"You're not allowed to leave me, little monkey," Lang Ruhua grabbed Lang Huan's arm, her tone suddenly soft and pitiful. "My foot's hurt… it really hurts…" She pouted, her face scrunching up like a spoiled child.
Lang Huan let out a long sigh, bending down to lift her up. Carrying her, she set Lang Ruhua on a smooth stone at the edge of the spring, tossing a dry robe toward her and putting on her own clothes.
When Lang Huan was done dressing, she turned around—only to see Lang Ruhua still sitting there naked, completely unbothered the night breeze.
Lang Huan's brows furrowed, her voice tinged with exasperation. "Why aren't you getting dressed? Are you… an exhibitionist?"
"What is exhibitionist? I said my foot hurts, but you don't even care…"
"It's not your foot that hurts, it's your brain," Lang Huan muttered, rolling her eyes.
Lang Ruhua giggled, "Heartless monkey… at least help me get dressed."
"I don't know how to wear women's clothes," Lang Huan said lazily. She knew Lang Ruhua was deliberately teasing her.
Shaking her head, she thought, these women are really strange. Feng Xiyan was like that—and now Lang Ruhua. Even though they know I'm a woman, their actions keep getting bolder.
Lang Huan taking out a small bottle from her sleeve and tossing it to her. "Treat your wound yourself." Then, she shot into the air and disappeared.
"Damn… unfilial disciple!" Lang Ruhua cursed under her breath.
Later, when Lang Huan returned, she saw Lang Ruhua already sitting cross-legged, calmly meditating. With a small wave of her hand, Lang Ruhua beckoned her over. "Come sit and meditate with me."
Lang Huan's eyes widened, her mouth forming a perfect O. "How are you so fast? Teach me! That's awesome!"
Lang Ruhua snorted and closed her eyes, clearly too lazy to explain. "Shut up and meditate with me."
The two of them entered a quiet state of cultivation, letting their breaths steady and their minds grow calm.
It didn't take long for Lang Ruhua to notice something was off. Lang Huan's qi was unstable—rising too quickly, leaking through unsealed channels.
Lang Ruhua moved closer, adjusted Lang Huan's posture, and placed a hand lightly on her back.
"Don't let your qi scatter," she said. "Start from your lower dantian. Let the qi rise slowly along the Governing Vessel. When it reaches your upper body, pause. Let it settle before guiding it down through the Conception Vessel."
Gradually, the flow of qi began to stabilize, cycling smoothly along the Small Heavenly Circuit, no longer leaking into the minor meridians.
Xiao Lan had been silently watching Lang Ruhua, who sat cross-legged with her eyes closed in deep meditation.
A cold glint flashed in Xiao Lan's eyes as she gripped the dagger in her hand, moving closer without making a sound. until the moment she lunged at her.
Lang Ruhua's eyes snapped open. She struck Xiao Lan's chest with her palm, sending the girl flying several meters back.
Lang Huan, who had been meditating beside Lang Ruhua, flinched as her concentration broke. Her body trembled violently, blood spilling from her lips as she clutched her chest, gasping in pain.
"Xiao Lan!" Qiu Yue called out, rushing to her side. When she saw Xiao Lan injured, fury surged within her. She drew her sword and charged at Lang Ruhua with murderous intent.
"Stop!" Lang Huan cut through the chaos. She stumbled forward, trying to separate them. "Stop it… enough." But her words fell on deaf ears. Lang Ruhua's gaze was sharp, her spiritual energy surging like a wild flame.
"No!" she shouted, refusing to step back. "I want to absorb her essence! She's the one disturbing me—why should I be the one to compromise?"
Lang Huan's grip tightened around Lang Ruhua's wrist, her eyes burning with a mix of anger and sorrow. "Are you done?"
Seeing Lang Huan's anger, Lang Ruhua felt sadness she had never experienced before. "She hurt me… and you. Dont defend her!" she shouted bitterly.
"I didn't kill your mother… why are you taking revenge on me?" What made Lang Ruhua even angrier was the way Xiao Lan put on that pitiful expression, pretending to be weak and innocent while hiding behind Lang Huan. She hated hypocrites the most.
"Xiao Lan's just a little girl. If you want to vent your anger, then come at me!" Lang Huan said, grabbing Lang Ruhua's shoulders to stop her.
"You hateful monkey!" With a sudden burst of internal force, she shoved Lang Huan, sending her tumbling to the ground before storming off.
Xiao Lan rushed past Qiu Yue, ignoring her entirely, to kneel beside Lang Huan. Panic filled her tearful eyes as she carefully helped her up. "I'm sorry, big brother. This is all my fault," she sobbed, her voice breaking.
Lang Huan, gently patted Xiao Lan's back. "It's okay… it was just a misunderstanding."
Lang Huan wiped the blood from the corner of her lips and glanced toward Feng Yao, who stood a short distance away. Meeting that icy gaze, she could only offer a helpless, almost pleading look, as if silently saying it wasn't her fault.
Taking a deep breath, Lang Huan sat cross-legged and checked her condition. Fortunately, she didn't sense any internal injuries from the impact.
Feng Yao called Qiu Yue over and turned slightly. "No news from Master Xuan Kai recently?"
"No... only some reports from the palace," Qiu Yue replied, handing her a small scroll from their spy.
After reading it, Feng Yao's eyes darkened. "It looks like this journey is a trap carefully set by someone to catch big fishes."
"Then… what should we do? This is all because of Young Master Ye. If not for him, Your Highness wouldn't be caught up in this mess," Qiu Yue said with frustration.
"Hmph… You'd better keep an eye on your little girl," Feng Yao said coldly. "If something like tonight happens again, don't blame me for what I'll do." Then she added, "Once we return to Luo City, Xiao Lan can stay at Yun Xiang Tower with Qing Mei'er."
Qiu Yue immediately dropped to her knees and lowered her head. "Yes, Your Highness."
Your little girl… what does Your Highness mean? Qiu Yue thought, her face flushing as if Feng Yao was implying something improper. How could two women have such a relationship? The words silently echoed in her mind.
Feng Yao frowned, dismissing the matter with a wave of her hand. "For now, we can only play along with this person's game."
Lang Ruhua didn't return, and that made Lang Huan uneasy. She searched for her through the night with Xiao Bai, but there was no trace of her. Even Xiao Bai couldn't sense her presence. "She's really powerful… what am I worrying about?" Lang Huan muttered, trying to comfort herself, though her heart felt heavy.
By morning, they prepared to depart. Lang Huan expected Feng Yao to still be sulking after the chaos of the previous night, but to her surprise, Feng Yao behaved as if nothing had happened.
With her usual poise, she gestured for Lang Huan to enter the carriage. "Why does your face look so ugly?" she asked with a faint smile.
"This is weird…" Lang Huan replied with doubt. "Why aren't you angry or… jealous?"
"What is there to be angry or jealous about? After last night, everyone is keeping their distance from you—even your master. Isn't that a good thing?" She lightly tapped the scroll in her hand against Lang Huan's forehead with a triumphant look in her eyes.
In response, Lang Huan caught her hand, guiding her to sit sideways on her lap.
"Your master is kind enough… If it were me, I wouldn't have let Xiao Lan off so easily," She didn't believe that girl was as innocent as she looked.
Lang Huan swallowed hard, silently glancing at her, who was singing the same tune as Lang Ruhua. Those two teaming up… their combined ruthlessness and viciousness could turn into a triple-double combo.
"Don't be mad… you'll get old faster if you frown too much," Lang Huan let out a dry laugh and spoke a few sweet words to calm her down.
Feng Yao leaned in closer, her face just inches away until their breaths mingled. "Lang Huan…"
"Hmm…?"
"I feel uneasy… like something bad is going to happen," Feng Yao whispered. "Could you promise me, so I can feel at peace?"
"Why are you talking like this?" Lang Huan's brows knitted in displeasure. She wrapped her arms tightly around Feng Yao, holding her as if she might disappear any second.
"Promise me, if something happens to me, you will never marry someone else. Never be with another woman… or I will haunt you," She knew she was being selfish, but the thought of Lang Huan being with someone else tore at her heart.
"Your Highness… I can't promise you that," Lang Huan said with a soft chuckle, masking her worry. "I can stop myself from getting close to other women, but I can't stop them from coming near me. It's better if you always stay by my side—then no one would dare to approach me."
Hearing this, Feng Yao pinched the soft flesh at Lang Huan's waist and bit her chin just hard enough to make her flinch in pain.
"Stop!!" A loud voice from outside suddenly made the carriage halt, causing it to sway slightly. Lang Huan and Feng Yao exchanged wary looks. From outside, someone shouted, "Your Highness, our leader invites you to our pavilion."
Lang Huan lifted the curtain and peeked outside. A group of armed men blocked the road. Her eyes narrowed when she recognized one of the faces. Wasn't that the mountain bandit who once helped the village chief throw her into that pit? But now, the man looked more confident, as if he had powerful backing.
"This is bad," Lang Huan muttered, glancing at Feng Yao with concern. "If he knows who you are… this won't be just some ordinary bandit."