The man showed little reaction, looking at Meng Xi with a faint smile on his lips, and said only, "I am Bai Yu." These four words immediately caused Meng Xi, whose eyes were filled with astonishment, to slump into her wheelchair.
"White jade...hehe, really..."
Yue Xiu kept his eyes fixed on Feng Shiyi. The moment the halo dissipated, Yue Xiu could no longer care about anything else. He picked up Ming Feng and Xue Tuan and rushed towards where Feng Fei was.
Feng Shiyi slowly lowered his body, seemingly impacted by the energy of the World Annihilation Array within his body, and a trace of milky white soul power slowly seeped from the corner of his mouth.
Lying sadly beside Feng Fei, she tried to reach out but could never touch Feng Fei's face. With a bitter smile, Feng Shiyi said to Yue Xiu, "Quickly carry her away. My body can't withstand the energy of the World Annihilation Array any longer."
Yue Xiu paused, then carried Feng Fei to Feng Shiyi, allowing Feng Shiyi to touch Feng Fei's face.
"Take good care of her." These were the only words Feng Shiyi wanted to say to Yue Xiu. "You mustn't let her down!"
"I, definitely not!" No further promises were needed; Feng Shiyi saw Yue Xiu's intentions. Nodding, Feng Shiyi waved for Yue Xiu to quickly leave with Feng Fei.
As Yuexiu carried Fengfei out of the bamboo garden, the moment she turned around, Fengfei seemed to regain some consciousness. She looked at Feng Shiyi lying on the ground and murmured something, but the next moment Fengfei fainted again.
Yue Xiu, carrying Feng Fei, along with Ming Feng and Xue Tuan, followed by Yu Jin and Bai Yu who had taken Meng Xi hostage, were three miles away from Meng Xi's residence when Feng Shiyi in the bamboo garden finally succumbed to the surging energy within him and was blasted apart by it, destroying his entire soul. Within a mile radius of Meng Xi's residence, all life vanished, reduced to scorched black earth.
Many years later, when ordinary people passed by this place, they would marvel at what kind of divine power had created such a lifeless vacuum. Various legends circulated among the people, but legends are just legends; how many people would actually believe them?
(End of this volume)
☆, Chapter One: Awakening from Drunkenness, Entering a Dream
"Feng Fei? Feng Fei..."
Feng Fei groggily opened her eyes and involuntarily raised her right hand to shield her eyes. Through her fingers, she saw a small face filled with anxiety.
"Xiao Jiao...?" Feng Fei uttered uncertainly. Only after the person opposite him gave him a look that suggested he wanted to punch someone did Feng Fei fully sober up, and he quickly jumped up from the ground: "Hey! We were all drunk last night! I..."
Before Feng Fei could finish speaking, Xiao Jiao pulled him up from the ground.
Looking around, her memories matched those of her drunken state. Last night, the group of them had gotten drunk and wandered into the lakeside park, eventually falling asleep in the pavilion. They really didn't take their safety seriously, easily falling asleep outside. Feng Fei tapped her head in frustration, then glanced at Xiao Jiao's exhausted face, suddenly remembering that they had planned to take turns resting last night, but she had slept the entire night!
"Xiao Jiao, I... I'm sorry, I don't..." Feng Fei hurriedly explained, knowing Xiao Jiao must have been exhausted last night. Xiao Yao shook her head, leaning against Feng Fei, and pointed to the three girls in front who were still swaying slightly, saying, "Oh dear, Xiao Fei Fei, when did you become so long-winded! Hurry up and support me, I'm exhausted! Last night, those three crazy women in front of me were asleep, but they even got up and started acting drunk, they really wore me out!"
Xiao Jiao muttered to herself for a while before she was able to vent her frustration a little.
The group arrived alone at the entrance of the lakeside park. After watching the other three people leave in a taxi, Feng Fei and Xiao Yao also waved and hailed a car.
As soon as they got in the car, Xiao Jiao leaned against Feng Fei: "Xiao Fei Fei, I'm so tired! I'm really amazing. I was so drunk last night, but I still took care of you for so long. Hehe... I'm so amazing..." As she spoke, Xiao Jiao's soft snores began to come out. Feng Fei smiled and pursed his lips: Xiao Jiao must be exhausted.
Xiao Jiao and Feng Fei are roommates. They shared a dormitory in college and happened to work in the same city after graduation. So they rented a room together in the city center. Although it was a bit expensive, they could afford it with their salaries.
A short while later, the taxi stopped downstairs in the residential area, and Feng Fei helped Xiao Yao walk towards their home.
Feng Fei was slightly smaller and not as strong as Xiao Jiao, but she felt no strain as she supported Xiao Jiao. A strange thought flashed through her mind before disappearing, and Feng Fei focused her attention on Xiao Jiao. Xiao Jiao seemed to have caught a chill and had a fever; her body was unnaturally hot. Feng Fei anxiously helped Xiao Jiao home.
Feng Fei helped Xiao Jiao lie down on the bed, scooped some crushed ice from the refrigerator, wrapped it in a towel, and applied it to Xiao Jiao's forehead. He then scooped some medicine from the medicine box and gave it to Xiao Jiao to take. Only then did he sit down and watch over Xiao Jiao.
Perhaps it was because he hadn't slept well the night before, or perhaps it was because he was still drunk and the effects of the alcohol hadn't worn off. When Feng Fei sat down by Xiao Jiao's bed and closed his eyes to rest for a while, he felt his eyelids getting incredibly heavy, and soon he drifted off to sleep.
*****************************************************
The room was rustic, with all the furniture made of wood. Two pots of clivia plants sat on the desk by the window. The sunlight streaming in from outside was warm and gentle, and occasionally, there were a few melodious birdsongs.
It's such a comfortable feeling. Feng Fei sighed and stretched out his arms to take a deep breath.
At this moment, the previously closed door was opened, and Feng Fei was startled, quickly dodging to the side. The person who stepped into the room was wearing a black long robe, with a stiff and serious face, and a pretty and cute girl was following behind him.
The girl ran out from behind the man and came to the bedside in the room. She looked quite cute as she peeked around.
"Is this the woman that Brother Yuanjue has been worrying about for so long?" The little girl's words were quite incongruous with her appearance, and they even carried a chill that made Feng Fei shudder.
The man slowly stepped forward, simply nodded, and without saying a word, respectfully gestured for the little girl to sit down on a chair to the side. The little girl was initially reluctant, but seeing the man's increasingly furrowed brows, she grumbled and sat down on the chair.
This man was none other than Yu Jin, who had been following Yuan Jue.
This wasn't originally his job; Yuan Jue always did it himself. But for some reason, Yuan Jue was suddenly tied up today and couldn't get away no matter what he tried, so they had to use him. Yu Jin was annoyed. The person lying on the bed was his master's darling; the slightest injury could cost him his life! He wondered where Bai Yu was; if Bai Yu had done it, he would have done a better job than him!
If it were just him doing the work, Yu Jin wouldn't be so worried, but the girl sitting behind him was really a shrew! He wondered why his master was so indulgent towards her; could it be that he had slept with this shrew? Thinking of this, Yu Jin couldn't help but shudder.
Business comes first!
Yu Jin suppressed the jumbled thoughts in his mind and quickly took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom. He carefully uncorked the bottle, slowly tilted it, and a drop of silver liquid slowly dripped down, landing between the lips of the woman on the bed, disappearing in a moment.
After seeing the droplets disappear, Yu Jin carefully put the porcelain bottle back into her bosom, scooped out another item, and slowly unwrapped the paper covering it, revealing a small body inside. It was only the size of a thumb, and upon closer inspection, one could see that it was the shape of a phoenix flower that had been shrunk many times over, shimmering with a soft golden light.
This is Phoenix Essence, which can only be produced on phoenix trees that are over ten thousand years old. On a ten-thousand-year-old phoenix tree, when the first rays of dawn on a day of extreme yang shine upon the earth, the dew still clinging to the phoenix blossoms is absorbed by the dewdrops. These dewdrops then incorporate the phoenix blossoms they are nestled within them before falling to the ground. At this stage, the Phoenix Essence is merely a round bead and has little medicinal effect. Only when this essence falls into a place exposed to sunlight and is exposed to the extreme yang for a whole day, allowing the phoenix blossoms to regain their original shape, does it acquire its medicinal properties.
This item is extremely rare; if Yuan Jue hadn't relied on his powerful influence, it would have been very difficult for him to find one. The formation of Phoenix Essence is very difficult, and if it isn't collected by special means after its formation, it will turn into fertilizer to nourish the Phoenix Tree again. Yuan Jue has only managed to find five such Phoenix Essences.
Yu Jin flipped his right hand, and fine silver light flashed on it. It turned out that Yu Jin had put on a silver silk glove on his right hand beforehand. When he didn't use his spiritual power to activate it, it looked no different from ordinary gloves, but once activated, it flashed with silver light. Yu Jin carefully scooped up the Phoenix Essence Dew, and just as he was about to feed it to the person on the bed, his body suddenly stiffened.
It turned out that the little girl who was sitting on the chair had taken advantage of Yu Jin's inattention and quietly came to his side. She put her hand on Yu Jin's waist, and Yu Jin was immediately unable to move.
She stood in front of Yu Jin with a grin, extended a small hand also wearing a silver glove, scooped up the Phoenix Essence from Yu Jin's hand, shook her head and said, "Yu Jin, how could you be so stupid?"
Yu Jin glared at the little girl in front of him, wishing he could devour her alive. He gritted his teeth and said, "Qi Xiaoying, don't think you can do whatever you want just because your master is indulgent. This person in front of you is definitely your master's sore spot!"
Qi Xiaoying didn't care at all: "So what? After I send you to the Western Paradise, how will Yuan Jue know that I did all this? Hehe." Beneath her seemingly innocent face and words lay a dark and vicious heart. "Once this woman dies, Yuan Jue will only love me."
"Oh, you're that confident?"
The sound from outside the door made Yu Jin's eyes light up with surprise, and he exclaimed, "Master!"
Qi Xiaoying was covered in sweat and looked panicked, yet she seemed to be putting on a tough act. She straightened her chest and looked at the person who stepped into the room against the light.
Feng Fei also looked over curiously. Although she could only see a hazy shadow, she could clearly feel that the person had an extremely cold smile on their lips, but it made her feel at ease. Just as Feng Fei wanted to get closer to take a closer look, a piercing sound rang in her ears.
"You big idiot, answer the phone! You big idiot, answer the phone!..."
Feng Fei rubbed his eyes, picked up his phone from his pocket, and held it to his ear. "Hello?"
The other party didn't say anything and hung up with a "beep". Feng Fei muttered a few words, put the phone in his pocket, and then went to check on Xiao Jiao. Seeing that Xiao Jiao's fever seemed to have subsided, he returned to his room.
Sitting at her computer desk, Feng Fei suddenly realized that she couldn't remember many parts of her dream. She only remembered the man who had just stepped into the room and was standing against the light, saying in a cool and indifferent tone: "Oh, you're so confident?"
Chapter Two: Yuanjue and Fengfei
The lazy knocking made Feng Fei immediately guess who it was.
Feng Fei opened the door, his face reproachful, and stepped aside to let her in: "Xiao Jiao, why aren't you resting in bed? Your fever just broke." As he spoke, he stroked Xiao Jiao's forehead, and only breathed a sigh of relief when he felt that the fever had subsided.
"Oh dear, Xiao Feifei is so talkative!" Xiao Jiao lazily flopped onto Feng Fei's bed, limbs outstretched, eyes slightly narrowed: "Xiao Feifei's bed is so comfortable, I should go change my mattress too."
Feng Fei poured a glass of water and placed it on the bedside table. Looking at Xiao Jiao's appearance, he couldn't help but laugh and said, "You still have the nerve to say that? Who was it that complained about the trouble and preferred to sleep on a hard bed? But sleeping on a hard bed is good for your back. Look, your body is better than mine." After finishing, he sighed with a melancholy look and then frowned and looked at Xiao Jiao pitifully.
Seeing Feng Fei's appearance, Xiao Jiao couldn't help but laugh loudly, "Come on! If your body isn't good enough, then what am I? Cough cough..." Perhaps she spoke a little too hastily, Xiao Jiao couldn't help but cough. Feng Fei quickly stepped forward and handed Xiao Jiao a water glass, "Alright, alright, you've just recovered from your fever, you should go and rest first! What do you want to eat for lunch? I'll see if there's anything in the refrigerator, and if not, I'll go downstairs to the supermarket to buy some."
After drinking half a glass of water, Xiao Jiao put the glass on the bedside table and then threw herself into Feng Fei's arms: "Ah, Xiao Fei Fei is so wonderful! I wonder who will be lucky enough to marry you in the future! Ah, no, no, you are mine. If someone else takes you away, I won't be able to live like this." She rubbed against Feng Fei's chest, which made Feng Fei roll his eyes.
"That's enough, don't cling to me! If Zhang Yuan finds out, he'll come and beat me up!" Feng Feimei glared at him and grinned disdainfully.
Xiao Jiao scoffed, "Zhang Yuan? Hmph, if he dares to hit you, I'll dump him!"
As if recalling Xiao Jiao and Zhang Yuan's usual carefree and happy demeanor, Feng Fei couldn't help but laugh out loud.
"Alright, you go back to your room and rest. I'll go see what we should have for lunch. By the way, haven't you decided what you want to eat yet?" Feng Fei and Xiao Jiao walked side by side out of the room.
Xiao Jiao stopped and thought for a moment before saying, "Cola chicken wings, stir-fried green beans, and... Huh? Xiao Feifei, didn't you say you can't cook?" Xiao Jiao looked at Feng Fei with suspicion, circled around him twice, and her scrutinizing gaze made Feng Fei feel uneasy.
"Stop!" Feng Fei called out, looking at Xiao Jiao with a wry smile, "Xiao Jiao, I didn't cook for myself. My cooking skills, cough cough, you know that..." Feng Fei scratched the back of his head awkwardly, feeling ashamed that he couldn't even cook something as simple as a woman.
Xiao Jiao was slightly taken aback, then burst into laughter: "Haha, I thought you'd finally figured it out!" Seeing Feng Fei's pretty face getting darker and darker, Xiao Jiao was afraid of embarrassing Feng Fei, so she quickly covered her mouth and said: "Ahem, there's only yogurt left in the fridge. Um, Xiao Fei Fei, why don't you go to the supermarket and buy some? I remember they have some good roast chicken at the supermarket, it's cheap and delicious! Ah, my mouth is watering!"
Feng Fei rolled his eyes at Xiao Jiao, pushed her into his room, and instructed, "Rest a little longer. Before I go out, I'll put a pot of hot water by your bedside. Don't be too lazy to move when you want some." Xiao Jiao nodded hurriedly. If she didn't go along with Feng Fei at this time, she would definitely be pitiful, as Feng Fei's nagging would be as endless as the rolling Yangtze River.
Seeing Xiao Jiao's unusually obedient behavior, Feng Fei nodded in satisfaction. After placing a pot of water in Xiao Jiao's room, he scooped up some things and went out.
As soon as Fengfei got downstairs, the not-too-bright morning sunlight bathed her body, making her feel lazy and languid. She stretched and let out a comfortable sigh, just as she was about to continue walking when the sunlight suddenly dazzled her eyes.
******************************
The man who stepped into the room against the light stood there quietly, causing the three people inside to tense up. Yu Jin was surprised and ashamed, Qi Xiaoying was afraid and pretending to be calm, while Feng Fei looked at the man with curiosity. She felt that this person was familiar, but she had never seen him before.
The man slowly entered the inner room, and Feng Fei finally saw his figure and appearance.
His features were quite ordinary, but together they created a captivating beauty, yet his gender remained unmistakable. He wore a light red robe; most men would find this color repulsive, but Feng Fei found it perfectly suited to him.
"Yuan Jue... I... I just didn't want you to waste this precious medicine!" Qi Xiaoying's initial unease vanished as the man approached. Yuan Jue had always doted on her, so he would definitely be on her side this time as well. Thinking this, Qi Xiaoying couldn't help but feel smug. She glanced defiantly at Yu Jin, then looked disdainfully at the person on the bed who was barely breathing. Therefore, she didn't see the fleeting coldness and murderous intent in Yuan Jue's eyes.
Yuan Jue wore a mocking smile, but Qi Xiaoying didn't find anything wrong with it, because he had always looked like this since she first met him. Yuan Jue slowly approached Yu Jin, his sleeve lightly brushing against Yu Jin's waist. Yu Jin suddenly collapsed to the ground as if he had lost his bones, but then stood up straight in the next instant.
“Master…” Yu Jin hesitated, but Yuan Jue shook his hand, so Yu Jin stood behind him and then slowly approached Qi Xiaoying.
"Do you think I'd like you if Feng Fei died?" Yuan Jue's voice was calm and indifferent, yet it sent chills down Qi Xiaoying's spine. Qi Xiaoying looked at Yuan Jue in horror. She couldn't believe he would be so cruel to her for someone half-dead. When she had fallen into that so-called wealthy family's clutches and was living a life worse than death, it was this man who had saved her. Therefore, she couldn't believe that the person who had saved her and indulged her so much would be so heartless towards her.
Thinking of this, Qi Xiaoying straightened her chest and said sweetly, "Why not! Actually, you've always liked me, I know that!"
"Ha, who's with you?" As if he had heard a huge joke, Yuan Jue's face no longer only showed a sarcastic smile. This made Qi Xiaoying feel that she had seen through Yuan Jue's thoughts, so she said more confidently, "No one was with me, I saw it myself!"
Qi Xiaoying, who was waiting for Yuan Jue to admit it, suddenly noticed that Yuan Jue's face darkened, and then she felt a chill in her hand—the Phoenix Essence she had been holding was now back in Yu Jin's hand. Qi Xiaoying glared at Yu Jin: "Who gave you the audacity to steal something from me?"
Yu Jin completely ignored Qi Xiaoying, remaining standing behind Yuan Jue with a disdainful expression: "Idiot, it was Master who scooped it back! Besides, even if I scooped it back myself, it was perfectly legitimate! I really don't know where this beggar woman gets her confidence." Yu Jin sneered, no longer looking at Qi Xiaoying.
"Your things?" Yuan Jue's smile returned. "How did the medicine I found to treat Feng Fei become yours?"
"Isn't your stuff my stuff too?" Qi Xiaoying said confidently, without a hint of guilt.
Perhaps unable to bear Qi Xiaoying's arrogant attitude any longer, Yuan Jue finally stopped teasing her and said coldly, "You are nothing but a maid I picked up, and a beggar. Who gave you such self-righteousness? I, Yuan Jue, will only love one person in this life, and that person will only be the one lying in bed, the one named Feng Fei." With that, he flicked his sleeve and threw Qi Xiaoying out the door.
Yu Jin carefully handed the Phoenix Flower Essence to Yuan Jue before stepping out. When she reached the door, she also picked up Qi Xiaoying, who was crying and cursing on the ground outside the door.