"Wah, what a nice-sounding name!"
Beside him, Little Li’s eyes brightened. Although she didn’t know many characters, she also felt that the name was inexplicably pleasant to hear.
"Qianxue." Ling Feng pursed his lips. It was indeed a good name, a pity, however, that the owner of this name, seemingly fit for a princess, had such a difficult fate.
"Thank you for helping me and Yee Yi."
Mu Qianxue gradually got used to speaking, so the more she spoke, the smoother she became.
"So, its name is Yee Yi, huh?" Ling Feng glanced at the little black cat and asked with a touch of curiosity, "Why are you guys here in the Heavenly Vein Forest? It’s full of demons, and very dangerous."
"I... I’m here to take part in the examination of the Four Great Universities," Mu Qianxue said through gritted teeth.
"You?" Ling Feng blinked, paused, then smiled again, "You’re quite lucky not to have encountered any demons."
Otherwise, with the girl’s strength, coupled with that black cat Yee Yi, they would likely be ruthlessly devoured by those cruel predators.
Nonetheless, judging by her previously tattered clothes and the variety of wounds covering her hands and feet, it was clear she had endured a great deal of hardship along the way.
Ling Feng thought for a moment, took out some dried meat, and handed it over, "You must be hungry, right?"
When Mu Qianxue saw the dried meat, her stomach growled loudly, clearly famished, and she felt a bit embarrassed.
"Go ahead, eat. I have plenty more," Ling Feng said with a faint smile.
"Then I..." Mu Qianxue’s cheeks flushed slightly as she reached for the meat, split it in half, giving one portion to the black cat Yee Yi and wolfing down the other half herself.
"Sister Qianxue, slow down, slow down..."
Little Li hurriedly brought over a bowl of water to offer, lest Mu Qianxue choke.
After a few bites of the dried meat, the black cat’s energy was restored, and its bright, sparkling eyes fixed on Ling Feng, clearly wanting to etch the appearance of its lifesaver firmly into memory.
A night passed without words.
Ling Feng gave his tent to Mu Qianxue and sat outside himself, meditating cross-legged, and also keeping watch through the night.
Even though they were near the fringes of the Heavenly Vein Forest, it was still an area frequented by demons, and one could not be careless.
Early the next day, the Lio Family samurai next door began to bustle about, packing up the tents and extinguishing the campfire, and before long, everything was ready, and they prepared to set off.
As Lio Yunfei, riding a majestic Demon Horse, approached Ling Feng, he stopped, bowed respectfully, and said, "Brother Ling, are you going to enroll at the Four Great Universities?"
"Indeed," Ling Feng nodded slightly. He had a reasonably good impression of Lio Yunfei, so he saw no reason to conceal his intentions.
"Ha ha, interesting. Then we might become classmates in the future," Lio Yunfei said, pulling out a bottle of elixir from within his robe and tossing it to Ling Feng. He smiled slightly and said, "Brother Ling, this is from my cousin. It’s for healing. Please give it to that girl."
"Oh?" Ling Feng received the elixir. It seemed that the girl named Qin Wanwan wasn’t too bad after all.
"Alright, I’m setting off now. Brother Ling, until we meet again!" Lio Yunfei bowed again to Ling Feng, then spurred his horse forward, galloping off into the distance.
Qin Wanwan also raced past on horseback. As she passed Ling Feng, she glared at him fiercely, as if threatening him, she clenched her fist and hissed, "You little brat, you better not let this miss run into you again!"
Then she was gone, her figure fading away with the speeding horse.
Soon, the Lio Family’s horse team disappeared into rolling clouds of dust.
"Looks like it’s time for us to hit the road," Blood Python stamped out the campfire and, seeing Ling Feng sitting outside the tent all night, couldn’t help feeling a twinge of emotion in his heart.
He had done many good and bad things in his life, but always for his own benefit. Unlike Ling Feng, who dared to stand up for a "Little Beggar" without any gain, he was a true man of iron and steel.
Of course, first and foremost, it depended on one’s own strength!
Soon after, the Hunting Blade Team set off on the road again, only this time the team had two new members: a "Little Beggar" Mu Qianxue in rags and a cute little black cat Yee Yi.
For convenience, Mu Qianxue changed back into her ragged beggar clothes, because, after all, her beauty that could topple cities and states was enough to cause plenty of trouble.
In the dense woods, silence reigned, yet it was filled with danger.
With Ling Feng in charge, the Hunting Blade Team’s journey through the Heavenly Vein Forest was relatively smooth and safe, except for the new member Hu Sandao, who had fled in the face of battle—the rest came out unscathed.
"Captain Blood, how much longer until we reach the Imperial City?"
This trip from the Wenxian Sect first led to the Mist Ghost Forest, then to the canyon town, followed by a crossing through the Sea and Sky Barrier; counting the days, nearly a month had passed.
Blood Python smiled and said, "Just follow this road straight ahead, and in half a day, we will be out of this forest. I know you’re going to the Imperial City for the Four Great Universities’ examination. I’m afraid this is where we part ways."
Ling Feng paused slightly. Though he had been longing to reach the Imperial City, the thought of saying goodbye so soon made his heart unexpectedly reluctant.
"We’re there already?" Ling Feng touched his nose, "A little faster than I expected, heh..."
"What, can’t bear to leave our Little Li?" Blood Python laughed heartily, "Why not consider joining the Hunting Blade Team for real? I think Little Li would miss you too."
Ling Feng curled his lip but said nothing. Instead, he took several bottles of Elixir from his bosom and handed them to Blood Python, "Captain Blood, we’ve made an acquaintance. Consider these a parting gift. You in the deep forest hunt Demons more than I do, you need these Elixirs more."
"This... is too valuable," Blood Python hurriedly declined.
"Just think of it as a gift to Little Li." Ling Feng didn’t reach out to take them back, his eyes looking at Little Li; the girl’s eyes were slightly red, clearly very reluctant to part with Ling Feng, but she clenched her sleeves and didn’t speak.
Next to him, Mu Qianxue had already agreed with Ling Feng the night before to go to the Imperial City together, so she simply followed along in silence.
Seeing the official road ahead, Little Li knew they had completely left the Heavenly Vein Forest. With her eyes red, she rushed in front of Ling Feng and bit her lip, "Will... will we see each other again?"
Ling Feng was startled for a moment, then patted Little Li’s head and said with a slight smile, "All you have to remember is that my name is Ling Feng, and you can definitely find me!"
"Why?" Little Li asked with teary eyes.
Ling Feng smiled and strode forward confidently, waving his hand in a dashing manner, leaving behind a phrase, "Captain Blood, Captain Lei, brothers, and Sister Little Li, since the Imperial City isn’t far, I’ll take my leave first."
Mu Qianxue glanced at Little Li, waved to her too, then quickly caught up with Ling Feng’s steps. Side by side, they walked towards the remnants of the sunset, fading into the distance.
Gradually, they disappeared from the sight of the Hunting Blade Team.
Blood Python saw Little Li staring blankly at Ling Feng’s departing figure and pat her on the back of the head, chuckling, "Silly girl, what Little Feng means is his name will one day be known throughout the entire Sky White Empire! He wants you to remember his name, which means he welcomes you to find him in the Imperial City anytime."
Little Li looked at Blood Python, whose eyes were slightly teasing yet firm, her cheeks flushed and lips pursed, "Who wants to find him, huh? Little Li hates him the most! Humph!"
Blood Python just smiled faintly, turned his head towards the members of the Hunting Blade Team, and announced with a loud laugh, "Brothers, let’s go sell our gains from this journey, and then we can rest well for a while, hahaha..."
The rest of the team members exchanged knowing smiles.
This time, thanks to Ling Feng, the Hunting Blade Team had gotten their hands on the carcass of the Extreme Cold Ice Flood Dragon—an unexpected windfall indeed!