Void Cultivation

Chapter 349: Chapter 348- Slight Misunderstanding (2)

"But I wonder what Grey did to piss her off."

Violet muttered to herself as she casually took another bite of the apple in her hand.

The crisp fruit cracked between her teeth, exposing part of its pale core.

She chewed thoughtfully while staring at the empty space where the Second Elder had vanished moments ago.

A curious look appeared on her face.

"This must be the reason he came to the Detective Agency Department first instead of returning to his cave abode."

The more she thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

Grey had only just returned to the sect after months away. Under normal circumstances, the first thing most cultivators would do would be to return home, rest, and recover.

Yet Grey had done none of those things.

Instead, he had come directly to her office.

At the time, Violet had assumed that he simply wanted to report the mission.

Now, however, it seemed that there had been another reason.

A reason that involved the terrifying woman who had just shattered space and appeared inside her office.

"Should I help him?"

This time, Violet spoke the words aloud.

She leaned back slightly and tapped her finger against the armrest of her chair.

Her expression became unusually serious.

For several moments, she genuinely considered the possibility.

After all, regardless of what Grey had done, he was still her vice-captain.

More importantly, he was someone she considered a friend.

Unfortunately, the person involved was the Second Elder.

That made things considerably more complicated.

After a lengthy pause, Violet eventually shrugged.

"He should be fine. As far as he didn’t touch that woman’s disciple, then there’s nothing to worry about!"

A mischievous smile appeared on her face.

"If things really get out of hand, I can always ask Master to interfere."

The thought immediately put her mind at ease. With that, she relaxed and slouched back into her chair.

However, the moment her body settled into the seat, her expression abruptly changed.

The color drained from her face. Then, in the next instant, her pale cheeks suddenly turned crimson.

Her eyes widened.

A violent pressure surged upward from deep within her body.

"Pft!"

The apple slipped from her fingers.

She spat out the mouthful she had been chewing and immediately vomited a large mouthful of thick black blood.

The dark liquid splashed across the floor. Violet’s body trembled.

Before she could even catch her breath, another mouthful followed. Then another.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

Black blood continuously spilled from her lips. The scene was horrifying.

Anyone who witnessed it would immediately assume that she had suffered a fatal injury.

The coughing fit lasted for nearly half a minute.

By the time it finally subsided, most of her white robes had been stained black and red.

Blood dripped from the corners of her lips.

Even the floor beneath her chair had become a complete mess.

Yet strangely enough, once the final mouthful was expelled, the unhealthy flush on Violet’s face gradually disappeared.

Her complexion rapidly improved, and the weakness in her eyes faded.

Even her breathing became smoother.

Instead of looking worse, she actually appeared healthier than before.

The corners of Violet’s mouth twitched upward weakly.

"Thankfully, Grey isn’t here..."

She leaned her head against the backrest and slowly closed her eyes.

Her chest rose and fell heavily as she tried to regulate her breathing.

Despite the improvement in her condition, exhaustion was clearly visible on her face.

The truth was that she had lied to Grey earlier.

When she claimed that she had already recovered from her injuries, it had merely been a convenient excuse.

In reality, she had only returned to the sect early that morning.

Even now, her body remained in terrible condition.

Although she looked perfectly healthy on the surface, the damage hidden beneath was another matter entirely.

Many of her internal organs were still riddled with injuries.

Several meridians had yet to fully heal.

The corrosive substance from the Dead Sea had caused far more damage than she had allowed anyone to see.

The only reason she was able to sit here and behave normally was because of her terrifying vitality and the enormous amount of healing resources she had consumed.

In truth, she had been extremely fortunate.

If even a small portion of the damage had spread into the foundation of her cultivation, her Foundation Establishment might have suffered permanent harm.

Compared to that possibility, a few injured organs were insignificant.

Her gaze slowly drifted toward the apple lying on the floor.

A bitter smile appeared on her face.

The apples she had been eating throughout the conversation were not ordinary fruits.

Each one had been carefully infused with medicinal essences and healing materials.

Every bite accelerated her recovery and helped suppress the lingering damage inside her body.

The reason she had hesitated giving Grey another apple earlier was because she only had one normal fruit remaining.

All the others contained medicinal ingredients.

If she had handed one of those apples to Grey, he would have immediately noticed the abnormalities hidden within it.

And once he did, he would instantly realize that she had never truly recovered.

He would know that she had merely been pretending.

Violet’s cheeks immediately puffed up at the thought.

"Absolutely not."

She shook her head vigorously.

There was no way she could allow that to happen.

After all, she was the captain. The older one between the two of them with more experience.

How could she possibly allow her vice-captain to discover that he had recovered faster than she had?

Wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

The mere thought made her cringe. If Grey ever found out the truth, then the image he held of her in his heart would definitely sink to the very bottom.

At least, that was what Violet believed.

"Hmph." She crossed her arms stubbornly.

"No matter what, he must never find out." For a moment, the office fell silent once more.

Then another cough escaped her lips.

A trace of black blood trickled down her chin. Violet stared at it blankly.

"...Maybe one more medicinal apple."

After a brief pause, she reluctantly reached for another fruit.