The night was silent and still. At the Mishui Riverbank, the Plain-clothed Figure returned after a fierce battle, his blood-soaked aura impossible to conceal.
By the riverbank, before the divine tree, Qing Ling spotted him and immediately hurried forward.
"How are you?" Qing Ling asked, worry flashing across her face.
"I'm fine."
Ning Chen answered softly, then looked toward the divine tree in the distance. "Sister Qing Ling, I will be focusing on studying the Time Restriction these days. I'll have to trouble you with caring for the divine tree for a while longer."
"Mm."
Qing Ling nodded. With a flick of her right hand, a letter appeared, which she handed to him. "Ruoxi sent this using a secret art. She and Wulei are fine. They're guests at the Spirit Void Ji Family now, and Ji Yuqing is looking after them. She told you not to worry."
Ning Chen accepted the letter and read through it. He then nodded. "As long as they're safe, I'm relieved."
"They can all stand on their own now. They have paths of their own to walk. You needn't keep worrying about them," Qing Ling said softly.
Ning Chen gave a weary smile and said no more. With a step, he swept toward the Painted Boat on the lake.
Watching the Plain-clothed Figure vanish into the Painted Boat, worry flickered in Qing Ling's eyes. She was not unfeeling; this time, his aura had clearly weakened by far more than a little.
What exactly had happened for the sake of obtaining the Time Restriction?
Within the Painted Boat on the lake, Ning Chen took out a jade slip and immersed his mind in it, beginning his dedicated study of the endless transformations of the Time Restriction.
Time flew like a shuttle. Three months passed in the