☆, Chapter Thirty-One: Emerging from the Azure Cold Pool (End of this volume)
This problem also stumped Feng Fei.
Feng Fei rested his chin on his hand, looking up at the icy blue pool above him, pondering how to leave this place.
Xue Tuan stood to the side, her cheeks puffed out. She didn't understand why Feng Fei had suddenly become so strange, so...as if he didn't like her. This conclusion saddened Xue Tuan greatly, but she didn't know what to do, and her eyes welled up with tears again.
"Ah!" Feng Fei suddenly stood up and clapped his hands, as if he had thought of something, but then his face was full of doubt, as if he did not know why he suddenly stood up.
Xue Tuan was startled by Feng Fei's behavior and looked at Feng Fei with some fright.
In the past, if Feng Fei had seen Xue Tuan looking so frightened, he would have held her in his arms and comforted her for a while before continuing to think. But this time, Feng Fei ignored Xue Tuan's pitiful appearance and squatted down, preoccupied with his own thoughts.
Just as Feng Fei squatted down, the black seal suddenly shot out towards the center of the Azure Cold Pool.
Feng Fei seemed surprised by the black seal's reaction and quickly stood up, trying to recall it. However, the black seal was completely beyond Feng Fei's control and shot into the Azure Pool without hesitation.
The arrival of the black seal did not cause much change in the Jade Cold Pool; the surface of the pool only rippled, creating a beautiful scene.
However, Feng Fei had no mind to appreciate it at the moment. She didn't know when it had started, but the black seal had taken a place in her heart, making her unconsciously want to care about it. Moreover, Feng Fei didn't feel there was anything wrong with it; it was as if it were perfectly natural.
Xue Tuan hadn't expected the black seal to suddenly pull such a move, and quickly summoned the turquoise tortoise shell to protect Feng Fei. Xue Tuan stared longingly at Feng Fei. Normally, if Feng Fei saw Xue Tuan's behavior, he would have smiled and patted Xue Tuan's head. But Feng Fei's mind was completely focused on the black seal, and he didn't even glance at Xue Tuan.
Although this made Xue Tuan very sad, and she couldn't understand why Feng Fei would do this, she still obediently stood aside and held onto Feng Fei's clothes.
After entering the Azure Cold Pool, the black seal went straight to the bottom, its descent speed remaining unchanged, seemingly unaffected by the surrounding water pressure.
It's unclear how much time has passed. It seems like an eternity. So long that Feng Fei can only maintain a faint connection with the black seal, so long that Feng Fei's eyes have begun to turn red, showing signs of agitation bordering on rage.
Xue Tuan had never seen Feng Fei like this before, and was so frightened that she took a step back.
The sound of Xue Tuan retreating startled Feng Fei. Feng Fei couldn't help but look over, and Xue Tuan almost cried out.
Feng Fei's eyes were bloodshot, and her face was flushed red. She only realized she had frightened Xue Tuan when she saw the terror on Xue Tuan's face. After a slight pause, she withdrew her imposing aura, and her expression returned to normal.
Xue Tuan saw that Feng Fei had returned to normal, but still didn't get too close. She just stood a little distance away and watched Feng Fei. She felt that Feng Fei was no longer the Fei Fei she used to know, no longer the Fei Fei who always doted on her, no longer the Fei Fei who always smiled at her. Xue Tuan felt wronged and wanted to cry, but she covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out loud.
Feng Fei glanced at the snowball and then looked at the Azure Cold Pool.
The Azure Pool was directly above them, and with their heads tilted back, the blood supply to their bodies felt somewhat dizzy, causing Feng Fei to feel a little lightheaded. But she continued to look up. Although she didn't know why she was doing this, she couldn't help it.
A long time passed. Long enough that Feng Fei's neck had begun to stiffen before ripples reappeared on the surface of the Bihan Pool.
The surface of the Jade Cold Pool was first rippled shallowly, spreading outwards in concentric circles. Then the ripples transformed into small waves, gently lapping against the shore and soothing the vegetation. Before long, the small waves grew into large waves, violently crashing against the vegetation, each surge carrying away broken branches and withered flowers, leaving the shore scarred and devastated.
None of this mattered much to Feng Fei; her only concern remained the black seal. But the black seal failed to appear, and her hard-won composure began to fester again.
Feng Fei stood up in annoyance and paced back and forth on the clear, refreshing blue ground.
Xue Tuan stood pitifully to the side, tugging at the hem of her clothes, hoping that Feng Fei would glance at her.
Suddenly, Feng Fei abruptly raised his head to look at the Azure Cold Pool. The movement was so sudden that Xue Tuan even heard a "crack" sound of bones breaking.
Xue Tuan followed Feng Fei and looked up. The huge wave had transformed into a tsunami-like force. With each tsunami, the shore was left riddled with wounds, as if attacked and gnawed by a massive, ferocious beast. The sheer power of it terrified Xue Tuan, even though they were separated by heaven and earth.
But Feng Fei stood up straight with excitement. A golden dot burst forth from the raging flames, and as it drew closer, Xue Tuan realized it was a black seal, gleaming like gold, hurtling towards them. The sheer force of the impact made Xue Tuan's heart pound. Afraid that Feng Fei would be harmed, Xue Tuan stammered, "Sister Fei Fei..."
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Fei snapped him back to silence with a "Shut up!"
Xue Tuan felt extremely wronged. She didn't know what was going on, so she could only stand back.
Just as the black seal was about to get close, Feng Fei suddenly rushed forward and collided head-on with it.
As the two collided, the air trembled violently, and terrifying spatial cracks appeared around Feng Fei and the black seal. Xue Tuan's heart pounded; she didn't know why Feng Fei was acting this way, and she was even more worried that Feng Fei would be injured.
Xue Tuan was extremely conflicted at this moment; she didn't know what to do.
When Feng Fei saw spatial rifts appearing around him, he couldn't contain his joy. He glanced at the snowballs on the ground out of the corner of his eye, but intensified his attack on the black seal.
An even larger spatial rift appeared before Feng Fei, and at that moment, the black seal stopped above him, seemingly urging him to leave quickly. Feng Fei took a step forward, but then stopped.
Feng Fei's body kept twisting and turning, sometimes moving forward and sometimes backward, as if two consciousnesses were fighting for control of the body.
But at the last moment, it seemed that the original Feng Fei had won. She suddenly drew her belt, which transformed into a snake-bone whip, and struck Xue Tuan. At the same time, she said to Xue Tuan in her heart, "Don't resist."
Xue Tuan was overjoyed to hear Feng Fei speaking to her, and immediately forgot all her previous grievances, nodding her little head repeatedly.
The whip quickly reached Xue Tuan, wrapped around her, and brought her back to Feng Fei's side.
After embracing Xue Tuan, Feng Fei resumed his indifferent attitude towards her, and stepped into the huge crack in front of him without hesitation.
The cracks disappeared after Feng Fei entered, but with the disappearance of the cracks, the Azure Cold Pool underwent a tremendous change.
The entire pool of water surged out of the Azure Cold Pool like a water dragon, instantly submerging everything around it. At that moment, the Azure Cold Pool vanished from the world.
…………
In a desolate mountain called Warrior Town on the border of the White Tiger Kingdom, the air suddenly twisted, and the next moment two disheveled figures were spat out.
One of them stood up and looked around, then roared like a madman, "I, Feng Fei—have returned—"
Chapter 1 Warrior Town
Snowball stood timidly to the side, unsure of what to do.
After Feng Fei took her away from Bihan Pool, they stopped directly in this small town in the White Tiger Kingdom. No matter how much Xue Tuan asked, Feng Fei wouldn't tell her what to do there. In the end, he even impatiently chased her out the door. From then on, Xue Tuan stopped speaking easily and just looked at Feng Fei.
They had been in Warrior Town for almost three months. Feng Fei seemed to be waiting for someone, but no one came. As a result, Feng Fei's temper became more and more irritable, and she would often throw things to vent her anger.
They were currently in an inn in Warrior Town. Because Feng Fei had a bad temper and was very wealthy, the innkeeper and waiters all served her with obsequiousness and caution.
Today, Feng Fei suddenly smashed the teacups the innkeeper had just replaced, and sat at the table with a gloomy expression, saying nothing. Xue Tuan didn't know what was wrong with Feng Fei at this moment. Her simple mind had now realized that Feng Fei was different. Was it before they came out of the Jade Cold Pool, before the snake bone whip and the silver-white ribbon merged?
Xue Tuan wasn't entirely sure, but the only thing she was certain of was that Feng Fei had truly changed. However, she didn't dare to speak, fearing Feng Fei's anger.
"What on earth is going on! I've been out for three months and no one has come looking for me yet!" Feng Fei seemed to be talking to himself, or perhaps he was talking while drinking water.
A black seal suddenly appeared in the room, circling around Feng Fei a few times, seemingly communicating with him.
Feng Fei gradually calmed down, and his complexion returned to normal.
Suddenly she called out, "Waiter—"
Because few merchants passed through Warrior Town, the arrival of Feng Fei, a major customer, delighted everyone at the inn. Although Feng Fei had a bad temper, he didn't care about money at all, so the innkeeper arranged for his most capable and clever waiter to wait at Feng Fei's door, ready to give him any orders.
At that moment, upon hearing Feng Fei's call, the waiter immediately entered the room.
"What can I do for you, esteemed guest?" the waiter asked with a cautious smile. This was a major customer of their inn, and they had to be very careful in serving him.
Feng Fei seemed extremely pleased with the waiter's humble, respectful, and ingratiating expression. He nodded and said, "I'm hungry right now. Get me some good food."
The waiter hesitated for a moment, after all, it was already late at night. The inn's chef had already gone home to rest. But the next moment, his expression became resolute as he lowered his head and agreed. After saying goodbye, he quietly left.
Feng Fei's attention wasn't on the waiter. After giving his instructions, he frowned and looked out at the night sky, lost in thought.
Xue Tuan sat on the tatami mat beside her, equally absent-minded, lost in thought.
"Snowball..." Feng Fei suddenly spoke. Snowball shuddered and immediately sat up straight.
"Have I been acting strangely lately...?" Feng Fei frowned, seemingly considering his words, before continuing after a long pause.
Xue Tuan nodded vigorously behind Feng Fei's back, but remained silent, her lips pursed. This wasn't the first time Feng Fei had asked her this. At first, she would answer honestly, but each time she would be met with a sudden, stern rebuke from Feng Fei. There was no comforting word afterward, and gradually her heart was broken. Now Xue Tuan knew that Feng Fei wasn't seeking an answer from her; it was merely a subconscious inquiry.
After waiting for a long time without receiving a reply from Xue Tuan, Feng Fei turned around to look at Xue Tuan.
“Xue Tuan…” Feng Fei hesitated. She knew she hadn’t been treating Xue Tuan very well lately. Although she felt something was off, she couldn’t quite put her finger on it.
"Sister Feifei..." Xue Tuan bit her lip tightly. As if she had made a huge decision, she timidly looked at Feng Fei and asked, "Sister Feifei, are you... waiting for someone?"
After Xue Tuan finished speaking, she shrank back like a startled rabbit.
Feng Fei saw this and his brows furrowed even more.
Feng Fei took a step forward, and Xue Tuan retreated a little. Gradually, Feng Fei's brows furrowed with anger. Xue Tuan shrank back, no longer daring to look at Feng Fei. At this moment, Feng Fei sat down at the table with a frown on his face.
"I don't know... am I... waiting for someone..." Feng Fei actually answered Xue Tuan's question. Xue Tuan looked at Feng Fei in surprise, but only saw Feng Fei's blank face.
The black seal was rapidly circling around Feng Fei, and Xue Tuan thought it seemed to be jumping up and down in a hurry.
Xue Tuan looked at the black seal but couldn't see anything, so she turned her attention to Feng Fei.
"Sister Feifei..." Xue Tuan felt that Feng Fei was much gentler tonight than she had been in the previous three months, and after thinking about it, she decided to approach Feng Fei. However, she was still a little scared, so she hesitated a bit.
When Xue Tuan approached, Feng Fei first raised his eyebrows, but then softened and hugged Xue Tuan in his arms, lost in thought.
Xue Tuan's face was full of satisfaction. She pressed herself tightly against Feng Fei's chest, absorbing his warmth and tenderness. She hadn't felt Feng Fei's presence like this in a long time.
At that moment, the whole room fell silent.
"Knock knock knock"
Suddenly someone knocked, disturbing the cozy atmosphere of the room.
Xue Tuan looked over angrily, wanting to see who was so ungrateful as to ruin her and Feng Fei's tender moment.
Feng Fei frowned, then opened the door while holding Xue Tuan.
The innkeeper and waiter were carrying food in front of the door.
The innkeeper smiled obsequiously: "Honorable guest, I'm so sorry, our head chef has gone back to rest, so... cough cough, these are dishes I cooked myself, please don't mind them."
The bowing and scraping manner did not displease Feng Fei; he simply stepped aside to let them bring in the food.
"Alright, you can leave now."
Having received Feng Fei's instructions, the innkeeper and waiter quickly left.
Feng Fei sat down at the table with Xue Tuan in his arms, gazing at the delicious-looking dishes before him, but then became lost in thought.