Chapter 21

He took a few steps toward Lan Yun’er but suddenly stopped. Wait, Lan Yun’er is possessed! She’s calling him over now… could it be that she wants to do something to him? However, looking at Lan Yun’er’s extremely seductive and beautiful face, he steeled himself and hurried toward her, deciding that no matter what, even if she’s possessed, he would have her! A woman this beautiful is a fool to pass up! He rubbed his hands, his face behind glasses revealing an expression of urgency and excitement: “Xiao Yun.”

When Lan Yun’er saw him coming closer, she sneered coldly and suddenly grabbed a nearby dry wooden branch, raising it to strike at him. The dry branch hit him on the back, causing him to grunt in pain and immediately fall unconscious. She threw the branch back on the ground and clapped her hands.

Wang Zhiqiang must have been determined to do something with her today; otherwise, he wouldn’t have stayed so close to her for so long. Earlier when they had gone up the mountain, she had sensed the presence of the female protagonist, Zhou Mingyue. She guessed that today’s situation was likely orchestrated by Zhou Mingyue. Tsk, that woman is just as vile as Cao Yunxia, rotten to the core. She had just received a lesson yesterday, and today, she was once again scheming. Such a woman is both hateful and terrifying!

Lan Yun’er gave Wang Zhiqiang a disgusted glance, crossed her legs, and began to meditate. However, just as she closed her eyes, a voice echoed in the air: “Your soul and body have not yet fully merged, so your cultivation level is significantly reduced. Your current cultivation is at most 50 years.”

Moreover, before your soul and body are fully integrated, your powers will be restricted by the laws of space and time, and you cannot use magic on others. If you wish to regain your former level of cultivation and lift the restrictions of space and time, you must allow your body and soul to fully merge.” The voice was somewhat aged and came from behind her.

Lan Yun’er opened her eyes and looked behind her.

Right behind her was a thick tree, looking to be at least five hundred years old. This tree had gained spiritual awareness and had become a tree spirit.

It was the tree that had spoken.

Lan Yun’er raised her eyebrows and smiled slightly. She glanced at the tree and said with a smile, “So it’s the restriction of space and time, I knew there had to be a reason why I couldn’t use magic.”

As for her cultivation being significantly reduced, she understood that as well. She was currently trying to find a way to fully merge her body and soul.

“I guess you’ve already married?” the tree asked. “I advise you not to sleep with your husband for now, because your soul is unstable. If you do, there’s a high chance your soul will be devoured.”

Devoured? Lan Yun’er widened her eyes, surprised. “Is it that serious?”

The tree responded, “Yes, if your soul is unstable and you sleep with your husband, your soul could easily be consumed by him. And if he can’t absorb the power within your soul, he will explode and disappear. So, before your soul and body are fully integrated, you must be very careful.”

Lan Yun’er was upset and furrowed her brows, asking the tree, “You’re not just trying to scare me, are you?” After cultivating for over 1,500 years, she had never heard of such a bizarre consequence. The idea that there could be so many drawbacks before the soul and body merge was a bit hard to believe.

“Each time and space have its own set of laws,” the tree explained. “This time and space are governed by these rules. The time and space you were in before might not have had such laws, but this one does. Since you’ve come here, you must follow them.”

Lan Yun’er frowned deeply and lowered her head, a look of frustration on her face. The tree spirit wasn’t lying. She had heard before that different times and spaces had different laws, but she hadn’t expected the rules of this space to be so dangerous.

“But how did you know I came from another time and space?” Lan Yun’er asked, puzzled. She hadn’t told anyone, so how could the tree know?

The tree chuckled. “I have a special ability to identify beings from other worlds. I’m afraid I can’t explain it further.”

Lan Yun’er, feeling speechless, was a bit annoyed by the tree’s secrecy.

“If you want to merge your soul and body quickly, there is a way,” the tree added after a pause.

Lan Yun’er’s eyes lit up. “What method?”

Lan Yun’er followed the tree’s instructions and went about a hundred meters ahead to pick two spiritual herbs. These herbs were hidden, and without the tree’s guidance, she would have had a hard time finding them. After picking one and placing it in her basket, she ate the other one herself. Then, she sat down to meditate.

The tree had told her that the quickest way to merge her body and soul was to use the rare treasures of heaven and earth. The most valuable treasure in the forest was the spiritual herb. Things like thousand-year-old ginseng were unattainable. Lan Yun’er didn’t want ginseng anyway, as her original form was ginseng, and it felt strange to consume something like herself.

After meditating for several hours, Lan Yun’er felt the full effects of the herb merge into her body, and her soul seemed more stable. She smiled and exhaled deeply, slowly getting up from the ground.

Looking at Wang Zhiqiang, still unconscious nearby, she couldn’t help but sneer. His physique was so weak that she had thought he would wake up within an hour, but it had taken much longer.

She shook her head in disbelief, picking up the basket that had been on the ground, thanking the tree, and beginning to walk back down the path.

After walking a few dozen meters, she summoned a bird to wake Wang Zhiqiang.

When Wang Zhiqiang was pecked awake, he was momentarily dazed before quickly getting up and seeing Lan Yun’er some distance away. He frowned and shouted angrily, “Lan Yun’er, you bitch! You dare to knock me out! How could you be so despicable?”

Earlier, he had thought that Lan Yun’er was possessed, but now it seemed she had been pretending all along, putting on an act to make him scared, only to then try to seduce him. She was just playing him for a fool!

Lan Yun’er glanced back, her lips curling into a mocking smile. She couldn’t be bothered to respond to Wang Zhiqiang.

Fuming with rage, Wang Zhiqiang rushed to chase after her, shouting, “Lan Yun’er, today I’ll make sure to kill you! Stop, don’t move!”

Lan Yun’er scoffed to herself. Even if she stopped, he wouldn’t be able to do anything to her. However, she wasn’t going to stop. She deliberately quickened her pace and ran like the wind, carrying the basket.

Wang Zhiqiang shouted even louder, “Stop, stop!”

In less than ten minutes, Lan Yun’er had already lost Wang Zhiqiang. After getting rid of the annoying guy, she began picking more herbs in the forest.

Although spiritual herbs were the most valuable in the forest, there were other useful herbs, too. She could sell them for money, even if she didn’t use them herself.

After picking a good amount, she went hunting for wild animals.

Her five birds, knowing the best spots in the forest where wild animals hid, helped her quickly catch two wild chickens and a grey rabbit. The wild chickens and rabbit were quite fat, each weighing at least 7 pounds.

She thought to herself that she would cook one of the wild chickens tonight, and sell the rest in town tomorrow. She had gathered a fair amount of herbs, and with the fat chicken and rabbit, she was bound to make a good amount of money.

A smile crept onto her face as she hummed a tune, heading down the mountain. To avoid being seen by others, she took a small path home. After all, two wild chickens and a rabbit were considered rare delicacies, and in this era, such meat was very valuable. If some people saw her, they might feel envious or even resentful.

The path was rarely used, and she walked happily, eager to get home quickly. However,…