Ever since she had asked Zhang Jingyun to hunt down the Thunder Flood Dragon, Yun Zi'an's heart had been pounding incessantly.
Days passed in agonizing torment. One day went by with no word at all; two days passed, and it remained just as silent; three days passed, and Zhang Jingyun still had not returned.
Yun Zi'an concluded that Zhang Jingyun must be dead, perished inside the Four Souls Formation she had so meticulously set up.
When her scheme succeeded, she had expected to feel a sense of profound relief. Instead, her heart felt utterly empty, devoid of any real ease, replaced only by an indescribable void.
It felt as though a piece of her body had been forcefully carved out—not painful, not itchy, yet whenever she inadvertently glanced at that "wound," she would suddenly realize that something vital was missing.
Perhaps that missing piece was terribly important; perhaps it was entirely insignificant.
Yun Zi'an did not know. To this day, she had not even figured out why, in a situation where they had already parted ways to live their own separate lives, she had harbored such a paranoid obsession with killing Zhang Jingyun.
In the end, she could only attribute it to her deep-seated fear that Zhang Jingyun would expose her dark history of once having been a maid.
Throughout this prolonged waiting, Yun Zi'an completely lost her former diligence. She neither practiced her sword techniques nor executed sect missions; she merely hid in her room day after day, lost in a daze.
"It should be over now!" she repeatedly told herself in her heart. "The Four Souls Formation I set up might have been somewhat difficult for the old Zhang Jingyun to handle, but dealing with the swordless Zhang Jingyun of today is undoubtedly foolproof."
Yun Zi'an massaged her brow, a mocking smile curling the corner of her lips. "So Zhang Jingyun wasn't so terrifying after all. I just used a little trickery, and he died."
"Such a person actually terrified me for so long. If I had known, I should have found a way to kill him back when I was a maid, and I could have spared myself years of being bullied by him."
"Zhang Jingyun died well! He died wonderfully!"
"With him dead, no one will ever know that I was once dragged off and sold in the slave market, and I can maintain my flawless image as a princess of Canglan forever."
"It's as if... as if I were never banished from the imperial palace and cast out among the common folk!"
"Hehe... Hahaha..." Yun Zi'an's laughter grew louder with each peal, yet her gaze involuntarily darkened.
She turned her head to look at the door of her room, suddenly feeling as though she might finally have the courage to step outside the confines of the room that had imprisoned her for so many days.
Slowly, she stood up, took heavy steps toward the door, and pushed it open with a firm shove.
The bright sunlight outside instantly poured in, dazzling her so intensely that she felt a wave of sharp discomfort and quickly covered her eyes with her hand.
A disciple of the Tandao Sect spotted Yun Zi'an and greeted her warmly, "Junior Sister Yun, we haven't seen you for days. Where have you been?"
"Aren't you going to practice your sword? Ever since Zhuo Zhenru defeated Senior Brother Song and Senior Brother Kou, the Sect Master has been furious."
"You mustn't let him think you're slacking off."
"I know. I'm heading to the Martial Arts Arena right now," Yun Zi'an replied, then walked toward the Martial Arts Arena like a walking corpse.
Whatever else the disciple said failed to register in her ears. Her mind was as tangled and chaotic as a bundle of straw.
As she walked along, Yun Zi'an suddenly bumped into someone. She raised her head and looked closely—it was none other than Zhang Jingyun, whom she had presumed dead.
At that moment, Yun Zi'an's heart felt as though it would leap out of her throat. Her mind plunged into total chaos, leaving only a single thought flashing frantically: *Run!*
Abandoning all thoughts of the Martial Arts Arena, she immediately lowered her head, pretended not to recognize Zhang Jingyun, and turned around to head straight back to her room.
Yet she had barely taken a few steps when Zhang Jingyun's voice rang out from behind her, "Junior Sister Yun, wait a moment!"
The shout acted like a immobilization spell, instantly freezing Yun Zi'an's body. Her feet felt as though they had been nailed to the ground, unable to move another inch, while terror washed over her like a tidal wave.
Eyes wide with panic, Yun Zi'an tried to reassure herself inwardly: "Don't panic, don't panic!"
"I still don't know if Zhang Jingyun hunted the Thunder Flood Dragon and discovered the Four Souls Formation."
"Besides, even if he managed to escape from the Four Souls Formation, he might not necessarily realize that I was the one behind it."
"I must stay calm. I cannot let a guilty conscience show on my face."
"Hah!"
"Oh, it's Senior Brother Zhang! I'm sorry, I was walking in such a rush just now that I didn't realize it was you." Forcing a calm demeanor, Yun Zi'an turned around and rigidly twitched the corners of her mouth into an extremely strained smile.
Yet she was completely unaware that her voice was trembling and her complexion was as pale as paper.
Zhang Jingyun did not immediately expose Yun Zi'an's pretense, but instead pressed on, "Junior Sister, weren't you heading to the Martial Arts Arena? Why did you suddenly turn around and head back?"
"I..." Yun Zi'an stammered, her panicked gaze darting everywhere. "I suddenly didn't feel like practicing the sword."
"Why?"
"Because... because..." Yun Zi'an's eyes rolled frantically as she racked her brain, finally scraping together a lame excuse. "Because I've been practicing every single day recently, and my brain is completely muddled. I need to stop and think things through properly."
"Oh! I see." Zhang Jingyun nodded slightly, his expression giving away neither joy nor anger. "Then I won't hold Junior Sister up any longer."
Hearing those words, Yun Zi'an felt as though she had been granted a pardon, and a profound sense of relief instantly surged through her heart.
She immediately turned toward her room, but just as she lifted her foot to move, Zhang Jingyun called out to her again, "Junior Sister Yun, wait!"
"Senior Brother Zhang, is there something else?" Called back a second time, Yun Zi'an wore an expression even uglier than if she had swallowed a fly, while her heart pounded wildly.
"Didn't you ask me to help hunt the Thunder Flood Dragon a few days ago? I've killed it, and I even brought the beast core back for you."
"Right, right, right!" The moment Zhang Jingyun brought up the matter, Yun Zi'an broke out in a cold sweat of sheer nervousness. "My head is so muddled that I completely forgot."
"Thank you, Senior Brother. You weren't hurt, were you?" Yun Zi'an asked with forced concern, struggling to mask her crumbling composure.
"No! Though someone set up a formation at the entrance of the Thunder Flood Dragon's cave and almost wiped me out along with the Flood Dragon."
"Hehe..." Hearing this, Yun Zi'an felt her back drench with sweat. She offered a dry, awkward chuckle in response, "Which wretch could be so wicked? Fortunately, Senior Brother is safe and sound."
"I'll give you the beast core right now." As he spoke, Zhang Jingyun reached into his Storage Ring to search for it. After rummaging around for a moment, he said with apparent shock, "Oh dear, I casually tossed the beast core into the cabinet yesterday when I got back and didn't bring it with me."
"Junior Sister, why don't you come back to my place with me?" Zhang Jingyun's gaze fell upon Yun Zi'an once more.
"Go... go to Senior Brother's quarters? Isn't that a bit inconvenient?"
"What's inconvenient about it? Aren't you in a rush to use the beast core?" Zhang Jingyun countered.
"Y-Yes, of course!" Despite the myriad reservations screaming in her heart, Yun Zi'an had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow behind Zhang Jingyun, step by reluctant step, toward his quarters.