Inside the room, Xiao Xun Er looked completely amiable, which made the worried Xiao Feng feel a bit bewildered.
"Sister Qing Lin has already told Xun'er what happened." Xiao Xun Er still wore a look of affection. "Sister Qing Lin is very brave. If Xun'er had encountered such a thing, I might not have even lasted until the moment I met Brother Feng."
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Xiao Feng poked Xiao Xun Er's smooth forehead in dissatisfaction, then looked at Qing Lin, who was sitting barefoot on the chair. "And you, girl, you're just as stubborn as a mule!"
Qing Lin slightly lowered her head, her small feet crossed together. Being scolded by Young Master Xiao Feng... felt sweet in her heart.
"Xun'er, go find a needle." Xiao Feng instructed, then went out and brought back a basin of hot water himself.
"Young Master Xiao Feng, no... you don't need to help. Qing Lin can prick it herself." Qing Lin curled her feet, feeling a little shy.
Ever since she learned about the relationship between Xiao Xun Er and Xiao Feng, she began burying her feelings deep inside, believing it was enough just to be a dutiful little maid.
"Stick out your feet! Are you not even listening to your Young Master anymore?"
Under Xiao Feng's serious tone, Qing Lin stopped resisting, burying her head in her chest, not daring to look at either of them.
"It might hurt a little, bear with it."
Xiao Feng held her small foot with one hand, and with the other, he pressed the needle down hard. The round, bulging blister quickly flattened.
"The water has prepared medicine; soak them for a while longer." Xiao Feng pressed both of Qing Lin's feet into the basin, went out to wash his hands, and finally had time to spend with his wife.
After their long-awaited reunion, their eyes only held each other.
"Brother Feng, Sister Qing Lin said... you entered the Tagor Desert." Xiao Xun Er nestled in Xiao Feng's embrace, feeling his breath and warmth.
"Mhm, I even saw Queen Medusa from afar."
Xiao Feng rarely hid anything from Xiao Xun Er. Aside from the matter of the Legacy, he told her almost everything, though he didn't elaborate on the transaction.
He wasn't sure if Xiao Xun Er had dispatched Ling Ying, but he was certain that Ling Ying definitely wouldn't know about these two matters.
Xiao Xun Er hugged Xiao Feng tightly, her face pale. "Brother Feng..."
She wanted to dissuade Xiao Feng, but reason told her she couldn't. This contradictory feeling of helplessness made Xiao Xun Er very sad, as if she had returned to that blood-stained night.
"Xun'er, you don't need to worry. I can't bear to see you cry, so I cherish my life more than anyone. Just relax." Xiao Feng comforted her softly.
"After returning this time, will Brother Feng have to leave again?"
"Yes, this time I might be gone for quite a while. We might only meet again at the Coming-of-Age Ceremony." Xiao Feng felt quite helpless. Who wants to enter Secluded Death Cultivation at such a young age? But he had no choice; Hun Tiandi wouldn't wait for him.
Xiao Xun Er said nothing more, just nestled in Xiao Feng's arms, greedily breathing in his scent.
The next day, Xiao Feng finally found time to see Xiao Yan.
After some time, Xiao Huohuo seemed even more dejected.
"Come on, Huo Huo, let me see how effective your Body Tempering has been lately?" Xiao Feng dragged Xiao Yan out of the room.
Xiao Yan gave a wry smile. "Brother Feng, stop making fun of me."
Xiao Feng raised an eyebrow. "Huo Huo, when I defeated Jia Lie Ao, my Dou Zhi Qi hadn't even reached the third stage. Are you going to be even more useless than me?"
Encouraged by Xiao Feng, Xiao Yan stood opposite him, cupped his fists in a salute, and then quickly rushed forward.
It was true that Xiao Yan's Dou Qi kept disappearing, but he hadn't neglected either his Cultivation or his Body Tempering. Currently, most of his peers in the Family were still no match for him.
"Not bad!" Xiao Feng praised, then twisted his body and threw Xiao Yan onto the ground.
"Huo Huo, get up! If you want to become a superior person, you have to sweat more. Again!"
Throughout the morning, Xiao Feng knocked Xiao Yan down dozens of times. Finally, Xiao Yan truly ran out of strength and lay on the ground, gasping for breath.
"Brother Feng, why do I feel like your body is harder than steel?"
Xiao Feng smiled and pulled Xiao Yan up. "Your waist isn't bad either!"
Xiao Yan looked confused, wondering what his waist had to do with anything.
"Don't stop Cultivating, and don't stop training your physique. Do you think your current self can defeat your self from when you were a Dou Practitioner?" Xiao Feng asked.
Xiao Yan thought carefully. "If there were no restraints from rules, I could kill my past self."
"Keep going." Xiao Feng patted Xiao Yan's shoulder and left.
Men don't need too much time spent accompanying them; they must shoulder their own hardships.
Wouldn't spending this time shopping with his wife be better?
However, Xiao Feng didn't go shopping that day. He took Xiao Xun Er and Qing Lin outside the city.
"Brother Feng, why did we come here?"
Xiao Xun Er was full of doubt, and Qing Lin also looked confused. Both stared at Xiao Feng.
"What happens next will be a secret between the three of us, so don't tell anyone."
Xiao Feng mysteriously pulled out a custom-made grill, ingredients, condiments, charcoal, a sun umbrella, lounge chairs, a picnic blanket, iced juice... anything he could get his hands on, Xiao Feng had acquired.
"Today, we're going to relax properly! Let's add some color to this monotonous world!"
Xiao Feng was very cheerful, rarely indulging himself like this.
He started a fire to grill, while the two girls were busy tidying up and setting out snacks and fruit platters. Just as they finished, Xiao Feng's first batch of grilled meat skewers was ready.
"Hurry and try how they taste!"
Xiao Feng's cooking talent was mostly theoretical; his grilling skills were decent purely because he had eaten and watched so much of it.
"It smells so good!"
Xiao Xun Er and Qing Lin's eyes sparkled. Almost simultaneously, they grabbed a skewer and handed it to Xiao Feng.
"Brother Feng, you take a bite first."
"Young Master Xiao Feng, you taste it first..."
Qing Lin didn't finish her sentence, pulling back the hand holding the skewer.
Xiao Feng's mouth twitched. At this point, he could only pretend not to see. "You two eat first. I still have to watch the fire here."
...The three of them enjoyed themselves for three full days, and then Xiao Feng left again.
When leaving, Xiao Xun Er hugged Xiao Feng, nearly tearing up. Qing Lin just watched from the side, trying several times to muster the courage to say something, but ultimately lowering her head.
Finally, Xiao Feng patted Qing Lin's head. "Both of you Cultivate properly. I'll be checking when we meet next time!"
...The Great Eagle had been waiting by the mountain range for a long time.
Passing a small town, Xiao Feng suddenly thought of Manni and the other person, and he jumped directly off the Great Eagle's back.
Boom!
With a loud crash, Xiao Feng landed, kicking up a cloud of dust.
This commotion attracted many people, including Manni and Tie Shan's subordinates.
"General Captain!" Someone recognized Xiao Feng. "Why are you here? What was that?"
As he spoke, the man looked up at the sky, but saw nothing.
Xiao Feng smiled. "Where are Manni and Tie Shan?"
"They're all here." The man was excited and quickly led the way. "Move aside, everyone, move aside! If you delay the General Captain, I'll skin you alive!"
After some time, Manni and Tie Shan had completely taken control of this small town. Backed by the Magical Beast Mountain Range, large amounts of wealth flowed in daily.
"You haven't seen Xiao Linger either?"
Xiao Feng frowned, realizing something was amiss.
Manni nodded. "But she is definitely still in the mountain range; communication relies solely on Green Wood Wolves delivering letters."
"Mhm, I see." Xiao Feng nodded. "Do you have any news about the two people I asked you to watch out for?"
Manni and Tie Shan shook their heads simultaneously.
Xiao Feng didn't mind. Those two had secretive movements, so it would be suspicious if their tracks were easily found. "Right, how is your Cultivation Level progressing?"
When this was mentioned, expressions of pride appeared on both their faces.
"Young Master, I'm already a Nine-Star Dou Master!" Tie Shan grinned. "It won't be long before I advance to Great Dou Master!"
"I've caught up to Tie Shan now, and perhaps I'll become a Great Dou Master even sooner than him!"
Xiao Feng frowned. This level of strength was not enough to be presentable.
"Mhm, work hard. If you haven't reached the Dou Ling level in three years, then take your people and leave."
"Ah?"
Both of them widened their eyes. Dou Ling was a level they had never even considered.
Xiao Feng sneered. "I personally guided your Cultivation, and the Magical Beast Mountain Range behind you provides a continuous supply of medicinal herbs. Even a pig should be able to fly! If you can't reach Dou Ling in three years, there's truly no need to follow me anymore."
The two of them froze, then bowed their heads together. "Yes."
After spurring the two of them on, Xiao Feng did not linger and headed straight towards Stone Desert City.
After going through such a long detour, he didn't believe Queen Medusa would still be watching that area!
After roughly disguising himself, Xiao Feng went directly to the eastern area circled on the map.
It was just a small dot on the map, but once a person arrived, there was no trace to be found. The surroundings were all boundless yellow sand, without a single landmark, filled with the aura of earth and fire, making it impossible to search.
After searching for more than ten days, Xiao Feng stopped feeling anxious.
He walked shirtless through the yellow sand, allowing the scorching sun to beat down on his body, like an ascetic monk. Sometimes, when he didn't want to walk anymore, he simply sat cross-legged in the sand, ignoring the wind and sand hitting his face.
"The great power lies entirely between heaven and earth..."
Xiao Feng whispered, silently sensing this aura, trying to integrate himself within it.
After another twenty-something days, the food in Xiao Feng's storage ring was finished, and the water was drunk dry. He made a trip to Stone Desert City for supplies and returned here.
Many passing merchants had become familiar with this strange man. They would smile and greet him when they passed by, and Xiao Feng would nod in acknowledgment.
"Hey, young man, it's about to rain! Hurry up and find a place to shelter!"
A caravan stopped nearby and was setting up an awning. An old man among them called out to Xiao Feng.
Xiao Feng smiled and shook his head, refusing.
Heat is Cultivation, and wind and rain are also Cultivation.
Rumble!
With a loud crash, a silver snake tore open the sky. All the light between heaven and earth was overshadowed by darkness; it seemed to become the only light, splitting the black clouds in two.
Xiao Feng's eyes shone brightly, and electric light danced in his palms. At this moment, he truly understood the terror of thunder—that savage, terrifying power that kills all things. Destruction seemed to be its true meaning.
Immediately afterward, large raindrops began to fall, landing in the scorching yellow sand and making sizzling sounds.
White mist began to rise, but soon it was suppressed by more rainwater.
At this moment, the rain between heaven and earth seemed to form a continuous sheet.
"Young man, you'll ruin your body! Hurry and come shelter from the rain!"
The old man called out again.
Seeing Xiao Feng remain indifferent, the old man handed two umbrellas to the woman next to him. "Girl, pull him in."
"Oh, okay, Grandpa."
The woman walked toward Xiao Feng, holding an umbrella, when she suddenly saw him leap up from the ground. He craned his neck, looked behind him, and before she could speak, he quickly vanished into the curtain of rain.
"What a lunatic!" The woman glanced ahead, where Xiao Feng was already nowhere to be seen.