“It’s fine, I can manage.”
“Are you sure, Miss? What will you do alone if I leave? Let someone stay with you—I can’t rest easy knowing you’re by yourself.” Zhen Meiyi’s voice was thick with concern.
“The maid should come with us. Otherwise, how will you even eat? And if anyone gets injured during the trials ahead, we’ll need her healing magic since Yanyan won’t be there,” An Leiya said.
“We’ll set up a barrier here and leave some food. It’s just half a day—it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Don’t worry. I am a mage, after all. Go with them—I’ll be fine.” Yang Xiyan looked at the maid, her eyes softening.
Truth be told, the scenery had captivated her the moment she saw it. She suddenly didn’t want to leave—she just wanted to stay and paint alone. After days of traveling, she was filthy and exhausted, and the nearby waterfall only made the temptation stronger.
Besides, the bodyguards would clear out any threats before leaving and set up a powerful barrier. Living this idyllic, secluded life, even briefly, felt like pure bliss.
“Alright then, Miss. Be careful, and good luck!” Zhen Meiyi seemed oddly cheerful, flashing her an encouraging gesture before happily following the others.
Yang Xiyan felt a twinge of unease but couldn’t pinpoint why. Once everyone was gone, she slumped onto the stone bed, pulling off her long boots to reveal slender, snow-white calves and delicate feet.
What bothered her were the blisters—they hurt like hell.
She began healing them with water magic. Though the process was painful, after about ten minutes, she felt some relief. A few more hours of rest, and she’d be fine.
Next, she pulled out the self-heating rice the maid had left for her and followed the instructions to prepare it. The popping sounds startled her, but she managed to cook it successfully.
She was thrilled by her small victory. It proved she could handle things alone—anyone who mocked her as a sheltered noble girl was dead wrong. She was a mage, after all. Weak by the standards of the magical world, perhaps, but at her aristocratic academy, she was considered a genius.
After eating, she checked the time—already 2 PM. The sunlight outside was inviting, tempting her to go for a walk. But with her sore feet, she decided against it.
Instead, she pulled a penguin plushie from her spatial pouch, climbed back onto the stone bed, tucked herself under the covers, and hugged the plushie as she drifted off.
That afternoon, the heat was relentless.
A tall man trudged slowly through the canyon below, wiping sweat from his brow before splashing his face in the waterfall’s pool. Glaring at the scorching sun, he cursed, “Where the hell did those idiots run off to? Leaving me behind like this.”
It was Tuoba Yichen, Yang Xiyan’s fiancé.
With no one around, he plunged into the lake for a quick bath, emerging refreshed. Soon after, he spotted a cave ahead.
At the entrance, a pair of black boots caught his eye—clearly a girl’s. Peering inside, he saw a breathtakingly beautiful face, deep in sleep.
“Xiyan?” Tuoba Yichen froze. Why was she here? And alone?
His heart pounded as he quietly removed his own boots and tiptoed inside. One of her legs, pale as jade, peeked out from the covers. Staring at her serene, angelic face, he was utterly transfixed.
“So beautiful but I can’t betray Fei.” Gently, he pulled the covers back over her and shook his head with a wry smile.
Just then, a shadow flickered at the cave’s entrance—then vanished.
Tuoba Yichen’s expression changed drastically as he immediately gave chase.
………
Yang Xiyan was jolted awake by the ringing sound. Groggy, she sat up abruptly in bed, the blanket slipping to reveal her snow-white shoulders clad in a nightgown. Nervously, she retrieved an emergency phone from her spatial pouch.
This emergency phone functioned similarly to a radio communicator, utilizing a special magical channel that allowed calls even in places like the Monster Island.
“Hello, Yang Xiyan speaking.”
“Yanyan, we might not be able to return tonight. There are too many monsters here. Just now, bodyguard Xiao Tian fell off a cliff, and his condition is unknown.”
Yang Xiyan’s pupils constricted as she hurriedly asked, “What’s the situation now? Are you all okay?”
“We’re fine, don’t worry. But we won’t be back tonight. Can you manage on your own?”
“Yes, I’ll be fine for a day or two. I have enough food.”
“Then we’ll go look for Xiao Tian. Be careful, and if you run into trouble, call the emergency line. We’ll return as soon as possible.”
“Okay!”
Ending the call, Yang Xiyan let out a long sigh. She hadn’t expected them to run into trouble. Though worried, she quickly reassured herself—Chen Tianjing was the strongest in their team, and the dangers of the training zone wouldn’t faze him.
With that thought, she steadied her emotions and began considering how to spend the time ahead.
Through the cave entrance, she could see the bright sunlight outside. The sun had already set, and the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful.
Excited, Yang Xiyan quickly threw off the blanket and swung her legs over the edge of the bed. Though her legs were long, the stone bed was quite high, and her toes barely touched the ground.
Bracing herself, she tentatively placed her feet down and, finding no pain, happily bounced a few times before catching herself and muttering with restraint, “No pain! I can go out now.”
She hastily took the spatial pouch from her waist, rummaged inside, and pulled out a drawing board, paints, clothes, and shoes.
After changing into a casual floral dress and a pair of cute sandals, she exuded a fresh, lively charm. Grabbing her drawing board and a chair, she headed outside, breathing in the floral scents while sketching the sunset—truly a wonderful day.
The sound of the valley’s waterfall was deafening, roaring like distant explosions.
Hidden in the shadows, Liu Ying couldn’t help but chuckle, covering her lips as she shook her head with a smile. “Such an innocent girl. Quite adorable, really. Unlike those two men who are now fighting.”
Atop the canyon, two men stood in confrontation. On the left side was the towering figure of Tuoba Yichen, while on the right stood the lean bodyguard, Chen Tianjing.
Chen Tianjing licked the blood from his curved blade and remarked, “Tuoba, your skills are rather mediocre.”
Tuoba Yichen gritted his teeth. “Who are you? What do you want?”
Chen Tianjing smirked. “Who I am doesn’t matter. I’m just a little surprised—you’ve lost your virility, yet you still have feelings for that girl?”
Tuoba Yichen’s face instantly paled. He felt nothing, but the latter part of the statement caught his attention.
Chen Tianjing watched him with amusement. “As expected, the descendants of the Enchantress are extraordinary. Their unconscious allure affects not just men and women, but even someone like you.”
Tuoba Yichen trembled all over. “You… you…”
“How would I know?” Chen Tianjing burst into wild laughter. “I’ve had my eye on that girl for years. But what chance does someone like me have with a perfect fairy like her? I had no choice but to infiltrate. Since they wanted to pair that eunuch up with Yang Xiyan, I seized the opportunity.”
“Pair us up?” Tuoba Yichen’s heart pounded violently, but quick-witted as he was, he immediately understood. His eyes widened in fury as he roared, “You bastard! You’re the one who drugged me?!”
“So, what if I did?” Chen Tianjing lifted his chin, staring down at him arrogantly.
“You’re dead!” Tuoba Yichen bellowed, flames erupting from his body as he charged at Chen Tianjing with his blade. Unfazed, Chen Tianjing raised his scimitar to meet the attack.
This was the man who had rendered him impotent, stripped him of his masculinity.
The two engaged in a life-and-death battle atop the cliff, their clashes drowned out by the waterfall and the surrounding barrier.
High above, Liu Ying stood atop a blue magic circle, her face pale and her body trembling as she looked down upon them. By now, she had pieced it together—Chen Tianjing was the mastermind, exploiting the two great families’ attempt to matchmake Yang Xiyan in a bid to replace Tuoba Yichen.
It was quite cunning, she had to admit. If he succeeded in replacing Tuoba Yichen, even Yang Xiyan would be powerless against him. Whether he would ultimately succeed was unclear, but the two great families would undoubtedly fail.
The Chen family? The only ancient lineage among the current nine great magical families, surely unwilling to remain at the bottom. But they still posed no threat to her existence.
“Could it be… that the enemy who sealed me has nothing to do with them?” Liu Ying felt a pang of frustration. If she couldn’t find the source, the lurking threat would remain unresolved—not an ideal situation for her.
Yet Liu Ying wasn’t disheartened. Even if she couldn’t find the source, she could still abide by the three unbreakable rules set by Future Ying and wait for the enemy to reveal themselves. Besides, she didn’t believe it would be that easy to uncover.
Adjusting her mindset, Liu Ying watched as the battle between the two men escalated to a fever pitch, with no intention of intervening. Tuoba Yichen was now at a disadvantage, while Chen Tianjing fought with frenzied determination—one desperate to protect his fiancée, the other hellbent on stealing her away and safeguarding his secrets as a mole. Both had lost all reason.
Liu Ying cared little about the outcome of their family feud. As long as Yang Xiyan remained unharmed, that was enough. Judging by the situation, Tuoba Yichen, though at a disadvantage, might still turn the tide. Perhaps it was time for her to leave.
From her vantage point in the sky, she glanced down at the girl peacefully sketching in the valley below. The focused Yang Xiyan was indeed beautiful, but Liu Ying only spared her a brief look before turning to fly away.
Watching her, the tiger cub perched on her shoulder studied its master’s pale profile intently.
Was her master truly indifferent? That couldn’t be the case. There were girls more beautiful than Yang Xiyan, yet her master never stared blankly at their faces or watched them paint with such intensity. Nor did she engage with others with such unusual patience and gentleness.
Whenever her master saw Yang Xiyan, she acted strangely—though it was hard to pinpoint exactly how. The cub refused to believe it was mere fondness. Yet her master had indeed left, and her body seemed to be acting up again…
Liu Ying had barely flown beyond the valley when she suddenly sensed a terrifying surge of spatial magic behind her, as if dimensions were being torn apart. Startled, she whirled around.
Tuoba Yichen had unleashed his ultimate attack. Suspended midair, his entire body glowed crimson, with blood-red magic circles forming beneath his feet and in the air. The sky darkened, and rain began to fall.