The Phoenix launched its second surprise attack half a month later.
By that time, Feng Zhan's eyes had begun to gradually regain their sight, allowing him to see the things around him.
He also started to respond to Jun Xin's words from time to time.
However, their thoughts were worlds apart.
Jun Xin had feelings for Feng Zhan. She thought that keeping him by her side would help calm her down whenever she got angry. Just a glance at him would dissipate her irritation.
Feng Zhan, on the other hand, believed that since he was still in the Cloud and Mist Alliance and had yet to regain his full strength, he would not cause any trouble as long as his own safety was not threatened.
So, over the course of half a month, their co - existence was uneventful, with no conflicts.
The night the Phoenix came, it happened to encounter Feng Zhan in the courtyard.
They locked eyes for just a few seconds.
The man seemed so ordinary, yet there was an aura of inviolability surrounding him.
The Phoenix sensed an aura on this man that was similar to that of the Emperor Venerable.
However, this man was clearly not the Emperor Venerable.
A fireball came hurtling down.
Feng Zhan dodged it. Or rather, the Phoenix deliberately avoided hitting Feng Zhan.
The Cloud and Mist Alliance caught fire.
That night, Jun Xin had been in the room discussing the upcoming grand meeting of the Yuan family.
In an instant, she saw a towering inferno erupt in the south - west courtyard of the Cloud and Mist Alliance.
By the time Jun Xin and the others rushed out, the Phoenix was already gone.
At this moment, Feng Zhan was still in the east courtyard. After Jun Xin came out, she quickly said to Feng Zhan, "Stay here and don't move. I'll go and check what's going on."
The young girl rushed towards the south - west courtyard.
Feng Zhan didn't tell Jun Xin that he knew who the culprit was because the Phoenix hadn't harmed him.
The Phoenix's fireballs burned with such intensity that even when the entire Cloud and Mist Alliance mobilized, they couldn't extinguish the flames.
When Jun Xin ran out of the Cloud and Mist Alliance, Feng Zhan was already waiting for her outside.
"You ran quite fast," she said.
"Facing a life - threatening situation, if I don't run fast, should I just wait to die on the spot?" he replied.
"Then why didn't you run farther away?"
What Jun Xin meant was that Feng Zhan could have taken this opportunity to escape.
Feng Zhan didn't answer. He just stared at the increasingly raging fire in the Cloud and Mist Alliance, lost in thought. If he ran away, the antidote was still in this witch's hands. Where could he find the antidote for the demonic beast's poison?
But Jun Xin didn't think so.
She thought that Feng Zhan didn't run away because he couldn't bear to leave the Cloud and Mist Alliance or her.
She thought that he stayed here waiting for her because he was worried about her safety.
She thought that after half a month of getting along, this man had developed special feelings for her.
However, Jun Xin was wrong. All of these were just her assumptions.
Nevertheless, thinking like this, a smile actually appeared on Jun Xin's face.
Perhaps this was the kind of feeling that her adoptive father had once told her about.
The great fire completely destroyed the Cloud and Mist Alliance. All the items inside, including pills and cultivation techniques, were also burned to ashes. This was a huge blow to the Yuan family.
A seventh - rank spiritual pharmacist in the Black Iron Realm was stationed in Youzhou.
Yet, there was someone who, right under her nose, first burned down twelve of the Yuan family's courtyards and then destroyed the lair of the Cloud and Mist Alliance.
Moreover, up to now, Jun Xin still hadn't found the culprit.
"I'm definitely going to be scolded by my adoptive father when I get back to Shengjing," Jun Xin lowered her head.
Feng Zhan said, "Do you really care so much about Yuan Xin's opinion of you?"
"Of course. He's my adoptive father. Everything I do is to gain his approval."
Feng Zhan turned his head and didn't look at Jun Xin.
He said, "You're really easy to deceive. You've done so much for Yuan Xin, but how does Yuan Xin treat you?"
There was anger in Jun Xin's voice.
"My adoptive father treats me like his own daughter. Everyone in the Yuan family knows this."
"Really?"
"What exactly do you want to say?"
Feng Zhan said indifferently, "I'm afraid what I'm going to say is not something you want to hear."
"If you're doing this for my own good, I'll naturally listen."
Feng Zhan looked back at Jun Xin.
His current expression made Jun Xin's heart skip a beat.
What's going on?
Recently, whenever he got a little closer to her, her heart would start pounding uncontrollably.
"Alliance Leader, I have a few questions for you. If you can answer them, it means that what I said earlier about Yuan Xin treating you badly was just my unfounded speculation."
There was no one else around them.
Jun Xin couldn't help but swallow hard.
"Go ahead."
"First, you said that Yuan Xin is your adoptive father and treats you like his own daughter. In that case, you should be unique. So, why is there another Miao Xi in the Yuan family? Alright, even if you say that Miao Xi is highly regarded by Yuan Xin because of her high cultivation, have you ever thought about why she has everything you have?"
"Why?"
"Because that Miao Xi is just a pawn that your adoptive father uses to check and balance your development."
"You're talking nonsense."
"Whether I'm talking nonsense or not, you can think about it carefully later. Also, according to what others say, Miao Xi has a much better reputation than you. Your reputation is notoriously bad. Since Yuan Xin loves you, he should have heard these negative remarks about you. But over the years, has he ever stepped forward to deal with them?"
"My adoptive father is very busy."
"I don't know if he's busy or not. But in my opinion, he really doesn't love you that much. He just lets these comments ferment because he wants to use other people's words to control you. If you hear these words, how could you let those people go? Those who say these things must be people who are dissatisfied with the Yuan family. Yuan Xin cares about his reputation and doesn't want to take action himself. So, he uses you to handle these trivial matters for him. He doesn't have to do anything but still gets a good reputation, while you're being used as a knife and still enjoy it."
Jun Xin fell silent.
Feng Zhan's words made sense, and they made her feel really uncomfortable.
"One last question. Do you think he indulges you, doesn't care about your temper, and doesn't teach you the difference between good and evil because he dotes on you?"
"Isn't it?"
"Of course not. He just wants to use you up. After you've outlived your usefulness, you've carried the blame for the Yuan family for so many years. Do you think that if he kills you at that time, won't he gain both a good reputation and benefits?"
"Moreover, he can even gain a good reputation for upholding justice and punishing his own family member."
This was the first time Feng Zhan had said these things to Jun Xin.
It was just that over the half - month, he watched this naive girl being a pawn in Yuan Xin's hands. She was so stupid that it was really frustrating.
"Of course, these are just my speculations. You don't have to believe them."
Feng Zhan started walking forward.
Jun Xin shouted from behind him, "Why are you telling me all this?"
"I just can't stand it."
Was it because he couldn't stand it or because he felt sorry for her? Jun Xin felt a sense of oppression in her heart, but at the same time, she also felt a faint sweetness because of Feng Zhan's concern.