A few hours earlier.
Feng Yu was currently sitting in a lotus position in her room with her eyes tightly closed. A sense of coldness could be felt being emitted by her body.
She had been circulating the Cold Qi within her meridians since morning. After entering the Ninth Stage of [Elementary Refinement Stage], one becomes aware of their meridians and needs to refine them using their innate Qi to make their meridians get used to it.
However, because of her condition, Feng Yu was never able to do that.
As a result, be it her body's innate Fire Qi that roars through her meridians during every backlash or the Cold Qi which she regularly circulates as a means to somewhat relieve her condition, she experiences immense pain whenever Qi passes through her meridians.
She had been circulating this Cold Qi all this while to cool down the Fire Qi resting in her Qi Pool so that tomorrow, the rise in her innate Qi won't be as substantial as she saw today.
Although the possibility of her succeeding was minuscule, she still kept circulating the Cold Qi because that was the only thing she could do at this moment.
'I must not let this affect our marriage…' she thought with gritted teeth and continued her actions without rest.
Her robes were fully drenched with sweat, and her complexion had grown pale from the cold. However, it did nothing to stop her determined mind. Marriage was a sacred and memorable day between two people, and under no circumstances would she allow herself to ruin that day for Yi Chen.
All of a sudden, she felt her Fire Qi's level drop significantly. It was as if a force which was trying to push it up had suddenly been cut off.
"What just happened…?" Feng Yu muttered while placing her hand over her lower abdomen. There was both confusion and a hint of relief evident in her eyes.
Just for confirmation's sake, Feng Yu drove her Cold Qi to react with the Fire Qi resting in her Qi pool. Naturally, she grimaced in pain, but the result of this attempt made her feel joy and relief.
'It really dropped down!' she thought in jubilation when she noticed that her Fire Qi stayed at the same level despite the aggressive reaction.
With teary eyes, she clasped her hands in gratefulness. The only thought in her mind right now was that she could normally attend her wedding.
Along with this wave of relief also came a wave of exhaustion. With her hands, she pushed up her weary body and ordered her maid to prepare a warm bath for her. A while later, she dropped on her bed like a log, unwilling to move even an inch.
What she didn't know was that the abnormality in her Fire Qi was related to the item Elder Jing was carrying in her pendant.
The moment she felt her Qi level dropping significantly was also the moment when the carriage carrying Yi Chen and Elder Jing had left the town and was making its way towards the pond.
Unbeknownst to all this, Feng Yu immediately entered her dreamworld as a subtle smile formed on her sleeping face.
Time passed, and by the time it was two in the afternoon, Yi Chen had returned to the residence.
"So, she won't be returning…" Master Ru muttered when he heard the news from Yi Chen at the dining table.
"Yes, it seems she has some important work to do," Yi Chen added as he remembered the huge array she had created above the pond.
"Well, I'm glad that we were able to host her well. You did a good job sending her there yourself, Xiao Chen," Master Ru praised with a nod as the two of them continued with their lunch.
"Is Feng Yu alright?" Yi Chen asked a while later. He had grown somewhat used to eating the meals with her sitting beside him by now. So, her sudden absence felt uncomfortable.
"Yes, she's doing much better now. She already ate her lunch early on and is currently resting," Master Ru answered.
"That's good to hear," Yi Chen nodded in relief, and the meal was finally finished.
"I'll go back to work then," Master Ru got up and left the residence soon after. Being a town head, it was natural for him to be busy with several tasks every day.
Meanwhile, Yi Chen made his way to his room completely exhausted. He had not slept even a wink last night, and to add to that, the exhaustion from the journey, it would be right to state that he was in no state to cultivate right now.
Placing the bottle containing the Eternal Fire Pills on a table beside his bed, he jumped onto his bed.
'I'll sleep for an hour and focus on cultivation later.' With this thought, Yi Chen closed his eyes and gave his body the rest it deserved.
However, what was supposed to be an hour ended up becoming hours, and he would have continued to sleep endlessly if not for his man servant's knocking on the door and calling him out.
Knock! Knock!
"Young Master, it's time for dinner!" His servant's voice was soon followed by another set of knocking sounds, and Yi Chen was finally forced awake.
'What the hell? How come it's night already?' Yi Chen thought with tired eyes as he glanced out the window. A sense of irritation welled up inside him, but at the same time, feeling how rejuvenated his body felt…he could only let out a sigh and said out loud.
"Got it! I'll get ready in a minute." With those words, he soon changed into a fresh pair of robes, adjusted his hair, and left his quarter.
'She'll at least come for the dinner, right?' Yi Chen couldn't help but think to himself as he made his way towards the dining hall.
When he slid open the dining hall's door, a pleased expression formed on his face the next moment as he saw Feng Yu, who was already sitting there and was elegantly sipping water from a cup at the moment.
Feng Yu's eyes shifted to her side the next moment and met Yi Chen's.
"Good evening, Yu'er," he said with a beaming smile.