One of my fairy-like friends

The Empress glanced back at him, her voice clear and melodious, like celestial music, filling his ears with a joy that welled up from within. Yet, her tone seemed to carry a hint of melancholy, "Be prepared... You should understand the responsibility on your shoulders..."

Mingyan felt a heavy heart. Even though the Empress had answered him, he felt no joy. Although he had long known that the Dark Turmoil was imminent, receiving a truly definitive answer from the Empress...

“I understand, I will try my best to grow up…” Mingyan nodded.

The empress did not speak again. She turned around, strode away, her steps slow, and left the carriage.

Feng Shiyi then peeked out, patted her chest (which was quite large), and let out a long sigh of relief, "That was terrifying..."

"She is the Empress, an ultimate being, and she won't do anything to you, so what are you afraid of?" Ming Yan was somewhat amused and exasperated. Of course, he was actually quite nervous inside. Faced with such an absolute power difference, he felt powerless, and this powerlessness was the source of his tension.

Huang Feiyan breathed a sigh of relief, then became somewhat excited, "To actually see the Empress in person at such close range..."

But as her excitement grew, Huang Feiyan's expression cooled. She turned to look at Ming Yan, remembering what the Empress had said...

The responsibility on his shoulders...

Mingyan possesses the Human King Physique, and in the Dark and Turmoiled Era, those with special physiques are required to stand on the front lines and be top-tier combatants in the fight against the Dark Turmoil.

Huang Feiyan was silent for a while, then said, "It was bound to come eventually, there's no stopping it. I will stay by your side."

Upon hearing this, Mingyan smiled and said, "Then we'll be comrades-in-arms."

More than just comrades-in-arms... Huang Feiyan thought to herself.

Feng Shiyi tugged at Mingyan, "Mingyan, I'm hungry..."

Mingyan snapped out of his daze. "Wait, I'll get it for you right away..."

----------------------

Southern Continent, the sacred land of the demon race, Lijing Peak.

The Demon King Bai Ze leaned lazily on her throne. Dressed in white, she possessed an extraordinary figure, tall and graceful, with a face that was absolutely stunning. "Ming Yan has come to the Southern Continent. Do you want to go see her?"

Before her stood Yu Mudan, the number one demon of the Eastern Continent.

Yu Mudan was somewhat surprised, "What is he doing in Nanzhou?"

Bai Ze smiled slightly but did not explain.

"Master, I heard that Gu Hanshuang seems to have been to the Fenglingyueying Holy Land. Is this true?" Yu Mudan asked.

It's estimated that no one knows that the number one demon in the Eastern Continent actually has the master of the Demon King of the Southern Continent...

“Yes, that’s true. I once told her that she was Mingyan’s destined Daoist partner.” Bai Ze nodded. “She probably went to Fenglingyueying because of this.”

"...Did you say something similar to me?" Yu Mudan paused, her expression strange.

“Yes, because you are too.” Bai Ze nodded with a normal expression.

"..." Yu Mudan sighed softly, "If only it weren't Ming Yan. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be worried at all, but if it's Ming Yan, I'm really starting to feel uneasy. The two of them becoming Daoist partners is truly a troublesome matter for me..."

Bai Ze smiled without saying a word.

Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Door Can't Be Opened

Wang Qingchu, the elder sister, has already touched the realm of the ultimate path, but she is completely different in front of Wang Qingchu and in front of Empress Qingzi.

From the very first moment they met, before Wang Qingchu had even woken up, Mingyan could sense a faint sense of closeness emanating from her.

When he saw Wang Qingchu again, the way his sister acted made him feel very warm. Her strength brought him not restraint, but peace of mind.

Empress Qingzi is different; her strength belongs to herself. She is a respectable senior, and despite the fact that the two have no relationship, the absolute difference in power forces Mingyan to become restrained.

Even such a being seemed to carry a hint of melancholy in his words. Was even the Empress worried? Worried about the future of this world?

Is this dark upheaval... really as worrying as it seems?

Mingyan sat cross-legged in the main hall and sighed softly. Being born in this era was his mission.

"What is Mingyan thinking about?" Feng Shiyi finished eating, looking satisfied. She walked over to Mingyan and squatted down, hugging her knees. Perhaps because Huang Feiyan was not by her side, or perhaps because they were not in a hurry, she did not tug at Mingyan's clothes.

She squatted down, a touch of naivety on her pretty face, "Thinking about what to eat tomorrow?"

"...I was wondering if you'd still be able to eat in the future..." Mingyan said, somewhat helplessly, as he came back to his senses.

"...Of course, there's always something to eat when you're hungry, so I've never starved to death." Feng Shiyi patted her chest vigorously; her figure was so good that it swayed after a couple of pats. Ming Yan looked away. "Didn't your family teach you how to cultivate immortality?"

"Cultivating immortality? I can, but I don't think I can." Feng Shiyi pouted. "After cultivating for a while, the spiritual energy disappeared. After several times, I gave up. Is cultivating immortality really that important?"

"At least it will enable you to find food on your own." Mingyan nodded.

“I can’t do that…” Feng Shiyi leaned down a little. “I will die if I leave Mingyan, so I can’t leave Mingyan.”

“We’ll be separated sooner or later.” Mingyan shook his head. “We’ll be separated once I send you back to Bai Ze.”

Feng Shiyi remained silent, saying nothing.

Mingyan found Feng Shiyi somewhat strange. They hadn't known each other for very long, and her "trust" couldn't earn Mingyan's trust in her. He didn't know all about this woman's background, but for some reason, her every move subtly stirred his heart.

Just like now, after she falls silent, Mingyan can't help but look at her expression, wanting to know what she's thinking.

Feng Shiyi lowered her head, then raised it after a while, tilting her head slightly. "Mingyan is looking at me?"

"Hmm... what are you thinking about?" Mingyan nodded and asked.

"I'm thinking about how to stay by Mingyan's side forever." Feng Shiyi's expression was serious; she seemed to have just been seriously considering this question.

“Aren’t you right here beside me?” Mingyan asked, puzzled.

“I mean, how come it’s always…like…um…like…like Mingyan’s arms and legs, always following Mingyan?” Feng Shiyi pondered, seemingly troubled, and after thinking for a while, she came up with a more appropriate way of saying it, “I don’t want to leave Mingyan.”

"...After I send you back to Bai Ze, do you still want to follow me?" Ming Yan finally understood Feng Shiyi's thoughts this time, and asked, even though her words were a little strange.

“I don’t want to go back…” Feng Shiyi said seriously, “I don’t like that woman.”

"Bai Ze?"

“Yes.” Feng Shiyi nodded. “I will stay with Mingyan.”

“Impossible. I can’t keep traveling with you all the time,” Mingyan said, shaking his head. That way, he would have to spend most of his time taking care of Feng Shiyi on this trip.

"Does Mingyan think I'm troublesome?" Feng Shiyi's voice was somewhat downcast. "I'm sorry, I'm very stupid..."

When she became dejected, the sense of grievance in her voice always softened Mingyan's heart immediately.

It felt as if someone had suddenly squeezed his heart; the sudden, intense bitterness was unbearable for Mingyan.

“It’s not for that reason…” Mingyan shook his head, “It’s just… I need to improve my strength as soon as possible, because I have a lot of things to do.”

First and foremost, the most important thing is to wake up my sister, Wang Qingchu.

Although it may be a bit harsh to say this, Feng Shiyi was just a burden to him.

If Mingyan isn't in a hurry to improve his strength, it doesn't matter; he can take care of her if he wants. But if he encounters any secret realms or needs to compete with others for opportunities, Feng Shiyi will not only make him regretful, but may even become his weakness, causing him to lose to others.

Feng Shiyi remained silent, then gently rested her head against Ming Yan, "I'm sorry..."

You don't need to apologize.

“Use…” Feng Shiyi said softly, “Mingyan is very troubled. I must have caused him these troubles. I want to help Mingyan, but I don’t know how.”

Mingyan laughed and said, "What can you do for me? Just make sure you're safe. Don't be too hard on yourself."

Feng Shiyi was definitely spoiled at home. Apart from eating and needing to follow him around constantly, she never made a fuss, which was already quite remarkable. Mingyan had very low expectations of Feng Shiyi.

Feng Shiyi wrinkled her little nose. "I'm not a useless person... it's just that I can't help Mingyan right now..."

"Then what can you do to help me? Can't you help me now?" Mingyan asked with a smile.

“A secret…” Feng Shiyi gave a soft snort, then chuckled foolishly, “Mingyan will find out later.”

secret?

Hearing Feng Shiyi, a woman who seemed rather dull, utter those two words was quite a strange feeling; she didn't seem like the type to keep things to herself at all.

But who knows, she might actually be able to help me?

Bai Ze must have some reason for letting Feng Shiyi follow him, whether it's good or bad for him, there must be some reason, even though he doesn't know it yet.

"Mingyan, why can't this room be opened?" At this moment, Huang Feiyan walked over and pointed to one of the four rooms. She asked curiously, "Can you open it?"

Mingyan had control of the carriage, so Huang Feiyan couldn't open it and had to ask Mingyan for help.

"Hmm?" Upon hearing this, Mingyan tried to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. He asked in surprise, "Is the door stuck? Or did your aunt leave some kind of restriction?"

"I don't know either, it's really strange..." Seeing that Feng Shiyi wasn't clinging to Mingyan this time, Huang Feiyan subtly withdrew her gaze. "Could it be that Mother left some secret in there?"

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Huang Feiyan is Cultivating

Mingyan stood up, walked to the door, and gently touched the wooden door with his hand.

He could feel that when he tried to open the door, it trembled slightly and reacted, but it seemed to be stuck and he couldn't open it no matter what he did.

"What was this room used for before?" Mingyan asked.

“Well… because the laws of space are damaged, I’m not entirely sure which room this is.” Huang Feiyan walked to Ming Yan’s side, hesitated for a moment, and said, “But there certainly wasn’t a room like this that couldn’t be opened before.”

"Is it because of the laws of space that it suddenly can't be opened?" Mingyan asked.

"That shouldn't be the case. If it really is a problem with the laws of space, then the other rooms should be like this too. Besides, each room's space is relatively independent; if it were affected, it should simply disappear," Huang Feiyan said. "Hmm..."

She carefully examined the door but found no trace, and ultimately could not deduce which room it used to be.

"If you can't open it, then forget it," Mingyan said. If Huang Junru sealed it away, then she must have her reasons, right?

Mingyan returned to his seat. Upon seeing this, Huang Feiyan pondered for a moment, then stretched out her hand and released her spiritual energy. The spiritual energy felt strong resistance, a feedback that was already somewhat familiar.

This scent... it's so familiar, but it's not from my mother... it's more like... my second aunt's?

Was this room sealed off by my second aunt?

Huang Feiyan withdrew her hand and suddenly had an absurd thought: Could it be that her second aunt was hiding inside?

My second aunt has always had a special fondness for Mingyan. I suppose my second aunt was quite involved in my mother's decision to let me be with Mingyan.

Another thing is that Auntie's favoritism towards Mingyan... I don't know if it's just Huang Feiyan's imagination, but she feels that she is actually dispensable in the relationship between Auntie and Mingyan.

My second aunt even said back then that if she didn't want to, she would be happy to take her place...

How could she say such a thing? Second Aunt is hundreds of years older than Mingyan... It seems really strange to outsiders that someone like her, a half-step Human Realm cultivator, would become Mingyan's Daoist partner.

Moreover, why her?