For an entire hour, the two of them walked alone in the forest without a single word between them. It was strange, especially for Wei Feng, as he could think of literally nothing to talk about. The world he came from was not a place she knew of nor even thought could exist.

Wei Feng peered over to Sun-Mae as she was watching the stars above their heads. 

“I was wondering for a bit now,” Sun-Mae spoke without even looking at him. 

“About what?” Wei Feng nearly tripped over himself when she broke the silence.

“If you were sick up until this point, how did you know how to fight so well?”

“I studied a lot of martial scrolls,” Wei Feng countered the question rather quickly.

‘Though truth be told I chose a handful of skills and now the moves are like flexing a muscle… It might get annoying…’ Wei Feng moped in the back of his mind as he turned his head forward.

“Is that so…?” Sun-Mae eyes were skeptically torn from the stars as she scrutinized him 

“It is so,” Wei Feng laughed and waved his hands trying to dismiss the subject.

Sun-Mae rolled her eyes at his antics and shook her head, “I have ways of getting you to talk.”

“Are you going to electrocute me again?” Wei Feng hopped a few feet away, his hands up in a defensive posture as if to combat her.

Sun-Mae just paused and stared at him for several seconds pretending to be a mute before bursting out laughing. “No, not at all!”  She put up a hand, “I’ll just have the Moon Rabbits make me a truth expelling elixir.”

“Yeah, I’ll pass.” Wei Feng’s face contorted before he lowered his hands gradually, looking away from her discontentedly.

“Don’t be like that,” Sun-Mae teased by giving a light punch to his shoulder as they got on the move again. “It’s not like they actually make truth elixirs there…”

Wei Feng didn’t make eye contact with her as he opened the shop and searched for what she was calling a truth elixir. The moment he did search it though, seven different items appeared but there was only one by the Moon Rabbits. 

[ Thousand Truths Elixir | Legendary | This elixir is extremely rare and was once thought to have been created under the request from the First King of the Fire Nation who hated lies. Its ingredients and brewing instructions have been long since lost. This elixir can work on anyone up to the Gold Core Stage. ]

[ 100,000 CC ]

Wei Feng’s heart nearly jumped out of his throat seeing the worth of the elixir. If he bought this and had it appraised, he was sure he could sell it for more than ten times this price.

The only problem with that was his pride was overpowering his wisdom with those thoughts. He had never sold a thing in his life, or his past life, for that matter.

The question was, however, who would buy such a thing? Though he could only wonder how much the village ahead of them in their journey to the mountain could appreciate it. This elixir had been lost for a long time supposedly, so its sentimental worth was even greater.

“Come on… Are you mad at me now!?” Sun-Mae threw her arms in the air as it seemed that Wei Feng was completely and utterly ignoring her. 

For a few seconds, Wei Feng came to a halt and peered back towards the direction they came from. Lin Jin, the bunny girl, was given a chance to actually rise above the kind of person her Chief Elder was. 

Scouring the region for treasures and money only to keep them hoarded away was selfish, Wei Feng was curious of what she could become and if she had it in herself to stave off from acting on vengeance. 

“If you were worried about the naive rabbit who gullibly opened your scroll, then you should’ve taken her with us.” Sun-Mae didn’t touch him this time as she let her shoulders slacken.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Sun-Mae.” Wei Feng let his arms dangle freely at his sides with his hands against his hips as if putting them in pockets.

Sun-Mae awkwardly shifted her gaze. “Misunderstand…?” 

“We could have stopped the fighting,” Wei Feng expressively closed his eyes halfway.

“So you gave her such an item because you were feeling guilty?” Sun-Mae’s lip twitched at the plausible show of weakness. “Are you worrying that she’ll use it against you?”

“I placed her at the top of her Sect,” Wei Feng shrugged, “When I could’ve just easily killed her when we were done in the burrow and left the place leaderless.”

Sun-Mae blinked at his words as the twitching came to a stop. “You…”

“When I was sick I was ready to die at any moment,” Wei Feng smiled as he turned to look at Sun-Mae who was bringing him to her Sect, “I still am.”

For a second time, Sun-Mae’s jaw dropped open as she felt a cold gaze wash over her. Wei Feng wasn’t teasing her and he didn’t at all seem scared to talk of greeting death with open arms.

“Cool,” Sun-Mae came back to her senses upon hearing him out, “Good to know you didn’t just give up and kick the bucket.”

“I could’ve for the shits and giggles,” Wei Feng let his coldness vanish in a joshing tone.

“Okay, not cool.” Sun-Mae threw her arms up in the air and let them clap against her sides before she turned and continued walking.

“You don’t like it if I talk like that, huh?” Wei Feng went about teasing her with his words again. 

“My friends died when we came to your aid,” Sun-Mae rolled her eyes as he moved closer to her. 

“You dying would insult their memory and gravely wound me, the sole survivor.” Sun-Mae was not very happy with the words he had given her even if they may have been a sick joke.

“It is good to have a friend that cares, your comrades are lucky to have you, even in the afterlife.” Wei Feng snickered to himself though loud enough for her to hear.

A faint smile on a morose expression flashed upon Sun-Mae’s face.

“Thank you.”

“For what?” Wei Feng raised a brow at her gratitude.

“Nothing, absolutely nothing, you goof.” Sun-Mae narrowly missed the back of Wei Feng’s knee as she swung her leg to take his footing. 

Wei Feng watched as she stumbled over herself in the aftermath and raised a brow. “Face planting in the wilderness isn’t exactly healthy, you know.”

“I’m not face-planting!” Sun-Mae snorted.

Their destination was the mountain, though they were destined to pass through the village. Out of all the land in the territory, there were three villages, and only two of them identified as part of the burrow. None of them really had much to their names except for the Moon Rabbits and they were all within the same forest. The region far outstretched the territory, however, and that was a known fact once a single person even glanced at the map.

As he had done time and time again, Wei Feng was scrolling through the shop to see what he could find. Each time he took a glance, there was something new especially since he had added experience to his magic cultivation.

[ Hidden Dragon Longcoat | Legendary | Once worn by the founder of the esteemed Hidden Dragon Sect, this item is a powerful lost artifact that hides the wearer’s identity from cultivators under Advent Soul Stage. This effect is only valid if the person doesn’t know the wearer is wearing it. His coat was fashioned from dark water washed cerulean blue heavy (linen), lined in midnight black (silk), it has draconic styled embroidery spun from (Qi crystal) thread that gives off a silvery sheen. The design is sleeveless and with a hood; the long coat is made for both martial performance and comfort and formidable movement. ]

[ Charisma +23 ]

[ Karma +34 ]

[ Prowess +90 ]

[ 24,000 CC ]

[ Silver Taotie Mask | Uncommon | An ancient, fierce, and animalistic mask with ears, horns, and large fangs, but without a lower jaw. It depicts the ever-devouring beast known as a Taotie, a name that means glutton. This item empowers the wearer to be avoided, or ignored, by mystical and demonic beasts and hence they won’t be harmed, but it will break if the wearer harms such a beast. ]

[ 1,000 CC ]

[ Blood Cult Yew Longbow | Rare | Made from one of the most toxic woods in the world with rumored mystical properties, the (Yew) (Longbow) has a high elasticity. This item is a rare artifact of the (Blood Cult), a Dark religious Sect, that once threatened to take over the Empire of the Mist. It is most valued by classic collectors and warriors that practiced archery. ]

[ 12,000 CC ]

[ Blood Cult Yew Arrows | Rare | These arrows are entirely crafted from the toxic (yew) wood further enhanced by (poison) magic (enchantments). Even a scratch from this arrow is fatal to both its targets and its users. ]

[ 120 CC ea ]

[ Voice of a Distance Whisperer | Initiate | This spell allows the user to send a message through the air itself. Only those who have an affinity with Wind are capable of using such a spell. The user may use any fashion of talking to communicate, from whispering to yelling, and it will be heard clear as day. As this spell’s level is upgraded, the distance it will cover will increase accordingly. ]

[ Distance: 160 kilometers. ]

[ 2,000 CC ]

[ Slow Turtle Day | Initiate | This spell is a debuff that halves the target’s speed and can only be used by someone with Yin affinity. It is useless against those who are at higher cultivation of the caster. ]

[ 1,500 CC ]

[ All Senses Null | Initiate | This spell is a debuff that temporarily blinds the five senses of a singular target for fifteen minutes. The higher the grade the longer this spell lasts. It is useless against those who are at higher cultivation of the caster. ]

[ 2,200 CC ]

 Wei Feng stared at the Yew Arrows in the selection he was currently browsing through. The fact that something like this was for sale made him actually want to buy it. However, he didn’t want to accidentally kill himself by mishandling them.

Moving back up to the top of the selection, his gaze traced over the long coat item. It’s appearance was quite appealing to his current choice of attire.

“Are there any mystical or demonic beasts in the area?” Wei Feng asked curiously.

“Hm. There are some in the mountains,” Sun-Mae pinched her chin in thought.

“I see…” Wei Feng's eyes centered on the long coat and purchased it along with two more masks. A warm feeling flooded into his chest as he made this procurement.

“What are you suddenly smiling so much for?” Sun-Mae kept her chin between her fingers as she was observing him.

“No reason in particular,” Wei Feng pulled his new long coat from his inventory and whipped it over his shoulders as he put his hands through its armholes. 

“Oooo~!” Sun-Mae exclaimed looking over the new fashionable item he put on.

Pulling up the hood, Wei Feng drew the fierce animalistic mask from his item box. With a grin across his lips, he equipped the item with a simple wave of his hand.

Sun-Mae stared at the mask for a few seconds before scrutinizing the coat. “You hardly look like the guy I tried picking up earlier.”

“How quaint,” Wei Feng folded his hands behind his back as they continued to walk through the dimly lit wooded region. “Shall we camp out here, or keep moving toward the village?”

“It’ll be at least six or more hours on foot unless you want to fly.” Sun-Mae gestured towards his sword, figuring since he was at her level he could fly.

Wei Feng glanced down at his saber that was secured to his side and slowly nodded. “I suppose I could give it a try,” he scratched his fingers against his cheek.

It was obvious Wei Feng had never flown before and unlike when he was fighting he was hesitating. 

‘Falling in front of her would hurt more than ramming a tree.’ Wei Feng drew his weapon from his side gradually and held it out in front of him.

“How long would it take to get to the village by blade anyway?”

“Half the time maybe?” Sun-Mae inspected the weapon that Wei Feng held out in front of himself. It was far superior to the treasure she had taken for herself.

Furrowing her brows, Sun-Mae didn’t quite remember the willow-leaf saber being this refined. “How did that sword become better than before?”

“I refined it with my Qi,” Wei Feng didn’t hesitate to give her a little fib for his own sake.

“You are full of talents…” Sun-Mae pursed her lips, not sure if she could trust this very vague explanation. “You’re not allowed to outshine me when I take you to the sect.”

“Eh? You’re telling me this now?” Wei Feng pursed his lips lightly, “Won’t it help you to find a genius like me?” He was starting to sound overly smug on purpose with a grin across his lips.

“I said I was going to make you mine,” Sun-Mae shrugged, “So don’t outshine me.”

“Huh...“ Wei Feng stared at her for a few seconds before crossing his arms, “And how exactly are you going to keep me as yours if I’m stronger than you?”

Sun-Mae hesitated for a few seconds before glimpsing away from him as a bead of sweat formed on her forehead. “Heh, stronger you say? You’re no such thing. The only reason you’re strong is because of that weird internal skill with the snake sounds!”

“Whatever,” Wei Feng folded his hands behind his hood, “I could just leave whenever I want anyway. Not like I’m joining your silly Sect anyway...”

“Why not!?” Sun-Mae stomped her foot upon the undergrowth, electricity extending out from the sole of her boot as pure white tendrils. 

“Hm… I’ll consider it if you supply me with a warm bed and a place to eat.” Wei Feng blurted as if he was at a negotiating table of some sort. 

Sun-Mae gritted her teeth for a few seconds before she let her jaw slacken, “I’ll think about it.”

Walking around an impressively large tree, the duo hopped from root to root until they made it to the other side. Sharing a few chuckles here and there as they did for the next few minutes.

However just as they rounded the tree, they came to a stop as a putrid odor came to their senses. 

“Oh for fuck’s sake!” Wei Feng covered his nose, pinching it shut with his thumb.

Sprawled out in front of the tree were over a dozen bodies torn apart. Entrails littered the ground and deep crimson painted the soil. Whoever these bodies belonged to could no longer be recognized based on what was left behind.

Sun-Mae on the other hand approached one of the bodies and knelt down in front of it. “This wasn’t done by a mystical beast… That is for sure.”

“Are you sure?” Wei Feng was used to the scent of fresh blood, but these corpses were already rotting from exposure.

Sun-Mae nodded, “Very few beasts leave behind so much meat…” Her gaze tracked over the remaining organs, seeing as many of the vital regions remained intact.

“Is that the liver?” Wei Feng glanced over what appeared to be a dark brown lump.

“Human liver…” Sun-Mae sighed quietly as she picked at the organ’s membrane with her fingers, “They fetch a good price if kept fresh.” 

“Why are you touching it…?” Wei Feng tried to prevent the stomach acid from making a surprise visit.

Sun-Mae turned the featureless corpse from its back and peered over the clothes that stuck to it. “They wore red robes… They could be from the Spiraling Wolf Sect.”

“Would your people have done this?” Wei Feng raised a brow.

“Not in particular, no. Not in such great numbers,” Sun-Mae stood up and peered toward the rest of the countless bodies that sown the forest floor past the tree.

“This could definitely lead to a great misunderstanding…”

“They look like they were blasted apart,” Sun-Mae dismissed his observation of a possible greater conflict arising between the two Sects.

“Blasted?”

“With Qi-based attacks,” She sighed as she picked up a rank tablet from one of the dead corpses a few paces away.

“So in short… Someone could be trying to either frame the Bunny Burrow Sect, or your Winter Rat Sect?” Wei Feng nodded slowly as he came to the conclusion, tapping the corner of his mask as he continued to think.

Sun-Mae on the other hand looked over the characters written on the tablet.

“These were negotiators trying to end the feud between our Sects…” Sun-Mae stared at the blood-stained item before peering over Wei Feng, “Someone may be trying to keep the conflict going.”

“What are your two groups fighting about anyway…?”

“The Spiraling Wolf Sect claims to be an orthodox Sect, but really they’re just a bunch of liars and thieves. They accused the Winter Rat Sect’s Chief of coercing and seducing one of their best cultivators into defecting.” Sun-Mae wiped the blood off of her hand in the grass at her feet.

“And your Sect is… Orthodox?”

“Nope, we’re an unorthodox group.” Sun-Mae folded her arms behind her back as she started walking away with the tablet in her hand.

“Think they were going to demand the return of their greatest disciple?” Wei Feng followed behind her vigilantly taking in their surroundings.

“Probably… It’s their leading argument every time they enter the Temple grounds.” Sun-Mae snickered as she recalled the immediate rejection of almost every proposal.

“Who is the defector anyway?” Wei Feng was curious.

“My mom,” Sun-Mae poked the tip of her tongue out from between her lips before quickly retracting it. 

“Your mom?” Wei Feng raised a brow learning about approximately how long the feud was going on. “Genius daughter of a Genius mother, huh?”

“Yes!” Sun-Mae grinned at the notion, “Like mother like daughter!”

“Nice,” Wei Feng snickered before drawing his sword from its scabbard. 

“Planning on flying for the first time?” Sun-Mae beamed as she turned to face Wie Feng; keeping her hands clasped behind her back.

Placing the sword upon the ground, Wei Feng stepped onto the blade as he began to channel his Qi through the weapon.

Sun-Mae parted her lips lightly seeing Wei Feng already begin to hover a few feet off the ground. “It took me at least a week to do that…” She breathed out, impressed.

Once both of them were on their swords, they soared through the air as they kept below the treeline. If whoever killed the negotiation team saw them, they had no idea what could transpire for better or worse.

“Wei Feng,” Sun-Mae peered over to Wei Feng, watching his coat flutter around behind him.

“Sup?” Wei Feng matched her gaze with his masked eyes tracing over her short boyish hair that was slicked back by the wind. 

Pausing at his one-word response, she raised a brow.

“What?” Wei Feng rephrased.

“You cultivated what took me four years to get in just a few hours… If I’m a genius, what does that make you?” Sun-Mae raised a brow at him as she remained within a few sword lengths away.

“Super Genius?” Wei Feng raised both of his brows, not that she could see and tightened his lips. 

“I’m getting close to a bottleneck, so maybe you are too?” Sun-Mae set her sights forward, enjoying the wind on her face.

“Likely,” Wei Feng shrugged as he wasn’t all that interested in going into the next realm. He had already surpassed the mortal realm, now he was in the byproduct immortal realm. 

Strangely enough, he found that ironically silver could be obtained as a byproduct of refining gold. Wei Feng was beginning to wonder what the second edition of the realms looked like after obtaining Advent Soul.

“Sun-Mae,” Wei Feng called out to her.

Sun-Mae soared up close to him with her hands clasped behind her back still. “Yeah?” 

“What comes after the Advent Soul Stage?” Wei Feng pursed his lips slightly.

“The Second Edition is surrounded in secrecy… But I hear that those who reach it, are invited to the Imperial Palace to join the Royal Guard.” Sun-Mae nodded with a small smirk across her lips.

“Is that what you’re aiming for?” Wei Feng asked, seeing as she was beaming in even more pride than before.

Sun-Mae shook her head as she held her head high, “I’m going to become Chief of the Winter Rat Sect and take control of the town for my little sister.”

“You’re going to usurp your father?” Wei Feng snickered.

“No! Don’t say such stupid things,” Sun-Mae huffed, “He’ll hand it to me.”

“You have a silver spoon in your mouth…” Wei Feng rolled his eyes before seeing a village up ahead. 

“Zhou Jing Village is up ahead!” Sun-Mae announced as she lowered herself closer to the grounds out of sight from prying eyes.

Wei Feng followed her down, switching aerial positions with Sun-Mae.

“What is your sister’s name anyway?” Wei Feng inquired curiously wanting to know more.

“Si-eon. She’s a year younger than me,” Sun-Mae peered over at him briefly as she spoke. 

As they arrived at the village and slowed to a hover, they were quick to notice the absence of insects. The place appeared to be a ghost town where nothing moved outside of the homes.

“Who dares enter our village without announcing themselves!?” A refined anthropomorphic rabbit came shambling out the front door of a small stone house.

Peering over the old rabbit’s big floppy ears and bushy tail, Wei Feng raised a brow. “That’s one big furry…” 

Clearing her throat, Sun-Mae said nothing as the man moved to stand in front of them with a quarterstaff in his hands. Instead, her blood-stained attire spoke for her. 

“An Immortal from the Winter Rat Sect?” The old man lowered his weapon, “This old man begs for your forgiveness young immortal!” He bowed his head while displaying a cupped fist.

“Raise your head,” Sun-Mae unclasped one of her hands to make the gesture. 

“My name is Wu Fu, the elder of Zhou Jing village. Are you here for the Elixir?” Wu Fu raised his head to peer at the two teens with a wise gaze.

“Elixir?” Sun-Mae repeated curiously.

“Elder Eun had ordered an Elixir to help with his cultivation,” Wu Fu dutifully answered with another bow with his ears drawn back.

“Ah,” Sun-Mae seemed to understand as she wore a quirky grin, “He’s still struggling through the bottleneck after reaching the Gold Core?”

Wu Fu nodded, “Are you here to collect it for him?”

“No… We’re just passing through,” Wei Feng shook his head before Sun-Mae had a chance to reply on her own. 

“Wei Feng!” Sun-Mae snapped.

“What!?” Wei Feng laughingly shouted back to her.

“You can hold the elixir in your ring, can you not?” Sun-Mae seemed to pout, almost expertly trying to guilt Wei Feng into doing her bidding.

“Huh… I see how it is,” Wei Feng stared at her big puppy dog eyes through the narrow holes of his mask.

Soon a sigh left his lips after a short few minutes of silent staring. Wei Feng nodded reluctantly, “Fine. I’ll put it into my ring for safekeeping…”

Wu Fu produced a refined clay vial from his pouch fashioned at his side and held it out for Wei Feng to take as he bowed.

Wei Feng blinked at the formality before lightly reaching forward and receiving the item. 

Once the elixir was put away into his item box, Wei Feng peered over to Sun-Mae who had a look of smug satisfaction on her face. 

“Should’ve had you wait an hour before caving,” Wei Feng blurted spitefully.

Giving his shoulder a little love tap with a clenched fist, Sun-Mae grinned deviously, “As if you could last that long!”

“Before I even started cultivating, I could beat the great Elder of the Eternal Dragon Sect in a staring contest!” Wei Feng stuck his tongue out at her in an almost childish manner.

“You surely jest,” Sun-Mae snorted at his claim as she folded her arms.

Rolling his eyes, Wu Fu folded his hands behind his back watching over them bicker.

“Is there anything else my services are required for?” Wu Fu interrupted the two of them after a short while of Wei Feng and Sun-Mae going back and forth.

“Ah, yes…” Wei Feng turned his attention to Wu Fu, “Manuals… Do you have any manuals for creating elixirs?”

Taken back by the question, Wu Fu peered over at Sun-Mae once before looking back to Wei Feng. 

“We do not share our secrets with anyone outside of the Village,” Wu Fu used a stout tone with him, before he bowed his head with a cuffed fist. 

It appeared to Wei Feng that Wu Fu respectfully as if begging for forgiveness without words.

“If you say so.” The corner of Wei Feng’s lips twitched sourly at the fact he had been denied information for making elixirs. “Guess I’ll just stick to cooking pills then…”

Wu Fu stroked his beard as he stared at Wei Feng. “How about lodging for the night?”

Sun-Mae jumped in place, “Yes! That would be perfect!”

Wu Fu lowered his hands to his sides and chuckled at her enthusiasm. 

“You have a boarding house in town, or something, Fufu?” Wei Feng peered over the surrounding houses and facilities then back to Wu Fu. 

“Fufu?” Wu Fu parted his lips at the little nickname.

Wei Feng just tightened his lips into a thin grin.

Exhaling slowly, Wu Fu nodded to his question and gestured aside, “Right this way…”

Following Wu Fu, Wei Feng and Sun-Mae walked side by side. The place felt deserted but they could also feel eyes on them from all directions.

‘Are the people too afraid to step outside and greet us? Or were they just too excited to come out and say hi?’ Wei Feng observed the rabbit’s bushy tail before letting his eyes fall to the man’s feet. 

‘These rabbits were far more beast than men compared to the demihumans, so these must be beastmen.’ Wei Feng surmised in the back of his mind.

“We’re here!” Wu Fu announced after a short period of walking through the empty village.

Before the trio was a long L-shaped building that had the word ‘clinic’ printed over its front door. Clearly, this wasn’t a boarding house nor was it some inn that housed travelers.

Wei Feng glanced up towards Wu Fu who was about eight feet tall, then back to the building’s front entrance that had an even taller door.

“We’re sleeping in the village clinic?” Sun-Mae abruptly exclaimed.

“Yes, my Immortal friends…” Wu Fu gestured his hands to the door, “The inn burned down late last season and we haven’t the time to rebuild it.”

Wei Feng shrugged and moved for the door, pressing his hand against it.

Opening the door slowly, it screamed subtly as its hinges were uncared for and unoiled. The wood of the door also seemed to be rotting on the underside from moisture.

“Hm…” Wei Feng walked inside, leaving the door open behind himself.

Eyeing the interior, there were cobwebs all around as if the place had been out of commission for a long time. The dust build-up was almost impossible for a functioning clinic. 

Sun-Mae stepped in beside him and raised a brow as she questioned, “What’s with all the dust…?”

“We weren’t expecting guests so soon,” Wu Fu chuckled nervously.

Wei Feng continued deeper into the clinic, passing by an open divider. That was when he came across a number of clean beds that looked to have been slept in recently. 

“Wu Fu,” Wei Feng turned his head to peer back towards the rabbit by the door.

“Yes…?” Wu Fu folded his hands over his abdomen.

Resting his hand on his scabbard, Wei Feng listened to the faint sounds of the village. “Why is everyone afraid? And who has been sleeping here?” 

Sweat permeated Wu Fu’s white fur.

“And why do I feel more eyes on me in a room with no windows?” Wei Feng could sense the subtle elevation in Qi that filled the clinic.

Sun-Mae placed her hand on her own weapon at her side, her eyes shifting side to side.

“You aren’t harboring criminals who eliminated the Spiraling Wolf Sect delegation… Are you?” Wei Feng slowly exhaled as he relaxed his shoulders in subtle disappointment. 

Blinking only once, Wei Feng found himself surrounded by figures shrouded in dark cloth. Based on the Qi energy that emanated from them, he was able to tell they were a mixed group of cultivators of silver core refining stage and below.

Sun-Mae went to dart forward only for Wu Fu to place a hand on her shoulder.

“This is his fight,” Wu Fu discouraged her from charging into this.

“He’s my junior!” Sun-Mae snapped.

“Who’s your junior?” Laughed Wei Feng as he tilted his sword forward and took on the first Long Fist stance. 

Resting the blade against his bicep and shoulder, Wei Feng’s eyes closed partially as he felt their killing intent. Ready for battle, he kept his legs straight and his offhand out from his side.

“If you wish to challenge me, I’ll take you on…” The sound of hissing emitted from Wei Feng’s dantian as the serpents from before spread from his center mass.

Wu Fu’s eyes widened, his hand on Sun-Mae’s shoulder began to shake in fear.

The six figures that had Wei Feng surrounded drew their own weapons and took on various other offensive stances. 

‘Two of them are keeping low to the ground… A very different style to the other four,’ Wei Feng thought as he observed those that now circled him slowly. 

Taking a step forward, Wei Feng immediately jumped back as one of the martial artists lunged at him. Taking several quick-paced steps backward, he dodged a barrage of slashing attacks before doing a backflip to avoid a swipe. 

Landing with his back to one of the other warriors, Wei Feng ducked as he felt the sword intent behind him. A blade of light energy went flying over his head, crashing into a nearby wall and ripping right through it.

“You bastards are horrible at this!” Wei Feng snickered before rolling to the side as another separate attack came crashing down from overhead.

“Ooof! That was close…” Wei Feng narrowed at the corner of his long coat that appeared to have been nicked by the blade. 

Speaking too much, Wei Feng felt a singing sensation cross his cheek followed by a gust of wind. It felt like the entire side of his face was on fire. 

Without a word, Wei Feng lunged forward as the blade was being pulled back. By using his free hand Wei Feng expertly grasped the assailant’s wrist and yanked him towards himself. Throwing himself over the man’s shoulder, he dodged the attacks of the other cultivators. From what he could see they were trained swordsmen who had been developed with far more resources than the Bunny Burrow Sect. 

“Shit!” Wei Feng pulled the man directly into the line of another one of their attacks. The blade cut right through their chest and nearly poked Wei Feng in the side as he spun out of the way.

[ +500 EXP for kill assist. ]

‘Seriously!? Assist...? Yo, System I thought you were on my side!’ Wei Feng was unimpressed with the system as he kicked the dead man at his comrades. 

“Stay still dammit!” One of them shouted as they shoved the limp corpse aside without even pausing at the death of their own comrade.

“You guys don’t seem very close, huh?” Wei Feng laughed aloud as he parried a sword hand attack along his protected forearm. The pressure he felt indicated that his opponent was at least at the Silver Core Foundation stage.

“Xiao Rou demands your Silence!”

“Who the hell is Xiao Rou!?” Wei Feng swiped his blade at a diagonal angle as he went in low and came up high. His movements were swift and acrobatic similar to that of a figure skater. 

Wei Feng was even surprised at his own movement, it was like his body was moving on its own. The idea that his body knew the moves before he did was extraordinary, but he recognized everything he did with the mess of information in his head.

Feeling the strike connect with his opponent, Wei Feng dodged a spray of blood by simply stepping aside. 

“Wah!” One of the men yelled out and moved to cover their eyes.

As the blood showered and blinded one of the attackers, Wei Feng used this instance to partially decapitate one of them. Blood sprayed on the ceiling, painting the room in dark pungent crimson. Wei Feng didn’t even have to think before going in for the kill, and that scared him the most.

Feeling the blade rip halfway through the man’s neck, Wei Feng could feel the saber tear through the flesh. This weapon was excellent for slashing and hacking, but not the best for stabbing.

[ +2,500 EXP for defeating a Core Formation Stage Cultivator. ]

The man Wei Feng had slashed across the chest was laying on the dragging himself across the room, leaving a trail of blood.

“Let me go!” Sun-Mae shoved Wu Fu’s hand off of her shoulder before rushing forward.

“Wait!” Wu Fu reached out to grab her by her martial arts robe, but failed as he stumbled forward. She was far too quick for him to even dream of catching!

One of the three remaining men fighting Wei Feng swung his weapon with a brilliant shine to it. Energy expelled from the edge and ripped across the wall just like before. The entire house shook from the exquisite Qi that had been expelled.

Wei Feng lunged forward and flailed the sword forward, allowing its magnificent curved blade to flex from the speed alone. 

A loud ‘CLANG’ rang out and resonated in the ears of all those present. 

Sent soaring through the air, the enemy’s weapon met with and impaled the ceiling. That however did not stop their onslaught as they drew a dagger with their off-hand.

Practically leaning into the dagger, Wei Feng danced around it as he felt its tip graze against his coat along his ribs. 

“Rah!” Wei Feng grunted and pain exploded across his nerve endings as if his own flesh was pulling itself apart. 

‘I’ve been poisoned!?’ Ducking from a continued attack by the two others behind him, Wei Feng could see Sun-Mae’s approach. With a frown across his lips, he jumped and wrapped his legs around one of his attacker’s arms and twisted his body.

Everyone could hear the bones of the man move with a loud ‘CA-CA-CRACK’ as Wei Feng barreled around the man’s arm. A high pitch and painful howl escaped the man’s throat before it was cleaved wide open.

Blood coated the ceiling as Wei Feng landed on all fours upon the floor with a light ‘slap.’ 

With throbbing vision, Wei Feng was having a hard time focusing. Hearing a weapon cutting through the air he rolled aside and narrowly avoided the death. 

To avoid a direct attack from one of the two remaining assassins, Wei Feng then sprung himself into the air. Spiraling horizontally through the air as Qi built up along the instep of his foot before it connected with the face of his foe. 

With a powerful ‘KaPOW,’ his target was sent flying through the nearby wall of the clinic. 

[ +1,000 EXP for defeating a Qi Condensing Stage Cultivator. ]

[ Warning | Your Qi flow-center is being obstructed. ]

[ Warning | Your Qi flow-center is being obstructed. ]

[ Warning | Your Qi flow-center is being obstructed. ]

[ Warning | Your Qi flow-center is being obstructed. ]

…

As Wei Feng’s vision, and even his hearing, was being flooded with this new notification he landed on his feet. Everything was feeling warm, especially the area around his dantian as Qi was clotting up throughout his pathways.

“Shit…” Wei Feng muttered as it was becoming harder to move, his arms essentially frozen in place. He was beginning to surmise how they had defeated the Spiraling Wolf Sect delegation. 

[ Warning | Unknown poison detected! Scanning for Antidote. ]

“Wei Feng!” Sun-Mae called out as she leaped forward as she took on a crane stance.

Distracted, the last standing assassin punched Wei Feng in the chest, sending him flying backward and into a nearby bookcase. Though the attack did little damage compared to the weapon that had wounded his flesh, it was enough to knock off Wei Feng’s breathing.

[ Warning | Lessen usage of Qi in order to slow the clotting. ]

Just as the assassin was running after him ready to take his blade to Wei Feng’s neck, Sun-Mae intercepted him. With a well-placed kick, the darkly dressed murderer was sent barreling through dozens of unmade beds. Feathers and wooden boards were sent flying in all directions.

Wei Feng, on the other hand, fell to his knees grasping at his center dantian. Oddly enough the clotting wasn’t curing in the upper or lower dantian, but the core of his being.

“Get him onto a bed!” Shouted Wu Fu as once the enemies were taken care of, he didn’t hesitate to start moving.

Sun-Mae grasped Wei Feng by the shoulders and shook him in a panicky voice, “Wei Feng! Are you alright!?”

Wei Feng could barely make a sound other than a high pitch noise as he inhaled. His chest was constricting and it was becoming hard to breathe. Although he had stopped using the Qi, his continued circulation was harming him as if it was making the poison travel.

‘Will the nourishing pills fix this?’ Wei Feng asked the system.

[ Negative. ]

Inwardly cursing as his head pitched forward, saliva freely falling from his open mouth as Wei Feng was still struggling to breathe. 

Although Sun-Mae hadn’t known him for all that long, he could see she was in tears. ‘Why is she crying…?’ Wei Feng was almost bothered to see her tears, even as she kept shaking him, for that is what annoyed him most.

Before he knew it, Wei Feng was in the fluffy arms of the old rabbit who had marched them right into a trap. Giving the man a spiteful glare, he was quick yo note Wu Fu wasn’t making eye contact whatsoever.

Once he was placed on a dusty old bed, Wei Feng stared at the ceiling as his vision was beginning to blur. The lack of air was causing his entire body to ache as his body began to swell up. 

“Please tell me you can fix this!” Sun-Mae snapped at Wu Fu who was going through a sack of herbs and other items. “You walked us into a trap!”

Before Wu Fu could respond, they both heard a lamp fall over.

Closing in on her senses Sun-Mae turned to see the last living assassin with a blood trail crawling along the ground. Running after him like a stampeding elephant, she put a stop to his retreat by stomping directly onto his spine.

“You’re not getting away! You little bastard! You’ll answer for what you did to my newest recruit!”

‘She still up about me replacing her lost boys?’ Wei Feng almost laughed, but he still couldn’t breathe and the swelling discomfort was beginning to spread to areas he had never thought possible.

“I don’t have what is needed to make an antidote for a poison this complex!” Wu Fu cried out.

“If you don’t fix him, you’re next!” Sun-Mae pointed at the old rabbit with her forefinger before noticing the assassin had already eaten a suicide capsule and was spasming on the ground.

“Shit!” Sun-Mae quite literally punted the dead man into the ceiling and through the rafters.

A small grin formed over Wei Feng’s lips as his consciousness faded to black.

[ Cure found. Auto-purchasing and administrating Elixir. -50,000 CC deducted. ]