Chapter 50 Yanghua Cloud Sea (Thirty-Seven)
"Master—" Wei Feng staggered forward a few steps, turned around to pat the spiritual energy shield of the concealment array, but was covered in the mouth by an invisible force, and then Jiang Gu's voice rang in his ear:
“There are people from the Spirit Dragon Sect ahead. Go and lure them away.”
Despite not being able to see Jiang Gu through the concealment array, Wei Feng still looked in his direction with a wronged expression, pinching the communication talisman on his earring, and said, "Oh."
Of all the disciples inside the concealment barrier, Master singled him out—that's favoritism!
Moreover, the people of the Spirit Dragon Sect are all very domineering. With his small frame, he could be crushed to death in an instant. Although his master must have his reasons for doing this, he is still unhappy!
Wei Feng walked forward angrily, when a small wooden puppet, no bigger than a palm, silently sat on his shoulder, grabbed the jade pendant in his left ear, and Jiang Gu's cold and indifferent voice rang out: "Don't be afraid."
Wei Feng was startled and turned his head sharply, which pulled on his earring, causing him to howl in pain.
"..." Jiang Gu let go of her hand and jumped onto the grass.
Wei Feng looked at the small wooden puppet in front of him, dressed but with indistinct features, and called out uncertainly, "Master?"
"Hmm." Jiang Gu said, "Then you can say that I am a puppet you raised."
Wei Feng looked at him curiously and bent down to grab him, but Jiang Gu nimbly dodged and sat back on his shoulder. "Try to go as far away as possible."
"Okay!" Wei Feng nodded quickly, unable to resist turning his head to look. The little wooden puppet with short arms and legs was incredibly cute sitting on his shoulder, wearing tiny clothes. He even spoke softly, "Master, did you send a wisp of your primordial spirit in?"
“Yes, I have already taken Mo Daojin and the others to find Ruan Keji,” Jiang Gu said.
"What!?" Wei Feng turned around in shock, looking aggrieved. "Master, how could you leave me behind!"
The little wooden puppet expressionlessly reached out and pushed his handsome face away. "Or else you'll just wait to be wiped out by them?"
Wei Feng was speechless, feeling both wronged and heartbroken. He tried to comfort himself by saying that at least his master had left him a telepathic puppet, but he was still unhappy and refused to speak again.
Jiang Gu didn't have time to pay attention to him. He threw those disciples into the spirit pet bag and flew towards Ruan Keji's direction on his sword. Along the way, he also rescued a few lone Yanghua Sect disciples and roughly threw them into the spirit pet bag as well. As for how these little brats cried and screamed after being thrown in, that was not his concern.
Wei Feng walked forward for about half an hour and, as expected, encountered disciples of the Spirit Dragon Sect.
The leading disciple was a handsome and upright young man with a gold mark between his eyebrows. He wore an indigo disciple's robe, while behind him were more than twenty disciples in blue robes and about ten disciples in the Sparrow Kite Sect's uniform. Although the two groups were clearly separated, they all obediently followed behind him as their leader.
"It really is Wei Feng!" A boy next to the young man exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him, and ran towards him from a distance.
Wei Feng looked at the boy in front of him with some confusion. The boy had a feminine appearance, with almond-shaped eyes and a upturned nose. His eyelashes were particularly thick and long, and when he looked at people, they seemed to shimmer with affection. He ran towards Wei Feng with a face full of joy, grabbed his hand without any hesitation, and said happily, "Wei Feng!"
Wei Feng looked at him, somewhat bewildered. "Who are you?"
“It’s me, Lulu!” Lu Ziming looked at him expectantly.
"Oh—" Wei Feng looked enlightened, but his eyes were still full of confusion.
"...You didn't even remember, did you?" Lu Ziming glared at him with a drooping mouth.
Wei Feng chuckled, "My memory isn't very good, so could you give me some hints?"
Lu Ziming took out a deer-shaped mask and put it on his face, asking expectantly, "Do you remember now? Three years ago in Longyun City, we fought fiercely over that flying ship, and then we became friends after the fight. We had a great time in Longyun City for more than half a month, and you even gave me a Tianshan deer before we parted?"
"Lu Xiaoer!" Wei Feng finally pulled the other person out of his distant memory, patting him on the shoulder with delight, "You've grown so tall in all these years! And you've become even more beautiful!"
Lu Ziming crossed his arms and sneered, "That's right, you said you'd send me a letter but you didn't, making me wait in vain."
"I've been busy," Wei Feng said seriously. "You know how difficult my situation is within the sect."
"Fine, I'll reluctantly forgive you this time." Lu Ziming happily accepted this reason, and pulled him to Lu Zhenyi. "Let me introduce you, this is my brother Lu Zhenyi. Brother, this is Wei Feng, whom I often mention to you!"
"Greetings, Brother Lu." Wei Feng greeted him with a smile. "Your younger brother is Wei Feng of Yanghua Sect."
Lu Zhenyi returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "Thank you for your help to Ziming before, Fellow Daoist Wei."
"Of course." Wei Feng chuckled and hooked his arm around Lu Ziming's neck. "We hit it off immediately and almost became sworn brothers."
Lu Ziming nodded proudly, "Wei Feng and I are sworn brothers! Wei Feng, let me tell you, I've already reached the Foundation Establishment stage!"
"Really! I've reached the Foundation Establishment stage too!" Wei Feng exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Ziming said happily, "Foundation Establishment is really not easy. We must celebrate properly when we get out!"
"Of course, you have no idea how much I've suffered these past few days." Wei Feng nodded seriously and said with a bitter smile, "I really can't stand this damned secret realm for even a quarter of an hour. It's full of dangers and doesn't leave any way out. If it weren't for the many magical artifacts I brought, I'd probably be eating bones by now."
“That’s right, this place is no fun at all!” Lu Ziming wholeheartedly agreed.
When the two of them got together, it was like two brothers in misfortune meeting. They poured out their grievances and even wanted to curse the weeds by the roadside.
Lu Zhenyi, Wan Haomiao, and the others, who had been very wary of Wei Feng, all fell silent.
It's perfectly normal for a good-for-nothing's friend to be a good-for-nothing too...
“Since Fellow Daoist Wei has not yet found companions, why don’t you travel with us first?” Lu Zhenyi and Wan Haomiao exchanged a glance and said, “We can look out for each other.”
"That would be wonderful!" Wei Feng clapped his hands and smiled at Lu Zhenyi, "Brother Lu, you don't need to be so formal, just call me Wei Feng."
Lu Zhenyi nodded.
Lu Ziming was overjoyed and pulled Wei Feng to his side. "You're the most interesting one. You have no idea how boring those people in the Spirit Dragon Sect are. If my brother hadn't kept telling me not to come down the mountain to find you, I would have gone to the Yanghua Sect long ago. Sigh, what a scoundrel!"
He looked curiously at the little wooden puppet on Wei Feng's shoulder.
"Oh, this is a little puppet my master gave me." Wei Feng took it before he could reach for it, and waved it in front of him. "Isn't it cute?"
“My brother gave me a lot of these things.” Lu Ziming snorted. “If you like them, I’ll give you a few more.”
"Then I'll thank you in advance." Wei Feng placed the little wooden puppet on his other shoulder, turned to talk to him about other things, and silently felt a sweat break out in his brow.
Jiang Gu silently wrapped a wisp of spiritual energy around Lu Ziming's clothes. He glanced at the Linglong Sect disciples around him, calculating the possibility of Wei Feng escaping.
Once Wei Feng had made an excuse to temporarily get away from Lu Ziming and those people, he dared to use a communication talisman to speak to Jiang Gu. He carefully held the small wooden puppet that Jiang Gu was possessing in his hands, "Master, what should we do next?"
After a moment, the little wooden puppet spoke.
"Find an opportunity to escape during the chaos."
Wei Feng asked, puzzled, "But Master, I don't think Lu Ziming has any ill intentions, and Lu Zhenyi doesn't seem to want to be hostile either."
“The Linglong Sect came from Chongyang Hua Sect this time. They left you here to lure out the others.” Jiang Gu paused for a moment before continuing, “If necessary, we can take Lu Ziming hostage.”
“But Lu Ziming is my friend,” Wei Feng said, somewhat embarrassed.
Jiang Gu almost laughed at his stupidity, "Cultivators have no friends, especially in secret realms."
Wei Feng stared at him blankly for a while before saying, "Master, are you in danger over there?"
"It's nothing." Jiang Gu's true form looked at the disciple who had been pushed out and torn to pieces by his companions, then expressionlessly looked at the person hiding in the cave. "I've found your 'friend'."
Wei Feng was immediately overjoyed. "Is it Liu Xian? Is he alright? Is he still alive?"
Jiang Gu looked at the pale-faced boy and said coldly, "Alive."
He turned off the communication talisman.
"Elder Jiang, Elder Jiang." Liu Xian looked at him in fear and stammered, "I, I didn't mean to, Senior Brother Feng fell down accidentally... Elder Jiang, I—"
"Let's go." Jiang Gu reacted indifferently. The dead disciple meant nothing to him. He threw Liu Xian into the spirit pet bag without even listening to the other's explanation.
Whether it's Xuan Zhiyan, Liu Xian, or Lu Ziming who's currently by Wei Feng's side, Jiang Gu doesn't intend to interfere, except for necessary reminders.
Good advice is useless; it's better to let him suffer the consequences than to try to persuade him a thousand times.
——
On the other side.
While Lu Ziming was waiting for Wei Feng to return, Lu Zhenyi sat down next to him.
"Brother." Lu Ziming moved closer to him affectionately and said proudly, "Isn't Wei Feng a really good person? He's much better than those sycophants in the Spirit Dragon Sect."
Lu Zhenyi said, "We can spare his life."
"Thank you, brother!" Lu Ziming happily hugged his arm. "Brother, I really like him. After you destroy the Yanghua Sect, can you have him come to the Linglong Sect to keep me company?"
“Okay.” Lu Zhenyi agreed without hesitation. “However, the wooden puppet he brought is a bit strange, so be careful.”
"Don't worry, brother, he's only at the Foundation Establishment stage, just like me. I have so many protective magic treasures on me, he can't hurt me." Lu Ziming paused, frowned, and said, "But I heard he has a master, and Wei Feng seems to like him a lot. Why don't we bring his master to the Spirit Dragon Sect as well?"
“He’s enough as your playmate.” Lu Zhenyi patted his head. “You don’t need a master.”
“Alright.” Lu Ziming nodded indifferently. “I’ll invite Wei Feng when he gets back.”
In this way, he will have friends on the mountain again!
Wei Feng leisurely returned, carrying his sword, and called out to him from afar, "Lu Xiao Er!"
"Coming!" Lu Ziming immediately ran over happily.
Lu Zhenyi looked down at her released arm, her expression darkening.
Wei Feng looked at the seemingly harmless Lu Ziming and rolled his eyes. "Lu Er, what are you guys doing here in the Xiyuan Secret Realm this time?"
"It seems my brother and the others are looking for the Divine Kite Shark." Lu Ziming blurted out without any warning.
Wei Feng's smile suddenly froze. "Huh?"
"Wasn't it all that commotion a while ago? The Jiang family, the Zhou family, and several major sects were all searching for it. I wonder what's so great about this Divine Kite Mermaid." Lu Ziming shrugged. "I heard the Zhou family even lost Zhou Xiuyuan. It's strange, really. Kite birds and merfolk are both lowly beasts, so how come their offspring are considered good things?"
"Ah, who knows?" Wei Feng touched his nose guiltily.
Lu Ziming shook his head in confusion. "We were almost certain of the identity of the Divine Kite Shark half a year ago, but then it suddenly disappeared again, as if someone had hidden it away. My brother and the others had given up on finding it, but recently 'over there' has issued an order to get the Divine Kite Shark."
“‘Over there’?” Wei Feng frowned.
Even Jiang Gu, who was sitting on his shoulders, was distracted.
Lu Ziming stealthily leaned close to his ear and whispered, "It's the Moon Gazing Continent—"
“Ziming,” Lu Zhenyi, who was walking ahead, interrupted him.
Lu Ziming stuck out his tongue at him, obediently shut his mouth, and just winked at Wei Feng.
Wei Feng glanced at the little wooden puppet, and seeing that Jiang Gu had no reaction, he had no choice but to suppress his unease and continue forward with the people from the Linglong Sect.
They hadn't walked far when Lu Zhenyi, Wan Haomiao, and the others stopped.
"Senior Brother, it looks like an ancient temple ahead." Wan Haomiao's eyes showed a hint of excitement. "There are even ancient temple ruins in the Zhou family's secret realm."
Lu Zhenyi released her divine sense to search the outer perimeter. After confirming that there were no other cultivators there, she gripped her sword tightly. "Cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage, come in with me. The rest of you, keep watch outside."
The group of over thirty people quickly split into two groups. One group consisted of twelve people led by Lu Zhenyi, all of whom were at least at the Nascent Soul stage. The remaining twenty-odd people could only watch with envy, but they didn't have the ability to go in if they were allowed to.
"The Ancient Temple is a temple dedicated to the gods of ancient times. My brother said that there are not only ferocious beasts and traps inside, but you may also encounter the remnants of ancient powerful beings. It is extremely dangerous, but there are also many good things. If you are lucky enough to obtain a divine artifact, you will be halfway to becoming an immortal..." Lu Zhenyi explained to Wei Feng in a low voice.
Although the division of cultivators' realms is complex, it is mostly based on the Mahayana realm as the dividing line. Those below the Mahayana stage are cultivators, while those who pass the Mahayana stage and enter the True Immortal realm are Realm Immortals, who are considered to have one foot in the path to immortality. However, there are very few Realm Immortals on the Pingze Continent. Only those major sects and clans have Realm Immortals. Ordinary small sects like Pingfeng Sect, Yanghua Sect, and Queyuan Sect can become sect leaders after reaching the Nascent Soul and Void Refinement stages. The sect leader of the number one sect on the Pingze Continent, Linglong Sect, is currently only at the Taiyi realm.
"I've heard that there are countless immortals on the borders of the Moon Gazing Continent; you could smash a True Immortal with a single brick," Lu Zhenyi whispered. "Those at the Foundation Establishment stage like us are much rarer."
“…” Wei Feng’s lips twitched.
While they were chatting, Lu Zhenyi and Wan Haomiao had already led their people to break through the barrier of the ancient temple.
Wei Feng's earring twitched subtly twice, and Jiang Gu's voice rang close to his ear, "Wei Feng, find a chance to go in."
Wei Feng was startled. He looked around at the surrounding cultivators and only felt relieved when he saw that no one was paying attention. He then tried to transmit his voice through Jiang Gu's soundproof barrier, "Master, won't anyone hear us?"
“All the cultivators above the Nascent Soul stage have left,” Jiang Gu said. “It’s alright.”
Wei Feng glanced at Lu Ziming, who was fast asleep beside him, and transmitted his voice, "Master, only cultivators at the Nascent Soul stage and above dare to enter. I... can I enter?"
"Anyone can get in; they're just fooling people because of their high cultivation levels," Jiang Gu lied without batting an eye. "This is a good opportunity to escape."
Since entering the secret realm, Jiang Gu's gentle demeanor had completely captivated him. Wei Feng subconsciously forgot Jiang Gu's past misdeeds and had no doubt whatsoever. "Yes, Master!"
Jiang Gu, inside the puppet, raised an eyebrow with a pleased expression.
He had never entered the Ancient God Temple before, since cultivators below the Void Refinement stage would almost certainly die if they went in. However, now that he had just reached the edge of the Void Refinement stage, there was no harm in going in to explore.
Besides, he was merely a wisp of his primordial spirit residing within the puppet; his death would only result in some damage to his primordial spirit. As for Wei Feng—
Jiang Gu looked at the eager young man. If even people on the Moon Gazing Continent wanted the Divine Kite Shark, then this thing probably had many secrets and wouldn't be so easy to kill.
With the divine artifact before him, he was happy to gamble with Wei Feng's life.
"Master, shall we go in now?" Wei Feng, who had slipped out, asked him quietly from the edge of the barrier.
Jiang Gu smiled slightly, "Go in."
Wei Feng firmly believed that his master would not harm him, and he and the puppet silently merged into the barrier.
In the distance, Lu Ziming, who had secretly followed, stared wide-eyed. Before he could stop him, Wei Feng had already entered the barrier. After hesitating for a moment, he gritted his teeth and followed him into the barrier.
If Wei Feng can get in, he definitely can too, especially since his brother is inside.
The ancient temple's vast spiritual energy barrier rippled only slightly twice before quickly returning to calm.
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