In truth, Feng Ling hadn’t thought much of the Bone Shrinking Technique. It had only come up by chance during a casual chat with Ling Xiao, who then offhandedly taught her a few lines of its incantation.

This was truly learning on the fly. Feng Ling silently recited the incantation, unaware that this Bone Shrinking Technique was from the Cultivation Realm! Cultivators could even use this art to shrink their bodies into the shape of a rod!

After reciting it a few times, Feng Ling felt the meridians in her body begin to heat up. With her strength as a Tier Two Demon Swordsman, she had no hope of breaking free from these specially treated Magic Beast Tendons. They were, after all, made from the tendon of at least a Tier Five Magical Beast!

Suddenly, Feng Ling felt a sharp pain wrack her entire body, as if she were being pricked by thousands of needles. She could no longer hold back a soft moan, which echoed through the gloomy dungeon.

Feng Ling nearly fainted, but she held on with immense willpower, enduring the pain. ’I have to get this information to Ling Xiao.’

As for why, she never even considered the question.

She continued to practice and apply the Bone Shrinking Technique. Finally, Feng Ling felt her bonds loosen, only to be followed by another wave of excruciating pain that shot through her every nerve.

Gritting her teeth, Feng Ling slid out of the Magic Beast Tendons, little by little. She collapsed weakly to the floor, panting for breath, her forehead and entire body drenched in sweat.

The sweat trickled into her whip wounds, creating the sensation of salt being rubbed into them. Tears of pain streamed down Feng Ling’s face, but she did not make another sound.

Trembling, she reached into her bra and pulled out an elixir that glowed with a hazy purple light, still carrying the faint scent of her body. Feng Ling swallowed it in one gulp. A warm current instantly spread through her, and her energy was immediately restored. ’The wounds on my body... they don’t seem to hurt at all!’

In disbelief, Feng Ling even stood up and prodded her wounds a couple of times. Her face filled with astonishment as she recalled what Ling Xiao had said when he gave her the elixir before her departure.

"As long as you’re still breathing, this elixir will keep you from dying. But its effects only last for twelve hours. You must find a place to recover within that time. Otherwise, if your injuries are too severe, you’ll still be in danger. After all... it’s not a miracle drug."

On some strange impulse, Feng Ling had hidden the elixir in such an embarrassing spot. She had been mortified when tucking it into the lining of her bra, but she never imagined it would end up saving her life.

The dungeon was very deep.

The window leading to the outside was a good twenty-something meters above the dungeon floor. And "window" was a generous term; it was more of a ventilation port, a single hole about a foot square.

Feng Ling moved her arms and legs. She truly couldn’t feel the slightest pain. She couldn’t help but wonder, ’Just who is Ling Xiao? How can he refine such a miraculous elixir? No wonder so many people are after him!’

Feng Ling took a deep breath, then pushed off forcefully from the ground, her body shooting upward.

A height of twenty to thirty meters was not considered particularly high for a Demon Swordsman.

Feng Ling gripped the edges of the small opening with both hands and carefully peered out. The night was dark and still. To her utter amazement, she discovered that the dungeon’s air vent opened to the outside of the city wall!

The discovery filled Feng Ling with an incredible excitement, a feeling even more thrilling than when she had broken through from Sword Master to Great Sword Master as a child and earned her father’s praise.

’So the dungeon is built right under the city wall!’

’So secretive... so cunning!’

’If not for this stroke of luck, how could I have ever escaped!’

Silently reciting the incantation for the Bone Shrinking Technique, Feng Ling barely managed to squeeze through the foot-square hole. Fortunately, the opening wasn’t far from the ground, and a large flowerbed planted in front of it served as concealment. As her feet touched solid earth, Feng Ling let out a long sigh of relief. Today’s ordeal had truly matured this young woman from a hidden family.

Maturation is always a process.

As dawn broke, a blood-soaked and disheveled Feng Ling stumbled before Ling Xiao, stunning him as he was just getting out of bed.

"It’s so good... I’m alive... and I got to see you," Feng Ling said, a happy smile spreading across her blood-stained face.

"Don’t move! I’ll heal your wounds right now!"

’It doesn’t matter how she got hurt. I have to stabilize her injuries first!’

Ling Xiao could tell at a glance that the girl had definitely used the Purple Essence Pill and had undertaken an arduous journey to run back here.

"N-no... don’t. Wait... wait until I’ve finished."

Feng Ling was forcing herself to stay conscious. After running all night to get back, her strength had long been exhausted. The moment she saw Ling Xiao, she felt an overwhelming urge to close her eyes and fall into a deep sleep. Just seeing him seemed to give her a sense of security.

’This feeling is so strange,’ Feng Ling thought, then said to Ling Xiao, "The Southern King... he and a group of people... they’re... they’re going to attack here tonight..."

Ling Xiao listened with a grave expression as Feng Ling gave her halting account. Horror grew in his heart, but at the same time, he was deeply moved by her actions.

Looking at the unconscious Feng Ling, at the unconcealable exhaustion on her blood-stained face, Ling Xiao suddenly felt his eyes grow moist. ’This girl... she doesn’t owe me anything.’ Ling Xiao knew that perfectly well; neither of them owed the other a thing. And yet, she had come back like this to warn him. ’If not for her message, tonight would have been a complete disaster!’

"The King... the Southern King!"

Flames began to smolder in Ling Xiao’s eyes, and the blood in his veins started to boil.

’My only crime is possessing something valuable? Fine. Then bring it on!’