In the Tager Desert, the climate was arid, and the moisture in the air felt as if it had been squeezed dry.
"Master, please let me go. Just consider it as accumulating some good karma, okay?"
The Great Eagle really didn't want to stay in such a place anymore. It had already started losing feathers; if it didn't leave soon, it would truly turn into a flightless chicken.
Looking at the teary-eyed Great Eagle, Xiao Feng also couldn't bear it.
"Fine, first, relax your mind."
Xiao Feng placed his hand on the Great Eagle's skull, using his Soul Power to probe every inch of its flesh and blood.
Hmm, it's a male... The Great Eagle unconsciously shifted its claws. It felt uncomfortable all over, feeling as if a large hand was stroking it from its head, down its neck, body, wings, all the way to... Ah! It touched... The Great Eagle wanted to resist, but its master's will was hard to defy, so it endured until the feathers on its neck stood on end.
Finally, after persisting for over ten minutes, the large hand disappeared, and Xiao Feng's voice echoed in its mind, "Remember this route."
A stream of heat flowed through the Great Eagle's body, and the Dou Qi within it moved accordingly, passing through its meridians and forming a closed circle. It hurried to memorize this route.
"Alright, find a place around the desert to Cultivate properly." Xiao Feng patted the Great Eagle's head.
The Great Eagle nodded, gave a high-pitched cry, and with a gust of wind, soared into the sky.
Watching the Great Eagle depart, Xiao Feng turned his gaze back toward Mo City.
"Hai Bodong should have opened a shop selling ma—"
Xiao Feng, mid-murmur, suddenly thought of a bad memory. He cursed and headed directly toward that location.
Compared to Wutan City, Stone Desert City was heavily guarded; even during the day, many armored soldiers were on patrol. As a new face appearing here for the first time, Xiao Feng was stopped for questioning multiple times.
"This is quite a hassle," Xiao Feng lamented after paying the city entrance fee.
Finally able to walk freely on the streets of Mo City, he couldn't help but begin to scan his surroundings.
Whether the residents of Stone Desert City were bold and uninhibited was one thing, but their clothing was certainly much more unrestrained. Men wearing undershirts or going shirtless were everywhere, and many women wore short sleeves and shorts, with their waists and thighs fully exposed, their speech equally wild and unruly.
Xiao Feng twitched his lips, no longer paying attention to them, and pulled aside a few passersby to ask for the location of the map shop.
After half a day, he finally stopped in front of a map shop named "Ancient Maps."
Comparing it with the shops to the left and right and confirming that its renovation style was indeed somewhat simple and rustic, Xiao Feng finally stepped inside.
The space inside the shop wasn't large and had almost no customers, appearing quite desolate. Moonlight Stones embedded in the walls emitted a faint glow, dispelling the internal darkness.
Xiao Feng's gaze was focused more on the Shop Owner.
At this moment, the white-haired Hai Bodong was bowing his head, drawing a map with rapt attention. The hand holding the pen looked withered and aged, but the strokes it left were steady and powerful.
Hai Bodong didn't pay the slightest attention to the arrival of a customer, not even offering the most basic welcoming smile. This was likely why business was so quiet.
Xiao Feng didn't rush him either, standing before the counter watching the old man work. That stroke-by-stroke, meticulous manner had a flavor somewhat like Li Yunlong embroidering.
'If he didn't truly love it, who could maintain the patience to draw this junk after their strength plummeted?' Xiao Feng thought to himself.
After waiting for another ten minutes, Hai Bodong finally finished the task at hand. He picked up the map, carefully blew the ink dry, and without looking at Xiao Feng at all, his indifferent voice rang out, "A traveler from outside? You must be here to buy a map of the Tager Desert, right?"
"Yes... and no." Xiao Feng was even less hurried than Hai Bodong, his tone leisurely.
Upon hearing this, Hai Bodong's hands paused. After slowly putting down the map, he finally looked up at Xiao Feng, sizing up the youth before him, a light flashing through his eyes.
His tone turned a few degrees colder as he looked at that youthful face and asked, "What exactly is your purpose?"
Xiao Feng looked at the bristling Hai Bodong and laughed. At this time, he might not have fallen to the Dou Ling Realm yet; perhaps he was a Dou Wang, or even a Dou Huang, but so what?
"I've come to ask Old Mister for a map."
Hai Bodong slapped the counter, and the shop door behind Xiao Feng slammed shut via a mechanism. In the next instant, the old man's hair and beard fluttered as cold Qi radiated from him. A majestic Aura swept toward Xiao Feng—a pressure that a Dou Ling could never release.
In an instant, the temperature in the shop dropped by over ten degrees.
Xiao Feng's expression remained unchanged, as steady as a mountain. He let Hai Bodong's Aura surge, remaining as motionless as a rock.
"Old Mister, I'm not here to fight you, nor do I wish to disturb your peaceful life. I've simply heard that you drew a map related to a Heavenly Flame years ago, so I've come specifically to discuss it with you."
Hai Bodong's flying hair and beard settled, but the temperature in the shop remained freezing. He looked coldly at Xiao Feng, "A map related to a Heavenly Flame? Heh, this old man knows nothing of it. I don't know what nonsense you're talking about."
"Old Mister, there's really no need to play dumb with me. I won't take it by force; just name your conditions." Xiao Feng said calmly.
Hai Bodong frowned and gave a cold laugh, "You want to talk business with this old man? First, let's see how much weight you carry, kid!"
After speaking, his hands moved in front of him, and an ice mirror materialized. Simultaneously, his other hand waved, and white Dou Qi shimmering with frosty cold gathered before him, quickly forming into ice spikes aimed directly at Xiao Feng.
"Old Mister, at your age, why is your temper still so explosive?"
Xiao Feng merely raised his right hand slightly, the smile on his face not fading in the least.
Hai Bodong's expression froze, the coldness in his eyes rapidly dissipating, and the newly formed ice spikes also dissolved.
At the center of the old man's brow, a small sword was suspended. One more inch and it would have drawn blood.
As the ice spikes vanished, the small sword also slowly dissipated.
Hai Bodong looked at the shattered ice mirror before him and asked with some frustration, "This Ice Condensation Mirror of mine can reflect all attacks. How on earth did you break it?"
Xiao Feng smiled without speaking. No matter how powerful a defensive measure, it ultimately had a limit. The Dou Qi density of the small sword he had pointed out was far higher than that of the Ice Condensation Mirror; how could it possibly withstand it?
Furthermore, there was a secret involved. The Dou Qi contained within the small sword wasn't just one type; the moment it touched the Ice Condensation Mirror, it devoured and transformed into the same kind of Dou Qi, which was why it shattered instantly.
Seeing the youth remain silent, Hai Bodong asked again, "Where exactly do you come from?"
"Old Mister, at your age, why is your curiosity still so heavy?"
Xiao Feng gave a hint, and Hai Bodong immediately reined in his curiosity.
"It seems I really am old!" Hai Bodong lamented. "But there is one thing I must ask clearly: how did you know I drew a map related to a Heavenly Flame?"
Xiao Feng found a chair and sat down. "If you don't want people to know, don't do it. But Old Mister, you can rest assured; I can guarantee that my arrival will not disturb your life in seclusion. Moreover, I come with goodwill."
Hai Bodong's gaze fell to the floor. After thinking for a long while, he finally spoke, "As the defeated party, I truly have nothing more to say. Since this little brother has such strength, I do have an audacious request."
While speaking, he took out a map from under the counter and tossed it toward Xiao Feng.
"Old Mister is quite trusting of me." Xiao Feng unfolded the map and saw that three locations were marked on it.
Hai Bodong waved his hand, his tone somewhat helpless. "It's just a map. If you really wanted to seize it, I couldn't protect it anyway. I'm just putting on a show of generosity."
"Haha, what was the audacious request Old Mister mentioned earlier?" Xiao Feng laughed, putting the map into his storage ring.
"sand mandara!" Hai Bodong said slowly.
'As expected, he didn't bypass this part,' Xiao Feng thought, then said, "Consider it done. I'll take care of this."
Hai Bodong spoke again, "Little brother, don't be in such a hurry to agree. This sand mandara generally grows in high-temperature areas, which is to say, deep in the Tager Desert. You must know that those are the territories of the Snake People; they hate humans immensely. Queen Medusa's strength is at the Peak Dou Huang level. Once discovered, it's hard to even escape."
Xiao Feng nodded, "Hmm, now that you put it that way, I want to try even more."
Hai Bodong looked at Xiao Feng and said no more, "In that case, I'll wish you a safe journey here."
Waving goodbye to Hai Bodong, Xiao Feng pulled open the door and walked out.
Just as he stepped onto the street, he noticed a little girl running in a panic, looking back behind her from time to time, seemingly unaware of him in front of her.
Xiao Feng turned and caught the running little girl with both hands. The girl was startled, her body trembling, and she hurriedly said "I'm sorry" while trying to flee again.
At that moment, another person chased out from the alley, anger on his face. Seeing the little girl in Xiao Feng's arms, he immediately walked over aggressively.
"Little brat, you stole buns from my shop! Let's see where you hide now!"
As the man spoke, he rolled up his sleeves, a fierce look on his face.
The little girl's thin body trembled uncontrollably, and her voice grew small, "Qing Lin gave money... Qing Lin didn't steal your buns..."
"Don't talk nonsense! I never sold you any buns! Take your money and give me back the buns!" The bun Shop Owner shouted harshly, while throwing several copper coins he was clutching at the little girl.
He didn't dare let the residents here misunderstand that he had sold buns to this little brat; otherwise, his shop's business would plummet.
Xiao Feng frowned, sizing up the thin and small girl beside him. She was more than half a head shorter than him, and she had no meat on her bones.
At this moment, Qing Lin's eyes were filled with fear. She quickly took the buns from her arms and, ignoring the heat, stuffed them directly into her mouth. Then she curled into a ball, gritting her teeth, silently waiting for the impending kicks and punches.
"You!" The bun Shop Owner saw Qing Lin stuffing the buns into her mouth and became even more enraged. "You mongrel!"
After saying that, he reached out to lift the little girl, preparing to give her a severe beating.
"Shopkeeper, this little girl has already paid. Why must you bully a child like this?" Xiao Feng blocked the Shop Owner, his tone cold. "Regardless of her background, to hit and scold a child like that is going too far!"
If Xiao Linger made Xiao Feng feel both heartache and hatred, then for Qing Lin, there was only endless pity and affection.
A simple and weak child, struggling to live amidst the hatred of an entire city.
Today Xiao Feng had met her, but who knows how much hardship she had suffered in the years prior. Her days of having a meal one day and going hungry the next probably only improved after she met her two older brothers.
The Shop Owner glanced at Xiao Feng and snorted, "What does an outsider kid like you know? She's a mongrel! She shouldn't be living here! It would be better if she were dead!"
Xiao Feng's face darkened, Dou Qi permeating his hand. He looked into the Shop Owner's eyes, "I'll give you one chance to apologize."
The Shop Owner's body shook. As an ordinary person, he understood all too well what it meant for Dou Qi to permeate a hand. It meant that even if he were killed, it would be for nothing.
His face turned pale, and he whispered to Qing Lin, "Qing... Qing Lin, I apologize to you."
Qing Lin's small head peeked out from her arms. She raised her slightly green eyes and took a deep look at Xiao Feng before turning to the Shop Owner, "It's okay."
Xiao Feng waved his hand to let the Shop Owner scram, then, under Qing Lin's gaze, he slowly crouched down, gently smoothing her hair, and said softly, "It's been very hard all these years, hasn't it?"
Qing Lin's eyes suddenly turned red. she looked at Xiao Feng, her tone filled with uncertainty, "Are... are you Dad?"