Chapter 46

The remaining matters had little to do with Jiang Feng.

Although Pingluan Shan had already passed the preliminary exam, his score was invalidated, and he had to retake it.

He was not at all disheartened; instead, he felt it was justified.

Jiang Feng left Hezhong County, hurriedly dealt with his half-month's worth of gains, bought nothing, and returned to the nameless valley.

Recalling the thrilling day, he felt a sense of unreality. Stepping into the valley and seeing the row of three wooden houses, he truly realized that Zhongfan had left, and he was the only one left in the valley.

A white light darted out from the wooden house, leaped a few times, and pounced into his arms.

A white figure floated out of the rabbit, standing before him, a slender female silhouette faintly visible.

Jiang Feng smiled, hugged the rabbit, and said, "Yes, you are still with me."

He brushed away the faint loneliness in his heart, entered the wooden house, and found everything just as it was before he left.

He scratched his head and muttered, "He left in such a hurry, he didn't even take his things?"

Since the wooden house was built, Zhongfan had no longer concealed his identity. The house looked simple, but every tool was extremely valuable. Just the pen on the table was enough to feed an ordinary family for three years.

A stack of paper was spread out on the table, half-written. Jiang Feng went over and saw that it was the detailed recipe for the Ming beast jerky that Zhongfan had been experimenting with, written very clearly and with a clear line of thought. Following this recipe, not only could new jerky be made, but further experiments could be conducted to create new things.

In Jiang Feng's eyes, all the luxuries in the house were not as important as this stack of recipes.

He frowned, folded the papers, and put them aside, pondering how he could reconnect with Zhongfan and return this to him.

He walked around the house, about to leave, when he almost collided with someone coming in.

The person's toes touched the ground, and he floated back two steps, standing steadily.

Just this brief encounter made Jiang Feng's heart chill. This person's reaction speed was much faster than his, and his strength was far superior!

How could a stranger suddenly appear in this valley?

Jiang Feng calmed down and recognized the person.

He was about sixty or seventy years old, tall and slender, wearing a well-fitting blue robe, with his hair neatly combed and tied with a square scarf.

This old man exuded a sense of propriety from head to toe, and he was the one Jiang Feng had seen at the entrance of the Zhou family's hot spring villa half a month ago!

The old man bowed and respectfully said, "Young Master Jiang Feng, I am Qiujueye, a member of the Hundred Scroll Mountain team. I have been ordered by the young master to help you with some leftover matters."

Before he revealed his identity, Jiang Feng had already anticipated some of it. He suddenly smiled and waved his hand in front of Qiujueye, "Can you finally see me now?"

Qiujueye's expression remained unchanged, "Please forgive me, Young Master Jiang. The young master instructed us not to reveal his identity, so we had to disguise ourselves."

Jiang Feng said, "It's fine, I forgot to thank you last time. If it weren't for your help, I wouldn't have been able to escape from the Jiang family so easily."

Qiujueye said, "Lifeng, the second disciple of Liming, is skilled in tracking. Otherwise, with your wit, you wouldn't have needed our help."

Jiang Feng asked, "Liming?"

Qiujueye said, "Liming is a subordinate of the Heavenly Emperor's teacher, Fuliujun, sent to the Jiang family to help some of their descendants pass the major exams."

Jiang Feng said, "Oh," and thought for a moment.

This Liming was the person Uncle Dong had mentioned before.

He asked, "Liming is leading the group with Jiang Huiming? Where are they now?"

Qiujueye calmly said, "They are currently cultivating in Zangming Mountain. The Jiang Huiming you mentioned opened the third acupoint of the Dawn Realm yesterday and has a good chance of passing the provincial exam."

Jiang Feng pondered for a moment, then suddenly smiled, "Grandpa Qiu, you came at the right time. Zhongfan left something here. Can you help me return it to him?"

Qiujueye said, "The young master said before he left that everything he left here is now yours. You can dispose of it as you wish."

He stepped forward, took out a scroll from somewhere, and presented it with both hands, "Additionally, the young master will celebrate his sixteenth birthday on the eighth day of the eleventh month this year. He invites Young Master Jiang to attend the ceremony..."

Jiang Feng was stunned and interrupted Qiujueye, "What? The eighth day of the eleventh month? Sixteenth birthday?"

Qiujueye's expression was very calm, but there was a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. He nodded, "Yes, the young master has been ill for a long time. Even the great physician Qu Shui said he might not live past sixteen. Now it seems his health has improved, and his sixteenth birthday is very important to him. Please, Young Master Jiang, do attend."

Jiang Feng took the scroll in a daze. The handwriting was very neat, not a single stroke out of place—Zhongfan's handwriting. He simply wrote the time and place of his birthday ceremony, and at the end, in a style uncharacteristic of him, he wrote, "Please come."

Looking at these four words, Jiang Feng smiled. He waved the scroll, "Yes, I will definitely come!"

He stared at the scroll for a few more moments, then scratched his head, "The eighth day of the eleventh month, sixteen years old... I never would have thought this kid is a few days older than me!"

Qiujueye looked at him deeply but said nothing.

Qu Shui was a renowned physician across the entire Nine Heavens Continent, known for his accurate predictions of life and death, never making a mistake.

When Zhongfan was born, he was seriously ill, and Qu Shui was specially invited to treat him. He said six words, "He won't live past sixteen."

As he said, despite the lady's best efforts, the young master began to weaken visibly from the age of fourteen.

If it weren't for the importance of the matters in the Azure Dragon Ancient Kingdom, the lady would never have left him, no matter what, to accompany him through his final journey.

However, if the lady hadn't left, the young master wouldn't have had the opportunity to come out alone, nor would he have met this young man...

Although no one had explicitly said it, those in the know knew that after meeting this young man, the young master's condition had improved. However, for some reason, everyone kept it to themselves, not a word was spoken, and it was never spread outside.

Thinking of this, Qiujueye bowed deeply to Jiang Feng, "Young Master Jiang Feng, the young master instructed us to make arrangements for your county exam. Please prepare as soon as possible. We can set out tomorrow morning."

...

...

Jiang Feng had nothing to pack. After morning practice the next day, he carried two full leather bags and greeted Qiujueye.

Qiujueye stood under a tree, his body straight, having stood there for who knows how long.

Jiang Feng said a bit uncomfortably, "Grandpa Qiu, you're an elder, please be more relaxed... Oh, and don't call me Young Master, just use my name."

Qiujueye bowed, "Yes, Young Master Jiang, let's go."

Jiang Feng shook his head helplessly, walked out of the valley, and Qiujueye asked, "Do you want me to convert the things here into money?"

Jiang Feng casually said, "No, just leave them here."

Qiujueye nodded as if it were the most natural thing and followed behind him.

The things Zhongfan left in the valley were worth a fortune, but neither the old man nor the young man felt it was wrong to leave them there.

Of course, for Qiujueye, the things the young master used, if the recipient accepted them, that was fine. If Jiang Feng didn't want them, he couldn't let them belong to anyone else.

As they walked out of the valley, Qiujueye said, "Young Master Jiang, we are heading to Linxi County, which is quite a distance from here. I suggest we travel by carriage."

"By carriage?" Jiang Feng nodded.

Qiujueye raised his hand, and a gentle breeze suddenly surrounded them from all directions.

A moment later, a carriage pulled by two unicorn horses descended from the sky, hovering before them.

The carriage was a deep blue, not particularly eye-catching, but the horses' coats were like dark clouds before the rain, and their long horns were like jade. Upon closer inspection, it was the epitome of "low-key luxury."

Jiang Feng and Qiujueye got into the carriage, and the unicorn horses pulled it into the sky, flying northeast.

The carriage was extremely fast, and through the window, the ground seemed to flow beneath them. Taowu Mountain and Changchuan River receded, and a vast plain appeared before Jiang Feng.

After about half an hour, a large forest appeared on the plain, and Jiang Feng suddenly remembered something, "Is this the Twilight Forest?"

Qiujueye said, "Yes, our destination is Linxi County, which is right next to it."

As he spoke, the carriage descended and soon stopped by a small stream.

Linxi County was located next to the Twilight Forest, separated only by Lihua Creek.

The county was small, with only two intersecting streets, lined with pear trees. The flowering season had passed, and the ground was covered with fallen petals, scattered by the wind, creating a particularly serene atmosphere.

Jiang Feng liked it at first sight.

The carriage left them and departed, and Qiujueye led him to a door at the end of the street and knocked on the copper ring.

Jiang Feng looked up and saw the words "Yuan Shan Martial Arts Hall" on the lintel, the paint faded, with only the word "Shan" (mountain) still clear.

A series of footsteps approached, and the door was suddenly pulled open.

A young man scratched his messy hair and said, "Teacher Hua is out..."

He looked up and met Jiang Feng's eyes, and they both exclaimed, "Hey, Jiang Feng!"

"Pingluan Shan, what are you doing here?!"

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A transitional chapter... Thank you all for the support and candy! Please click, recommend, and collect~!!

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