Volume 1, Chapter 27 – Leaving

“Shi Feng?” Shi Lan called out tentatively.

Silence from outside the door.

When she waited a long while without hearing a reply, Shi Lan began wiping the filthy blood off her body. Beneath the grime, skin was revealed that was far fairer and more delicate than before.

Aside from the change in her skin, Shi Lan also felt much lighter, as if she had shed a shackle. There was a sense of clarity that spread from the inside out.

After changing out the water several times and cleaning herself up, Shi Lan tiptoed out of the bath.

Fortunately, because of her training, there were times she bathed three or four times a day. Fresh clothes were always prepared in the bathroom.

Once she was dressed and had confirmed there was nothing unusual, Shi Lan opened the bathroom door and walked out.

There was no one in the room. The door was tightly shut, and the bloodstains on the floor had already been cleaned away.

Shi Lan’s heart loosened. After stretching her body a bit, she lazily flopped onto the bed and let out a long, contented breath.

By chance, she caught a glimpse of the mirror opposite the bed. Shi Lan froze, then scrambled up from the bed and hurried over to stand before the mirror.

Shi Lan was nearly twenty, yet the person in the mirror didn’t look a day over eighteen. Her skin had changed even more noticeably than before, now carrying a clear, translucent sheen.

Most importantly, even though the person in the mirror was dressed in men’s clothes, there was an obvious extra hint of softness to her.

“Why do I look so damn girly…”

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Shi Lan frowned in discomfort and patted her cheeks lightly. She forced her expression to turn more stern, which finally diluted some of that soft, feminine air.

【Main quest issued: The Host has safely passed the novice period and should no longer hole up in one corner. Leave Tenglong City within three days.】

【Quest reward: One basic lottery draw. Quest failure: random punishment.】

Shi Lan started to feel torn.

She really didn’t want to leave this place. Tenglong City was great—food, drink, and people to protect her. It was the perfect place to grow.

Lie low and build up quietly, then go out and have fun once she was strong enough. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

But Shi Feng’s visit today had sounded an alarm for her. This was still the Shi Residence—too many people, too many eyes. A single wooden door like this couldn’t stop a martial artist at all. Who knew when she might be exposed? Leaving here might actually be the better choice.

“What do you mean by random punishment?” Shi Lan asked silently.

【The Host is unwilling to leave Tenglong City, which shows the Host severely lacks drive and mental maturity and requires further discipline. The specific punishment will depend on the situation.】

Shi Lan was speechless. If she could, she really did want to curl up in one place until she had enough strength to protect herself, then go out and experience all the wonders of this Lingyang Realm. Unfortunately, the system wasn’t giving her that chance.

With a system that talked about erasing her at the drop of a hat, Shi Lan had no desire to find out what its punishments looked like.

Shi Lan pulled the door open and walked out. Maybe it really was time to leave.

Shi Feng was pacing back and forth in the courtyard, occasionally looking up at the sky.

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“Shi Feng.”

At the sound of her voice, Shi Feng turned around. Seeing that Shi Lan was fine, he let out a breath of relief.

After carefully looking Shi Lan over twice, Shi Feng suddenly shifted his gaze away in a panic, the tips of his ears turning red.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing Shi Feng’s odd expression, Shi Lan asked in confusion.

“N–nothing. As long as Young Master is unharmed, this subordinate will take his leave first.” With that, Shi Feng hurriedly left the courtyard.

Watching Shi Feng’s departing back, Shi Lan fell into thought. She was still under confinement right now, and even if she weren’t, any time she went out it would definitely be with a whole group of guards. Sneaking away on her own would be no small hassle.

If she wanted to leave the Shi Residence, she’d have to plan it out carefully.

Taking the Dust-Cleansing Pill hadn’t taken much time, so Shi Lan was still hungry by evening. But she had already refused the medicinal meal prepared for the night, so she had no choice but to go to the back kitchen herself and ask for an ordinary dinner.

After eating and drinking her fill, Shi Lan lay down on the bed, pulled the quilt over herself, and sank into sleep. Tonight, she did not enter the virtual space again.

Over this past month, Shi Lan had been constantly forcing herself to train, and she was already mentally exhausted. On top of that, the effects of the Dust-Cleansing Pill had tormented her again today. Right now, all she wanted was a good rest.

……

The next day, Shi Lan got up at the crack of dawn.

After getting up, she began wandering around the Shi Residence—from the outer walls to the inner courtyard, from the back gate to the front gate.

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She spent the entire morning making two circuits of the Shi Residence. Only once she had a rough grasp of the layout did she return to her own quarters.

Now that she knew the general layout, Shi Lan decided to leave the Shi Residence tonight.

If she dragged it out any longer, the Purple Star Seven-Section Halberd would no longer be able to stay in the system’s temporary storage. Just thinking about running away with nearly three hundred jin of weight on her back made Shi Lan feel tired.

In the afternoon, Shi Lan went to Su Lanyue’s private courtyard. She was about to leave the Shi Residence, and it didn’t feel right not to pay her respects before she left.

“Why the sudden thought to come see me?” After dismissing the servants, Su Lanyue looked Shi Lan over in puzzlement. She felt Shi Lan had changed a lot, but she couldn’t pinpoint what exactly was different.

“It’s been a long time since I paid my respects. You’ve been on my mind.”

“No need to worry about me. It’s you I’m more concerned about. How is your Vajra Divine Fist coming along?” Su Lanyue said she wasn’t worried, but judging from the smile at the corner of her eyes, she was clearly very pleased by Shi Lan’s visit.

“I’ve made some minor progress.”

“That’s good.” Su Lanyue took Shi Lan’s “minor progress” to mean she’d gotten some gains from it. She didn’t associate it with truly reaching the minor completion stage.

After all, it had only been a bit over a month since Shi Lan had taken the Vajra Divine Fist manual. In such a short time, it was already quite good to have gained anything from it at all.

After some small talk, Shi Lan took the Vajra Divine Fist manual from her breast and placed it in front of Su Lanyue. From Su Lanyue’s attitude that day, this manual was clearly very precious. Now that she was leaving, returning it was naturally the better choice.

“What’s the meaning of this?” A trace of disappointment flashed in Su Lanyue’s eyes. She simply thought Shi Lan didn’t want to continue practicing it.

“I’ve already memorized the Vajra Divine Fist completely, and the Martial Dao insights contained within it aren’t of much further use to me. It’s safer in Mother’s hands.”

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“Very well.”

Su Lanyue thought for a moment, then nodded and accepted it.

Shi Lan sat for a while longer, then rose to take her leave.

“Mother, please take care of your health.”

At the doorway, Shi Lan couldn’t hide the complicated feelings in her heart and couldn’t help turning back to say one more line.

Her feelings toward Shi Tianlu and Su Lanyue had always been a bit complicated. Although she had accepted Shi Lan’s past memories and felt filial affection toward the two of them, there was still a layer of distance in her heart that made it hard to truly open up.

“No need to worry about me. Take good care of yourself.”

Watching Shi Lan’s departing back, Su Lanyue shook her head with a helpless smile. This child…

……

That night, Shi Lan first went to the back kitchen and had them prepare some dry rations for her, then returned to her room.