Mei Lin wasn't sure what was truly happening in the city. The sect had stationed overseers to monitor those entering the Green Zone, but after the recent chaos, it had been easy for the sect to regain control. Yu Lan, her strength faltering, slowly stood up and began dragging Mei Lin toward the inner parts of the city, hoping to avoid the sect's scrutiny. It took them a while, and they eventually stopped at the entrance of a destroyed mansion. They stood there momentarily, gazing at the dilapidated structure until Yu Lan noticed something strange.
Mei Lin's torn red robe was gradually repairing itself, the ripped sections magically stitching back together. Yu Lan didn't notice it at first, but after staring at the fabric for a few moments, she could hardly believe her eyes. Shaking off her disbelief, she dragged Mei Lin through the entrance of the mansion, her mind racing with questions.
Yu Lan was exhausted after just a few dozen meters and had no desire to venture deeper into the mansion. Though the building was in ruins, she felt uneasy about sneaking into someone's home, even one so devastated. She watched in awe as Mei Lin's red robe continued to mend itself, the damaged parts closing seamlessly while absorbing the blood that had stained it. Shifting her gaze to Mei Lin's face, Yu Lan's breath caught. The girl's snow-white skin was streaked with dried streams of blood, trailing from her eyes down to her neck like crimson tears.
Yu Lan's expression softened as she looked at Mei Lin's childish face, a faint smile tugging at her lips. She could see that Mei Lin was utterly exhausted, her body even weaker than that of a non-cultivator. Helping Mei Lin to the front doors of the mansion, Yu Lan gently lowered her to the floor and stroked her white hair, now tangled and matted with dust and blood, a sign of neglect.
"What happened to you after you left…?" Yu Lan whispered, her voice filled with concern. But before she could finish her sentence, exhaustion overtook her, and she fell asleep. Both drifted off, resting among the ruins of the ancient mansion, which began to rebuild itself thanks to a mysterious formation cast over the buildings in the Green Zone.
The next morning, Mei Lin awoke, her eyes blinking open as she took in her surroundings. The mansion, which had been a crumbling wreck the night before, now showed no signs of the previous destruction. A flicker of unease passed through her, as they must have entered an occupied space, yet no one had come to expel them. Mei Lin was still lying on the floor, her complexion paler than the day before.
Though Yu Lan wasn't a cultivator, she sensed a subtle improvement in Mei Lin's condition as she looked at her. Despite the girl's pallor, she seemed in better shape than the previous day. Yu Lan tried to assess Mei Lin's health more closely but couldn't accurately gauge her state. With her strength renewed by rest, she lifted Mei Lin into her arms and carried her inside the pavilion at the heart of the mansion's garden.
As soon as Yu Lan opened the pavilion doors, a warm gust of air rushed toward her, enveloping her in a gentle aroma, a scent only cultivators could perceive, created by the condensed natural energy emitted from a special branch of the defensive formation that enveloped all of Peng City. Cultivators in the Green Zone could purchase this branch of the main formation to create a higher concentration of natural energy for better cultivation, though it was still far inferior to the energy within the sect's inner sanctum.
The wave of natural energy washed over Yu Lan, and though she couldn't see or feel it directly, she felt waves of searing heat pierce her skin, coursing through her body. It cleansed her pores, purging dead cells and impurities, but the intensity overwhelmed her. Nausea surged within her, and she stumbled through the open doors into the pavilion, collapsing to the floor. Black mucus poured from her mouth, splattering onto the wooden floor, and as she continued to choke, the viscous substance covered her face, hair, and green robe.
Mei Lin, startled by the sound, leaped to her feet, though her movements were sluggish, her body still weak. She hurried to Yu Lan's side and used her natural energy to assess her condition. Mei Lin could sense that Yu Lan had partially broken through the limits of mortality as the surge of natural energy had cleansed her body of the impurities she had accumulated throughout her life.
Realizing Yu Lan needed time to complete the purification process, Mei Lin rushed into the pavilion to find something to help. Moving quickly through the restored halls, she found a small storage room containing bottles of water and a few clean clothes, which she placed in her storage ring before hurrying back.
On her way back, a sense of dread gripped Mei Lin. She felt a sudden spike in natural energy and detected that someone had used their cultivation just outside the pavilion. Channeling her natural energy to move faster, she raced through the pavilion, her blade cutting through debris and broken furniture in her path to reach Yu Lan as quickly as possible. When she arrived at the doors, she found only Yu Lan, lying on the floor, her breathing shallow but steady.
Mei Lin extended her spirit sense, searching for clues about what had happened. She detected traces of someone who had used their cultivation, a faint, lingering energy signature. Focusing her natural energy, she pieced together the events, as if someone had given Yu Lan a healing pill, preventing her from choking to death and helping her body expel the last of its dead cells. Mei Lin gently helped Yu Lan to her feet and guided her into the pavilion, settling her in a room with a bed. She then sat beside her, entering a cultivation state to speed up her recovery while keeping watch, waiting for Yu Lan to awaken.
*****
Next day. Unknown pavilion. Green Zone.
Mei Lin opened her eyes, a sense of unease settling over her as she scanned the room. She felt as though they were being manipulated or moved by an unseen force. The sensation of being a sitting duck in a pond offered little comfort, but the fact that someone had helped Yu Lan of their own accord surprised her. She closed her eyes again, her mind racing as she considered their next steps, determined to uncover the truth behind their mysterious benefactor.