Chapter Fifty-Four: Arrival

In the grand hall of the Qin residence, Qin Yuanchen sat quietly in the seat of honor, holding a cup of tea in his hand and savoring it slowly. Qin Hao wore a sullen expression, pacing back and forth across the hall, his eyes occasionally flashing with cold light.

Ever since Qin Hao's right hand had been crippled, he had withdrawn from the Spirit Battle Pavilion. With only one hand, it was nearly impossible to make a mark in the pavilion, especially given that his talent was not exceptional to begin with.

"Father, at this point, the newcomers should have left the city by now. I wonder how Third Uncle's arrangements are progressing?" Qin Hao said, his mind consumed by thoughts of vengeance these days.

Qin Yuanchen set down his teacup and replied coolly, "Hao'er, why be in such a hurry? We already know he’s heading to Jinyang Mountain. Revenge need not be rushed. Rest assured, with your Third Uncle taking care of things, that Chu Feng will surely never return."

"Father, it’s not that I doubt Third Uncle’s abilities. I’m just worried that Chu Feng might not even dare to leave the city. If he suddenly gets scared and abandons the mission to collect Jinyang Stones, Third Uncle’s efforts will be wasted, and who knows when I’ll get my chance to settle the score?" Qin Hao pressed.

After a moment, the communication talisman in Qin Yuanchen's arms trembled slightly. He took it out and activated it, and a slightly deep voice sounded, "Master Qin, he’s already left the city."

Qin Hao was overjoyed at the news, his face immediately darkened with murderous intent. He hissed, "At least he has some guts. This time, he’ll regret ever crossing me!"

"Rest assured, anyone who opposes the Qin family is doomed, including that Xiao Yue," Qin Yuanchen said coldly.

At that moment, a slightly corpulent middle-aged man strode into the hall with his hands behind his back—it was unmistakably Qin Zhang.

Seeing Qin Zhang, Qin Hao’s eyes lit up and he hurried forward, calling out, "Third Uncle, you’re finally here!"

"Third Brother," Qin Yuanchen greeted, gesturing for him to sit.

Qin Zhang nodded to Qin Hao and took a seat beside Qin Yuanchen. A maid promptly brought him tea.

"How are the arrangements?" Qin Yuanchen asked calmly.

"Second Brother, rest assured. No matter how strong Chu Feng is, he’s only comparable to a second-tier Earth Spirit Warrior. If Xiao Yue hadn’t interfered last time, I’d have thrown him in prison already," Qin Zhang replied, his face icy, lifting his teacup. "This time, even a hundred Chu Fengs wouldn’t escape with their lives."

Qin Yuanchen was silent for a moment, then asked, "Do you think Xiao Yue will secretly protect Chu Feng?"

Qin Zhang smiled slightly, as if he was confident. "I’d actually prefer Xiao Yue to be there. If so, we can deal with him at the same time—it’ll save us the trouble."

"Third Brother, your foresight is remarkable. You’ve thought of everything," Qin Yuanchen nodded in satisfaction, and Qin Hao’s mood improved even further at the words.

Qin Zhang sipped his tea again before saying, "By the way, Second Brother, I’ve investigated Xiao Yue’s background."

"Oh? Tell me," Qin Yuanchen replied, and Qin Hao leaned in to listen.

"As it turns out, Xiao Yue’s background is quite impressive—he’s a member of the Xiao clan," Qin Zhang revealed.

Qin Yuanchen’s expression shifted as he looked at Qin Zhang, probing, "Xiao Butian?"

Qin Zhang nodded. "Precisely, a descendant of Xiao Butian."

Qin Yuanchen’s face grew grave. The Xiao clan was one of the ten great human families, with vast resources and power—far beyond what the Qin family could provoke.

"This complicates things," Qin Yuanchen murmured.

"Second Brother, there’s no need to worry. Xiao Yue is nothing more than an abandoned pawn to the Xiao clan. If he weren’t, he wouldn’t be serving as an instructor at the Twentieth Regiment. Even if he dies at Jinyang Mountain, what waves would it really make?" Qin Zhang shrugged.

Qin Yuanchen nodded quietly. "If that’s the case, it’s a good opportunity to eliminate Xiao Yue—as long as he dares to go."

Meanwhile, Chu Feng and his companions had left the southern gate of the Holy City. Following the map, they traveled south until night fell and finally stopped for the day.

That night, the six of them built a campfire in the forest and laid out their bedding nearby. In such desolate wilderness, even having bedding was a luxury.

Han Yan and his group arranged their four bedrolls together, while Chu Feng and Xu Yan’s were placed on the opposite side of the fire.

Chu Feng found this arrangement rather speechless, and Xu Yan’s face was flushed with embarrassment.

Xu Yan brought out food and wine, and the group feasted heartily, thoroughly satisfied.

When it was time to sleep, Han Yan’s group paid no mind to Chu Feng and Xu Yan, simply flopping onto their bedding and drifting off, leaving Chu Feng and Xu Yan feeling awkward.

"Let’s get some sleep," Chu Feng said.

Xu Yan shot him a glare, her face crimson. "Who wants to sleep with you!"

Chu Feng broke out in a sweat, protesting his innocence. "I never said we’d sleep together."

Without waiting for a reply, Chu Feng lay down on his bedding, pulling the blanket over himself.

Xu Yan hesitated, her cheeks burning with both embarrassment and a hint of sweetness. She bit her lip, then finally lay down on the bedding beside Chu Feng, turning her body away before covering herself.

In such circumstances, neither Xu Yan nor Chu Feng could sleep easily.

Moreover, Xu Yan had never left the Holy City, nor had she experienced such a night. The rustling leaves and the pitch-black surroundings made her feel as though demons lurked in the darkness.

Xu Yan squeezed her eyes shut, refusing to look, but still felt afraid. At last, she turned and looked at Chu Feng’s back, then timidly called out after a long silence, "Wild Man."

"What is it?" Chu Feng asked.

Xu Yan was silent again, then, as if gathering all her courage, said softly, "I’m scared."

At that moment, Chu Feng’s eyes flew open, surprised—this wasn’t typical for Xu Yan. He turned to face her, asking, "Scared of what?"

They were less than two feet apart, facing each other. Xu Yan’s face was impossibly red as she buried her head under the blanket, whispering, "Afraid of the dark."

This made Chu Feng both amused and charmed. His heart stirred as he couldn’t help but pat Xu Yan’s head, saying, "Silly girl, I'm right here—what’s there to be afraid of?"

Xu Yan peeked out, glancing at Chu Feng, her face flushed as she whispered, "Wild Man, thank you."

Chu Feng had never expected Xu Yan to show such tenderness. Remembering her drunken words from before, he found his emotions complex and hard to put into words.

Chu Feng and Xu Yan chatted quietly until she drifted into deep sleep.

Chu Feng tucked her blanket in gently, smiling, and gradually fell asleep himself.

The campfire burned brightly, warming the cool night air. The leaves rustled as if heralding the night’s awakening.

The six fell into dreamland. The fire dwindled, eventually dying out, while dawn quietly approached.

A new day dawned, heralding a new journey for the six companions.

They rose early, packed up, ate their fill, and set out once more.

They climbed mountains and crossed rivers. At first, they occasionally encountered other newcomers from the Spirit Battle Pavilion, but as they approached their destination, these meetings grew less frequent.

After six days of arduous travel, they finally arrived at the foot of Jinyang Mountain at dusk on the sixth day.

"We finally made it," Xu Yan said excitedly.

"Look, there’s a village over there. We won’t have to camp in the wilderness tonight," Gu Xin said, pointing into the distance.

Villages were rare near the border of human territory, since they lacked protection against beasts. But within the heartlands, villages were plentiful—far outnumbering cities.

Chu Feng glanced where Gu Xin pointed, then took the map from Xu Yan, spreading it out and locating Jinyang Ridge and Qingfeng Ridge.

Only Jinyang Ridge yielded Jinyang Stones, making it Chu Feng’s destination.

Han Yan and his companions’ task was at Qingfeng Ridge—the only place where Spiritwood could be harvested.

Chu Feng calculated that Qingfeng Ridge was only ten li away.

Jinyang Ridge was deep within Jinyang Mountain, nearly fifty li from here, while Qingfeng Ridge was about fifty li from Jinyang Ridge.

Chu Feng quickly decided: they would visit Qingfeng Ridge first, then head to Jinyang Ridge.

On the map, Chu Feng noticed Xuan Yue Valley, its location striking—marked in red, unlike the black dots marking other places, with a note beside it: "Forbidden zone, do not enter."

Xu Yan, Han Yan, and the others had long heard of Xuan Yue Valley’s deadly reputation.

Gu Xin sighed at the sight, "Thankfully, Xuan Yue Valley is thirty li from Jinyang Ridge."

"Xuan Yue Valley has a fearsome reputation, but as long as we don’t approach, there’s no danger," Chu Feng said, rolling up the map. "Tonight, we’ll rest well in the village, and head into Jinyang Mountain first thing tomorrow."

Soon, the six entered the village. It wasn’t large, with about forty households.

The houses were orderly, with bridges and streams, smoke rising from chimneys, and a tranquil atmosphere.

As they walked through the village, the locals were unsurprised, likely used to travelers seeking shelter.

Before long, the six met the village chief.

The chief was an elderly man past sixty, dressed simply and with an honest face.

Upon learning they were from the Spirit Battle Pavilion, the old man became even more hospitable, saying that without the pavilion, the villagers would never have such peace.

The chief pointed to two houses, saying, "Both are empty. Their owners moved to Huanyan City nearby. Make yourselves at home—any house is fine."

"Thank you, sir," the six replied.

"Guests are guests; tonight I’ll make sure you’re well cared for," the chief said before leaving.

The six examined the houses. One was old and dilapidated, the other newly built and more spacious.

"Let’s take the new one," Di Han suggested. With a good option, there was no need to choose the worse.

"Hold on, we’ll take that house. You can stay in the other," a brash voice interrupted. Five young men and women strode over.