
Back in Shuangyang Town, Jiang Feng had indeed promised Bao Dalong that Le Huadie would cover the fare.
And Le Huadie had agreed.
But now Le Huadie was gone without paying, and Bao Dalong hadn't thought of it until just now.
Now that he remembered, he was naturally displeased.
"Le Huadie didn't pay, go find her, don't drag me into this," Jiang Feng quickly distanced himself.
"You were with her, so if she ran off, I have to find you. Pay up, or the car won't move, and you won't be going anywhere," Bao Dalong said, extending his hand.
"That's not fair, I never agreed to pay you. Why ask me? Besides, I'm broke, just a poor guy," Jiang Feng said, spreading his hands.
"You two planned this, didn't you? Trying to skip out on the bill? Let me tell you, I, Bao Dalong, won't fall for it," Bao Dalong said, pulling out the car key.
Seeing that Bao Dalong wouldn't leave without the money, Jiang Feng reluctantly said, "Alright, fine, I'll pay you the fare, but I don't have it now. Come back to Meilong City with me, and I'll give you double."
"Are you serious?" Bao Dalong immediately asked.
"I'm not lying. I do have some savings, enough to cover this fare," Jiang Feng replied.
"Alright, I'll trust you this once," Bao Dalong said. "But remember, it's double, not a penny less."
"Let's go, you won't be shortchanged," Jiang Feng urged.
"Alright, heading straight to Changbai Mountain, watch this," Bao Dalong shouted excitedly.
Jiang Feng shook his head helplessly, smiling bitterly.
Bao Dalong was clearly quite capable, yet he kept a low profile, choosing to be a driver.
But sometimes, he was like a child, getting excited over money and the prospect of traveling far.
It's hard to understand him...
...
Three nights later, they parked the car by the roadside to rest.
Jiang Feng lay in the back seat, unable to sleep, while Bao Dalong was already snoring loudly in the front, almost shaking the car roof.
Unable to sleep, Jiang Feng decided to review the "Brush Technique" and "Divine Control Technique" he had acquired a few days ago, familiarizing himself with them rather than idling.
The "Brush Technique" was a supreme skill of the Book Sect, requiring a brush weapon. With a stroke, words became soldiers, capable of killing enemies. Its mysterious nature was beyond words.
Such a magical spell was rare, and only Confucius could have conceived it.
As for the "Divine Control Technique," it was even more miraculous, capable of controlling various creatures, even souls, let alone weapons.
Sword Flight was as easy as pie.
This led to the Divine Sect possessing a myriad of weapons, ranging from beasts to swords to ghosts...
It was indeed an invaluable spell.
This reminded Jiang Feng of a sect in the Immortal Realm, the Puppet Hall, whose methods were similar to the "Divine Control Technique," using spiritual power to control external objects to enhance oneself for battle.
After consolidating his knowledge, Jiang Feng pulled out the three mysterious tokens.
After examining each one repeatedly, he suddenly discovered a groove on the back of one.
Embedded in the groove was a shimmering blue jade ring.
"How is there a ring inside?" Jiang Feng wondered, but he still pried it out and examined it in his hand.
In the night, the blue jade ring glowed faintly, as beautiful as a firefly.
Jiang Feng tried it on his left hand, and it fit perfectly, not too big or small.
"Hey, there's a small character on it too," Jiang Feng noticed. It was also the character "Zhu," identical to the one on the token, just a different size.
Turning the ring on his finger, Jiang Feng mused, "Perhaps these three tokens and the ring hold a big secret. Otherwise, they wouldn't be placed in the Yinyang Tomb, but I can't uncover their mystery yet."
Thinking about it, Jiang Feng fell asleep.
He hadn't slept like this in a long time, usually cultivating at night. Today was an exception; the long journey had exhausted him, and he needed a good rest, after all, he was still human.
The next day, Jiang Feng awoke to the roar of the engine, finding Bao Dalong driving with a cheerful tune on his lips, seemingly in a good mood.
"Hey, why didn't you wake me up?" Jiang Feng asked.
Bao Dalong glanced sideways, "You were sleeping soundly, so I didn't wake you. You're my esteemed guest, deserving of the best treatment. I'm still waiting to collect the money, hehe."
"Alright, it's always about the money," Jiang Feng rolled his eyes, feeling that Bao Dalong was completely obsessed with money, unable to escape its grasp in this lifetime.
"We've arrived at Changbai Mountain," Bao Dalong shouted.
Jiang Feng leaned out to look, seeing a continuous mountain range ahead, like a giant dragon coiled on the earth, ready to soar at any moment.
"Heh, finally here," Jiang Feng smiled.
He had come here because Duck River was already nearby, and it was on the way. Following Duck River southwest would lead him there.
Coming to Changbai Mountain had been Jiang Feng's plan all along because there was a Heavenly Lake here, and beneath it was a massive volcanic crater, possibly containing spiritual fire.
For future alchemy and artifact refining, he had to take the risk to see if he could find the spiritual fire.
If he did find it, it would be a tremendous boost, invaluable for his future growth and development.
Screech!
The car stopped, and Bao Dalong said, "The car can't go any further; it won't run."
"If it can't, then we'll walk. Let's hike up the mountain," Jiang Feng said.
Jiang Feng got out of the car, jumped onto the roof, and looked into the distance. The first thing he saw was a forest. They had to pass through it to climb the mountain, and the Heavenly Lake was at the summit of the main peak. The journey would be arduous, taking several days to reach.
But no matter how difficult the road, since they were here, they had to complete the final stretch.
"Hey, get down from there. What if you damage my car? It's driving me crazy," Bao Dalong said, seeing Jiang Feng casually trampling on his beloved car, feeling heartbroken.
"It's just a broken car, what's so special about it? You're such a country bumpkin. Let me tell you, in big cities, there are much better cars, all kinds," Jiang Feng said.
"I don't care, I only care about my car," Bao Dalong remained unmoved.
"Shallow and vulgar," Jiang Feng scoffed.
"Get down," Bao Dalong said, exasperated.
Jiang Feng jumped down, saying, "Look how worked up you are, is it really necessary?"
The two bickered as they entered the forest, the towering trees and dense vegetation gradually swallowing their figures.
"I can't go on, I'm too tired. Let's stop and rest," Bao Dalong said, holding his big belly.
"We've only walked half a day, and you're already done? That's too weak. You'll suffer when you have a wife," Jiang Feng said.
"What's that got to do with a wife?" Bao Dalong asked.
"It matters a lot. Physical fitness determines your stamina. Seeing how fat you are, that part is probably small too. Lacking stamina and size, that's even more troublesome," Jiang Feng analyzed.
"Wow, you're a fortune teller, knowing everything," Bao Dalong said.
"Wrong, I'm an immortal," Jiang Feng said, puffing out his chest.
"I think you're a half-immortal, hahaha!" Bao Dalong laughed, thinking Jiang Feng was joking.
"Believe it or not," Jiang Feng didn't bother to explain.
Claiming to be an immortal, probably no one would believe it unless they were mentally ill.
"Wife, where's my wife?" Yao Yaoling suddenly popped out of Jiang Feng's arms, his ears perked up, unable to stay calm at the mention of a wife, looking around eagerly.
Yao Yaoling had the ability to shrink himself, becoming as small as a fist. Since coming out of Duck River, he had nestled in Jiang Feng's arms, staying quiet for days. Jiang Feng hadn't bothered him, but the mention of a wife brought him out.
"We weren't talking about you, why are you so excited?" Jiang Feng said, speechless.
"Well, I thought my wife was about to appear," Yao Yaoling said, disappointed.
But Yao Yaoling's little eyes kept darting around, seemingly searching for something.
"What are you looking at, like a thief?" Jiang Feng asked.
"Where's that woman who was with you?" Yao Yaoling asked.
"The woman with me?" Jiang Feng asked, "You mean Le Huadie?"
"Yes, her. Why isn't she here?" Yao Yaoling's eyes lit up.
Seeing him like this, a thought crossed Jiang Feng's mind, "Are you interested in her?"
"Watch your words, don't make it sound so bad. It's admiration, appreciation. I think she'd make a great first wife," Yao Yaoling said earnestly.
"What do you think?" Yao Yaoling struck a pose.
"Well, it does sound fitting, but she's already gone, not here. We probably won't see her again," Jiang Feng said, amused.
Yao Yaoling was quite bold, with a big heart, wanting to take Le Huadie as his wife. Dream on.
Dream big!
Even Jiang Feng hadn't thought of that.
"Hey, Jiang Feng, what is this thing? It looks like a dwarf elf," Bao Dalong said, blinking in confusion, not knowing what Yao Yaoling was.
His description wasn't bad. Yao Yaoling did look like a dwarf elf from TV, short with stubby limbs, a pointy nose, skin similar to humans, and slightly large eyes, appearing as a dwarf elf to outsiders.
"You're the thing here. I'm a great Earth Spirit. If you keep running your mouth, I'll beat you up," Yao Yaoling said, drawing a short knife from his waist and waving it.
Bao Dalong was startled, not expecting this little guy to have such a big temper.
"Yao Yaoling, don't act rashly. He's my friend. Put away your knife," Jiang Feng said quickly. "I believe you great Earth Spirits wouldn't get angry over such a small matter."
Jiang Feng flattered him, knowing it would work on Yao Yaoling.
Sure enough, Yao Yaoling was pleased, putting away the knife, "Of course, we great Earth Spirits wouldn't get angry over this. Forget it, I'm magnanimous."
"Earth Spirit? I've heard of elves, but this is the first time hearing about Earth Spirits," Bao Dalong said.
"That's because you're ignorant. Not hearing of our fame is your loss," Yao Yaoling said, raising his chin.
Flap!
At that moment, a few birds suddenly landed on a nearby branch, tilting their heads and singing.
Jiang Feng smiled, "Hey, stop arguing. Our food has arrived."