Chapter 73: The Feeling of Being Targeted by a Thief

Ji Shaofeng was just about to speak when Xuan Yuanji's voice sounded again.

"Come here. Let me see if you're hurt."

"I'm not," Ji Yin answered immediately.

"Did your hand hurt when you hit him?" Xuan Yuanji asked again.

"A little."

"You have a weapon with you. Why didn't you use it?"

"You mean this feather? I... I don't know how."

Xuan Yuanji took the Phoenix Plume and suddenly realized that all the soul power he had imbued in it had vanished. Looking at Ji Yin, he sensed a familiar soul power emanating from her.

So, the soul power in the Phoenix Plume had been absorbed by that sinister force within her? And she could use it?

If that power within her had such a function... it might not be a bad thing.

Ji Yin knew Xuan Yuanji must have noticed something unusual about the Phoenix Plume. If he questioned her, how could she explain it?

Yet, Xuan Yuanji didn't ask anything as she feared. Instead, holding the Phoenix Plume, he said to Ji Yin, "Watch."

The Phoenix Plume slipped from Xuan Yuanji's hand and floated before Ji Yin. He formed a seal with his fingers, sending a stream of soul power into the plume. It suddenly transformed, becoming a feathered fan.

"This is its original form."

Ji Yin held the fan, composed of ten feathers. They weren't the soft kind; each feather was sharp as a needle. Such exquisite craftsmanship was rare, even on Liu Sha Star.

"If you don't like the fan, I can change it to another style. After you reach the fourth tier, you can modify it as you wish."

"I'm used to it. I like it very much." Ji Yin smiled and nodded.

"Young Master, I'll leave this Lord Chu in your care."

"Alright," Ji Shaofeng nodded.

Xuan Yuanji took Ji Yin, who was still studying the fan, and led her toward their residence.

Ji Shaofeng watched their departing figures, his gaze falling on Xuan Yuanji's tightly held hand around Xiao Qi.

Night fell. A crescent moon quietly climbed the treetops, casting mottled shadows across the earth. Ji Yin played with the Phoenix Plume as she stepped out from the house and sat on the steps before the door.

The Scarlet Flame Mink followed her, nestling close.

After Ji Yin's fight with Chu Yu today, the Scarlet Flame Mink was completely convinced by her.

Ji Yin turned, gazing toward the window. Xuan Yuanji was still writing cultivation methods. She had no interest in helping him grind ink this time.

Xuan Yuanji couldn't possibly have missed the disappearance of the soul power from the Phoenix Plume. Did he not want to know how it vanished and where it went?

Beneath the window, Xuan Yuanji wrote intently, a lamp beside him illuminating his upright figure.

Ji Yin raised her fingers, framing Xuan Yuanji's silhouette.

"Truly pleasing to the eye. Tsk, it's one thing to be handsome, but to be so powerful as well—such a disaster for the nation, a scourge upon the people!"

As she looked at Xuan Yuanji, a thought flashed through Ji Yin's mind.

The little demon couldn't devour Xuan Yuanji's soul power all at once, but through the Phoenix Plume, could they take it bit by bit? The sudden idea delighted her.

But the delight lasted only a moment—it depended on Xuan Yuanji's willingness to infuse soul power into the Phoenix Plume.

Xuan Yuanji felt that burning gaze fixed upon him.

It wasn't admiration; from the moment he met Ji Yin, he'd felt like a thief had set her sights on him.

He put down his brush and turned to look at her.

As expected—the wolfish gaze, bold and undisguised.