Chapter 159:
Once Claire and Feng Yixuan reappeared, the two examined their new surroundings.
“Isn’t this the outskirts of Fenghua city?” Claire recognized where they were immediately.
“Oh, it is.” Feng Yixuan nodded. He had been here many times before.
The two looked at each other and found their clothes torn and bloody, cutting sorry figures.
“We should first find a place to wash together.” Feng Yixuan raised a brow, smirking.
“Do you have a scroll home?” Claire asked seriously, ignoring Feng Yixuan’s shady words. “Your mother sent me there with a scroll before.”
“I do, I do.” Feng Yixuan hurriedly took out a scroll from his interspatial storage ring. These scrolls were extremely precious, crafted by senior Feng painstakingly. Only his mother didn’t treat them seriously. The scroll that Feng Yixuan had, however, was a teleportation scroll for one person only.
“Oh, how about this. You hold onto the scroll tightly. No matter what happens, don’t let go,” Claire said seriously.
“Okay.” Feng Yixuan didn’t understand what Claire wanted to do, but he listened obediently. He rarely saw Claire this serious, so he listened very carefully.
“Let me see the back of your right and and the fingernails of your left hand.”
“Okay.” Without thinking, Feng Yixuan obediently listened, twisting his hands in opposite directions.
With a “tch” sound, the scroll tore apart.
With a flash of light, before Feng Yixuan had the time to cry, he disappeared, teleported to Feng manor.
“What an innocent child,” Claire shrugged wickedly. Of course, she had her own plans. Feng Yixuan needed to report back to the senior what dangers they had faced and that Feng Yixuan had broken through the eleventh level of the Heavenly Astral Wind. But Claire knew if she told Feng Yixuan, he definitely would refuse, wanting to stay by her side, so she could only trick him into returning home.
Suddenly, there came a laugh that was unable to be restrained. “Pffft…”
Claire frowned and turned around. Some distance away was a man in white looking towards her. Although there was some distance between them, the two could see each other and each other’s movements clearly. Claire was somewhat surprised. She hadn’t noticed his presence because she had been so focused on tricking Feng Yixuan. Now that she concentrated, she could sense his presence. This person was powerful. She had been too careless. If he was an enemy, she would have been in danger.
Clearly, he had laughed because he had seen Claire tricking Feng Yixuan.
Claire didn’t sense any killing intent, so it wasn’t an enemy. She turned around to leave. All she wanted right now was a bath and change of clothes. Her clothes were still soaked in blood and sticking to her body uncomfortably. After that, she would go home. The Temple of Light would never let her off for long.
Just when Claire was about to leave, the man called out, “Wait! Claire!”
Claire frowned and looked back to see the man hurry over, puzzled. She was certain she didn’t know him, so how did he know her name?
He arrived before her quickly. It was Carter!
Claire sized up the man. His handsome young face had a hint of boldness, his eyes with maturity that did not match his age. Claire somehow felt he seemed familiar.
“I don’t know you,” Claire said coldly.
“But I know you.” Carter smiled. Although she was covered in blood, with one glance, her distinct refined features and emerald eyes showed through. She was the dazzling girl from the memory crystal. He never would have thought he would run into her here or that she would be such an intriguing person. She tricked someone so easily.
Claire looked at the smiling man, strangely feeling his clothes looked very familiar, as if she had seen them before, but where?
“I saw you in a memory crystal when you were at Lagard’s martial arts tournament. You’re even stronger now.” Carter watched Claire intently. He really, really wished to have a duel with the girl, really wanted to know how strong she was now. Between the two of them, who was stronger? But he could not fight with her right now. The fresh bloodstains on her clothes meant she had just been through a vicious battle and still hadn’t recovered.
“Oh,” Claire said indifferently, understanding. But it didn’t matter. Claire turned around, walking away.
“Wait,” Carter suddenly appeared before her. “Miss Claire, could we have a duel? Of course, not until you’ve recovered.”
Oh, a battle freak. In other words, an idiot.
Claire didn’t respond, turning around.
“Miss Claire,” Carter hurried after her, “please have a duel with me.”
Claire ignored him, continuing onward.
“Miss Claire, please have a duel with me,” Carter buzzed after her like a fly.
“You are not my match.” Claire stopped. She turned around, looking at Carter. “Do you think you could win against me right now?”
“The results of a battle are unpredictable,” Carter said seriously.
“Do you know how my stronger I am now?” Claire was starting to get annoyed now. Were the heavens playing tricks with her? It seemed every time she became stronger, a more powerful opponent would appear. Now that she thought about it, it really was like that! Every time she improved, she would meet someone stronger than her! Even in the Land of Rebirth, after breaking through the tenth level, she had run into the nine city lords. Perhaps if there were two or three of them, she could possibly be a match for, but the all those powerful people came to corner her and Feng Yixuan, how unlucky! And now comes along this battle freak. Did she look like a pushover? (Author’s note: Actually, it’s the no good author playing with her, teehee, please don’t hit me.)
Carter paused. To him, Claire was currently injured, so her strength was a level below his. Once she recovered, their strength should be about the same.
“If you want to fight me, wait until I’ve recovered. You’ll be beaten so badly, you won’t even know what hit you. Come find me at Hill manor if you want beating.” Claire said heedlessly.
How arrogant!
Carter’s expression began to gradually darken. It was the first time someone spoke to him so disrepectfully.
“I’ll escort you home and wait for you to recover! Then we’ll have a duel!” Carter stubbornly persisted, his eyes dark.
“Not interested.” Claire didn’t care for battle freaks at all. If not for her injuries, she would have beaten him up from the start. Si Konglin’s pill had stopped the bleeding, but hadn’t healed her injuries.
Carter didn’t reply, following her closely.
Once Claire entered an inn in her sorry state, everyone looked at her strangely, or more accurately, looked at Carter strangely. Claire was a bloody mess, while Carter, dressed in white, didn’t have a speck of dust on him. Did he fail to guard her properly? Carter also felt the strange glances and lowered his head awkwardly.
At nightfall, Claire changed out of her clothes after a bath and sat on a bad. She could feel the Lotus power course through her body. To her astonishment, she discovered the power was working autonomously. Although it was very slow, the power was circulating through her body, healing her injuries.
She never expected the Treasured Lotus Style to have such miraculous properties. Claire pressured the Lotus power, increasing its speed. If it maintained this speed, she would be completely healed within days, wonderful!
Ever since the Golden Lotus had last absorbed lightning, he had been in deep slumber, never having woken since.
Claire wondered how the capital was like now. Her mind emptied and her spirit slowly entered an incorporeal realm. Everything seemed to have quieted and appeared almost transparent.
Claire sensed the surroundings, the carvings on the bedpost, the dust in the cracks of the floor, the lock on the door. Her range slowly widened, reaching the floor of the hallway, the staircase at the end of the hall, and then to the floor below, where people drank and chatted.
Everything was perfectly clear.
Just when Claire was about to withdraw her consciousness, a low voice stopped her.
“I heard the Hill clan is in big trouble. Even that powerful Duke Gordan has a headache now.”
“Of course they would be! Marquis Roger’s wife actually attempted to murder the crown prince. That is no small crime. I hear she was imprisoned in Calou garden.”
“Ah, truthfully, I feel like it’s not that simple.”
“Of course. It’s obviously part of some plot. The emperor still hasn’t chosen who the successor will be, so the two princes’ relationship is tense.”
“Keep your voice down…”
Claire did not finish listening to the rest of the conversation, her mind already on the capital. Mother was imprisoned? For attempting to murder the first prince? Impossible! This was clearly a conspiracy! But she could only know exactly what happened if she asked Grandfather.
Claire withdrew her consciousness and opened her eyes. She took out the teleportation scroll Emery had given her, extremely worried.
With a bright flash, Claire disappeared.
At that moment, Carter, who was in the room next door, sat up.