The earth had already fallen asleep.
Moonlight was hazy, and tree shadows swayed.
The breeze occasionally brushed past. The birdsong in the mountains and forests, or the occasional roar of wild beasts, seemed like the sleep-talk of this unbroken range of mountains.
In the small hut within the valley, an oil lamp burned, casting a dim light.
Feng Jinhuang lay on the bed, weak and powerless all over, her face deathly pale without a trace of color.
She looked at Fairy Bai Qing sitting beside the bed and apologized softly, "Mother, I was wrong. Next time, I won't..."
Fairy Bai Qing's expression was stern. "Huang'er, Mother knows what is in your heart. You have trained so desperately that, over these past dozens of days, you have already injured yourself five or six times. When you first began cultivating, Mother warned you that cultivation values following nature and balancing tension with relaxation. If you continue like this, not only will haste prevent you from reaching your goal, you will also ruin yourself and may even lose your life!"
Feng Jinhuang lowered her eyelids, her voice weak. "Mother, I'm sorry."
"Mother has already used Gu on you. As punishment, you are forbidden from cultivating for seven days and seven nights, and you may only move within this valley. If you are hungry, pick wild fruit. If you are thirsty, drink mountain spring water. Think it over carefully." Fairy Bai Qing said in a deep voice.
"Mother, no!" Feng Jinhuang panicked.
But Fairy Bai Qing lightly brushed her long sleeve, its cuff sweeping across Feng Jinhuang's cheek.
Immediately, a fierce wave of drowsiness surged into her heart.
Her eyelids became heavier than ever before, and an incomparable exhaustion left Feng Jinhuang unable to say another word.
In the blink of an eye, she