Feelings

"Another space-time..." Xiao Feng's gaze went vacant.

The fact that he came from another world had always been a secret buried deep within his heart. He had never told anyone about it, so why did she know?

A faint sense of wariness arose within him.

The owner of that voice seemed to sense Xiao Feng's wariness...

Her pleasant voice said, "There is no need to be like this. I will not harm you."

After a slight pause, the voice softly recounted, "Back then... I discovered that you were a soul completely transcending this Chaos."

"Not only that, I also discovered that in your memories, you held an extremely deep impression of someone named Yun Che. It was as if you shared one body but possessed different souls, watching his every 'growth.'"

"And he seemed to be in the 'God Realm,' yet you clearly were not... a person of this world."

Her tone noticeably fluctuated at the mention of the "God Realm."

"And that Yun Che possessed many Mystic Arts that could be called heaven-defying."

If there was a reason Yun Che had left such a deep impression on him, perhaps it was because of... the obsession he had held before death?

"Why... are you helping me?" Xiao Feng suddenly asked.

He would not believe that she was helping him without reason—guiding his first strand of Mystic Energy and even helping him cultivate the Miracle of Life during infancy!

This was no trivial favor that could be done on a whim. How could she possibly have no purpose behind it?

Her voice paused briefly before she said, "Because I need you to become stronger. In the future, I may need you to... help me."

"That is why I have helped you."

"Mutual assistance..." Xiao Feng murmured inwardly.

Her purpose, her motive... everything was so clear that he could not find anything suspicious about it.

As for why she had chosen him, Xiao Feng did not need to ask. He could guess.

After all, he had experienced everything Yun Che had gone through. Every Mystic Art and Mystic Skill Yun Che possessed had long since been... etched into his bones.

Because of that, Xiao Feng had cultivated and mastered nearly all of Yun Che's Mystic Arts and Mystic Skills, save for a few Mystic Arts with specific restrictions...

Yet Xiao Feng revealed a bitter smile at this moment. "Then you really chose the wrong person. I cannot even break through to the God Tribulation Realm now, so how can I speak of becoming stronger? Perhaps I will be unable to fulfill your expectations."

After a brief silence, she softly said, "I can see your efforts. As the saying goes, thick accumulation leads to a sudden breakthrough. Why must you belittle yourself? I believe you will soon break through your current realm."

"Is that so..." Xiao Feng murmured softly upon hearing this. He had heard such words several times already and had even become numb to them.

He asked the most crucial question, the one he cared about the most. "I want to know... why did you suddenly decide to tell me these things today?"

Almost eighteen years had passed. Other than her one-sided claim that she had spoken with him when he was an infant—

During those entire eighteen years, she had never appeared again... It was far too abnormal.

Before today, Xiao Feng had even wondered whether that memory from infancy had merely been a fantasy of his own.

"Because of her..." At that moment, she began explaining Xiao Feng's doubts.

Though she said "her," Xiao Feng knew who she meant.

Under Xiao Feng's perception, there were only two people here: himself and that woman with a beauty like a celestial maiden.

Xiao Feng's brows lowered as he asked, "What do you mean?"

She explained, "I need you to get close to her, make her fall for you, and become her... Dao companion."

"In the future, perhaps she will give you unimaginable assistance..."

As she continued revealing her "purpose," Xiao Feng's lowered brows rose higher and higher... The confusion and shock on his face only grew stronger.

She made it sound nice, saying that he should make Bing Hanxue fall for him and become his Dao companion.

But this... wasn't this just telling him to court her?

Yet she ignored Xiao Feng's shock and softly said, "I will not harm you, just as I said before... Whether you act, and how you act, is entirely up to you. But I hope you can strive toward the best outcome I mentioned."

At the very least, he should become her "friend."

"And what I say next, you must listen carefully."

"She comes from the Ice Dominion Empire. Her name is... Bing Hanxue."

"She is the younger sister of the Empress of the Ice Dominion Empire. She came here through a Voidstone after being pursued by the Flowing Wind City royal family."

"And she instinctively rejects being touched by anyone other than her elder sister... However, she likes fine food and especially loves rare flowers and exotic plants."

"She possesses a flawless icy heart. She repays every grudge and every kindness."

"But..."

"A flawless icy heart is difficult to melt; it must be fused with a blazing heart."

"And once you enter her heart, you will be sealed within it. She will never be able to erase your 'shadow'..."

Her words were concise, yet every sentence contained things ordinary people should never know... because what she spoke of was completely and utterly a person's... privacy!

It was as though she had already thoroughly... figured out everything about Bing Hanxue.

Moreover, every word she spoke struck at the very... essence.

As she calmly described Bing Hanxue's various preferences and circumstances, Xiao Feng listened with his ears while his mouth gradually fell wider and wider open.

Yet she seemed not to see his already wide-eyed stare as she continued:

"And besides her, there is another important reason... I cannot communicate with you for long periods of time."

"The reason I was able to speak with you for so long today is largely because we have not 'met' for a long time..."

She neither waited for Xiao Feng's response nor gave him any chance to answer.

She seemed to treasure every word she spoke:

"My time is running out. You only need to know that I will help you and will not harm you. You may also sink your consciousness into the space where you currently are at any time. I must leave now. We will... meet again."

At that point, her voice abruptly stopped without the slightest warning.

"Wait..."

Seeing that the voice had vanished, Xiao Feng hurriedly tried to stop her. He still had so many questions he had not asked.

But his attempt to keep her clearly had no effect... When Xiao Feng opened his eyes again, he had returned to the familiar surroundings, and his position had not changed in the slightest.

"I clearly never saw her. How could that count as meeting..." he muttered in confusion.

He recalled what had just happened. It took him a long while to recover, for everything that had occurred seemed far too... absurd.

At that moment, Xiao Feng thought of her final words—"You may also sink your consciousness into the space where you currently are at any time."

Xiao Feng narrowed his eyes slightly, then suddenly looked toward his left hand. Shock appeared in his eyes... An dazzling golden radiance was actually shining from the back of his left hand.

Only after a long while did the golden light fade, revealing a pale golden mark formed by two intertwining golden curves in the shape of an X.

He stared at the pale golden mark on the back of his hand for a long time without recovering, because he was not unfamiliar with this mark...

He remembered that from the time he first became conscious, he had discovered this mark on the back of his hand.

Its shape had been the same as it was now, an X, though its color had been black...

After discovering it, he had not pondered it alone. Instead, he directly asked Xiao Ling'er whether the mark had been there since birth or had appeared... later.

He could still clearly remember her words. "It was an accident... A golden star entered your body, and afterward, this mark appeared on your hand."

At first, after hearing Xiao Ling'er's words, he had thought it was his cheat ability. Yet after several years of exploration, he discovered that the mark was utterly... useless.

Its only use was perhaps making his hand look a little better.

And whenever he tried to learn more about what had happened back then, Xiao Ling'er would always remain silent.

But now, Xiao Feng could clearly feel that this mark was connected to his aura. It was no longer merely a "tattoo."

After hesitating slightly, he sent his consciousness into the golden mark on the back of his hand. Then, his consciousness slowly sank...

When he opened his eyes again, he discovered that he had indeed returned to that space from before.

This time, he calmed himself and swept the surrounding space with his Divine Sense, only to discover that his current Divine Sense could not detect its boundaries at all.

It seemed this was quite a large portable space.

At that moment... he also saw Bing Hanxue lying on the ground not far away. He hurried over, but the moment his hand touched her, it passed directly through her body...

"Is it because I am in soul form?"

He withdrew from the withered yellow portable space, his consciousness returning to his body. With a pull of his consciousness, Bing Hanxue appeared in his arms...

Sure enough... it seemed that this portable space could even hold people, though that still needed to be verified.

He gazed at Bing Hanxue. Though her icy eyes remained closed, her ice-blue hair and exquisite features made her resemble an ice princess sleeping peacefully, tranquil and elegant.

It would be a lie to say that Xiao Feng felt nothing when seeing such a beauty.

What man did not want a dreamlike encounter with a woman as beautiful as a celestial maiden?

"Make her fall for me..." Xiao Feng murmured softly.

Making a woman like this fall for him would be incredibly difficult. Before today, they had not even met once.

Yet alongside that difficulty came the restless... desire for conquest within his heart.

Xiao Feng was a very decisive person. Since he had already decided what to do, he would not hesitate further.

His Divine Sense swept through the surroundings, confirming that no "traces" had been left behind. Holding Bing Hanxue in his arms, he flew away. His destination... Flowing Wind City!

Flowing Wind City

After entering the Medical Clinic, Xiao Feng went directly to the second floor and entered his bedroom. He placed Bing Hanxue on his bed, held her hand, and activated the Miracle of Life with all his strength to envelop her.

A quarter of an hour later, the Bright Mystic Force slowly withdrew. Xiao Feng released the hands he had been holding tightly, let out a long breath, and walked out of the room.

The moment he stepped out of the bedroom, he saw Xiao Ling'er standing at the door. Upon seeing Xiao Feng emerge, she immediately asked, "How is that person?"

"Her injuries are severe," Xiao Feng said. "But I have stabilized them. As long as I nourish her with Bright Mystic Force every day from now on, I believe she will recover soon."

Hearing his words, Xiao Ling'er sighed in relief. Then her eyes curved into crescents. "Mm, our Feng'er is truly amazing~ How long were you gone? Yet you came back with such a beautiful woman. You really are... blessed with romance~"

"..." Xiao Feng's gaze instantly went blank upon hearing that.

Sister Ling'er had always been understanding in the past. No matter what he did, she would hardly ever ask about it. Yet this time, she suddenly spoke in a coquettish manner, though there seemed to be even more... sarcasm in her tone.

He was wondering how to "deal with" it when Xiao Ling'er seemed to notice his embarrassment and took the initiative to change the subject.

She gently said, "Have you heard? Qi Qingyun... is about to return."

"Qing Yun?" Xiao Feng was stunned when he first heard her words. After a moment, he recovered and softly sighed. "Has she finished her training? That was fast."

Seeing that he did not know, Xiao Ling'er slowly said, "According to rumors, she encountered an Abyssal Knight."

"And she was chosen by the Abyssal Knight to become a retainer knight. From then on, she will follow the Abyssal Knight in training... This time, when she returns, the next time she comes back may be a hundred years from now, or perhaps she may never... return."

"A retainer knight..." Xiao Feng was slightly dazed before softly saying, "That is good. With her talent, becoming an Abyssal Knight herself will surely happen sooner or later. She must be happy. After all... she has always wanted to visit the Pure Land."

"She..." Xiao Ling'er clearly had more to say, but after pausing briefly, she changed the subject. "Come to my room. I recently found another treatment method while consulting ancient texts. Perhaps it will help your condition."

"There is no need..." Xiao Feng softly said. "My medical knowledge is no longer what it once was. I know very clearly that my condition is simply not something medical arts can resolve... Would I not know my own illness?"

"Eh?" Xiao Ling'er's tone suddenly changed after hearing that. "Do as you please. You have comprehended the Miracle of Life, and your medical knowledge is much greater than mine now. I was just being sentimental..."

After saying that, she turned and left.

"That is not true... Sister Ling'er, I did not mean that." No matter how low Xiao Feng's emotional intelligence was, he could not fail to sense the concealed anger in Xiao Ling'er's tone.

Seeing this, Xiao Feng hurriedly grabbed Xiao Ling'er by the shoulders and turned her to face him.

Then he said with great seriousness, "Sister Ling'er, you taught me how to read, how to identify medicine, and how to understand reason... All my medical skills were inherited from you... Compared to me, other people's medical skills are as far apart as clouds and mud."

"But compared to Sister Ling'er, my medical skills are not even worth a hair!"

"I simply... did not want Sister Ling'er to worry over my problems anymore."

"Hmph, you only know how to say nice things. You have already comprehended the Miracle of Life, which I cannot comprehend at all... How could my medical knowledge possibly surpass yours?"

Xiao Ling'er seemed genuinely angry. She did not accept Xiao Feng's explanation at all, her expression cold as she turned her head away and refused to look at him.

"Sister Ling'er, I was wrong. I truly was..." Seeing this, Xiao Feng hurriedly admitted his mistake and swore, "From now on, I will definitely listen to Sister Ling'er. If Sister Ling'er tells me to go east, I absolutely will not go west."

"Otherwise, I will..."

But before Xiao Feng could finish his oath, Xiao Ling'er covered his mouth with her hand. She removed her hand, turned around, and softly said, "Hmph, since you know your mistake and are willing to correct it, I will let it go this time. Do not forget to come to my bedroom later."

After saying that, she slowly walked out of Xiao Feng's bedroom. Watching Xiao Ling'er's retreating figure, Xiao Feng wore a miserable expression.

But what he did not see was the faint smile that curved across Xiao Ling'er's rosy lips as she turned away.

Inside Xiao Ling'er's bedroom

Xiao Feng sat cross-legged on the bed, his outer robe already removed.

In her words, "Clothes will affect the acupuncture..."

Xiao Ling'er, dressed in white silk sleepwear, entered from outside. Her damp long hair hung loosely behind her. She had just gone to bathe. Even though her cultivation had long prevented any filth from forming on her body, she still loved bathing, especially before every acupuncture session.

"So beautiful..." Xiao Feng unconsciously praised her as he looked at Xiao Ling'er's face.

Her features were exquisite, her snow-white neck slender, her eyes clear and bright, and she possessed the ethereal temperament of a fairy.

In contrast, her figure was as seductive as a "devil's," curvaceous and full, with skin like creamy jade...

Her devilish figure and incomparably beautiful, sacred face blended perfectly together, enough for any man to feel an intensely powerful urge to conquer her at first sight...

Xiao Ling'er raised her chin slightly but did not answer.

Yet immediately afterward, she sensed a trace of dim sorrow pass through Xiao Feng's eyes...

Xiao Ling'er's feeling was not wrong...

What woman did not love beauty?

She clearly possessed a face like a celestial maiden's, yet she never revealed it outside... Xiao Feng knew that she feared her beauty would bring unnecessary disaster.

Everything was because he was too weak, unable to protect her. He had even made her exhaust herself worrying over his cultivation problem... Yet that trace of sorrow was quickly and silently hidden by Xiao Feng.

"Feng'er..." Xiao Ling'er's gentle voice entered his ears. She sat before Xiao Feng, her beautiful eyes fixed on him as she seriously said, "A woman adorns herself for the one who understands her. No matter how many men there are in this world, I only want Feng'er's praise, and Feng'er is the only one who can enter my eyes..."

"I..." Her soft words struck deeply at Xiao Feng's heartstrings. But just as he was about to speak, she interrupted him...

"Alright, do not speak. Circulate your Mystic Energy," Xiao Ling'er said.

"Alright..." After eighteen years of relying on one another and caring for each other, there was no need for too many complicated words...

"There are a total of seven hundred and twenty acupoints throughout the human body. Today, I need you to circulate your Mystic Energy through each of them in turn to form a complete cycle, while I administer the needles one by one during the process." Xiao Ling'er calmly explained today's acupuncture procedure.

If any doctor had heard her words nearby, they would undoubtedly have pointed at her nose and cursed her as a quack.

There were seven hundred and twenty acupoints across the entire body, including several fatal points. Circulating Mystic Energy through each one to form a full cycle was no different from seeking death for ordinary people. A single mistake could injure oneself.

But Xiao Feng had tried even more outrageous Mystic Energy circulation routes before. Moreover, he had cultivated the Miracle of Life, and his medical knowledge had long surpassed ordinary comprehension. What was a path to death for others posed no difficulty to him!

The silver needles in Xiao Ling'er's hand ignited with flame. Her Mystic Energy spread outward, stirring her white robes, and the pressure she released was clearly at the level of a Divine Sovereign!

Flowing Wind City was only a remote small city within the Wind Cloud Empire, and even its strongest cultivators were merely peak Divine Sovereigns.

As Xiao Feng circulated his Mystic Energy, the silver needles in her hand pierced the corresponding acupoints one by one.

Shangyang Acupoint, Erjian Acupoint, Zhouliao Acupoint, Tianjing Acupoint...

As Xiao Ling'er inserted each silver needle one after another, Xiao Feng kept his eyes tightly closed. He continuously sensed the changes within his mystic veins, hoping to perceive the "key" that would break through the shackles of his realm.

Seeing this, Xiao Ling'er gently rose from the bed and slowly walked to the window. She gazed at the dim sky as her thoughts drifted along with the boundless heavens...

She had not lied to Xiao Feng about the origin of the golden "X"-shaped mark on her left hand. It had indeed come from a golden star.

At the time, they had been pursued by enemies. That shooting star had guided her to this city, and before entering Xiao Feng's body, it had spoken a soul message within her Soul Sea.

Even after eighteen years, that soul message remained crystal clear in her Soul Sea.

"An enormous opportunity is hidden here. Eighteen years from now will be the moment it opens. You must remain here; for you, this will also be a... fortune capable of remaking you."

Because of this, she had settled in Flowing Wind City until now.

Now that Xiao Feng had been unable to break through to the God Tribulation Realm, could the owner of that voice have foreseen this long ago? Could the opportunity it had mentioned be the... chance for a breakthrough?

And before long, the eighteen-year deadline would arrive!