CHAPTER 321: CHAPTER 276: EXTRA CHAPTER FOR REACHING 100 MONTHLY TICKETS

"What’s wrong with the mansion?" In his past life, Ji Feng had been by Lan Tian’s side for decades, and he understood every subtle expression and action of hers. To put it bluntly, if Lan Tian so much as wiggled her butt, he would know what she intended to do.

After entering the mansion, Lan Tian’s sudden turning back was abrupt, and Ji Feng knew she must have discovered something.

Lan Tian cocked her head and glanced at Ji Feng with a smile, "I knew I couldn’t hide it from you. Whether there’s a problem with the mansion or not, I can’t tell at the moment, I haven’t felt anything bad, but there’s something that’s been on my mind..."

She looked up towards the main entrance.

"Something on your mind?" Ji Feng followed Lan Tian’s gaze to find that she was looking in the direction of the main gate of the mansion. "Is there a problem near the main gate?"

Lan Tian shook her head, "I don’t know, and that’s why it’s bothering me. I didn’t have this feeling when I came here with you before. Intuition tells me there is something there that concerns me." Intuition is such a mysterious thing, Lan Tian couldn’t explain it.

Ji Feng knew that Lan Tian was talking about when the two of them had visited the mansion in their past lives. There was no problem with the mansion in their past life, but now there was. What was going on?

Ji Feng knitted his brows then relaxed them. He trusted her intuition. "Let’s go have a look."

"No," Lan Tian shook her head in refusal. "With many people around, it’s easy to startle the enemy. You take them around for a tour, and I’ll look around by myself. We can talk about it when I return."

Watching the backs of Ji Feng and Lan Tian as they walked away together, Mei Lan faltered in her step, clutching her hands tightly. How did the two of them meet? When did they meet? Why didn’t she know anything about it?

Even a blind person could see that Ji Feng treated the girl named Lan Tian differently; she must be very important to him because that was the first time Mei Lan had seen him smile so tenderly, so brilliantly. But the object of his smile was not her, it was another woman, not her—Mei Lan felt a wrenching sourness in her heart.

The first time she laid eyes on Ji Feng, her heart fell for him; that fragile and pure young man who seemed like he would vanish into the wind with a mere touch.

She had used every trick in the book to come to his side, silently watching him, slowly integrating into his life, bit by bit learning about his life. She buried the love she felt for him deep in her heart, and she found happiness in that too.

Knowing that he had returned, she had eagerly followed her master to find him, only to find that upon his return, there was already another woman by his side.

A woman who could make him smile, speak proactively, who possessed many expressions.

"How did the Crown Prince get to know that Miss?" Yang Lan nudged Ye Junying’s shoulder, smirking lewdly, "See that? Their relationship isn’t simple at all, eh? The Crown Prince has such a flirtatious smile!"

Ye Junying gave him a bland look, "The Crown Prince’s affairs aren’t something to joke about carelessly. Be careful what you say, let’s go."

Hearing their conversation, Mei Lan felt her heart tighten. She hurried past Ye Junying and Yang Lan and followed the other two, her eyes flashing with unwillingness. Lowering her head in thought, she bit her lip corner and called out, "Ji Feng."

Ji Feng and Lan Tian turned back; Lan Tian glanced at Mei Lan and then said to Ji Feng, "I’ll go check over there." Then she turned and headed in that direction.

Watching Lan Tian turn past the rockery, his figure disappearing into the shrubs, Ji Feng finally turned back to look at Mei Lan, a faint and distant smile hanging on his lips, "Is that you, Mei Lan? What brings you here?"

Mei Lan laughed bitterly in her heart, reflecting on how differently fate had treated them. Ji Feng’s smile was heartfelt and warm when facing Lan Tian, but towards her, it was distant.

With her eyebrows downcast and her eyes concealed to hide the sorrow within, Mei Lan lifted her head again, her face now bearing a cool smile. Her demeanor natural and her tone conversational, as if between friends, and not off-putting, "When did you return? How’s your health? Have you had any flare-ups recently?"

The last few questions were asked from her professional standpoint as a physician. Before Old Mr. Mo had arrived, Mei Lan and her Master were the ones treating the illnesses of both Ji Feng and Mr. Ji.

"Just got back, I’m doing fine," Ji Feng reverted to his original reticent self.

"That’s good to hear," Mei Lan forced a smile, which nearly stiffened on her face, then fell silent.

Upon witnessing this scene, Yang Lan and Ye Junying were utterly baffled. Yang Lan, with an arm draped over Ye Junying’s shoulder, was visibly confused, "Hey, what’s going on here? A love triangle? You love me, I love another, and that other loves you? When did the goddess of Jing University get together with the Crown Prince?"

Ye Junying gave him a dismissive glance, "You’re overthinking it."

...

Lan Tian took a different path, passing through the rockery and her figure was engulfed by the lush shrubs. With no idle people nearby, Lan Tian slowed her steps and released her Divine Sense, carefully sensing the flow of the Spiritual Energy in the mansion.

The Ji Mansion was vast. In her previous life, Lan Tian had only visited once, attending the wedding feast of Ji Feng’s elder brother, and her wanderings were limited. The places she had visited were only the main hall, the reception room, the dining hall, and Ji Feng’s bedroom. The rest were unknown to her, and she was unclear about the layout of the mansion. There were fewer people in the mansion than in her previous life.

There were two guards at the main gate, two orderlies within the house, and several faint presences hidden throughout the mansion, seamlessly integrated with the surroundings, imperceptible to ordinary people – likely special forces soldiers, trained to protect Mr. Ji.

They made a strong impression on Lan Tian. Incredibly powerful, considering she hadn’t even noticed them during her previous life’s Qi Cultivation Stage. Now that she had reached Foundation Establishment, she became aware of their presence. Truly, there are masters among commoners, and one should never underestimate them.

Lan Tian discarded her complacency. After reaching Foundation Establishment, the pride she had harbored began to subside. She had thought, now that she had established her foundation, she could stride through this world with arrogance, thinking she was either the first or at least the second under the heavens. But she knew that there are always bigger fish, always someone stronger in every realm. How could she be sure there weren’t any cultivators more powerful than her?

If there were, with her attitude, she would eventually be discovered. Others might then target her for her presumed treasures, even though she had none, but others wouldn’t think that way.

As a three spiritual roots cultivator, in a realm where Spiritual Energy was so scarce, and having never consumed any elixirs, to reach Foundation Establishment Cultivator status at the age of twenty would suggest she possessed extraordinary treasures. How else could one cultivate so quickly? Even in the Cultivation World, for a three spiritual roots cultivator to succeed in Foundation Establishment, they would typically endure a bitter struggle for resources, preparing Foundation Establishment Pills, and finding places rich in Spiritual Energy.

Of course, Lan Tian believed her own path to Foundation Establishment was also filled with hardships, nearly losing her life to a Heavenly Tribulation. But none of this was known to others. Therefore, she had to remain true to herself, earnestly continuing her Cultivation practice and leading a humble life.

Spiritual Energy surged from all directions, as her Cultivation broke through from mid-stage Foundation Establishment to the peak of mid-stage Foundation Establishment, just shy of advancing to the late-stage. Her mental state had even achieved the level of the Golden Core Middle Stage. Lan Tian’s sudden enlightenment did not take much time, and to anyone observing, it appeared as though she was merely standing in front of the flowerbed, bending down with a smile to admire the thriving rose in front of her.

An unexpected delight, indeed.