Chapter 140: The Treasure‑Seeking Cicada

A splitting headache, as if struck by a heavy hammer.

Su Xueyan slowly opened her eyes.

What came into view was not the back seat of a sedan, but an ancient, rustic wooden roof.

A faded lantern hung from the carved beam, emitting a faint warm glow.

She propped herself up, sitting against the head of the bed, scanning the surroundings.

The room was small, its simple furnishings exuding a hint of age, and the air was tinged with a faint sandalwood and wood scent.

"Where… is this?"

Su Xueyan furrowed her brows, her mind full of doubt.

The style of the room oddly felt familiar, as if she had seen it somewhere before.

But when she tried to recall, she drew a complete blank.

She had clearly gone shopping with Xiaonuan, so how did she suddenly end up here?

"Xiaonuan? Are you there, Xiaonuan?"

She called out instinctively, her voice echoing in the empty room, yet receiving no response.

She lifted the thin blanket from her body, got out of bed, walked to the door, and reached to pull it.

The door was a heavy wooden door fitted with an ancient bronze lock; no matter how she pulled, it wouldn't budge, as if locked from the outside.

"Xiaonuan, are you outside? Did you hear me?"

Su Xueyan called a few more times, but still received no answer.

A hint of unease rose in her heart, yet she still didn't doubt Xiaonuan, assuming it was just an accident.

The more dangerous the situation, the less one may panic.

She took a deep breath, forcing herself to stay calm.

She went to the window, trying to push it open for rescue, but the window was also locked.

Outside, a fine carved iron grille was installed, and with her strength she could not break it.

Su Xueyan returned to the center of the room, her gaze sweeping every corner, seeking a way to save herself.

But the walls were incredibly solid, the furniture all solid, leaving no exploitable flaw.

"Who on earth brought me here?"

She furrowed her brows, guessing in her mind.

Was it for the Su family's wealth? For the Xuan Nuan Jade Essence? Or perhaps brother Su Shian's revenge?

She considered many possibilities, yet she never doubted Xiaonuan.

In her heart, Xiaonuan was the sister she had grown up with, lively and cute, always sincere to her; how could she ever harm her?

She pulled out her phone, intending to call for help, but found the phone had long disappeared.

With no other choice, she could only return to the bedside and sit.

At this moment, she could only place her hope in Jiang Feng.

She believed Jiang Feng would certainly notice her disappearance and come to rescue her.

Meanwhile, in another courtyard of Feilong Villa, the atmosphere was especially grim.

Beside the stone table at the courtyard's center, a woman in black sat cross‑legged, her dark cloak covering most of her face, revealing only a pair of deep eyes.

At that moment she sat with her eyes closed, regulating her breath.

Su Xiaonuan knelt on the ground before the stone table, her whole body trembling slightly, tears still wet on her cheeks.

Suddenly, the woman in black opened her eyes, a flash of smug light passing through those deep pupils.

"She's awake. Faster than I expected; it seems Su Xueyan's constitution is even more suitable for the Cold Earth Heart Lotus to grow than I imagined."

Su Xiaonuan jerked her head up, clenching her teeth, her voice trembling slightly.

"What exactly did you use on her? Why did Sister Xue Yan fall unconscious? What do you intend to do with her?"

Since she was brought here, her heart has been tormented.

"Nothing special, just a few minor methods to hasten the maturation of the Cold Earth Heart Lotus."

The woman in black spoke flatly, as if mentioning a trivial matter.

"The Cold Earth Heart Lotus has been growing inside her for so many years; it could have been allowed to mature naturally, which would make its absorption more effective. Unfortunately, Jiang Feng is a variable that appeared."

All these years the woman in black has actually been watching Su Xueyan closely.

Originally everything was proceeding according to her plan; in a few more years, once the Cold Earth Heart Lotus fully matured, she could silently kill Su Xueyan's breakthrough, but Jiang Feng's emergence ruined everything.

Precisely for this reason, the woman in black could no longer wait.

"That Jiang Feng's power is unfathomable, and he constantly protects Su Xueyan; if we keep waiting, he might discover the Cold Earth Heart Lotus's secret, making it hard to act later. I don't have much time, so I must use the hastening method to extract the Cold Earth Heart Lotus early."

"Hasten?"

Su Xiaonuan was stunned, a trace of tension flashing in her eyes.

"Would this harm Sister Xue Yan's body?"

Having grown up with Su Xueyan, she had seen too many times the suffering when Su Xueyan's cold poison erupted.

"Harm?"

The woman in black sneered.

"As long as it lets me break through my realm, her life or death is of no consequence. Still, you needn't worry too much; if I break through successfully, she won't die for now, and I might even give her a chance."

Her gaze fell on Su Xiaonuan, carrying a hint of appraisal.

"After I break through, I'll also extract the Cold Earth Heart Lotus from within you. After all, you've helped me a lot. Of course, you'd better hope I succeed, otherwise…"

She paused, her tone turning ice‑cold and biting.

"Otherwise, I wouldn't mind refining both of you sisters together, using the power of two Cold Earth Heart Lotuses to force a breakthrough. By then, neither of you will survive."

Su Xiaonuan trembled all over, and her face instantly turned deathly pale.

She lowered her head, tears welled up again, and in her heart she apologized to Su Xueyan over and over.

"Sister Xue Yan, I'm sorry... truly sorry... I had no choice... you must forgive me..."

She regretted deeply; when she was young and naive, she made a deal with that demon.

But now, she no longer has the right to choose.

……

And on the other side, Su Family Villa.

Jiang Feng had already called Su Xueyan and Su Xiaonuan dozens of times in a row.

Yet the two phones either went unanswered or immediately gave a "cannot connect" prompt, clearly having been deliberately cut off.

"Now Xue Yan has no news at all; I suspect she may have been controlled by Su Xiaonuan."

Jiang Feng's eyes twitched slightly; he hadn't expected Su Xiaonuan could be such a person.

"Let me check for you..."

Seeing Jiang Feng getting anxious, Ling Zhaixing immediately took an insect‑sized object from her own pack.

"What is this?"

Jiang Feng's pupils narrowed slightly.

"It's called a Treasure‑seeking cicada..."

Ling Zhaixing placed the coat she had casually taken from Su Xueyan's room beside the cicada, letting it sniff.

"This Treasure‑seeking cicada can detect Qi a thousand li away; I originally used it to pinpoint the location of the Southern Frontier Tiger Talisman."

Ling Zhaixing was extremely confident about her treasure, and hearing her words, Jiang Feng looked at the cicada with eager anticipation.

The cicada sniffed the coat, then began to twist its body continuously, emitting a strange sound.

"The Treasure‑seeking cicada has found something!"

Ling Zhaixing shouted happily.