Lindana

Time slipped quietly by, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.

In a guest room of the Basik Family's old residence in Wu Mountain Town, it was so quiet that only the rustling of leaves in the wind outside the window could be heard. Shiheng lay on the bed, his tightly shut eyelids suddenly fluttering a few times. Then the fingers resting at his side curled slightly, slowly beginning to move.

A moment later, he struggled to open his heavy eyes. His bewildered gaze swept over the room's simple, old-fashioned furnishings-wooden tables and chairs, a bed covered with a coarse cloth sheet. The utterly unfamiliar surroundings left his mind muddled. He spoke weakly, his voice dry and hoarse. "Where... am I?"

Throughout his half-month coma, his consciousness had remained hazy, but he had faintly caught a steady, familiar voice. It belonged to Huohe. Fragments of his remaining memories surged through his mind: the fierce battle at the Magic Crystal Vein, the exhaustion after going berserk, the helplessness as he fell beside the river. Enduring the tearing pain throughout his body, he slowly sat up and leaned against the headboard to regulate his breathing.

Just then, the maid stationed outside pushed open the door to bring in water. Seeing Shiheng sitting up, her eyes widened in surprise and delight. She hurriedly set down the basin in her hands, turned, and ran out, shouting as she went, "He's awake! Young Master Shiheng is awake!"

At that moment, the atmosphere in the old residence's main hall was somewhat somber. Huohe sat upright in the seat of honor, with Nalan Ruoshui and Xifaman on either side. They were discussing important matters concerning the Nalan sisters' situation.

As it turned out, during the past half month, Huohe had already sent Xifaman to slip into Feng Lai City and gather information. As soon as Xifaman reached the city walls, he saw notices plastered all over the walls around the gates. The portraits of the sisters, Nalan Ruoshui and Nalan Xue, were prominently displayed on them, along with the words: "The Nalan Family secretly colluded with the Shadow Alliance. The entire family was implicated in this crime and has been executed. The Nalan sisters are now wanted throughout the city. Whoever captures them alive will be granted the title of prince and rewarded with ten million gold coins!"

Looking at the charges on the notice, Nalan Ruoshui turned deathly pale, her whole body cold. Her eyes were filled with grief, indignation, and resentment. "This is slander! A complete fabrication! My Nalan Family has served the Feng Lai Kingdom loyally for generations. How could we possibly collude with the Shadow Alliance?"

Yet she also understood that all was lost now. Her family had been destroyed, and she and her younger sister were branded criminals. There was no longer any place for them in Fenlai City. With such a huge bounty offered, once their whereabouts were exposed, countless people hungry for profit would come hunting them.

After several rounds of discussion, they decided that the safest course for now was for the Nalan sisters to conceal their real names, take the names Lindana and Lindajin, and remain in the remote Wu Mountain Town. Far removed from the power struggles of Feng Lai City, Wu Mountain Town attracted little attention, making it just the place for them to escape this deadly calamity.

Nalan Ruoshui's heart was full of gratitude, and her gaze was thankful as she looked at Huohe. She knew how much she owed him. The lure of ten million gold coins and a princely title was enough to drive countless people to take desperate risks, yet Huohe had not only taken them in but was also willing to conceal their whereabouts. His loyalty brought her great warmth in her desperate plight. It was also the clearest reflection of the life-and-death bond the seven of them had forged on the outskirts of the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts.

Just as they finished speaking, the maid ran into the main hall, panting. She bowed and reported excitedly, "Family head, my lords, Young Master Shiheng in the guest room has woken up!"

The maid's report instantly broke the somber atmosphere in the main hall. Huohe rose at once, a trace of relief flashing through his eyes. "Come, let's go see Shiheng!" he said in a deep voice.

Xifaman quickly followed. Nalan Ruoshui also set aside the grief, indignation, and gratitude in her heart, rising to go with them to the guest room. Half a month earlier, she had encountered Huohe's group by the roadside and seen them carrying the gravely wounded, dying Shiheng on their backs. Now that he had finally awakened, that was one less worry on her mind.

The group soon reached the guest room. Pushing open the door, they saw Shiheng leaning against the headboard. His face was still pale and his breathing somewhat weak, but his eyes had regained a little of their vitality.

Seeing Huohe enter, Shiheng struggled to rise, his voice still hoarse. "Brother Huohe..."

"There's no need for formalities. Your injuries are severe. You've only just woken up, so rest and recover." Huohe stepped forward and raised a hand to signal him to lie down, his voice steady. "Half a month ago, Xifaman and I found you beside the river on the border of Azure Wolf Mountain. You were unconscious and badly wounded, so we brought you back to Wu Mountain Town to recover."

At those words, the muddled memories in Shiheng's mind gradually cleared. The battle to the death at the Magic Crystal Vein, the ruthlessness of Theodora, the youngest son of the Shadow Church's pope, his own breakthrough through going berserk in his desperate plight, and his final fall into the river after exhausting his strength... Each scene emerged clearly. He clenched his fists, a harsh glint flashing through his eyes.

"Thank you for saving me, Brother Huohe. I'll never forget what you've done for me." He thanked him solemnly, then looked at the Nalan sisters in the room, some confusion appearing in his eyes. "Why are you here too?"

Huohe gave a brief explanation, saying only that disaster had struck the Nalan sisters' family, and that they had changed their names to Lindana and Lindajin to escape pursuit and were staying here temporarily. He did not elaborate on the tragedies of the past, afraid of stirring up their grief. Then he changed the subject and asked, "You're a warrior. Why were you gravely wounded and unconscious on the border of Azure Wolf Mountain? Who did you encounter?"

At the mention of this, Shiheng's expression grew grave. After looking around, he lowered his voice and slowly recounted what had happened. "I was ordered to reinforce a Magic Crystal Vein. I never expected it to contain level 8 magic crystals. The information was accidentally leaked, drawing people from the Shadow Alliance! Their leader was Theodora, the youngest son of the Shadow Church's pope, a sixth-level peak mage. He also had quite a few experts with him who surrounded me and tried to kill me..."

He paused, suppressing the surging energy within him, then continued, "Driven into a corner, I unexpectedly went berserk and broke through. My combat strength soared to the seventh level, and only then did I barely manage to drive the enemy back. But I was badly wounded too. In the end, I fell into the river and drifted downstream, then lost consciousness. I never expected you to be the one who saved me, Brother Huohe."

Everyone present was visibly shaken by his words.

A level 8 magic crystal mine!

Even someone as composed as Huohe could not help his pupils contracting slightly. Magic crystals were a core resource of the continent, and level 8 magic crystals were exceptionally rare treasures. Even a small vein was enough to send the major powers into a frenzy of competition. No wonder the Shadow Alliance had been willing to intercept and kill people to keep the information from spreading.

Huohe quickly steadied himself, his gaze becoming utterly serious as he warned in a deep voice, "Not a word about the level 8 magic crystal mine must get out! The Shadow Alliance is watching hungrily, and the situation in Feng Lai City is chaotic. We must be cautious in everything we say and do."

Shiheng frowned slightly at this, confusion showing on his face as he asked, "Wait. The situation in Feng Lai City is chaotic? What happened?"

"Lindana's family was wiped out in Feng Lai City. Not a single member of the entire family was spared. Everyone in the city is on edge now, so naturally, it's in utter chaos," Huohe replied in a low voice.

Shiheng understood at once. He knew how the original plot unfolded, and he also knew the hidden circumstances behind the Nalan Family's destruction. He simply did not want to casually alter the established course of events, so he said nothing more about it and only replied mildly, "It's all right. I understand."

With that, Shiheng looked at the maid beside him and gently instructed, "Please bring me some paper and a brush." The maid promptly agreed and hurried out. Before long, she returned with fresh paper, a brush, and ink, placing them on the wooden table beside the bed. After speaking, Shiheng kept his expression unchanged and pretended to reach into the front of his clothes. In reality, he secretly used his spiritual power to take an already-written letter from the storage ring he carried. This storage ring had an extraordinary origin and was extremely precious, so naturally, the fewer people who knew about it, the better. He concealed his movements throughout, revealing nothing unusual, then carefully folded the letter and tied it securely with thin cord.

Shiheng forced his body to move slowly to the table. Though his wounds had not healed and his movements were somewhat sluggish, his handwriting remained bold and forceful when he put brush to paper. Dipping the brush in ink, he wrote down the location of the Magic Crystal Vein, the Dark Alliance's plot to seize the level 8 magic crystal mine, and the truth about Theodora leading the attempt to surround and kill him. His words were filled with condemnation of the Shadow Alliance's actions, and he truthfully reported the matter to the senior leadership of the Radiant Church and the Feng Lai Kingdom. He then turned toward Hillman and instructed firmly, "Xifaman, help me deliver this letter to the Feng Lai Kingdom, or submit it directly to the Radiant Church's headquarters. You must hand it personally to their senior leadership. Don't let it fall into anyone else's hands."

After finishing the letter, he carefully folded it and tied it securely with thin cord, then turned toward Xifaman and instructed firmly, "Xifaman, help me deliver this letter to the Feng Lai Kingdom, or submit it directly to the Radiant Church's headquarters. You must hand it personally to their senior leadership. Don't let it fall into anyone else's hands."

Xifaman stepped forward, solemnly accepted the letter, and tucked it close to his body. "Rest assured, Brother Shiheng," he said in a deep voice. "I'll see this task through without fail and won't leak a single word!"

Next, Shiheng looked at Huohe, then at Lindana (Nalan Ruoshui) beside him, his gaze particularly solemn. "Brother Huohe, if anyone comes to ask me about the Magic Crystal Vein, gather information, or investigate anything related to it, you must make absolutely certain that Lindana and her sister do not show themselves. They should stay safely in the old residence in Wu Mountain Town and must not expose their identities. They're branded criminals now. If they're discovered, the consequences will be unthinkable."

Huohe nodded slightly and agreed in a deep voice. "Rest assured. I'll arrange for people to guard the old residence and keep outsiders away. I'll also tell the sisters not to take a single step outside their room. I'll make sure they're both kept safe."

Warmth surged even more strongly through Lindana's (Nalan Ruoshui's) heart. She bowed deeply to Shiheng and Huohe, her voice choked with emotion. "Thank you, little brother Shiheng. Thank you, Brother Huohe, for protecting my sister and me time and again. I'll never forget this kindness as long as I live."

At her words, some of the gravity faded from Shiheng's expression, giving way to a measure of relief. He said softly, "It's all right. We've been through life and death together. Back in the Mountain Range of Magical Beasts, you never abandoned me either."

For a time, the atmosphere in the guest room was composed yet warm. Everyone knew that sending this letter would inevitably cause an uproar in Fenlai City. All they could do was wait quietly in Wu Mountain Town for the situation to change, while guarding their respective secrets and avoiding the storm sweeping toward them.