147: You can also become strong

The tenderness Fan Jingmei had imagined did not come.

Lin Feng’s hand left her chin, and with it, the warmth that had made her heart flutter also withdrew.

Fan Jingmei’s stiff body slowly relaxed.

She opened her eyes, her long eyelashes still seeming to hold a hint of un-dried moisture.

She saw Lin Feng hand her a bottle of Medicinal Pills and heard him tell her to Cultivate well.

In his clear eyes, a trace of unconcealable sadness flashed.

Did Senior dislike her?

Was it because her Cultivation was too low, or… was she not pretty enough?

She dared not ask, only suppressing all her grievances and disappointment deep in her heart.

She took the Medicinal Pills, and the coldness of the bottle made her fingertips tremble.

“Thank you, Senior.”

Her voice was as faint as a mosquito’s buzz.

She bowed deeply and prepared to turn and leave.

“Oh, and Jingmei.” Lin Feng’s voice sounded again.

Fan Jingmei’s steps paused, and she quickly turned back, a faint glimmer of hope rekindling in her eyes.

“Is there another female Disciple named Zhuo in the sect?”

Fan Jingmei was stunned for a moment, her mind quickly pondering.

She blinked, responding with some uncertainty, “Senior must be referring to Zhuo Ruting Senior Sister, right? She joined the sect two years before Jingmei.”

Lin Feng’s eyes lit up.

Zhuo Ruting, in the original work, was an envoy of Myriad Sound Sect, just like Fan Jingmei.

She had a calm temperament, was efficient in her work, and most importantly, she had joined the sect earlier than Fan Jingmei and was older.

“Since that’s the case, you can have her come to me as well,” Lin Feng instructed.

The small spark of hope that had just ignited in Fan Jingmei’s heart was instantly extinguished by a basin of cold water.

It turned out that Senior was not uninterested in her, but simply uninterested in her as a person.

Her cheeks turned a little pale, and her lips moved, but in the end, she lowered her head.

“Yes, Senior.”

She turned and left, her back appearing somewhat desolate.

…

That night, a woman in a green palace dress, led by Fan Jingmei, arrived outside Lin Feng’s Immortal Cave.

The woman was tall and beautiful, with eyes that held less of the natural charm of Fan Jingmei, but more of a mature allure.

Her gaze towards Lin Feng held a sense of resignation, as well as a hint of cautious curiosity.

She was Zhuo Ruting, just turned eighteen this year.

“Junior Zhuo Ruting greets Elder Qinglian.” She bowed gracefully, her posture impeccable.

Lin Feng nodded, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

“Come in.”

That night, the lights in the quiet room did not extinguish until late into the night.

And Zhuo Ruting also grew from a girl into a woman.

…

Several days later.

Lin Feng was in the quiet room, perusing an ancient text about the Void Heaven Cauldron, while Zhuo Ruting was brewing tea for him in the adjacent room.

The bamboo curtain rustled softly, and a figure walked in.

Lin Feng looked up, his movements pausing slightly.

The person who came was Fan Jingmei.

But today, she was completely different from usual.

She had shed her usual pale purple silk dress and changed into a green palace dress identical to the one Zhuo Ruting was wearing.

Even her hairstyle and makeup were deliberately imitated to be seventy to eighty percent similar.

Her youthful face, paired with this mature attire, created an indescribable sense of incongruity.

Lin Feng’s brows furrowed unconsciously.

“Jingmei, what is this?”

Fan Jingmei’s heart tightened when she saw Lin Feng’s expression, and she nervously twisted the corner of her clothes with both hands.

She lowered her head, not daring to look into Lin Feng’s eyes, her voice trembling slightly.

“I… I thought Senior would like it…”

Lin Feng found it somewhat amusing.

His gaze fell back on Fan Jingmei, and his tone held a hint of helplessness.

He gently rubbed Fan Jingmei’s head and sighed.

“You are still young, what are you thinking about all the time?”

This intimate gesture made Fan Jingmei’s body tremble.

But the helplessness in his words was like a needle, pricking her heart.

She looked up, her eyes instantly reddening.

“Senior took in Senior Sister Zhuo, but is so cold to Jingmei…”

Her voice was filled with deep grievance.

“Jingmei… Jingmei is afraid…”

Lin Feng fell silent.

He looked at the young girl’s tearful eyes and suddenly understood something.

He had forgotten.

This was the Chaotic Star Sea, where the strong preyed on the weak, and human lives were like grass.

A woman with extraordinary beauty and low Cultivation, if she did not have a strong backer, what a tragic end she would face.

He had taken her in, but then did nothing to her; in her eyes, this might be an even more dangerous signal.

It meant that she could be abandoned or given away as a gift at any time.

In the original work, Fan Jingmei, at a young age, was already cunning and skilled, which must have been honed under duress in such an environment.

He had thought too simply.

At this thought, Lin Feng’s gaze softened.

He reached out and gently pinched Fan Jingmei’s cheek.

“Jingmei, since you have followed me, you are my person; you don’t need to worry about these things.”

His voice was gentle, carrying a calming power.

Fan Jingmei looked at him blankly, tears swirling in her eyes but not falling.

Lin Feng looked into her eyes, his tone becoming serious.

“But Jingmei, I hope you can understand one thing.”

“Relying on the strong is far inferior to being strong yourself.”

Fan Jingmei’s body trembled slightly, and she looked at him with some bewilderment.

“Your Spiritual Root is a Three Spiritual Root; your Aptitude is not top-tier, but it is certainly not bad.

But you have been in the sect for ten years, why do you only have Qi Refining seventh-layer Cultivation to this day?”

Lin Feng said earnestly, “You have misplaced your efforts.”

These words left Fan Jingmei somewhat at a loss.

She was stunned.

Since childhood, the Elders in the sect and the Senior Sisters around her had taught her how to use her beauty to please the strong, how to read expressions, and how to survive by pleasing men.

No one had ever told her to Cultivate well.

And no one had ever told her that she herself could become strong.

She had always thought that her destiny was to rely on someone, like a vine clinging to a big tree.

But now, this Elder Qinglian told her that she could also grow into a tree.

A warmth she had never felt before welled up from the depths of her heart, instantly washing away all her grievances and unease.

Her eyes could no longer hold back, and tears streamed down.

“Alright.” Lin Feng pinched her face again, gently wiping away her tears, “Don’t cry.”

With a flick of his wrist, a green Jade Slip appeared in his palm.

“This Cultivation Technique is called the ‘Nine Li Profound Water Art’; it is useless to me, but it is extremely suitable for your Water, Wood, and Earth Three Spiritual Roots.”

He placed the Jade Slip into Fan Jingmei’s hand.

“During this time, you don’t need to think about anything else; focus on Cultivating this Cultivation Technique.

At the end of the year, I will be checking on you.”

Fan Jingmei tightly clutched the warm Jade Slip and nodded vigorously.

Lin Feng looked at her serious expression, a smile appearing on his face, and then changed the subject with a hint of playfulness.

“If your Cultivation speed is not up to par, then from now on, I will only have Zhuo Ruting serve me, and you won’t need to come.”

Fan Jingmei’s pretty face instantly turned pale.

She waved her hands frantically, anxious.

“Senior, please rest assured! Jingmei will! Will definitely Cultivate diligently!”

With that, she carefully put away the Jade Slip as if it were a treasure, bowed deeply to Lin Feng, and then turned and hurried back to her residence.

She wanted to Cultivate!

She must make Senior acknowledge her! She absolutely could not let Senior Sister Zhuo snatch Senior away!

Watching Fan Jingmei’s determined back, Lin Feng couldn’t help but smile.

Little girl, she still needed a bit of provocation.

He turned his head and smiled at Zhuo Ruting, who was eavesdropping in the next room.

“You too, go back; Cultivation cannot be neglected.”

Zhuo Ruting’s heart tightened, and she quickly responded, “Yes, Elder.”

After pouring tea for Lin Feng, she also bowed and excused herself.

With things settled here, Lin Feng’s mind finally calmed down.

His figure flickered, disappearing from the quiet room.

The next moment, he appeared in the Inner Universe.

Lin Feng came to Mo Caihuan’s body, looking at Mo Caihuan, from whom he could only feel a faint trace of Qi.

His heart tightened; it seemed that Purple Spirit’s birth was just these few days away.