As time passed, the pained expression on Ziling's face gradually eased, and her complexion grew rosy again, as though some kind of power was nourishing her body.
Even though the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master didn't know about the Crimson Ancient Tower inside Ziling, seeing her reaction, she surmised that Ziling had likely emerged from her suffering with a blessing in disguise.
Seeing Ziling improve, the weight on Chu Feng's heart finally lifted. But he couldn't help turning his gaze toward Song Yun, who remained unconscious.
Song Yun's life had been saved, but her condition was still far from optimistic—she was extremely weak.
Song Yun's attempt to sabotage Ziling naturally infuriated Chu Feng. After all, Ziling was someone of tremendous importance to him.
Yet Chu Feng and Song Yun did share a bond. No matter how this girl treated others, she had always been genuine with him.
Seeing Song Yun in this state, Chu Feng felt a pang of discomfort—even a trace of guilt.
After all, in a sense, Song Yun had ended up like this because of Ziling.
"Brother Chu Feng."
Suddenly, a voice transmitted through the air reached Chu Feng's ears.
It was Ziling.
Chu Feng noticed that Ziling still appeared to be meditating with her eyes closed, but the voice transmission had unmistakably come from her.
Ziling doing this was something Chu Feng could understand.
The Crimson Ancient Tower had been entrusted to Ziling by Chu Xuanyuan, who had instructed her that no one must ever learn of it.
So Ziling had only told Chu Feng—not even the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master.
That was why the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master simply believed Ziling was afflicted with some illness, unaware of the Crimson Ancient Tower within her.
Of course, Ziling's silence wasn't born of distrust toward the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master—it was simply… following Chu Xuanyuan's orders.
And so, even though her cultivation session had concluded, she continued to pretend she was still cultivating, presumably to seize this opportunity and speak with Chu Feng about the Crimson Ancient Tower first.
"Ziling, how are you?"
Understanding her intent, Chu Feng replied through a voice transmission of his own.
"Brother Chu Feng, the first gate of the Crimson Ancient Tower has opened a sliver. I feel… there must be some deeper meaning to it, and I also sensed certain things. If I can comprehend them, perhaps this gate can fully open."
"Although, that senior gave no further hints."
"But I have a feeling that if this gate opens, the senior inside the tower won't give me any more trouble—and might even offer me some help."
"I just haven't been able to fully grasp it yet," Ziling said.
"Wait a moment. Let me see if I can help you," Chu Feng said.
"Alright, then I'll get up now."
After sending that final transmission, Ziling opened her eyes and rose to her feet.
Seeing Ziling stand, the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master hurried over to ask about her condition.
Since Ziling couldn't reveal the truth about the Crimson Ancient Tower, she could only say that her illness had improved and that she had indeed gained an unexpected blessing from her misfortune. She said there was now a power inside her body, and if she could utilize it properly, her cultivation would surely advance.
Of course, the power she referred to was in fact the Crimson Ancient Tower. Unable to speak of it plainly, she could only give a brief summary.
The Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master didn't seem to care what exactly the power was. She had studied Ziling's illness for a long time, and since she could detect no trace of the Crimson Ancient Tower, she genuinely believed Ziling had been stricken with some rare and peculiar ailment.
In her view, as long as Ziling's condition had stabilized, that was already a tremendous stroke of good fortune. If Ziling had managed to turn adversity into gain, that was an even more delightful surprise.
"Well then, since you're better, let's head back," the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect Master said.
But the moment those words left her lips, the joy that had filled Ziling's face dimmed by more than half.
"Master… could I perhaps stay behind for a while before returning to the Crouching Dragon Martial Sect?"