It took Chen Xuan quite some time to calm himself and fully return to reality.
By then, even the lingering sensation upon his lips had gradually faded away.
Only the mysterious technique engraved within his mind remained as proof that everything he had experienced had truly happened.
That, and the inexplicable change he could faintly sense deep within the very depths of his soul.
Unfortunately, this was hardly the time to investigate such matters. Time was running short.
He had already spent far longer than expected studying the two books. He could no longer afford to waste another moment.
Suppressing the countless questions swirling through his mind, Chen Xuan stored the now completely ordinary book inside his spatial ring.
Then his gaze swept across the remaining bookshelves.
After confirming that none of the other books emitted anything unusual, he quickly lost interest.
’It’s already astonishing enough that Luan Yuan possessed such a mysterious treasure.’
’Besides, the only reason it remained in the library was that she was forced to leave in a hurry.’
’If she truly possessed other valuable treasures, there is no way she would have left them here.’
Even so, Chen Xuan silently made up his mind.
Once he left the Myriad Souls Sect, he would thoroughly search through Luan Yuan’s memories.
Only then could he discover where she had obtained this mysterious inheritance. Perhaps he might also uncover clues regarding the identity of that mysterious woman.
After giving the library one final glance, Chen Xuan turned and left the room.
The moment he stepped outside, he prepared to call Honglan over.
However, just as his divine sense spread through the residence, his expression suddenly changed.
Without hesitation, his figure blurred. The next instant, he vanished.
When he reappeared, he was no longer outside the library. Instead, he stood before another room.
The door was shut.
Chen Xuan reached forward and casually pushed it open.
No formation was activated, nor were there any other safeguards.
The door easily opened, revealing what lay inside.
Yet it was precisely what was inside of it that caused Chen Xuan’s expression to change.
Honglan stood inside.
She held an enormous chunk of roasted beast meat in both hands and was happily bringing it toward her mouth.
Her eyes had curved into crescent moons as she chewed contentedly, occasionally letting out pleased little purring sounds like a cat enjoying its favorite meal.
"What do you think you’re doing?"
Chen Xuan’s cold voice echoed throughout the room.
Only then did Honglan notice his arrival. Her body instantly froze.
A deep crimson blush spread across her cheeks.
She hurriedly turned around, desperately searching for somewhere to hide.
After hesitating for only a brief moment, she made her decision.
Looking at the massive piece of beast meat in her hands, she gritted her teeth.
Then, she stuffed the entire thing into her mouth.
The roasted beast was originally larger than her own body.
Yet the moment it entered Honglan’s mouth, it disappeared as though swallowed by an endless abyss.
Only her cheeks bulged dramatically for several moments before the enormous lump visibly slid down her neck like a python swallowing its prey.
A few breaths later, everything vanished.
The gigantic piece of meat had completely disappeared.
Honglan’s figure returned to normal. As did her expression.
The blush on her cheeks faded as though it had never existed.
She calmly clasped her hands behind her back and looked at Chen Xuan with the bearing of an enlightened senior.
"Did you find anything?" she asked with a serious expression.
"I’ve already sensed that this courtyard is unfathomable. It must hide great mysteries."
As she spoke, she slowly raised one hand before herself and gently rotated her palm, looking every bit like a mysterious expert contemplating the secrets of heaven and earth.
Combined with the unfathomable aura naturally surrounding her, almost anyone would have mistaken her for a mysterious senior.
Had Chen Xuan not witnessed the previous scene with his own eyes, even he might have believed it.
However, recalling the image of Honglan devouring roasted meat as though she had been starving for centuries, he could only feel speechless.
At that moment, he finally understood why Honglan had acted so enthusiastically earlier.
Damn it! This girl had never cared about searching for clues to break the formation.
From the very start, her true target had been the kitchen.
More precisely, the food stored inside it.
The more Chen Xuan thought about it, the more speechless he became.
He hadn’t noticed that Honglan was such a foodie.
He had always believed Honglan liked lollipops because they were forged from precious metals.
Now it seemed she didn’t have any actual preferences.
"Didn’t we agree to search for clues about the formation? Is this how you search for clues?" Chen Xuan asked through gritted teeth.
Had he possessed his former cultivation—and had the timing not been so terrible—he would have bent Honglan over his knee and given her a proper spanking.
Honglan seemed to have sensed his thoughts. She immediately understood that he must have seen what happened earlier.
However, who was she?
How could she willingly admit to something like that?
Hearing his question, she maintained a calm expression, waving her hand dismissively.
"It’s only a mere formation."
"At my peak, I could shatter something like this with a single wave of my hand. Although some of my memories have become fuzzy after all these years, breaking the formation of a mere Nascent Soul cultivator is not difficult at all."
"Hmph! Who do you think I am?"
"Are you looking down on this ancestor?"
Her tone remained as arrogant as ever. This time, however, Chen Xuan stopped scolding her.
Instead, his eyes suddenly lit up.
Indeed. Honglan had once mentioned that she had studied formations under her Master.
More importantly, she had been the one who discovered the clues needed to activate the Cross-Domain Teleportation Array.
Since she was so familiar with formations, there was indeed a chance that she could find the loopholes in the formation.
Thinking this far, Chen Xuan wisely chose not to ask why she had failed to mention it earlier.
He strongly suspected that Honglan would simply blink innocently, claim she had forgotten, and somehow find a way to blame him instead.
’I am just an Artifact Spirit. As a Nascent Soul cultivator, how could you forget something so important?’ he could almost hear these words.
Unwilling to waste any more time, Chen Xuan decisively abandoned the argument.
Ignoring both Honglan’s earlier antics and whatever treasures remained inside the courtyard, he strode forward, grabbed her by the scruff of the neck, and—much to her indignant squeaking—carried her away.
Moments later, he set her down before the protective formation surrounding Luan Yi’s courtyard and pointed directly at the shimmering barrier.
"You have five minutes. If you fail to break this formation before then, I’ll cut off your lollipop supply for an entire year."
The instant those words left his mouth, Honglan’s face turned pale. She frantically waved both hands.
"Don’t worry! Don’t worry!"
"Five minutes? I can do it in three! No... two!"
She repeatedly patted her chest, looking extremely confident.
Then her expression became serious. Her double-pupiled eyes focused on the formation before her.
Soon, formation runes were reflected upon them.