Feng Lingze noticed his younger sister’s reaction and set down the cup of clear tea he had just sipped, saying, “I merely mentioned the Regent’s name. Why such a strong reaction, little sister? Could it be that you…”
Feng Jinyue, slightly embarrassed, quickly interjected before her second brother could finish, “No, it’s just that I’ve overheard the manor’s servants discussing him privately a few times. The name sounded familiar, and I never imagined it would be him!”
“Is that so?”
“Of course! I’m not even superficially acquainted with him, let alone anything deeper. If you don’t believe me, Second Brother, ask Qian Zhu.”
Qian Zhu, standing nearby, immediately chimed in, “Second Young Master, the young mistress truly pays little attention to such matters.”
Feng Lingze spoke gently to Feng Jinyue, “Very well, I believe you. Although fetching you back this time is for this matter, any decision afterward will be entirely up to you.”
Feng Jinyue smiled faintly and nodded. Whether the man she had encountered and this person were one and the same, she couldn’t be bothered to ponder further.
After all, marriage was something she had never considered. Appreciating handsome men was one thing; after all, who in this world doesn’t enjoy looking at attractive people? Even cultivators were no exception. But marriage? Absolutely not. Men would only hinder her cultivation progress!
Seeing her expression, Feng Lingze didn’t press further and instead said with concern, “Alright, let’s not dwell on it for now.” We’ll discuss it after returning to the manor. We’ll set off tomorrow morning after breakfast. It’s getting late, little sister. You should rest now; don’t overexert yourself.”
“Second Brother, last year, the physician Father and Mother brought to regulate my health diagnosed that I’ve passed fifteen and my body has fully developed. The frail condition I had at birth no longer exists. I’m not that delicate anymore.”
“Be that as it may, little sister, you are Father and Mother’s most cherished treasure, and the beloved younger sister of Eldest Brother and me. To us, no matter how delicate you are, it’s never too much.”
“Second Brother—” Feng Jinyue called out softly, then stood up, saying, “Second Brother, I’ll return to my room to rest now.”
Feng Lingze smiled, “Mm, go ahead.”
Meanwhile, Feng Jinyue left the main hall and went straight to her bedroom. To Qian Zhu, who had finished preparing the bed, she said, “I don’t need any further assistance here. You may withdraw.”
“Yes, this maid takes her leave.” Qian Zhu responded and withdrew. Earlier in the main hall, when the Regent’s name was mentioned, she had clearly sensed something amiss with her young mistress. But unless the young mistress brought it up, she would not pry.
Years ago, if not for the young mistress picking her up, she would have frozen to death on that winter day a decade past. She knew well that her young mistress was no ordinary mortal; in fact, what she had witnessed was merely the surface. Thus, regardless of the matter, she only needed to follow the young mistress’s instructions without question.
Once the door closed, Feng Jinyue focused her intent and found herself in another space.
A simple stone hut, one mu of spirit field, and a pool of spirit spring.
With the spirit field’s soil and the spirit spring’s irrigation, the spirit herbs grew exceptionally well.
In her previous life, this spatial spirit ring had been quite ordinary, and she had merely set it aside. It wasn’t until she failed her heavenly tribulation, with all her treasures destroyed by the Heavenly Tribulation Divine Lightning, that this spirit ring alone remained intact. It had accompanied her into this world and undergone a strange transformation.
Equally peculiar was the rusted sword stored within this Spirit Ring, capable of devouring other forging materials to advance.
At that moment, a rust-covered long sword flew out from the stone house, hovering suspended before Feng Jin Yue. It was a top-grade Magical Artifact, faintly exuding the aura of a lower-grade treasure. Evidently, devouring the dagger forged from celestial meteorite iron had yielded remarkable results.
As Feng Jin Yue pondered this, the Rust Sword circled around her, seemingly echoing her thoughts.
Subsequently, the Rust Sword returned to the stone house. After tending to the Spirit Field, she directly exited the Spirit Ring space, returned to her room, and rested.
The next day, after breakfast.
Feng Jin Yue said to her second brother, “Actually, I can ride a horse too. There was no need for Second Brother to have them prepare a carriage.”
Feng Lingze shook his head. “Traveling by carriage is more comfortable for you, little sister. We’ll arrive tomorrow anyway, no need to rush.”
Just then, a servant entered to report, “Second Young Master, Miss, the carriage is ready, but…”
Seeing the servant hesitate, Feng Lingze said firmly, “Speak directly.”
“Young Master, it’s… it’s the Regent King at the manor entrance.”
Hearing this, not only was Feng Lingze puzzled, but Feng Jin Yue was also perplexed. Without delay, the siblings walked out together.
Feng Jin Yue had excellent eyesight. At a glance, she saw three people standing at the manor gate. When the leader’s figure and appearance clearly came into view, even though she had mentally prepared herself—whether it was the same person or not didn’t matter to her—seeing it truly was him, she couldn’t help but react inwardly.
Damn, what a coincidence! It’s like coincidence itself opened the door—coincidence to the extreme!
Soon, they approached. Feng Lingze first bowed respectfully to Qi Bei Han. “Greetings, Your Highness. We were unaware of Your Highness’s arrival and failed to welcome you properly. We beg Your Highness’s forgiveness.”
Following suit, Feng Jin Yue also curtsied beside him.
“No matter!” Qi Bei Han said coldly. “This prince is returning to the capital and passing through here. Knowing you were coming to pick up your sister today, it was just convenient to travel together.”
Feng Jin Yue looked at Qi Bei Han, now so close before her. Just like when she first saw him yesterday, he was astonishingly handsome. Only now, he exuded an icy aura that gave off an intangible intimidation, entirely different from when she had saved him yesterday.
But of course, this was how the Regent ought to be. As for yesterday, clearly, he had just survived a disaster, and it happened to be her who saved him. Facing his savior, he naturally concealed these aspects.
It seemed his physical foundation had fully recovered. Otherwise, covering the thousand-li distance from Tianshan to here, even with a fine horse capable of traveling a thousand li a day, he wouldn’t have appeared so relaxed after the journey.
Suddenly, she and Qi Bei Han made direct eye contact. She thought to herself: yesterday at Tianshan, she had been veiled, so Qi Bei Han had no idea what she looked like. Moreover, her attire and appearance before and after were quite different. Added to that, the person who saved him was at Tianshan, not here. She saw no need to deliberately avoid his gaze, as that would only make her appear guilty.
Gradually, she shifted her gaze away unnoticeably while saying calmly, “If I guess correctly, Your Highness returning to the capital and traveling with us is the Empress Dowager’s idea, right? To avoid delaying Your Highness’s time, perhaps Your Highness should proceed first?”
Qi Bei Han’s gaze focused intently on the young maiden speaking before him. This was the candidate his elder sister had chosen for him to be the Regent Consort—Feng Jin Yue, the legitimate daughter of the Feng family. Indeed, as his elder sister had said, her beauty was peerless, her elegance unparalleled.
Although he had never met Feng Jin Yue before this, he was well-acquainted with all relevant details about her. Yet, in that very moment when their eyes met just now, he recognized her eyes as identical to those of the person who had saved him in the Tian Mountains yesterday. Confident in his perceptiveness, he was certain there was no mistake.
It seemed the existing intelligence about her was not entirely accurate. The secrets concealed by his future princess consort had just become intriguing.
He fixed his gaze intently on Feng Jin Yue and said, “It is indeed the Empress Dowager’s intention, but when did I ever say that accompanying you would waste my time? Or are you implying you disapprove of my company?”
Feng Jin Yue was utterly astonished by Qi Bei Han’s sudden words and the way he looked at her—it felt as if she had been exposed. Surely… that couldn’t be possible?