The Emperor's Phoenix

Chapter 31 | Her Reassurance

刘 映 月

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Liu Ying Yue

Cold...Her body was surrounded by piercing frost and darkness, fighting against the rushing currents and reaching out for any source of heat. With her senses dulling from the lack of air, Ying Yue was only certain of her fate as she sank lower and lower into the depths...

Shooting up into a sitting position, Ying Yue took in deep breaths as she attempted to make out the outline of her surroundings in the brink of night. Ignoring her stiff, bandaged muscles, she felt around with a hand, observing the cool rock underneath and the thick robes draped over her body as a blanket. 

Where is Zhang Wei?...

As the sound of rustling cloth and footsteps suddenly approached, she cautiously crept back, the fire from a torch revealing the identity of the unknown person and her crow perched on their shoulder.

"...Ming Yu!" she winced at the raspiness of her voice, Hei Wu flying over with a caw of greeting. "How--? Where--?"

I sent Hei Wu back to Chen in case Lu Cang needed anything else, so this could only mean...

"It's about time you got up." The physician noted in relief, immediately entering the cave and going to her side. Holding the torch in one hand, he threw the robes in his other free hand over the sleeping figure of an unexpected person--Feng Mian. As Ying Yue continued gaping at him in silence, he procured a package of herbs from his sleeve and handed it to her. "I know you have a lot of questions, so please take this concoction first."

The harsh bitterness hit her tongue as she did so, giving him a pressing stare for answers as he shifted into a comfortable position. "...Then."

"Of course...First of all..." he cleared his throat as Hei Wu perched on his shoulder again with a tilted head, "We are currently in Chen and you have been asleep for four days. As you can see from your crow's presence, Lu Cang is also here--well, not here with us, but he is in Chen...And he sent a message to meet him in the capital in five days--which is quite fortunate now that you woke up..."

"...It's also fortunate that he managed to escape from his predicament..." she muttered to herself guiltily, urging Ming Yu to continue on.

I wonder...how the situation has changed now that Emperor Tang has taken over...Everything was such chaos, and I'm not even sure of what actions to take now...

"As for why Feng Mian is with us..." the physician let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head in exasperation. "I saw her laying out some traps against those Tang bastards on her way back, found out she was a fugitive involved in illegal martial arts, helped her steal a raft to escape, and we eventually found you swept ashore..."

More surprises after another...

"...I see...How interesting..." She was unsure of how to react at the revelation of the young girl. Servants' powers were often weaker and used less often, as the upper classes had the fear of rebellion. It only made sense that Feng Mian kept her abilities secret to avoid the consequences, and Ying Yue decided to ask her more when she woke up.

"Speaking of which..." She raised an eyebrow. "How did you manage to find us before we were dead?"

"Hm. Well, I didn't force you two to take the regeneration pill for nothing." He bore a self-satisfied smile. "Its properties also involve placing the user in an unconscious state from major injuries and lets the maker--which is me--sense the user's internal energy."