Intrusion! . . .
The more Song Jue poured out his feelings, the heavier the weight on his heart became. He found himself trapped in a life filled with darkness and despair, with no end in sight. His words were a cry for understanding and empathy, a plea to the young man he had been entrusted to protect.
However, as he concluded his emotional outburst and looked up, he was met with an empty space where Cha-Eun Xiao had stood, listening to his heartfelt confessions. The room was deserted, and a sense of abandonment washed over him.
"Where are you!" Song Jue shouted, his voice echoing through the quiet surroundings.
Within Cha-Eun Xiao's room, the sound of rhythmic snoring emanated.
It was as if those snores were mocking Song Jue, implying, 'I am sleeping, and you should do the same.'
An onslaught of expletives and curses swirled in Song Jue's mind, desperately trying to escape his lips. He felt his anger rise like a tempestuous storm, ready to unleash its fury. [You didn't even bother to listen to me after I poured my heart out. What kind of person are you? Do you even possess a shred of conscience? You are far worse than your already unbearable father!]
His frustration and anger manifested in a continuous stream of profanities that reverberated through the air, cutting through the silence. The House of Cha fell eerily quiet, where even the faintest sound would be amplified.
Even the observer on the rooftop couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. She had witnessed many people cursing before, loudly and rudely as if they intended to topple the heavens. However, she had never witnessed someone cursing so passionately and continuously for over two hours, each word distinct and different. [This steward must be a true virtuoso in the art of cursing.]
Inside his room, Cha-Eun Xiao, feigning sleep, continued to endure the unrelenting barrage of shouts and curses from outside. The passionate voice of his uncle seemed to pierce his mind like a relentless, piercing whistle. It was a tumultuous display of emotion that lasted for hours.
When Song Jue finally departed, Cha-Eun Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. [That was an aura capable of engulfing the entire universe. Admirable, truly admirable. I could never reach such heights, and it's better that way.]
Finally, he could rest his weary body and mind.
As he lay under the covers, he attempted to focus on cultivating by immersing his consciousness into the Spaces, but he couldn't shake off the lingering distractions. It was an unfamiliar sensation, one that had never plagued him before, and it frustrated him.
[What's wrong?]
Cha-Eun Xiao pondered the possible causes of his distraction. Could it be Wen-Ren Chu-Chu's situation, or Bing Xin-Yue's enigmatic presence? Perhaps it was Ling-Bao Hall or the ongoing war within the kingdom? He seldom allowed external factors to disturb his concentration.
As he furrowed his brow, lost in thought, he whispered to himself, "Why am I so distracted tonight?"
On the rooftop, the observer shared his bewilderment, thinking, [Why am I so distracted tonight?]
Meanwhile, Feng Zhi-Ling, having shed his disguise, revealed his true appearance. He sat on his bed, a handsome young man lost in contemplation.
His eyes flickered with uncertainty as he grappled with a difficult decision.
[What should I do?]
He had less than a month to live, a countdown initiated by the Renascence Jade Lotus. Without it, his life would come to a premature end.
Cha-Eun Xiao found herself contemplating the dire circumstances that loomed over her sect. "My life means little," she mused aloud, her voice carrying the weight of uncertainty, "yet how is the sect going to survive?"
Without her protection, the entire Cha Clan faced the grim prospect of falling into disunity, ripe for external forces to tear them asunder. She couldn't bear to see all that their ancestors had painstakingly built crumble into ruins.
Her initial purpose for being here had been to have a final conversation with Bing Xin-Yue, to impart her last words. But during their meeting, she had discovered something astonishing—a man who possessed both Yin and Yang powers. This revelation offered a glimmer of hope, an alternative to the Renascence Jade Lotus, which might save her life.
However, the catch was unsettling. To survive without relying on the Renascence Jade Lotus, she would have to come into intimate contact with this enigmatic man. The very thought revolted her. She had safeguarded her virginity for countless years, and now fate demanded that she relinquish it to a stranger, a man from a lower-class realm who appeared as feeble as an ant. Such a proposition was simply unacceptable.
Standing atop the roof, Cha-Eun Xiao remained silent as the night wind tousled her hair, mirroring the turmoil within her heart. Lost in a whirlpool of thoughts and emotions, she couldn't discern the reason behind her inner conflict.
After a protracted period of introspection, Cha-Eun Xiao, still struggling to find answers, decided to meditate once more. Seated cross-legged, she attempted to calm her racing mind with martial arts techniques. Yet, despite her best efforts, distraction continued to plague her. The cause of her restlessness remained elusive, leaving her increasingly baffled.
Frustration welled up within her, and she couldn't help but mutter, "It is going to be dawn… What a weird night."
These words sent shockwaves through the person hidden on the roof, who had been eavesdropping on Cha-Eun Xiao's inner turmoil.
"It is going to be dawn…" Cha-Eun Xiao's determination surged as she clenched her teeth, her eyes blazing with resolve.
With a sweeping gesture of her hand, the budding light of dawn was banished, plunging Chen-Xing City into darkness once more. As Cha-Eun Xiao's powers took hold, a shroud of ominous clouds converged from all directions, blanketing the city. Thunder rumbled and the wind howled, ushering in a turbulent and foreboding transformation.
After a brief pause, she raised her right hand, and in an instant, Cha-Eun Xiao transformed his room into an off-limits sanctum, a space walled off from the outside world. A surge of potent energy filled the room, saturating the air with an electrifying presence.
In a sudden and ethereal motion, she herself transformed into a wisp of cyan smoke, seamlessly infiltrating the room. Astonishingly, she breached the locked confines of Cha Eun Xiao's chamber in a mere heartbeat.
Cha Eun Xiao remained deeply engrossed in his thoughts, his brow furrowed in contemplation as he grappled with the enigmatic distraction plaguing his mind. Determined to decipher the cause behind this inner turmoil, he inadvertently overlooked the unexpected presence that had materialized in his room.
It wasn't until the sound of someone drawing a deep breath reached his ears that he finally registered the intrusion, and an instinctive fear gripped him.
"Who is it?" Cha Eun Xiao's voice quivered with trepidation as he scanned the room for the source of this uninvited visitor.
As he grappled with his fear, Cha-Eun Xiao's thoughts raced. [This individual has not only managed to elude my spiritual senses but has also bypassed the defenses of my personal space. Though my current strength restricts the full use of my spatial abilities, this person must possess extraordinary cultivation prowess. I would wager that they are at least at the Mengyuan level, a supreme grandmaster in their own right. In all likelihood, they hail from realms beyond the Land of Han-Yang. But why would someone of such formidable power sneak into my room so surreptitiously? What could be their intent?]
The room remained shrouded in suspense, the answers to Cha-Eun Xiao's questions shrouded in the enigmatic presence of the intruder.