The Outlier

In the training grounds, Shi Lan stood out rather conspicuously. Shi Tianlu spotted her at a glance.

But he did not come over. He only nodded from a distance, then turned toward another camp, evidently occupied with military affairs.

Shi Lan did not linger in the training grounds. She returned to a separate tent in the camp and sank into cultivation.

Less than two hours later, Wang Ning came to her tent.

"Thousand-Man Commander, a True Disciple of the Shengwu Immortal Sect—the Shi Feng who turned Lord Xia away last time—is waiting outside the training grounds to see you."

After speaking, Wang Ning asked curiously, "Do you know him?"

"Show him in."

Shi Lan pondered for a moment, then nodded.

Wang Ning acknowledged her and left.

Half a teacup of time later, a breeze lifted the tent flap. When it fell again, another figure had appeared inside.

He was in his twenties, dressed in a black brocade robe edged in gold, with delicate features.

Shi Feng gazed at the unfamiliar yet familiar face before him, his heart a tangled mess. It was as if countless words were lodged in his throat, ready to spill out, yet he could not utter a single one.

Nearly two years had passed since they last met, and Shi Lan had gained so many qualities he could not understand. The feeling left him aching with bitterness.

Less than two years was like a white colt flashing past a crack in the wall—a fleeting moment—to an ordinary martial artist. But to him, it had been unbearably long.

Shi Lan silently studied Shi Feng as his expression shifted: first wild delight, then words left unspoken, and finally bitterness. The only thing missing was the surprise he should have shown.

Just as she had expected, Shi Feng had