Chapter 148: Fear of Calamity

Amidst the verdant groves of Shengwu Mountain, Lianzi was finally able to get out of bed and walk about.

Stepping onto the floor, she gazed at the room's simple furnishings and decorations, her heart instantly swelling with joy and deep emotion.

This place had been arranged by Feng Xing with the utmost warmth. Though still somewhat humble, Lianzi cared not in the least.

Stepping outside to take in the surrounding landscape, she found the verdant hills and clear waters matched her ideal vision to perfection.

The cottage itself was exquisite and picturesque, accompanied by a flowing stream, a few patch-plots of vegetables, and a placid pond. And what was planted within that pond was...

"Ah, red lotuses!" Lianzi gasped in astonishment, freezing in her tracks.

So Feng Xing had understood every wish in her heart; this very pond was the essential element, and he had grasped it all. Lianzi felt an overwhelming wave of comfort and tenderness, which inevitably drew her thoughts back to days gone by...

Through countless nights, Lianzi's yearning had never ceased, yet it always stopped short before him, leaving her too timid to utter a single word or even reveal her presence.

Adoration, indeed, was both exquisitely sweet and painfully obscure.

It seemed he had already perceived it and returned a measure of goodwill...

Emotion was emotion, but the very first thing upon rising was to test Feng Nuan.

"Feng Nuan!" Lianzi called out as she walked.

Hearing her voice, Feng Nuan hurriedly ran over from the vegetable plots. "Elder sister, you're awake?"

"What are you doing?"

"I'm watering the plants!"

Lianzi looked around and led Feng Nuan over to a small tung tree.

"This is a young phoenix tree. I am now going to drain all the moisture from it, and let us see if you can bring it back to life!"

Startled, Feng Nuan hastened to stop Lianzi. "Elder sister, this tree has done you no wrong. Why would you do this?"

"You possess blue blood and the gift of healing. Surely you should be able to revive it! I merely wish to put it to the test!"

"But what if it cannot be saved?"

Lianzi smiled. "Then I am here! Though I can no longer wield the magic of Tianshan, I am still a red lotus sprite. This is nothing to me!"

"Very well! Let us try then. I am curious myself!"

Lianzi nodded and drained every drop of moisture from the tung tree, reducing it instantly to a skeleton of withered wood.

"Now, your turn!" Lianzi looked at Feng Nuan, but seeing her reach for a small dagger, she immediately stopped her.

"What are you doing? You needn't use your blood; try channeling your spiritual power with focused devotion instead!"

"What is spiritual power? Feng Nuan doesn't think she has any!"

"Come, I will teach you! Feel it with all your heart!" Lianzi pressed Feng Nuan's hands against the tree trunk and instructed her on how to rouse the inner power dormant within her.

Before long, following the instructions, Feng Nuan truly felt a surge of energy rising from within her body, and the tree instantly regained a trace of vitality.

Lianzi smiled with quiet delight. "Well done! Pour more of your mind into it; do not let your thoughts wander!"

Feng Nuan nodded, concentrating every ounce of her attention, gathering all her strength in her palms while earnestly hoping the tree would live again.

Lianzi stared unblinkingly at Feng Nuan, confirming repeatedly that she used no external aids and showed no signs of discomfort. Her heart slowly settled: Indeed, she was truly one destined for Tianshan!

"Good, you may stop now. It lives!"

Feng Nuan opened her eyes and looked with wonder at the tung tree before her. Its branches and leaves had unfurled anew, trunk, boughs, and foliage all brimming with fresh moisture and vitality, looking even greener than before.

"Elder sister, how did this happen?"

"There is unusual power within you, perhaps due to having been healed by Tianshan twice over!"

Just as Lianzi finished speaking, she noticed Feng Xing standing behind them and could not help a start of surprise.

"Feng Nuan, your brother is back. You two should talk!" Under Feng Xing's gaze, Lianzi felt intensely shy. She nervously tried to avoid him, yet could still not resist that steadfast gaze.

"Lianzi, you have recovered?"

Lianzi froze, nodding in a daze. Since when had Feng Xing stopped calling her "Miss Lianzi"?

Feng Nuan waved her hands and danced about, saying, "Brother, did you see? I was able to bring this tree back to life!"

Feng Xing nodded, his expression profound. "All this must be destiny."

"Indeed," Lianzi chimed in. "You were once able to ascend Tianshan, and brought Feng Nuan there for healing on several occasions. Furthermore, in the mortal realm, your contact with Tianshan disciples has not been scarce. No doubt for these reasons, or perhaps by decree of fate, your lives are intricately intertwined with Tianshan!"

Feng Nuan smiled and nodded. "I feel the same way. Since Feng Nuan was saved by Tianshan, she shall surely serve Tianshan. As for my brother, having the fortune to catch the eye of a Tianshan disciple must be a great blessing! If this truly allows my brother to take elder sister as his bride, Feng Nuan is more than willing to bridge that gap!"

"Feng Nuan, what nonsense are you speaking!" Feng Xing looked at her sternly.

Lianzi's face flushed crimson, and she turned aside, overwhelmed with bashfulness.

"One life for another, such a simple principle and you don't understand it?"

Feng Xing was about to scold Feng Nuan when Lianzi stopped him. "Feng Nuan is still young and does not know better. Do not blame her!"

"Very well, for your sake, I shall spare her this once!"

Feng Xing glanced at Feng Nuan, then carried the cloth sack in his hand into the cottage.

Seeing this, Lianzi pulled Feng Nuan toward the house. "Feng Nuan, your brother works hard; don't provoke his anger! And do not speak such words again!"

Digging her heels in, Feng Nuan refused to budge. "Elder sister, I do not want to see my brother's dark face!"

"Feng Nuan, do not say that. Your brother brought back delicious treats for you!"

After much persuasion from Lianzi, coupled with Feng Xing emerging from the house to cast a single, chilling glance at Feng Nuan, her temper was finally subdued.

"Still not coming in?"

Lianzi took Feng Nuan's hand. "Come, let us see what delicious things there are!"

Feng Nuan followed Lianzi into the house, walking to the table with a sulky expression. Upon it sat a collection of fruit: large yellow wild pears, small red hawthorns, and three tangerines.

"They all look so sour, I don't want any!"

Lianzi sat down with a smile and peeled a tangerine for Feng Nuan. "This one is certainly not sour, try it!"

"Never mind her," Feng Xing said to Lianzi, his tone devoid of obvious emotion.

Upon hearing this, Feng Nuan immediately took the tangerine. After taking a small bite, her expression instantly smoothed into delight.

"The ones elder sister peels are simply delicious!"

"Your brother went to great trouble to find these; you ought to thank him!"

Feng Nuan pouted as she looked at Feng Xing, then stared back at the fruit on the table. "Delicious though they are, there are only three! Are the rest to be left on the tree for wild beasts to eat?"

"Mine is yours, eat it yourself!"

Lianzi smiled. "And you may have mine too, go on."

Feng Nuan grinned and claimed both tangerines.

Feng Xing looked at Lianzi, then withdrew his gaze. When Lianzi was injured, his frame of mind had been one thing; now that she was recovered, his thoughts were entirely different.

Still, Feng Xing believed he must not stand in Lianzi's way; he could only treat her as a benefactor.

Lianzi was well aware of all these shifts in feeling, yet she never intervened, for she too harbored reservations—she was still awaiting her destined tribulation.

"Will you not eat?" After a long silence, Lianzi and Feng Xing asked simultaneously.

Feng Xing blinked, then replied, "I ate on the mountain!"

"Oh, and I have no need for food! Water suffices for me."

Feng Xing nodded, then shook his head. "Though you are not of mortal flesh, you are still recovering your health, and convalescence calls for proper nourishment. I shall go hunt some game right now. What would you like to eat?"

Lianzi opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated, looking dazedly at Feng Xing while thinking: *I... I am a red lotus sprite, I eat vegetarian food!*

"Rabbits! Rabbits are wonderful! And wild pheasant too, very nourishing!" Feng Nuan chimed in with a smile.

Hearing Feng Nuan's words as if she had found a savior, Lianzi nodded eagerly. "Yes, exactly what Feng Nuan said!"

Feng Xing nodded, knowing full well those were Feng Nuan's favorite foods. "I shall return shortly, do not wander about."

Watching Feng Xing vanish from sight, Lianzi softly asked Feng Nuan, "Is not your brother busy with affairs of state? Why does he linger here and refuse to leave?"

"My brother will not rest easy until your health is fully restored!" Feng Nuan smiled, nibbling on her tangerine as she continued, "Elder sister, you must take your time getting better! I wish this life could last forever."

"What? But I am already nearly recovered!" Lianzi replied in a soft voice, thoughtfully touching her burning cheeks.

Feng Nuan shook her head and wrapped her arms around Lianzi's sleeve. "No, you still have a malady of the heart!"

Over in the snowy bamboo realm, Blue Water walked with hurried steps, quickly locating Heavenly Venerate Qiangui. At that moment, Qiangui was brewing wine together with Jilin.

"Master!" Blue Water approached, interrupting their pleasant conversation.

"What is it?" Qiangui paused his work. "Has something happened?"

"Junior sister just sent word back: she and Liu Li encountered Shuo in Youzhou, and Shuo intends to eliminate them both!"

Qiangui was startled, asking with mounting tension, "Where is your junior sister then? What is her current situation?"

"Something is amiss—why has junior sister not returned?" Jilin asked with equal concern.

"Junior sister says she escaped the clutches of evil by using the ice net for the time being. However, her ice needles were damaged by Shuo's formation, and they have now become a burden to her. She asks if Master has any method to undo this. Because she is worried about her magical artifact, she has not yet returned."

Jilin looked profoundly perplexed, asking in disbelief, "Can a magical artifact even be injured? How can something with spiritual energy be as fragile as a person?"

Qiangui sighed. "Divine artifacts inherently have their own strengths and weaknesses! The ice needles are a part of the Heavenly Maiden's staff, which naturally counters Shuo's red light vortex. They must have been tainted by the evil miasma of Shuo's formation. For Xueze to retrieve them meant she surely suffered some injury as well, which makes this troublesome indeed. You must quickly have Xueze send Liu Li back to the imperial capital, and then have her return with the artifact."

Blue Water asked urgently, "Can it be resolved upon returning to the mountain?"

"Yes, these ice needles can be purified amidst the snowy domains. Once cleansed of the evil taint, they will become even tougher and more formidable!"

"Then junior sister will be safe?"

"As long as she returns swiftly, yes. Otherwise, her spiritual energy will be completely drained by the burden of the divine artifact!"

Alarmed, Blue Water immediately summoned a feather-dove.

"Master, all of this seems as though someone orchestrated it intentionally. Junior sister also mentioned that, judging by Shuo's words, they appeared to have meticulously plotted this matter."

Qiangui nodded. "Indeed. First, have Xueze leave the mountain to rendezvous with Liu Li, and then eliminate both thorns in our side in one stroke. Yet how did Xueze become such a target of enmity? Could it be a plot to lure her down the mountain and take advantage of her..."

"By the way, junior sister also asked Master to keep a strict watch over the snow domains!"

Qiangui started violently, sudden realization dawning on him. "Ah, yes! The traitor within Tianshan must be attempting to enter the snow domains. Blue Water, send word to Xueze at once so she may handle this expeditiously. Jilin, go and guard the pass to the snow domains!"

"Could they have set their sights on the snow domains so soon?"

"They likely wish only to learn the pass formation to prepare for a grand scheme. But that traitor must be ferreted out early—they are a grave hazard. Anyone connected to Empress Xue or Shuo by ties of interest, or anyone in conflict with Xueze, you must guard against them strictly. Let there be no mistakes!"

"Understood!"

"Go, both of you quickly! I shall ascend to the snow domains myself to investigate!"