After Chu Feng left, Liu Shijing was the only one remaining in the entire pavilion.
Her gaze drifted toward the mirror off to the side, as if recalling…
The moment she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror from the previous night, her face flushed crimson, and she spat lightly in embarrassment.
“I’ve really lost my mind…”
She had always been composed and dignified, yet she had actually shown such a wild and uninhibited side.
But compared to how that brat had tormented her before, last night had been different. She had been the one suppressing him.
Watching that brat let her do whatever she pleased made her lose herself even more.
Just as Liu Shijing’s thoughts wandered far away, Zi Xiner, dressed in a long gown woven from gold and silver, walked in.
It wasn’t until Zi Xiner had come to her side that Liu Shijing snapped back to her senses.
Liu Shijing hurriedly rose to her feet. “Holy Master, when did you…”
“No need to be nervous.”
Zi Xiner smiled and raised a hand, gesturing for Liu Shijing to sit back down.
“Elder Liu seemed to be deep in contemplation just now. If anything, I’m the one who interrupted you.”
Zi Xiner casually took a seat beside Liu Shijing.
A trace of unease flickered through Liu Shijing’s beautiful eyes. After all, what had been filling her mind just moments ago were things far too embarrassing to speak aloud.
Zi Xiner curled her lips into a faint smile as she leaned back against the cushioned couch, studying Liu Shijing, whose complexion had grown better and better over the past few days.
“It seems, Elder Liu, that you’ve completely accepted that little fellow.”
With her half-step Ninth Rank cultivation, she had naturally detected the lingering traces of Chu Feng’s aura.
This was the pavilion where Liu Shijing was temporarily staying. The little fellow had been here, yet there wasn’t the slightest trace of Xueyao’s aura.
What that implied spoke for itself.
Liu Shijing pressed her red lips together before finally nodding.
Zi Xiner smiled softly. “That’s for the best. When the time comes, your wedding and Xueyao’s will be held together.”
“!!!”
Liu Shijing’s expression froze.
Held together? Wouldn’t that be telling the entire world that she and her niece, Xueyao, were sharing the same husband?
“Holy Master, Xueyao’s wedding should certainly be held, but as for mine…”
Zi Xiner saw through Liu Shijing’s thoughts. “There’s no need to worry, Elder Liu. Besides, if we don’t hold a wedding for you as well, I’m afraid that little fellow won’t be happy about it.”
Liu Shijing couldn’t help recalling how that brat had promised her the previous night that he would give her a grand wedding. Thinking of that, she no longer voiced any objections.
Although she had insisted that there was no need for a ceremony, deep down, she still longed for one.
With a faint smile, Zi Xiner asked, “Do you happen to know where that little fellow is staying?”
Now that they were talking about him, she couldn’t help but feel the urge to go and see him.
“Yes, of course I do.”
Liu Shijing took out the number token the vice dean had given her.
Some rejoiced, while others lamented. After the first round of the competition came to an end, such was only natural.
***
Within the bamboo grove stood a pavilion. Resting over the flames, the teapot let out soft puff-puff sounds as the lid gently bobbed up and down.
Luo Mu knelt on the ground with his head lowered, his voice trembling as he said, “Master, I have failed to live up to your expectations.”
Standing before Luo Mu was a handsome middle-aged man. It was Cao Yu.
Not only had Cao Yu provided Luo Mu with abundant cultivation resources, but he had also passed down to him a strange yet domineering cultivation technique. Luo Mu had been full of confidence, but in the end, he had run into a dark horse. He had lost.
Cao Yu who was seated before the tea table remained calm, showing no trace of anger.
“Victory and defeat are common in battle. No one’s life unfolds entirely according to plan. Besides, even Yun Xiao admitted he was inferior to that young man. It was only natural for you to lose to him.”
Though he said this, he never once raised his head to look at Luo Mu.
Luo Mu also felt ashamed of failing his master’s careful guidance. Cao Yu had placed great hopes on him reaching the top ten, and after he had broken through to the fourth rank…
…his master had even prepared a top-grade pill for him.
“There is no need to be discouraged. Losing is not what is frightening. What is truly frightening is allowing your mindset to collapse. Go back and recover properly.”
Cao Yu took out a slip of paper and handed it to Luo Mu.
“Written on it are several spiritual herbs. With my badge, you can go to the Alchemy Pavilion and obtain them. When you make your breakthrough, use the medicinal essence extracted from these herbs as a supplement. It will allow you to bring your strength to its fullest potential.”
“Thank you, Master!”
After accepting it, Luo Mu bowed deeply before taking his leave.
Meanwhile, Cao Yu stared blankly at the tea in his cup, lost in thought.
***
Darkness. Endless, pitch-black darkness stretched before his eyes.
This was the scene before Chu Feng now. There was no light, no sound, and it even felt as though time itself had ceased to exist.
He only remembered that, while breaking through, the black light lying dormant deep within his body had suddenly erupted, sweeping through every part of him with an icy, bone-piercing chill.
“Is this… the world after death…?”
He did not know how long he had been walking before he finally sensed warmth. Gradually, feeling returned to his body.
At that moment, he realized something was off. Why was he surrounded by something so soft?
There was also a refreshing, soothing fragrance… and it was one he knew well!
When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a pair of pure, sacred eyes. The delicate white gauze robe, the mark on her forehead, and her snow-white hair made the beauty before him seem like a holy goddess descended into the mortal world.
“A… Aunt Zi!?”
Chu Feng was instantly stunned. Had it been Sister Tiantian, Senior Sister Yuyan, Sister Saintess, or even Aunt Jing, he would never have reacted so dramatically.
The next moment, he realized what state he was in.
Zi Xiner was holding the little fellow in her arms with a face full of gentle affection.
Zi Xiner quietly gazed at Chu Feng, her beautiful eyes blinking softly, making him blush under her stare.
“Little fellow, how are you feeling?”
Big, soft, and fragrant.
Chu Feng almost blurted it out but quickly stopped himself. If he actually said it, he would probably be condemned to the eighteenth level of hell in Aunt Zi’s eyes.
“I feel much better now. Thank you, Aunt Zi.”
So it was Aunt Zi who had brought him back. But wasn’t the way she had done it… a little too intimate…?
He wasn’t a one- or two-year-old child anymore, yet in Aunt Zi’s eyes, he seemed no different from a little kid.
And if Sister Tiantian and the others came back and saw this scene… just thinking about it made his head throb. He had only just managed to calm Aunt Jing down last night.
“Um, Aunt Zi… I think I’m starting to feel a little… warm.”
He couldn’t exactly say it outright. That would probably hurt Aunt Zi’s feelings. After all, if anyone was at a disadvantage because of the way she had saved him, it certainly wasn’t him.
He decided to hint at it tactfully instead. Given Aunt Zi’s intelligence, she would surely understand what he was trying to say.
With a gentle look in her eyes, Zi Xiner said, “Feeling warm is a good sign. Earlier, your body was unnaturally cold. Even using true qi had no effect. Left with no other choice, I had to use this method to keep your body temperature up. You’ll need to stay like this a little longer…the cold energy inside you still hasn’t completely dissipated.”
Hearing that, Chu Feng felt deeply moved, but at the same time, he didn’t dare move a muscle.
To distract himself, he began silently chanting, “Pineapple, pineapple, honey…”
But when he reached the last word of honey… no, forget it. Thinking about that would only make him explode from the excitement.
For the first time, Chu Feng felt that time could pass so agonizingly slowly.
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