Leaving in a huff, Ning Yan Mei was fuming all the way until she returned to the Palace before she angrily turned to the old servant following her with a glare.
"Well did you find out who he is yet?" she asked icily.
"This servant is incompetent, please mete out your punishment, Your Highness!"
"Useless! What did Imperial Father even give you to me for?! Go! This princess wants answers by the end of the day, is that clear?"
"If Your Highness will excuse this old servant then."
With a low bow, the old man disappeared silently, leaving the furious princess behind.
Meanwhile, back at the Fan Estate, the rest had already returned and was calmly drinking tea and leisurely talking amongst themselves while Fan Hui Liang noticed the silent young man who only piped in a word or two in the conversation looking a bit pale and under the weather.
"Jun Qiao, are you feeling alright?" Fan Hui Liang asked gently with concern lacing his voice.
Startled by the question, Wu Jun Qiao gave a sheepish smile before nodding and saying, "I'm fine, General Fan. It's nothing, just an old illness flaring up. It should go away in a short while."
Looking at his wan complexion, Fan Hui Liang subconsciously frowned and was just about to speak when he heard a familiar voice speak out from behind him.
"Kid, you should just tell us if you don't feel well, not try to hide it. Xian'er, go bring him to one of the spare guest rooms so he can get some rest."
Quickly straightening up, Fan Xian Liang nodded and said, "Right away, Uncle."
Carefully standing up, Wu Jun Qiao then bowed as he spoke and apologised.
"This junior has caused everyone trouble, please excuse me."
Waving it off, Fan Hui Zhong dismissed his words and casually replied and said, "Don't worry about it, Wu Zheng He has already mentioned your condition to me when we had tea last time."
Surprised, Wu Jun Qiao then smiled wryly and murmured his thanks before following Fan Xian Liang out.
Curious, Jin Meng Yao asked, "Master, what did Uncle tell you?"
Quirking an eyebrow, Fan Hui Zhong looked at his student while Fan Hui Liang muffled his chuckle behind a cup of tea.
"What? You don't know?" Fan Hui Zhong asked teasingly.
"If your student knew then your student wouldn't have asked!" Jin Meng Yao grumbled when he realized that his master was in the mood to tease him.
Seeing him look sullen, Fan Hui Zhong burst out into laughter before taking pity on Jin Meng Yao before turning serious as he started to explain.
On the other hand, Fan Xian Liang had already settled Jin Meng Yao in one of the nearby rooms and instructeda couple of servants to make sure he's comfortable before leaving.
The moment he left, Wu Jun Qiao who was laying down the bed, seemingly asleep then suddenly opened his eyes before glancing towards the door with a small, almost imperceptible smile before he sat down cross-legged on the bed and closed his eyes to concentrate.
Several tense minutes passed with nothing happening before his form started to appear as if trace amounts of opaque mist slowly began to envelope him until his body was completely obscured from sight before the mist began pulsing subtly with a rhythmic pattern of luminescent white and with each passing pulse, it gets stronger and faster while the mist became more and more translucent until Wu Jun Qiao's form was once again revealed.
As soon as all the mist completely disappeared leaving no trace behind, Wu Jun Qiao slowly breathe out through his slightly parted lips and exhaled the same luminous mist in a quick burst of air before it quickly dissipated as if it was blown away by the wind at the very same time that Wu Jun Qiao's originally upright sitting form collapsed on the bed without making a sound.
While all of this was happening, no one knew nor sensed any fluctuating energies. As far as everyone was concerned, everything was calm and normal.
Nothing of note happened and everything was quiet and proceeding as planned. The moment Fan Xian Liang rejoined the others, Fan Hui Zhong had already decided to go to one of the training fields to actually see for himself the extent of his disciple; Jin Meng Yao's growth and check up on his progress while at the same time giving himself another form of distraction from his daughter's current state instead of being sick with worry.
This way, he can direct his focus on other matters so that by the time Fan Zhu Xia regains consciousness, he'll have more free time to spend with her.
With his attention diverted, as well as the others focusing on other things and progressing with their own tasks and responsibilities, no one noticed the mysterious luminescent mist that slowly formed within Fan Zhu Xia's room.
Not even Fan Song Xue who was cultivating silently in the same courtyard noticed anything amiss!
As the mist pulsed and hovered by the bed, a fleeting imperceptible sigh echoed out softly within the room before the mist drew closer to the young lady's unconscious form and seemingly seeped into her as it disappeared into nothingness, leaving her looking peaceful and tranquil, as if she was only in the midst of a gentle and relaxing sleep instead of a comatose-like state.
Visibly, nothing changed and aside from the mysterious mist appearing and disappearing, nothing else happened.
Only if one looked closely will they notice that Fan Zhu Xia's still form although otherwise unmoving, her slender fingers faintly trembled while her body shuddered slightly the moment the mist disappeared.
Outwardly, everything remained the same yet deep within Fan Zhu Xia's subconscious, chaos reigned.