Chapter 458: Striving to Achieve the KPI (Thirty-Eight) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Two sharp swords clashed, accompanied by the shimmering light of their impact, appearing and disappearing in the darkness. Lin Feng, using this faint light, managed to make out the man's general appearance. He wore a wide black cloak, the shadow of the hood completely obscuring his face.
Only the brilliance of literature can outline a few contours.
The style of the sword he carried was also that of the Central Plains.
His swordsmanship is quite good.
Although Lin Feng studied diligently under Chu Yao and received occasional guidance from other teachers, she focused more on internal affairs. Being young and inexperienced, coupled with a lack of natural talent in swordsmanship, her overall strength was only average. Against opponents who were superior in experience, age, and swordsmanship, Lin Feng held no advantage. However, her opponent seemed to have no intention of killing, remaining purely defensive with her sword.
He was constrained and restricted.
In contrast, Lin Feng showed no fear whatsoever.
For a time, they were evenly matched.
Perhaps sensing that Lin Feng was prepared to pester her relentlessly, and that there was also a martial artist with a long and powerful aura below watching her intently, this person stopped pursuing her. With a feint, a phantom deceived Lin Feng's senses. When she came to her senses, a stream of spiritual energy blocked her path.
The scholar then leaped down.
They were clearly preparing to make a quick getaway.
Lin Feng shouted, "Stop him!"
The ten guards below had been waiting for these words.
To protect Lin Feng's safety, Shen Tang selected ten elite soldiers from among those he brought, all of whom were brave and skilled martial artists.
Despite their low martial arts prowess, they are not afraid of ordinary enemies or wild beasts in the wilderness.
"Young man, don't push your luck."
The literary scholars were no match for the martial prowess of the brave warriors. At Lin Feng's command, the ten men stomped their feet, transforming into ten afterimages as they pursued their target. Seeing this, the man stopped, and the ten guards, seeing the situation, simply surrounded him without attacking.
Lin Feng broke through the literary aura and caught up.
He pressed further, asking, "Who are you?"
Hearing Lin Feng's standard refined speech, the man said, "You acted without knowing who it was? Whose elder taught you to do that?"
The guards made way for one person, their presence still locked onto the mysterious scholar before them. Lin Feng frowned and questioned, "If you truly have a clear conscience, why hide in the shadows and spy on us? There's no need to be polite to those who act suspiciously!"
Mysterious Scholar: "..."
He felt inexplicably guilty when the topic came up.
He was a seasoned veteran who had been out in the world for many years, having seen many storms and waves, and he considered himself to be a first-rate expert. But he never expected that his reputation would be ruined today, when a mere greenhorn discovered his whereabouts and caught him red-handed.
He said, "I'm just passing by."
Lin Feng is no three-year-old child.
She sneered, "Passing by? Where are you headed, you godforsaken barren land? You think you could just be passing by here?"
"Your words are really harsh, young man."
Every word and phrase is sarcastic and unsettling.
The mysterious scholar didn't want to talk much: "I'm just passing by on business, so please do me a favor, young man. Although you have a lot of people, in front of my strength, let alone a few of you, even three or five times more wouldn't be a problem. Know when to quit while you're ahead."
Upon hearing this, Lin Feng composed himself and smiled more sternly than He Qing.
She knew in her heart that this person was not lying.
Although she couldn't ascertain the man's strength, he reminded her of her own teacher, as if she were gazing up at a towering mountain or staring into a bottomless abyss. If he was determined to break through, her small force couldn't stop him.
Such people always have hidden cards up their sleeves.
but--
The current time and situation were far too sensitive, and Lin Feng accepted this mission with a death-defying mentality. If the scholar before him was a lackey sent by Shi Wu, releasing him would be tantamount to letting a tiger return to the mountains—absolutely unacceptable!
With a change of heart, he became even more determined.
Lin Feng took a deep breath and calmly said, "This won't do!"
The mysterious scholar sneered, "How utterly presumptuous!"
He hadn't expected that even after making concessions, the other side would still be so relentless. But at this moment, he really didn't want to fight, after all, he knew his own weaknesses. The young man in front of him dared to venture deep into the notoriously uninhabited forbidden zone of Shiwu with only ten men; he must have something to rely on.
In addition, the other party's accent was from the same ethnic group.
He didn't want to push things too far.
He could only ask, "What does the young master intend to do?"
"Who are you? Who sent you? What brings you here?"
Lin Feng asked three questions in a row.
Mysterious scholar: "Nameless, surnameless, homeless, just passing by."
The answer was rather perfunctory.
Lin Feng: "..."
The ghost believed the other person was just passing by.
Seeing the disbelief written all over Lin Feng's face, he said, "Young man, why are you so suspicious at such a young age? I did indeed pass by this place, but I saw several groups of mutilated corpses along the way, with swift and clean fatal wounds..."
These groups of people appeared to be ordinary bandits.
Upon closer inspection, however, they appeared to be elite troops raised by some noble family, lingering here searching for something. Even more strangely, they seemed to have been killed by the same group. The mysterious scholar also encountered two other groups along the way and was pursued by them.
After enduring several days of harsh winds and being hunted down, the mysterious scholar cursed inwardly the unreliability of the power of words.
What does "Northwest, very auspicious" mean?
In an attempt to turn the tide, they took away 20% of the gold and silver they were carrying.
This place is quite far from Yonggu Pass, and we don't know what kind of monsters we'll encounter along the way, so we'd better use it sparingly.
Lin Feng fell silent after hearing the mysterious scholar's words.
His eyes flickered, as if he was considering whether what he said was true or false.
"I'll believe you for now." Lin Feng paused, then continued, "This place is fraught with danger, so it would be best for you to leave as soon as possible. If you don't believe me and insist on staying here, we will take it as a provocation and judge your words as false. If that happens, even if we are not strong enough, we will not let you gain any advantage!" His words were a mix of persuasion and threats, laced with barbs.
The mysterious scholar almost laughed in exasperation.
I really don't know what's wrong with young people these days. They're all so arrogant, and they dare to spout nonsense even though they're still wet behind the ears!
The two sides remained deadlocked for a while.
Lin Feng appeared calm and composed, but in reality, his innermost shirt was soaked with sweat and clung tightly to his skin.
Finally, the mysterious scholar made a move.
Lin Feng was so nervous that he could hear the thumping of his own chest.
The scholar raised his hand and removed the hood that concealed his face.
He revealed a refined and elegant face.
It's impossible to tell their exact age.
Scholars with a refined literary spirit are protected by their literary aura. After reaching adulthood, their appearance seems to have taken the preservative their lord spoke of, aging slowly, with almost no trace of time left on their faces. Only their overall demeanor and the depth in their eyes reveal their age.
The other party sighed, "I'm afraid that won't work. To be honest, young man, I've gotten lost. This place is, after all, an extremely dangerous forbidden zone in Shiwu. I have no food or supplies on me, and I'm afraid I'll run into trouble if I go alone. That's why I was spying on your group earlier... Since you're so cautious, why don't you give me a ride?"
Lin Feng was stunned upon hearing this.
They seemed to have never expected the mysterious scholar to be so shameless.
Her expression changed repeatedly in an instant.
After all, I'm still young, and I don't have the same thick skin as others.
He said, "We can give you some dry rations."
Just keep your distance, and don't get entangled with them.
The mysterious scholar tilted his head.
He stubbornly insisted, "No."
(End of this chapter)
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