Thinking About the Future

After a brutal "battle," Chen Feng and Xiao Wu finally called a truce.

With Tang San as witness, the two shook hands and made peace, signing the Feng-Wu Non-Aggression Pact.

The agreement emphasized that Chen Feng was not to look down on Xiao Wu's intelligence anymore, while Xiao Wu was not to tease Chen Feng about Zhu Zhuqing again.

The two had to uphold the principles of unity and friendship, help each other, and work together to fulfill the grand ideal of deepening Martial Soul research.

Thus, the first Feng-Wu War came to an end.

After Dai Mubai left, Chen Feng's group of five began searching for traces of the Moon-Drawing Fox.

According to the information provided by the Grandmaster, Moon-Drawing Foxes only appeared at night and liked to absorb moonlight beside Moonlight Stones.

Therefore, Chen Feng's group first needed to find a Moonlight Stone. Then, once night fell, they could wait by the stone for the fox and achieve their goal.

Unlike ordinary valleys, Sand Gold Valley was quite expansive, but it was not an open stretch of land. Instead, thick, towering stone pillars were scattered throughout it, somewhat like the Thousand Needles stone forest in World of Warcraft.

Because earth and metal elements were especially active here, the stone pillars in Sand Gold Valley slowly grew like trees, and certain strange ores formed during that process.

Therefore, the best way to search for a special ore like Moonlight Stone was to carefully inspect the bases of those stone pillars. If they were lucky, they might find something.

Unfortunately, Chen Feng's group was not particularly lucky. They carefully searched around the bases of two stone pillars, spending half the day at it until evening, yet they did not find even a trace of Moonlight Stone.

"I'm exhausted, Grandmaster. How about we look again tomorrow?" Xiao Wu was the first to give out. She plopped down on a nearby rock and spoke pitifully.

The Grandmaster was somewhat tired as well. He looked over at everyone and said, "That works. It's getting late, and searching for ore at night won't be efficient. Let's prepare food and shelter first. We'll rest for the night and continue tomorrow."

He took out the dry rations he had prepared beforehand from Twenty-Four Bridges Moonlight Night and had Chen Feng distribute them. Then he pulled out two tents and began setting up their sleeping arrangements.

"I only brought two tents. Same as usual: one for the adults, one for the children. The two adults will take turns keeping watch."

"Grandmaster, how about the three of us kids keep watch instead? You and Brother Su are our sources of knowledge and strength, so you should get proper rest," Chen Feng suddenly suggested.

Clearly, he was giving Xiao Wu an opportunity to move around freely, making it easier for her to condense her own spirit ring.

"You're still growing, and you've never kept watch before. It's better for the two adults to do it," the Grandmaster said as he pitched the tent.

"There's a first time for everything. We're in a gathering place for artificial Soul Beasts right now, so it's a good chance to get familiar with night watch. That way, we won't run into trouble from lack of experience when we visit those forbidden zones of life in the future. Besides, there are three of us taking shifts. Each person only has to keep watch for two or three hours, so it won't be a problem," Chen Feng insisted.

Xiao Wu glanced at Chen Feng and chimed in, "That's right, Grandmaster. You have to give us a chance to train. We promise we can keep watch properly."

"Grandmaster, we can do it," Tang San added.

"All right, then." After hesitating for a while, the Grandmaster finally agreed.

Still, he was worried, so he began teaching Chen Feng and the other two about the precautions they needed to take while keeping watch. He also took out several small paper packets and explained the effects of the medicinal powders inside.

Meanwhile, Su Yuntao began setting up a few simple warning traps around the area to keep Soul Beasts from approaching silently.

The camp was soon set up, and Chen Feng's group filled their stomachs with dry rations and water.

The two adults entered the tent to rest, while Tang San began keeping watch as the first sentry.

Inside the tent, Chen Feng and Xiao Wu each curled up beneath the bedding provided by the Grandmaster, with only their little heads sticking out.

Xiao Wu looked at Chen Feng, whose eyes were closed, and quietly asked, "Brother Xiao Feng, why did you suggest that we keep watch earlier?"

"For experience. Didn't I already say that?" Chen Feng answered without even opening his eyes.

"Oh..." Xiao Wu responded, half-convinced.

In truth, she suspected that Chen Feng had seen through her true identity and suggested the night watch to make things convenient for her.

But Xiao Wu felt that idea was too absurd. Surely a Soul Beast taking human form could not be seen through so easily... right?

Xiao Wu remembered her mother telling her that before a transformed Soul Beast reached rank seventy, only a human Title Douluo could see through it at a glance. A Spirit Douluo could sense something abnormal about its aura, but any Soul Master below that would not notice anything wrong.

Da Ming and Er Ming agreed with her mother's words, and before Xiao Wu came to the human world, they had specifically reminded her about it.

Chen Feng had only just become a Soul Master. There was no way he could possibly see through Xiao Wu's situation.

Although he had misspoken once before, although he had helped Xiao Wu persuade Dai Mubai and the other two to leave, although he had proposed tonight that the three children keep watch, giving Xiao Wu time to move freely...

The more Xiao Wu thought about it, the less certain she became.

Did Chen Feng... really not notice anything?

Her mother, Da Ming, and Er Ming had all said that only Soul Masters above Spirit Douluo could sense that something was wrong. But what if there was an exception among humans?

Given the intelligence Chen Feng had displayed, it was hard to say. Geniuses always had qualities that set them apart from ordinary people.

Yet Xiao Wu could not read anything from Chen Feng's behavior, leaving her completely uncertain.

Just as Xiao Wu was staring at Chen Feng and thinking, he suddenly opened his eyes and looked at her. "Why are you staring at me in the middle of the night instead of sleeping?"

"Oh, right. Sleep, sleep." Xiao Wu tucked her little head back and closed her eyes.

Chen Feng closed his eyes as well and began resting. He knew that his earlier behavior had probably aroused Xiao Wu's suspicions, but he did not care, because it was only a matter of time.

He had already made up his mind to promote Martial Soul Evolution in this world. Sooner or later, he would attract the attention of those old geezers, and perhaps a Title Douluo would come knocking one day.

Therefore, it was necessary to reach an understanding with Xiao Wu early on. It would make it easier to help her conceal her identity when the time came.

As for Chen Feng himself, he had long been prepared.

The first layer of protection he had prepared for himself was fame.

If he ever truly drew the attention of those important figures, it would mean his achievements had become influential enough. By then, he would surely already be renowned.

But even with fame as a protective charm, it could only guarantee Chen Feng's safety, not his personal freedom.

Some rule-breaking Old Deng might come knocking and force Chen Feng to join his faction. When that happened, Chen Feng would produce his second layer of protection.

That was the Star Luo Dai Family.