability.

Ji Yuanyuan began to weep, pleading, "Sister, please, just return the Fortune Divine Pill to me. Father spent so much effort to trade for it from the family. With it, I could attain a Divine Body, become a core member of the Ji family, and gain the resources to help our parents. Without it, my life will amount to nothing. Even if you are joking, you cannot play with my future like this!"

The eldest brother, Ji Guang, said coldly, "Ji Ling'er, hand over the pill immediately."

The second brother, Ji Ming, nodded, "It is only because Yuanyuan is generous that we aren't demanding more than just a kneeling apology."

Ji Ling'er's mother took a deep breath and said, "Ling'er, your previous antics were just you being a wild child raised in the countryside without manners. We felt guilty for losing you, so we didn't blame you, but this is different. The Fortune Divine Pill concerns your sister's future. Just give it back, or even I won't be able to protect you."

Ji Ling'er finally understood. The situation was clear: they were framing her for stealing Ji Yuanyuan's pill, refusing to give her any chance to defend herself, and insisting on her guilt. She let out a bitter, angry laugh. She stared directly at Ji Dongchang and said, "Father, Mother, brothers, and you, Ji Yuanyuan—I want to ask you, are you so certain I took this pill? If I told you that I haven't even seen a shadow of this Fortune Divine Pill, would you believe me?"

Ji Yuanyuan grew anxious. "Sister, I beg you! Who else could it be but you, who just arrived? Nothing has ever been stolen in this house before, and besides..."

Ji Ling'er retorted angrily, "Just because I just arrived, you conclude I'm the thief? How truly laughable."

"Besides what? Speak up!"

Ji Yuanyuan hesitated, then said, "Sister, I didn't want to say it, but since you insist... there are witnesses who saw you steal my Fortune Divine Pill."