Chapter 5

{Sweat, almost updated to a king level, sorry. Also, please favorite.}

This group of people came quickly and left just as fast. The only difference was that when they arrived, they were worried and empty-handed, but when they left, they were smiling and had a bountiful harvest, having completely forgotten about the incident where Lingfeng beat Cao Ning.

The only one not swayed by the meat was the old village chief.

He walked to Lingfeng's side with his cane, found a stone to sit on, and said, "Young man, I've heard about you beating Cao Ning. Have you thought about what to do next?"

"Next?" Lingfeng instantly understood the old man's meaning and smiled, "Sir, don't worry. With me here, Xiaoying will be fine!"

"Young man, I know you have some skills, but the Cao family is much stronger than you think. I advise you to take Xiaoying and leave, go to another city. The Cao family's influence, though great, does not extend to other cities." The old village chief naturally did not believe Lingfeng's words.

Cao Hong, to outsiders, only has the cultivation of the Fifth Level of Earth Martial, but others don't know that this was from a few years ago.

In other words, Cao Hong's current cultivation is likely no longer at the Fifth Level of Earth Martial, but at least at the Sixth Level, or even possibly the Seventh Level.

Although it's just a one or two-level increase, the difference is significant.

Moreover, the Cao family possesses a high-level martial technique, which can fully unleash combat power far beyond their cultivation. Otherwise, the Cao family would have disappeared in the previous beast waves.

"Thank you, Old Village Chief. I'll take Xiaoying and leave in some time." Lingfeng said this not because he was afraid of Cao Ning's revenge, but because he had already planned to leave.

After all, this Xiangyang City is too small. There's no one who can cultivate the lower-grade Earth-level techniques here. Staying here, he would never be able to perfect the "Four Holy Figures."

However, it's not the right time to leave yet.

On his previous trip outside the city, he found that there were indeed many beast monsters, and their strength was not low, with a few even at the Second Level.

The Second Level of beast monsters is equivalent to the Earth Martial realm of humans, capable of using true qi to launch long-range attacks, and their destructive power is extremely strong.

Leaving by himself wouldn't be a big problem, but taking Xiaoying and the others would be difficult.

To safely take them away, he needs to at least break through to the Earth Martial realm and master a few powerful techniques.

"Since that's the case, I'm relieved." Seeing Lingfeng agree, the old village chief was reassured, but he didn't know that the "some time" Lingfeng mentioned might be several months.

After the old village chief left, Lingfeng cleaned the beast leg, skewered it with a wooden stick, set up a grill, and gathered a pile of firewood to start roasting the meat.

Xiaoying also came over and sat next to Lingfeng. The red flames flickered, casting a rosy glow on her beautiful face, making her look very attractive.

"Why didn't you leave?" After a while, Xiaoying finally asked.

Although she didn't want Lingfeng to leave, she couldn't think of any reason for him to stay.

To repay a favor? Xiaoying didn't think so.

In such a turbulent time, betraying kindness is common. When she saved Lingfeng, she didn't expect him to repay her; she was just grateful he didn't harm her.

For her? Xiaoying didn't think so either.

Although she was pretty, she wasn't so beautiful that men would die for her.

Moreover, she could sense that Lingfeng was not an ordinary person. Just the fact that he could heal her nearly crippled injuries in a few days was proof enough.

Would such a person lack for women? She didn't believe so.

"If I say it's to repay a favor, would you believe me?" The flickering flames cast shadows on Lingfeng's face, making it hard to read his thoughts.

"I don't believe it!" Xiaoying shook her head.

"Ha, I knew I couldn't fool you." Lingfeng chuckled, "I'm not just here to repay a favor."

"Then why are you here?" Xiaoying raised an eyebrow, finding it harder to understand Lingfeng's intentions.

"For you!" Lingfeng turned to look at Xiaoying and said slowly, "I have a sister at home who is about your age. You look a lot like her, and I might not be able to return for a long time."

"Is that so!" For some reason, Xiaoying felt a bit bitter when she heard this.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Lingfeng turned back to the flickering campfire, his eyes becoming distant.

"Sure!" Xiaoying nodded.

"It's a story from another world. In that world, there are no highly cultivated martial artists or fierce beast monsters, but there are skyscrapers hundreds of meters tall, cars made of steel on the roads, and flying objects made of steel in the sky..."

"There was a boy living in a family of four. His parents were ordinary people, and he had a smart and lovely sister. Although the family wasn't very wealthy, they were happy and content. One day, the boy was seriously injured while saving someone, and the high medical expenses almost bankrupted the family."

"To save her brother, the boy's sister wanted to drop out of school and work. The boy's mother fell ill because of this, and his father's hair turned white overnight. Seeing this, the boy, not wanting to burden them, chose to die..."

At this point, Lingfeng's voice suddenly stopped, and his eyes revealed deep longing.

"Is that boy you?" Xiaoying couldn't help but ask, seeing Lingfeng's expression.

"What do you think?" Lingfeng smiled, not continuing, and sprinkled some seasoning on the golden-brown roasted beast leg, which immediately sizzled.

Xiaoying looked deeply at Lingfeng. She believed that the boy in the story was Lingfeng, but she found it hard to believe the background of the story.

Because she had never heard of such a world, and she didn't believe that a lump of iron could fly in the sky.

"Come, try my cooking." Lingfeng didn't continue the topic, picked up a dagger, cut a piece of golden-brown roasted meat, wrapped it in a lotus leaf, and handed it to Xiaoying.

Xiaoying didn't say anything more and took the roasted meat from Lingfeng.

But she was still immersed in the story Lingfeng had just told, staring at him without blinking, hoping to see something on his face.

"Stop daydreaming and eat. It won't be good if it gets cold." Lingfeng instinctively reached out to touch Xiaoying's nose, but suddenly remembered she wasn't his sister and quickly retracted his hand.

"Oh!" Xiaoying seemed to notice Lingfeng's awkwardness, but this only confirmed her suspicions: the boy in the story was Lingfeng.

Now she understood why Lingfeng hadn't left; he must have been treating her like his sister.

"Is that all, just a sister?" Xiaoying muttered to herself, a hint of disappointment flashing in her eyes. Then a strange aroma wafted over, immediately catching her attention.

At this moment, she noticed the golden-brown roasted meat in her hand and involuntarily swallowed.

"Quick, eat. I saved this leg for you. You're so thin; you need to build yourself up." Lingfeng cut another piece of meat and placed it next to Xiaoying.

Seeing this, Xiaoying's heart trembled.

She remembered a few years ago, when her father was still alive, he had once roasted such meat for her and spoken to her in the same tone.

But now, her father was gone forever.

"Xiaoying, if you don't mind, let me be your brother. I'll take good care of you and won't let you get hurt again." Lingfeng suddenly turned to her, looking at her seriously.

"Brother!" Xiaoying knew that Lingfeng was too homesick for his sister and family, which led to this suggestion.

Although she also wanted to be taken care of and loved, she felt a faint sense of disappointment because she didn't want to be Lingfeng's sister.

"Do you not want to?" Lingfeng asked, seeing her lost in thought.

"No, I do." Xiaoying quickly shook her head.

"Great, that's wonderful. Now I have family here too." Lingfeng was very happy. This was the happiest thing since he came to this world.

Xiaoying also smiled, but her smile was tinged with bitterness. If it were any other time, Lingfeng might have noticed, but he didn't at this moment.

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