One of my fairy-like friends

“There are many people in the world who are more pitiful than her. Some people starve to death because they don’t have enough to eat, some freeze to death because they are not properly clothed, some die young despite their ambitions, and some have their entire families killed and who, after cultivating diligently to seek revenge, are ultimately killed by their enemies and die a violent death in the streets. Compared to these people, who do you think is more pitiful, An Ran? Are you going to help them all?” Huang Junyi’s smile remained unchanged as she stared intently at Ming Yan.

“There’s no need to compare who is more pitiful. I pity the people and things I see and hear.” Mingyan was not confused when he heard this. He said, “I understand that I can’t help everyone. Even if I really have a grand wish to help everyone, my strength is limited. So, within my ability, it is enough to help others. As for those I cannot help, I will remember them in my heart.”

"Follow the righteous path," was what the Holy Maiden Ning Feixuan of Yaochi told Mingyan that day, and Mingyan kept it in mind. What is the righteous path? In Mingyan's understanding, it is just like this.

When Huang Junyi heard Ming Yan's previous words about wanting to help An Ran, she originally intended to tell him that there are far too many such cases in the world, and he can't possibly help everyone. Therefore, sometimes turning a blind eye and a deaf ear is the best choice. However, she didn't expect Ming Yan to say that. Huang Junyi was stunned for a moment, then chuckled, her smile charming and her beautiful eyes sparkling. "I've been taught a lesson by you, my little brother... No wonder Fei Yan is willing to be friends with you. I was too hasty. From now on, I must keep this in mind."

Huang Junyi's tone carried a hint of admiration. In reality, embarking on the path of cultivation is undoubtedly a process of amplifying one's desires. Countless cultivators will amplify their desires due to their powerful cultivation, such as wealth, beauty, and immortality. How many people can be without desires?

However, being without desires or wants isn't necessarily a good thing.

To achieve a state of being free from desires and wants, one must completely abandon one's seven emotions and six desires. However, once one abandons these emotions and desires, one also loses the will to improve. Can such a cultivator still progress? They will only remain at their current level forever, and may even begin to doubt themselves.

Mingyan's desires must have been amplified. At least, his desire to catch up with Ning Feixuan was definitely one reason, and helping others should be the second.

But perhaps this kind little brother will one day bring trouble upon himself... Huang Junyi stared at Ming Yan with her beautiful eyes. If... he could really wake up Qingfei, Huang Junyi's lips curled up slightly. In that case, she couldn't watch this little brother die. She wanted to see just how high this little brother could go.

Mingyan scratched his head, feeling that he might have been overestimated by Huang Junyi. Moreover, what Mingyan said was only that he might be able to help her... Mingyan didn't even know if he could actually help her.

"Does Sister know anything about An Ran's strange illness?" Mingyan asked.

"I wouldn't say I don't know anything, but I certainly know very little. When the An family sent An Ran here, we did look for a solution. Because of Consort Qing, the outer courtyard already housed many doctors and poison masters we invited from all over the country, but none of them could find out her strange illness. Finally, a Taoist priest cast a divination for her and said that she was born incomplete... but he couldn't explain exactly what was incomplete." Huang Junyi shook her head. "That Taoist priest only said that she didn't suffer from any disease or poison, but was just born missing a piece. As for what it was, we didn't know either."

A piece is missing... This description is really vague. Mingyan thought about it but couldn't figure it out.

"Her problems are probably not something that can be solved in a short time. If you want to help her, you might as well befriend her. She has very few friends in the Huang family. Don't be fooled by her excellent manners; she seems somewhat resistant to being friends with the Huang family. After all, being born into such a family and receiving special treatment, it's not impossible for her to have some psychological issues." Huang Junyi said with a smile, "However, while it's fine to be friends, don't develop any romantic feelings for her. She... if nothing unexpected happens, she probably won't live for more than a few years."

Ming Yan opened his mouth, then pursed it, "Now I understand why she resists contact with the Huang family."

"Oh? Tell me more."

“She’s so strong, she must really resent people talking to her with pity. You probably all know about her physical condition, so she’s bound to be resistant to you,” Mingyan said.

"Hehe, maybe that's true." Huang Junyi thought for a moment, then nodded with a smile. "Do you have any good ideas?"

"Let nature take its course." Mingyan thought of the perpetrator. This matter would obviously bring him and Anran together. There was no need to deliberately contact them. Letting nature take its course was the best choice. Besides, he didn't know much about Anran. He also needed to see if Anran was really suitable to be a friend.

“Sometimes I really think you know a lot.” Huang Junyi leaned closer to Ming Yan, her pretty face close to his, and asked with a smile, “You’re not actually an old guy who’s hundreds or thousands of years old, are you?”

"...Sister, you're really joking..." Mingyan wanted to roll his eyes, but he held back. He was clearly hundreds of years old...cough cough, pretending to be eighteen and calling me an old guy...this is a real case of the thief crying "stop thief!"

"I don't want to be taken advantage of by an old man." Huang Junyi giggled, while Ming Yan's eye twitched. Whatever makes you happy...

Chapter Thirty-One: If You Marry Fei Yan

As dusk fell, the room grew quieter. Huang Junyi sat at the table beside her, holding a silver wine cup and sipping peach blossom wine, her face flushed.

The room was filled with the faint scent of peach blossom wine. The sweet and mellow aroma of the wine was intoxicating. Coupled with Huang Junyi's dreamy and intoxicated appearance, if Ming Yan's painting skills were not lacking, he would have had the urge to record her on a painting.

Speaking of which, even a cultivator like Huang Junyi isn't immersed in cultivation every day. Mingyan senses that she exudes more of a carefree and irreverent attitude, and wonders if she has many worries in her heart.

Huang Qingfei has been in a coma for over a decade, so she must be one of them.

Just then, Huang Feiyan's voice came from outside the door, "Second Aunt, Mingyan, are you in the room?"

"Come in." Huang Junyi put down her wine glass and said softly. Her voice, besides its usual charming tone, also had a hint of stickiness. After speaking, she glanced at Ming Yan with her beautiful eyes and gave him an ambiguous smile. Ming Yan could only pretend not to see it and looked at the door with a blank expression.

Upon hearing Huang Junyi's voice, Huang Feiyan pushed open the door and walked in, then closed the door behind her.

She first bowed to Huang Junyi, then walked to Ming Yan, her voice carrying a fragrant breeze. "I examined the poison on the needle and found it to be snake venom, specifically the venom of the Red-spotted Feathered Serpent, a highly venomous beast from the Eastern Continent. This venom was originally capable of killing even cultivators at the Yangling Realm, but the most toxic part has been treated; now it only causes paralysis and unconsciousness..."

"There are many cultivators in the outer courtyard who understand poisons, so the pool of potential perpetrators is quite large." Huang Junyi's lips curled up, her gaze gradually turning cold. "But if you want to frame An Ran, you can narrow down the scope. Are there any people in the outer courtyard who have conflicts with An Ran?"

In the afternoon, An Ran also informed the Huang family about the theft of the veil and Ming Yan's assassination attempt. Huang Feiyan knew that the veil belonged to An Ran. Upon hearing this, she said, "I have also investigated this matter. An Ran herself is gentle and mild-mannered, and doesn't like to get involved with others. She doesn't have any bad relationships with anyone in the outer courtyard. However, her maid sometimes speaks without thinking, which might offend people..."

Mingyan's eyes flickered slightly as he pondered.

"So, it might be someone who had a conflict with her maid?" Huang Junyi picked up the wine cup, gently swirled it, then brought it to her lips and slowly drank the peach blossom wine inside. A little peach blossom wine slid down the corner of her mouth, flowed over her broad chin, down her white jade-like neck and delicate collarbone, and flowed all the way to a place out of sight. She put down the wine cup, her face flushed, and smiled.

Huang Feiyan was not surprised by this. Huang Junyi herself loved to drink, but as a cultivator at the seventh level of the Xuanji realm, she was already halfway to the Renying realm. Of course, she wouldn't get drunk from drinking peach blossom wine, but it would make her face flush and make her look charming and alluring. "Possibly."

"I found it rather strange when I encountered An Ran and her maid, Yu Zhu, today. Her maid seemed to be intentionally or unintentionally trying to provoke me," Ming Yan said to Huang Junyi after some thought. "Logically speaking, since An Ran and Yu Zhu are so close, and Yu Zhu hasn't abandoned An Ran despite her current situation, their relationship should be extremely good. They should be considerate of each other's feelings. In other words, Yu Zhu should be well aware that her careless remarks will cause trouble for An Ran..."

Huang Junyi rested her right elbow on the table, her palm supporting her chin, her face flushed, and looked at Ming Yan with a dazed gaze. "So you're saying that there are also suspicious points about her maid?"

"Although the possibility is very small, I think... is it possible that after she discovered Fei Yan's attention to me, she became quite curious and found out some secrets about me, so she wanted to drug me that day, take me away for a checkup, and the veil was just her second plan after the failure, in order to get me involved with An Ran?"

After a moment's thought, Huang Feiyan said, "There are indeed red-spotted feathered serpents at Rusty Lake, and Yuzhu herself is a cultivator at the Yangling Realm... so that's certainly a possibility..."

“If she succeeds, after I pass out, she can simply enter the room to do some research or draw some blood, and then leave. If I report this to you, she can use the disappearance of Miss’s veil as an excuse to clear her name during the investigation…” Mingyan stroked his chin. Yuzhu’s attitude had been quite hostile before, and she didn’t care much about Miss’s reputation in broad daylight. Although there was no one else around and no one could hear it, Mingyan had no suspicions at the time. After all, it was not impossible for her to be arrogant because of Miss’s favor.

However, after hearing Huang Junyi recount An Ran's ordeal, Mingyan felt that the maid's attitude might cause trouble for An Ran. Hearing that Yuzhu was also outspoken in her daily life, he was even more confused.

If this is truly the maid's idea, then her usual aggressive demeanor is likely a calculated arrangement with ulterior motives...

The purpose was to clear himself of suspicion at such a time.

"The possibility is too small. Just listen to it." Mingyan thought about it and then felt that he might be overthinking it. To prepare for something in a critical moment by starting to do so in daily life is too tiring.

Huang Feiyan pondered for a moment, "I think it's quite possible. Actually, I've learned about An Ran and her maid Yu Zhu before. From what I know, An Ran has always been like this, and Yu Zhu is also very low-key, completely different from how she is now."

Huang Feiyan is a person who really enjoys making friends. Although she only has one male friend, Mingyan, she has quite a few female friends. She had wanted to make friends with Anran before, so she deliberately learned about her. Although Yuzhu's change seemed a bit strange, who would care about such things if nothing happened normally... Now that she thinks about it, it does seem a bit odd.

Huang Junyi looked at the two of them with a smile, without saying a word.

"Hmm, but we can't be sure..." Huang Feiyan pondered for a moment, "The outer courtyard is, after all, a place for entertaining guests, so it's not appropriate to conduct a large-scale investigation. Since the perpetrator has designs on you, they might look for another opportunity. No outsiders know that your second aunt is here to protect you. All we can do now is wait..."

Actually, getting to the bottom of this would be quite simple. They could just have Huang Junyi capture Yuzhu and use soul-searching techniques to examine her recent memories to solve the case. However, such methods would affect Yuzhu's cultivation, and she might even become mentally impaired if she wasn't careful. Moreover, if it turns out that it wasn't her in the end, then the Huang family's actions would be somewhat questionable, and it wouldn't be good if word got out. Besides, this matter could be big or small. The other party didn't intend to kill Ming Yan, and they hadn't completely lost hope of catching the murderer, so there was no need to use such violent methods.

If the other party intended to take Mingyan's life, the methods they would use would naturally be different. No one can kill in the outer courtyard, let alone Huang Feiyan's friend. It also involves whether Huang Qingfei can wake up. If something happens to him, Huang Feiyan, Huang Junru, and Huang Junyi will turn the outer courtyard upside down.

Mingyan nodded and remained silent.

After Huang Feiyan left, Huang Junyi asked with a smile, "If it's confirmed to be a jade bead, will you still help An Ran?"

After thinking for a moment, Mingyan said, "Perhaps Yuzhu has no intention of harming me, but she has indeed done something untoward to me. I'm afraid I will find it difficult to help Anran calmly."

Huang Junyi nodded. "That's good. Although I appreciate your kindness, not everyone deserves your help."

Mingyan smiled slightly, "Second...cough cough...sister, don't worry, I know very well who I can help and who I don't deserve to help."

Huang Junyi smiled charmingly, "Were you about to call me 'Second Aunt' again just now?"

"No, sister misheard." Mingyan remained unmoved, refusing to admit it no matter what.

"Hehe, you can call me Second Aunt if you want. If you marry Fei Yan, then it's perfectly legitimate for you to call me Second Aunt." Huang Junyi's features were exquisite, her eyes sparkling, and her smile was ambiguous.

Mingyan was silent for a while, "I have no other thoughts about Feiyan, and besides... I heard Feiyan say that women of the Huang family don't marry outside the family, right?"

“Yes, I won’t marry out of the family or marry into their family. But there are always exceptions. Maybe you are one of them?” Huang Junyi’s expression was normal, her smile remained unchanged, and she was charming and lovely. Ming Yan didn’t dare to look closely and quickly looked away, secretly thinking, “Witch.”

Chapter 32 Goblin

Sharing a room with demons... this reminded Mingyan of Tang Sanzang in "Journey to the West"... those demons always coveted Tang Sanzang's flesh... and that special time, in the Kingdom of Women.

Mingyan felt that the Huang family was quite like the Kingdom of Women, and he was like Tang Sanzang undergoing the trials of the Kingdom of Women... It was truly agonizing...

Hmm...on second thought, it's actually a good thing. As long as I can get through this demon, my self-control when facing demons in the future will greatly improve...

Another night passed, and Mingyan gave the bed to Huang Junyi, while he sat beside her and entered a meditative state.

Huang Junyi drank quite a bit of wine last night, her face flushed and alluring. Her palace dress had a body-cinching effect, making her look exceptionally seductive as she lay on her side on the bed. Her alluring curves easily stirred up fantasies, so Mingyan didn't dare to look at her at all last night... cough cough, maybe he couldn't help but glance at her a few times. In short, Mingyan endured a agonizing night like this.

Huang Junyi closed her eyes, seemingly fast asleep, but she had actually been observing Ming Yan the whole time. Aside from glancing at her a few times last night, Ming Yan hadn't looked at her again, which amused and impressed her. But despite her appreciation, she began to doubt her own charm. Was she really an old woman? Could she really not even charm a sixteen-year-old boy?

She used to be a renowned beauty in the Eastern Continent. Although she wasn't as famous as her older sister, Huang Junru, she wasn't far behind... Back then, the three beauties of the Huang family were all exceptional. Even though everyone knew they wouldn't marry, some people still felt they were special, so the three of them still had no shortage of suitors.

But that was many years ago. Now she's old and faded, and can't even charm a sixteen-year-old boy anymore.

As Huang Junyi sighed, she sensed two women entering the room. She raised an eyebrow and then disappeared from the room.

Ming Yan was still looking up when he heard a knock at the door. "Excuse me, is Young Master Ming home?"

That voice... was it An Ran? Ming Yan opened his eyes, somewhat surprised. He subconsciously looked at the bed, but the charming "sister" on the bed had disappeared. She must have hidden herself. Ming Yan then stood up and went to open the door with peace of mind.

Mingyan opened the door and, sure enough, saw Anran and her maid Yuzhu standing outside.

An Ran was wearing a dress made of ice-crystal gauze that looked quite expensive, perhaps even representing all her possessions. Her pretty face was slightly flushed, as if she was a little embarrassed. Today, she wasn't wearing a veil, so her face was fully visible.

Mingyan remembered Huang Junyi's assessment of An Ran: because she suffered from a strange illness, she was good for nothing except for her beauty...

That was indeed a little too beautiful...

When An Ran wasn't wearing a veil, only her face from the bridge of her nose upwards could be seen. At the time, he thought her features were like a painting, quite poetic. Now that his whole face was visible, Ming Yan sighed. Just with this beauty, even if she would soon perish, would anyone be willing to marry her? Just looking at her was quite pleasing.

An Ran wore no makeup, her expression was slightly weak, her pretty face had a faint blush, and her cherry lips were slightly pursed, as if she was a little nervous. Her features gave her the extraordinary temperament of a fairy who stepped out of a painting, with bright eyes and white teeth, and a beautiful face.

And although she was delicate and frail, her perfect figure beneath the dress was undeniably alluring. If it weren't for her strange illness, a woman like her would surely be the object of many celebrities' affections...

“Miss An…” However, Mingyan had also been tormented by demons, so he did not lose his composure and nodded slightly.

“Young Master Ming, yesterday Yuzhu and I came here to cause you some trouble. Miss Huang has already confirmed with me that you are definitely not the one who stole my veil. Yuzhu and I came here to apologize. Yuzhu…” An Ran’s beautiful face showed a faint unease, and then she turned her head to look at Yuzhu.

Yu Zhu bit her lip, seemingly reluctantly lowering her head, "I'm sorry... Young Master Ming, I offended you yesterday..."

"It's nothing." Mingyan looked at Yuzhu and didn't find anything unusual. Then he smiled and said, "It's normal that Miss Yuzhu thought I was a petty thief yesterday. I didn't take it to heart."

"Hello there... Young Master Ming, this is a peach blossom cake I made this morning. I hope you will accept it, so that I can truly feel at ease." An Ran seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and had Yu Zhu hand the bamboo basket she was carrying to Ming Yan. Then, her face regained a faint blush. "I made this myself, and I hope you won't find it offensive."

Mingyan thought for a moment and accepted the bamboo basket. "Then I'll accept it. Thank you for your kind offer, Miss An. Would you like to come in and have a seat?"

An Ran quickly shook her head, "No, no... I... Yu Zhu and I will go back now. I am already satisfied that you accepted the peach blossom cake."

Mingyan nodded, and then saw Anran turn around and leave with Yuzhu.

Mingyan took the bamboo basket in his hand, closed the door, and then placed the basket on the table.

Huang Junyi then appeared at the table. She opened the bamboo basket, and inside were indeed some exquisitely crafted items with a faint peach blossom fragrance, which looked very tempting.

Huang Junyi used her spiritual energy to check it, then looked at Ming Yan, "There's nothing wrong with this peach blossom cake, you can eat it without worry... Did you notice anything unusual just now?"

Mingyan shook his head. "No, just now Yuzhu seemed a little unwilling, which is very consistent with the image she showed in front of me before. There were no flaws."

"Do you think she would have done it if she were the one who committed the crime that day?" Huang Junyi sat down and looked at Ming Yan with a smile.

Mingyan shook his head. "If I were the murderer, I definitely wouldn't make another move in the near future, because he knows I've notified the Huang family. Although he probably doesn't know what I mean to the Huang family, he certainly wouldn't act rashly again during this period. So there shouldn't be any danger during this time."

“That’s what I thought too, but in order to protect the hope of our whole family, I still have to stay here.” Huang Junyi blinked and said with a charming smile, “I suppose it will be soon to extract your blood… Little brother, this is the moment to decide whether it will be a success or a failure. If your blood can really wake up my sister, I will definitely repay you handsomely.”

Mingyan shook his head. "Sister... the Huang family has already given me benefits. I can't ask for more."

"This is a reward from your elder sister, and it has nothing to do with the Huang family." Huang Junyi shook her head, looking quite serious. "If you need your elder sister's help in the future, your elder sister will come without hesitation, not because of your relationship with Feiyan, but in my own name."

Ming Yan opened his mouth, "Actually, no..."