Chapter 8: Doubts

"Final blow, break it for me."

Seeing the spiritual energy barrier about to be breached, the tall black-robed cultivator once again summoned the Mountain-Crushing Seal, silently encouraging himself.

Suddenly, Feng Rui's loud shout echoed from within the formation:

"Reinforcements are here!"

The black-robed cultivator was taken aback, and then a sharp pain shot through his head. His vision went black, and he felt a chill at his neck. He felt himself flying, and the last thing he saw was a headless body taking two steps back, with blood spurting three feet high from the neck.

The remaining five black-robed cultivators, hearing Feng Rui's shout, "Reinforcements are here!" were momentarily stunned. They saw Li Qi's flying sword emit a brilliant light, suddenly accelerating to strike the tall black-robed cultivator, who stood frozen in fear. In an instant, a large head flew high, and the cultivator was dead.

At the same time, Liu Yingying's flying sword rushed toward the black-robed cultivator controlling the small tower talisman. Before he could recover from the shock of his leader's death, he was cut in half at the waist.

This sudden turn of events left the four surviving black-robed cultivators in a state of shock, their hearts and livers trembling as if doused with a bucket of cold water in the dead of winter. Their only thought was to run as far and as fast as possible. They didn't even bother to retrieve their flying swords, fleeing in a flash of light.

No one noticed that Feng Rui had already fallen to the ground, unconscious, while Lin Feifeng's face was pale, and she was swaying, barely able to stand.

Seeing the four flee, Lin Feifeng hesitated for a moment, then shouted, "Quick, chase them," her voice hoarse and dry, lacking her usual crisp and cold tone.

Liu Yingying and Li Qi exchanged a glance, and without a word, two silver-white sword lights flashed, disappearing in an instant. Not long after, two cries of agony came from the southeast and northeast directions. When the two returned, Lin Feifeng and Feng Rui were already sitting on the Seven-Colored Flying Lotus.

"Quick, get on."

As Lin Feifeng spoke, she cast a spell, and the flying lotus slowly ascended, clearly eager to leave.

"Two of them escaped. Our spiritual energy is insufficient, and even if we chase, we might not catch them. We also fear..."

Liu Yingying stepped onto the flying lotus, about to continue, but Lin Feifeng already tossed her a delicate wine gourd.

"No rush. This is spirit wine; first, restore your spiritual energy."

She seemed to lack the strength to say another word.

Li Qi and Liu Yingying took a sip of the spirit wine and simultaneously exclaimed in surprise, then glanced at Feng Rui but said nothing, focusing on absorbing the spiritual energy.

Li Qi was usually tight-lipped, and Liu Yingying was also restrained, indicating that the events of the day had deeply affected her. In comparison, the peculiar nature of the spirit wine was insignificant.

The Seven-Colored Flying Lotus ascended to 500 zhang in the air, moving slowly toward the second target, where Zhu Yubei's group was stationed.

Feng Rui looked pale and listless, staring at Lin Feifeng for a long time before shaking his head, nodding gratefully, and forcing a smile that was more painful than a cry.

"Senior Sister, what do we do now?"

Two hours later, Liu Yingying, who had recovered first, saw Feng Rui's complexion gradually turn rosy and his expression become more relaxed, and asked, glancing at Feng Rui.

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist Feng?"

Lin Feifeng's voice was still hoarse, but her tone was sincere, though still cold, lacking her usual indifference. Li Qi also looked as if he was listening intently.

"I haven't thought it through, just some ideas for discussion."

Feng Rui did not hesitate and spoke directly.

"Various signs indicate that this was a carefully planned attack targeting our second squad. I suspect the other two groups have also been attacked."

Seeing Lin Feifeng's face turn deathly pale, Feng Rui sighed inwardly.

"The most important thing now is to return to the city and report to the captain. I'll ask Immortal Lady Liu to drive the military boat back to Bai Shui City with all the items. This is important but not difficult, and with the speed of the military boat, it won't be dangerous. To prevent any mistakes, if the other groups are fine, I'll ask Fellow Daoist Li to wait at our parting place for three days. After three days, either return directly to Bai Shui City or continue waiting, depending on the situation. I estimate that within ten days, the captain and the Golden Core Real People from various sects will arrive."

Seeing no objections from the three, Feng Rui felt a sense of relief.

"I and the captain will go to the second and third targets. Even if they have also been attacked, the chances of us helping are slim, but we shouldn't give up even the slightest possibility. We might find useful clues at the scene. I and Immortal Lady Lin will wait at the third target for news from the city."

"Alright. I'll wait there too."

Liu Yingying thought for a moment and nodded helplessly, "I'll return as soon as possible."

"That's settled. Everyone be careful and pay attention to safety." Lin Feifeng took a deep breath, lost in thought.

...

"Immortal Lady Lin, don't think too much. Let's find a place on that small hill to spend the night. We still have to wait here for eight or nine days."

Feng Rui couldn't help but speak, knowing that the night in the Qishan Mountains was much more dangerous than the day.

Since midday, when they saw the intense battle traces near the second and third targets, Lin Feifeng had stood motionless, quietly and silently.

Knowing it was futile, Feng Rui still searched every inch of the area, finding something to do rather than standing there idly.

He deliberately made some noise, but seeing no reaction from Lin Feifeng, he gave up. Some things couldn't be avoided and had to be faced.

There was a cave on a small hill nearby, a temporary resting place for the patrol group. The cave was empty and not large, but it was dry. The two entered the cave, and Feng Rui casually set up a simple formation, which had no power but served as a warning when someone approached.

This was followed by an awkward silence.

The sky gradually darkened, and it started to drizzle, the air slightly cool.

In the midst of this major change, neither dared to cultivate, nor had the mood to do so.

Feng Rui sat at the cave entrance, quietly gazing at the dark sky.

The rain grew heavier, and Feng Rui suddenly noticed that the sound of raindrops hitting different leaves and rolling off to drip onto the rocks below varied greatly, making him dazed. When was the last time he had listened to the rain? Who was he with then? He couldn't remember.

Perhaps he had never listened to the rain before. His life was filled with adventures and cultivation, with adventures serving the purpose of cultivation. But what was the purpose of cultivation? Immortality?

Suddenly, he felt a stirring in his heart, went outside, and gathered a large bundle of branches, slowly building a small barbecue rack. His fingers emitted a pale red flame, and soon a faint white smoke rose from the rack. With a light crackle, the branches caught fire, the flames growing brighter, occasionally crackling.

In the midst of the wind and rain, the small cave felt unusually warm.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, you have a good mood. It seems you're feeling quite relieved, aren't you?"

Lin Feifeng, who hadn't spoken for a long time, suddenly said, her tone unusually calm.

"Immortal Lady Lin, you're overthinking. I was just recalling the last time I listened to the rain, but I can't remember. Maybe there was no last time. We cultivators, who seem high and mighty to mortals and are envied, are actually pitiful."

Feng Rui sighed, ignoring the meaning behind Lin Feifeng's words.

"Pitiful? I'm the pitiful one. Compared to you, I, the captain, am truly pitiful. Everyone treats you like this, now you must be happy, right?"

Lin Feifeng's lips curled slightly, but it was unclear whether she was smiling at Feng Rui or at herself.

Feng Rui poked the branches in the fire, as if organizing his thoughts, and after a long silence, he spoke slowly.

"I've known Zhu Yubei since the Qi Condensation stage, almost twenty years now. I have five spiritual roots, and my family rarely visits. In the world of cultivation, I have no master, no fellow disciples. If cultivators can have friendships, he is my only friend. Happy? If I were you, would you be happy? I regret it to death, why didn't I insist more at the time? Just to avoid being laughed at by a few unimportant people? If Zhu Yubei could come and drink with me now, I'd rather be seen as a coward for twenty years."

Knowing everyone was in a bad mood, Feng Rui started with a normal tone, but his voice quickened involuntarily, and he regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.

"Unimportant people? So we are all unimportant, Fellow Daoist Feng, you have a great temperament."

"Fellow Immortal Lady, you misunderstood. You should understand my meaning. Now, we are teammates, but after the mission? Maybe some of you can form alliances or even friendships, but for Zhu Yubei and me, you should understand better than I do."

"I don't understand anything. I only know that they are likely dead because of my mistake, and I am the captain, a pitiful person. Everyone will laugh at me, I am a huge joke."

Lin Feifeng suddenly became agitated, turning away, her shoulders shaking. In the flickering firelight, her thin figure looked even more lonely.

"That's right, cry it out, or you won't be able to bear the next ten days. Hmm, the proud Captain Lin is no different from other young girls when she starts to act up. Oh no, if she remembers today's events later, I won't have a good life. Truly, bad luck follows me. Why is it always me? It should be that wooden Li Qi here..."

Feng Rui's mind was filled with chaotic thoughts, but he said nothing more.

"Fellow Daoist Feng, I apologize."

After a long time, Lin Feifeng turned around and said softly, her expression normal.

"Not at all. This is a war between two realms, and deaths are inevitable. They were clearly well-prepared, and we were in the open while they were in the dark. Under such circumstances, no one could have done better than the captain. The captain made no mistakes, and I think the captain is a good captain."

Feng Rui didn't want to dwell on this topic, his mind racing to divert Lin Feifeng's attention from "apologizing."

"An unimportant good captain?"

Lin Feifeng's mood improved significantly, and after the intense emotional fluctuations, her words were filled with a smile, completely different from her usual self, leaving Feng Rui momentarily stunned.

"I understand why you had me put away the flying lotus and fly directly to create the illusion that our spiritual energy was greatly depleted, but what was that red light?"

Lin Feifeng's face turned red, her heart racing, and she asked seriously.

"That was a sound transmission talisman for Zhu Yubei."

Feng Rui collected his thoughts and said casually.

"Sound transmission talisman? Aren't they only effective within fifty miles? Could Zhu Yubei receive it?"

"Definitely not. But they don't know that. They wouldn't think I would send a useless sound transmission talisman. The unknown is the most terrifying. They might attribute many magical effects to this sound transmission talisman. It was just a quick move, not much effort."

"Admirable."

"Just a small trick to deceive, a minor tactic, not worth mentioning."

"Of course, it's a minor tactic, but to think of it in such a situation shows great mental cultivation. Fellow Daoist Feng is truly calm in crisis."

"There's no such thing as calm in crisis. It's just that my strength is low, so I have to be more cautious, out of habit. Unlike Captain, who is straightforward and truly impressive."

Feng Rui seized the opportunity to flatter, without changing his expression.

"Are you used to it?"

Lin Feifeng seemed oblivious to Feng Rui's flattery, not speaking for a long time, lost in thought.

Feng Rui added a few branches to the fire with his left hand and waved his right hand, creating a gentle breeze that immediately set the branches ablaze while leaving the ashes untouched. He nodded, feeling satisfied.

"Finally, you used a mental attack spell. Why did you wait so long? You left me with no spiritual energy, and I could only watch them escape. This time, it's no longer a minor tactic, right?"

Lin Feifeng, illuminated by the fire, came to her senses and asked, her words carrying a mix of genuine and feigned blame, not noticing the gentleness and softness in her voice, which made Feng Rui shudder, unaccustomed to it.

"The closer the distance, the more certain my attack."

"Is that all?"

Lin Feifeng looked at Feng Rui, her face half-smiling, half-serious.

"Also, I guessed they were cultivators from the Qishan Realm, with no grudge against us, just hired by the other side, not knowing why they were attacking us, and possibly not even knowing who hired them. For them, it was just a business deal. For us, it was a matter of survival. The longer we waited, the more anxious they would become, and the greater the shock of our sudden counterattack. With the sudden death of their leader, they would panic and flee. If we could scare them away, that would be a blessing. However, Li Qi and Liu Yingying's combat abilities exceeded my expectations. If I had Zhu Yubei's level, I could have captured them all, but alas..."

Feng Rui sighed deeply, lowering his head to poke the fire, and Lin Feifeng's face turned somber.

"Hey, the rain has stopped."

After a long time, they both looked up simultaneously, saying the same thing, and couldn't help but laugh, the small cave feeling a bit warm and cozy.

"Also, at the beginning, were you so sure you could dodge that first sword, or did you not trust my strength?"

Lin Feifeng asked casually, her hands tightly clasped, fingers interlocked.

"You're the captain, how could I not trust your strength? Because I trust your strength, I had to ensure you wouldn't be injured. The real battle relies on the three of you. I just played a small role at the end, and whether I was injured or not didn't matter much. If you were in trouble, none of us could escape, at least I couldn't. As for the certainty, sometimes you have to take a risk. I may be timid and afraid of death, but if others are determined to fight, I have no choice. If not for the captain's powerful formation, this time, heh heh."

Feng Rui's eyes were fixed on the fire, as if trying to find a roasted sweet potato in it.

"Um, I'm the captain, an unimportant captain, right."

Lin Feifeng's heart relaxed, and she separated her hands.

"That wasn't a formation. In a hurry, how could I set up a formation? It was an array disk made by my master, quick to use but with limited power, and a one-time consumable, not much to speak of."

"I don't know how to use array disks, never used one. Even if it were an array disk, the person controlling it matters a lot, right? In my hands, it would be like trash, but the captain is impressive. That thing must be expensive, right?"

"It's morning, let's put out the fire. I'll go for a walk."

Lin Feifeng's long eyelashes blinked involuntarily; she was not used to chatting idly with Feng Rui.

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