140: Seeds bloom

Zheng Yunxu didn't know why she suddenly said those words.

Perhaps the snow starting outside the window reminded her of the thick cotton coat he bought her during her first winter here.

Or perhaps the accumulated emotions were accidentally revealed by Jiang Hanwen's fatigue, gushing out uncontrollably.

Jiang Hanwen was completely bewildered. It was fine that she recognized Xiaogirl as Bai Youlan.

But what did that have to do with him missing her?

His concern for the Bai family and the Zhuang family was because he needed to inquire about the people behind the scenes who were hostile towards him.

He hadn't pursued the investigation during this time, not because he forgot, but because he didn't want to alert the enemy and was waiting for the right opportunity.

In this regard, Zheng Yunxu was not as good as Xia Zhijie.

That kid knew what was on his mind and used his storytelling skills to gather a lot of information for him, which made Jiang Hanwen's free guidance in Cultivation worthwhile.

"Even if she is Bai Youlan, my concern for the Bai family doesn't seem to reach the level of me missing her, does it?"

Jiang Hanwen gave a wry smile. He wasn't some lecherous stallion who wanted every pretty girl he saw and pined for them when they were out of sight.

The path to longevity was long, and he wasn't against having a beautiful woman accompany him for a part of the journey.

But in his heart, matters of emotion couldn't be forced. Whether it was for himself or for others, Jiang Hanwen always maintained a 'let nature take its course' attitude.

If it happened, it happened; if not, then so be it.

Reaching the peak and exploring the mysteries of the world was his primary, unchanging goal.

Zheng Yunxu counted on her fingers, meticulously listing the evidence of Jiang Hanwen's unhappiness recently.

Not liking to go out, poor appetite, low spirits, often staying alone in the courtyard without coming out... After hearing the beautiful woman's narration, even the most foolish person would understand something.

An opposite-sex individual caring about every little detail of one's life, with no blood relation between them.

Jiang Hanwen suddenly smiled and said, "Are you jealous?"

Zheng Yunxu, who was halfway through her enumeration, froze, her hands suspended in the air, staring blankly at Jiang Hanwen.

"I don't want to go out because I'm busy Cultivating, and my low spirits are also due to that.

I'm preoccupied because I'm waiting for news;

My poor appetite is because I've been eating other things recently.

Anything else?" Jiang Hanwen looked at Zheng Yunxu curiously.

"Ah?" Zheng Yunxu stood up, took half a step back, still immersed in the words 'jealous' she had just heard.

So, the person in front of her wasn't missing anyone at all; he was just tired from Cultivating. Everything was just her overthinking.

But just now, she had said such things.

"My... my rice on the stove isn't cooked yet." Turning around, she went clattering down the stairs, rushing back to the backyard like the wind.

Jiang Hanwen chuckled. This Xiaogirl was quite cute.

Perhaps Xiaogirl had some feelings for him, but whether these feelings stemmed from gratitude for saving her or from attraction to the opposite sex, these were two different matters.

Perhaps, even Zheng Yunxu herself didn't know.

Jiang Hanwen watched the snowflakes falling outside the window. Actually, there was something he hadn't said.

The Zhuang family was still looking for the people behind the attack, and Jiang Hanwen was even more so.

With the right people and the right place, the time would come. It wasn't cold enough yet, and it still lacked a bit of time.

Night, the cold wind howled.

Zheng Yunxu huddled alone on the bed, hugging her knees.

On the floor by the bed, a whole mirror was shattered into several pieces, reflecting the orange-yellow light, like cracks that Transmigration through time and space, or perhaps her shattered confidence.

She had changed her mask again; this was the second one Jiang Hanwen had bought her.

When changing the mask, she mustered the courage to look at her own face.

The knife scars were still there, uglier and more gruesome than a wild cat's face gnawed in a garbage dump.

She had seen Bai Youlan once. Compared to the Fairy-like, utterly perfect other party, she really had no comparability.

After an unknown amount of time, the beautiful woman got up, swept away the fragments on the floor, and returned to bed to rest.

Her slender fingers gripped something under the pillow; there, a silver light with her name written on it.

The lamp was extinguished, and everything entered dreamland.

The cold wind continued to howl, making the fragile window creak and groan.

Outside, the biting cold wind made one wish for a padded jacket inside and thermal pants outside.

But in Jiang Hanwen's underground chamber, it was so hot that he was sweating profusely.

A four-foot-wide circle of fire, shaped like the character 'hui' (return), had three layers from the inside out. Half a zhang high, raging flames surrounded Jiang Hanwen.

"Hmph!"

With an angry roar, his hands ignited with powerful, fierce flames, like a priest in prayer.

The surrounding flames gathered from all directions towards the center, like a magnet attracting iron filings, forming a sharp cone made of fire, with Jiang Hanwen right in the middle.

Flames of over a thousand degrees Celsius encircled him like armor, less than three inches from his skin.

Jiang Hanwen treated himself like a roasted duck, using his Physical Body to experience the scorching heat of the fire, thereby allowing Blazing Sun Burst to Breakthrough its limits.

His chest, his heart illuminated by the Divine Breath True Scripture, simultaneously drew out heart fire, scorching his internal organs.

Internal and external flames trapped him; a single mistake would result in severe injury, allowing no room for slackness.

Jiang Hanwen's entire being was tense, multitasking, firmly controlling his Spiritual Qi and heart fire.

It was only because of his robust body and the Gathering Life Technique as a safeguard that he dared to Cultivate using such a perverse method.

After a quarter of an hour, Jiang Hanwen was completely immersed in the flames, beginning to feel the meaning of purification and destruction within the firelight.

A moment later, he opened his eyes. The firelight shone onto the distant ground, where verdant, flowing spirit gathering grass swayed with the breeze, greedily absorbing the intense firelight.

After burning for a full two hours, the qinggang wood in the grooves was completely consumed.

In a cloud of sooty black smoke, Jiang Hanwen lay spread-eagled on the ground.

There was no major progress, but he clearly felt that his understanding of fire had advanced further today; though small, it was definitely there.

Quantitative change would eventually lead to qualitative change; he was not in a hurry.

His skin was shriveled, and his internal flesh was injured.

Jiang Hanwen took out a pile of Spiritual Plants, and with a bitter taste, he directly crushed them and stuffed them into his mouth.

A scorching stream flowed down his throat, nourishing his internal organs.

Not only was he mentally exhausted, but his body was even more so.

He hadn't been perfunctory with Zheng Yunxu; his current Cultivation was painful yet joyful, a dual torment of spirit and Physical Body, every day.

Under this Hell mode, it would be strange if he could still maintain high spirits.

He lay for less than ten breaths, his breathing regular, already exhausted and fallen asleep.

In the dark night, some were melancholy, some were Cultivating.

Some were longing, some were conspiring.

In the Zhuang family's Medicine Field, Song Shuming, who had already gone to sleep, opened his eyes and sat up quickly.

"Who!"

"Creak~"

The door slowly pushed open, and a cold wind rushed in.

In the pale yellow lamplight, Yang Changshan, dressed in night clothes, walked into the room.

"Captain Yang, what brings you to this old man's place?" Song Shuming squinted, his hand reaching under his pillow.

"Elder Song, the kindness you and Chief Steward Jiang showed me back then, I, Yang Changshan, am repaying it today.

Someone sent me to kill you.

I know that if I kill you, I won't escape.

If I don't kill you, I also can't survive in the Zhuang family.

The person who gave me the order is Commander Shang. He knows I have a grudge against you.

The robbery down the mountain was an inside job, Elder Song, take care of yourself."

"Wait!"

Song Shuming jumped off the bed.

"Yang Changshan, come with me to see the family head. This matter is a great merit!"

Clang!

Yang Changshan drew a short knife from his hand, its stark white cold light suspended between the two, its sharp blade pointed at Song Shuming's heart.

"Elder Song, no matter how great the merit, one must be alive to enjoy it. I advise you to make plans early."

As soon as he finished speaking, bang!

Yang Changshan threw a smoke bomb at the ground, and thick white smoke obscured their vision.

Two breaths later, Yang Changshan was nowhere to be found in the courtyard.

Song Shuming composed himself, put on his clothes, and ran through the night to the Zhuang family's old residence...