“Ah!”
Collapsing into a sore heap onto the ground for the fifth time, An Fei let out a pained cry. Rubbing her aching body to relieve the pain, she blinked tears from her eyes, glaring vehemently at the crystal surface.
With the mystical phenomena of warming upon contacting her skin, she had no problem with walking barefoot or bare-skinned in the mysterious place, but it was rather painful when she fell on it.
Shaking her head twice and patting her cheeks to reassure herself, An Fei turned her gaze around to view her surroundings once more.
She was in a long corridor, the first on the wall to the left in the throne room. Unable to recognize any of the symbols on the plaques resting atop of the respective gates, she had picked whichever was closest.
And regretted it.
The corridor simply didn’t seem to have an end, the small speck of light unchanging in the slightest no matter she walked. Every three meters, there would be additional doors on an adjacent wall.
Since she had stepped into the long hallway, she had opened doors leading to an armory, a medicine garden, and an odd room with nothing but an enormous copper basin in the center. When she caught sight of it, An Fei could only stand for several moments in confusion, having not the slightest clue on what to even think.
However, she decided to move on to the next room, dragging her exhausted self along.
Every few minutes, her small stomach would rear its head and emit a fierce growl, causing the girl to nibble on her lips in distaste. Gazing at the seemingly never-ending corridor, she felt like vomiting to express her dissatisfaction.
She was hungry! And did she also forget to mention that she was still naked!?
Teetering unsteadily for fourteen steps, then heavily falling onto the ground. With such a rhythm, An Fei walked for another hour, crawling to the door on the right.
Her right hand outstretched towards the handle, she threw herself at the door, barely turning the handle and pushing it open. Watching the door slowly slide inward, An Fei anxiously gulped, supporting herself by leaning against the wall as she peered in.
Once her eyes had registered to the room’s lighting, the girl couldn’t help but scream in delight, rushing inside with all of her might.
Inside was what could be loosely interpreted as a maiden’s bedroom.
In the center of the room was a massive square bed with a side length of three meters and a half, the mattress a springy, comfortable material, with silver fox fur blankets. Her eyes ravenously examining the four-sided curtain barrier surrounding the bed, An Fei had to muster her entire willpower to not snuggle underneath the blankets.
Her hands curling into fists, she explored around the room, only to release a sigh of admiration.
A series of dressers stationed on an adjacent wall, a powdering table standing in between, packed with the cosmetics An Fei couldn’t be more familiar with. A large, mahogany table placed before another wall, and the third wall was occupied by a wooden door.
The only drawbacks were the lack of any lighting system nor a window, but the illumination produced by the crystal’s mysterious attribute was more than sufficient for ample visibility. Standing in place and burning what she saw into her memory, An Fei let out a sigh of appreciation.
This luxurious room with a modern take, she cherished a lot; it reminded her of the modern world, providing a tranquil solace within the sea of confusion she had experienced each day at the Wei Manor.
Staggering towards the unexplored door and wrenching it open, An Fei found herself facing a large bathtub shaped like a pentagon already filled with lightly steaming water. Noticing that a series of shampoos, cleansers, and various other bathing supplements stood near the tub, the girl couldn’t resist the temptation any longer, rushing back towards the closest drawer.
Picking out a random dress and marching back into the bathroom, she promptly leaped in with melodious peals of joy and laughter.
An hour later, she reemerged, dressed in a light green robe. A relaxed expression on her countenance, the first thing the girl did was to open her mouth and quietly whisper.
“A miracle. This has to be a miracle.”
Her need for clothing satisfied, An Fei took one last fleeting look at the tempting bed before leaving the room. Now, she just had to find something to satiate her hunger.
–
“Minister Wei, you must return home quickly, ah! There’s a lingering fire blazing in the Flowing Winds Residence. The news is that although there’s minimal damage, a secluded building was burnt to the ground.”
Hearing the young eunuch’s words, Wei Xuan stumbled as his thoughts shorted, his mind running into a blank. As he stared into the air with his mouth slightly agape, the emperor frowned before motioning for the eunuch to impart to him the news as well.
Cold sweat trickling down his brow, the eunuch respectfully inched towards the throne to whisper into the emperor’s ear.
“Minister Wei,” the emperor tentatively spoke, carefully scrutinizing the latter’s iron countenance.
“Are you alright? Do you require tending to some…issue?”
Wei Xuan shuddered, an unfathomable gleam coldly blazing within his gaze. As he kept his head down, a silver glow gradually encompassed the man, the nearby air warping and distorting upon contacting the mysterious light.
“Wei. Xuan!” the emperor shouted, slamming his palm onto the armrest of the throne.
“Did you forget about palace etiquette after losing your rage!? Remember that martial arts are not to be utilized in the Imperial Court unless in an emergency!”
“Your Imperial Majesty, this minister is indeed in an emergency. The punishment, this one shall ask for it later.”
With a swift bow, Wei Xuan’s figure disappeared from the Imperial Court, a trace of silver light the only hint of his presence. Sitting on the throne with his hand still outstretched in an attempt to stop the minister, the emperor sighed multiple times, even stomping on the ground in frustration.
The jade set of tea was not spared from the emperor’s rage, crashing onto the mahogany floor to shatter into a thousand fragments. Fragrant tea spilled onto the ground, some soaking the hem of the emperor’s robe.
Watching such a scene, the eunuchs all trembled in unison, fearing for their lives.
“What,” the emperor scowled upon noticing their cowardly temperament.
“Never seen a man vent his rage before? Go, get out, before this emperor takes it out on you all!”
Watching the palace servants rush out from the Imperial Court as if their life depended on it, the emperor coldly snorted, sweeping his sleeve as turned around. The glorious ruler of Great Yong stomped with each step as he headed for the back courts, his disgruntled voice echoing throughout the sacred chambers.
“What a great Wei Xuan, ah! Daring to openly display your cultivation in such a restricted zone, let’s see if I don’t punish you, hmph!”
–
Speeding through the streets of Jiang’an, Wei Xuan only had anger in mind. His usual habits of browsing through the various accessory and candy shops to search for tiny tidbits to gift his daughters, browsing the bookstores to expand his study’s collection, or even swindling his colleagues of their alcohol money to shamelessly present to his wife, none if it mattered.
He ignored the beautiful, awe-inspiring buildings and roads nor the passing people adorned with wealth and noble auras, instead quickly dodging any incoming passerby.
All the while, he constantly galvanized the spiritual essence within his body to propel him forward, faithfully relying on his movement martial arts technique to rush home.
Shrouded by the silvery light, Wei Xuan ignored any regulation on utilizing cultivation-based martial arts whatsoever, flickering to a stop before the Wei Manor in a manner of mere moments.
Slamming open the door, the servants rushing forward to greet him with smiles on their faces couldn’t help but have their countenance freeze when a glacial, domineering aura enveloped them. Some of them hesitantly inched forward to inquire what was wrong when Wei Xuan spoke, interrupting their actions.
“Call forth the servants of the Flowing Wind Residence.”
Now they couldn’t even muster the courage to even speak…
