"Feng Kingdom? Where is that?" King Jin's brows furrowed. He had never heard of such a kingdom before. In this continent, there was only one kingdom, and he was the ruler of it.
Yi Ling sighed, realizing she wouldn't find the answer she was hoping for. "I guess you don't know either? It's a low-ranked kingdom after all; of course, you wouldn't know of it."
"Low-ranked kingdom?" King Jin was getting a bad feeling. He thought he had heard of it before but couldn't quite place it. He needed to ask Yu Ran about this; maybe he would know something.
"Yes, low-ranked kingdom. Isn't your kingdom high-ranked?" Yi Ling tilted her head, looking at the puzzled King. Did she get it wrong?
"High-ranked? Looks like your brain is getting odd ideas now. You better rest. I will see you tomorrow. Take this and drink it; it'll help you." He waved his sleeve, and a pill flew into Yi Ling's hand. A cup of spiritual water also manifested on the table. Before Yi Ling could even say anything, King Jin left as soon as he was done.
"That pig, he's a softy sometimes too, I guess." She drank the pill with the water and rested. She didn't have any other clothes to change into, so for now, it would do. She fell asleep right away.
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In King Jin's study.
"Yu Ran! Come to this King's study!" King Jin yelled out loud.
Yu Ran was currently talking to the servants assigned to Yi Ling. He froze when he heard the King.
"Go and prepare for tomorrow," he ordered, and the servants bowed. He left as fast as he could. His King, who had been idle for the past millennium, was now energetic as ever. He was getting a headache thinking about the upcoming years being lively.
Upon arriving, Yu Ran bowed to the King. "Your servant is here, your highness." He cupped his fist. King Jin was sitting down on his chair, his hand fiddling with a glass of wine.
"Have you heard of Feng Kingdom?" King Jin asked.
Yu Ran was puzzled. "Your highness, aside from Jin Kingdom, there isn't any other kingdom on this continent. It is one of your laws." He wasn't sure where his highness was going with this.
"This King thought so too. Have you heard about low and high-ranked kingdoms?" King Jin couldn't help but think about the other continent.
Yu Ran's eyes went wide. "Are you talking about Huaxia, your highness?"
"Looks like this King's intuition was right. Yi Ling said she came from Feng Kingdom and that it was a low-ranked one."
"But how could she get here? The gate hasn't opened since Ju Rong arrived here, a decade ago!" Ju Rong had transcended to Jin Kingdom when he reached sainthood.
"She is an omen." King Jin sighed. He recounted the whole event to Yu Ran, who was left speechless, not knowing what to make of it.
"Is that why you are intent on keeping her by your side, your highness?" He was now doubting himself. Did he misunderstand the King's intentions? And here he was thinking that they would have a consort or a queen soon. He shook his head.
"Yes and no. No matter. This King wants you to keep an eye on her. She also mentioned that she wants privacy. No one is allowed in her courtyard aside from the servants, and make sure they keep their mouths shut." He didn't want her to run away again; her soul wouldn't be able to make it the second time. Nor did he want to give his enemies a reason to fight him.
"Yes, your highness." Yu Ran bowed and was about to leave when he heard the King speak again.
"Give this back to her as well." He waved his sleeve, and a pile of herbs appeared. Seeing Yu Ran's confused look, he added, "It seems like she picked them up earlier at the Dark Forest. She seems to know medicine; lead her to my medical garden tomorrow so she knows the difference between that and her weeds." His nose wrinkled. Yu Ran smiled. If you really compared these herbs to the ones in King Jin's medical garden, they would look like weeds.
"You may retire for the night." He'd like to be alone with his thoughts. Ever since he lost his little sister, he had never taken care of anybody before. It brought back painful memories.
Yu Ran bowed again and left.