Snap!
"Ouch, crow's mouth."
When she turned back to look, her delicate embroidered shoes stepped on her long hemline.
Rip! The sound of tearing fabric.
Ah! A cry of pain as her ankle twisted.
Crash! The sound of a flowerpot smashing.
Thud! The sound of a heavy object hitting the ground.
Lan Qinghuan gnashed her teeth in anger. It was all Feng Jingxuan's fault; otherwise, she wouldn't have been wearing such heavy, cumbersome clothing.
She swore secretly in her heart that she would definitely find Feng Jingxuan later to avenge this.
She also had to quickly step up the training of this physical body, preferably starting her cultivation as soon as possible. Once she couldn't find Di Lianzhe, she still had to go find Rulai to settle accounts.
"Ah, ah... Heavens! Miss, Miss, are you alright?
Please don't scare me..." Seeing Lan Qinghuan fall, Xi Yun'er hurriedly rushed over to help her up, checking her over carefully.
Her hair had come undone in the fall, with only a few hairpins and silk flowers left in her disheveled locks. Her dress was torn with a large gash, her delicate palms were pierced by the shards of the shattered flowerpot, and a shallow cut had been opened on her face, with beads of blood welling up.
What on earth was wrong with the young miss? She had never been like this before. She used to cherish her body dearly and would never easily let herself get hurt.
In the past, when the head of the family went on long journeys, they had been driven out by Concubine Fang to live in a small, dilapidated shack under harsh conditions. Even when bullied by the Second Miss and Third Miss, the young miss would always proactively look for ointments to apply, terrified that even the slightest unsightly scar would be left on this body.
Yet now, the Third Prince was right within arm's reach; why on earth would the young miss make herself look so wretched?
Xi Yun'er simply could not understand, and she could only try her utmost to help the young miss tidy up her appearance.
Lacking a comb, she could only wind the pitch-black hair into a simple bun, securing it with that precious phoenix hairpin.
She wrapped her hands with a handkerchief, gently wiped the dust from her face, and straightened that gorgeous wedding dress, despite the large tear in it...
"There's no need for you to tidy her up. Such a mad and foolish woman, even if she were born as gorgeous as an immortal, this prince wouldn't deign to spare her a second glance!" Seething with anger, Feng Jingxuan stepped out just in time to witness this lively scene.
Pottery shards, withered flowers and trampled leaves, filthy soil, a woman with a vacant stare who let herself be manipulated at will, and a maidservant covered in snot and tears—he simply couldn't believe his imperial father actually insisted he marry such a woman.
Such a noble and handsome person, yet the words coming out of his mouth completely ruined any good impression people might have had of him.
Was this prospective husband really the peerless, unequalled genius and handsome young man of the Fengxu Continent who loved to champion the cause of justice, the one they had heard about on the streets and alleys?
Xi Yun'er couldn't help but roll her eyes toward the heavens.
"Have you lost your mind? How dare you look at this prince with that kind of gaze! Someone, slap her across the mouth." Finding an outlet for his pent-up fury, he finally had a target to vent on.
At Feng Jingxuan's command, a guard with a broad back and a thick waist stepped forward.
He was tall and burly, yet possessed a sharp, pinched face—at first glance, he was clearly the flattering, sycophantic type of petty villain.
The man raised his hand high, and just as it was about to land heavily on Xi Yun'er's face, he suddenly collapsed onto his knees, clutching his head as he rolled around and foamed at the mouth.
No one had any idea what had happened, except for Feng Jingxuan, who suspected whether his foolish fiancée was behind this trick.
Just a moment ago, he had vaguely sensed a powerful strand of spiritual energy in the air. When he searched for its source, he only caught sight of a flash of golden light darting rapidly through Lan Qinghuan's dull, dark eyes.
It was truly fast—so fast that he was still doubting whether he had simply seen things.
"This is getting interesting!" Brushing aside his previous displeasure, Feng Jingxuan walked toward Lan Qinghuan as if he had discovered a new world.
He faintly guessed why his imperial father was so insistent that he marry this woman.
With a kick, he sent the obstructive guard flying, roughly shoved Xi Yun'er aside, and swept Lan Qinghuan firmly into his arms as if entering an empty domain, before sitting right down and staying put.
This left everyone else utterly baffled. Just a moment ago, the Third Prince had claimed he wouldn't deign to look at the eldest miss even once, yet now he was holding her in his arms, acting all nervous and hugging her so tightly. Why clutch her so hard? Nobody was going to fight him for her!
"Master, hurry up and hide! That fellow seems to have sensed—... Oh, he runs fast indeed!" The person who had just been chatting happily with her suddenly shrank back into the Yuyin Dan and vanished.
That fellow had emerged so abruptly; when Lan Qinghuan thought about the need to cultivate quickly, she had remembered the shadow who wanted her to take him as her master, though she had no idea what that fellow was up to.
Now that she was out in the open, she didn't dare act rashly and inspect herself through inner vision.
So many days had passed—had that fellow helped her repair her meridians or not?
As soon as she thought of him in her heart, that vast, frail voice popped up.
"Good disciple, your master knows he is imposing and dashing, but you don't need to be thinking of your master all day long, do you?
Your master is very busy. I'll give you this bottle of Jade Essence Liquid. Take one drop orally each morning and night, and in five days you should be able to gather spiritual energy normally.
If no one in this Fengxu Continent can refine top-grade Gathering Essence Pills, then once my disciple reaches the Golden Core Stage, your master will think of another way to cure you..." A crystal-clear, tiny jade vial inexplicably appeared in the palm wrapped by the handkerchief. Cool to the touch, it turned out to be an Earth-grade divine artifact.
"Master, are you alright?..." Lan Qinghuan asked with deep concern.
Shadow's voice sounded so frail, as if he had suffered severe injuries.
Although he deliberately concealed it, Lan Qinghuan, whose spiritual power was exceptionally strong, could still sense his suppressed, labored breathing.
Regardless of whether others might be able to figure something out, Di Lan Qinghuan lay flat on the ground and used her spiritual power's inner vision to see Shadow standing there looking deathly pale.
"You? How reckless! With not even a shred of foundation in spiritual energy, to perform inner vision in broad daylight like this—they'll mistake you for the walking dead..." Seeing Lan Qinghuan enter directly with her soul power, Shadow awkwardly turned away. He refused to make a fool of himself in front of his only disciple.
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, in these people's eyes, I'm already a freak, good-for-nothing, madwoman, idiot; being the walking dead isn't anything strange either.
Right, Master, is there anything you need my help with?..." She had originally wanted to say, *How did you end up in this wretched state?*
But seeing his nearly healed meridians, she changed the words on the tip of her tongue.
This master was worth taking; Shadow had actually risked soul damage to help her repair her meridians and even refined the Jade Essence Liquid for her. The color of the Yuyin Dan had even faded by a few shades—he must have been heavily injured.
"No rush. Your master only needs to rest in quiet seclusion for a while afterwards. If possible, help me get two stalks of Soul Breath Grass; that way, my sleeping time might be a bit shorter.
I'll impart a mind technique to you as well. It can strengthen your spiritual power and launch spiritual attacks based on its strength.
You can try it right now and teach that unmannered pretty boy a lesson... Wait, pick a different one; his spiritual power seems quite strong... Yes, right that fellow over there, he's about to hit your little maid... Not bad... Not bad, truly worthy of being my disciple, your comprehension is exceptionally strong.
Right, do not disturb me while I am in deep slumber..." These were Shadow's words right before he fled as he saw Feng Jingxuan charging over. Unfortunately, Lan Qinghuan was too dazed by Feng Jingxuan suddenly rushing over and hugging her to notice.
By the time she snapped out of it and realized Feng Jingxuan's intentions, she discovered that her master had long since closed off the Yuyin Dan and vanished without a trace.
As for her meridians, wisps of black qi were starting to emerge once more, though this time the black qi was considerably less.