Li Feng snatched it up and opened it.

The elegant, graceful handwriting immediately revealed the writer’s noble bearing.

Li Feng’s heart sank as he read the contents.

_

Li Feng,

By the time you read this, I will have already left the sect.

I know you asked me to remain here until your return, and that there may be people with ill intentions waiting for me back in the Dynasty.

However... my mother, the only person who has ever truly cared for me after you, is now critically ill.

I know you will be angry.

And I also know you wanted to fully resolve my soul problem before anything else.

...But I cannot sit idly by while my own mother lies on her deathbed.

Even if I am only a discarded princess, I still carry the blood of the Fen Imperial Family.

I will hold my head high and face every obstacle that stands before me.

Isn’t that what you always told me? To have the confidence to face the world even when no one else believed in me.

...And you did believe in me.

You gave me strength when the entire world saw me as nothing more than a broken, useless princess.

Because of you, I no longer wish to hide behind others.

Please forgive me for leaving without waiting for you.

I promise I will return as soon as I have helped my mother.

Until then, please take care of yourself.

Yours,

Fen Ziyan

_

_

"Dammit!"

Li Feng cursed angrily the moment he finished reading the letter.

He could feel his blood boiling with a mix of fury, worry, and helplessness.

But even though he was filled with anger, he didn’t crush the letter in his hand.

Fen Ziyan... that stubborn princess had gone and thrown herself straight into the jaws of danger.

He was already certain that this had to be related to Fen Ziyan’s calamity.

It seemed that no matter what he did, fate always found a way to unfold according to its own will.

And this time, he didn’t have that old immortal around to give him any clues or cryptic warnings, meaning everything ahead was a complete unknown.

Li Feng knew that a calamity was far from simple since he already experienced one.

It was something that could force him to go all out and might even cost him his life if he failed to plan properly.

If he wasn’t careful, both Fen Ziyan and Lan Suyao could end up in mortal danger.

Not to mention that this was terrible timing.

His [Age of the Stars] skill was still on cooldown, with around twenty-six days remaining before he could use it again.

Li Feng paced around the dusty room in thought.

But then Li Feng exhaled sharply and ran a hand through his hair.

He made his decision instantly.

He would return to Lan Suyao immediately and board the flying ship with her.

Once they reached the Fen Imperial Capital, he would locate Fen Ziyan, drag her back into the Divine Brick, and escape that place.

He didn’t care if the whole dynasty was destroyed or if Fen Ziyan might hold a grudge—

Li Feng paused mid-thought, his expression darkening.

For some reason, the mere image of that haughty, prideful princess looking at him with resentment and disappointment made his chest feel strangely tight.

Fen Ziyan had already lost everything, so if he forcibly dragged her away against her will, especially while her mother was dying...

Li Feng remained silent.

The room gradually fell into a strange stillness.

His fingers unconsciously tightened around the letter before loosening again.

"...Tch."

He clicked his tongue and leaned against the wall, his brows tightly furrowed.

For the first time since reading the letter, the anger in his eyes slowly began to cool.

Because he suddenly realized something...

Li Feng lowered his gaze toward the letter in his hand.

His eyes stopped on one line.

...But you did believe in me.

His expression grew complicated.

"...Stupid, stubborn woman."

His voice came out unusually soft, almost gentle.

He had spent so much time treating Fen Ziyan like a fragile porcelain vase ready to crack at any moment that he had almost forgotten something.

That arrogant princess had her own pride... and her own dignity.

Fen Ziyan was never the type to run away from her obstacles.

She would only pretend to be strong, swallow her pain and continue moving forward while silently crying inside.

She was not Yue Lan.

Nor was she Lan Suyao.

Fen Ziyan was the type who would rather walk into a storm with her head held high than kneel and beg for protection.

Even if she was terrified.

Even if she was suffering.

...Even if her legs were trembling beneath her robes.

And perhaps that was exactly what Li Feng found attractive about her.

Not her weakness, but her stubbornness.

The way she would grit her teeth and force herself to keep walking forward with tear in her eyes, refusing to lower her head even when she was scared.

"..."

Li Feng closed his eyes briefly.

If he forcibly dragged her away while her mother lay dying...

Then perhaps he would save her life.

But he might also destroy something else.

...Something he could never repair afterward.

A moment later, Li Feng opened his eyes again.

The hesitation inside them vanished completely.

"Fine."

His lips slowly curved upward.

"Then I just have to bring both the mother and daughter back."

It was such a simple solution.

Fen Ziyan’s mother was critically ill from the plague?

Then he would simply cure her using his Soul Purification.

Once her mother recovered, he would bring both women under his protection... willingly or not.

Then, once the cooldown of his [Age of the Stars] had finished, he would take his time and plan to eradicate whatever remained of that calamity.

Li Feng’s thoughts began to clear, confidence rising within him as his plan took shape.

Just as he was about to leave, his face grew a little cold.

He didn’t immediately leave the sect.

Instead, he headed toward Mu Qingyao’s residence.

...He was certain that this woman knew something, or perhaps was even related to Fen Ziyan’s departure.