NOVEL NEXT Chapter 614: Reaching the Peak 23
Tan Shuangshuang stroked Fei Hu's head, thoughtfully watching Hua Qingcheng's figure. She was now very certain that this Hua Qingcheng was definitely not the Hua Qingcheng she knew in her past life.
Because aside from one face, Tan Shuangshuang could not associate these two people together at all; their personalities were too different.
This Hua Qingcheng had beauty but was stupid to the point of being unbearable to see, whereas that Hua Qingcheng was cold and fierce, willing to endure any hardship to climb up, strong-willed, never shedding a tear. Compared to this fake Hua Qingcheng, they were completely two different people.
Tan Shuangshuang knew that only two types of people in this world could have such extreme personality changes. One was someone who suddenly experienced a major change, usually a tragic event, which triggered a sudden change in character; the other was someone who was possessed.
Generally, those who can possess others are high-level cultivators who have reached above military general level. High-level cultivators have strong Divine Souls; even if their physical body dies, the Divine Soul can seize another person's body for rebirth, which is possession.
The person who is possessed is equivalent to having their own self erased, becoming entirely another person, naturally leading to a drastic change in personality. Tan Shuangshuang felt that Hua Qingcheng's drastic personality change could only be explained by possession.
Lu Tianyi had left, and no one was in the mood to watch a vain woman play a solo drama, so they all bypassed Hua Qingcheng and left. Hua Qingcheng squatted in place, still immersed in the shock of being abandoned by friends she believed would not run.
Tan Shuangshuang didn't know when Hua Qingcheng might be possessed, nor could she manage this matter. Those who possess are soul bodies, highly concealed, and Tan Shuangshuang's current strength made it a dream to discover the existence of a possessor.
Everyone merely regarded meeting Hua Qingcheng as an interlude, not taking it seriously, and forgot about it after returning to the Tan Family.
Now everyone's most interesting thing was being commanded to find a mate, each enthusiastically preparing to pursue the other half they fancied.
Of course, there were those playful ones still thinking about living in Heavenly Snow for a few days again, and some were contemplating how to send Tan Shuangshuang and Tan Feiyu, who generously invited them to Heavenly Snow, a couple of gifts to express their gratitude.
Tan Shuangshuang watched the younger generations of the two families already starting to play together. As long as they spent more time together, they would naturally warm up to each other. Tan Shuangshuang reduced her time spent with Liang Ziqian; her thoughts were now more focused on cultivation.
Tan Shuangshuang's current rank was only at the Samurai level, which was decent among the younger generation, but Tan Shuangshuang didn't want to keep playing with children. She didn't want to face a situation where she had to rely on family power to escape when targeted by killers like Mr. Lan.
Although the family power was strong, it wasn't hers. In times of danger, it might not always come in time to rescue her, nor could it always, as was the case with Mr. Lan, give Tan Shuangshuang enough time to set a trap.
Regarding Tan Shuangshuang's desire to further enhance her strength, both Tan Wencheng and Tan Qianzheng expressed their support. Although the union with the Liang Family was a big deal, it couldn't be bigger than Tan Shuangshuang's cultivation, as her development represented the Tan Family's future, naturally warranting utmost importance.
Fortunately, the younger generations of the Tan and Liang families had already started interacting, eliminating the unfamiliarity between them. Even if Tan Shuangshuang no longer set an example with Liang Ziqian, it didn't matter, as long as she remembered to talk with Liang Ziqian regularly and didn't act distant.
In her past life, Tan Shuangshuang's rank was at Ninth Rank Warrior, nearly breaking through to martial master. However, she later neglected cultivation for Liang Ziqian and never managed to break through to martial master. Thinking back now, Tan Shuangshuang felt regretful. If she had a higher rank in her past life, the obstacles in this life would have been fewer.
Previous cultivation had always been methodical, but this time, Tan Shuangshuang planned to go out and cultivate through expeditions. Not far, just wandering around Mang Mountain, combining cultivation with picking Spiritual Medicines, and conveniently taking Fei Hu along.
Fei Hu had been raised by Tan Shuangshuang since birth. Its first sight was Tan Shuangshuang, the first milk was fed by Tan Shuangshuang, and the hunting Skills were taught by Tan Shuangshuang. Everything Fei Hu learned came from Tan Shuangshuang's teaching.
Although Tan Shuangshuang had perused numerous books introducing various traits of Winged Tiger and tried to teach Fei Hu in a way Winged Tigers guide their young, she was ultimately not a Magic Beast and couldn't truly teach Fei Hu like a Winged Tiger would, requiring Fei Hu to hone itself in nature.
In her past life, Tan Shuangshuang planned to take Fei Hu out to hone when it was a few years old, to retreat and cultivate together, and so forth. Unfortunately, she never managed to implement these plans, as Fei Hu died due to Wu Zhao's schemes. In this life, Tan Shuangshuang was determined to protect Fei Hu and raise it well.
Upon learning that Tan Shuangshuang was taking Fei Hu out to cultivate, Tan Feiyu was very envious. He, too, was a child who had never been out to hone, and pestered Tan Shuangshuang, wanting to go along.
Tan Shuangshuang sighed helplessly at Tan Feiyu. She didn't mind bringing Tan Feiyu along, but she was the first among the younger generation of the Tan family, with Tan Feiyu being second. Her leaving was one thing, but if Tan Feiyu left too, it wouldn't look good.
Tan Feiyu also knew he couldn't leave, persistently clinging for a while before he let Tan Shuangshuang go reluctantly, gazing wistfully at the main gate for a good half day, inwardly wailing about wanting to play outside, oops, he meant go honing.
With Elixirs for healing and restoring Spiritual Power, change of clothes, an alchemy tent for outdoor living, clean food and water, seasoning, and various external use tools prepared, Tan Shuangshuang took the frolicking Fei Hu and hurriedly rushed, finally making it to a safe haven in the Mang Mountain before dark.
The Long Mountain Range was vast, humans easily got lost within, and many cultivators and adventurers hunting Magic Beast or picking Spiritual Medicines needed to live long-term in the Mang Mountain. Staying always on guarded alert of Magic Beast attacks was too exhausting, no one could endure it for long.
Thus, the Monarch of Baiyue Country specially set up many safe havens within the Long Mountain Range, staffed by Advanced Cultivators. The safe haven Tan Shuangshuang came to with Fei Hu was overseen by an expert at General Level, providing high security.
Of course, high security also brought high prices. Entering a safe haven cost one thousand gold coins each time, with a maximum stay of three days. Safe havens provided opportunities to catch a breath for those entering the Long Mountain, but weren't meant as shelters to stay indefinitely.
If one wished to stay longer, they could, at a cost of one Spiritual Pearl every ten days. As long as one was willing to spend money, it was fine. Safe havens guaranteed safety, but adventurers giving away a Spiritual Pearl might suffer losses if their yield was poor. Not just a Spiritual Pearl, even one thousand gold coins were painful for those living off adventuring.