Chapter 211: Shen Feng
Zhang Ruochen shook his head. Even with his powerful spiritual power, he could only sense some dangerous auras at most, and he couldn't be certain that his intuition was correct.
Huang Yanchen entered the mountain god temple and continued her cultivation.
Xiao Hei set up a bonfire. He had hunted and killed a barbarian beast from somewhere and was now roasting it over the fire, emitting waves of meaty aroma.
The night grew darker, and a bitterly cold wind blew in from the mountains, fanning the flames of the bonfire brighter and brighter.
The wind picked up, howling as it blew. Before long, snowflakes began to fall, growing heavier and heavier until they became large, feathery snowflakes.
Half an hour later, the entire mountain wilderness was covered in snow and wind, a silvery white world filled with biting cold. The wind sounded like a giant beast roaring, its voice extremely shrill.
"The Snow Falcon was left behind at Misty Hidden Lake. I left too hastily and couldn't bring it along," Zhang Ruochen said, sitting cross-legged by the bonfire, almost as if talking to himself.
Xiao Hei, holding a large piece of cooked meat in his two paws, ate as he spoke, "The Snow Falcon is, after all, a third-level barbarian beast. It already possesses a certain level of intelligence. Since it couldn't wait for you, it has probably flown back to the Martial Market Academy."
Huang Yanchen stopped cultivating and opened her beautiful, sapphire-blue eyes. Her eyelashes fluttered slightly as she stared at Xiao Hei, who was eating with relish. "A cat that knows so many things... Could you be a spiritual breed among barbarian beasts?"
Xiao Hei's round eyes widened slightly. "What is a spiritual breed? This venerable one is the Heaven-Slaying, Earth-Destroying Emperor. I've devoured countless spiritual breeds."
Huang Yanchen looked at Xiao Hei's smug demeanor and found it ridiculous. She didn't believe his words at all. "Xiao Hei, is that meat you roasted?"
"Of course," Xiao Hei said, puffing out his chest with great pride. "The meat of the Green Fire Deer is pretty good. Want a piece?"
"I'll try a bit," Huang Yanchen said.
"Shua!"
With a flick of Huang Yanchen's finger, the jade-white Snow Dragon Sword flew out of its sheath, cutting off a two-ounce piece of cooked meat that landed in her delicate hand.
Huang Yanchen's sword had been taken by the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, so Zhang Ruochen had lent her the Snow Dragon Sword to use.
It had to be said, Xiao Hei's roasting was truly exceptional. The flavor was wonderfully fragrant, and even Huang Yanchen, who never touched meat or fish, ate it with great relish.
Of course, Huang Yanchen's eating manner was far more elegant than Xiao Hei's. Her two slender, jade-like fingers gently pinched a thin shred of meat, placed it between her crystal-clear lips, and chewed slowly and silently.
Suddenly, Xiao Hei's ears twitched. He glanced toward the door and said, "Zhang Ruochen, you weren't a crow in a past life, were you?"
Zhang Ruochen and Huang Yanchen had also heard the footsteps outside. The sound was very faint, and with the noise of the wind and snow, if Zhang Ruochen hadn't been on guard, he almost wouldn't have noticed the person.
The footsteps drew closer and closer, and finally entered the mountain god temple.
A young man in his twenties, dressed in a blue shirt, walked in from outside, brushing the snow off his clothes. He looked at the two people and one cat inside, a hint of surprise on his face. "A night of wind and snow, nowhere to rest. I thought I'd take shelter from the cold in this mountain god temple, but I didn't expect to find you two already here. I am Shen Feng, an inner disciple of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion. I hope I'm not disturbing you?"
Huang Yanchen had been very wary, but upon hearing that he was a disciple of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, she relaxed her guard and put down the Snow Dragon Sword. "Shen Feng, I've heard your name. You're ranked ninth among the experts of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, and your cultivation has reached the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm. It's said that you once fought against a martial arts myth of the Heavenly Extreme Realm, lasting three moves. Although you were ultimately severely injured and defeated, that battle made you famous."
Shen Feng appeared quite refined. He looked at Huang Yanchen, a delighted expression in his eyes. "Miss actually knows me? I am truly flattered. Miss, you are as beautiful as a celestial maiden, like a goddess descending to the mortal world. I never thought I would meet such a beauty in a rustic mountain temple. Could this be fate?"
If anyone had spoken to Huang Yanchen so frivolously at any other time, she would have cut out their tongue.
But now, Huang Yanchen felt quite pleased. She cast a sidelong glance at Zhang Ruochen, only to see him still talking with Xiao Hei, completely unconcerned with Shen Feng's words.
A surge of irritation rose in her heart. "Junior Brother Chen, don't you see that Young Master Shen has arrived? Young Master Shen is a top expert of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, with martial arts cultivation far beyond yours. Won't you pay your respects?"
Zhang Ruochen gently patted Xiao Hei's head, as if he had finished giving his instructions. He stood up, bowed slightly to Shen Feng, and said, "Greetings, Brother Shen. Now that the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion and the Martial Market Academy are joining forces against the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect, we can be considered fellow disciples. Please, don't stand on ceremony. Have a seat."
"So, you two are students of the Martial Market Academy."
Shen Feng smiled, not being polite at all. He walked directly toward Huang Yanchen, bowed to her with a smile, and then sat down beside her.
He glanced at Zhang Ruochen. "Junior Brother Chen, are you an inner palace student of the Martial Market Academy?"
Zhang Ruochen nodded. "That's correct."
Shen Feng's eyes flickered. "I see that Junior Brother Chen is probably not yet twenty years old. To become an inner palace disciple of the Martial Market Academy at such a young age is truly impressive. But I am very curious, why do you wear a mask, Junior Brother Chen?"
Zhang Ruochen smiled but didn't answer Shen Feng's question. Instead, he asked, "Since Brother Shen is a master of the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm, why don't you even have a mount?"
Shen Feng replied, "I do have a mount, but this time I came to the Yunwu Commandery to deal with the evil cultists of the Black Market and the Moon Worship Demon Sect, so I didn't bring it with me when I left the sect."
"As far as I know, there are no towns within a three-hundred-mile radius. This is a desolate area within the Yunwu Commandery. There shouldn't be any evil cultists from the Black Market or the Moon Worship Demon Sect here. How did Brother Shen end up chasing all the way here?" Zhang Ruochen asked, seemingly offhand.
Shen Feng chuckled. "This is my first time in the Yunwu Commandery. I wasn't aware there were no towns within three hundred miles. Otherwise, I wouldn't have chosen this mountain god temple to rest."
Sensing the tension in the atmosphere, Huang Yanchen glared at Zhang Ruochen. "Junior Brother Chen, Young Master Shen is a young expert of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion. Why are you interrogating him so much? You don't actually think Young Master Shen is a martial artist of the evil Black Market, do you?"
"It seems Junior Brother Chen has some misunderstanding about me. I suppose I must prove my identity."
Shen Feng immediately took out a token and handed it to Huang Yanchen.
The front of the token was engraved with the words "Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion," and the back with the words "Shen Feng." It was the waist token exclusive to inner palace disciples of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion.
After confirming the token was not a forgery, Huang Yanchen returned it to Shen Feng.
Zhang Ruochen said calmly, "I was just asking casually."
Huang Yanchen glared at Zhang Ruochen again with her almond-shaped eyes. "Junior Brother Chen, your suspicions are too strong! With Young Master Shen's martial arts cultivation, if he wanted to deal with us, it would be a simple matter. Why would he need to use so many tricks?"
"Thank you for trusting me, Miss."
Shen Feng smiled. "May I ask for the young lady's name?"
Just as Huang Yanchen was about to give her name, Zhang Ruochen suddenly stood up, his gaze fixed outside the mountain god temple. "They're here!"
"Who's here?" Huang Yanchen asked.
Zhang Ruochen closed his eyes, channeling true qi into his ear meridians, and began counting. "Thirty li away, at least two hundred people. The aura on them... they are evil martial artists from the Poison Spider Merchant Guild. If I'm not mistaken, it should be Hua Qingshan who has caught up."
Zhang Ruochen glanced at Xiao Hei, giving him a meaningful look, then walked outside.
Seeing Zhang Ruochen leave, a hint of mocking amusement flashed in Shen Feng's eyes. He looked at Huang Yanchen and asked, "How did the people from the Poison Spider Merchant Guild track you here?"
Huang Yanchen had no guard against Shen Feng. Her expression was grave, and she didn't notice the silver needle that had appeared between Shen Feng's fingers. "They must be here to capture me."
"Actually, I'm here to capture you too."
A strange smile spread across Shen Feng's face. His arm shot forward, and the silver needle between his fingers, like a point of silver light, stabbed straight toward Huang Yanchen's brow, aiming to seal her Qi Sea.
Huang Yanchen's expression changed drastically. She never expected Shen Feng to attack her.
At this moment, even if she wanted to dodge, it was too late.
Seeing that he was about to succeed, the smile on Shen Feng's face grew even wider.
Just then, a cat's meow sounded in his ears, and a black streak flashed past.
Xiao Hei's claws were sharper than blades. They swiped through the air, leaving three deep, bloody gashes on Shen Feng's arm, severing the tendons and veins.
If Shen Feng hadn't withdrawn his hand in time, his arm would have been gone.
"You..."
Shen Feng stared at the black cat, a chill running down his spine. After all, he was a master of the Great Perfection of the Earth Extreme Realm. Even if caught off guard, he shouldn't have been injured by a cat.
Xiao Hei licked the blood off his claws. "Don't look at me like that. As the Heaven-Slaying, Earth-Destroying Emperor, I feel quite disappointed that I didn't kill you in one strike."
"What the hell are you?"
Huang Yanchen immediately retreated, drawing the Snow Dragon Sword and assuming a defensive stance, glaring coldly at Shen Feng.
Shen Feng withdrew his right hand, resuming his calm and composed demeanor.
He believed that with his cultivation, even using only one hand, he could still deal with Huang Yanchen.
As for that cat, it could only hurt him by ambushing him.
Shen Feng smiled. "I might as well tell you. I am indeed a disciple of the Cloud Terrace Sect Mansion, Shen Feng. Of course, that's just my public identity. Within the Poison Spider Merchant Guild, I am the junior disciple of the Poison Spider Young Master."
Huang Yanchen was furious, a cold glint in her eyes. "How did you find our trail?"
Shen Feng looked at Huang Yanchen as if she were an idiot. He laughed. "Princess, do you think only the Poison Spider Merchant Guild wants to deal with you?"
"An even more formidable figure than the Poison Spider Young Master is already on his way here. If you fall into the Poison Spider Young Master's hands, you might at least survive. But if you fall into his hands, you will surely die. If you're smart, you'll surrender now and spare me the trouble of having to do it myself."