Logically, the news of the meteor shower was spreading like wildfire, attracting many people. Each story was told with meticulous detail, making it hard to believe it wasn't true. However, it turned out to be a hoax. Two days prior, on the appointed time for the meteor shower, everyone eagerly awaited the meteors. But as dawn broke and the next day arrived, there was still no sign of any falling meteors or meteors.
So yesterday, Mochou City was much less crowded. Most of them left cursing and swearing, blaming the people who spread the rumors for making their trip a waste. But quite a few people still stayed in Mochou City, hoping to try their luck.
Actually, the meteor shower incident wasn't entirely fabricated.
Two days ago, Feng Fei and the others had just returned from the City Lord's Mansion when the spiritual energy of heaven and earth suddenly became chaotic. Most of the outsiders in Mochou City were ordinary martial artists who couldn't sense the spiritual energy, and if it weren't for the special nature of Feng Fei's jade-gold spiritual power, he probably wouldn't have been able to sense the abnormality of the spiritual energy of heaven and earth either.
After the abnormal spiritual energy, a meteor fell.
The time of the fall was not midnight as previously rumored, but rather the early morning when the sky was just beginning to lighten. A full ten hours earlier.
As the meteor fell, the jade-gold spiritual power within Feng Fei's body began to surge uncontrollably.
Feng Fei's face turned pale, and then he spat out a mouthful of blood.
Meanwhile, Yuan Jue and the other two beside him were perfectly fine. No matter how Yuan Jue tried to investigate Feng Fei's condition, he would be repelled by a strange force.
Just as Yuan Jue and the other two were at a loss, a flash appeared between Feng Fei's brows, and then a silver water droplet appeared in front of Feng Fei.
"Snowball!"
Mingfeng excitedly stepped forward, but found that Xuetuan was still in its original form, and couldn't help but feel sad.
The snowball seemed to know Mingfeng's sadness and self-blame, and slowly floated closer to Mingfeng.
Mingfeng reached out his hand, wanting the snowball to float in his hand, but the snowball quickly bypassed Mingfeng's hand and flew straight towards Mingfeng's brow.
The next moment, as if a thunderbolt had struck the earth, Mingfeng and Xuetuan were surrounded by a world of water and fire.
Seemingly under the control of Mingfeng and Xuetuan, the boundary between the two spiritual energies slowly merged, generating wisps of jade-colored spiritual energy.
Yuan Jue was surprised to find that this jade-colored spiritual power was extremely similar to the spiritual power in Feng Fei's body, except that it lacked that domineering aura.
With a slight shift in his gaze, a bold idea popped into Yuan Jue's mind. After careful consideration, Yuan Jue concluded that Xue Tuan couldn't have appeared without a reason. She must have gained considerable benefits from refining water essence within Feng Fei's Jie Kong Stone, and more likely, she had activated her inheritance.
After thinking it over, Yuan Jue decisively walked towards Ming Feng and Xue Tuan. Ming Feng and Xue Tuan seemed to know that Yuan Jue was approaching, and they slowly gathered the spiritual energy around them, but the fused jade-colored spiritual energy was exposed on the outside.
Yuan Jue acted without hesitation, guiding the jade-colored spiritual energy into Feng Fei's body, only to find that the energy was exceptionally heavy and extremely difficult to mobilize. Meanwhile, Jin Ming, who had been causing trouble on the road, went to protect Feng Fei and the other three.
However, Yuan Jue gritted his teeth and channeled the newly formed jade-colored spiritual energy into Feng Fei's body. As soon as these nascent jade-colored spiritual energies entered Feng Fei's body, they rapidly merged with the jade-gold spiritual energy. The jade-gold spiritual energy gradually grew stronger, until it was as thick as a thumb, before it began to circulate along Feng Fei's meridians. Wherever it passed, the chaotic spiritual energy was subdued. Instantly, Yuan Jue felt a sense of relief, knowing that he had made the right gamble.
The chaotic spiritual energy between heaven and earth gradually subsided, and the spiritual energy within Feng Fei's body also stopped surging. At that moment, Feng Fei, who had just opened his eyes, saw the fleeting shooting star heading east.
"Meteorite!"
Yuan Jue and Jin Ming, who had finished their meditation, both saw the meteorite, but neither of them chased after it. Firstly, Feng Fei had just woken up and didn't know the situation. Secondly, the fusion of Ming Feng and Xue Tuan was not yet complete.
Feng Fei watched nervously as Ming Feng and Xue Tuan were drawn into the water-and-fire circle. She knew Xue Tuan had come out because of her, and she didn't know if she had recovered. She was even more worried about whether Ming Feng and Xue Tuan's actions would harm them, and if so, she didn't know what to do.
As the sun rose higher, the water and fire rings surrounding Mingfeng and Xuetuan gradually disappeared, revealing Mingfeng and Xuetuan inside.
At this moment, Mingfeng and Xuetuan both transformed into their original forms. A silver water droplet condensed on the forehead of a Vermilion Bird covered in golden light, creating a peaceful and beautiful scene.
Before long, Mingfeng opened her eyes and transformed back into the adorable child, while Xuetuan remained in her original form.
Mingfeng sadly held Xuetuan and rubbed against it. As if he had heard what Xuetuan had said to him, Mingfeng soon became happy again.
Mingfeng brought the snowball to Fengfei. Fengfei struggled to sit up, but before he could say anything, the snowball rose into the air and then disappeared back into the Jiekong Stone between Fengfei's eyebrows.
Then, a dense burst of water light emanated from Feng Fei's entire body, and when the water light dissipated, Feng Fei found that he had fully recovered.
Touching his brow, Feng Fei chuckled softly, then looked up at Yuan Jue and said, "My strength has improved; I'm now at the ninth level of the Acquired Realm."
Yuan Jue, Jin Ming, and Ming Feng were all overjoyed. Ming Feng snuggled closer to Feng Fei and said coquettishly, "This time it's all thanks to me and Xue Tuan!"
"I understand, thank you."
Only after all this was over did everyone remember the falling meteorite.
“Let’s go take a look. The time of its landing on Earth is different from the rumors. Maybe we can gain the upper hand,” Feng Fei suggested, and the other three agreed without hesitation.
Yuanjue carried Fengfei, and together with Mingfeng and Jinming, they flew towards the place where the meteor had fallen.
Before long, Feng Fei and his companions saw a huge sinkhole, and standing in front of it was a person wearing a short jacket on top and tight-fitting blue breeches on the bottom.
The man's upper garment was embroidered with a ferocious centipede on the right side and a noble, proud golden dragon on the left. The base color of the jacket was dark red, as if it had been soaked in blood and dried. He wore tight-fitting blue riding breeches, embroidered with terrifying vines, a sight that evoked immediate horror. On his feet were a pair of bright red embroidered shoes, the vivid red suggesting that he had just returned from a sea of blood.
"The Painted-Faced Monster!"
Feng Fei and Yuan Jue exchanged a glance; they both had a very deep impression of this person. Jin Ming also knew something about him; Feng Fei's inexplicable fainting that day was due to this person's oppressive aura.
Yuanjue and his companions stopped in mid-air, silently staring at the strange, painted-face man less than a mile away.
The strange, painted-face man seemed to sense the arrival of Feng Fei and his companions, and slowly turned towards them. This time, Feng Fei's strength had increased considerably; although he wasn't yet capable of directly resisting the man, he could withstand the oppressive aura emanating from him.
"Gah gah, not bad, not bad." The painted-face monster's voice was extremely irritating to the eardrums, and it had a destructive power that made one's blood freeze.
Feng Fei's face paled; she clearly sensed that the strange man's words were directed at her.
Jin Ming and Ming Feng stepped forward to block the oppressive aura emanating from the strange, painted-face man, hoping to make Feng Fei feel better.
The grotesque man with the painted face tossed a strange, dark stone in his hand, seemingly laughing, yet not quite: "It's not bad, but it's too slow. I'll take this meteorite. Ha, hurry up and improve your strength, Qi Xiaoying's recent results are really impressive!"
Then, the figure slowly dissipated into the air.
If the sinkhole hadn't actually existed right in front of Feng Fei and his companions, they probably would have thought that the appearance of the strange man with the painted face was just their imagination.
"Phoenix Flying..."
Feng Fei shook her head weakly. The strange, painted-face man seemed to be targeting her on purpose. Although her strength had improved significantly this time, she was still completely powerless. "Let's go back first..." Feng Fei managed to say only this before falling silent.
Yuan Jue held Feng Fei tightly, his heart filled with terror and tension. He was tense because of how urgent the time was for Feng Fei to improve his strength, and terrified because of what that strange, painted-face man ultimately wanted to do to Feng Fei! At this moment, or in the future, he would not possess the power to match him, and he felt extremely frustrated and helpless.
He completely ignored Qi Xiaoying, whom the painted-face monster mentioned.
Feng Fei was drowsy in Yuan Jue's arms, but she kept herself awake until the four of them arrived safely at Binrugui Inn in Mochou City, at which point she finally relaxed and fell into a deep sleep.
“We should set off as soon as possible…” She clearly heard Yuan Jue’s voice just moments before she lost consciousness.
Chapter 19 Yangtze Town
After returning to Binrugui Inn, Feng Fei and his companions rested briefly before setting off.
"etc……"
Feng Fei and the other three turned around and found that Xiao Bao, who was supposed to be resting at the inn, had followed them with Da Bao's help.
Seeing Feng Fei's questioning look, Xiao Bao glanced at Da Bao, and finally Da Bao bit his lip and said, "Could you take us two brothers with you..." At this point, Da Bao paused for a moment, seemingly a little embarrassed, "We two will definitely not cause you any trouble."
Feng Fei glanced at Yuan Jue, and seeing that he seemed to have no objections, she asked, "Didn't you have something to do in the mortal world? Have you finished it?" Seeing Da Bao shake his head, Feng Fei became even more curious. Just as she was about to ask more, she felt Yuan Jue quietly tug at her. She immediately smiled and said, "Then you can come with us! But Xiao Bao..."
Xiao Bao replied weakly, "It's okay, I can feel it, I'll be fully recovered tomorrow."
Feng Fei nodded.
The fact that Xiao Bao was able to wake up means that he has overcome that hurdle and has a bright future ahead of him. He just needs time to recover.
When Da Bao saw that Feng Fei and the other three had agreed to let him and his brother travel together, a smile appeared on his face. Those who knew Da Bao knew it was a simple and honest smile, but to outsiders it looked somewhat comical.
"Then let's set off."
Feng Fei waved his right hand, taking Ming Feng's hand and leading the way. Jin Ming was sent by Yuan Jue to help Da Bao support Xiao Bao, while Yuan Jue himself slowly followed behind Feng Fei, a faint smile appearing on his face as he watched Feng Fei's flamboyant figure.
Following the route to the Demon Cave, their next stop was Yangzi Town.
Within the Vermilion Bird Kingdom, there flows a river that runs from east to west, named the Yangtze River. And Yangtze Town is a very lively little town on the banks of the Yangtze River.
Yangzi Town is famous for its beautiful women, whose beauty surpasses that of the entire Zhuque Kingdom.
However, Yangzi Town is famous not only for its beautiful women, although many places in China are known for their beautiful women. The most important reason is that Yangzi Town is home to a generations-old ceramics family—the Tao family.
In the Tao family, women have always been in charge for generations, and the unique pottery skills can only be inherited by direct descendants of the Tao clan. Every woman who inherits this art is not only exceptionally beautiful but also possesses skillful hands, producing only exquisite ceramic pieces. The entire Four Continents are proud to possess Tao clan women's porcelain, while men consider it an honor to marry into the Tao clan, and all flock to it.
The current head of the Tao clan is Tao Wan, who is about twenty-five years old. He has a daughter named Tao Hui, who is ten years old. The doctor is the eldest son of another wealthy family in Yangzi Town, whose name is Su Zai. The second husband is Qing Yan, a famous courtesan from Qingfuyuan.
Logically, the world-famous Yangzi Town should be bustling or crowded, not like what Feng Fei and his group of six saw.
At this moment, a chilling gray atmosphere permeated Yangzi Town. Even in broad daylight, there were hardly any pedestrians on the streets. Those who did walk along the road had gloomy faces, high cheekbones, and sunken eyes, dragging their bodies slowly along the main road, like walking corpses.
When the words "walking dead" entered Feng Fei's mind, she immediately felt a chill and couldn't help but look at Yuan Jue.
Yuan Jue frowned as he looked at the pedestrians on the road. He exchanged a glance with Jin Ming, and they both saw the worry in each other's eyes.
Five days have passed since Feng Fei and his group of six departed from Mochou City. Xiao Bao is about to fully recover, and his cultivation level has soared to become the highest among the group, second only to Yuan Jue and Ming Feng.
Seeing that Yuan Jue remained silent and noticing the shock in Feng Fei's eyes, Xiao Bao, who was always slow to realize things, couldn't help but wonder. He quickly took a few steps and caught up with the person closest to them.
The man seemed taken aback by someone approaching him and was so startled that he stumbled and fell to the ground. For a moment, Xiao Bao was completely dumbfounded.
Seeing the situation with Xiao Bao, Feng Fei couldn't help but look at Ming Feng and walked over there.
After walking past Xiao Bao, Feng Fei saw the person who had fallen to the ground. Just as she was about to help the person up, she saw that the person's eyes were filled with fear, and the person was kicking the ground and backing away. Feng Fei's outstretched hand awkwardly stopped in mid-air.
"Young man, I don't know..."
Before Feng Fei could finish speaking, the man's eyes rolled back and he fainted. The few pedestrians around him scattered like birds and beasts.
A gust of wind blew, scattering the fallen leaves on the ground, making them swirl in the air, and then blowing them away.
There's a very desolate feeling about it.
The thought involuntarily popped into Feng Fei's mind, and he immediately chuckled to himself.
"What's going on?" Xiao Bao still looked completely bewildered and mumbled to himself.
None of the people present could tell him.
“Let’s keep going and see,” Jin Ming suggested.
Feng Fei nodded and continued walking forward with Ming Feng.
The town of Yangzi was completely devoid of its usual liveliness and vibrancy, and everywhere was desolate. Several houses were dilapidated, looking as if no one had lived there for decades.
But this was extremely unusual. Although the land price in Yangzi Town could not compare to the price of every inch of land in Fengdu South City, it was still something that everyone wanted to buy and own. But what was in front of Feng Fei and his six companions was that no one lived there, and it even looked like no one wanted to take it over.
All the doors on both sides of the street were tightly shut, as if trying to keep something terrifying out.