Chapter 49 Re-entering the General's Mansion
That very night after meeting Jiang Chengyou, Feng Fei changed into night clothes and sneaked out of the general's mansion outside Fengdu City, which originally belonged to Liu Mei but now belonged to Meng Xi.
Feng Fei still didn't bring Ming Feng and Xue Tuan with him, not because he was afraid the two little ones would cause trouble, but because he was afraid they would be a burden if something happened. Feng Fei never considered Ming Feng and Xue Tuan as powerful henchmen, but truly regarded them as his cherished friends. Because Ming Feng and Xue Tuan always had a petite, charming, and lovable appearance, Feng Fei subconsciously forgot that they were originally partners with extremely strong self-defense and even fighting abilities.
The night grew ever darker, seemingly foreshadowing something extraordinary that would happen tonight.
Feng Fei sneaked into the general's mansion through that secret passage without disturbing a single tree or blade of grass.
Lying among the flowers and bushes, Feng Fei pondered everything she and Jiang Chengyou had learned during the day. She had only intended for Jiang Chengyou to ascertain the truth of Meng Xi's real residence and the veracity of the treasure rumors, but he had unexpectedly brought her news that piqued her interest even more: Ye Rong, the only surviving concubine of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, was hidden in Meng Xi's general's mansion! Moreover, Ye Rong was inextricably linked to the disappearance of Feng Fei's predecessor's mother—Feng Jin'er!
This is one of the main reasons why Feng Fei couldn't wait to sneak into the general's mansion tonight.
The garden where Feng Fei was hiding was the very place where he had overheard a conversation between a "young master" and an old man a few months ago. Patrolling soldiers passed by in the corridor from time to time, seemingly without any discernible pattern. However, by utilizing the shift changes arranged for him by Jiang Chengyou, Feng Fei gradually discovered a pattern, and couldn't help but marvel at Jiang Chengyou's extraordinary abilities.
At this moment, Feng Fei did not realize that she had slowly walked into a trap set for her. She did not even think that if Jiang Chengyou was just an ordinary chef at Jinmanlou, how could he have obtained the patrol shift schedule of the General's Mansion?
It wasn't that Feng Fei couldn't think of it, but rather that there was always a faint spiritual force interfering with her thinking. Whenever Feng Fei realized something was wrong, she would become inexplicably dazed, and when she regained consciousness, she would remember nothing. Therefore, even now, Feng Fei hadn't noticed anything amiss with herself.
Feng Fei lay hidden among the bushes, waiting for the longest possible moment, before leaping onto the corridor. Following the dim light emitted by the lanterns in the corridor, he slowly made his way towards the bamboo grove.
Jiang Chengyou and Ye Rong were imprisoned in the Bamboo Garden.
Bamboo Garden, the most terrifying place in the General's Mansion.
Feng Fei, who should have known this, seemed completely oblivious and headed straight there.
In the corridor leading to the bamboo garden, a patrol of soldiers suddenly appeared. Feng Fei jumped in fright and quickly hopped to the side. To the left of the corridor was still a flowerbed, but to the right was a pond reflecting the pale silver moonlight.
Normally, Feng Fei would have quickly slipped into the flowerbed on the left, hiding from the patrolling soldiers in the shadows where the lanterns' dim candlelight couldn't reach. But this time, Feng Fei jumped into the pond on the right.
"thump"
The sound of a heavy object falling into the water clearly caught the attention of the patrolling soldiers. The lead soldier, carrying a lantern, approached the source of the sound. Just as he was about to call his men to come and investigate, a masked man in black appeared at the other end of the corridor. The man in black glanced at the lead soldier and then quickly slipped away. The lead soldier was stunned for a moment, then shouted, "A spies have infiltrated!" and led his men in pursuit.
Another burst of footsteps echoed underwater. Feng Fei, holding her breath, counted how many people were chasing "Thorn". She didn't know why she had jumped into the water. When she tried to figure it out, she suddenly felt a little dazed. When she came to her senses, she only heard someone shouting "Catch Thorn", and she assumed that she was Thorn, who had almost been discovered, which was why she had hidden in the water.
Feng Fei was still holding her breath underwater. The darkness of the night reduced her senses to nothing. She was completely unaware that a black venomous snake, perfectly blending into the dark water, was slowly approaching her not far away.
"ah!"
Feng Fei involuntarily opened his mouth, and a mouthful of lake water immediately poured into it. Feng Fei immediately stuck his head out, covered his mouth, and coughed softly.
After a few more coughs, Feng Fei finally managed to stop the particularly uncomfortable dryness in his throat. He carefully looked around the corridor and listened intently to make sure all the soldiers in the garden had gone elsewhere to search for thorns before slowly climbing out of the pond.
The autumn nights in Fengdu were also chilly. A gust of wind blew by, and Feng Fei couldn't help but shiver, followed by a moment of dizziness. Shaking his head, Feng Fei gritted his teeth, glanced in the direction of the bamboo garden, and dragged his weary body toward the entrance of the bamboo garden.
Just as Feng Fei was about to step into the bamboo garden, a person completely shrouded in black suddenly appeared in front of him.
Feng Fei cautiously took a few steps back, hugged her somewhat dazed body, and remained silent.
The mysterious man in black watched Feng Fei silently. Just as Feng Fei began to grow anxious, worried that the patrolling soldiers would return, the mysterious man in black threw something that shimmered with silver light at her. Feng Fei instinctively tried to dodge, but to her horror, she discovered that the object could change direction as she moved, finally landing straight into her arms.
The object seemed quite heavy; Feng Fei took three steps back upon first touching it. When he finally held it in his hand, he discovered it was just a small silver bead, immediately filling him with suspicion. He weighed it in his hand, about to ask what it was, when he realized the mysterious man in black had vanished.
Feng Fei took two steps forward, but still found no trace of it, so he shook his head and walked into the bamboo grove. Feng Fei had completely forgotten about the small silver bead in his hand!
The moment Feng Fei stepped into the bamboo garden, the mysterious man in black slowly revealed himself. He slowly pulled off the cloth covering his face, revealing Jiang Chengyou's face!
Feng Fei remained completely unaware, oblivious to the fact that the moment she stepped into the bamboo grove, a conspiracy aimed at killing her was unfolding. What she didn't know was that a faint, almost imperceptible, green light flashed at the tip of her nose, then slowly traveled across her entire face, finally stopping at the right side of her neck, transforming into a green dot.
The wound from the black venomous snake that bit Feng Fei in the pond, causing her to fall out, slowly healed after oozing a few drops of dark red blood! Strangely, the green spot on the right side of her neck slowly sprouted a green branch, which blossomed into a dark red phoenix flower at the top!
Finally, there was the small silver bead in Feng Fei's hand. After the dark red phoenix flower had fully taken shape, it turned into specks of silver light, which slowly spread across the petals of the phoenix flower and the green leaves below.
The strange phoenix flower looked incredibly alluring and captivating under the moonlight, but in the next moment, the dark red phoenix flower, tinged with silver light and adorned with green leaves, suddenly vanished, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion, as if it had never occurred at all.
(☆, End)
There were no bamboo trees in the bamboo grove; instead, it was filled with phoenix trees. However, since it was late autumn, the phoenix flowers had long since disappeared from the branches, leaving only bare trunks. The dark and windy night made the entire bamboo grove even more gloomy and eerie.
Feng Fei involuntarily shivered. She felt something was off about her tonight, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Shaking her head, she looked up again and dismissed the thought.
A gust of cold wind blew by, and a rustling sound came from the bushes on both sides of the path.
Before long, Feng Fei walked along the path and saw a person wearing a hooded blue cloak, sitting behind a stone table with their back to her. A dim light, emanating from somewhere, shone from in front of the person towards Feng Fei, but because the person blocked the light source, the already dim light became even more obscure.
Several plates of delicate pastries sat on the stone table, still emitting wisps of steam, perhaps just brought out. Beside them were a blue-and-white porcelain wine pot and a pair of wine cups decorated with light red plum blossoms. An immediate sense of incongruity made Feng Fei wary, and he slowed his pace even further.
"stop"
Feng Fei paused, and looked up in surprise at the person who had been facing away from her.
Judging from the direction the sound came from, it seemed to be the person in the cloak besides her in the courtyard. However, the person did not move at all, and Feng Fei began to doubt her own intuition.
After thinking for a moment, Feng Fei pursed her lips and took another step forward. As expected, the word "Stop!" came again. This time, Feng Fei was certain that the words came from the person who had their back to her.
"Who are you."
The person who asked the question was the one with his back to Feng Fei. His voice was neither male nor female, but it had a particularly comforting quality.
Feng Fei did not answer his question. Thinking of the information Jiang Chengyou had given him during the day, Feng Fei tentatively asked, "Are you... Ye Rong?"
The person seemed to nod, or perhaps didn't move at all; only the rustling night wind filled the courtyard.
After a long while, the person's clear, cool voice came again: "Who are you?"
Feng Fei lowered her head, unsure whether she should admit who she was.
"Who are you."
Only that sentence remained, drifting through the courtyard, adding an extra layer of terror to the already desolate and chilly night.
Feng Fei involuntarily shivered. For some reason, perhaps tempted by the aroma of the pastries on the stone table, Feng Fei blurted out his own name, "I am Feng Fei." It took him a long time to realize what he had said, and immediately, a wave of regret washed over him, filling his mind completely. Feng Fei clutched his head in anguish and squatted down, the feeling of impending doom comparable to when his soul had been tempered.
Moreover, at this moment, the previously vanished dark red phoenix flower actually appeared as a phantom behind Feng Fei, becoming clearer as Feng Fei's expression grew more pained.
Outside the bamboo garden, Mr. Yue, wearing a silver mask, was glaring menacingly at Meng Xi, who was sitting in a wheelchair.
“Yue Xiu, ha, she really has become your weakness.” Meng Xi raised his head. It turned out that he was the “pavilion master” who went to Qingfeng Town to find Feng Fei and Yuan Jue that day.
Yue Xiu abruptly ripped off his mask and threw it on the ground, coldly staring at Meng Xi: "If anything happens to her, I will make you regret ever being born." After saying that, Yue Xiu turned to the bamboo garden, intending to enter, but was blocked by a thin layer of light at the entrance.
Yue Xiu took a step back in fear, and reached out his hand again to confirm with suspicion. Finally, he was furious and roared hysterically at Meng Xi: "You actually used the World Annihilation Formation!" Without waiting for Meng Xi's reaction, Yue Xiu suddenly took off and rushed towards the seemingly fragile light barrier.
Just then, Mingfeng arrived with Xuetuan. Upon seeing Yuexiu's desperate posture, she immediately felt a sense of foreboding.
"Chirp chirp," Mingfeng chirped at Yuexiu, but Yuexiu had no time to pay attention to it. "Fengfei is still inside! I have to hurry! Hurry! Hurry!" This was the only thought in Yuexiu's mind. It was all his fault. He had easily believed Mengxi's words and sent the people sent to guard Fengfei back. Just when he was about to send Yujin again, Mengxi took advantage of the situation!
Thinking of this, Yue Xiu hated himself even more. He should have known Meng Xi was ruthless and unscrupulous; he would use even himself without hesitation. He never imagined he would still harbor such a sliver of hope for Meng Xi, and that sliver of hope had put Feng Fei in a hopeless situation. Yue Xiu's movements became even more ruthless, all his attacks landing on the light barrier without any fancy moves, but they only caused the barrier to dim slightly before returning to normal.
Damn the World-Destroying Array!
This World-Destroying Array is one of the most powerful arrays existing in the world. Only two people can exist within it: the array's core and the sacrificer. Ye Rong in the bamboo garden is the sacrificer, and Feng Fei is the core. When the entire World-Destroying Array is formed, everything within it will cease to exist in this world. Neither the core nor the sacrificer will have any chance of survival.
Seeing that Yue Xiu ignored it, Mingfeng suddenly flew into the sky, instantly reverting to its original form. With a flap of its wings, fierce Vermilion Bird Flames instantly enveloped the aura of the World-Destroying Array. However, it vanished in an instant, while the aura of the World-Destroying Array became even more dazzling! Mingfeng was startled and involuntarily flapped its wings to fly a little higher. A hint of understanding flashed in its bright eyes, but the next moment it turned into an exclamation. It recognized what it was! It was the World-Destroying Array!
When Mingfeng recognized what it was, it joined Yuexiu in a frenzied attack on the halo, recklessly using many forbidden techniques. Xuetuan remained where it was, genuinely confused, but it could still communicate telepathically with Fengfei!
"Sister Feifei?" Xue Tuan tried calling out to Feng Fei in its mind, desperately wanting to know what was going on. "Sister Feifei? They..." Just as Xue Tuan was about to ask, a piercing pain assaulted its consciousness. Xue Tuan immediately realized something was wrong, extremely wrong. It recklessly attacked the halo as well. Although it hadn't signed a master-servant contract with Feng Fei, and there wouldn't be a situation where one would perish and the other would die, it still loved Feng Fei very much. Therefore, it couldn't accept anything happening to Feng Fei.
In its simple heart, Xue Tuan only wished to be with Feng Fei all day long, and to play with him whenever it had free time; those were the most wonderful days for it.
Inside the bamboo garden, Feng Fei, who had been kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head. His forehead was covered with beads of sweat from the pain. Slowly, Feng Fei stood up with trembling steps and walked unsteadily toward Ye Rong.
"Ye Rong... Ye Rong..."
The man seemed unsure of who he was, yet also seemed to be trying to confirm it, repeatedly whispering the name "Ye Rong." Just as Feng Fei was about to approach, he suddenly fell silent, his hat-covered head slowly lowering.
Feng Fei was startled and quickly moved to Ye Rong's side, but what she saw shocked her.
The thing beneath the cloak could no longer be called human! Only grayish-white skeletons remained, with two eerie flames flickering in their sunken eye sockets. As if due to Feng Fei's arrival, the skeleton suddenly raised its head and stared straight at Feng Fei. The two flames began to flicker slightly, with an extremely strange rhythm, and the dark red phoenix flower shadow that had been appearing behind Feng Fei also trembled, as if echoing the frequency of the two eerie flames.
Feng Fei felt her consciousness becoming increasingly unclear, and she increasingly wanted to fall asleep. It seemed as if a voice kept saying, "Sleep, sleep. Only after you sleep can you be free forever, only then can you escape the pain forever, and only then can you return to your original world..."
The temptations before her were nothing compared to the last one. She desperately wanted to go back, back to that celestial empire where only mortals existed. So, Feng Fei resigned herself to the voice, and as her consciousness slowly drifted into slumber, her body slumped to the ground. As Feng Fei collapsed, the two clusters of eerie light seemed to exhaust all their spiritual power, extinguishing instantly, and the withered skeleton turned to ashes.
Seemingly sensing the impending danger to Feng Fei, Ming Feng disregarded everything else, letting out a loud cry before spitting out a mouthful of blazing golden blood. The blood fell in specks onto the aura of the World-Destroying Array, transforming into profound runes that seeped into the light. Then, Ming Feng cried out again, spewing another mouthful of golden blood, which overlapped in the previous spot, making the runes even clearer.
Seemingly understanding what Mingfeng was about to do, Xuetuan quickly flew to Mingfeng's side, transforming into its original form. A moment later, a drop of water shimmering with silver light floated out from Xuetuan's body. This drop of water didn't strike the aura of the World-Destroying Array, but instead slowly drifted towards Mingfeng. Mingfeng glanced gratefully at Xuetuan, and without hesitation, swallowed the silver drop of water. Instantly, the flames of Mingfeng's true form shone even brighter.
Another mouthful of golden blood, and with Mingfeng and Xuetuan's desperate efforts, the rune finally took shape, slowly landing on Fengfei's body with Mingfeng's last hoarse cry. After doing all this, Mingfeng and Xuetuan immediately plummeted from the sky to the ground. Fortunately, Yuexiu reacted quickly and caught the two little ones in time; otherwise, with their life essence so severely depleted, a high-speed fall would likely have cost them their lives.
Feng Fei's body trembled violently.
The next moment, Feng Shiyi, dressed in a pale yellow ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) and holding a blood-red umbrella, appeared beside Feng Fei.
Tears of heartache streamed down her face. She had no idea that her granddaughter was suffering such torment outside, that someone had used a world-destroying array as its core, intending to annihilate her soul and condemn her to eternal damnation!
Feng Shiyi gritted her teeth, threw the umbrella in her hand on the ground, revealing her entire body.
Although this was the General's Mansion outside Fengdu City, it was still under the protection of the Fengdu entity. Therefore, these so-called soul entities were unable to manifest themselves, and even the most basic communication with the outside world was impossible. Feng Shiyi's heart was filled with resentment. She hated the person who had created that entity; she hated them to the extreme!
But this is not the time to act rashly, and she had come out of the ring with the intention of destroying her soul, so she could not waste any more time.
Feng Shiyi regained her original size and picked up Feng Fei from the ground, walking towards the center of the courtyard. She could sense that the weakest point in the entire formation was that spot. After settling Feng Fei in, Feng Shiyi suddenly flew into the sky, only stopping when she was close to the aura of the World-Destroying Formation.
Feng Shiyi glanced at Feng Fei again, her eyes filled with reluctance. After this night, she would no longer be able to stay with Feng Fei; she would no longer be a part of Feng Fei's life. Thinking of this, Feng Shiyi's heart was filled with sorrow and reluctance; she had only been with this child for a short time. But the next moment, Feng Shiyi's eyes filled with determination. For Feng Fei, what did it matter if she sacrificed the possibility of not being able to reincarnate? She was her granddaughter, the child of her most beloved daughter!
Without further hesitation, Feng Shiyi slowly stretched out his hands, and upon touching the halo, he immediately and frantically reversed the soul power within his body.
Instantly, the aura of the World Annihilation Array dimmed at an alarming speed.
When Yue Xiu saw Feng Shiyi appear, he knew that the World-Destroying Array was about to be destroyed, but he felt no joy whatsoever. Yue Xiu slowly took a step back, and Yu Jin quickly stepped forward and stood behind him.
"Let Bai Yu do it!" Yue Xiu's voice was full of ruthlessness, and his gnashing hatred was on full display. What terrified Yu Jin even more was that he could feel his master's determination to torture Meng Xi to death.
Without further hesitation, Yu Jin swiftly disappeared into the darkness.
"Heh, so what if the World-Destroying Array collapses?" Meng Xi seemed completely unconcerned, still appearing quite confident. Seeing that Yue Xiu ignored him, Meng Xi, anticipating the outcome, felt utterly bored. Just as he was about to order the people behind him to push him away, he suddenly felt someone gently pat his neck. Meng Xi's hair stood on end; he looked at the person behind him in disbelief.
"you?"