A Chance Encounter in Sand Gold City

When they arrived at the gates of Nuoding Academy, Grandmaster was already waiting there.

When he saw the carriage bearing the Spirit Hall emblem approach, one of his eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

"Grandmaster, get in quickly. We're leaving." Chen Feng poked his head out the carriage window and waved.

Grandmaster nodded and climbed aboard.

"Greetings, Grandmaster. I'm Su Yuntao, a deacon of Spirit Hall." Su Yuntao greeted him first.

"Hello. I'm Yu Xiaogang. Is Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo doing well?" Grandmaster nodded in response before asking.

"The old gentleman is in good health. There haven't been many affairs at Spirit Hall lately, either," Su Yuntao replied.

"That's good." After saying that, Grandmaster fell silent.

Su Yuntao had no idea what to say either and likewise fell quiet.

Chen Feng, Tang San, and Xiao Wu exchanged glances, then tacitly began chatting among themselves so the atmosphere would not become too awkward.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at Chen Feng, a faint smile appearing on his face.

At first, when he saw the academic talent this child displayed, he had wanted to take him as a disciple.

But through their subsequent exchanges, Yu Xiaogang gradually realized that this child was even more outstanding than he had imagined.

To precisely identify Luo Sanpao's problem in such a short time and swiftly propose a viable solution—such ability had already far exceeded Yu Xiaogang's expectations.

After all, he had spent most of his life unable to make any sense of Luo Sanpao's condition. Yet Chen Feng's earlier words, "Life will find its own way out," had completely awakened him.

He should not regard Luo Sanpao as merely a martial soul, but as an independent life closely connected to him.

After realizing this, Yu Xiaogang understood that he could no longer be Chen Feng's teacher.

The reason was simple. Chen Feng could now be called a peerless genius, possessing unfettered ideas and a spirit unconstrained by any framework.

If he rashly tried to teach such a genius, he might instead harm him. He might even erase that innate spark and turn him into someone utterly ordinary.

That was something Yu Xiaogang could never accept.

So he made up his mind not to try becoming Chen Feng's teacher. He would only impart the knowledge he possessed and the knowledge Chen Feng needed, without interfering with Chen Feng's way of thinking.

That way, Chen Feng's innate spark should be preserved to the greatest extent possible.

But this also carried a hidden danger. If Chen Feng ever used his intelligence for evil, it would certainly bring immense harm.

Therefore, Yu Xiaogang felt that while imparting knowledge, he also needed to pay attention to guiding this child's character.

His earlier warning against wantonly slaughtering Soul Beasts had been for precisely this reason.

If minor evils went unchecked, they could become great evils. By then, it would be too late to steer him back onto the right path.

Sand Gold Valley was somewhat farther from Nuoding City than Soul Hunting Forest, so it took Chen Feng and the others two and a half days to reach their destination.

By the time they arrived at Sand Gold City near Sand Gold Valley, it was already evening. After entering the city, they found an inn and planned to rest there for the night, replenish their energy, and enter Sand Gold Valley the next day.

They could also restock on supplies while they were at it, lest they run out of food inside Sand Gold Valley. That would be unpleasant.

"After traveling for so long, I'm exhausted. My bones have gone stiff from sitting." Xiao Wu stretched lazily.

"You've got the nerve to complain about being tired? Brother Su and the driver are the ones who are exhausted. They've been taking turns driving the whole way," Chen Feng said as he got out of the carriage.

Hearing that, Xiao Wu pouted and snorted twice without saying anything, then followed Chen Feng out.

Tang San came right after them. Having trained in the Tang Sect's martial arts since childhood, he had excellent stamina and did not feel particularly tired.

The driver and Grandmaster came last. Su Yuntao was currently driving the carriage.

Naturally, the driver could not drive the entire time. People were not machines and needed rest.

The three children could not drive, and Grandmaster did not know how to drive, so Su Yuntao was the only one who could take over.

"It's actually fine. Whenever Grandmaster Ma Xiunuo and I traveled in the past, I was usually the one driving. This journey wasn't all that far," Su Yuntao said indifferently.

Still, he was quite pleased by Chen Feng's earlier words.

"You've worked hard, Brother Su. How about this? If we successfully obtain our spirit rings this time, I'll drive on the way back. I've more or less learned how these past two days. At worst, you can give me some pointers," Chen Feng suggested.

"I can drive too," Tang San added from the side. This was basic training for an assassin; there was no need to learn it separately.

"Xiao Feng and Xiao San are both such good children, but you're still too young. Old Liu and I should handle it," Su Yuntao said with a smile, rubbing Chen Feng and Tang San's heads.

Old Liu, the driver, also chuckled beside them, feeling that his hard work along the way had not been in vain.

Only Xiao Wu muttered unhappily.

"So I'm the only one who's inconsiderate, huh?"

"I'm not that young anymore. If I obtain my First Spirit Ring and become a Spirit Master, pulling the reins should be easy enough, right?" Chen Feng insisted.

He was not merely being polite; he was genuinely interested in driving a carriage.

In his previous life, he had only driven cars. He was extremely curious about an ancient means of transportation like a horse-drawn carriage, so of course he wanted to find a chance to try it himself.

"Haha, all right. Then I'll teach you how to drive on the way back." Su Yuntao had Old Liu settle the carriage, and then the group entered the inn together.

Once in the main hall, Grandmaster glanced at the small dining area off to the side and said, "Let's have dinner first. The children haven't eaten properly these past two days."

"Sure, then I'll..." Su Yuntao was about to order and pay when Grandmaster interrupted him.

"I've been idle for two days. Let me cover tonight's food and lodging." With that, Grandmaster walked toward the front desk.

Su Yuntao froze for a moment, but he did not make things awkward by fighting to pay. Instead, he led Old Liu and the three children to a good spot by the window.

Before long, Grandmaster returned with a waiter carrying a tray behind him.

"Have some pastries to tide yourselves over first. The food will take a while," Grandmaster said as he sat down at the table.

"Yay!" Xiao Wu cheered, picking up her chopsticks and immediately starting to eat. She had been starving for ages.

"I also booked two rooms for three. One for the adults and one for the children." As he spoke, Grandmaster picked up a pastry and began eating.

"Xiao Feng, why aren't you eating?" Tang San picked up a pastry as well, only to discover that his good friend was looking elsewhere.

Following Chen Feng's gaze, he saw a stern-looking middle-aged man.

Behind the man stood a Heterochromia Blond Boy and a Black-Haired Little Girl.