Xiao Chao who had been flying above the room slowly descended onto the bed. He then very carefully tilted Xiao Mao down onto the soft bed beside the young lady who was sleeping on the bed.
Now, in addition to Hui Lan, Xiao Mao was sleeping soundly beside her. Hui Lan's condition seemed to have recovered fastly as well. Her scratches were healing rapidly and her pale face slowly returned to normal.
"Your son is one of a kind, hm?" Feng Furen spoke from behind as she watched Xiao Chao looking at his son with tender eyes. Even such a proud owl like Xiao Chao could have this side of him as well.
"Hm, he's my firstborn, but he flew away just recently. Although I tried to track him, it seemed it was because he found his rider that was why I couldn't find him." Xiao Chao spoke while making himself comfortable as he watched over his owlet.
If it were other animals or weaker spiritual beasts, they would all be toasted from getting in contact with his spiritual form and that crow's spiritual form.
...However, it was just that, now that bird is broken free...and who knew what that bird would do. All they could do was fear for the worst...
Feng Furen walked over wearily to the chair that had been toppled over and brought the chair to sit down beside the bedside, "He grew up well." The room went silent for a brief moment before Feng Furen spoke again, "How have you been, Xiao Chao?"
Only then did Xiao Chao turn his insightful eyes towards his princess, "All is good princess. You've grown up, so did I. Only time has pass."
Feng Furen smiled faintly, "You know, you don't have to act all adult around me, Lao Chao Chen."
A small chuckle was released from Xiao Chao's beak, "Still calling me Lao?"
The atmosphere in the room seemed to have eased up after Feng Furen's words.
Both had shared a long journey with one another. Their journey could have been counted as one of the roughest in history for the two were the first human and spiritual beast pair that were chosen to finish Heaven's mission upon the entire snowy lineage.
...They were the seniors of all of this mess.
Since the atmosphere had loosened up, Feng Furen slowly sat back on the chair, "So, why did you come back?"
Xiao Chao turned to look on the floor before replying in the end, "Your soul went too far off the spiritual boundary princess, you almost got yourself killed if it weren't for the girl."
"Hm," Feng Furen slowly closed her tired eyes that were from all the crying, "I almost got myself killed because of her as well."
"I know." Xiao Chao simply replied.
"I just wanted to know the truth." The middle aged lady leaned her head back to rest on the chair. While doing so, her loosened hair flowed down her sides. A few strands of grey hair was also revealed.
"But she was willing to tell you the truth." Xiao Chao seemed to precisely know what had happened.
Feng Furen could only nod in silence.
Seeing his princess' never ending stubbornness once again, he could only sigh. Nevertheless, who was he to blame her as a parent being worried for her own daughter?
She was willing to go to such extent by using her defected bracelet to find the answer.
Now that his princess had used it, he could only be thankful for the young lady that was lying in bed right now, or else, he feared that there would be no more for his princess.
Xiao Chao turned to look at the surrounding air above him, "The time wall is about to collapse soon. People will soon come."
"Hm, I know." Feng Furen nodded.
Xiao Chao did not say anything else and turned his head to look at his son instead.
...His princess' feelings could only be solved by her own.
Not long after, from outside, many different cries were heard from outside the room.
"Furen!" "Niang!" "Nuo-er!" "Aunt Feng!" "Jie!" Three respective voices began calling worriedly as they made their way inside the room that had looked as if it had been through some kind of storm, but a storm inside? Impossible.
"In here!" Feng Furen's voice resounded from inside the room. She also got up from her chair and wiped her all the traces of her tears.
Feng Furen then stood up after making sure she looked alright.
Just as Feng Furen turned around, three figures came running inside. She looked at them and behind, "Feng Lin, did you close the door behind you?"
Feng Lin shook his head, "I'll do it right now." He quickly went back to shut the doors as his mother had said.
On the other hand, General Feng strode over and pulled his wife into his embrace. With a worried voice, he asked, "Are you and Hui Lan alright?" Even with her in his hug, he could not help but still feel his heartbeat like a madman. Nevertheless, both his wife and his daughter were still here.
"I'm alright. Hui Lan...is also alright. She's just sleeping." Feng Furen's voice came out as ruffled as she was in her husband's hug.
General Feng looked at his daughter who was on the bed and relieved a sigh. She was alright...
The General then gently brought his wife to sit down on the chair beside his daughter who was sleeping while he stood beside her and held onto his wife's shoulders, "Something like before happened again right? I could feel the same feeling as to what happened before. As if I was frozen in time, but this was already my second experience. What exactly happened, hm?" His voice spoke from above as they were both looking at Hui Lan.
Hearing his voice that was always concerned for her and their children's well being, Feng Furen could only bite her lips to refrain the emotional feelings that were bubbling up from within her. All she could do was shake her head and replied simply, "Later."
General Feng did not push her and knelt down before pulling her into his embrace again. He did not speak anything and quietly comforted her. Feng Furen closed her eyes as she was wrapped up in her husband's comforting hug.
On the other hand, Su Rong went over to sit beside Hui Lan. However, the black midnight owl turned its head towards her as she sat down.
Only then did she see Xiao Mao lying on the bed beside Hui Lan, "Ah? Xiao Mao, what is the little fella doing here?"
Seeing that the young girl was no harm, Xiao Chao turned his head away and did not look at Su Rong any longer.
Once there were no fierce yellow eyes that were looking at her, Su Rong reached her hand for Hui Lan's pulse and her friend's pulse was beating just fine. However, her friend was in bed again.
...Why did it all have to happen to Hui Lan ah?
Feng Lin who had closed the door finally walked back, "Die, Niang!"
Hearing their son's voice before his body was even present, the two separated from each other. General Feng returned to standing beside his wife.
Feng Furen watched as Su Rong was checking Hui Lan's health, "She'll be alright Su Rong."
Su Rong turned around and revealed a small smile to her Aunt who had been taking care of her for so long.
Feng Furen then spoke, "I don't think she would be able to go back today, can I leave that to you today?"
Su Rong affirmed, "En. I'll borrow Aunty's followers and go back into the palace with her. Tonight, I would have to leave Hui Lan under Aunty and Uncle's care." Since the palace guards would keep a record of the in and outs of the people in the palace. Today, two court ladies from the Kunning palace came, hence, two court ladies must return before the gates closed.
"Hm, don't worry Su Rong, we'll take care of her." General Feng reassured without having to think much. It was his own daughter.
Su Rong did not hesitate to leave her best friend to the two respectable seniors in front of her. Her Aunt Feng was the best in medical arts and Uncle was one of the best martial arts skills in the entire kingdom. She looked up to both of them as her seniors and both were like mother and father figures to her.
It was just that she wished she could have taken better care of Hui Lan than this.
"Su Rong will take my leave then." Su Rong got up and bowed in respect to the two elders and left.
Just in time, Feng Lin had finally arrived in the room, he only arrived when his senior sister was about to leave, "Ah? Su Rong Jie, are you already leaving?"
"En, got some tasks to carry out. You better help Aunt Feng take care of your sister."
"Eyy, I always do." Feng Lin shrugged and walked into the inner room.
"Good." Su Rong too left to do what needed to be done. Tomorrow, she would just come by to see her friend again.
For the rest of the afternoon, the Feng family took turns in taking care of Hui Lan. However, only Feng Furen stayed behind taking care of her daughter while General Feng and Feng Lin went out to finish their official tasks in the capital city and take care of some of their businesses.
The entire afternoon, Feng Furen took care of the entire room and Hui Lan.
After General Feng and Feng Lin had left the room, Feng Furen got up and went out briefly to look at the state of the entire room.
It was a mess ah, a complete mess.
Nevertheless, Feng Furen took off her black jade bracelet on her wrist and placed it on the palm of her hand. She then tapped on it three times.
All of a sudden, just like a fairytale, the room began restoring itself into the same old pieces.
...Well, since she was the first candidate, she received plenty of tricks.
In no time the entire room was replaced back to how it was like before. Feng Furen took a look around and put her bracelet back on.
This little thing was now good as usual since there were no more external forces in it.
...Hm, all is good.
She then turned around to the young lady who was still sleeping behind her.
For a while, she looked at the person on the bed before making her way to sit beside her.
Feng Furen sat in silence as she looked at Hui Lan and watched as Hui Lan's wounds were healing fast and the red mark was already fading drastically.
...The girl did all of that for her when she was basically a stranger to her.
...Hm, it seemed to have been the effects of the Dragon's blood that she had given to...Hui Lan.
...Well, that medicine would last for many hours after.
Nevertheless, since the girl was no longer holding all the bracelet's power in her, so she was good to go.
As Feng Furen was sitting in silence and Xiao Chao was already in a half sleep to recover his own powers, she took out the crescent moon bracelet and simply looked at it blankly.
...Her daughter…
.
.
.
In a dark cave, a shabby looking young girl was sitting inside the deepest and darkest corner of the room. With normal eyes, one would not have been able to see anything going on in the darkness.
However, even in the darkness, an even darker force was lurking inside it.
Underlying a normal human's bare eyes, one would be able to see a human outline that looked like it belonged to a female. However, in front of her was an unsettling form that was twisting and moving in the palm of her hands.
Slowly, those wiggly forms looked as if it was being sucked into her lips like dark clouds seeping into her lips. It was as if she was sucking in some power force into her for slowly her hair grew longer, her skin grew healthier and life was being restored inside her.
The more she sucked in the power force, the faster the obscure form moved.
Just as the unsettling form began to look like it was about to explode, it came to a halt and the form became still.
After becoming still, the form looked more like it belonged to some kind of bird.
Then, in the midst of the silent cave, a melancholy voice resounded ever so lightly, "Well done, Bao Bao. You have done well."
The lady then stroked the bird's head delicately, "Let's go get what belonged to me from those traitors shall we?"
On the other side of the cave, Hui Lan who was sleeping on the bed slightly creased her brows.
Seeing the slight change in Hui Lan's expression, Feng Furen turned her attention closer to her daughter.
...It was as if Hui Lan was having a headache or a bad dream. Hm, but it should not be like that though.
Feng Furen decided to check Hui Lan's temperature and placed the back of her hand on Hui Lan's forehead, but there was no fever.
...Probably a bad dream.
Well, who knew what kind of state she would be when she had received all of that power along with her own bracelet's power at the same time.
Nevertheless, Feng Furen leaned back on her chair again and watched over Hui Lan.
Eventually, Feng Furen's eyelids began to shut close.