Why could she never see his face clearly even though the dream was so vivid? Her heart panged every time she recalled how the man protected her in his embrace, shielding her from all danger. It was like she was about to suffocate and collapse at any moment.
Azurite emerged from the Pill Scroll Realm and was immediately taken aback by how pale Feng Tianlan was. She asked with great worry, “Master, are you feeling alright?”
The presence of another person cleared the fog from Feng Tianlan’s mind. She massaged her temples and said, “I’m fine. What’s the time now?”
“5:45 PM.”
Feng Tianlan hummed in acknowledgment and got off the bed. She splashed her face with cold water, which chilled her to the bone. The water flowed into her heart like a clear stream, chasing away whatever weariness remained. She perked up, and she no longer thought of the man in her dream.
“Azurite,” she started to say as Azurite wiped the dampness from her face with a handkerchief. Looking at Azurite’s confused little face, she put down the handkerchief. “Forget it.”
Even if Azurite had existed in the Pill Scroll Realm for millennia, she could not have known much. Also, this was nothing more than a dream. How could she think that it recollected something that had actually happened in the past? It was heaven-defying enough that her soul had been reincarnated. Her soul couldn’t possibly have reincarnated countless times.
That was ridiculous!
Upon seeing the expression on Tianlan’s face, Azurite was even more confused. What’s wrong with Master?
Chuling came in and announced the news: “Xu Jiayi is disfigured from Tu Xiang’s bites and is a breath away from death. Tu Xiang’s Cinnabar field is destroyed, and he is now nothing but a useless bum. As for Tu Xiupei…” Chuling pressed on, despite feeling that it was a little too cruel, “She was black and blue all over. She even once discharged blood and fell into a bad state. His highness was keeping her alive with a Grade 5 Spirit Boosting Pill. She will not die so easily.”
Speaking of Si Mobai, Feng Tianlan felt herself stiffen. She recalled his almost demon-like expression last night. It burned into the deepest corners of her heart, yet, she felt neither disgust nor hatred. Instead, she felt sorrow tinged with wistfulness.
“He didn’t do anything to you, did he?”
“Huh?” Chuling blanked for a second before promptly shaking her head. “His highness is in love with you. I have done nothing wrong, so there is no reason for him to make life difficult for me.”
Feng Tianlan looked down. She had angered him yesterday, so he had left those words behind. She could not help but worry that he might harm Chuling and the others. After all, he had always been a man who walked the walk.
“We’ll keep Tu Xiupei alive for now. The men from Flying Frost Pavilion will arrive soon, and they will not accept just any answer. Also, she is not entirely useless to me yet.”
As for Tu Xiang and Xu Jiayi, they no longer posed any threat. To them, death would mean relief. Hope would only exist so long as they were still alive, and with hope came disappointment. The journey between life and death is what Tianlan considered real torture.
Over the next few days, Feng Tianlan kept Zhang Tiancheng and Luo Yunzhu within the Feng Manor. She focused solely on guiding their cultivation and was reassured that they both appeared to be talented. Chuling, on the other hand, was slightly lackluster. And so, Feng Tianlan led her by hand and taught her how to use the Silver Silk Net. Once she got the hang of it, she too began improving by leaps and bounds.
Maybe it was because she had company in Feng Manor, but Si Mobai had not visited Feng Tianlan for days. With whatever time she had left to herself, Feng Tianlan refined medicinal pills. After all, she would be setting off for the Misty Forest in a few days.
“Miss, we have visitors from the Flying Frost Pavilion. There are a lot of them,” Chuling reported, glancing with worry at Feng Tianlan.
Feng Tianlan raised her eyebrows slightly. “Where are they now?”
“They went straight to the jail. They should have fetched Tu Xiupei by now.”
“Hmm.” Feng Tianlan nodded softly. She consoled Chuling, “Don’t worry. They won’t dare lay a finger on us, not now. It is unavoidable to become enemies with them. It’s just a matter of time.”
She could smell a whiff of blood despite being far from the jail. How much blood had been spilled within those walls? She could only imagine.
“Are you Feng Tianlan?” asked a handsome man riding a Stage 3 Demonic Beast. From atop his beast, he looked down at Feng Tianlan with arrogance and disdain.
