Xue Chongyin did not stay long, fearing the awkwardness of seeing Lu Changfeng again.
Lu Changfeng soon returned with the medicine, feeling equally awkward. Both tacitly chose the most practical approach-Lu Changfeng handed the bowl to Li Lingyue, and she took it and drank it down in brisk silence.
"Take your medicine on schedule, Your Highness, and calmly regulate your breathing. You should be fine. If there is nothing else, I shall take my leave."
Li Lingyue did not stop him. Only as he turned away did she calmly remark, "There seem to be unusual stirrings in the Secret Realm in Lu Prefecture. Sanlang is pressing urgently. If you are interested, you can set out in three days."
Lu Changfeng paused briefly, then nodded. He did indeed want to meet that future emperor whose name would live on in the history books, and even more, he wanted to explore what was so remarkable about this so-called Secret Realm.
Cultivation could not mean increasing his strength without broadening his horizons. There were many things that books alone could never make truly tangible.
Having confirmed that the reward for this "treatment"-the [Black Tortoise Crystal] mentioned by the Medical Canon-was safely in his possession, Lu Changfeng lingered no longer and left at once... Every extra moment he stayed would give the awkwardness caused by Xue Chongyin another moment to ferment...
Back at the Snow Listening Tower, he fell straight into bed. Exhausted in both body and mind, he slept without waking until the sun slanted low in the west.
When he woke, a plain letter sealed with wax lay beside his pillow, with traces of Ink Jade's aura still lingering.
He opened it to find Luo Qingge's graceful handwriting. She wrote that she had already set out for Mount Yangluo, would return with