After being jilted by the saintess at the beginning, why is she crying?

He picked up the coarse blue robe, and seeing that the girl in purple still showed no sign of leaving, he had no choice but to grit his teeth, turn to the side, and quickly change.

"Let's go, don't keep Miss waiting. Come with me to formally meet her."

After changing his clothes, Lin Fengmian was led by the girl in purple to stand before Miss Gu once again.

He suppressed the myriad thoughts in his mind and, imitating the manner of ordinary scholars, bowed with his hands clasped in greeting:

"My name is Lin Fengmian. I thank Miss Gu for saving my life."

As he spoke, he carefully observed the women around him and found that although they were all beautiful, they all possessed a strength and vigor far exceeding that of ordinary women.

The maid in purple and the maid in green walked with steady and powerful steps.

Bright, sharp eyes; fit and energetic physique.

She was nothing like the delicate, frail girls in ordinary boudoirs.

Gu Qingge raised her eyebrows, her gaze meeting Lin Fengmian's with an open and honest look. She seemed to linger on his face for a moment longer than usual.

Then a dashing smile appeared on his lips:

"Young Master Lin, there's no need for such formality. Our meeting is fate; I, being a passerby by the river, couldn't very well stand by and watch someone drown."

And so, Lin Fengmian followed Gu Qingge's group in a daze, and entered the so-called Qingyun County City.

This city wasn't particularly large, nor was it small, but compared to the cultivation cities Lin Fengmian remembered, which were teeming with cultivators and filled with flying magical treasures, it was still quite small.

It's practically a super rudimentary starting village!

Looking around, the streets were filled with horse-drawn carriages and oxcarts, and the aroma of grains, chicken, duck, fish, and meat wafted from the restaurants and teahouses.

The pedestrians on the street were all dressed in ordinary cotton and linen fabrics; not a single person could be seen wearing a decent robe.

Lin Fengmian paid special attention to the shops along the street, but he couldn't find a single place that sold spiritual medicines, magical artifacts, or talismans!

The streets were filled with restaurants, teahouses, cloth shops, and theaters—purely mundane businesses.

Just as he was secretly alarmed, he suddenly saw a richly dressed woman riding a tall horse through the middle of the street, followed by several obsequious male servants.

The men, with their heads down and shoulders hunched, carrying bags at their waists and water pouches in their hands, followed the woman on horseback cautiously.

In a teahouse by the street, several women were talking and laughing loudly, discussing which young master was both talented and handsome, and which man was skilled in needlework.

"Good morning, son," she said, while the man beside her silently poured tea and served her, not even having the right to interrupt.

"It's confirmed! There don't seem to be any cultivators here! And... it seems like women are in charge?"

Lin Fengmian felt a chill run through him. This was completely upside down from the world he knew!

Soon, the group arrived at a mansion. The mansion wasn't luxurious, but its entrance was imposing.

It possesses an air of authority and nobility.

Above the main gate hangs a plaque with the two characters "Gu Mansion" written in vigorous strokes.

Lin Fengmian obediently followed the maid in purple into the room, but his eyes scanned the surroundings like radar.

What he saw almost made his eyes pop out!

The guards at the city gate were previously dashing female soldiers! Now, the guards at the mansion gate are tall female bodyguards!

The servants moving about in the courtyard were mostly women, with only one or two male servants occasionally passing by.

They all hunched their necks and lowered their heads, not daring to walk loudly, looking like they were of low status.

"Holy crap! Damn it! Could I have... fallen into a matriarchal society?!"

An absurd and terrifying thought exploded in Lin Fengmian's mind!

"Alright, Miss must be tired from her outing. Everyone, please disperse and go about your duties," a middle-aged woman who looked like a steward instructed. The servants in the courtyard responded and dispersed.

The maid in purple smiled and said to Lin Fengmian:

"Young Master Lin, Miss has instructed you to come with me. Until Miss has other arrangements, please do not leave your residence without permission, or you will face serious trouble."

Upon hearing this, Lin Fengmian's heart skipped a beat.

What does this mean? Are they trying to put me under house arrest?!

He suppressed his displeasure and followed the purple-clad maid through two corridors, where he was led to a clean and tidy guest room with sturdy doors and windows.

The maid in purple pointed to the bed, table, chairs, and a pot of hot tea on the table in the room, and said with a smile...

"Young master, please rest first. If you need anything, just call the people outside," he said, turning and walking out, closing the door behind him.

Lin Fengmian stood in the center of the room, looking around.

The room was simply furnished with a bed, a table, and a chair. The window frames were covered with thin white paper, and the whispers of two female guards could be faintly heard outside the door.

They come, the security.

He took a deep breath, walked to the bedside, sat down, closed his eyes, and began to try to sense the situation inside his body.

It was empty, still completely empty.

The once ever-flowing vortex of spiritual energy in his dantian had vanished without a trace, not even a hint of spiritual energy could be found.

What made him even more uneasy was that the connection with the Spirit Spring Jade Pendant had been completely severed.

It felt like a kite with a broken string, no matter how much he pulled, he couldn't reach the other end.

Lin Fengmian clenched his fists.

The little black snake was hatched from his snake egg. Although they didn't spend much time together, it was at least his first real connection in this world.

However, upon calming down and thinking about it, since the large black water viper could sense the essence and blood aura on the little black snake, it probably wouldn't harm its offspring.

Perhaps the little black snake was taken away by the big snake?

Perhaps the giant snake pushed him away to repay him?

Lin Fengmian rubbed his temples, trying to suppress these chaotic thoughts for the time being.

The most important thing right now is to figure out what this Qingyun County is, why there is no trace of spiritual energy here, and how he can restore his cultivation.

In the days that followed, Lin Fengmian finally experienced what true "life confined to the inner chambers" meant—never stepping outside the door, never leaving the inner chambers.

Three meals a day were delivered to their mouths, and in the evening, maids would prepare hot water and changes of clothes in advance.

She even whispered to him from behind the screen while he was taking a bath if the water temperature was suitable.

"Damn it... why do I feel like I'm the one being kept in captivity, waiting to be slept with?"

Lin Fengmian was soaking in a steaming wooden tub, looking up at the ceiling with a look of utter despair.

He longed for the days when he could stroll among a sea of ​​flowers without a single petal clinging to him. Back then...

Chu Qingyi's face, which seemed to both resist and welcome, Gongsun Mili's captivating peach blossom eyes, and Yan Qingyao's little gesture of biting her lip in embarrassment and annoyance.

...Which one of them wasn't itching with desire because of him?

And now, he's the one being flirted with.

Fortunately, the maid Qiu Mei seemed to have a special fondness for him.

The girl was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with a round face and almond-shaped eyes. She had two shallow dimples when she smiled, and she always liked to steal glances at him when she spoke.