After rescuing Liu Meng, Bai Yunfei returned directly to the inn.
Inside a guest room, Bai Yunfei gently laid Liu Meng onto the bed, then asked with concern, "Meng'er, how do you feel? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Liu Meng offered him a faint smile, her voice soft. "I'm fine, Yunfei, don't worry. They gave me some kind of drug. It made my whole body weak, but it shouldn't be serious. I can feel my strength returning. I think by tomorrow morning at the latest, I should be fine..."
"Really? Are you sure?" Bai Yunfei studied her complexion carefully. After a moment's thought, his worry remained. "I think it's best if I go ask an elder from the Cuiliu Sect to examine you. I'll trouble them just to be certain. Only then can I truly rest easy."
He started to rise, but felt his left hand grasped. Liu Meng's voice grew slightly firmer. "It's really unnecessary, Yunfei. I heard them talking about it. It's just a drug that temporarily paralyzes the body, weakens the spirit, prevents the flow of soul force, and leaves you limp and immobile..."
His hand held by hers, Bai Yunfei seemed a little uncomfortable. He sat back down on the bed, his voice low. "Well... alright. But if you're not better by tomorrow morning, I'll take you to the Cuiliu Sect for help."
A soft smile touched Liu Meng's lips, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She gazed at Bai Yunfei for a long moment, her tone tender. "Yunfei... thank you for coming to rescue me. I knew... I knew you would come."
Bai Yunfei shifted his gaze away, a little unnerved. He cleared his throat lightly. "Meng'er, please don't say that. Ultimately, I was their target. It was because I offended them earlier that you were captured."
"But the reason you offended them... wasn't it because of me?"
As soon as the words left her mouth, Liu Meng seemed to realize their implication. The blush on her face deepened, and she turned her head away, no longer daring to look at Bai Yunfei.
The young maid, Xiao Ning, had been watching with wide eyes. Seeing the atmosphere between them, her eyes darted mischievously, and she couldn't help but let out a 'pfft' of laughter. She adopted an exaggeratedly old and wise tone. "Tsk tsk, you two! It's obvious how you feel about each other. Why pretend you don't understand?"
"Ahem! Ahem! Ahem!!" Bai Yunfei coughed dryly several times and stood up. "Meng'er, since you're still very weak, you should rest early. I'll go rest too. That fight earlier was quite exhausting. We can talk about anything else tomorrow." He walked towards the door, a hint of awkwardness in his step. Behind him, Xiao Ning's tinkling laughter and Liu Meng's soft, flustered chiding followed him out.
He stepped out of the room and closed the door. The moment he turned around, the awkwardness vanished from his face, replaced by a look of grave seriousness.
He stood silently by the door for several seconds, letting out an almost imperceptible sigh. He went downstairs, asked the innkeeper for another room, then shut himself inside, and no further sound came from within.
...
The next morning, when Bai Yunfei saw Liu Meng again, she showed no signs of discomfort. In fact, she seemed quite cheerful. After breakfast, which Xiao Ning had bought, she expressed a desire to go for a walk on the streets.
The weather was overcast but pleasant. Though the sun was hidden, a coolness permeated the air. Bai Yunfei followed the two young women, wandering aimlessly through the bustling streets.
"Yunfei, what's wrong? You've seemed distracted since this morning. Were you injured yesterday?" Liu Meng's concerned voice reached his ear. Bai Yunfei looked up to see her exquisite face, her bright eyes filled with confusion and care, fixed intently on him.
Bai Yunfei's gaze shifted slightly to the side, seeming somewhat flustered. "No, I'm fine. I was just thinking... walking around like this... might attract the Loong family's attention..."
Liu Meng paused, then smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry about that. Didn't that Loong Taojia say yesterday that if you defeated them, he wouldn't trouble you anymore? Besides, you injured the other two. They won't recover so quickly."
'Can their word really be trusted?' Bai Yunfei thought bitterly to himself, though his expression remained neutral. He made an effort to appear more at ease. "Alright then, let's keep walking. We can buy some things we need, and then..."
"And then... I have something I want to say to you, Yunfei..." Liu Meng suddenly interjected, her cheeks flushing pink once more.
Bai Yunfei's words caught in his throat. "You have something to tell me?"
"That... I'll tell you later!" Liu Meng's eyes darted away evasively. She gave a light laugh. "For now, let's just walk a bit more. I really enjoy the atmosphere of these streets! When we get hungry later, we'll find a place to eat!"
Without waiting for his response, she took Xiao Ning's arm and walked ahead. The two young women began chatting happily about the various shops lining the street. Bai Yunfei frowned almost imperceptibly, sighed quietly, and had no choice but to follow.
...
On an equally prosperous street in the western part of the city, a tall, slender youth dressed in black walked slowly through the crowd, his face etched with dissatisfaction. He had short hair brushing his ears and a rather handsome face, yet it carried an aura of cold arrogance.
"Uncle Yang... really!" the youth muttered discontentedly under his breath as he walked. "He's been in that Baifeng City for days now. Why hasn't he returned? I finally get out of the sect, and I was counting on him to show me around more places."
"Still," he continued, his expression brightening slightly, "fortunately, I wisely stayed behind in this Cuiliu City. Following that gloomy guy in the black robe around all day... Uncle can tolerate it, but I certainly can't." He lifted his head, his eyes scanning the street back and forth. "Heh heh, there sure are a lot of pretty little ladies in this Cuiliu City. These past few days here have been absolutely delightful for this young master!"
He reluctantly tore his gaze away from a woman with a particularly alluring figure and rubbed his stomach. "Time to find somewhere to eat first," he murmured to himself. "Then... let's see if I can find a woman who catches this young master's eye. Heh heh..."
...
At noon, inside a rather opulent tavern, Bai Yunfei and the two young women sat at a table by a second-floor window. The table was laden with beautifully presented dishes. The two women ate daintily, while Bai Yunfei stared blankly out the window at the street below, lost in thought.
"Yunfei, why aren't you eating? Don't you like these dishes?" Liu Meng's voice drew his attention back. He looked at the young woman whose face was filled with concern for him.
For some reason, his eyes met hers only briefly before flickering away again. He looked down at the food on the table and shook his head slightly. "No, I was just thinking about something..."
"Still worrying about the Loong family? We've been walking all morning without any trouble. Don't overthink it..." Liu Meng offered a gentle smile. She picked up a piece of fish belly with her chopsticks and placed it into Bai Yunfei's bowl. "Eat now. Look, you haven't even finished half a bowl."
Bai Yunfei nodded and began eating slowly, but it was clear to anyone watching that his mind was elsewhere.
"Oh, Yunfei, I've been meaning to ask you," Liu Meng's curious voice piped up again. She and Xiao Ning had finished eating and were now resting their chins on their hands, watching him. "Yesterday, during your fight with those three from the Loong family... what kind of weapon were you using? It looked... well... it looked a lot like... like a brick?"
The chopsticks in Bai Yunfei's hand trembled slightly, causing a piece of green vegetable he'd picked up to fall back onto the plate. He withdrew his hand, set the chopsticks down on the bowl, and hesitated for a moment. "Yes. It actually was a brick."
"What?" Liu Meng gasped softly, her beautiful eyes widening in disbelief as she stared at him. "How is that possible? What kind of... what kind of powerful brick could that be? Unless... unless it was a soul artifact, right?"
"Well... you could say that," Bai Yunfei replied quietly, his head still lowered.
"Really? That's incredible! I've never heard of a weapon like that before. And it seemed... very special. Did you forge it yourself, Yunfei? Are you a disciple of the Refining Artifact Sect?" Liu Meng pressed, her face still alight with curiosity.
Bai Yunfei remained silent for several heartbeats. "No... My master gave it to me. The red spear too... both were given to me by my master..."
"Oh?" Liu Meng blinked, as if suddenly understanding something. A knowing smile touched her lips. "Ah, I see. Your master forbade you to speak of it, didn't he? Well then, Meng'er won't pry any further..."
"Actually..." Bai Yunfei's brow furrowed slightly. He was about to say more when a burst of noisy commotion interrupted him.
"Young master, truly, all the tables on the second floor are occupied! Please, won't you make do downstairs?" The waiter's pleading voice was followed by the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs.
"This young master wants a window seat on the second floor! What do you mean there are none? Just tell those people to clear out!"
The arrogant voice preceded the arrival of a black-clad youth who stepped onto the upper floor. He glanced around, then pointed directly at Bai Yunfei's table. He spoke to the flustered attendant who had followed him up: "This young master wants that table. Go tell them to leave. Their meal is on me!"
As he spoke, his eyes suddenly lit up. He stared at Liu Meng, froze for a few seconds, then burst into loud, grating laughter.
"Hahaha!! I didn't expect to find such a stunning little beauty right here! Excellent, excellent! Looks like this young master's luck is running high today!" The youth spoke with utter brazenness and strode towards their table.
Liu Meng and Xiao Ning stared at him in stunned disbelief. Bai Yunfei merely frowned slightly, gave him a brief, dismissive glance, then looked back down at the food on the table. His eyes, however, flickered with a dangerous light.
"Heh heh, little beauty," the youth addressed Liu Meng, his tone oily. "How would you like to accompany this young master for some fun in the city? Look at this dull, silent fellow beside you—clearly a useless weakling. Forget him! Come with me!"
The youth's audacity and directness were jarring. He spoke as if it were his natural right, accustomed to such arrogance and likely accustomed to getting his way.
Suddenly, for no reason Bai Yunfei could name, a wave of intense irritation surged within him. In an instant, the irritation coalesced into a fierce, choking rage, settling heavily in his chest.
His head snapped up. An expression of rare ferocity appeared on his face. His eyes turned ice-cold as they locked onto the arrogant youth.
"Get lost!"