Heading south from the Xianzong Mountains, there lies a narrow strip of forested area known as the Heavenly Forest.
It was once the territory of the demon race. Due to its location in the center of the empire, the empire dispatched large armies repeatedly, eventually driving the demon race out. The Heavenly Forest thus became the territory of human martial artists.
Due to the abundant spiritual energy in the Heavenly Forest, the area was rich in resources. There were also many low-level demonic beasts and fierce beasts lurking there, which attracted numerous human martial artists who made a living by hunting and selling demonic cores and demonic beasts’ hides and meat to earn crystal coins and other cultivation materials.
These martial artists were commonly known as hunters, and they seldom acted alone. Instead, they formed hunting teams to prevent unexpected incidents.
Due to the special geographical location of this gorge, over time, it gradually evolved into a small town that provided a temporary resting place for the martial artists of the hunting teams.
After traveling continuously for three days, Ling Feng finally saw a place with signs of human habitation. Unable to resist, he slowed his pace and walked towards the small town. He found a tavern and ordered some food and drinks.
The previous two times he crossed the Heavenly Forest were both led by Wen Tingguang, who flew them directly across.
This time, however, Ling Feng encountered some obstacles. With his current strength, he was unable to contend with the hurricane belt above the Heavenly Forest, so he could only cross on foot.
"Waiter, bring me a jar of wine!"
After being led by Duanmu Qingshan to drink several rounds of strong liquor, Ling Feng became interested in the contents of the cup. The throat-burning liquor of this small town surprisingly suited Ling Feng's taste.
Although the tavern was small, business was booming. The waiter seemed overwhelmed, so after Ling Feng's loud call, the graceful owner behind the counter instead attended to him. She initially appeared slightly annoyed, and would have typically snapped back in her usual manner with, "What's the rush? Can't you see the waiter's busy enough?"
However, today, when the owner noticed that the one clamoring for a drink was none other than the handsome young Ling Feng, her pair of fox-like eyes sparkled with charm. She personally carried a jar of wine and walked gracefully to Ling Feng's side.
This somewhat mature owner had an extremely hot figure, causing the rough men on both sides of the tavern to feel a bit dizzy, each swallowing saliva.
However, due to the owner having stayed in this small town for so long, nobody dared to harass her. Mainly because the waiter working for her was of mid-stage Pulse Formation Realm strength. Most of the hunters around here weren't even at the Pulse Formation Realm level. How could they dare to provoke such a formidable figure?
"Mister, drinking alone is quite dull, so how about letting me accompany you for a few drinks?"
The owner sat down beside Ling Feng with a flirtatious smile, reached out to take the wine glass from Ling Feng's hand, and as she lifted the glass away, playfully flicked Ling Feng's palm with her pinky finger, showing her intentions unabashedly.
Ling Feng remained composed, simply nodding slightly at the owner without showing any response to her flirtatious gesture.
The owner poured a glass of wine for Ling Feng and placed it in front of him, her red lips parted as she spoke, a fragrant scent on her breath, "Mister, what brings you alone to this forest?"
"I just happened to pass by," Ling Feng replied casually after downing the glass of wine in one gulp. He glanced at the owner and said calmly, "I am on my way to the imperial capital, but I got lost in the Heavenly Forest. Fortunately, I stumbled upon this small town, so I thought I'd ask if there were any friends willing to accompany me to the capital. I wonder if you could help me with this small favor."
When we passed through here before, Wen Tingguang mentioned to me that if I wanted to cross through the Heavenly Forest, there seemed to be a shortcut. Some of the hunters who frequent this area should know about it.
"Oh, I see." The owner, with a sly wink at Ling Feng, licked her lips subtly and smiled coyly. "My name is Tian Mi, but you can just call me Mimi. May I know what to call you?"
Ling Feng's mouth twitched slightly, feeling a chill run down his spine. She’s at this age and still wants to be called Mimi...
However, Ling Feng still smiled faintly and said, "My name is Ling Feng."
"So it’s Little Brother Ling Feng," Tian Mi said as she approached a bit closer, emitting a faint fragrance.
Ling Feng felt helpless and drank from his cup, feeling somewhat awkward as he asked, "I wonder if Sister... Mimi could enlighten me?"
"Hehehe..." The owner giggled coyly, then said, "I remember now. There's a hunting team heading to the imperial capital in three days. You can join them and leave together. In the meantime, you can rest here in the town. How about that?"
"Is that so?" Ling Feng nodded slightly as he picked up some food and put it in his mouth. "Thank you, Sister Mimi," he said casually.
"You’re welcome, hehe..." Mimi chuckled sweetly. She leaned in closer to Ling Feng, pressing against his arm, leaving him feeling somewhat awkward.
Ling Feng got a taste of that famous saying, "Thirty-year-olds are as hungry as wolves, but forty-year-olds are as hungry as tigers!"
"Um, Sister Mimi, I'm going to the weapon shop over there to buy some handy weapons. I'll be back in a bit..."
Ling Feng quickly straightened his posture, placed the crystal coins for the food and drinks on the table, and then dashed out of the tavern as if fleeing.
"Hmph, that young hothead doesn’t understand my kindness!"
Tian Mi caught sight of Ling Feng's retreating figure. She couldn't suppress the pout forming on her red lips as she briskly returned to the counter. A coarse man grinned and called out, "Mimi, that greenhorn is likely nothing more than a fledgling. How about letting me keep you company instead?"
"Keep me company? Keep my foot!" Tian Mi shot Old Liu a fierce glare. "You, you stinking man, think you can get into my bed? Fine, but it'll cost you 50,000 crystal coins upfront!"
"Uh..." Old Liu swallowed hard, lifted his cup, and took a big gulp of his drink.
He was just a lowly Qi Formation Realm cultivator without any sect or influence. Even if he managed to hunt down a second-tier demonic beast, he'd barely earn a hundred or eighty crystal coins. Even with the additional profits from other teammates, he couldn’t save up three thousand crystal coins in a month. 50,000 at once? Even if he were to sell himself, it wouldn't be enough!
"Ah. These days, a pretty face can freeload so easily? It's unjust!" Old Liu couldn't help but lament with a sense of powerlessness in his heart.