Chapter 113: Chapter 113: White-faced Flying Fox
"Such a tough task, and it’s only worth two credits..."
After reading the task description on the first jade plate, Luo Feng took a deep breath. This escort task seemed simple, but it was not. Qingfeng Town was five to six hundred miles away from Sky Leaf City. Along the way, one had to pass through dangerous areas like the Black Wind Wilderness and Red Cloud Canyon. These places were filled with formidable bandits, including masters at the sixth level of the God Bravery Realm. The danger was extreme, and one careless move could cost a life. Luo Feng was confident he could complete this task, but escort missions were too time-consuming and unsuitable for him.
After some thought, Luo Feng put the jade plate back in its place.
"An escort mission? Senior Sister Li, we’re heading to Sky Leaf City; this mission is perfect for us."
As soon as Luo Feng put the jade plate down, a hand stretched out from nearby and took it.
When Luo Feng turned to look, he saw the jade plate had been taken by a tall young man standing next to a tall, slim girl with a sword at her side.
"It’s Senior Brother Yuan and Senior Sister Li, ranked 37th and 38th on the Winged Tiger List!"
The onlookers who noticed the two let out exclamations of surprise.
The 37th and 38th on the Winged Tiger List?
Luo Feng’s heart stirred as his gaze fell on the duo. Both possessed powerful vital energy and were at the peak of the sixth level of the God Bravery Realm.
"Senior Brother Yuan, let’s go."
The tall girl smiled at Luo Feng, then left the Extreme Sun Great Hall with the tall young man.
Luo Feng withdrew his gaze and continued to look at the next jade plate.
Mission: Protect Qin Yu, the second young lady of the Qin Family in Luoxia Town, and take the head of ’White-faced Flying Fox’ Lu Huaiyu.
Mission Analysis:
’White-faced Flying Fox’ Lu Huaiyu is a notorious rapist. This thief has reached the peak of the sixth level of the God Bravery Realm and possesses exceptional Qinggong skill. He once escaped without a scratch while under siege by two martial artists also at the peak of the sixth level of the God Bravery Realm.
It is suggested that three late-stage God Bravery Realm martial artists form a team to ambush and kill him.
Reward: Four credits, five thousand pieces of silver.
’White-faced Flying Fox’ Lu Huaiyu...
A flicker passed through Luo Feng’s eyes; he had heard this name before.
Lu Huaiyu was a famous rapist in the Luoxia Town area. He was extremely perverse in his actions. If he set his eyes on a woman, he would first leave a plum blossom mark outside her boudoir and then return to ’pluck the flower’ three days later.
Three students from the Daluo School had once plotted to kill him. However, due to his exceptional Qinggong skill, he not only escaped but also abducted the woman they were supposed to protect. The incident caused quite a stir at the time.
White-faced Flying Fox, I’d like to see what you’re made of...
Luo Feng picked up the jade plate for the mission.
The White-faced Flying Fox was skilled in Qinggong, but Luo Feng believed that his Teng Dragon’s Step would not be inferior. There should be no problem completing this task. Furthermore, the reward of four credits was very tempting; among two-star tasks, few offered such a high reward.
The White-faced Flying Fox had left a peach blossom mark at the Qin Family’s residence in Luoxia Town two days ago. Today was the final day of the three-day deadline. Luo Feng dared not delay; after leaving the academy, he mounted his horse and rushed directly to Luoxia Town.
...
Luoxia Town, a small town south of the Purple Sun School.
The town was not large. However, due to its proximity to the Red Chain Mountain Range and several nearby mines, it was very prosperous. A three-meter-high earthen wall had been built around it, capable of resisting attacks from ordinary demon beasts.
At the center of Luoxia Town stood a three-story restaurant. It was bustling with people, filled with the boisterous laughter and conversation of martial artists.
By a window in the restaurant sat a young man in simple clothes. He was fifteen or sixteen years old, with a handsome face. Beneath his black hair, his eyes occasionally flashed with a sharp light, and he carried an extraordinary demeanor. It was Luo Feng.
The Dark Cloud Treasure Horse was exceedingly fast; Luo Feng had reached Luoxia Town in just two hours.
Seeing that it was still early, Luo Feng decided to first go to the restaurant, order some wine and food, and eat slowly. He also took the opportunity to listen in on the latest happenings in the martial world.
As he was drinking by himself, the conversation of some martial artists nearby caught Luo Feng’s attention.
"Did you hear? About a month ago, Duanmu Yu, the Second Young Master of the Duanmu Family, was defeated by an outer courtyard student from the Purple Sun School."
"I heard about it too. That student seems to be named Luo Feng, a recently emerged talent in the Purple Sun School. He even won the First Challenge King’s golden seat not long ago! He and Duanmu Yu dueled over a woman, and as a result, Duanmu Yu’s arm was severed..."
"How is that possible? Duanmu Yu is a one-in-ten-thousand genius and is deeply favored by the current Family Head, Duanmu Yuan. His cultivation resources are unimaginable. How could he be defeated by an outer courtyard student? That’s absurd!"
"Old Fourth Han, you’re too ill-informed! This incident has already caused a huge stir; how could it be false? That Luo Feng is truly remarkable. An outer courtyard student actually managed to defeat a favored son of heaven like Duanmu Yu."
A square-faced martial artist put down his wine cup, shook his head, and lamented, "This person is indeed extraordinary. Unfortunately, he offended someone he shouldn’t have. I’m afraid his life won’t last long..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Feng’s expression shifted, and he pricked up his ears to listen more closely.
The surrounding people from the martial world, hearing the implication in the square-faced martial artist’s words, all grew curious. "What exactly happened?"
The square-faced martial artist chuckled. "Duanmu Yu was crippled, and Duanmu Yuan is furious. He has issued a family decree: any Duanmu Family disciple who encounters Luo Feng in the martial world is to kill him on sight! Duanmu Yu’s elder brother, Duanmu Ji, has also sworn to personally avenge Duanmu Yu!"
HISS!
A series of sharp intakes of breath sounded from the crowd.
The Duanmu Family was one of the six major families in the Flowing Cloud Region; the weight of their kill order was no small matter!
"It looks like this Luo Feng is doomed."
Many martial artists shook their heads and sighed.
"Not necessarily." The square-faced martial artist suddenly shook his head. "There’s something very strange. After the Duanmu Family issued the kill order, Hu Yitian, the Second Young Master of the Hu Family from Cold Cloud Valley, also issued a notice to the martial world, stating that if Luo Feng encounters danger, he can seek refuge in Cold Cloud Valley."
"The Hu Family of Cold Cloud Valley would actually stand up for an unknown nobody? Could this Luo Feng have some astonishing background?!" The crowd was filled with surprise and suspicion.
"That, I do not know..." The square-faced martial artist shook his head again.
A family kill order? I can’t believe things have escalated to this point in just a month.
Luo Feng raised his eyebrows and withdrew his gaze, a faint look of shock flickering in his eyes.
The Duanmu Family’s reaction was within his expectations. When he crippled Duanmu Yu’s arm, he knew this would be the result. However, the Hu Family of Cold Cloud Valley’s reaction was somewhat unexpected. Looks like rescuing that young man last time wasn’t in vain.
Luo Feng glanced at the dark bracelet on his right wrist, thought of Hu Yitian, and smiled faintly.
Despite hearing this news, Luo Feng had no intention of seeking refuge in Cold Cloud Valley. Troubles he had caused himself, he naturally had to resolve with his own hands. The White-faced Flying Fox should be appearing soon too...
Looking up and seeing that it was getting late, Luo Feng muttered to himself, placed some silver on the table, left the tavern, and headed towards the Qin Family’s residence.
"Make way! Make way!"
While walking down the street, a sudden commotion broke out ahead.
Luo Feng looked up and saw four teenagers in Purple Sun School uniforms carrying two blood-soaked youths, hurrying in his direction.
"Senior Brother Han, Junior Brother Huo, you must hang in there! We’re almost at the Spirit Medicine Pavilion!" a girl sobbed, wiping her tears as she spoke to the two unconscious youths.
Inner courtyard students?
Noticing them, Luo Feng frowned, stepped forward, and asked, "What happened?"
Their path suddenly blocked, the group was about to flare up, but upon seeing the Purple Sun jade token at Luo Feng’s waist, they all sighed in relief.
The tearful girl explained, "We were on a mission at Qianyuan Mountain outside Luoxia Town, hunting a second-level advanced demon beast, a Black Iron Fang Beast."
"Just as we completed the mission, we ran into students from Daluo School. They demanded we hand over the demon beast materials. Naturally, we refused. They then resorted to force, and not only did they snatch our demon beast materials, but they also severely injured Senior Brother Han and Junior Brother Huo!"
The other male students, also injured, gritted their teeth. One said, "Damn it, that guy Chen Fei was too arrogant! We had already given them the demon beast materials in the end, but he didn’t stop until he had severely injured Senior Brother Han!"
"If I get the chance next time, I’ll cripple those bastards!"
Hearing their indignant voices, Luo Feng took a deep breath. He had heard about the rivalries among students of the four major academies, but he hadn’t expected it to be this severe. They would resort to violence at the slightest disagreement.
"Junior Brother, we still need to get Senior Brother Han and Junior Brother Huo to the Spirit Medicine Pavilion for treatment, so we won’t keep you. There are quite a few Daluo School students around here; you should be careful," the oldest student among them said to Luo Feng with a clasped fist salute, preparing to leave.
"Wait."
Luo Feng stopped them, took out a porcelain bottle from his robes, and handed it to the pretty girl in blue. "Have them take these pills; they should be fine."
The girl uncorked the bottle with a puzzled look. Her eyes immediately widened in shock as she stared at Luo Feng. "This is the Blood Reviving Pill! A first-grade healing spiritual medicine!"
The value of a first-grade healing spiritual medicine surpassed that of ordinary first-grade spiritual medicines; a single pill was worth hundreds of taels of silver! Although they were inner courtyard students, they only carried the most basic healing ointments. Seeing Luo Feng casually produce such precious Blood Reviving Pills, the girl couldn’t help but be astonished.
Luo Feng had obtained many low-grade Spirit Pills from Sky Wolf Camp and didn’t think much of it. He waved his hand. "Quick, give the pills to them."
The girl snapped back to her senses, quickly took out the pills, and fed them to the two unconscious youths. Then, she looked at Luo Feng gratefully. "Thank you. May I know your name? We’d like to properly thank you next time."
"There’s no need for thanks. Since we are all students of Purple Sun School, it’s only right that we help each other in the martial world. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll take my leave," Luo Feng said, then turned and walked towards the other end of the street.
They watched Luo Feng leave in a daze. The pretty girl in blue murmured, "I don’t know who he is; I don’t think I’ve seen him before."
"A black-haired young man carrying a long saber... Could he be Senior Brother Luo Feng, the one who defeated Duanmu Yu?!" the oldest student suddenly exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, that’s him! I saw him at the Challenge King competition last time! That large tiger-headed saber left a very deep impression on me!" another young man chimed in, his eyes wide with recognition.
"Senior Brother Luo Feng... I didn’t expect him to be so approachable, not at all like the other aloof experts on the Winged Tiger List."
The girl in blue watched Luo Feng’s receding figure, her red lips lightly pursed, a peculiar glint in her beautiful eyes...
「Luoxia Town, Qin Family Residence.」
At dusk, the Qin Family’s compound was in a state of chaos.
Qin Family guards, all armed, were stationed in every corner. Swords were drawn, and crossbows were loaded, presenting an air of facing a formidable enemy.
Three days ago, the White-faced Flying Fox had left his peach blossom mark above the boudoir of Qin Yu, the Second Young Lady of the Qin Family.
Tonight was the third night, precisely the time the White-faced Flying Fox was expected to come and ’pluck the flower’!