**Chapter 46: Lying on the Bed**
Qiaoyuan Courtyard, Room No. 1.
Inside the antique building was a slightly simple one-room apartment; everything from the cabinet to the bed and the desk was practical and minimalist. Books, dolls, and cosmetics were neatly organized, and the entire space was bright and tidy.
“Click!” The sound of the door unlocking echoed as someone pushed the door open.
Fu Xinyi walked in with her head held high, but as soon as she closed the door, her energy deflated like a deflated balloon.
Dragging her feet, she sat down by the bed, leaned back, flopped onto the bed, and rested one hand on her forehead, letting out a long sigh.
“Whoosh——!”
Lying on the bed with her eyes closed, visions of her fellow disciples flashed before her, their relentless questions akin to a scandalous press conference, sending her mind into a spasm.
How to make her fellow disciples understand that her talent was not much stronger than theirs had been the most bothersome thing for her over the past five to eight years.
“Why don’t those guys ever believe what I say? Luckily, I managed to shut them up this time…”
As she spoke, Fu Xinyi turned her head to look at the schedule taped to the headboard.
That schedule meticulously mapped out her day from 4 AM to midnight, down to the minute.
Based on her many years of experience in high-intensity practice, she had arranged her daily training content with reasonable planning and detailed pairing, balancing mental and physical loads to ensure her body could endure.
After glancing at the schedule, Fu Xinyi murmured, “Hmm, I can still rest for five more minutes…”
According to the schedule, she would have to start sword practice in five minutes.
After saying that, she closed her eyes, and in less than three seconds, her breathing became slow and even.
In fact, in terms of talent, Fu Xinyi could barely be considered outstanding; she did not reach the standard of a once-in-a-century genius.
If she had to point out something extraordinary about herself, it might only be her ability to fall asleep in three seconds and wake up five minutes later, instantly energized and ready to practice.
This efficient use of fragmented time for rest allowed her to squeeze out an extra half an hour to an hour for mental rejuvenation beyond the four hours of sleep scheduled each day.
However, today’s circumstances were a bit unfortunate.
Just about a minute after Fu Xinyi fell asleep, a rapid knocking on the door abruptly jolted her awake from her light slumber.
Roused by the knocking, she sat on the bed in a daze for a few seconds, took a deep breath, and quickly got up to open the door.
“Master, master, why are you here to find me at this time?”
Seeing the woman standing at the door, Fu Xinyi exclaimed in surprise.
Outside the door, Qing Xiazi gazed steadily into Fu Xinyi’s eyes, speaking earnestly, “Xinyi, I know you’ve always been modest and don’t like to draw attention, but there are some things you can’t keep from your master!”
“Eh? Master, what are you talking about? I have nothing to hide from you…” Fu Xinyi replied in a daze.
Qing Xiazi shook her head, sighed, “Forget it, let’s go inside and talk slowly.”
“Oh.” Fu Xinyi responded, stepping aside to let her master in.
As she watched Qing Xiazi’s back, a heavy feeling swept through her.
d*mn it, could someone have told Master about the abnormal behavior of the divine beast? Fu Xinyi thought anxiously.
However, at that moment, she had yet to realize the severity of the situation.
————
Half an hour later, Room No. 1.
Fu Xinyi and Qing Xiazi sat face-to-face at the dining table, and the air in the room felt heavy, as if filled with stones.
Fu Xinyi looked at her master, her eyes slightly red, her hand holding the teacup shook a bit.
“Master, please don’t believe those rumors! Don’t you know me? I really didn’t.”
Shouldn’t the abnormal behavior of the divine beast be the only item on that list?
Breaking through a bloody path to enter Tangcheng… easily escaping from the combined attack of three A-Class Spiritual Ability Users, including Solang Pema and Siye Society member Shuo E, as well as an unknown urban legend… facing hundreds of illegal spiritual users and legends without fear…
What were all these things? Which b*stard spread these rumors!
“Master, please let me explain. I was ambushed in Tangcheng; I got injured in the head, and when the real chaos began, I was lying in the hospital!” Fu Xinyi said.
“Don’t be so modest. I’ve already verified with the Siye Society; indeed, a blonde girl was present at the scene while capturing those illegal spiritual users,” Qing Xiazi smiled.
“Xinyi, I didn’t expect your spiritual energy level to be only B+ and you could already contend with A-Class. I’m very pleased for you!”
“Now that you have the strength to rival A-Class, your previous training methods are no longer suitable for you. I’ve already helped you apply for a new training facility, and the matter of the spirit pattern advancement is also in the process. You can rest assured.”
“Master…” Fu Xinyi hesitated, tears almost forming.
“Speak whatever you wish; there’s no need to hide anything from me,” Qing Xiazi smiled.
Fu Xinyi, “…”
I know you’ve been good to me since I was young and have spoiled me.
But you’ve picked a culprit who has persecuted me; Senior Sister Huasang ranks first, and you must at least be second or third.
If it weren’t for you going around telling others that “my disciple Xinyi has the disposition of a calamity!” I wouldn’t have ended up in this predicament today.
Fu Xinyi grumbled in her heart, explaining in a tearful tone, “Master, I think there’s probably a misunderstanding here?”
“Not to mention, when I encountered Solang Pema, I wasn’t relying on myself; an elder suddenly appeared, and I was able to escape smoothly!”
“By the way, that elder said she was the senior sister of the Chief Priest!”
Although Fu Xinyi knew the situation was set, and her explanation was likely futile, she still wanted to try to plead her case.
Even a salted fish will try to flip a few times during the cooking process!
Otherwise, starting tomorrow, she would have to train with A-Class intensity at the B+ level.
If it were just that, it would be tolerable; she felt that she could push through with some effort.
The key was that advancing the spirit patterns without sufficient ability could really lead to serious consequences!
“Xinyi!”
“Hmm?” Fu Xinyi tilted her head.
“The Chief Priest has no senior sisters, or rather, she has no senior sisters still in this world…” Qing Xiazi said with a strange expression.
Fu Xinyi, “???”
No longer in this world? Then what was the figure I encountered? d*mn it, doesn’t this mean I can’t explain myself clearly?!
——————
Hongyan Retreat, Room No. 25, Luxianbei lay on the bed.
After touring Zhen Ting Hall, Qing Hui Hall, and Chi Li Hall with Yi Sihan and recounting the thrilling “Fu Xinyi Adventure” to him, Luxianbei returned to his assigned residence.
After seeing Yi Sihan off, he reflected on the various sights and sounds from earlier, feeling a great deal of headache.
Although during the tour, he used his spiritual perception to check and found that the focal points marked on Qing Ji’s map hadn’t changed much, the layout of those architectural clusters had undergone a revolution.
Scientific training grounds and methods, an information-based library, and an intelligent spirit energy items manufacturing workshop…
Over the past hundred years, Dachunyang Palace had changed drastically. Even the all-important passage jade tokens that ancestors had once mentioned acquiring easily had disappeared, replaced by a system akin to a bus or access card, directly linked to phones.
They somehow simulated the spirit energy fluctuations required for access using mobile signals, which was absurd!
Did they capture the Void for live dissection to develop this technology?
However, after slightly calming his emotions, Luxianbei could understand this change.
The Solar Eclipse Society, entangled in feuds with the Siye Society for many years, had completed several technological innovations in the research of spirit patterns and urban legends.
Given that Dachunyang Palace was the main source of talent for the Siye Society, having some new technological facilities was reasonable.
But…
“What should I do next? Even if I can bypass the focal points and the elders’ line of sight, there must be other security measures…” Luxianbei thought, burying his head in the pillow, speaking to himself.
Perhaps he could first send a few small paper cicadas to probe and clarify the routes.
If he could find items like visualization diagrams and spirit energy manufacturing blueprints, he could even directly have the paper cicadas memorize them; it wouldn’t be difficult.
Even if the paper cicadas were discovered by the security measures, they could self-destruct immediately, leaving no trace behind, Luxianbei thought darkly.
Just then, his phone alarm suddenly rang.
It was five o’clock in the afternoon; it was almost dark…
Luxianbei picked up his phone and turned off the alarm, staring at the screen for a few seconds before collecting his accumulated feelings of defeat from the tour, shouldering the metal box, and leaving the room, locking the door behind him.
He didn’t plan to stay in Dachunyang Palace tonight; he wanted to take a stroll in Shizhou City.
Those two watermelon halves, cut open and resembling rubies, made Luxianbei feel lucky lately, so while thinking of using the paper cicadas to explore Dachunyang Palace, he also wanted to try his luck in Shizhou City.
What if he found a clue about Hu Chuan within the city?
With this thought, Luxianbei pouted, murmuring to himself, “It would be great if I could trick Fu Xinyi into leaving the scope of Zhenwu Mountain…”
In her perception, I’m probably still Senior Sister Zhang Hainan, using that identity, I might be able to benefit from her labor to help me investigate Hu Chuan’s whereabouts.
After all, she could be considered a local expert; her assistance should greatly enhance efficiency.
Unfortunately, considering her popularity at Dachunyang Palace, I probably can’t approach her without opposition from the other disciples…
Luxianbei sighed silently as he continued towards the iron chain bridge, discreetly tossing several small paper cicadas into a dense bush as he passed by a relatively secluded and overgrown mountain path.
————
Qing Nang Herb Cottage, Ward No. 3.
Fang Ji lay in bed, fast asleep.
After experiencing the chaos on Xuanwu Ping, aside from suffering multiple heavy blows to the head from horse hooves and temporarily losing consciousness, he surprisingly had only a few minor scratches, which left the disciples responsible for treatment at Qing Nang Herb Cottage quite taken aback.
In fact, the minor injuries he sustained should have allowed him to wake up long ago, but after losing consciousness, he immediately fell into a distorted dream and hadn’t awakened until now.
……
That small town never saw sunlight, and the sky lingered in a state indistinguishable from evening or dawn for a long time.
The extremely high humidity and oppressive heat made the town a breeding ground for bacteria and fungi. The air, thick with fog, always carried a nauseating odor.
Everywhere one looked, marks of dark green fungal mycelium spread.
Whether it was lifeless buildings and ground, plants and animals, or even humans…
All existed in a state of symbiosis with the ugly dark green fungal mycelium.
Yes, in such a ghostly place, there were actually living people.
In the dream, Fang Ji walked alone toward the edge of the town, moving slowly.
He seemed to be seriously injured, feeling overwhelmingly weak from excessive bl**d loss—it felt too real to be a dream. The mixed infection of fungi and bacteria made him burn with fever, and the abnormal feel in his lungs made every breath feel like countless sharp iron shards were rolling around in his alveoli.
He was on the verge of d*ath.
At least, he thought so; with such severe injuries and a serious infection, it would be difficult for even a spiritual ability user to survive.
But he might not d*e.
In this town, in the thick fog, in the dilapidated houses covered in dark green mycelium, in the dark corners out of sight, countless eyes were watching him, coveting his still-vibrant body.
Those viscous, ugly, and nauseating entities—a conglomerate of organisms and fungi—were eager to accept him after he collapsed, allowing him to coexist with them in some twisted manner before his life fully faded.
Yet, under the support of his strong willpower, he continued to push forward through the town, each step feeling like a moment of revitalization, lingering without collapsing.
So, in this painful struggle, time stretched infinitely as if it had lost its meaning.
He didn’t know how long it took, but in the ruins, he saw a shining golden light…
Wrapped in that slightly fatigued golden light seemed to be a figure, beautiful like the morning light in spring.
But he could sense that the figure was extremely weak—almost dying, just like him.
Then, that figure trembled, whispering an invitation to him.
An invitation about life.
In an instant, his mind was thrown into the clouds, and it felt like voices from centuries ago echoed in his ears.
Just as he attempted to understand the meaning conveyed by those voices, he awoke.
It was as if an invisible hand was pulling him away from the illusion, plummeting him back to reality.
……
Fang Ji lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, his mind feeling like it had been smashed apart in a blender, dazed and confused.
He quietly reflected on who he was, where he was, and what he intended to do until a soft voice from a disciple of Dachunyang Palace at the door pulled him back to reality.
“Ah! You’re awake?” A slightly plump girl with a round face and somewhat cute features smiled at Fang Ji, “Everyone was wondering why you weren’t waking up even though you didn’t seem to be hurt!”
Fang Ji recalled his experience of being knocked away by an electric sightseeing car on Xuanwu Ping and then trampled by a herd of horses, weakly saying, “I’m not hurt?”
“Well, not completely.” The girl pointed to Fang Ji’s hand.
Following the girl’s direction, Fang Ji glanced at his elbow, and his mouth twitched slightly.
A band-aid was stuck there, only faint traces of iodine disinfection visible.
Seeing Fang Ji silent, the girl asked, “Just to be safe, I still need to ask, do you feel any discomfort anywhere else?”
Fang Ji thought for a few seconds and replied lightly, “I feel a bit dizzy, but nothing else is uncomfortable.”
The girl rolled her eyes at Fang Ji, “Of course you’d be dizzy; when they brought you in, your head had at least twenty hoof prints.”
“However, rest assured, we checked you with both spiritual perception and MRI here; everything’s normal, and you’re not injured at all. You’re as lucky as a miracle.”
Lucky like a miracle… Fang Ji vaguely felt something was off about this statement but couldn’t quite place what it was. He looked at the girl with a questioning gaze, “So now I…”
“Now?” The girl thought for a moment, “Uh, you’re here for the spring training, right?”
Training class? There seems to be something like that… Fang Ji thought to himself, nodding.
“Now… it’s up to you! My suggestion is to stay in Qing Nang Herb Cottage and observe a bit more; if you want to report to the training class first, that’s fine too.”
Fang Ji pondered in silence for two seconds, as if recalling something, and looked at the girl asking, “Do you happen to know where the person who was with me before went?”
“Are you talking about Senior Sister Fu Xinyi?” The girl raised her eyebrows, “Of course, she’s already gone; she’s quite the celebrity in our Dachunyang Palace, very busy.”
“No, I mean that young man.” Fang Ji shook his head.
When he met Luxianbei on Xuanwu Ping, he felt an inexplicable familiarity, and after that strange dream, he was certain that Luxianbei possessed a similar aura to the figure in the golden light.
Thus, he wanted to see Luxianbei, hoping that would resolve many of the questions in his heart.
In a situation where Senior Sister Fu was present, you actually focused on that young man? The girl tilted her head in confusion, pondered for a few seconds, and a glimmer of strange excitement flashed in her eyes.
Cross-dressing young man × Cool young guy?
Wow, how thrilling!
“Oh, he’s probably staying as a male guest in Room No. 25 at Hongyan Retreat. If you want to find him, I can take you there.”
As soon as the girl finished speaking, a furious shout came from outside the door.
“Xie Minmin, what’s wrong with you today? Not only did you prescribe the wrong medicine for the patient, but you also forgot to add ingredients to the alchemy pot. Let’s see how Master will handle you when he returns!”
Hearing this, the girl’s face changed, and she said to Fang Ji, “Sorry, but I’m afraid I’ll have to take you to Hongyan Retreat a bit later.”
After saying that, she hurriedly dashed out of the ward, only to trip and fall flat on the ground after just a few steps, then hugging her knees, she cried out in pain.
It seemed she might have injured herself quite badly.
Having witnessed the entire scene, Fang Ji shook his head.
With the physical condition of a spiritual ability user, tripping and getting injured is quite unfortunate…
Thus, I’ll have to look for that young man on my own.
