Pushed out the door, Zhang Yuan couldn't help but complain; they had met countless times before the wedding. But the thought that starting tomorrow, he could be with Xiao Jiao happily and legitimately forever filled him with excitement and his heart pounded.
On the other side of the door, Xiao Jiao leaned against the door, her face also full of shyness.
Feng Fei teased, "Oh my, our strong-willed little darling can actually be shy?"
"Hate!"
She gave a coquettish remark and fled back to her room as if escaping.
The next day, Feng Fei got up early and was shocked when he entered Xiao Jiao's room: Xiao Jiao's eyes were dark and her lips were dry.
What's wrong with you?
Xiao Jiao looked at Feng Fei tremblingly: "I'm nervous..."
Feng Fei was taken aback at first, then burst into laughter and collapsed onto the bed beside him: "You weren't so nervous that you didn't sleep all night, were you!" Seeing Xiao Jiao nod pitifully, Feng Fei laughed even harder, "You were laughing at that kid Zhang Yuan yesterday, but I didn't expect you to be this nervous too, haha, it's hilarious!"
"Pah! Pah! Pah! What do you mean by 'good days' and 'dying'!"
As if she had broken a taboo, Xiao Jiao suddenly got out of bed and said while changing her clothes, "Hurry up, hurry up and put on makeup to cover up all these ugly things on your face! Xiao Feifei, you hurry up and get ready too!" She was practically roaring by the end.
Seeing Xiao Jiao's anxious and frantic state, Feng Fei wisely touched his nose and withdrew.
A short while later, Feng Fei was dragged out of the house by Xiao Jiao. As soon as they got downstairs, they ran into Yang Mu.
"I guessed you might be busy today, so I came to be your professional driver." Yang Mu had the demeanor of a true gentleman, making it impossible for anyone to feel any dislike towards him.
Feng Fei smiled faintly at Yang Mu, then was pulled into the car by Xiao Jiao.
"Thank you for your help." Xiao Jiao wasn't annoyed. After thanking him, she calmly sat down in the back seat.
Yang Mu got into the driver's seat and started the car. "Where to?"
"Juanjuan Beauty Salon on Dadong Road".
Yang Mu nodded.
Before long, when Feng Fei and Yang Mu helped Xiao Jiao finish her makeup and put on her wedding dress and returned to their residence, Zhang Yuan had already arrived downstairs with his convoy.
Zhang Yuan was too hasty. Feng Fei was speechless and quickly took Xiao Jiao upstairs. Zhang Yuan and the others finished setting off firecrackers downstairs and followed them upstairs.
Actually, Xiao Jiao has parents and relatives, but she wants to marry through Feng Fei's family. She hopes Feng Fei can feel that she considers her her closest family. Besides, her parents aren't from this city; they've traveled a long way for this wedding. She can't expect her parents to prepare a new house for her, can she?
Watching Xiao Jiao being taken away by Zhang Yuan, Feng Fei's eyes welled up with tears. Her sister of many years was about to marry someone else. She wondered when she would have such a day. Suddenly, Feng Fei thought of Yuan Jue and became slightly lost in thought.
********
The day passed quickly, and Feng Fei lay exhausted on the bed, staring blankly into space with the ceiling open.
Xiao Jiao got married and moved out, so I'm all alone in this house now. It's really lonely.
As he pondered this, Feng Fei fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream, she finally saw Yuan Jue, whom she hadn't seen in a long time. Suppressing her excitement, she reached out to touch Yuan Jue's face, but her hand passed right through his body.
I was slightly disappointed, but mostly pleasantly surprised.
Looking around, this should be the place where Feng Fei, who shared the same name as him, was originally settled, but it also seems not to be.
Nothing in the room had changed; everything remained exactly as it was, but the feeling was different. What had once been a serene and pleasant atmosphere now felt eerie and unsettling, as if some terrifying creature was lurking in the shadows, watching over you.
This thought sent a chill down Feng Fei's spine.
Only after moving a little closer to Yuanjue did I feel some warmth.
At this moment, Yu Jin and Bai Yu each brought in a cluster of eerie phoenix flowers. One cluster emitted a blood-red light, while the other shimmered with a bewitching green glow. Both clusters of phoenix flowers possessed an astonishing allure. Feng Fei felt his soul being pulled apart, as if it were being torn in two, one half entering the blood-red flower and the other half entering the green flower. Suppressing the discomfort, Feng Fei pressed himself tightly against Yuan Jue once more.
"Put it by the bedside!"
Yu Jin and Bai Yu nodded. The phoenix flower with its blood-gathering light was placed on the right side of the sleeping Feng Fei's head, while the phoenix flower with its alluring green glow was placed on the left. Yuan Jue simply stood at a distance and watched Yu Jin and Bai Yu complete all of this.
Yuan Jue went out of the room first. Feng Fei hesitated for a moment, glancing at the "Feng Fei" on the bed, but decided to follow Yuan Jue. Yu Jin and Bai Yu also went out after arranging the phoenix flowers, and casually closed the door. The room was immediately plunged into darkness, with only eerie red and green lights flashing.
Not long after Feng Fei followed Yuan Jue, a strange old man approached them.
"Why do so much for that half-dead woman! You don't even want such a good girl like Bai Zhi?" This strange old man was none other than Bai Shuqing, who was hiding his father-daughter relationship.
Yuan Jue ignored Bai Shuqing completely, walked around him, and continued walking forward.
Feng Fei glared at the old man with hatred. Who was half-dead? He was standing right here, perfectly fine!
Startled, Feng Fei wondered why she had the thought that "she wasn't standing here properly." Had she somehow put herself into the identity of the "Feng Fei" in the bed? She stood there stunned for a long time, and only when Yuan Jue was about to disappear did she snap out of it and follow him again.
"Why are you ignoring me?" Bai Shuqing persisted, knowing full well why, but still insisting on asking why.
Yuan Jue continued to ignore Bai Shuqing, letting him jump around him. Feng Fei suddenly realized that she didn't dislike the old man as much anymore; he was quite straightforward, as long as he didn't get in her way.
Yuanjue was heading towards Zuige.
Seeing Yuan Jue heading towards Zuige, Bai Shuqing was overjoyed. He thought that his words had worked and made Yuan Jue change his mind and go see his daughter Bai Zhi.
As soon as they arrived at the Drunken Pavilion, the eccentric old man Bai Shuqing rushed in, shouting, "Bai Zhi, my disciple, come out quickly! Look who's here!"
Bai Zhi and Qi Xiaoying ran out of the embroidery building at the same time.
Bai Zhi remained as calm and composed as ever, though a hint of surprise and shyness flashed across her face when she saw Yuan Jue. Qi Xiaoying, hearing Bai Shuqing's voice, was about to come out to complain when she saw Yuan Jue, and immediately put on an act more beautiful than any flower, approaching him.
"Brother Yuanjue, you've come! Did you come to see me?" She said, while twisting the handkerchief in her hand.
Bai Zhi turned her head away disdainfully, while Bai Shuqing, unable to bear it any longer, shoved Qi Xiaoying hard: "Where did such a shameless person come from? Doesn't she know to take a piss and see what she looks like!"
Bai Shuqing's words were crude, which made Qi Xiaoying blush and turn pale, making her appear even more delicate and adorable.
Feng Fei chuckled as she watched. She remembered how Qi Xiaoying had refused to let Yu Jin feed her the Phoenix Essence Dew. Now that an old man was dealing with her, it truly pleased her. Lost in her own amusement, Feng Fei didn't realize she had once again slipped into her mortal identity as Feng Fei.
"Brother Yuanjue..." she said, trying to lean against Yuanjue, but Yuanjue dodged her slightly.
Fortunately, Qi Xiaoying also had some martial arts skills, and she managed to regain her balance after stumbling a few steps.
"Brother Yuanjue..."
Chapter Nine: Strange Tricks to Awaken People
Yuan Jue didn't look at Qi Xiaoying, but took a step towards Bai Zhi.
"Scoop it up."
Yuan Jue stared straight at Bai Zhi and extended his right hand.
Bai Zhi stared blankly at Yuan Jue's right hand for a long time before raising her head and saying, "You really want to wake her up? Don't forget, I played a part in her current state."
"Scoop it up."
Bai Zhi gave a bitter smile, but ultimately could not resist Yuan Jue's insistence. A silver ring on her left index finger flashed, and a blue porcelain bottle appeared in Bai Zhi's hand.
"I'll get drunk on this life, drunk on this life. If I had known this day would come, I wouldn't have prepared this antidote." With that, Bai Zhi tossed the porcelain bottle to Yuan Jue and stumbled into her room.
At this moment, Bai Shuqing realized that Yuan Jue did not want to see Bai Zhi, but rather to find the living dead person lying on the bed to get the antidote from Bai Zhi!
"You brat! How dare you disregard Bai Zhi's feelings! You're only thinking about that living dead man!"
Just then, Bai Shuqing reached out to snatch the porcelain bottle from Yuan Jue's hand. But at that moment, Yuan Jue's right hand flashed, and the bottle vanished. Bai Shuqing was stunned, then suddenly became even more furious; he had completely forgotten that Yuan Jue was a storage ring capable of moving on its own!
Stomping his foot in frustration, Bai Shuqing, unable to get any help from Yuan Jue, could only vent his anger on Qi Xiaoying, who had been stunned for a moment. He slapped her, knocking her to the ground. Qi Xiaoying, supporting herself with one hand on the ground, covered her slapped cheek, staring blankly at Bai Shuqing, then pitifully at Yuan Jue. But Yuan Jue didn't look at Qi Xiaoying; he only frowned slightly when Bai Shuqing struck.
Having obtained what he wanted, Yuanjue no longer wished to stay in the Drunken Pavilion and left shortly afterward.
Seeing Yuan Jue leave, Bai Shuqing thought about going to Bai Zhidi's embroidery tower to comfort his daughter, but he had many concerns. He was still angry and left after giving Qi Xiaoying a heart slap.
"It's always best to know your own worth!"
Bai Shuqing, who left with those words, didn't see the vicious glint in Qi Xiaoying's eyes as she lay on the ground. Qi Xiaoying gritted her teeth. She had been humiliated because she wasn't strong enough, and Yuan Jue's refusal to help her was also because she wasn't strong enough. "I won't blame Yuan Jue," she thought. "He made it clear to me long ago that this old man is his master, and he can't disobey him." Never before had Qi Xiaoying so desperately wanted to improve her strength.
Feng Fei followed Yuan Jue and slowly floated back to Fei Jue Residence.
Feng Fei hesitated for a long time at the door. Thinking of the many strange phoenix flowers, she felt a chill in her heart. She touched the black jade bead chain on her right wrist and felt its coolness, which calmed her down a little.
In the end, Fengfei still decided to go in. She always felt that all these changes were inextricably linked to her, and she desperately wanted to know what would happen next.
Curiosity led Feng Fei into the room, where she discovered that Yuan Jue was not alone; there was also a middle-aged man in white and a young man in brocade.
Yuan Jue subtly confronted the two men, especially the man in brocade robes, and Feng Fei could sense Yuan Jue's immense resentment towards him.
This atmosphere continued until Yu Jin and Bai Yu entered.
"Master." After Yu Jin and Bai Yu stepped forward and bowed to Yuan Jue, they stood behind him and quietly watched the other two.
"Are you really going to do that?"
Yuan Jue's voice was full of melancholy, reluctance, and a hint of disbelief.
The man in brocade raised an eyebrow. "Don't you believe me?"
Yuan Jue didn't answer, but tilted his head slightly. Yu Jin immediately understood and leaned forward to whisper in Yuan Jue's ear. The man in brocade saw this but didn't say anything, just chuckled.
After a long while, Yu Jin finally returned to his rightful place.
With a sigh, Yuan Jue finally made up his mind to use that method. Nodding to Yu Jin and Bai Yu, Yuan Jue got up and left the room first, followed by the man in brocade. Only the middle-aged man in white, Yu Jin, and Bai Yu remained in the room.
Seeing Yuan Jue leave, Feng Fei instinctively tried to follow him out, but was stopped by a soft white light at the door. Startled, Feng Fei rushed forward and pushed hard on the door, but to no avail; the soft white light continued to block her strength.
"Let me out!" Feng Fei roared silently, but no one could hear him.
Feng Fei collapsed to the ground in despair, unaware that Yu Jin and the other two had begun to busy themselves after Yuan Jue and the other two left.
Yu Jin scooped out a jar, expressionlessly unsealed it with mud, and a foul stench immediately wafted out. Then, Yu Jin slowly poured the contents of the jar around the wooden bed where "Feng Fei" lay. Upon closer inspection, the black things turned out to be ants, but for some reason, they were all motionless and emitted a stench.
At the same time, Bai Yu scooped out a jar from the window, lifted the mud seal, and a faint floral fragrance wafted out. Bai Yu's right hand was now wearing a red glove, somewhat incongruous with her white dress, but it didn't detract from her elegance. With graceful movements, she scooped a handful of silvery-gray powder from the jar and sprinkled it finely on the window frame, then slowly stuffed it into the cracks of the surrounding windows, leaving only the door crack untouched.
The "dead ants" that Yu Jin poured out weren't actually ants, but rather ground from a special type of limestone. This limestone is a type of mineral buried deep within the volcanic region of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. It has a foul odor; even a slight inhalation would kill an ordinary person. Clearly, the three people in the room were holding their breath and closing all their pores. Moreover, no matter how much this mineralstone is ground and refined, it can only be reduced to tiny powder the size of ants, and each piece looks exactly like an ant. Therefore, those who know this mineralstone call it "dead ants."
The silver powder in Bai Yu's hand, exuding a faint floral fragrance, was also of extraordinary origin. This silver powder was called Soul-Nourishing Soup, highly poisonous yet incredibly nourishing. The poison targeted the physical body, while the nourishment targeted the soul. However, generally no one used this Soul-Nourishing Soup to replenish their soul, because there was no way to directly infuse it into the soul. Over time, this Soul-Nourishing Soup was relegated to a shelf. It was called a soup because upon contact with a pure soul, it would transform into a liquid and penetrate deep into the soul's body. Of course, those who could witness this were probably no longer in this world.
The red gloves on Bai Yu's hands were an accessory to the Soul-Replenishing Soup. They served no other purpose than to prevent the toxins from the soup from corroding her body.
The third person in the room, the middle-aged man in white, opened a sandalwood box, took out a needle case, pulled out three silver needles, and without even looking, stabbed them into the head of "Feng Fei" on the bed. Instantly, Feng Fei, who had collapsed to the ground, felt a sharp pain in his head, and his consciousness became hazy.