The morning mist had not yet completely dissipated. A few embers from the campfire at the edge of the camp still flickered with a dim red glow. Ye Fan placed the Jiuxiao Huanpei on a stone table. Its metal surface still retained the lingering warmth from his recent sprint, and the newly appeared silver lines within the Star Map rose and fell slightly with his breath, like a living creature moving beneath his skin.
"Ah-Ye, drink a bowl of hot porridge first." Su Qingxue had appeared from somewhere with a ceramic bowl, her fingertips brushing the back of his hand and leaving behind a faint trace of agarwood scent. She had already changed out of the tight martial attire she wore for combat, and her moon-white silk robe was loosely tied. The golden hairpins in her hair trembled slightly in the morning breeze, but the concern in the depths of her eyes was even more genuine than her appearance: "That palace collapsed strangely just now. Was your Inner World strained?"
Ye Fan took the bowl, feeling the warmth of the porridge seep through the ceramic wall into his palm. He stared at the silver patterns on the Huanpei, his Adam's apple moving slightly. "Qingxue, look at this." As he spoke, he tapped the Huanpei with his bent finger. The Star Map suddenly rippled, and that silver line actually crawled along his fingertips and onto the back of his hand.
Chapter 257