The training ground soon became lively again.
Because Xiao Feng had left.
"It is too terrifying, I didn't even feel any Dou Qi fluctuations!"
"No lie, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would have suspected it was caused by some kind of Dou Technique."
"No wonder the two leaders bring him up every day, but... is this something a human can achieve?"
It wasn't just Xiao Xun Er and Qing Lin who left the training ground with Xiao Feng; Xiao Li had also followed.
"Brother Feng, you were just warming up earlier, right?" Xiao Li probed.
"Brother Li, let's not talk about that. Where is Brother Ding?"
"He is usually in the study. Why?"
"Let's go, we will head over together."
Upon arriving at the study, Xiao Ding was hunched over the desk, writing and drawing, not knowing what he was pondering.
"Brother Feng, why did you come over?"
Xiao Ding put down his brush and ink, walked to the side, and poured tea for everyone. Xiao Feng had a particular fondness for tea; it was Xiao Ding who had taught him.
"Two things." Xiao Feng held up two fingers. "First, I want to ask my brothers for a sword."
"Is that all? Just wait, I'll take you to the armory later. Take whatever you like!" Xiao Li waved his hand and chuckled.
Xiao Ding looked at Xiao Feng and took a sip of tea. "Brother Feng, and the second?"
"Second, I want to leave some things for you brothers." As Xiao Feng spoke, he touched his storage ring.
A flash of light passed, and a large pile of medicinal herbs and monster cores appeared on the table, forming a small hill. Both Xiao Ding and Xiao Li were stunned.
"Brother Feng, this, this, where did you get so many medicinal herbs and monster cores?" Xiao Li asked, his face full of shock.
You don't know the cost of living until you run a household; having been a leader for several years, Xiao Li knew the value of the pile of things before him all too well. His voice trembled slightly. "It's too valuable. You should keep a small portion."
Xiao Ding didn't speak, his eyes fixed on Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng looked at Xiao Ding. "Brother Ding, Brother Li, there is no need to be polite with me. Huo Huo didn't take any less than you, and he didn't fake anything."
"Since Brother Feng has said so, being polite any further would hurt our feelings!" Xiao Ding laughed heartily. "Second brother, you should also take Brother Feng to the warehouse to look around and see if there is anything he can use."
Xiao Li took a breath, barely calming his agitated mood. "Come, Brother Feng, follow me."
After the others left, Xiao Ding looked at the pile of items and murmured, "Now, the Mo Tie Mercenary Group is no longer struggling."
The Mo Tie Mercenary Group hadn't been established for long, but there were quite a few rare items in the warehouse, many of which had been collected by Xiao Ding and Xiao Li during their travels.
There were over a dozen shelves, containing some Dou Techniques and Cultivation Techniques, but most were swords and weapons.
Walking among them, Xiao Feng would occasionally pick up a long sword and hand it to Qing Lin, gesturing for her to hold it. He stopped and started, changing several, but always felt the style didn't match.
"Yun Yun's sword is still better looking." Xiao Feng muttered.
"Brother Xiao Feng, how about this sword?" Xiao Xun Er's expression stirred as she pulled a dusty sword from a pile of discarded blades.
Xiao Li recognized it and shook his head. "This sword has already rusted through, and even the monster core on the hilt has been dug out."
However, Xiao Feng's eyes lit up. Despite being covered in rust, the design suited his preferences perfectly. The crossguard and pommel resembled a Han sword, the hilt was pitch black, and there was a hole near the crossguard for embedding a monster core. The blade was severely corroded, making it hard to distinguish its facets, but a clear pattern was imprinted on the tip, resembling a starburst.
"This is the one!"
"Why not pick another one?" Xiao Li frowned.
"No need." Xiao Feng shook his head. Once one reached the Realm where they could condense Dou Qi into weapons, ordinary weapons were of little help unless they were peerless divine armaments.
Xiao Feng held the sword in his hand, carefully wiping it as he walked out, when he suddenly heard Xiao Xun Er calling him from behind.
"What is it?" Xiao Feng turned his head to look.
"Those are just some things that are useless but hard to throw away." Xiao Li explained when he saw Xiao Xun Er stopped by the innermost shelf. He added, "Sister Xuner, if you see anything you like, feel free to take it."
Xiao Xun Er nodded. "Thank you, Brother Xiao Li."
As she spoke, she lifted a cracked Medicine Cauldron from there. It was the size of a rice cooker, pitch black, and very inconspicuous.
She handed the Medicine Cauldron to Xiao Feng. "Brother Xiao Feng, keep this safe. You will find it useful in the future."
Xiao Li was puzzled, and Xiao Feng picked it up to examine it. "What is the origin of this?"
Xiao Xun Er nodded. "A long time ago, there was a power in the Central Plains famous for forging weapons. Although its Legacy has been broken now, the things that were passed down are still sought after by many."
The corner of Xiao Feng's mouth twitched as he looked at the Medicine Cauldron in his hand. "Could this thing be from there?"
"The starburst imprint is one of the characteristics."
Xiao Feng was slightly startled. "Is that sword also from there?"
As he spoke, Xiao Feng discovered a similar starburst imprint on the bottom of the Medicine Cauldron.
"Xun'er, stop keeping me in suspense."
Xiao Feng clearly saw a flash of slyness in the eyes of the usually well-behaved girl.
Xiao Xun Er smiled, lifted her chin slightly, and walked out with her small hands behind her back.
The three of them stayed there for five days, and Stone Desert City had been thoroughly explored.
"Brother Xiao Feng, is there something you are hiding from me?" Xiao Xun Er frowned, her eyes full of suspicion as she looked at Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng shook his head quickly. "How could..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Feng's expression paused. He looked up into the distance and whispered, "The fish has finally taken the bait."
Xiao Xun Er rolled her eyes, as if she had swallowed a pufferfish.
The three of them left Stone Desert City and stopped three miles away.
Xiao Feng waved his hand, and tables, chairs, and tea sets from his storage ring were laid out on the ground.
"Qing Lin, prepare the tea." Xiao Feng sat facing north.
"Yes, Young Master."
Qing Lin stepped forward, placed the sword horizontally on the table, arranged the tea set, poured the tea, and then retreated behind Xiao Feng, standing with the sword in her arms.
Xiao Xun Er stood on the other side. Although full of questions, she did not ask, simply waiting silently for the fish Xiao Feng spoke of to appear.
Yellow sand danced, but the area around the table and chairs was quiet.
Xiao Feng looked down at the teapot on the table and said in a normal speaking volume, "Could it be that the visitor is not a guest?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a hearty laugh rang out not far away. "Hahaha! Little brother has good taste, my Mo Clan..."
Before he could finish, Xiao Feng let out a cold snort. "Where did this dog come from? Is it worthy of sitting at the table?"
Amidst the swirling yellow sand, an old man appeared, looking ashamed and angry. He pointed at Xiao Feng, preparing to say harsh words to test the youth's background, when another voice sounded not far away. "Indeed, not worthy."
The old man of the Mo Clan was startled. He hadn't sensed when the person behind him had appeared. Just as he was about to turn his head, he heard a gust of wind from behind. Immediately after, a pair of wings floated past him and landed in the south, directly facing Xiao Feng.
The Mo Clan member gritted his teeth, not daring to utter a threat, and turned to leave.
Xiao Feng pinched the lid and tapped the cup, not even lifting his eyes. "Here for my maid?"
The person sitting opposite was dressed in green, her face covered with a green veil, revealing only a pair of eyes.
At this moment, those eyes were staring fixedly at Xiao Feng. It took a few seconds before she nodded. "Yes."
"Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils?" Xiao Feng took a sip of tea and continued.
Lü Man, sitting opposite, paused in her breathing, and the palm resting on the table noticeably stiffened. She re-evaluated Xiao Feng. The other party's leisurely and carefree posture gave her an awkward feeling that everything was under his control.
Lü Man raised her eyebrows and sneered. "It seems you know quite a lot, which saves me some trouble. I want to take her away. Tell me, what kind of conditions do you want?"
Although Xiao Feng looked young, the aura of a Dou Huang was real. Lü Man had thought about taking her by force, but she was afraid of hurting the girl, so she decided to communicate peacefully first. She figured that a Dou Huang from a border region wouldn't be able to name a high price. Moreover, for the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, as long as they could bring back the owner of the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils intact, even exaggerated conditions were acceptable.
Xiao Feng shook his head gently. "This is Qing Lin's own business; it should be decided by her."
Lü Man looked at the girl, her voice softening. "Your name is Qing Lin, right?"
Poor her, an Elder of the Heavenly Serpent Mansion, when had she ever been so gentle!
What surprised Lü Man even more was that she had only asked this question, and the girl named Qing Lin looked at her with vigilance. She didn't respond, but instead leaned closer to the youth, then lowered her head and stopped speaking.
From beginning to end, Xiao Feng remained calm and composed, as if mocking Lü Man's overestimation of her own capabilities.
Lü Man took a breath. She could see it now: if this youth didn't nod, there was no way she could take Qing Lin away unless she used violent means.
She looked at Xiao Feng. "The Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils are a divine pupil that appears once in a century. Leaving it here is just a waste of this talent. She is young and doesn't know the stakes, but do you want her to waste her life and become mediocre like this?"
Xiao Feng smiled half-heartedly. "So, only your Heavenly Serpent Mansion is truly good to Qing Lin?"
Xiao Xun Er, standing on the other side, showed a look of realization. It seemed they were the only ones who could care so much about the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. But almost at the same time, the confusion in Xiao Xun Er's eyes grew deeper: How did Brother Xiao Feng know about them?
Compared to Xiao Xun Er, Lü Man's reaction was greater.
When Xiao Feng spat out the words "Heavenly Serpent Mansion," she stood up with a start, her eyes almost blazing with fire. Her entire body's aura condensed, ready to explode at any moment. She questioned Xiao Feng, word by word, "Who exactly are you!"
As she spoke, Lü Man's Soul Power swept in all directions. She suspected that a hostile force was setting her up, but after confirming there were no ambushes around, she became even more confused.
Xiao Feng ignored Lü Man and turned to look at Qing Lin. "Qing Lin, think about it again. If you go with her, the power behind her will try to cultivate you. Just as she said, reaching the Dou Zun Realm should be no problem."
Seeing Xiao Feng actually helping her persuade the girl, Lü Man had just shown joy when she saw the girl shake her head and refuse.
"Qing Lin only wants to stay by Young Master's side and be Young Master's maid."
Upon receiving Qing Lin's answer, Xiao Feng nodded slightly. He closed the cup lid, lifted the cup with his left hand, pressed the cup lid with his right thumb and index finger, and extended his other three fingers to point at Lü Man. Serving tea, seeing the guest out!
Xiao Feng's meaning was clear, and Lü Man's expression didn't look very good. Her tone turned colder. "In order not to let the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils be buried here, excuse me!"
After speaking, she stuck her finger into her green veil and blew a sharp whistle into her mouth, carrying a strange fluctuation that traveled into the distance.
Rumble!
In the distance, a dull sound came, and a black shadow rose there and quickly approached.
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor!
"Lü Man? What's the situation? You can't even handle such a young brat?"
The massive body of the Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor floated in mid-air, looking down at Xiao Feng, and another burst of smug laughter came from his mouth.
"Bastard! Can't you feel that he also has the aura of a Dou Huang! You entangle him!" Lü Man gritted her teeth; she also felt a bit annoyed.
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor wagged his tail and stared at Qing Lin for a few eyes. "It really is the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. Those Old fellows will probably wake up laughing if they see this!"
Looking at the two discussing among themselves, Xiao Feng put down the teacup. "You two, aren't you being a bit disrespectful to me, the host?"
The Eight-Winged Black Serpent Emperor and Lü Man couldn't help but look at Xiao Feng together. The former laughed loudly. "Little Fellow, you won't be able to keep the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils today even if you want to!"
Xiao Feng also laughed. "No, I've suddenly changed my mind."