Chapter 46: The Beauty in Court Attire

“Pfft...”

After Du Fei left the Lian family residence, he hadn't walked half a mile when he could no longer hold back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

“Master, are you alright!” Xiao Ai, who had been standing beside him, finally snapped out of her shock and asked worriedly.

Du Fei casually wiped the blood from his face and said calmly, “It’s nothing serious. I took Lian Zhen’s life and left three Eighth Rank Martial Masters of the Long family. It’s only natural that I had to pay a price.”

Seeing Xiao Ai’s worried expression, Du Fei didn’t say anything more. Instead, he chose a well-known tavern and walked in, ignoring the waiter’s astonished face as he casually ordered some wine and dishes.

Fortunately, although Du Fei was covered in blood, the two of them had an extraordinary demeanor. The tavern staff, though puzzled, did not dare to be the slightest bit negligent.

Sitting in the tavern, Du Fei took a moment to regulate his breathing, temporarily suppressing his injuries. In fact, during the clash with Lian Zhen, he had already suffered serious internal injuries. To activate those pills, he used the Pill Technique, which left his true qi almost completely depleted. Even the last pill, he didn’t manage to activate successfully.

Therefore, he wasn’t unwilling to take Lian Ji’s life; he simply lacked the ability to do so.

Sitting in the tavern wasn’t just for leisure; it was an opportunity to recover some strength and observe the actions of various factions. No matter what, this night would be the longest of all.

After sitting in the tavern for two hours, everything unfolded as Du Fei had anticipated. Every major and minor faction had already left the Lian family. As for what the Lian family would do next, it was no longer a concern for Du Fei.

At the same time, each major faction had sent spies to observe his actions, either close by or from a distance.

Du Fei acted as if he didn’t notice them. After eating and drinking to his heart’s content, he left the tavern with Xiao Ai and returned to the courtyard of the Du family residence.

“Pfft...”

Back in his room, Du Fei had just sat down when he spat out another mouthful of blood, his body trembling slightly.

“Master, you!” Xiao Ai was truly alarmed this time, grabbing Du Fei’s hand with a look of helplessness on her face.

Du Fei smiled faintly and said, “It’s nothing serious. Spitting out this blood actually makes me feel better. First, help me prepare some washing things. I can’t heal properly if I’m not clean.”

As he spoke, Du Fei casually tore off his blood-soaked robe and threw it on the ground.

In the past, Xiao Ai would have blushed and run out, but today she acted as if she hadn’t seen anything, quickly bringing hot water.

“Master, does it hurt...”

She gently touched the charred fist mark on Du Fei’s chest, her face on the verge of tears.

“Sss...”

After drawing a sharp breath, Du Fei laughed bitterly and said, “Of course it hurts. I didn’t expect Lian Zhen to have advanced the Flowing Flame Technique to this level in just three months. If he had another half a year, I might not have been his match! That day, I made a grave mistake. If I had known, I would have done everything to get that cultivation technique, even if I couldn’t use it, I wouldn’t let others benefit from it.”

As he spoke, Du Fei laughed coldly and continued, “But although I am seriously injured, Lian Zhen is dead. No matter how you look at it, I’ve come out on top.”

Saying this, Du Fei frowned slightly.

In fact, he shouldn’t have taken that punch. He was enraged by Lian Zhen’s move and, in a fit of anger, used the third flash of the Void Flash Technique, which he hadn’t mastered, and took a direct hit from Lian Zhen’s punch.

The punch itself wasn’t a major issue, but Lian Zhen’s Flowing Flame True Qi had penetrated his body. Before he could expel it, he had to use the Pill Technique, depleting his true qi. Without the protection of true qi, Lian Zhen’s true qi wreaked havoc inside his body, making it extremely difficult to expel.

However, Du Fei didn’t want to worry Xiao Ai with these details. Instead, he had her fetch silver needles to prick and release blood, and apply some healing ointments. Then, he went to the inner room to meditate and recover.

Although Xiao Ai had many questions, she didn’t have the heart to press him for answers at the moment.

“Sigh...”

Exhaling a long breath, he expelled a boiling hot gas from his body, and the burning sensation inside him subsided slightly. After feeling the flow of true qi in his body for a moment, Du Fei finally relaxed.

No matter what, he had managed to save his life. Fortunately, the Ice Heart Technique he practiced was a natural counter to fire-based techniques, allowing him to suppress Lian Zhen’s residual true qi so easily.

However, it was only suppression!

Lian Zhen had used all his strength in that moment. Even an Eighth Rank Martial Master would have hesitated to take that hit. The fact that he only suffered this much damage was a stroke of luck.

With his injuries suppressed, the next step was to slowly refine the true qi. If he was lucky, it might even enhance his strength.

Of course, this was Du Fei’s best hope. In reality, successfully expelling the true qi from his body would be the best outcome.

Slowly retracting his unusual gesture, feeling his breathing become smoother, Du Fei’s gaze fell on the courtyard outside, and he frowned slightly.

Even in the tavern, he had sensed someone following him, and even after he returned to the Du family residence, the person hadn’t left.

He didn’t know the person’s identity or intentions, but Du Fei disliked being monitored.

Unfortunately, he didn’t have the extra strength to investigate the person at the moment. He could only suppress the urge to go out and investigate, continuing to use the Ice Heart Technique to slowly heal his internal injuries.

“Did you shatter the name jade charm I gave you for this boy?” On a rooftop about a hundred meters from Du Fei’s courtyard, a beauty in court attire stood with a cold expression, her gaze faintly falling on Du Fei’s house, her eyes devoid of emotion.

“It is Du’s incompetence that alarmed the Holy Envoy. If there was any mistake, please punish me!” Du Zhen Tian, standing beside her, had a calm face but still bowed slightly, speaking in a slightly respectful tone.

“No matter.” The beauty in court attire nodded faintly. “At fourteen, he has already advanced to the Ninth Rank Martial Master and can use the Pill Technique, which means he is at least a Ninth Rank Alchemist, if not higher... Such a person is rare even in our main family. If he were to fall in such a small place, it would be a loss for our main family. In this regard, you did the right thing...”

Saying this, her gaze slowly swept back.

Behind her, two stiff bodies lay on the ground, clearly having died in shock.

Du Zhen Tian glanced over, his eyes twitching. The two dead men were skilled hands of the Lian family. Even he would have had to exert considerable effort to deal with them, but they couldn’t even last a round against this beauty in court attire.

“Such a person! Why didn’t you report him earlier?” The beauty in court attire huffed in dissatisfaction, her cold voice sounding again.

“Although Du Fei’s talent is already extremely high, I originally thought he would only reach Du Han’s level, so I didn’t dare to alarm the Holy Envoy!” Du Zhen Tian hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.

A cold smile appeared on the beauty in court attire’s face for the first time. She looked deeply at Du Zhen Tian and said slowly, “Your meaning is that this time, the three elders have done a good deed. By forcing him, they brought out Du Fei’s true abilities. Otherwise, neither you nor I would have known that our Du family has produced another genius!”

Hearing this, Du Zhen Tian frowned slightly. He understood the nature of this beauty in court attire and could read the implications in her words. He nodded slowly and said, “Regardless, the actions of the three elders this time can be considered a betrayal of our Du family. I will deal with them and give Du Fei an explanation, ensuring he doesn’t lose faith in our Du family... However, losing these three elders will weaken our strength in Bu Yue City... The Yun and Long families have been trying to interfere in Bu Yue City. If we deal with all three of them... our Du family...”

“Just spare their lives. Finding three new elders isn’t that difficult, is it?” The beauty in court attire said faintly, then added in a low voice, “I remember he is Du Tian’s son, right? We will be responsible for reinvestigating Du Tian’s death. From today’s events, it seems the Yun and Long families are also involved... Let Du Tian return to the family register.”

Hearing this, Du Zhen Tian nodded slightly. This was something he had already considered, but he wanted the Holy Envoy to remind him.

With that, there was nothing more to say. After a brief hesitation, Du Zhen Tian spoke in a low voice, “Holy Envoy, I wonder who Du Fei’s master is. Without a master, it would be impossible for him to cultivate martial techniques and alchemy on his own.”

The beauty in court attire shook her head slowly, then looked at Du Zhen Tian with a half-smile, half-frown, and said, “Rest assured, he is not from our main family... I am also curious about his master, but I don’t intend to investigate. If my guess is correct, his master is one of those old eccentrics... How many alchemists can train such a disciple? These people are all difficult to deal with. I advise you to drop that idea. Just remember, no matter what, Du Fei is still a Du.”

Du Zhen Tian’s body trembled, and after a moment, he sighed, “I was being overly hopeful. The Holy Envoy’s advice is well taken!”

The beauty in court attire huffed coldly and said no more. She waved her hand slightly, and a moment later, she vanished into thin air, leaving Du Zhen Tian standing alone, his expression complex.