“Not at all. I have no idea where you found such complex and profound fragments of the formation. I've been studying for so long and only have a little clue,” Liu Meng shook her head. “If you’re interested, come help me research it when you have time. With your current level, you should be able to assist me.”

“Sure, Master.”

Bai Feng nodded. He had always been somewhat interested in the fragments of the terrain formation, but with so much on his plate, he hadn’t had the chance to delve into it. Now that Master Liu Meng was leading the research, he naturally wanted to join in.

…

At Su Lanqian’s home.

In a dimly lit bedroom with the windows tightly shut.

Su Lanqian lay on her bed, surrounded by several personal items used by Bai Feng. In her hand, she clutched a half-used pencil.

While Bai Feng’s belongings could ward off her inner demons, they couldn’t stop the emotions that were creeping into her heart.

Everyone else was making progress; even Bai Feng had reached the late stage of the Golden Core before his retreat, while she remained stuck in the early stage due to her inner demons.

This filled her with a sense of panic, a fear of being left behind and ignored.

She couldn’t help but think back to when she was a talented prodigy, brimming with confidence, and now, seeing her inability to advance only deepened her pain and sadness.

“Su Shijie, are you home?”

Suddenly, a voice broke through her spiraling thoughts.

That voice was…

Su Lanqian felt a surge of panic. She didn’t understand why she felt this way; she had been eager to see Bai Feng, yet now she couldn’t bring herself to face him.

“Su Shijie?”

She raised her hand slightly but ultimately curled up under the covers, pretending she wasn’t home.

Gradually, the knocking grew fainter, as if the person at the door had left.

As she sighed in relief, a sense of loss crept into her heart.

Just then, she heard the sound of the door being pushed open. As footsteps approached, she quickly buried her head under the covers.

Chapter 152: Why Do You Have to Appear in My Life?

“Why is even the bedroom door locked?”

Bai Feng pushed against the bedroom door, a hint of helplessness on his face.

Su Lanqian’s situation seemed more serious than he had imagined. If Liu Meng hadn’t anticipated this and given him the key to her room in advance, he would have been stuck at her door.

After successfully opening the door, he thought he could avoid breaking in, but to his surprise, Su Lanqian’s bedroom door was also locked from the inside, and there was no key to open it.

In the end, he had no choice but to force his way in.

“Su Shijie, I’m sorry.”

Bai Feng pressed his right hand against the door, gathering his strength, and a formation appeared before him.

But in the next moment, the formation was easily dispelled, and he pushed the door open with force.

Bai Feng stepped into the dimly lit bedroom and looked at the empty bed. He lifted the bed sheet that had fallen to the floor and looked underneath.

There, he found Su Lanqian curled up in a small blanket, her wide eyes staring back at him.

“Su Shijie, what are you doing?”

At Bai Feng’s question, Su Lanqian’s face flushed, and she buried her head deeper into the blanket, resembling a silkworm cocoon.

“…”

After a few seconds of silence, Bai Feng reached down and pulled the large ‘cocoon’ out from under the bed, effortlessly placing her on the bed.

Then he gently peeled back the ‘cocoon’s’ outer layer, revealing the smooth, pale skin of the ‘silkworm’ inside…

“...I’m sorry.”

He paused his actions, helping to cover the ‘silkworm’ back up with the blanket.

Why was Su Lanqian sleeping without clothes?

Bai Feng sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the seemingly lifeless ‘cocoon.’ Although the atmosphere was incredibly awkward, he didn’t leave.

After a few minutes, the ‘cocoon’ seemed to finally give in. She poked her head out from the blanket, though her eyes still dared not meet his: “Um, is there something you need?”

“That’s what I should be asking you,” Bai Feng said softly, gazing at Su Lanqian. “Has something been troubling you lately? Both our Master and I are very worried about you.”

“N-no, I’m fine,” Su Lanqian shook her head, her head showing signs of retreating back into the blanket.

“Su Shijie, if you keep saying that, I’ll have to resort to more forceful measures.”

Bai Feng placed his hand on her head, gently pulling back the blanket to reveal her entire face.

As Su Lanqian lost some of her ‘protective shell,’ her body visibly trembled. She lowered her head, still stubbornly insisting, “I’m fine, really. You don’t need to worry about me. Just let me be alone for a while.”

“Su Shijie, please look into my eyes.”

Bai Feng held her face gently, leaning in slightly to ensure her gaze was fixed on him.

In his eyes, black and white flickered, and in the next moment, Su Lanqian found herself standing before a tall yet dilapidated house.

“Where is this…”

She looked up at the familiar building, clenching her fists involuntarily.

“Is this your home?”

Bai Feng’s voice suddenly echoed in her ear. She instinctively turned her head to see him standing beside her, looking up at the building.

He withdrew his gaze and smiled at Su Lanqian, “Su Shijie, aren’t you going to invite me in for a bit?”

“...Um.”

After a few seconds of silence, Su Lanqian nodded. She stepped forward and pushed open the old, heavy wooden door.

Inside was empty, with only a few old tables and chairs, but the place was clean, as if it were regularly tidied up. Not a speck of dust could be found on the worn furniture.

“This used to be the guest reception area,” Su Lanqian seemed to be explaining to Bai Feng, or perhaps just talking to herself. “When I was young, there was a precious teapot and a chessboard here. My grandfather loved to invite a few friends over for tea and chess on nice days. But as I grew up, the teapot and chessboard were sold off. My grandfather stopped drinking tea and playing chess, and just sat here staring into space. Half a year later, he passed away.”

She walked through the reception area and pushed open another door, revealing several empty bookshelves, with only a few tattered books left on them.

“There were never many books here when I was a child, but I still liked to hang out here. I’ve flipped through those old books several times, imagining a future where I could be like the protagonists in the stories, free from family constraints, doing whatever I wanted.”

She exited the study and continued to walk toward other rooms.

“This was where I studied as a child. My family spent quite a bit of money on it, but I didn’t like it then, and I still don’t.”

“This small room was where I used to sneak off to sleep. When the adults found out, I hid in the storage room to sleep instead. Back then, there were still a lot of things in there, but as time went on, the stuff in the storage room dwindled, and there were fewer and fewer places to hide.”

“And here…”

Bai Feng followed closely behind Su Lanqian, listening to her recount her past.

After finishing the last room, she paused, a smile creeping onto her face: “But I’ve heard that since I started learning formations with Master, the situation at home has improved a lot. This house should no longer resemble the dilapidated place I remember.”

“Bai Feng, do you know?” She looked up at him, a bittersweet smile on her lips. “My parents, and the entire Su family, believe I can lead the family back to its former glory, and I once believed that wholeheartedly.”

“I had never lost before, and I didn’t think I would lose to anyone else. Even the talented disciples of Feng Ling Sect were no match for me. I truly believed I was one of a kind, a genius far beyond others.”

“Until I met you, a mere Foundation Establishment disciple who easily defeated me. In that moment, I felt that all my efforts, all my beliefs, and everything I had was just a joke. I couldn’t accept that outcome; I really couldn’t…”

She slowly reached out, grabbing Bai Feng’s shirt: “Why did you have to appear in my life? Why did fate have to bring forth someone with even greater talent than me?”

The black and white in Bai Feng’s eyes gradually faded. He slowly opened his arms: “Do you need a shoulder to lean on? Or you can hit me if you want; do whatever you like, just this once.”

“…”

She slowly lowered her head, resting it against his chest, her voice barely a whisper: “Actually, I’ve been complaining less and less lately. I’ve come to realize that I’m not so different from others. I’m not special, nor am I one of a kind. After all this time, I think I should accept my ordinariness. Thank you, Bai Feng, for being willing to tolerate me, and thank you for teaching me about those formation techniques…”