80 A Little Dance, Entering the World of Cultivation 4 (1/2)

Staring at the birch beams supporting the roof of the study, An Fei blinked for a moment, her thoughts unable to keep up. Feeling two patches of dampness on her face, the girl reached with her fingers to discover two trails of tears racing down her cheeks.

…why was she crying?

The girl frowned as her brows furrowed, attempting to sieve through her memory in confusion. When she reflected over the contents of her dreams, her chest suddenly released pangs of nostalgia and painful sentiment upon attempting to recall the two figures.

The elderly person seemed rather familiar to An Fei, as if she had met him before. As for the young girl, she felt more than a mere familiarity; the mere thought of the child caused her heart to seize on itself and rapidly pulse in an unknown emotion.

However, she couldn't remember their appearances.

The elder possessed a tranquil aura while the child was adventurous and curious, yet that was the farthest the girl could recall about her dream regarding the two figures.

It was just that one phrase remained in her mind, untouched by the fading of memories.

”To open their pores and absorb the breath of nature…” the girl whispered to herself. ”The breath of nature known as spiritual qi… to flood the blood, meridians, marrow, flesh, and organs of the body…”

Was that how a practitioner cultivated in the Body Tempering Realm? Was it a feasible path for her who couldn't absorb a grain of spiritual qi without experiencing hell?

”This is still a little too complicated…” the girl groaned to herself, dragging her body into a sitting position.

The instant she did, black spots arose in her vision and a sense of vertigo and numbness overtook her body, causing An Fei to crash back down onto the bed. Her brows creasing into the a deep frown, the girl awkwardly lay in bed, unsure of what was happening.

”…what's going on?”

”Fei'er… you're awake?”

Just then, a raspy voice interrupted her thoughts as a pair of powerful arms dragged the girl into a tight embrace.

”Fei'er, you're truly awake?”

The man continued to press An Fei's body against his chest, the hoarse voice repeating her name in an incoherent manner. As she struggled to extricate her body from the male's embrace, two droplets of water grazed her neck.

Startled, the girl abruptly raised her head to discover Wei Xuan's joyous countenance.

The handsome countenance had dimmed severely, and could only be called haggard. Wei Xuan had, in his preoccupation, forgotten to shave his beard, and his eyes clearly revealed his distraught emotions as he gazed at the confused expression of the girl.

”Fei'er,” the minister suddenly uttered after noticing that the girl had ceased her struggling and simply stared at him. Kneeling onto the ground that his gaze was level with hers, Wen Xuan clasped An Fei's cheeks with both hands.

”Fei'er, Father is sorry,” he spoke with a wan smile.

”Father is sorry that you had to suffer such pain. Father won't do that again anymore, alright?”

An Fei nodded, her head swimming with numerous questions. Though she didn't notice observe anything wrong with Wei Xuan's behavior, the girl noticed that something had changed.

Something about Wei Xuan's demeanor had imperceptibly altered itself, causing the girl to wonder what exactly had happened.

”Father…” the girl's murmur through lidded eyes caused a tremble to race through Wei Xuan's heart.

”Are you doing alright?”

”Ah?” Wei Xuan froze, before looking down at his rather unpresentable appearance. Fingering his chin with a cheeky smile, the minister patted the girl's head, speaking with a boisterous tone.

”Your Father's perfectly fine, little lass! This Father has been through much worse during the days of battle when he was a youngster; a few days of not shaving is nothing!”

”O-oh…”

Hearing the minister boast about his obviously not healthy condition, An Fei quickly demurred and said no more, intending to rest in bed for a little longer. However, Wei Xuan pulled her into a seated position against the edge of the bed, his large palm supporting her frail back.

”Here, don't sleep in this stuffy study if you can avoid it,” the minister coaxed with a soft tone.

”Let Father take you to enjoy the scenery next to the pond in the courtyard.”

”O-oh… ah?”

Perhaps it was due to the lingering effects of severe anemia or the subtle yet drastic changes in Wei Xuan's personality catching An Fei off guard, but the girl found herself unable to comprehend the situation by the slightest.

Without giving the girl a chance to mull over his words, the minister quickly bundled An Fei into a thick coat. As she was placed onto the wheelchair and wheeled outside of the study, the girl found herself unable to reply due to a mix of Wei Xuan's sudden actions and her own uncertainty.