CHAPTER 322: CHAPTER 277: AN UNEXPECTED JOY

What an unexpected delight.

Lan Tian straightened up; had it not been for the presence of those few auras she detected here in the flowerbed, in front of this Chinese rose, she might not have had this epiphany. As she turned to leave, a glimpse of the Chinese rose caught her peripheral vision. She decided she owed the flower a favor and channeled some Wood Spiritual Energy into it before heading off in another direction.

This is the advantage of cultivating the Mixed Element Technique. Initially, practicing this technique is quite difficult as it requires a robust physique. It must be coupled with the practice of Body Technique to temper the muscles and bones. The agony that feels worse than death is only truly understood by those who have experienced it. However, once one endures that phase, the cultivation speed increases, eventually catching up to that of a Cultivator with a Single Spirit Root, and the comprehension of the natural world becomes much easier.

Lan Tian leisurely strolled through the garden, admiring the flowers and grass, occasionally stopping to watch the stream under the bridge, her demeanor content and relaxed. She visited some tranquil spots, as well as a few prominent places.

People concealed throughout the mansion marked Lan Tian as a prime suspect for close observation from the moment she entered the garden and began wandering from east to west. After all, what kind of guest wanders around a host’s property without their company? Claiming there is no motive is something not even a ghost would believe, especially when you consider the secluded locations she frequented. Suspicion was inevitable.

Should we report this to those above us?

After touring the entire mansion, Lan Tian walked toward the main gate. At the gate, she turned to glance back at the buildings behind her, before walking backward out the gate. The two guards at the entrance saw her leave, gave her a look, and then continued to stand guard in silence.

Lan Tian acted as if nothing was out of the ordinary, pacing back and forth near the entrance for a while before raising her head to gaze at the ’Ji Mansion’ plaque hanging under the eaves. After a long look, she turned back and re-entered the mansion. This time, Lan Tian was prepared and caught a trace of the Spiritual Energy fluctuation. Locking onto it with her Divine Sense, she traced the source of the fluctuation until it suddenly vanished midway.

Lan Tian had anticipated this scenario and wasn’t too disappointed. If it had been so easy to track, it wouldn’t have been possible for her to tour the entire mansion without finding a trace of an Array.

There were only three conclusions. The first possibility is that the Array Formation practitioner is much higher in Cultivation than she is, which is why she couldn’t detect any Array traces. The second is that the mansion might not have any Array at all. As for the fluctuation of Spiritual Energy, perhaps there is something ancient in the mansion holding unknown mysteries, causing a resonance with the Spiritual Energy. That object could be closer to the mansion’s main gate, which is why she sensed the fluctuation when she entered. Another possibility is that there might be a natural Array inside the mansion, hence her inability to detect it.

However, she had just deliberately circled the gate area recently and did not find anything that could resonate with Spiritual Energy. A natural Array? She didn’t rule out the possibility, but her intuition told her that the conditions for a natural Array to form here were unlikely.

After much consideration, she felt the first possibility was most likely – the Array was formed by a Cultivator with higher Cultivation than hers. Suddenly, Lan Tian felt very melancholic, realizing that there were still Cultivators in this world more advanced than she was!

The existence of High-level Cultivators indicated that her situation was very precarious!

A High-level Cultivator who could conceal Array traces from her must have at least a Cultivation of the Gold Core Late Stage.

So the question arises, what does Mr. Ji have that is coveted by high-level cultivators? Or rather, what does the Ji family have that is worth the attention of high-level cultivators? Important enough to resort to poisoning with a curse to seize it?

Lan Tian reviewed Ji Feng’s ancestors all the way back eight generations. The Ji family, from Mr. Ji upwards for three generations, were peasants; a little further back, it seems there were one or two scholars, and apparently, there were even bandits who became kings of the mountain. Lan Tian knew the Ji family’s history so clearly, all thanks to Ji Feng frequently bringing up the family’s glorious achievements, whether there was occasion for it or not.

What could a mortal have that a cultivator would covet? Lan Tian pondered for a moment but had no clue and simply gave up thinking about it. Whatever the reason, a fox would always show its tail eventually. Her task was to break the curse placed on old Mr. Ji. Once the curse on Mr. Ji was lifted, the person hidden in the dark would have to emerge.

Lan Tian was still a cultivation rookie, not understanding that mortals can be of great use to cultivators, especially for demon cultivators or those with nefarious intentions who walked crooked paths; they would find mortals greatly beneficial.

Lan Tian headed towards the pavilion looking for Ji Feng, judging by the hanging sun above her head that it was almost lunchtime. Approaching the pavilion, she heard laughter and playful banter between men and women. Lan Tian pursed her lips, walked over, passed through the archway, and entered the pavilion. The men and women laughing inside merely glanced at Lan Tian as she approached, and continued their merriment.

Lan Tian looked over and saw Ji Feng surrounded by admirers, sitting in the middle of the pavilion with a wooden expression, his face hosting a faint, distant smile. Mei Lan sat on a stone chair beside him, her face cool as she looked out at the pond, keeping an eye on Ji Feng from the corner of her eye.

In the eyes of these young masters, Lan Tian was nothing more than a bumpkin from the countryside, at most a slightly pretty one. Lucky to have Mr. Mo as her grandfather, in an instance of climbing the social ladder, a sparrow transforming into a phoenix, yet in essence, she was just a piece of rusted iron with a layer of gold on it.

The group looked at her with a somewhat mocking gaze, neither rejecting her nor showing any signs of welcome. When Ji Feng saw Lan Tian coming, the distant smile on his face suddenly became genuine, and he stood up to greet her, "Xiao Lan, over here."

Whether these people welcomed her or disliked her, it made no difference to Lan Tian. The thoughts of irrelevant people never mattered much to her; with a detached attitude, she walked past them and sat down beside Ji Feng with ease.

These young masters’ views of Lan Tian shifted; any woman the Crown Prince personally came to greet couldn’t be simple. If they initially saw the ambiguous relationship between the two in the hall and were still sizing things up, this time they clearly understood—The Crown Prince cared a lot about this woman, not for fun, but with serious intentions.

Invisibly, Lan Tian’s status was elevated by several levels, classified as untouchable and highly dangerous, akin to a national treasure. The future wife of the Crown Prince—how could they dare to criticize her? Their gazes were filled with friendly intentions towards her.

Mei Lan’s face went pale for a moment but quickly returned to normal, staring at the pond surface, deep in thought about something.

"How is it?" Ji Feng asked abruptly, leaving everyone else confused. How is what? They had no idea.

However, Lan Tian understood what Ji Fenghua meant, "It’s fine; how about you? How is everything?"

"Pretty good, just a bit bored." Accompanying a bunch of greenhorns and listening to their mutual flattery was indeed boring enough to make him sleepy. Ji Feng glanced down at his wristwatch, then looked up and said to everyone, "We’ve been out for quite a while, and the temperature outside is rising. If we stay longer, we might suffer a heatstroke. I don’t know how things are with the old gentlemen; perhaps we should go back and check on them."