**Chapter 47: You’re Not Here, So I Have to Solve It Myself**

Chen Qingyan clearly underestimated the severity of the bizarre mist, or perhaps the lingering poison in her body was more terrifying than she had imagined. Even though she had collapsed to the ground, she kept writhing, tearing at her clothes, and making alluring sounds.

That would have been one thing, but her flawless skin was turning increasingly red, and white smoke was rising from her body, indicating that something was seriously wrong.

Lin Fengmian couldn't care less about anything else. He quickly helped her up, only to find that she was burning hot, and her spiritual energy was in disarray.

Damn it!

He cursed under his breath, recalling how he had been able to absorb the joyous mist before. He leaned in and activated his powers to inhale.

As Chen Qingyan's slightly parted lips released streams of red smoke, Lin Fengmian felt a surge of distraction.

After a while, Chen Qingyan, in a daze, felt the discomfort in her body being alleviated as it flowed out with her breath.

However, the process was too slow. Instinctively, she leaned in, only to bump against two soft objects.

The joyous mist inside her seemed to find an outlet and surged out of her mouth.

Her consciousness cleared up a bit, and as she opened her eyes, she saw Lin Fengmian staring at her, dumbfounded.

Their lips met, and their gazes locked, creating a somewhat ambiguous atmosphere.

Lin Fengmian instinctively placed his hand where it shouldn't be and squeezed, realizing, "Wow, I underestimated you!"

Chen Qingyan's eyes were vacant, but slowly, a glimmer of awareness returned.

She found herself pondering life's ultimate philosophy: Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?

She had intended to slice this guy with a sword, but she was so weak that she had no strength left. Moreover, it seemed she had been the one to lean in first?

Thinking of this made her feel nauseous, and her vision darkened as she fainted again.

Whether this was good or bad, she figured it was better not to see it.

Lin Fengmian spent an hour finally absorbing all the strange mist from Chen Qingyan's body, and he inadvertently absorbed a considerable amount of her spiritual energy in the process.

He swore by heaven and earth that it wasn't intentional; it just happened during the absorption.

He pulled away from her lips and looked at the quiet, unconscious Chen Qingyan, feeling somewhat distracted.

He almost lost himself and acted like a beast, taking advantage of her in that state.

Damn it, this mist is messing with my head.

He leaned down and gently kissed her again, his hand unconsciously squeezing again, when he suddenly snapped back to reality.

"Let's just call this interest," he thought, ultimately not becoming a beast, but rather something even less dignified.

He tenderly leaned her against the wall and devoted himself to absorbing the power within himself through the Evil Emperor Technique. 

When he opened his eyes again, Chen Qingyan had already awakened and was looking at him with a complicated expression.

"Senior Sister, you're awake? Are you alright?" 

Chen Qingyan felt an array of emotions inside her and merely replied with a soft "mm," then asked, "You didn't do anything weird to me, did you?"

Lin Fengmian felt a pang of guilt and hurriedly shook his head, "No, no!"

Chen Qingyan shot him an annoyed glance but chose to pretend she didn't know about what he had secretly taken advantage of.

She quietly turned away to adjust her disheveled clothes, feeling a bit annoyed.

"Senior Sister, why didn't you use dual cultivation to resolve the poison?" Lin Fengmian couldn't resist asking.

"To me, you're no different from them!" 

Chen Qingyan's words struck Lin Fengmian directly in the heart. She coldly said, "Unless I willingly choose, no one is allowed to touch me!"

Lin Fengmian felt dejected, chuckling bitterly, "So, I'm the same as them in your eyes, huh?"

Chen Qingyan remained silent, effectively confirming his thought. Yet, for some reason, seeing Lin Fengmian's disappointed expression made her feel a bit guilty.

Lin Fengmian shook off his distractions and asked, "So, Senior Sister, how are you feeling now?"

Chen Qingyan frowned, "Not good at all. I have no spiritual energy left in my body. I'll probably need a day to recuperate."

Lin Fengmian sighed, "Let's rest here for a bit; I hope everyone else is safe."

Thinking of Chen Qingyan, he couldn't help but worry about the others. The Joy Mist was so overpowering—what would happen to them?

Though he didn't want to admit it, his greatest concern was for Liu Mei. 

He hoped she wouldn't fall into the hands of the demon monk or, like Mo Ruyu, end up in trouble with some passerby.

Damn it, the more he thought about it, the more anxious he became.

Chen Qingyan nodded, choosing not to speak further. She sat down cross-legged, exhausted, and began to recuperate.

Meanwhile, in another cave, Liu Mei had blocked all the entrances before collapsing onto the ground.

She had several deep wounds, each one frightening to behold.

Yet, she smiled seductively, slowly extending her hand, revealing a small bird— the very tracking bird.

At the cost of her own injuries, she had finally managed to kill the cursed bird; otherwise, they'd all be trapped.

With a fierce grip, Liu Mei crushed the bird into a pulp, its blood dripping down her hand.

If Lin Fengmian were to see this scene, he'd surely feel a chill run down his spine.

Disgusted, she tossed the remains of the tracking bird aside, feeling an overwhelming pain coursing through her body, making her feel a bit dazed.

Along the way, she had indeed encountered some villagers, but unlike Mo Ruyu, she wouldn't stoop so low.

"Where are you, little troublemaker? If you were here, we could truly get to know each other," she pouted. 

"Right now, that guy is probably having a good time with that girl, how infuriating."

She gasped as she took out a spiky object from her storage bag, closing her eyes and licking her red lips while murmuring, "Since you're not here, I have to take care of it myself."

With a sudden thrust, she drove the spike into her body, letting out a soft moan as blood surged from the wound, pooling around her.

Liu Mei felt a wave of relief wash over her as the Joy Mist dissipated along with her blood, making her feel somewhat better.

She pulled out the spike and viciously plunged it back into her lower abdomen, drawing more blood.

Though her face was pale, there was a calmness mixed with a hint of madness in her expression.

Weakly, she laughed, "What a loss this time; now I have so many scars, and that's not pretty at all."

"Ah, it seems I can't wear nice clothes before forming my core."

She chose to bleed from her lower abdomen and inner thighs; it might hinder her movements, but at least it wouldn't show when dressed.

As for when she wasn't wearing anything?

Who besides that troublemaker would see?

Blood continued to flow from her, staining the ground red.

With her mix of madness and calm, tinged with enjoyment, it would undoubtedly terrify Lin Fengmian.

If he ever saw this, he'd probably lose all courage to approach her again.