The boy pointed toward the sky and said, "Senior Sister Shan just flew away toward the northeast on her flying magical treasure."
Mu Jiansi froze.
He had no idea where Shan Yundi was going this late at night.
He looked up and saw that the sky was already growing dim, crisscrossed by many streaks of light where other cultivators were flying on their magical treasures. Mu Jiansi wanted to give chase, but he had no way of knowing which streak of light belonged to Shan Yundi.
Mu Jiansi stamped his foot, his eyes filled with disappointment.
He had nursed an unrequited crush on Shan Yundi for years, and the entire Yunhai Sect knew of his pursuit.
Yet Shan Yundi was like a piece of cold stone, always keeping him at a distance of a thousand miles.
Men were truly shameless creatures: the colder Shan Yundi was toward him, the more it stirred up Mu Jiansi's desire to conquer her.
"Junior Sister, I will win you over! I swear it!"
Chapter 31: The Fairy's Night Visit
Changsheng Valley, bamboo grove.
After four days in meditation, Li Feng finally roused from that ineffably ethereal state of void.
This time spent in seated cultivation had brought many internal changes to his body.
First, the space within his Dantian had expanded; second, his Primordial Spirit had grown much more stable.
He checked his internal state and muttered to himself, "Cultivating immortality isn't all that hard. I just practiced casually, and my cultivation made a huge breakthrough. I really have no idea why the original owner of this body spent over twenty years practicing and still remained a low-level cultivator..."
After inwardly slandering the original owner, he slowly opened his eyes.
There he saw Yang Mo, Qi Shisan, and Fuyao—six eyes staring intently right at him.
That lecherous look gave Li Feng an urge to cover his backside.
"What are you three doing, staying up past midnight and sneaking around here to spy on me?"
Yang Mo blinked and asked, "Senior Brother, how do you feel?"
Li Feng replied, "I felt great a moment ago, but now I feel terrible."
Qi Shisan asked, "How could you feel terrible? You've been in meditation for four days. Did your cultivation break through to the Seventh Layer Soul Exit Realm?"
"Of course not, I only broke through to the Primordial Spirit Peak Realm... Wait, chubby six, what did you just say? I've been cultivating here for four days?"
The three of them nodded heavily.
Situ Fuyao chimed in, "That's right, Senior Brother. A full four days. Second Senior Brother and Sixth Senior Brother have been right here guarding you every step of the way, without leaving for a single moment. And I've been bringing over your meals every day!"
Li Feng almost fainted.
No wonder his stomach was rumbling like rolling thunder—he felt like he could eat a whole ox.
Who would have thought that a single blink of the eyes would waste a full four days away.
It seemed he shouldn't engage in deep cultivation too often, or he might genuinely starve to death right in the middle of it.
Although Li Feng had not broken through to the Soul Exit Realm, everyone was still extremely excited.
The four senior and junior siblings bantered and joked as they headed back to Changsheng Valley.
Li Feng was so ravenous it felt just like the days when he was trapped in the burial chamber.
He quickly told his Junior Sister to go whip up some food.
Over the past few days, they had already eaten all the wild chickens and hares Li Feng had brought back, leaving only that small wild boar weighing thirty or forty catties.
Situ Fuyao prepared to use a knife to cut off some meat for cooking, but Li Feng felt that was too stingy and directly ordered Qi Shisan and Yang Mo to get a bonfire started.
Li Feng shouted, "Tonight we're going to live it up a little—let's make a whole roasted pig! Everyone's finishing it tonight!"
No one cheered in response.
Qi Shisan said, "Senior Brother, this is the very last pig we have left! If we eat it all tonight, how are we supposed to survive the days ahead?"
Li Feng said, "Don't worry. With me here, I guarantee you'll have meat to eat and wine to drink every single day!"
Seeing Li Feng make such a solemn pledge, the others said nothing more and set to work.
Yang Mo sidled up to Li Feng and said, "Senior Brother, speaking of making a living, don't say I didn't warn you. Today is already the thirteenth day of the sixth month, and the day after tomorrow is the absolute deadline to pay our rent. Do you actually know Fairy Yunshun or not? Didn't you say she would lend you the silver to pay the rent? Now that you're finally awake, you'd better head over to the Yunhai Sect first thing tomorrow morning. You can't expect Fairy Yunshun to deliver it to you in person, can you?"
Li Feng nodded.
Thank goodness he had woken up from his meditative state tonight; if he had delayed another day or two, the Changsheng Sect would cease to exist.
"You're right to remind me. Fine, I'll go find her bright and early tomorrow morning."
The bonfire was lit, and the small wild boar was secured onto a wooden pole and suspended over the flames to roast.
The foodie Qi Shisan slowly rotated the spit, while Fuyao evenly sprinkled salt and seasonings over the small wild boar.
With a definitive answer from his Senior Brother, Yang Mo's mood soared, and he chimed in repeatedly, "More chili powder! Add more chili powder, Senior Brother likes it spicy!"
Before long, a faint aroma of roasted meat drifted across the valley.
Yang Mo ran into the nearby kitchen, carried out a wooden bucket, and brought over several black porcelain bowls.
"Senior Brother," he said, "the wine was finished last time, so tonight we'll just have to make do with some water."
Li Feng smiled bitterly and shook his head.
Eating barbecue at night without any wine—this was practically an apocalyptic catastrophe for humanity.
However, it was already so late that going out to buy any in the town outside the mountains was out of the question. He had no choice but to let the matter drop.
Just as the roasted pig was nearly done, a streak of light suddenly cut across the dark dome of the night sky. As it reached the airspace near Changsheng Valley, its speed abruptly slowed, its altitude dropped, and it began circling continuously in the vicinity.
Qi Shisan craned his neck to watch the stream of light darting back and forth above the neighboring peaks, and cursed grumpily, "Who on earth is this, just circling around us like that? Could they be lost?"
Yang Mo remarked, "Perhaps they were lured here by the smell of the roast meat! In the Tianyu Mountains, there are no shortage of sects and rogue cultivators as poor as we are."
Amidst everyone's bantering, the streak of light in midair slowly descended toward Changsheng Valley.
Li Feng chuckled wryly, "Old Second, you might actually be right. No matter, we probably won't finish this whole pig anyway, so we can just share some with them."
The streak of light landed in the valley, and an otherworldly fairy in white as snow, breathtakingly beautiful, stepped down from a divine sword that shone as bright as autumn water.
The woman's long hair and robes fluttered in the breeze, her ethereal grace so pure that people dared not look her directly in the eye.
The four people seated around the bonfire all dropped their jaws and stared in utter astonishment at the sight of her!
The woman looked toward the four of them, her gaze pausing briefly on the lovely Situ Fuyao before landing on Li Feng.
Her rosy lips parted slightly as she said, "Li Feng, your Changsheng Sect is truly hard to find. What are you staring at? Don't you recognize me anymore?"
Li Feng's body gave a slight jolt.
He immediately stood up, hurried forward to greet her, and asked, "Why have you come? How are your injuries?"
Li Feng's very first words were to inquire about her injuries, which warmed Shan Yundi's heart.
She gently shook her head and said, "My injuries are fine now."
Li Feng nodded repeatedly. "That's good, that's good!"
The other three finally snapped back to their senses.
Qi Shisan was so excited he looked ready to explode on the spot.
He kept whispering to Yang Mo, "Second Senior Brother, pinch me! Pinch me! Am I dreaming?!"
Yang Mo never refused such requests, and he ruthlessly pinched the fleshy flesh on Qi Shisan's lower back.
Qi Shisan winced and bared his teeth in pain.
Yet, so as not to lose face in front of his goddess, even though the pain twisted his facial features, he didn't make a single sound.
This was Situ Fuyao's first time seeing such a stunningly gorgeous woman.
She asked, "Who is this fairy?"
Yang Mo shrugged, indicating he had no idea either.
Qi Shisan hissed through his teeth, "She... she is Fairy Yunshun, Shan Yundi! My goddess! I saw her once at Baiyun City two years ago!"
"What? She is... Shan Yundi?"
Yang Mo and Situ Fuyao were once again struck dumb.
Everything Senior Brother said was true—Shan Yundi really was his friend!
Watching Li Feng warmly greet Shan Yundi, Situ Fuyao suddenly pouted, looking somewhat displeased.
"She's not that much prettier than me... Her legs are just a little longer than mine, her chest a bit bigger than mine, her skin a bit fairer than mine, her height a bit taller than mine, and her backside a bit perkier than mine... That's all!"
Chapter 32: The Changsheng Sect's Number One Glutton
Seeing that Senior Brother and Shan Yundi were chatting animatedly, Situ Fuyao walked over.
"Senior Brother," she asked, "who is this fairy?"
Li Feng slapped his forehead. "I forgot to introduce you all. This is the Fairy Shan Yundi of the Yunhai Sect whom I mentioned to you before. Yundi, this is the daughter of Master and Madam, my Junior Sister Situ Fuyao. These two are my Second Junior Brother Yang Mo and Sixth Junior Brother Qi Shisan."
Yang Mo and the others cupped their fists in greeting, saying, "Greetings, Fairy Shan."
Only Situ Fuyao remained silent.
Out of courtesy, Shan Yundi also nodded slightly toward the three of them.
Li Feng knew Shan Yundi had undoubtedly come to deliver the silver to him.
This made him feel rather sheepish.
"Yundi," he said, "we're just about to eat some roast pork. Care to join us for a bit?"
Shan Yundi hadn't eaten yet, so after a moment of hesitation, she nodded slightly.
Li Feng hurriedly urged his two junior brothers to fetch bamboo stools.
Knowing that Shan Yundi was a major benefactor—and that whether the Changsheng Sect could survive depended entirely on her—they dared not show any negligence and scurried off toward the kitchen.
Before long, Shan Yundi was seated.
Qi Shisan eagerly poured a bowl of water for Shan Yundi.
With a slightly awkward smile, Li Feng said, "We... don't have any wine, so tonight we'll just substitute water for wine! I propose we all offer a toast to Yundi!"
Qi Shisan and the others immediately raised their bowls.
In the past, Shan Yundi would never have participated in such an activity.
Yet tonight, she found the scene before her to be quite heartwarming, so she raised her bowl of water and took a small sip.
Seeing that Shan Yundi wasn't as cold as the rumors suggested, nor particularly stuck-up, everyone gradually relaxed.
With a wave of his hand, Li Feng announced, "Dig in!"
Whenever these fellows ate meat previously, it was always a mad scramble. Tonight, with Shan Yundi sitting beside them, each of them behaved as meekly as quails.
They even began yielding the best pieces to one another.
Li Feng stood on no such ceremony. Having been starved for four days, his eyes were practically glowing. After using his knife to cut a piece of hind leg meat for Shan Yundi, he tore off an entire hind leg for himself and began to gnaw on it wildly.
This wolfish, ravenous style of eating—resembling a starving ghost who had just transmigrated—made the three disciples of the Changsheng Sect feel thoroughly embarrassed.
Fuyao whispered, "Senior Brother, Senior Brother... slow down a bit, Fairy Shan is right here!"
With his mouth stuffed full of fragrant roast meat, Li Feng mumbled, "Yundi is not an outsider, everyone don't stand on ceremony. Yundi, you shouldn't hold back either. My junior brothers and sister are all lively and kind-hearted people."
Shan Yundi nodded slightly and began to eat the roast meat Li Feng had cut for her.
Her table manners were far more refined than Li Feng's, chewing slowly and deliberately with the refined air of a young lady from a noble household.
Qi Shisan helpfully reminded her, "Fairy Shan, there's quite a bit of chili on tonight's roast pig. If you find it too spicy, be sure to drink some water."
Shan Yundi looked up and said, "It's delicious, I actually like spicy food. It's been a long time since I've had food this good. Not only is Miss Fuyao exceptionally pretty, but I never expected her culinary skills to be so exquisite."
With that, she tore off another small strip of meat to put in her mouth, appearing genuinely fond of this wild country-style roast cured pork.
Situ Fuyao, who had been huffing and puffing with anger just moments before, felt all her lingering grievance dissipate into thin air upon hearing Shan Yundi praise her looks and cooking.
She immediately chimed in, "Compared to Fairy Shan, Fuyao falls far short!"
The relationship between women can often be quite subtle.
Sometimes, a single sentence is all it takes to dissolve the barriers and friction between them.
For instance—your clothes are so pretty today, your nails look lovely, your handbag is gorgeous...
Whether women on Earth or women in the Jiulong Mainland, their nature remained fundamentally the same.
The atmosphere gradually grew lively.
When Shan Yundi finished her piece of meat and reached out with her knife to cut more from the roasting rack, Yang Mo and Qi Shisan dropped their affected reserve as well. They began jostling and bantering, and the sound of laughter echoed across Changsheng Valley once more.
This meal of roast meat truly suited Shan Yundi's palate.
Back at the Yunhai Sect, due to her exalted status, the chefs prepared meals that were rather light, with very few meat dishes and certainly no heavy spices.
Here, she found a nostalgic taste reminiscent of her mother's cooking from childhood.
Shan Yundi ate a full two large pieces of meat and drank three bowls of water before finally slowing down her pace.
Looking at the lively group around her, she couldn't help asking, "Li Feng, where are the rest of your Changsheng Sect members?"
Li Feng replied, "Master and Madam went down the mountain to scrape together some silver, and we haven't heard from them since. Before leaving, Master passed down our sect-founding artifact, the Duannian Sword, to me—he probably doesn't plan on coming back at all. Third Junior Brother transferred over to Elder Li Yunchen's sect in the Yunhai Sect over a month ago. Fourth Junior Brother couldn't stand the hard life here and went home to look after his mother. Fifth Junior Brother went back to his village last month to borrow grain, but when he and a few other cultivators entered the Ten Thousand Demons Forest to hunt a beast demon and trade its inner core for spirit crystals to pay our rent, he ended up dying in the jaws of a snake demon. Now there are only four of us left in the entire Changsheng Sect."
Hearing Li Feng's sorrowful account, Yang Mo and the others stopped playing around and lowered their heads slightly.
Shan Yundi had long heard that the Changsheng Sect was in decline, but she never imagined it had fallen this far.
They were once the leader of the immortal sects, yet after a mere eight hundred years, only four young disciples were left struggling to keep it alive.
Shan Yundi said softly, "The Changsheng Sect was glorious for thousands of years, and fought bloody battles to save the common people of the world. I believe your Changsheng Sect will surely recapture its former glory."
Li Feng gave a crooked smile. Knowing that Shan Yundi was merely trying to comfort him, he let the matter drop without further comment.
The thirty-odd-catty small wild boar was reduced to a pile of bare bones by the five of them.
Li Feng, having starved for four days, ate the most by far.
He finally triumphed over Sixth Junior Brother Qi Shisan to claim the title of the Changsheng Sect's Number One Glutton for the evening.
By now, it was nearly the third watch of the night.
Having eaten his fill, Li Feng prepared to ask Shan Yundi if she had come to deliver the silver.
Unexpectedly, before he could speak, Shan Yundi stood up and said, "The scenery here is quite nice, Li Feng. Accompany me for a walk."
Li Feng was taken aback.
He thought to himself, why would this woman not go home in the middle of the night, yet want to go strolling with him?
Yang Mo muttered under his breath, "Senior Brother, the silver! Ask her to borrow the silver!"
For the sake of the Changsheng Sect's survival, Li Feng could only bite the bullet and play the tour guide.
He briefly introduced the surrounding wooden houses and bamboo cottages to Shan Yundi.
Clearly, Shan Yundi had no interest in these leaky, dilapidated wooden shacks out in the wilderness.
Before they knew it, the two of them drifted toward the secluded bamboo grove.
Watching the backs of the two figures as they walked away, Situ Fuyao's jealousy flared up again.
Women, after all, were extremely sensitive creatures.
Situ Fuyao couldn't help muttering, "What on earth is the relationship between Shan Yundi and Senior Brother? Could it be that she likes him?"
"What are you talking about?!"
Qi Shisan retorted with a huff, "She's the renowned Fairy Yunshun! How could Senior Brother ever be worthy of her? She's only leading Senior Brother off to a quiet place to hand over the silver privately so as to spare us any embarrassment! Junior Sister, don't go spreading wild rumors!"
Yang Mo said, "No matter what, as long as she lends us the money to get through this crisis, that's all that matters."
Compared to Qi Shisan's near-fanatical worship of Shan Yundi, Yang Mo was far more rational and had no interest in her romantic gossip.
Chapter 33: Living Off a Woman with Confidence
Bathed in moonlight, the tranquil bamboo grove took on a faint, dusky green hue.
The bamboo leaves swayed gently in the breeze, rolling like delicate ripples and producing a soft rustling sound that added a touch of mystery and poetry to the entire grove.
Li Feng and Shan Yundi walked side by side through the sea of bamboo, neither speaking, as if verifying the old saying: silence is sometimes more eloquent than words.
Shan Yundi's leg injury had not fully healed yet. After walking for a while, she felt a dull ache in the spot where her bone had fractured. Seeing a snapped, fallen green bamboo ahead, she walked over, sat down upon it, and gently massaged her lower leg.
Li Feng asked, "Is... is your leg alright?"
Shan Yundi replied, "A little rest and it will be fine."
Watching this pristine, otherworldly woman under the moonlight, Li Feng felt his heart pounding thump-thump in his chest.
Could Shan Yundi really be the female protagonist of a web novel? Was she his destined partner?
Noticing Li Feng staring fixedly at her, a faint flush bloomed across Shan Yundi's fair cheeks.
"Have you looked your fill yet? Believe it or not, I'll dig your eyeballs out."
Li Feng chuckled dryly, "An appreciation of beauty is something everyone possesses. Since you're so gorgeous, if I didn't look at you a few more times, wouldn't that show a lack of respect for you?"
Shan Yundi had never encountered such crooked logic before.
The men she had previously associated with were all self-proclaimed righteous gentlemen of the Yunhai Sect, who never dared to joke with her, let alone utter any flirtatious remarks for fear of being branded as dissolute scoundrels.
She had never imagined that the righteous path could produce a young hero as lawless and unconstrained as Li Feng.
Of course, Shan Yundi wasn't actually going to dig out Li Feng's eyeballs.
Nor did she stop him from staring at her anymore.
After a long moment, seeing that Li Feng still hadn't spoken, Shan Yundi asked, "Are you angry with me?"
Li Feng blinked in surprise. "Angry about what?"
Shan Yundi said, "Because I left without saying goodbye last time."
Li Feng recalled the incident and shook his head. "I was pretty depressed at the time—we'd been through life and death together, after all, and you just left without even saying a word. But I got over it later."
Shan Yundi asked, "Then why didn't you come to Tianfeng Peak to find me? Did you really expect me to deliver the spirit crystals to you?"
Li Feng looked somewhat awkward.
He immediately shook his head. "Weren't you injured? I figured you must be spending those days recovering. I was planning to go to the Yunhai Sect to find you tomorrow morning, but I never expected you to come over yourself tonight. I'm really sorry to have made you travel all this way!"
Shan Yundi's expression softened a bit. "I suppose my trip wasn't completely in vain, seeing as I got to enjoy a wonderful meal tonight."
With that, Shan Yundi retrieved a delicate purple cloth pouch from her storage bag and handed it to Li Feng.
Li Feng took it, opened it, and saw five pieces of black crystal the size of a baby's fist inside.
He had already digested most of the original owner's memories, so he knew this stuff was the highest grade of spirit crystal—black crystal—where a single piece of black crystal could be exchanged for one hundred ordinary blue crystals.
These five black crystals were precisely enough for him to pay the rent.
Without standing on ceremony, Li Feng immediately cupped his fists in a salute and said, "Fairy Yunshun is truly righteous and keeps her promises; Li Feng is full of admiration! I will definitely pay you back in the future."