Chapter 27: A Sneaky Attack
Several more days passed.
The spirit herbs and fruits were quite tasty.
Medicinal herbs imbued with spiritual energy generally had a sweet taste, and the spirit fruits were even more delicious. Mingyan enjoyed them.
These herbs and fruits were rich in spiritual energy and nutrients, helping to expel impurities from his body.
Unless one practiced alchemy and body refinement from a young age, most cultivators couldn’t completely purge their impurities until the Illuminating Sea Realm. Mingyan hadn’t had access to such practices as a child, so his body contained many impurities. After his last breakthrough, a layer of black grime had seeped out of his skin. After consuming spirit herbs and fruits for a while, he had expelled even more impurities, feeling lighter and his energy flow smoother…
Although he would be losing a lot of blood, the benefits he had received from the Huang family were substantial. They weren’t letting him contribute for free.
Mingyan felt his body was in peak condition, strong and vigorous. He was ready for the blood extraction…
He couldn’t consume any more tonics. Excessive nourishment would be detrimental. He left his room and went out into the courtyard.
The outer courtyard was bustling with activity. Many people had been invited because of Huang Qingfei’s poisoning. The pill formula itself had been provided by one of these guests. The Huang family had asked them to stay until Huang Qingfei recovered, hoping they might find a solution.
This was a desperate measure. They had exhausted all other options but didn’t want to give up hope. Besides, the Huang family was wealthy and could easily afford to host these guests.
Every time Mingyan went out, he saw groups of cultivators chatting, gathering information and rumors.
For example, he learned that the continent was divided into five regions: the four continents—East, South, West, and North—and the Central Abyss, which they surrounded. There were nine forbidden zones where spiritual energy didn’t exist and was even devoured. Each continent had two, and the Central Abyss itself was a forbidden zone.
Mingyan sighed. The world was vast. A mortal couldn’t even travel one-tenth of a single continent in their lifetime, yet there were four continents. The world was simply too large for mortals to explore fully.
Many people must have embarked on the path of cultivation to see the world’s wonders.
Feiyan had told him that cultivation was just a means to an end, a way to fulfill one’s desires. Cultivators didn’t lose their emotions because of cultivation. If they did, they had strayed onto a deviant path, not recognized by the Heavenly Dao.
For him, cultivation was also a means to an end, a way to become stronger, to catch up to Ning Feixuan. But should cultivation be about indulging one’s desires without restraint?
Mingyan pondered. Uncontrolled indulgence wasn’t right. Humans had emotions, but they shouldn’t be controlled by them, nor should they sever them…
This would likely influence his entire cultivation journey…
He hadn’t seen Zhao Feiliu since their encounter. Feeling energetic, Mingyan hoped someone would come looking for trouble. He strolled around the outer courtyard, but no one caused any problems. Starting a fight himself wasn’t his style, so he returned to his room, slightly disappointed.
He closed the door, sat on the bed, and closed his eyes to meditate.
Suddenly, a cold glint flashed. Mingyan’s hair stood on end as he instinctively threw himself back. The glint, a needle, flew past his neck, narrowly missing him. He quickly sat up and cautiously scanned his surroundings, noticing the window was slightly ajar…
He rushed outside and looked around but saw no one. However, he found a veil on the ground.
He picked it up. It felt cool to the touch, made of unusual material. He brought it to his nose and smelled a faint fragrance. It belonged to a woman… but he couldn’t be certain. There were many cultivators who disguised themselves as the opposite gender…
Mingyan looked around again, but finding nothing, he returned to his room, closed the window, and examined the room carefully.
Finally, he found a thin needle embedded in the wall, its tip still carrying a faint, unusual scent…
The rooms in the outer courtyard were protected by formations. No one could enter without permission or unless they were a member of the Huang family. How did that person open the window? Mingyan’s eyes narrowed. Either an outsider had broken the formation, or… it was someone from the Huang family…?
The latter seemed like a conspiracy theory. He thought for a moment, then contacted Huang Feiyan.
She arrived shortly after and examined the needle Mingyan handed her.
Huang Feiyan frowned. “The needle is poisoned, but it’s not fatal. It only causes temporary unconsciousness… Did you find any other clues?”
Mingyan gave her the veil. “I found this outside the window.”
Huang Feiyan looked surprised. “This is Ice Silk Gauze? Using this material for a veil… This person must be someone important. Have you offended anyone recently?”
Mingyan shook his head. Although he had hoped for some trouble today to test his strength, no one had bothered him. While this was normal, he was slightly disappointed. He wished another Zhao Feiliu would appear and attack him so he could retaliate without consequence…
“That’s right, you’re too honest and wouldn’t cause trouble.” Huang Feiyan smiled, holding the veil thoughtfully. “But this person probably didn’t intend to kill you. This poison suggests they wanted you unconscious, likely to obtain something from you…”
Mingyan frowned. “Has something been exposed?”
“I don’t know… It seems leaving you alone here is dangerous.” Huang Feiyan pondered. “It must have been when I came to visit you that someone noticed… I’ll inform my mother. You won’t be in danger.”
Mingyan nodded. Huang Feiyan returned the veil to him. “Keep this evidence for now. I suspect the person is one of the guests in the outer courtyard. If you have any suspicions, tell me.”
Huang Feiyan then used the sound transmission formation to contact Huang Junru. Shortly after, Huang Junyi arrived, her figure as alluring as ever. Mingyan groaned inwardly.
“I heard little brother encountered some danger?” Huang Junyi entered, smiling playfully at him, her voice seductive. Huang Feiyan seemed accustomed to this. Her second aunt always spoke this way to her younger relatives. But something felt off. She hadn’t acted this way towards others before, especially not towards men… But… Mingyan was special. He could save her younger sister, so her fondness for him was understandable, right?
Huang Feiyan shook off her thoughts. “Second Aunt, why are you here?”
“To protect little brother, of course.” Huang Junyi winked. “What? You don’t trust me to protect your… male friend?”
Huang Feiyan was embarrassed. “Of course I trust you to protect Mingyan, Second Aunt… But… he’s my friend. Calling him ‘little brother’ is a bit…”
“What’s wrong with that? I’m eighteen, and he’s sixteen. Is there a problem with calling him ‘little brother’?” Huang Junyi’s smile didn’t waver, but there was a hint of warning in her voice. Huang Feiyan coughed. “Right, right… Second Aunt, you… do as you please…”
This was bad. Feiyan couldn’t do anything about her second aunt… Mingyan raised an eyebrow. He didn’t believe Huang Junyi was eighteen… She must be several hundred years old, at least, but he wouldn’t dare say that.
“Alright, alright, go about your business. I’ll watch over your little… your male friend. You can rest assured.” Huang Junyi waved her hand dismissively.
Huang Feiyan blinked, then looked at Mingyan. “Then… if anything happens, just tell Second Aunt… Alright, I’ll be going now.”
Mingyan wanted to tell her not to leave. He didn’t want to be alone with this succubus, but he couldn’t bring himself to say it. He could only watch as Huang Feiyan left…
Huang Junyi closed the door and sat beside him, smiling. “Alright, little brother, you can focus on your own things. With me here, you won’t be harmed~”
Mingyan nodded and closed his eyes, intending to cultivate, but Huang Junyi’s faint fragrance, captivating and intoxicating, made it impossible for him to focus. Why hadn’t he felt this way when he was alone with Feiyan? Was it because her second aunt was too alluring? Or was his self-control weakening?
Realizing he couldn’t focus, he opened his eyes, gave up on cultivation for now, and took out the veil, handing it to Huang Junyi. “Second Aunt… uh, Sister, this is the veil I found. Do you know who it belongs to?”
“Ice Silk Gauze?” Huang Junyi accepted the veil, her fingers brushing against his, making him flinch instinctively. She noticed this and smiled suggestively. She examined the veil, pondering for a moment. “This material is special. It can’t belong to an ordinary person… But there are too many guests at the Huang family, many of them important figures. It’s difficult to narrow it down… But the aura on it clearly belongs to a female cultivator, someone of high status… Spend more time in the outer courtyard these next few days. I’ll observe from the shadows and see if I can find anything unusual.”
Mingyan nodded, and silence fell between them.
He noticed Huang Junyi staring at him, making him nervous. He quickly looked away, but the atmosphere became suggestive again…
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