Sudden Change

The Yunsheng Restaurant's manager wiped the cold sweat beading on his forehead and stepped forward with a smile. "Young Master Shi, are you leaving already?"

Shi Lan looked around, but Xu Yuanbai was nowhere to be seen.

"Young Master Xu has already been taken away by people from the Xu Clan," the manager explained perceptively.

Shi Lan nodded indifferently and walked out of Yunsheng Restaurant. She still had a task to finish.

Not long after Shi Lan and the others left, Zique entered Yunsheng Restaurant, panting heavily and drenched in sweat.

That bastard guard had come up without a word and forcibly taken her sunshade. With the blazing sun overhead, she had followed them all the way and nearly been baked dry.

After learning from the manager what had just happened, Zique felt as though the sun had addled her brain.

The Eldest Young Master had someone beat up Xu Yuanbai?

And cripple him?

Wasn't that sheer fantasy?

Xu Yuanbai could be counted as one of Shi Lan's few friends. Because of that, plenty of rumors had spread outside.

How could something like this have happened...

No matter how she thought it over, Zique could not make heads or tails of it. Remembering Su Lanyue's instructions, she asked for a pot of cold tea to moisten her throat, then took a sunshade from the manager and hurried away.

An hour and a half later, Shi Lan had finally finished making her way around Tenglong City. When she returned to the gates of Shi Mansion, the words "Completed" had appeared on the Heavens Reincarnation System's task panel.

"Task complete. System reward issued."

Shi Lan felt a warm current pour in through the top of her head and flood her limbs and bones. Her physical constitution began to rise by leaps and bounds.

[Congratulations, Host, on entering the first level of the Body Tempering Realm.]

[Novice task completed. Task reward issued.]

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining Jade Forging Art.]

Listening to the system prompts, Shi Lan clenched her fist and felt her strength multiply several times over. The corners of her lips lifted, and her mood soared. With these two systems supporting each other, she finally had enough confidence to gain a foothold in the vast, boundless Lingyang Realm.

Before Shi Lan could rejoice for long, the Empress Cultivation System's voice rang out in her mind once more.

[Abnormality detected. Host's foundation is unstable. Hidden danger removal procedure initiated.]

Shi Lan's expression changed slightly. A tremendous suction suddenly came from her forehead, and her strength began draining away at a frantic pace.

"What is this..."

In only a few breaths, Shi Lan's body seemed to have been hollowed out. The strength she had just gained vanished without a trace, like flowers in a mirror and the moon in water.

"Damn it!"

The figure deep within Shi Lan's mind cursed under his breath. He had merely wanted her to suffer a little less needless pain, using his exceedingly precious energy to forcibly raise the girl's cultivation by one level.

Yet this system, hidden who knew where, could even accomplish something as inconceivable as extracting his energy—and without leaving the slightest trace behind.

That went somewhat beyond his understanding.

[Hidden danger removed.]

[Novice task undergoing reassessment...]

[Assessment complete. Task reward will be issued as normal. System has extracted the Host's first-level Body Tempering Realm cultivation and returned one basic lottery draw opportunity.]

[Kind reminder: pulling up seedlings to help them grow is no different from destroying one's own foundation. Host is advised to choose carefully.]

A string of prompts rang out in succession.

Shi Lan stood stunned for a long while before sorting out her thoughts.

The Heavens Reincarnation System's task reward had become a hidden danger in the eyes of the Empress Cultivation System.

Pulling up seedlings to help them grow, destroying one's own foundation...

The system's warning gave Shi Lan some understanding. Strength gained from thin air could not be relied upon, and the two systems bound to her might not necessarily be trustworthy either.

"Eldest Young Master, what's wrong?"

Seeing Shi Lan standing blankly at the entrance, Shi Feng could not help asking.

Shi Lan came back to herself, shook her head, and stepped into Shi Mansion.

Once inside Shi Mansion, the group following behind Shi Lan dispersed on their own.

By the time Shi Lan returned to her residence, dusk was already near.

After hesitating briefly, Shi Lan stood in the courtyard and assumed the opening stance of the Vajra Divine Fist once again.

After completing half a set of the Vajra Divine Fist, Shi Lan discovered with some surprise that the fatigue in her body had lessened considerably. Even after half the set, she still had plenty of strength left.

After finishing half the Vajra Divine Fist, Shi Lan stopped while she was ahead. If she continued, she would overdraw her strength again.

After hearing Shi Feng recount everything Shi Lan had done that afternoon, Shi Tianlu paced back and forth through his study in disbelief.

"What kind of stimulation did Lan receive? Why did her temperament suddenly change?"

Shi Feng remained silent. He was even more bewildered than Shi Tianlu. He had only been away for half a month, yet upon returning, it felt as though all had changed beyond recognition.

Today had been the closest Shi Feng had come to Shi Lan, and they had even spoken face-to-face. Yet Shi Feng always felt that a vast distance separated him from Shi Lan—far greater than when Shi Lan had not even known he existed.

Shi Lan had changed too much. It was difficult to accept.

Shi Tianlu sighed softly and waved his hand. "Just as before, have someone spread the news that Lan crippled Xu Yuanbai today. The greater the impact, the better."

"Patriarch, I do not understand. When that brat Xu Yuanbai secretly smeared the Eldest Miss's reputation before, it was one thing for you to stand by and do nothing. But why are you now adding fuel to the fire?"

Shi Feng had kept this question bottled up in his heart for a long time, never daring to voice it.

"I cannot explain the reasons to you right now. You will understand in a couple of days. Go out first."

Helpless, Shi Feng cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave.

"Wait."

Shi Tianlu called Shi Feng back, picked up a wooden box from his desk, and handed it over.

"Since Lan has begun practicing martial arts, her vital blood essence must be replenished. This is a hundred-year-old Blood Ginseng. Take it to her for me. Remember to tell her that she may take no more than half a qian at a time. Her body's foundation is weak, so she must not be unable to bear the supplement. And do not tell her it was from me."

"Yes."

Shi Feng accepted the wooden box and left.

After bathing, Shi Lan felt refreshed and clear-headed. Just as she finished getting dressed, there came a knock at the door.

The visitor was Zique, who had delivered the medicinal meal at noon. She was still carrying a food box in her hands.

Zique set the food box on the desk, packed up the food box she had delivered at noon, and walked silently toward the door.

Shi Lan could tell that Zique seemed somewhat unhappy, but she did not pay it any mind. She only thought to herself that Zique seemed to have become much darker after being gone for half a day.

After thinking about it for a while, Shi Lan blamed the lighting.

When Zique reached the courtyard gate, she happened to run into Shi Feng, who was carrying a wooden box.

Shi Feng did not even glance at Zique and walked straight inside.

"Stop! Where's my sunshade?!" Seeing Shi Feng's dismissive attitude and recalling how long she had been roasted under the blazing sun, Zique's anger immediately flared.

"It's at the gatehouse. Go get it yourself," Shi Feng replied blandly, without slowing his steps in the slightest.

Zique cursed under her breath a few times, then left resentfully with the food box.