Chapter 69: Awesome!
Zhou Lin was startled upon hearing this name. It sounded incredibly powerful!
Having no other choice, Zhou Lin quickly said, "Senior, I'm willing to be your subordinate. I accept."
Luo Xiu nodded lightly, his voice still carrying that eerie tone. "Hehehehe, kid, you'll definitely be glad you made this choice in the future. Mark my words."
Zhou Lin was speechless. Of course, if he didn't choose this, he would die. He wouldn't have had the chance to think about the best option later. It wasn't much of a choice.
Then, Luo Xiu took out a pill and handed it to Zhou Lin. "This is a poison pill. I'll give you the antidote once a month. Don't forget."
Knowing he couldn't escape, Zhou Lin simply took it and swallowed it without hesitation. He was committed now.
Luo Xiu smiled. "Hehehehe, good. You're wise."
With that, Luo Xiu waved his hand, and a crow appeared from his sleeve, landing on Zhou Lin's shoulder. "This is my messenger. Find a place to settle down first. My messenger can contact me regularly. I'll be in touch."
With that, Luo Xiu turned and left, disappearing into the shadows.
After walking a distance and ensuring no one was following, Luo Xiu couldn't help but wave his hands vigorously and shout to the empty forest, "Awesome!!!"
He felt like he had reached the pinnacle of life! An unprecedented feeling of exhilaration washed over him. He was no longer a nobody.
---
"Brother Xu Ning, Feng Jinpeng and the others are back. He asked me to call you over," Wang Ergou said, trotting over with a downcast expression, his voice subdued.
Xu Ning, who was clearing weeds in his spirit field, couldn't help but look up in surprise. He quickly put down his tools. "Let's go! Let's go see him."
Along the way, Xu Ning also noticed that Wang Ergou's mood was a bit off. His face was pale. He couldn't help but ask, "Ergou, is something wrong with Feng Jinpeng? What happened?"
Ergou sighed heavily. "You'll know when you go see him. It's not good."
Soon, the two arrived at Feng Jinpeng's thatched hut.
As soon as he entered, Xu Ning saw Feng Jinpeng lying on the bed, his breath barely perceptible. His face was ashen.
Xu Ning hurried over. "Senior Brother Feng, what's wrong? What happened to you?"
Feng Jinpeng smiled bitterly, his voice a whisper. "Junior Brother, I'm almost done for. This is it."
Xu Ning frowned deeply. "What happened? Tell me."
Feng Jinpeng said with difficulty, each word a struggle. "We were transferred by the outer disciples to hunt demonic beasts. We were cannon fodder, sent in first to draw their attention. They're all dead. Everyone who went from the Fifth Planting Area is dead. I'm the only one who made it back."
Xu Ning's face was grim. He grabbed Feng Jinpeng's hand to take his pulse and said, "It's alright, Senior Brother Feng. Don't get agitated. Save your strength."
Feng Jinpeng shook his head weakly. "It's no use. I'm completely exhausted. I can feel it. There's no coming back from this. I'm already satisfied that I could come back here and not be left to rot in the wilderness like the others."
Xu Ning, taking his pulse, also frowned deeply and then sighed. His medical skills told him the truth.
It was indeed true. All of Feng Jinpeng's meridians were broken. None of his internal organs were intact. He had only managed to hold on until now by maintaining basic functions through his remaining cultivation energy. It was a miracle he was still alive.
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Even with Xu Ning's superb medical skills, honed over a lifetime, there was nothing he could do in this situation. Some injuries were beyond healing.
Feng Jinpeng's injuries seemed to have worsened. Holding Xu Ning's hand, he trembled violently, his grip tightening. "Xu Ning, you two... keep going. Enter the outer sect, and you won't be manipulated like this anymore. Don't end up like me. Live."
With that, Feng Jinpeng's remaining cultivation dissipated, and his aura vanished completely. His hand went limp.
Xu Ning held Feng Jinpeng's hand tightly, his face expressionless. He felt a cold anger building inside him.
Just then, four kinds of colorful light suddenly flashed from Feng Jinpeng's body—red, blue, green, yellow. They flowed down his arm and into Xu Ning's body, merging with his spiritual roots.
Immediately, Xu Ning felt the quality of his spiritual root improve slightly. The five-element mixed root became more balanced.
However, Xu Ning wasn't overjoyed. This wasn't the kind of improvement he wanted. Not like this.
"Brother Xu Ning!" Wang Ergou sensed something was wrong and rushed in from outside.
Seeing the lifeless Feng Jinpeng on the bed, Wang Ergou collapsed to the ground, his face stricken with grief.
Then, Li Yun arrived, followed by the other menial disciples from the fifth district. Each had a look of disappointment and sorrow on their faces.
Finally, they all worked together to make a simple coffin for Feng Jinpeng. They buried him in the spirit field where he had worked.
The spirit field was the final resting place for most menial disciples. The sect forbade erecting tombstones for them. They were meant to be forgotten.
In a few years, this group of laborers would leave or die, and no one would remember them. The subsequent laborers wouldn't know about the bodies beneath the spirit fields. They would till the soil in ignorance.
Everyone initially thought things would be peaceful for a while after Feng Jinpeng's death. They hoped for a respite.
However, just a few days later, the outer disciple from before returned, once again assigning laborers to another hunting mission.
"Kang Xingyao, Yin Zi… Xu Ning."
Hearing the last name, Xu Ning couldn't help but frown. His heart tightened.
He had only come to observe this time, never expecting his name to be called. To outsiders, he was just a first-level Qi Refining laborer, not a prime candidate for dangerous missions.
But his name being called was strange. Everyone else called was at the second or third level of Qi Refining. He was the only first-level.
Something was definitely amiss. Xu Ning immediately thought of Qin Ming from the eighth planting area, the one whose uncle was the manager there. This had his fingerprints.
There was another possibility. Xu Ning's gaze couldn't help but drift to Gui Mingmei standing not far away, watching. Could she be involved?
As for the outer disciple calling the names, a cold glint flashed in Xu Ning's eyes. He had learned this person's name from his fellow disciples these past few days: Yue Rui. He would remember it.
"The laborers whose names were just called, come with me now!" Yue Rui said casually, then headed outside without looking back.
"Xu Ning!" As they passed Wang Ergou and Li Yun, the two couldn't help but call out with concern, their voices tight.
Xu Ning nodded to them without saying a word. He gave them a reassuring look and followed the group.
Once outside the sect, Yue Rui stood at the gate and took out a small paper boat from his storage pouch. He activated it with spiritual energy.
The paper boat instantly expanded, becoming exactly like a real boat, large enough to hold all of them.
Feeling the envious gazes of the others, Yue Rui couldn't help but feel smug. "This is a low-grade magic artifact, a flying boat. You menial servants shouldn't even think about it. Even if you saved for decades, you might not be able to afford one. Get on, all of you."
To be honest, they had no other choice. They obediently boarded the flying boat.
After Yue Rui boarded, the flying boat instantly took off and flew at an extremely fast speed into the deep mountains.
Along the way, seemingly worried about potential problems for Xu Ning and the others, Yue Rui explained the purpose of their journey with a casual tone.
"Our destination this time is the Ten Thousand Demon Forest. The conflict between human cultivators and demons has recently escalated. Our Tianbao Sect is responding to the call to hunt demon beasts and contribute to the human cause."
"Your task is simple: distract the demon beasts, draw their attention, and I will seize the opportunity to ambush and kill them from behind."
"If the final harvest is good, I will give you a certain reward! Do you understand?"
Xu Ning and the others knew that this trip would be difficult to survive, let alone receive a reward. But they still quickly agreed, their voices hollow. "Understood, Senior Brother!"
After half a day of flight, the flying boat finally landed on a flat area in the forest.
To Xu Ning and the others' surprise, this was actually a small market town, a gathering place for hunters and traders.
Yue Rui didn't have anything to buy, so he didn't stay. He led Xu Ning and the others further into the forest, away from the town.
"Alright, now you all head deeper into the forest. I'll stay hidden nearby and be ready to intervene at any time," Yue Rui said, pointing towards the depths of the woods. He then disappeared from their sight, his presence vanishing.
Xu Ning and the others had no choice but to cautiously proceed deeper, their senses on high alert.
Kang Xingyao, at the third level of Qi Refining, spoke up quietly. "Let's try to stay together. If we encounter any monsters, we'll immediately split up and run in different directions. This will increase our chances of survival. Don't hesitate."
This suggestion was immediately agreed upon. They all headed deeper into the forest together, watching each other's backs.