CHAPTER 327: CHAPTER 281

"My legs are numb!" Ji Feng blinked his eyes, suddenly putting on an act of helplessness towards Lan Tian. He had been supporting Old Sir earlier, highly strung the whole time, and only relaxed to discover his foot had gone numb, unable to move it.

Lan Tian’s mouth twitched, helping him over, "Serves you right!" Who told you not to believe me.

"Thank you!" Ji Feng’s deep voice brushed past Lan Tian’s ear, this "thank you" carrying far too many complex emotions.

Thankful that Lan Tian was still alive, living so freely and at ease, thankful that the two of them could have this day of reunion to fill the void in their hearts, thankful to Lan Tian for treating Mr. Ji’s illness, so he could still have the opportunity to serve his relative, thankful...

Lan Tian curved her lips into a smile, with an expression as if admiring the growth of her own child, "Ah, my little Feng has grown up, becoming so sensible."

Ji Feng’s face darkened in an instant. He planted a kiss on Lan Tian’s face with a "smack," his lips turning up proudly, finally feeling pleased inside.

Lan Tian said helplessly, "Stop it."

This scene frightened everyone in the house, even Mr. Mo’s heartbeat went irregular, missing several beats, almost wanting to yell at Ji Feng, "You rascal, men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving things, the lady is a married woman, please do not make advances at her so casually."

Seeing the situation in the room was off, shouting out would further confirm the relationship between the two, so he swallowed his words, looking somewhat displeased.

Mei Lan’s face turned a few shades paler, her eyes furtively scanning Lan Tian. The relationship between her and Ji Feng, it seemed like Ji Feng was particularly attached to her.

Waiting times are always especially hard to endure, and naturally, when bored, one would find things to do, such as drinking tea or playing chess. A few Mr.s wanted to drink tea and play chess, Mei Lan very virtuously took the initiative to handle the tea-making, lighting the stove, heating the water, washing and preparing the teaware, so skilled in her movements, so graceful, like a dancer in fluid motion—it was a spiritual pleasure to watch her make tea.

Over there, Old Sir Ye and Mr. Yang were deeply engrossed in their game of chess, with Mr. Jiao and Mr. Mo watching the game from the sidelines.

Lan Tian had nothing to do, sitting there, spacing out, while Ji Feng sat close beside Lan Tian. His legs were still weak, and after sitting down he let out a sigh of relief, resting his head on Lan Tian’s shoulder to rest with his eyes closed.

Mei Lan caught sight of this, her hand trembling, and a bit of the boiling water from the Purple Sand Pot spilt out, scalding hot water falling onto the back of her hand.

It’s so hot!

Mei Lan almost threw the Purple Sand Pot in her hand, it took significant self-control to suppress that urge, looking down to see a large patch of skin on her fair hand redden from the burn, a sharp pain spreading from there.

She glanced over at the old gentlemen immersed in their game of chess, then at the harmonious pair on the side, looking at the red burn on her hand, for some reason she felt a sourness in her heart, feeling particularly aggrieved, as if she was just a servant.

"What’s wrong, not feeling well?" Lan Tian glanced at him sideways, reaching out to Ji Feng’s head, stroking his furrowed brow.

"Mm, I just got back not long ago, my head feels a bit swollen, haven’t had the chance to sort everything out." He was reborn less than two months ago, and after learning of Lan Tian’s whereabouts, he came looking for her without a moment’s delay.

Lan Tian rummaged through her bag and took out a porcelain bottle, pouring out a green pill with a faint medicinal fragrance, refreshing to the senses, and handed it to his mouth, "Eat this, it’ll make you feel better."

""

The few people in the room all smelled the medicinal fragrance. Several elderly masters glanced over in their direction, their gaze landing on the pill in Lan Tian’s hand, about the size of a pinky finger, seemingly enveloped in mist, obviously not an ordinary item. A flash of keen interest sparked in their eyes before they nonchalantly looked away.

Ji Feng opened his mouth without even opening his eyes and swallowed the pill, which melted upon entry. A refreshing stream spread throughout his body, feeling as cooling as drinking iced water on a scorching day, so relieving that Ji Feng almost moaned.

Mei Lan’s expression darkened slightly, unable to restrain the sourness in her heart. Ji Feng trusted this woman so much, swallowing without even a glance, without a moment’s hesitation. She feared that even if this woman gave him poison, he would ingest it without any hesitation.

The tea was ready. Lan Tian, carrying cups to the three elders, took a look at Mei Lan before pouring three cups of tea herself; one for Ji Feng, one for Mei Lan, and one for herself.

Lan Tian took a sip of her tea, eyeing the woman opposite through the rim of her cup. With her cool and noble charisma, poised sitting posture, virtuous and capable appearance, she truly seemed like a paragon of womankind, except for the slight hostility she harbored toward her.

Mei Lan indeed hid it very well, but as a cultivator, Lan Tian’s spiritual senses were sharper than ordinary people, making it difficult to feign ignorance of the hidden malice that was directed at her.

Mei Lan was also sizing her up. When they all gathered in the morning, she had gathered some basic information about Lan Tian from snippets of conversation.

Dressed in deep blue leisure attire, her shiny black hair was pulled back behind her ears, with a blossoming peach branch tucked at her temple. The vivid peach blossoms made her skin appear even more porcelain-white and radiant.

Her deep-set eyes were like a profound pool, emanating a chill that seemed to ensnare one’s soul into its depths, irresistibly drawing them deeper and deeper, until they forgot themselves. Mei Lan broke into a cold sweat from the shock, pulled herself together, and upon looking again, saw that Lan Tian’s eyes were clear and bright, large and lively, with only a hint of coldness, and no longer the terror-inducing feeling from before.

"I heard you’re also at Jing University," Mei Lan said after a sip of tea, and after some thought, looked up at Lan Tian, "I’ve spent a few years there. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me."

Her tone was dry and devoid of emotion.

Mei Lan knew herself well; communicating with people was not her strong suit. Generally, others would initiate conversation with her, of which she seldom took to heart, often finding them noisy.

Now, trying to find a topic to chat about seemed impossible as they could not seem to find common ground.

Lan Tian was taken aback for a moment, noted the awkwardness in Mei Lan’s eyes, then realized Mei Lan was speaking to her. Regardless of Mei Lan’s intentions or plans, Lan Tian was neither afraid nor worried; she was bold and fearless. Lan Tian offered a faint smile, "Thank you!"

Afterward, there was no more conversation between them.

Time passed quickly. After finishing the tea, it was time to remove the silver needles. Lan Tian wiped her hands dry and proceeded to remove all the silver needles, then helped Mr. Ji lie down to take his pulse.

"How are you feeling? Is there any discomfort?" Spiritual Energy flowed along Mr. Ji’s wrist throughout his body. After making one full circuit, she withdrew her hand. Mr. Ji’s vitality had been drained; it would be difficult to recuperate in a short time, needing at least half a year. However, Mr. Ji could not wait that long; the sooner the gu insect was extracted, the better.

"I feel quite well, really comfortable, and sleepy," said Mr. Ji, his eyelids drooping. Possibly due to his age and not being as robust as before, he had endured many sleepless nights due to his strange illness. Being able to sleep soundly for two or three hours was considered a luxury, as he often woke up in pain less than half an hour into his sleep.

Old Mo, who had been treating his illness for years, knew his symptoms well. Hearing that he felt sleepy, Old Mo couldn’t help but smile with relief, "That’s good, that’s good. If you want to sleep, then sleep. Let Old Ji rest first if he’s sleepy, and we can step outside to talk."

Mr. Jiao likely had an inkling of what was happening, nodded in agreement, and led Mei Lan out first. Mr. Yang and Old Sir Ye followed, with Lan Tian and Old Mo trailing behind them, leaving only Ji Feng in the room.