Unraveling the array core required a fair amount of effort.
By the time she finished, she had reached her physical limit. Song Yao leaned against the tree, closed her eyes, and passed out again, hoping that when she woke up, she would receive the wonderful news that she had been kicked out of the sect.
Before long, Fusheng slowly walked over to the tree and stopped in front of her, a trace of confusion in his eyes.
She had clearly been such a healthy and lively child before. How did she end up looking so pitiful and covered in injuries after just one trip outside?
Her body was alarmingly weak, so much so that even he couldn't do much except slowly help nourish her constitution.
And—
It was just burning down a house. Why did she feel the need to ask for his opinion?
When he told her not to burn it a second time, she actually listened.
She was simply too obedient and sensible.
He let out a soft sigh as a gentle halo of light rippled from his palm, completely enveloping the girl dangling halfway from the tree.
Strands of warm spiritual energy seeped into her. After a moment, a faint blush of pink finally returned to the young girl's bloodless cheeks.
However, he swayed slightly, lowering his head to muffle a cough as a streak of stark red blood trickled from the corner of his lips.
He wiped it away as if nothing had happened, hiding the fleeting exhaustion in his eyes. He reached up to lift her down from the tree trunk, carrying her toward the bamboo house with gentle steps. “Why do you still hate sleeping in bed just like before? Aren't you afraid of catching a cold again?” he sighed helplessly.
...
She had thought that once the array core was unsealed and the people inside were freed, those elders would most likely come to give her trouble.
Yet to her surprise, she waited anxiously for several days, and there wasn't the slightest stir.
Could Zhu Zhao have stopped them?
Unlikely.
Those elders were each more old-fashioned and stubborn than the last. Back then, they wouldn't even show respect to her master, so why would they show any to the newly appointed and unstable Zhu Zhao?
But if that wasn't the case, it made no sense for them to know her identity and still not come to demand her severe punishment.
Feeling slightly better and unable to lie still any longer, Song Yao kicked open the door to the neighboring room, snatched the book from her master's hands at the desk by the window, and tossed it aside. “I'm going out.”
Her master still didn't show the slightest hint of anger. He picked up the medicinal decoction simmering on the stove by the window and poured it into a porcelain bowl.
He pressed his palm against the bowl, cooling it to a suitable temperature before pushing it in front of Song Yao. “You've come at the perfect time. Drink your medicine first. This batch isn't as bitter.”
Song Yao knit her brows.
The medicine she had taken over the past few days could already pile up into a mountain.
She picked it up and downed it in one go, then quickly grabbed two pieces of candy from the glass dish on the corner of the table to wash down the taste. Only then did she recover. “You don't need to brew medicine for me next time. It's not of much use to me anyway. It's a waste.”
Given her current physical condition, taking these medicines probably wouldn't even yield twenty percent of their efficacy.
Besides, it only treated the symptoms, not the root cause.
Fusheng's brows knitted in a rare display of disapproval. “Even a tiny bit of help is still help. Yao'ao, do not say such things.”
Song Yao replied, “Oh. Well, I've finished it, so I'm going out.”
Fusheng patiently advised, “It is not that I will not let you go. Your body has not fully recovered. It would be better to recuperate for another half a month before going out.”
Song Yao let out another “oh.” “Fine, then I won't take my medicine anymore.”
Fusheng: “...”
He sighed softly. Looking at her pale, delicate face and her slender frame that looked as though it could be blown away by a gust of wind, he couldn't bring himself to say a single harsh word. “Then go out and play for a while, but you must return tonight. Is that okay?”
Song Yao gave a casual nod. Fusheng tapped the table, and as a ripple of light spread, the barrier outside instantly dissolved into nothingness.
He brought over a cloak, stopping her just as she was about to rush out. “Put this on before you go.”
“Oh.”
Song Yao casually pulled the hood over her head, tied the drawstring into a knot, and stepped out of the bamboo house.
Just as she stepped outside, a lustrous arc of light cut through the air, and Ming Ran landed steadily on the open ground in front of the courtyard.
She looked around, a hint of confusion rising between her brows as she muttered to herself, “Didn't they say there was a barrier here...”
Before she could finish, her eyes met Song Yao's. The blank look in her eyes instantly vanished, replaced by bright delight, and she quickly stepped forward. “Master!”
Song Yao's steps paused slightly. The faint coldness that had gathered in her expression softened, returning to her usual casual and gentle demeanor. “What is it?”
Ming Ran's eyes shone as she grabbed Song Yao's arm. “My parents were in the array core earlier, right? Now that they're out, they have to head back home.”
Song Yao had fainted quite a few times recently, so her memory was a bit hazy. It took her a moment to remember.
Earlier, when the Taiqing Pavilion of the Beiyao Sect attacked, the members of the Ming family who were afflicted with the dark poison seemed to have all been hidden inside the array core. She had brought back the antidote and even spoken with them.
Ming Ran continued, “My parents said that because things were so urgent back then in the array core, they didn't get a chance to thank you properly. They want to see you one last time before they leave and treat you to a meal. Do you have time? Is it convenient for you?”
Song Yao paused, asking in return, “How did you know I was here?”
Ming Ran said, “The Hall Master told me. He said you've been staying here for quite some days and must be bored, so he asked me to come and see if you'd like to go out.”
Seeing that Ming Ran seemed completely oblivious to the truth, Song Yao pursed her lips and asked as if casually, “What about the other elders who came out of the array core? What about the Seventh Elder? How are they doing?”
Ming Ran replied, “Them? They're perfectly fine, of course. My parents said the array core was incredibly safe and wasn't affected by anything at all.”
Knowing that Ming Ran had misunderstood, Song Yao hesitated for a moment before asking anyway, “Have they mentioned me at all?”
Ming Ran blinked. “Of course they have!”
Song Yao lowered her eyelashes and pulled her hood down, hiding most of her face in the shadow. “What did they say?”
“The moment the Seventh Elder came out, he was frantically looking for you, asking if you had run into any trouble or gotten hurt when you left the realm alone. The Sixth Elder and Twelfth Elder were also very worried about you. They asked the Hall Master several times if you were too badly injured to show yourself.”
“The Hall Master told them you were fine, but they didn't believe him. They even ran over to check your soul lamp, and only stopped asking once they saw it was still lit,” Ming Ran rattled on, suddenly thinking of something funny and curving her eyes. “What's wrong? Are you afraid they'll worry too much? It's fine, we can head down the mountain together and take a look. The Seventh Elder will definitely be thrilled to see you.”
“...”
A trace of confusion finally surfaced in Song Yao's eyes, which were usually shrouded in a light mist and devoid of emotion.
Could they really have failed to recognize her identity?
That shouldn't be possible.
The technique to unseal the array core was extremely difficult and never taught to outsiders. As a disciple who had only entered the sect a year ago, she should have had absolutely no way of coming into contact with it.
Even if she had by some miracle come across it, it wasn't something someone of her cultivation level could learn.
Her disguise had been completely blown.
While others might not be able to guess, those few elders would certainly notice something amiss.
Especially the Twelfth Elder.
Her mind was exceptionally sharp; she would definitely have her doubts.
Could they think she didn't have much longer to live, which was why they were letting her off for the time being?
Song Yao couldn't figure out a reason, and her head was starting to ache. Deciding she couldn't be bothered to make any more wild guesses, she turned to Ming Ran. “Let's go. Where are your parents?”
Ming Ran instantly grew excited. “My parents found a restaurant and already booked a private room. We can head straight there.”
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