Palace Lost in the Mist, Feelings Stirring in Secret

The moment Gu Changsheng touched the stone gate, he passed out completely. When he opened his eyes again, the first thing he felt was an unbearable cold that was difficult to adapt to.

Feeling the chill rising from the ground, he discovered that he was lying on a broken stretch of stone steps.

The twisted forest was gone. In its place stood ancient ruins shrouded in silvery-white mist. Broken stone beams hung overhead, moss-covered bricks lay beneath his feet, and in the distance, he could vaguely make out a collapsed stone hall.

A faint mental fluctuation permeated the air. It was so quiet that it did not feel real.

Gu Changsheng pushed himself up, only for a sharp pain to shoot through his shoulder. Looking down, he saw that his wound was still bleeding.

At that moment, he suddenly remembered something.

"Senior Sister... right!"

He abruptly turned and searched all around, only to find Hu Liena lying not far away.

Her face was pale, her brows tightly furrowed, and the hair at her forehead was soaked with cold sweat. Red marks from the black vines still circled her wrist.

Hu Liena had almost completely lost consciousness and looked extremely weak.

As Gu Changsheng crouched down to examine her condition, the Myriad Heaven Book slowly opened.

[Target: Hu Liena

Status: Mental Power exhaustion

Minor mental concussion

Soul Power disorder

Minor physical injuries

Recommendation: Leave the Spiritual Mist and find a stable mental environment.]

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng finally let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, she was only low on Mental Power. Her life was not in danger.

The next moment, he slowly injected his remaining Mental Power into Hu Liena's body. After the Myriad Heaven Book turned several pages, Hu Liena gradually opened her tightly shut eyes.

"Where... where am I? Cough, cough..."

Hu Liena was still extremely weak. She could only open her eyes, but her senses and consciousness remained hazy, leaving her unable to stand steadily.

Seeing her like this, Gu Changsheng did not hesitate. He bent down, helped her up, then swung her onto his back.

Hu Liena was lighter than he had expected. Lying against Gu Changsheng's back, she breathed weakly, her fingers tightly clutching his collar.

Gu Changsheng looked ahead. A remarkably steady Mental Power fluctuation came from the hall in front of them. He had no other choice but to walk forward one step at a time.

The stone bricks beneath his feet had long since shattered, revealing dark green moss through the cracks. Numerous Stone Pillars stood on either side, etched with indistinct patterns.

Whenever Gu Changsheng curiously tried to take a closer look, a faint stabbing pain would rise in his mind.

"It hurts..."

[Ultra-Ancient Spiritual Imprint detected.

Severely damaged...

Analyzing...]

Gu Changsheng did not stop after hearing this, since he was honestly rather confused by the analysis.

What mattered most now was finding somewhere safe for Hu Liena to recover. After entering the stone hall, the surrounding mist noticeably thinned.

The space inside was not large and was even somewhat ruined. Only half a stone wall remained ahead, while broken rocks lay scattered across the ground.

At the center was a shallow stone pool containing a clear spring. Beyond it stood a half-collapsed stone gate.

At that moment, the Myriad Heaven Book displayed another prompt.

[Stable mental environment detected.

Threat level: Low]

Seeing this, he carefully set Hu Liena down beside the stone wall and helped her sit, then walked over to the pool.

Looking at the water, he was puzzled. When he reached out to touch it, he felt a faint, refreshing coolness.

[Natural Spirit Spring detected.

Effect: Soothes the Mental Sea and eases mental concussion.

Non-toxic!]

"So it really is a miraculous remedy. Then let's hurry!"

Gu Changsheng scooped up some spring water with his hands and quickly returned to Hu Liena's side. He lightly tasted a drop with the tip of his tongue first. Only after finding nothing wrong did he dare let it drip into her mouth.

As Hu Liena's parched lips were moistened by the spring water, her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed a little, and her breathing began to grow steadier and stronger.

Seeing this, Gu Changsheng did not stop. He scooped up more water and carefully fed it to her in the same way.

After quite some time, Hu Liena's brows twitched slightly, and she finally opened her eyes.

The first thing she saw was Gu Changsheng meditating nearby, looking somewhat exhausted.

"Junior Brother..."

Her voice was soft and slightly hoarse.

"Senior Sister, you're finally awake!"

Hu Liena froze for a moment, as though recalling what had happened earlier, then suddenly sat upright.

"Where are those Men in Black?"

"I don't know... They should have left the forest by now."

"Then where are we now?"

Gu Changsheng looked around and said uncertainly,

"If I'm not mistaken, this should be a cultivation chamber left behind by ancient mental Spirit Masters. It should be an old ruin."

"Then what was that thing you gave me to drink earlier? I vaguely feel that... that you were the one who fed it to me, right?"

As Hu Liena spoke, she subconsciously looked toward the spring beside them.

"Oh, this is a Natural Spirit Spring. It's no divine treasure, but it can ease mental concussion. It's very useful for you right now."

Gu Changsheng immediately explained, pointing at the spring.

Yet Hu Liena's eyes suddenly held a trace of shyness, and her face instantly flushed red.

"You... how did you feed it to me?"

At those words, Gu Changsheng chuckled.

"There weren't any tools here, and you were unconscious. How else could I have fed you? Saving your life was what mattered, Senior Sister. Don't tell me you're embarrassed?"

Gu Changsheng deliberately spoke in a playful tone. The atmosphere earlier had been far too heavy, and he wanted to lighten it.

Unexpectedly, Hu Liena suddenly stood up, her proud expression carrying a trace of anger.

Her dry lips slowly pouted as she snapped,

"You... I... so indirectly... you bastard!"

"Haha, Senior Sister, what are you thinking? I cupped the water in my hands and gave it to you. What indirect what? How am I a bastard?"

As Gu Changsheng spoke, he showed her his still-wet hands. Only then did Hu Liena purse her lips, realizing that she might have overreacted.

"Oh, so you've learned to tease your Senior Sister now, have you, Gu Changsheng?"

Just as Hu Liena was about to teach Gu Changsheng a lesson, she noticed that his shoulder wound had not been treated at all and was still bleeding.

"You, Gu Changsheng! Why haven't you treated your own wound at all? Don't move!"

At once, Hu Liena moved behind Gu Changsheng. Seeing his shoulder still bleeding, she immediately tore a strip of cloth from her dress.

With a tearing sound, her movements were unpracticed but extremely careful.

"Wait... Senior Sister, be gentler. It hurts a little!"

Seeing his pained expression, Hu Liena's lips curved into a faint smile.

"So now you know it hurts. When you were teasing your Senior Sister earlier, why did you seem perfectly fine?"

Gu Changsheng looked at that breathtakingly beautiful profile, and his heart stirred slightly. At this time, Hu Liena had not yet acquired the loneliness and weariness she would bear later.

She was proud and sharp-tongued, yet she sincerely protected those around her.

Just as Hu Liena was about to say something more, the stone wall ahead suddenly began to tremble. Dense patterns lit up and released a glow forward.

"Senior Sister, be careful! Don't look yet!"

He abruptly rose to his feet and pressed her beneath him. The Myriad Heaven Book on his body opened automatically.

[Spiritual Circulation Chart detected.

Function: Stabilizes mental fluctuations and enhances mental perception.

Damage level: Sixty percent

Basic portions can be analyzed.]

"What is this thing, some kind of cheat? A Spiritual Circulation Chart..."