C14 Miss Perfect

Chapter Fourteen, The Heiress

Lu Feng's complexion turned deathly pale as his legs began to ache and numb, making it difficult for him to stand. His vision blurred, rendering his surroundings indistinct and hazy.

From the Qilin Ring, Lu Feng retrieved an arrow feather and used its sharp tip to slice into his thigh. The pain sharply brought him back to his senses. A flash of purple light in his eyes briefly illuminated his shock as he realized he was no longer at the altar but surrounded by a raging inferno, with the roar of flames and the relentless sounds of slaughter filling his ears.

Regaining his bearings, Lu Feng recognized he was back at the very spot where he had first emerged from the Teleportation Array in Exquisite Valley. But the distant conflagration and the cacophony of death were emanating from Carefree Village.

A profound sense of dread and fear overwhelmed him as he sprinted toward the village. Despite pushing his speed to its limits, Lu Feng felt agonizingly slow, the anxiety and sense of foreboding in his heart swelling with each passing moment.

"Mr. Huo Gen..."

"Huo Yu, Mrs. Bai Ji..."

"Grandpa Muh Tong, Uncle Wei Cao, Aunt Lian Rong, Muh Tong..."

Carefree Village lay before him, a macabre tableau of bodies strewn across the landscape, the sky alight with flames, not a single villager spared from the carnage.

In a frenzy, Lu Feng dashed to the lifeless body of Huo Gen, collapsing to his knees beside him. His eyes were bloodshot, his face twisted in a mask of sorrow and rage, as he cried out the names of his fallen friends and neighbors. But there was no response, no one left to answer his calls.

A sudden, searing pain erupted in his chest. Lu Feng looked down to find his hand pressed against his heart, wracked with agony. Unbeknownst to him, an arrow had silently struck from behind, piercing his back and exiting through his chest, leaving a gaping, bloody wound in his palm as well.

With a pained cry, Lu Feng collapsed, his body hitting the ground before he could even turn to see his assailant.

...

Azure Dragon Town, Jiang Mansion.

Situated in the eastern reaches of the Profound Heaven Continent, this remote town lay just beyond a mountain range from the Exquisite Valley's Teleportation Array. The Jiang Mansion stood as one of the most prominent households in Azure Dragon Town.

At this moment, within a modest side room in the backyard of Jiang Mansion, a woman's voice broke the silence with concern. "Miss, who is this person you've brought back? He's been unconscious for a whole day and night!"

The woman, dressed plainly yet with a pure elegance, had the appearance of the girl next door, exuding a gentle warmth. She was speaking to Jiang Ruoyun, the esteemed young lady of the Jiang Mansion.

Jiang Ruoyun stood to the side, clad in a simple, flowing dress. Her beautiful hair cascaded naturally, framing her eyes that sparkled like clear autumn waters. Her delicate nose and flawless skin gave her the look of an innocent girl in her late teens, yet she possessed a figure that was undeniably graceful.

With a playful giggle, Jiang Ruoyun's sweet smile lit up the room. She pointed at the man lying on the bed and reassured, "What's there to worry about? The Contract Array is in place. If he wakes up and tries anything, I can take him down with just a flick of my finger!"

Her voice was playful and charming, like a songbird in spring, her words tinged with a hint of willfulness that added to her clever allure.

The man resting in her chamber was Lu Feng, who at that moment exuded a sense of tranquility, as peaceful as a slumbering child.

Jiang Ruoyun gazed at the unconscious Lu Feng, her mind wandering. Three days earlier, while on a training excursion, she had stumbled upon the injured Lu Feng and brought him back for care. His past, whether good or bad, remained a mystery to her. To be cautious, she had discreetly established the Contract Array as a safeguard against any unforeseen dangers.

"Hmm?" Xiaorou, Jiang Ruoyun's attendant, let out a surprised chirp, her smile teasing. "Miss, you've been staring at him quite intently. Could it be that he's caught your eye?"

A blush swept across Jiang Ruoyun's cheeks, fleeting yet noticeable. She retorted with a smile, "Xiaorou, you're becoming quite bold, daring to jest at my expense."

Reflecting on her actions, Jiang Ruoyun realized she had indeed been lost in thought while looking at Lu Feng, and she felt a twinge of embarrassment.

"Miss, look! He seems to be waking up!" Xiaorou whispered excitedly.

Upon hearing the words, Jiang Ruoyun turned her gaze to Lu Feng, noticing his furrowed brow and the slight tremble of his fingertips as he slowly opened his eyes.

Lu Feng's first awareness upon awakening wasn't the strangeness of his surroundings, but rather the pleasant fragrance that filled his nostrils, reminiscent of a lotus blooming after a rain shower. Only then did he notice the two women beside him and the unfamiliar room.

He quickly checked for the tail ring and the Qilin Ring on his hand; both were still there. However, his clothes had been changed. As he was about to question the women, Jiang Ruoyun anticipated his thoughts and said with a hint of annoyance, "A servant took off your clothes to clean them. I wouldn't have let you lie on my bed covered in blood."

"Covered in blood?" Lu Feng latched onto Jiang Ruoyun's words, his mind racing back to the events before he lost consciousness. He had been trapped on a sacrificial altar, so how did he end up in Carefree Village? And despite being shot through the chest with an arrow, why was he alive and without a wound?

Wait, no arrow wound on his chest? No pain from an arrow wound on his leg? What was happening?

Lu Feng turned to face them, his confusion evident. "Was it you who saved me?"

Jiang Ruoyun gave Lu Feng a look and handed him a set of clean clothes, then asked, "Who are you, and why were you alone on that desolate mountain, injured all over?"

"Desolate mountain?" Lu Feng exclaimed, his last memory clearly of Carefree Village. How had it turned into a desolate mountain?

"That's the mountain just outside Azure Dragon Town. The miasma there is thick. What were you doing there?" Jiang Ruoyun asked, her eyes filled with bewilderment.

"What mountain? What miasma? Wasn't that Carefree Village?" Lu Feng's confusion deepened. If not for Jiang Ruoyun's earnest look, he might have thought she was playing a trick on him.

Now it was Jiang Ruoyun's turn to be taken aback. She instinctively stepped back, her voice tinged with alarm, "What are you, a human or a ghost? Carefree Village has been gone for hundreds of years."

"Hundreds of years ago? What's going on?" Lu Feng was startled by her words, his mind racing with speculation. After a moment, he inquired, "What year is it now?"

Jiang Ruoyun eyed Lu Feng curiously and remarked, "The Celestial Profound Calendar, the seventh calamity, 9979 years."

"The time is correct, but what went wrong?" A storm of thoughts raged in Lu Feng's mind. If Jiang Ruoyun was right and Carefree Village had existed a century ago, then how could he...

"A village from a century ago? How would you know about that?" Lu Feng asked, eyeing Jiang Ruoyun skeptically.

"Young? I had my Coming of Age Ceremony just last month," Jiang Ruoyun retorted, a hint of displeasure creasing her brow at the memory of the event.

"Carefree Village is infamous within a hundred miles as a haunted place, known to all. Legend has it that the village vanished overnight a hundred years ago, its inhabitants reduced to ashes, scattered to the winds. Soon after, the area became shrouded in miasma, deterring any living soul from coming near," Jiang Ruoyun shared all she knew.

Watching Jiang Ruoyun speak with such conviction, as if she were recounting history, Lu Feng began to doubt the reality of his experiences over the past few months.

Huo Gen, Huo Niu, Huo Yu, and the rest felt so real, yet why did they seem to be figures from centuries past?

Baffled, Lu Feng resolved to visit the place once more to clear the fog of doubts clouding his mind.

Xiaorou, standing nearby, watched Lu Feng pepper Jiang Ruoyun with questions and expressed her displeasure, "You're quite impolite. The lady saved you, and you haven't even offered thanks."

"My apologies, I was remiss," Lu Feng replied with an embarrassed 'thank you'.

Jiang Ruoyun's lips curled into a smile as she watched Lu Feng's bemused expression. She playfully chided, "Aren't you going to ask where you are or who we are?"

Lu Feng offered another sheepish smile, then took her cue, "May I know where I am, and who you both are?"

Observing the woman before him, Lu Feng noticed something unique about her. Conversing with her felt effortlessly natural, and deep within, he sensed an instinctive desire to protect her.

Jiang Ruoyun spoke with a serene tone, "This is Jiang Mansion in Azure Dragon Town. My name is Jiang Ruoyun, and this is Xiaorou."

Lu Feng watched as Jiang Ruoyun's bright eyes fixed on him, though he couldn't quite tell what she was looking at.

With a half-smile, Jiang Ruoyun teased, "Can't you feel any sort of connection between us?"

At her words, something clicked for Lu Feng. He tuned into his own state and quickly discovered an anomaly. Within his Soul Sea, there was now the silhouette of another person, unmistakably the woman before him. Additionally, a sinister red mark had appeared on the center of his Life Soul's forehead—a haphazardly drawn 'cloud' character.

"Contract Spirit Array?"

The term surfaced in Lu Feng's thoughts, leaving him speechless. His gaze towards Jiang Ruoyun was a mix of wariness and intrigue. It made sense now why he felt compelled to protect her.

With an air of benevolence, Jiang Ruoyun smiled, "See, I am just a young and vulnerable woman. How could I know whether you're a good or bad person? I marked you with the Contract Spirit Array for my own safety. You understand, don't you? So please, don't hold it against me."

As she spoke, Jiang Ruoyun pouted, looking as if she were the one aggrieved, which left Lu Feng feeling somewhat exasperated.

Through her explanation, Lu Feng had his suspicions confirmed about the Contract Spirit Array.

A Contract Spirit Array is an intangible bond that links individuals. In Lu Feng's case, the Array represented a unilateral contract, a type often employed by powerful families to bind untrusted disciples or slaves. Once established, the person bound by the contract would have their fate controlled by another.

To create a Contract Spirit Array, one must first inscribe a Contract Array externally, which could be done by oneself or another without affecting the Array's function. The individual being bound would then infuse their Blood Essence into the Array, integrating it into the other's Life Soul.

The demonic red mark on Lu Feng's Life Soul's forehead was clearly Jiang Ruoyun's Blood Essence, signifying that his life was now in her hands. Should she wish it, she could obliterate Lu Feng's Life Soul in an instant, ending his existence.