CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: DEPARTURE (2)

The first rays of sunlight spilled into Wei Meilin’s private room, brushing the disordered floor where discarded robes and undergarments lay scattered.

Inside, the usual sight of cloth laying around the room seemed to become a norm.

On the bed, Li Feng lay with his arms wrapped possessively around Wei Meilin’s smooth, naked body. Her hair spilled like dark silk over the pillow, her skin flushed with the lingering warmth of passion. While his hand kneaded her full big breast with deliberate slowness, savoring its weight and softness.

"mhmm"

She stirred faintly, her breathing soft and uneven, as if reluctant to let go of the bliss that had filled the long night.

Li Feng pressed closer from behind, his chest against her back, lips brushing her ear with a lazy grin. For a moment, he simply held her there, drinking in the fragrance of her skin, the warmth of her body, and the faint smile curling at her lips.

Last night, instead of being rough, he became as gentle as a gentleman, treating Wei Meilin’s body with care. Wei Meilin seemed unaccustomed to this sudden gentleness and reacted quite amazingly.

These actions were part of his plan to "train" this remarkable body. After enjoying it for the past few days, he realized Wei Meilin’s body was truly one of a kind. It would be a waste to lose such a pleasurable body, so he wanted to cherish it a bit and play with it for a very long time.

"Madam Wei... I will be returning to the sect today," Li Feng whispered softly into her ear.

"ah..." a languid moan escaped her lips, her body arching subtly into his touch. She seemed intoxicated by his tenderness, unwilling to fully awaken.

Li Feng smiled, pressed a final kiss to her neck, then slipped from the bed. Soon, he was dressed, leaving the room satisfied.

--

After finally leaving the Wei Alchemy Hall, Li Feng stretched lazily and stepped out into the street. To his surprise, the sky had already darkened, clouds pressing low as though rain might fall at any moment.

"Is it about to rain ?" While looking up he heard a call.

"Junior Brother Li! You really are here."

The familiar voice snapped him from his thoughts. Looking back down, Li Feng spotted Lin Yu, the senior brother who had guided him to Cloudveil City.

Even though Lin Yu was smiling, a twitch appeared now and then along side the corner of his mouth. ’I was waiting here just thinking he might still be here but... he’s actually been staying here, huh. This guy doesn’t seem to care about my advice at all.’

"Oh, Senior Brother Lin? Are you prepare to head back to the sect? I just finished my business here too," Li Feng said with his signature grin.

Lin Yu couldn’t help but roll his eyes. Judging by Li Feng’s refreshed look, his "business" was far from proper cultivation work. Still, his gaze fell on the alchemist’s badge hanging at Li Feng’s waist, and his smile stiffened.

"I heard a new alchemist joined the guild..." Lin Yu said, his smile turning a bit serious. "I didn’t expect it to be you. Truly, you’re full of surprises."

He knew well that anyone who managed to enter the guild wasn’t just dabbling, they were the real deal. To be recognized as an alchemist meant genuine skill, not empty boasting or luck.

Hearing this, Li Feng gave a dramatic sigh. "I was planning to keep a low profile, but alas, Senior Brother has sharp eyes. So yes, I somehow managed to pass the guild’s assessment by luck."

Seeing the smug Li Feng with a look that seemed to say "Praise me more," Lin Yu’s mouth twitch and he just pretended not to notice and said, "Well, it’s a good thing that you actually stayed here in the city for these past few days."

Li Feng blinked. "What do you mean?"

Lin Yu quickly looked around and pulled Li Feng near him, whispering, "There’s actually an infamous bandit group roaming around the city lately. Apparently, they came from the Fen Dynasty Capital, escaping here after causing quite a bloodshed in the surrounding villages in the Capital."

"Bandits?" Li Feng frowned

"Yes, and it’s not a normal bandit group either. Apparently, these bandits even managed to tame a Wind Wolf, which is a demonic beast that excels in speed."

Lin Yu’s eyes narrowed as he continued, "Their leader, the First Brother, isn’t normal either. I heard that he is even at the peak of the 9th realm of Qi refinement."

"But how come there doesn’t seem to be any news of this?" Li Feng frowned, remembering the little girl who had left just the night before. He thought, ’Strange... I haven’t heard a thing about this. Even if I don’t know, then someone as well-connected as Wei Meilin definitely should know.’

Lin Yu leaned closer and whispered, "It’s not strange that you don’t know... only a few influential factions here are aware, since the City Lord deliberately suppresses the news."

"Eh? Why?" Li Feng asked, frowning in confusion. "Why hide such important information?"

Lin Yu explained casually, "Because so far, these bandits have only attacked mortal villages or merchants. They haven’t caused any real losses to the City Lord or the Four Major Families. And with the tournament about to begin, the City Lord doesn’t want to alarm any of the guests and risk tarnishing her own prestige."

Li Feng tilted his head. "Her prestige? What does that have to do with this?"

Lin Yu glanced around a few times before continuing in a low voice, "Don’t let anyone know about this... Actually, the City Lord has personally acted a few times to eradicate this bandit group. But they always manage to escape before she arrives, almost as if they somehow know she’s coming."

Li Feng’s eyes finally showed understanding, yet he couldn’t help but want to curse at these cultivators who cared so much about their reputation.

"But those bandits won’t survive much longer," Lin Yu continued, trying to reassure Li Feng. "Once the tournament begins, the City Lord can finally mobilize all her subordinates since most important guests would already have gone to the sect to spectate."

Hearing this doesn’t make Li Feng feel better.

At that, an image of a cheerful, delicate girl flickered across Li Feng’s mind. His expression darkened.

Not noticing Li Feng’s mood change, Lin Yu shrugged. "Well, it’s really none of our business here." His gaze drifted upward to the darkening sky, the heavy scent of rain seeping into the air.

Then, turning back to Li Feng, he said, "Shall we head back together?"

Lin Yu and Li Feng start walking back together.

Li Feng walked a few steps alongside him in silent, but his thoughts churned. Yin Rou should be fine, right? There’s no way she could be that unlucky. If something did happen... well, that would just be her bad luck I guess.

Despite trying to act indifferent toward the situation, Li Feng’s thoughts kept drifting back to the moments he’d spent with Yin Rou. He tried telling himself it was nothing, just a girl he had helped on a whim but the memory of her small, earnest face and the way she trusted him refused to leave his mind.

’S-Senior, here my entire saving!’

’Senior! Please accept this flower !’

’Senior.. Yes ! I’m willing !’

After walking a few steps, Li Feng scratched his head in frustration. "Ah, damn it."

He glanced at Lin Yu briefly. "Senior Brother Lin, wait here for a bit. I need to take care of something real quick."

Before Lin Yu could react, Li Feng was already moving, Goldie moving at his side as they headed straight for the city gate.

"Eh? What?" Lin Yu exclaimed, blinking after Li Feng, completely dumbfounded at how suddenly he had taken off.

Once at the gate, Li Feng quickly approached a nearby guard. "Do you know the location of the village of the girl I escorted here last night?"

The guard paused, thinking for a moment. "Village? Oh, you mean that little girl you brought here before." He pointed toward a distant direction and begin telling the details.

Hearing this Li Feng nodded, then turned to Goldie. "Go and make sure Yin Rou is safe."

Hearing Li Feng’s command, Goldie crouched low, body tensing like a coiled spring. Then, with a deafening BOOM, it shot into the air. The ground shattered under the force of his leap, sending rocks and dust skittering in every direction. Wind tore past Li Feng’s face as Goldie vanished into the distance like a shadow moving faster than the eye could follow.

Li Feng’s eyes narrowing. "Let’s hope my feeling is wrong," he muttered, then shook his head and turned back to rejoin Lin Yu.

Above them, the sky had darkened considerably. Low rumbles of thunder whimpered across the clouds, echoing like distant warnings. Droplets of rain began to fall, hitting the ground with a soft, irregular rhythm, as if a storm was imminent.

--

A while later,

BOOM.

The ground cracked under the force of Goldie’s landing, dust and debris scattering everywhere. Through the haze, a tall figure in a full-body robe landed, steady and imposing.

Goldie had arrived.

After observing the surrounding area and noticing that it had arrived at the road leading toward Yin Rou village as per the detail provided by the guard, Goldie then stepped onto the narrow dirt path that cut through the woods leading toward the village, and start walking silently.

Along the way, something caught Goldie attention, a familiar, simple white flower tucked in the bushes.

"...." Goldie paused, silently staring at it for a moment, remembering it is the same one Yin Rou had gifted. It bent down, plucked one of the blossoms, and held it gently between its fingers before continuing onward.

Soon, it noticed something ahead.....something is burning.

When Goldie arrived,

Ahead, smoke and flickering light drew its attention. The village was burning, rows of wooden houses engulfed in flames under a dark, rumbling sky.

Goldie slowed slightly, it gaze sweeping over the devastation sight. Then it notice a new fire appear somewhere on the edge and as if guiding by something it start heading toward there.

When Goldie arrived, before it was a small simple wooden house, fully ablaze. The small white flower in its hand began to wilt from the intense heat.

Crackle... Crackle... Snap!

"...."

At its feet lay a small hairpin, the one Goldie remembered its master had gifted Yin Rou just yesterday. Goldie bent down, its hand hovering over the hairpin as it studied it for a long, silent moment.

Then Goldie eyes shifted, catching the faint imprint of a paw in the dirt nearby, a mark resembling a wolf’s footprint. Without hesitation, Goldie’s gaze followed the trail leading into the woods.

"..."

Soon, Goldie stood up and began moving quietly along the path, following the tracks.

Behind it, the fire continued to rage, the flames casting long shadows that seemed to stretch after Goldie back as it vanished into the trees.