After daybreak, the three of them set off.
Tie Shan, who had claimed yesterday that he was clumsy with words, rushed to the front, wanting to clear the path for Xiao Feng.
"Come back; I'm familiar with this stretch of the road." Xiao Feng smiled, accepting his good intentions, and took the lead to walk out of the forest.
"It's you again?"
Just as Xiao Feng walked out, a voice boomed from mid-air, rumbling like thunder.
"That's right. Come down."
Xiao Feng didn't need to look up; he knew it was that Mountain Ape on the hilltop speaking.
When Manni and Tie Shan came out, they happened to see the Mountain Ape descending. A massive shadow rapidly enlarged, like a collapsing hill, slamming into the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust with a deafening crash.
The two were horrified, but they suppressed the fear in their hearts, gritted their teeth, and stood in front of Xiao Feng.
The enormous ape, taller than a large tree, stood before the three. Its grayish-brown fur was as sharp as steel needles, and the air it inhaled and exhaled stirred up dust. Massive fangs protruded from the sides of its lips, each half a person's height.
This Mountain Ape was a Tier 4 Demonic Beast. Having eaten a spiritual fruit, it had gained intelligence early, could speak human language, and possessed intelligence comparable to that of a human.
Compared to the uneasy pair, Xiao Feng was much calmer. He tilted his head and looked at the Mountain Ape's face. "Be careful; I've grown stronger."
"Hahaha! Is it because you have these two extra people?" The Mountain Ape laughed up at the sky, then suddenly slammed a fist down.
A Tier 4 Demonic Beast was comparable to a Dou Ling expert, and its physical strength far exceeded that. This punch brought with it endless wind pressure, pressing down toward the three and locking them in place.
Manni and Tie Shan's faces turned deathly pale. Their legs felt as if they had been filled with lead, and they could only stand there blankly, watching the fist smash down toward them.
The power was akin to an attack from a Dou Ling utilizing a Dou Technique. If it landed, how could two Dou Masters possibly survive?
The giant fist was fast, arriving in front of the three in an instant. The wild wind blew their clothes and hair into a frenzy.
Just as the two felt they were about to die, someone suddenly yanked them from behind. The next moment, they realized they had been thrown back into the forest.
"Young Master Xiao Feng..."
The two survivors were shocked, looking at each other in silence, then stared intently at the two already locked in battle ahead.
Before the Mountain Ape, Xiao Feng appeared incredibly small. It gave the two the feeling of a mouse jumping on a cat's face, yet the cat couldn't catch the mouse and had no good way to deal with him.
The Mountain Ape had infinite strength, and every punch had the force to collapse mountains and split the earth. Among Tier 4 Demonic Beasts, it was known for its power, but Xiao Feng was too agile, making it howl with rage.
"Little Fellow! You're like this every time. Can't you fight me head-on?" the Mountain Ape roared.
Xiao Feng stood on its head. "Big guy, I can fight you head-on, but can you guarantee that every human you meet in the future will confront you head-on? You'd better think about what to do when you face people like this!"
In Xiao Feng's eyes, the Mountain Ape had a simple mind and no heavy intent to kill; it was only driving him away. This made him want to tame it, and right now, he was helping it identify its weaknesses.
"Roar! Roar! Roar!" The Mountain Ape was so angry it stood up and beat its chest, emitting a thunderous sound. In its eyes, this little bug was too infuriating, yet it had no good way to deal with him, which was incredibly annoying.
"Come! Let's trade a punch!" Xiao Feng suddenly leaped down and charged straight at the Mountain Ape.
"Fine! Take my punch!" The Mountain Ape glared, its full rage turning into a powerful punch aimed at Xiao Feng.
Boom!
With a dull thud, the annoying little bug was gone.
The Mountain Ape looked left and right. After Xiao Feng was sent flying by its punch, he never returned. It couldn't help but roar at the sky, cast a glance at the other two, and turned back to head toward the hilltop.
"Young Master Xiao Feng!" Tie Shan and Manni looked at each other and hurriedly turned back to search in the direction where Xiao Feng had disappeared.
Following the trail of broken trees for nearly a hundred meters, the two finally found Xiao Feng.
Half of his body was bleeding, his entire right arm was unnaturally twisted, his face was pale, and even standing there was a struggle.
Yet a brilliant smile hung on his face!
"Young Master, how are you?" Manni hurriedly took out medicinal herbs from her storage ring, preparing to give him some simple treatment, but unexpectedly, he refused.
"No rush. Take me back first." Xiao Feng shook his head.
The three returned to the camp. Xiao Linger was already waiting there. Seeing Xiao Feng covered in blood, she seemed to have expected it, said that the water was already boiled, and turned back.
"Help me into the house." Xiao Feng's voice was weak, and at the same time, he withdrew the Soul Power he had been using to observe the two.
The preliminary test he had done on the fly; the two had passed.
Xiao Linger poured the hot water and then helped Xiao Feng take off his outer garment.
"It's fine, don't worry about the wounds." Xiao Feng said.
"Oh." Xiao Linger nodded, then her movements became rough. In no time at all, she stripped Xiao Feng clean and threw him into the freshly boiled hot water.
Xiao Feng, caught off guard, furrowed his brows. He silently thought to himself: Xiao Linger, you just wait!
In the bathtub were medicinal herbs Xiao Feng had prepared beforehand. They weren't for healing his injuries, but for seeping into his flesh and bones through the wounds to temper his body.
It felt like knives stabbing into his wounds. Xiao Feng not only had to endure this intense pain but also had to use his Qi to correct his displaced bones. Before long, his forehead was covered in sweat.
An hour later, the originally pitch-black medicinal water had become clear, though it now had a pale red tint—all of it was the stagnant blood from Xiao Feng's body.
The correction of the bones was finished, but the healing of the injuries would take some time. Of course, with the help of Water-Wood Qi, this time would be greatly shortened.
"Use Water-Wood Qi to stabilize the injuries, then use Metal, Fire, and Lightning Qi to strengthen the flesh and bones. That's the plan!"
For three consecutive days, Xiao Feng didn't have a drop of water.
When he walked out of the wooden house again, he had lost a noticeable amount of weight.
"Young Master!" Tie Shan was waiting at the door, looking respectful.
Beside him sat a few wolves, but they turned and left after Xiao Feng came out.
During these three days, Tie Shan had also been thinking about the future. The shock brought by Xiao Feng's performance that day had solidified his previous thoughts. Now, facing Xiao Feng, he felt only admiration and obedience.
"Young Master, food has already been prepared." Tie Shan spoke.
Xiao Feng couldn't help but take another look at him; this rugged man actually had quite a delicate mind.
However, the next moment, Tie Shan scratched his head and laughed, "This was all Manni's idea. The two of us have also been taking turns keeping watch over the past three days."
Xiao Feng smiled. "You two are quite thoughtful."
Not having come out for three days, there were quite a few changes here.
In the camp, there was an additional tall house, much more magnificent and solid than the one Xiao Feng and Xiao Linger had built.
"Young Master, please come in." Tie Shan smiled.
Hearing the voice, Manni walked out of the house. Seeing Xiao Feng's state, she hurriedly trotted over. "Young Master, are you alright?"
Xiao Feng looked at the two competing to show their loyalty and nodded slightly.
The main hall was a spacious meeting room. At this moment, a large table was set up, and as the three walked in, dish after dish was continuously placed upon it.
They weren't exotic delicacies, but medicinal meals made from high-quality medicinal herbs—good for replenishing Qi and blood, and strengthening bones, all sorts of varieties.
Xiao Feng smiled helplessly. He put aside the thought of eating meat, and feeling extremely hungry, he grabbed his chopsticks and began to feast.
"Anything happen in the last three days?" Xiao Feng asked while eating.
Manni spoke up, "In these three days, Tie Shan and I have reorganized the team again. At the same time, we've familiarized ourselves with the surrounding area and discovered many medicinal herbs!"
She smiled and handed over a ledger, densely recorded with all the medicinal herbs gathered over the last two days.
Xiao Feng took a look; they were all just weeds in the eyes of Demonic Beasts, or things that couldn't be considered rare, otherwise they wouldn't have been left there.
"Hmm. Take thirty percent of these for yourselves, and hand the rest to Xiao Linger."
"Yes!"
After resting for another two days, Xiao Feng's body returned to its Peak, and even advanced a step further.
"Xiao Linger, those two people I told you to keep an eye on, did you run into them again?" Xiao Feng asked.
Xiao Linger rolled her eyes and said nothing.
So annoying. I'm not your subordinate, why do you order me around like this? I didn't see them, and I'm just not going to tell you. What are you going to do, hit me? When I'm stronger than you, I'm going to beat you up for a few years too, and then get revenge for Little Zi!
Waving for the two to go about their business, Xiao Feng pulled Xiao Linger toward his small wooden house.
"What are you doing?" Xiao Linger tried hard to pull her hand away, but couldn't break free at all.
"How far have you Cultivated?" Xiao Feng asked.
"What's it to you?" Xiao Linger huffed. "Let me go!"
Ignoring whether Xiao Linger was struggling or not, Xiao Feng dragged her straight into the wooden house.
"Do me a favor." Xiao Feng said.
"No!" Xiao Linger refused instantly, without even considering it.
"There's a recipe I don't quite dare to test; if it goes wrong, it could cost a life."
Xiao Linger looked at Xiao Feng. "Fine, I'll test it."
"You can refuse, you know. After all, there are so many mercenaries outside."
Xiao Linger sneered. "How do I cooperate?"
"Are you sure?" Xiao Feng looked into Xiao Linger's eyes and confirmed again.
Xiao Linger was getting impatient. "Why are you more hesitant than a woman?"
Xiao Feng took a slab of bluestone from his storage ring. "Come, circulate your Qi and press on it. Let me see your strength."
Xiao Linger didn't speak and just pressed her hand down onto it.
Under the influence of her Qi, the hard bluestone became fragile, leaving a deep fingerprint.
"Ninth Stage?" Xiao Feng's brows twitched. Although he saw her eating medicinal pills and fruits every day, this speed was still a bit outrageous!
"Can you condense your Dou Zhi Qi onto your hand and let me see?"
Xiao Linger glanced at Xiao Feng, and her right palm immediately emitted a rich light.
"When did you reach this stage?"
"About half a month, maybe."
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Xiao Feng glared.
The plan was completely disrupted. It looked like he would have to make her a Dou Practitioner first.
Xiao Linger cast a sideways glance at Xiao Feng. "You didn't ask earlier either."
Xiao Feng patted his head, said "Wait a moment," and went out.
Not long after, Xiao Feng returned with a crystal ball in his hand. "Come, infuse your Qi into this and let's see."
Xiao Linger placed her hand on it, and the crystal ball instantly lit up with a brilliant golden light.
"Metal attribute, huh..." Xiao Feng pondered, his mind beginning to recall the Cultivation Techniques he had encountered before.
Soon, a Profound Rank Low-level Cultivation Technique appeared in Xiao Feng's mind.
Myriad Control Art!
This was a Cultivation Technique he had learned from Xiao Xun Er before. When practiced to the extreme, it could control thousands of metals; even the weapons and iron armor held by opponents would be no exception!
"Close your eyes and remember the circulation route I guide you through."
The two pressed their hands together, their Qi merging.
Half an hour later, the surrounding Qi began to fluctuate violently. Xiao Linger's expression was clearly a bit panicked, and Xiao Feng kept comforting her.
"Don't be afraid. Sink your consciousness into your lower abdomen, control that Qi, keep compressing it, resist the impact, and stay awake!"
Another half hour passed. A roar seemed to explode in Xiao Linger's ears, followed by an endless wave of exhaustion. She could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep sleep.