第33章 回药馆

Early the next morning, Liu Ruyan prepared an exquisite meal just as she had the day before.

Once everything was tidied up, she took the initiative to walk toward Jiang Feng's main room.

Although she hadn't kept a constant watch yesterday, she had a rough idea of the intensity and duration of Jiang Feng's training.

In her view, someone burdened with an evil spirit's mark who maintained such near-masochistic, high-intensity training would never come to a good end.

At best, his vital energy and blood would be damaged, causing his cultivation level to regress; at worst, he would injure his martial foundation or even end up half-crippled.

If the latter were to happen, she would have to consider finding a replacement ahead of schedule.

But before she even reached the door, it was pushed open from the inside.

Jiang Feng's lean figure stepped out. The morning light fell upon him, carving sharp, clean angles into his slightly pale face.

"B-benefactor, you're awake?"

Liu Ruyan's voice faltered slightly, her expression unnatural for a fleeting moment.

Even though Jiang Feng had added quite a few new injuries to his body, she could tell at a glance that he was completely different from yesterday. His entire aura had been forcibly elevated by a significant margin.

A surge of irrepressible shock and suspicion welled up in her heart:

What is going on? This kid is clearly still bound by the evil spirit's mark, yet his vital energy and blood haven't withered—they've actually grown stronger than yesterday.

Could that seemingly reckless, grueling training have actually yielded results?

What secretly alarmed her even more was something else: Jiang Feng's cultivation level had actually improved.

How could someone burdened with an evil spirit's mark forcibly break through his cultivation without external help? How did he do it?

Or could it be... that he is hiding some secret I don't know about?

At this moment, the way Liu Ruyan looked at Jiang Feng was clearly different than before. She had to admit that the current Jiang Feng had truly piqued her interest.

Jiang Feng glanced at Liu Ruyan and gave a slight nod in response before walking straight toward the fragrant spread of food.

Just like yesterday, he made the other person taste every dish first. Only after confirming there was nothing wrong did he eat at a leisurely pace, occasionally tossing a few pieces of meat to the Mute crouching nearby, his guard fully raised.

The table remained silent.

However, Jiang Feng could clearly feel that the woman named Liu Ruyan was casting far more glances his way than she had the day before.

He wasn't narcissistic enough to think his charm had suddenly skyrocketed; in his view, she had likely sensed the changes in his body.

This was undoubtedly evidence supporting his previous suspicion: the woman before him was by no means as simple as she appeared.

After the meal, Liu Ruyan stood up to clear the dishes.

Jiang Feng suddenly spoke up: "I need to leave for a while. Mistress Liu, I hope you will continue to abide by the rules I set earlier. Do not leave this courtyard, and do not make contact with anyone from the outside world."

Liu Ruyan was slightly stunned, but she quickly put on that same docile smile and nodded in agreement:

"Don't worry, Benefactor. This humble woman knows that the outside is dangerous, and I will certainly do as you say."

She paused, then tentatively added, "It's just... what business are you attending to on this trip, Benefactor?"

Jiang Feng's gaze rested on her indifferently, and he did not answer.

Feeling guilty under his scrutiny, Liu Ruyan let out a dry laugh and quickly covered for herself:

"Don't misunderstand, Benefactor. I didn't mean anything else by it. I just wanted to know how long you'd be gone so I could keep track of the days and prepare meals in advance."

Jiang Feng shook his head:

"It's hard to say. Maybe a day, maybe two or three, or perhaps longer. It depends on the situation."

He didn't commit to a specific time, as he wasn't yet sure what the situation was like at the Medicine Hall.

After returning to his room to pack a few simple things, Jiang Feng found an inconspicuous corner, climbed over the wall, and headed quickly in a familiar direction.

Liu Ruyan watched the direction in which Jiang Feng disappeared. The docile smile on her face had long since vanished, and her expression was dark and uncertain.

Could it be... that this kid discovered something and is trying to use this opportunity to escape? Should I stop him now?

Jiang Feng was worried about his tracks being exposed here, but she was no different.

Ultimately, however, she suppressed the urge to act. Watching that lean back disappear completely into the alleyway, she turned and walked back into the cellar.

On the other side, at the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall.

The head manager, Xie Shu, sat in the main hall, his brow furrowed and his mind restless.

The ledger was spread out before him, but he didn't even have the heart to turn a page.

The team sent out to collect medicinal herbs had been gone for three full days, and the Medicine Hall had yet to receive any word back.

By all logic, even if they hadn't been able to return yesterday, they should have sent someone back to pass on a message.

To have no news at all was simply not according to protocol.

Of course, that wasn't what gave him the biggest headache. What troubled him most was that Alchemist Song from the Alchemy Hall had come to him five times over the past few days.

His goal was singular: he wanted the man.

Even though Xie Shu had already sent two other guards from the Medicine Hall to serve as assistants, the other side remained adamant that they only wanted Jiang Feng.

He truly couldn't understand what was so special about Jiang Feng, an ordinary apprentice, that made Song Huai so obsessed with him.

Yet, as an old acquaintance, he couldn't just ignore him, and the stress was enough to make his head feel like it was going to explode.

He truly regretted not having the backbone to kick Jiang Feng off that list in the first place. If he had gone through the trouble back then, he wouldn't be dealing with these headaches now.

Just then, a servant dressed in simple clothes ran up to Xie Shu, panting as he reported:

"Manager Xie, there is a most urgent matter I must report to you."

Xie Shu sighed, rubbing his furrowed brow hard, his voice filled with exhaustion:

"Sigh, is it Song Huai coming to demand people again?

Didn't I tell him to wait, just to wait? He's such an old man, how can he have so little patience?"

The servant didn't dare touch that topic. He scratched his head awkwardly and quickly explained:

"Manager Xie, you've misunderstood.

It's not Alchemist Song this time; it's the herb-collecting team... someone has returned. The man looks like he's been quite badly injured. I fear something has happened."

Xie Shu stood up from his chair with a start. His expression turned grave in an instant, and his voice deepened:

"Who returned? Did he say what happened?"

The servant was startled by his reaction and began to stammer:

"I-it seems to be Jiang Feng. He didn't say what happened, only that he had an urgent matter and needed to report to you personally."

Hearing that it was Jiang Feng who had returned, the tension in Xie Shu's expression eased slightly, though he still walked hurriedly toward the exit, ordering without looking back:

"Let's go. Take me to see him."

Elsewhere, in a secluded courtyard.

Waves of a woman's seductive, low moans drifted incessantly from the room. The maids passing through the courtyard all blushed, keeping their heads down and walking quickly, none daring to linger for even a moment for fear of stumbling upon a scene they shouldn't see.

Inside the room, three women of exquisite beauty were half-undressed, large swaths of snow-white, smooth skin exposed to the air.

The three of them looked at the only man in the room with eyes like silk, posing and using every trick in their arsenal, hoping to stir even a fraction of interest in him.

Wu Han sat in his chair, his expression growing increasingly ugly.

In his eyes, the three seductive women had long since changed. They looked like the filthy, bloated sows in a pigsty, grunting and rubbing their dirty, swollen bodies against him.

This image not only failed to stir any desire in him, but it also made his stomach churn with such nausea that he nearly retched.

Xue Zhao, standing at Wu Han's side, was drenched in sweat. He couldn't stand, he couldn't retreat, and his entire body was as taut as a fully drawn bow.

Wu Han was ruined, but he was a perfectly normal man. With the room filled with such vivid, sensual beauty, he could only watch, unable to touch or taste.

To him, this was even more agonizing than torture.