Chapter 17

This drop of blood brought a great deal of exhaustion to Jiang Feng, and he slept for three hours before slowly waking up.

Since merging with the Heavenly Heart Seed, his mental state had always been excellent, and he rarely slept for such a long time.

When he woke up, he found himself lying deep in the cave, where the air was fresh but not directly exposed to the wind.

He looked around in confusion, unable to recall where he had collapsed.

He shook his head and went to check on the child beside him.

The child was breathing steadily, with a rosy complexion. Although he was still asleep, it was clear that he was fine.

Previously, the golden blood qi had seeped into his body, causing a large amount of black substance to be expelled through his pores. Now, these substances had completely weathered away, leaving not even a trace of powder.

Jiang Feng touched his skin, unable to determine the source of the black impurities or whether the golden blood qi would bring any other changes.

After checking, he found that the wound on his shoulder had completely healed, and there were no obvious injuries elsewhere. Now, he just needed to wait for the child to wake up normally.

He sighed in relief, but his stomach immediately growled. This hunger was sudden and much stronger than usual. Jiang Feng searched his pockets and found that the wild boar meat he had prepared was all used to lure away the wild wolves, leaving not a single piece. With no other choice, he went out to find some wild fruits and ate them all.

The child was still asleep, and Jiang Feng, still hungry, went to nearby areas and caught a string of mountain rats, which he then roasted over a fire.

As soon as the rat meat began to emit a fragrant aroma, the child's nostrils twitched, and his breathing changed.

With his eyes still closed, he said, "The fire is too strong, reduce it by twenty percent."

Jiang Feng, surprised by his first words upon waking, glanced at him and indeed pulled out two pieces of firewood.

The child then said, "Add five tender leaves of the Lingxiao grass."

Jiang Feng looked at him again and said, "I don't have Lingxiao grass."

The child frowned and said, "Then use ground Madi root powder, sprinkle it evenly."

Jiang Feng said helplessly, "I don't have Madi root powder."

The child frowned even more and said weakly, "Then use Xingluo grass juice."

"I don't have Xingluo grass either."

The child suddenly opened his eyes, furious. "You don't have anything, can this meat still be eaten?!"

He saw the mountain rats on the fire and his face changed, his voice trembling. "What, what is this?!"

Jiang Feng said, "Mountain rats, they live in burrows in the mountains and mainly eat grass seeds and tree seeds."

The child was shocked. "Rats can be eaten?!"

Jiang Feng said, "Of course, the meat is tender and very delicious."

As he spoke, he rubbed salt on the mountain rats. In no time, the meat turned yellow, sizzling and dripping with oil, looking very appetizing.

The child watched his actions with tightly pursed lips, saying nothing.

After a while, the enticing aroma spread, and the child's stomach growled twice. His body, however, shrank back, clearly determined not to eat the rat meat.

Jiang Feng ignored him, quickly finished roasting two skewers, and took one for himself. He then extended the second skewer to ... Night Snack the rabbit.

Night Snack wasn't very interested in ordinary animal meat, but since Jiang Feng had already roasted it and offered it to him, he reluctantly took a bite and began to enjoy it.

The child stared with wide eyes. "Why not me... Wait, you're feeding a rabbit meat?"

Jiang Feng said, "This is a Luoxiao rabbit, a Ming beast, so it can eat meat."

As he spoke, two more skewers were ready, and the child finally received one. He took it reluctantly, stared at it for a long time, and shook his head. "No, I can't..."

Before he could finish, his expression suddenly changed, as if he had made a decision, and he took a bite.

He ate very slowly, chewing each bite for a long time. It took him about half an hour to finish the small skewer—during which time, Jiang Feng had already eaten eight skewers, and Night Snack wasn't far behind.

Jiang Feng watched the child curiously. He could tell that although the child had been picky when his eyes were closed, his slow eating wasn't due to a lack of appetite.

Each bite was cherished, and he chewed slowly both out of habit and to savor the flavor for as long as possible.

The child was very thin, with sunken cheeks. At first glance, Jiang Feng thought he was a poor child who had been starved. Now, with the bright light of day, he could see more clearly.

The child's clothes were simple in style but made of the finest materials. His tattered outer garment was made of Heavenly Cloud Silk, which was as light as air and as soft and smooth as a baby's skin.

Even a well-off young lady wouldn't have a piece of Heavenly Cloud Silk. Jiang Feng had only read about it in books.

It seems he's not from an ordinary family...

As the child finished his skewer, Jiang Feng asked, "What's your name? Why did you come here in the middle of the night?"

The child was taken aback, suddenly remembering something and looking at his shoulder!

The fabric on his shoulder was torn, revealing smooth, unblemished skin with no sign of a wound. He touched it, shocked. "What happened?"

Jiang Feng patiently said, "I asked first, you answer first."

The child hesitated and said, "My name is Chong Fan. Last night..."

Before he could finish, he suddenly looked up at Jiang Feng with caution.

Jiang Feng, unaware of his suspicion, continued, "This is the territory of a fifth-level Ming beast. I don't see you as a martial practitioner, so why did you come here?"

Chong Fan hesitated for a moment and said, "I came with my grandfather, but we got separated last night. I came out to look for him..."

Jiang Feng frowned. "Separated? You haven't merged with a Ming Heart Seed and have no Ming power. It's too dangerous for you to be here!"

He finished the remaining skewer in a few bites, stood up, and said, "Come, I'll help you find him!"

Chong Fan remained seated on the ground, and Jiang Feng called out again before he reluctantly stood up. He touched his stomach, looked at his shoulder, and was full of confusion but didn't ask anything.

Jiang Feng tidied up the cave, picked up Night Snack, and muttered, "You've gained some weight... If this continues, you'll be a main course!"

Night Snack bit his finger, and Jiang Feng laughed. Noticing Chong Fan's gaze, he looked down and said, "What? Want to play with the rabbit? Be careful, it's very fierce!"

He easily placed Night Snack in Chong Fan's hands. Chong Fan fumbled to catch it, stared at it for a while, and couldn't resist touching its soft white fur.

Night Snack, having eaten and drunk his fill, nestled comfortably in Chong Fan's arms and fell asleep. Chong Fan held him carefully, as if he were holding a treasure.

Chong Fan couldn't remember clearly how he had walked yesterday, so Jiang Feng decided to take him back to where they had met the previous day.

The territory of a fifth-level Ming beast was dangerous even for Jiang Feng, let alone with the unarmed Chong Fan. Fortunately, he had been cautious and had already observed the terrain the day before, making the journey easier today.

To keep Chong Fan from being afraid, he described the surroundings as they walked and occasionally picked a fruit from a tree, cleaned it, and gave it to him.

Chong Fan walked silently, holding the rabbit, and his expression gradually became more lively. The sour fruit made his nose and eyes wrinkle together.

Jiang Feng laughed, feeling that the other person was finally acting like a real child. In that moment, he forgot that he was only fifteen years old, also considered a "child."

He brought Chong Fan back to the river where they had met the previous day and asked, "I found you here yesterday. Do you remember where you came from?"

There were still a lot of bloodstains by the river. Chong Fan looked deeply at Jiang Feng and shook his head. "I only remember encountering a Gray Wind Wolf, which should be a fifth-level Ming beast. I don't remember anything else."

Jiang Feng nodded. "You were probably carried here by it. What about the last place you remember? Do you remember that?"

Chong Fan described the area, but Jiang Feng found it very unfamiliar. He had never been there, indicating that the place was deep in Taowu Mountain, where the Ming beasts were beyond his capabilities!

Jiang Feng felt a bit stuck. At that moment, a white tiger strolled to the river and lazily drank water.

Jiang Feng quickly hid with Chong Fan.

This fifth-level white tiger made him decide. He said to Chong Fan, "Let's go back first. We'll head to Luming Town later, and you can try to contact your family, okay?"

Chong Fan, as if waiting for this, said without hesitation, "Okay!"

...

...

Jiang Feng brought Chong Fan back to the unnamed valley. He had originally planned to stay outside for three days, but he returned after just one day.

Chong Fan looked around curiously and pointed to the treehouse. "Can I go in and take a look?"

Jiang Feng casually said, "It's just a treehouse, go ahead."

Chong Fan went in and saw a stone tablet neatly placed on one side. On the tablet was an iron token and several handwritten letters.

A flash of surprise crossed Chong Fan's eyes, and he knelt down, reaching for the token.

Before he could touch it, the curtain was suddenly pulled aside, and Jiang Feng rushed in, shouting, "Don't touch it!"

Chong Fan's hand paused in mid-air. Jiang Feng, seeing that he hadn't touched anything on the stone tablet, breathed a sigh of relief.

He calmly put everything into a wooden box in front of Chong Fan and then turned to him. "Sorry, these are things left by someone very important to me. I can't show them to you."

Chong Fan, rarely treated this way, frowned and thought for a moment. "If I'm not mistaken, that's a Heavenly Sun County token."

Jiang Feng said casually, "That's right. In a little over two months, I'll be taking the county exam."

The county exam was held on the sixth day of the seventh month, and it was two months and twenty days away. Jiang Feng counted every day.

Chong Fan frowned. "But the minimum standard for the Nine Provinces Martial Practitioners' General Exam is the Dawn Initial Stage. You've only opened four acupoints, and you're far from reaching that stage."

Jiang Feng looked at him. "For a boy who hasn't merged with a Ming Heart Seed, your eyesight is surprisingly good."

Chong Fan didn't respond and said directly, "The Nine Provinces Martial Practitioners' General Exam is divided into three categories: Heaven, Earth, and Man. You must meet the standards in all three to pass."

Jiang Feng was silent for a moment and then said, "For a boy who hasn't merged with a Ming Heart Seed, you know quite a lot."

Chong Fan said straightforwardly, "I don't want to go back for some reason and would like to stay with you for a while."

Jiang Feng was silent again and finally asked, "How long?"

"Until the sixth day of the seventh month." Chong Fan knelt on the ground, his back straight. He placed his hands together on his knees and bowed to Jiang Feng. "I'll be in your care during this time."

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"Zetian Ji" is so good, how can someone write such a book... Feeling a bit down...

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