Chapter Thirty: Encountering an Injured Child
The sun was still blazing overhead, but Feng Fei felt a chill in her heart. She hugged herself tightly, squatted on the ground, and stared blankly at a spot on the ground. Only when her legs began to go numb did she stand up, stamp her weak legs to regain some strength, and then walk back to her room.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Feng Fei opened the small cloth bag that Yu Jin had given her. Inside was only an inconspicuous ring and a folded piece of paper.
Feng Fei's heart skipped a beat, and she slowly unfolded the letter with trembling hands.
"Feng Fei, this is a storage ring. Wear it on your finger and keep it hidden. Don't let anyone see it easily."
There are some things I've prepared for you inside; please use them wisely. Just concentrate your mental energy on the storage ring to see what's inside.
There's a booklet inside the storage ring. Take a look at that first. It records how to use many things inside the storage ring, and even the secret technique of disguise.
Fengfei, please take good care of yourself. Remember, I still have an IOU for you here.
Remember to burn the letter after you finish reading it.
Feng Fei clutched the letter tightly. Although she complained about Yuan Jue meddling, the smile on her face betrayed her happiness. Feng Fei went to the table, lit the oil lamp, and burned the letter by its light.
Feng Fei climbed back onto the bed, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Feng Fei put the storage ring on the ring finger of his left hand and said to himself with a smile, "Storage Ring, what a vulgar name. From now on, I'll call you Little Yuanzi! Hehe!" This "Little Yuanzi" seemed even more vulgar than the storage ring, but Feng Fei was happy to call him that. As for why he chose this name, Feng Fei was still confused and didn't understand, but everyone else certainly knew.
Feng Fei was still smiling foolishly when suddenly, the ring lit up, and then appeared in front of Feng Fei was Feng Yi, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.
Feng Fei jumped off the bed with a pleasant surprise and rushed to Feng Yi's side: "Feng Yi, it's so rare for you to come out like this!"
Hearing Feng Fei's unusually affectionate words, Feng Yi's usually stern face broke into a smile, making Feng Fei's heart itch to reach out and pinch Feng Yi's chubby little face, but fortunately he restrained himself.
"I suffered some injuries before, so I've been recuperating in the meditation chamber. How have you been lately? Feng Wu, you've already started practicing whip techniques." Feng Yi, with her small body held in Feng Fei's arms, didn't seem uncomfortable at all, and asked with a calm expression and a slight smile.
"Yes, I'm practicing! But it's very painful. It hurts so much when I accidentally get hit." Feng Fei chattered on and on about all the suffering she had endured. She kept the matter of the jade-colored spiritual power a secret, as she had a feeling that this matter should not be revealed casually.
Feng nodded, looked around, and then asked, "Where is this place?"
“It’s a courtyard in Qingfeng Town. Yuanjue brought me here.”
"Hmm..." Feng Yi touched her chin, "Where's Yuan Jue?"
“I don’t know,” Feng Fei said, sounding somewhat dejected. “He left today, without any explanation.”
“Is that so? Then let’s leave too! Let’s go to Fengdu and see what it’s become now.” Feng Yi finalized the idea.
Feng Fei hesitated for a moment, then decided to tell Feng Yi what she had learned earlier.
Feng Yi fell silent. Actually, it was expected that Fengdu would be occupied by another country, but hearing the news in person was still hard to accept. "Then, we must go and see for ourselves," Feng Yi said, her voice hoarse and strained.
Feng Fei hugged Feng Yi tightly and slowly nodded.
“Then let’s set off today!” Feng Fei suddenly said. “Qingfeng Town is only ten miles from Fengdu. I can walk quite fast, and if I walk quickly, I can definitely reach Fengdu before nightfall. Moreover, if we hire a carriage, it will definitely be even faster.”
Feng Fei's suggestion was very appealing, and Feng Yi agreed without much thought.
"Then I'll head back to Pan Jie first. You take Ming Feng with you. If anything happens, you can contact it; it will have a way to reach us. The others and I are all spirits, and we can't easily enter Fengdu. So from the moment you entered Fengdu, we couldn't offer you any substantial help. You must plan carefully before doing anything, and avoid being impulsive." Feng Yi gave these instructions before disappearing back into Pan Jie.
Feng Fei gave a silly laugh in the direction of Fengdu and quickly packed his luggage.
Although she has a small storage ring, she can't just put anything in it. If she rashly scoops something out, wouldn't that be telling others that she has a storage ring? Feng Fei wouldn't do something that would attract thieves.
Feng Fei carefully packed up everything she had bought that morning. After thinking for a moment, she put the clothes she had bought for Yuan Jue into Xiao Yuanzi's bag, hoping to give them to him if she ever met him again. Feng Fei changed into men's clothing, then scooped out the booklet from Xiao Yuanzi's bag, flipped through the other parts, and went straight to the section on disguise. Although it was a last-minute effort, Feng Fei actually found some simple methods of disguise.
Fengfei went to the kitchen and mixed the soot with a solvent called "water glue" that Yuanjue had prepared for her, creating a very simple disguise. She put the mixture into a small jar. The substance was a dark, gooey mess. Fengfei scooped some out with a chopstick, looked in the bright mirror Yuanjue had prepared for her, and gently drew a few strokes on her eyebrows, creating a thick eyebrow. After drawing the same dark substance on the other eyebrow, Fengfei thought for a moment and then added a black mole to her right cheek near her mouth.
Feng Fei chuckled to himself in the small mirror. Although the disguise was rudimentary, people who didn't know him well might not recognize him!
Oblivious to the fact that Feng Fei had changed so much, she was now completely unaware of the significant difference she had made. Strangers would hardly recognize her. Although Feng Yi and the others hadn't shown any surprise at Feng Fei's appearance when they appeared, they attributed it to the effects of the Burning Fire Technique. While the Burning Fire Technique could indeed alter a person's appearance and demeanor, it wouldn't be as dramatic as Feng Fei's transformation. Feng Yi and the others were unaware of this, so they subconsciously assumed Feng Fei's appearance was correct and therefore had no questions.
Yuan Jue taught Feng Fei the art of disguise so that she could make herself look ugly and conceal her alluring appearance to avoid unnecessary trouble. Feng Fei's actions were clearly a lucky accident.
After packing everything up, Feng Fei put the jar containing the black grime into Xiao Yuanzi, and then put away the small mirror before running back to his room to pick up his bundle. Touching the tightly bound pouch at his waist, the small golden sword tucked into his right sleeve, and the snake-bone whip wrapped around his waist, Feng Fei grinned, held his head high, and walked outside.
Feng Fei planned to go to the carriage shop he had visited with Yuan Jue first, hoping to hire a carriage to go to Fengdu.
Hiring a carriage was very simple, and soon Feng Fei was in the carriage heading towards Fengdu.
Fengdu was the first place Feng Fei stayed in this world, but she stayed for too short a time and didn't have time to learn anything before Yuan Jue hurriedly took her away. This time might be a chance to get to know her again.
Thinking of Fengdu, which they were about to reach, Feng Fei's mood improved, and he couldn't help but hum a famous song from the Celestial Empire: "Today the weather is so sunny and clear, the scenery is so beautiful everywhere, the butterflies are busy, the bees are busy, the birds are busy, the white clouds are busy, the hooves of the horses trample the fallen flowers, the hooves of the horses trample the fallen flowers, the camels pass by in herds, the camel bells are jingling, this sings, that sings, the wind sings, the water sings..."
However, it seemed that fate did not want Feng Fei to be so happy. As Feng Fei was singing, he was suddenly interrupted by the coachman: "Brother, there is a child on the road ahead!"
Feng Fei's singing came to an abrupt end.
Feng Fei suddenly lifted the curtain of the carriage. He thought it would be a ragged child begging for food or a ride, but he was surprised to see a child wearing a loose brocade robe and covered in blood.
Feng Fei was taken aback at first, but the next moment he had already run to the child.
Feng Fei carefully checked the child's nose; it seemed the child was still breathing. He then gently lifted the child's clothes and discovered a gruesome wound on the child's chest. The wound had long since stopped bleeding, and a grotesque scab had formed crookedly over it.
Feng Fei gently nudged the child, who stirred slightly. Feng Fei then crouched down beside the child, watching anxiously. After a short while, the child's long, fan-like eyelashes trembled twice before slowly opening their eyes.
The child had a pair of captivating golden eyes, but at this moment they lacked any divine light, as if he could not see anything.
Feng Fei hesitated for a moment, but still slowly reached out and waved in front of the child. Seeing that the child did not react at all, she was sure that the child was blind, and Feng Fei's heart softened immediately.
Feng Fei lowered his voice, afraid that raising it even slightly would frighten the child: "Child, does the wound on your chest still hurt?"
The child seemed not to have expected anyone to be around. He moved slightly and accidentally aggravated the wound on his chest, causing the muscles on his face to twitch involuntarily.
Feng Fei quickly said, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person!"
Hearing that Feng Fei's voice seemed to mean no harm, the child slowly relaxed. He raised his face to look in Feng Fei's direction, and although his eyes were still expressionless, Feng Fei felt that they were eyes that could convey inner emotions.
"Who are you?" The child's voice was dry, yet still clear and childish.
"My name is Feng Fei, what's yours?"
The child nodded but didn't answer Feng Fei's question. He tilted his head to listen for a moment, then turned to Feng Fei and asked, "A carriage? Yours?"
Feng Fei nodded, but then immediately realized that the child couldn't see her movements, so she quickly added, "Yes! It's a carriage I rented."
"Go to Fengdu?" The child was still not very talkative.
"Yes, that's right! I see you're so badly injured. I'll take you to Fengdu and find a doctor to take a look at you."
Then, Fengfei reached out to pick up the child.
The child shrank back slightly, but still obediently allowed Feng Fei to pick him up.
The moment the child's head tilted in Feng Fei's arms, his body stiffened, and he didn't recover until Feng Fei settled him in the carriage.
Clearly, this is a precocious child, and he immediately realized that Feng Fei was a woman. Cough cough, he passively learned the fact that Feng Fei was a woman in a way that many people would envy.
*****************************************
Oh ho ho ho~ Can you guys guess who this little kid is~~~
Chapter 31 My Name is Jin Ming
Chapter Thirty-One: My Name is Jin Ming
Fengfei carefully helped the child sit up, thought for a moment, and then scooped out a water bag from the side. "Whose child are you? How did you end up injured and lying in the middle of the road?" She was about to feed the child some water, but the child pouted and refused to cooperate. Fengfei just thought he was throwing a tantrum and wasn't angry. She kindly advised, "Look at you! Come on, have some water first. Your lips are all cracked."
The child still held his head high and refused to cooperate.
Feng Fei sighed. This was a spoiled little child. Feng Fei stopped forcing the child to drink water, leaned lazily against the carriage, and asked questions idly.
"Kid, does the injury to your chest hurt?"
"fine."
"Really? But it looks pretty serious. Are you sure you don't need me to treat your wound first?"
"Need not."
"...Little child, you don't talk much. What's your name?"
As soon as Feng Fei asked the child's age, the child covered his mouth and coughed softly. Feng Fei was startled and was about to go forward to give the child water when the child waved his hand at Feng Fei, his face showing no emotion whatsoever.
Looking at the child who seemed so mature for his age, Feng Fei felt conflicted. Although she was in the body of someone not yet thirteen, she had lived for nearly thirty years in the Celestial Empire in her previous life, yet her current behavior was far more childish than that of the child before her.
"Are you really alright?" Feng Fei thought for a moment, then asked again.
The child shook his head, a gesture that seemed to have exhausted all his strength. He leaned against the carriage, his body swaying gently with the movement. Seeing the child's apparent reluctance to speak, Feng Fei didn't press the matter further. He gathered his bundle and leaned against the carriage wall.
The journey was quite boring, and Fengfei could only tease Mingfeng from time to time to make the carriage less stuffy.
"Brother, we're almost at Fengdu," the driver's voice suddenly came.
Feng Fei was overjoyed and quickly ran out to take a look. Sure enough, the towering city walls appeared before his eyes.
The walls of Fengdu are constructed from a special type of stone unique to the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, called Phoenix Jade. The name sounds impressive, but it's simply the most abundant and suitable stone for building walls in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. Phoenix Jade amplifies the attack power of those in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom who practice fire-attribute techniques, but it's extremely difficult to refine into a liquid for forging weapons, and it's also incredibly heavy. Therefore, it was only used as a material for building the city walls.
However, the small sword hidden in Feng Fei's sleeve was a weapon forged from Phoenix Jade.
The origin of this small sword is unknown; it simply exists in the treasury of the Vermilion Bird Kingdom. When Feng Fei's predecessor ascended the throne, he was forced by various crises to seek a cheap and portable weapon for self-defense. This small golden sword caught his eye.
However, no one knew the material of this small sword; it resembled neither gold nor jade, and no one would associate this golden sword with Phoenix Jade. Of course, Feng Fei also didn't know the origin of this golden sword; perhaps it held some secret.
Feng Fei poked his head into the carriage. "Kid, we're about to enter the city. What are you going to do?"
The child's golden, yet lifeless eyes slowly met Feng Fei's eyes, and a faint smile appeared on the child's face: "The Jin Family Medical Clinic in Fengdu."
Still such concise words. Feng Fei rolled her eyes, thankfully she could still understand what he meant.
Feng Fei pulled his head back and sat on the carriage frame, saying to the driver, "Master, do you know the Jin Family Medical Clinic?"
"Of course I know! The Jin Family Medical Clinic is extremely famous in Fengdu! Even the Tiger Guard Army... wouldn't dare to use the Jin Family Medical Clinic as a scapegoat. The Jin Family Medical Clinic has branches in five countries across the Four Continents, all dedicated to helping people and saving lives, and is highly respected and valued by the world." Once the coachman started talking, he couldn't stop, rambling on and on to Feng Fei about everything he knew, whether it was hearsay or not, true or false.
Feng Fei nodded in agreement, and soon they arrived at the city gate of Fengdu.
Although the Tiger Guard of the White Tiger Kingdom occupied Fengdu, it did not change anything. The people in the city lived in fear for a while before returning to their normal lives.
The guards at the city gate were replaced by people from the White Tiger Kingdom, and their inspections were not very strict.
They didn't even check Feng Fei's carriage before letting her and the others in. Ironically, some of Feng Fei's worries were unfounded. She had initially thought the child's severe injuries were likely caused by people from the White Tiger Kingdom, and she was worried about being discovered by them upon entering the city, potentially implicating her as well. She had already kindly rescued the child from the road, but she had no obligation to put herself in danger as well; she wasn't some saint.