The village gates slowly opened, and Ji Feng's group entered Whispering Cloud Village.
In recent days, the Mogu had led troops to attack, so quite a few warriors patrolled the village. Most of the Pandaren here were strong-boned and sturdy—fine prospects indeed. After entering the village, Ji Feng observed them carefully.
As they walked through Whispering Cloud Village, the passing Pandaren warriors would usually stop to greet Long Suxin when they saw him. Once inside the village, Ji Feng also learned Long Suxin's identity. He had not expected him to be the descendant of the village's Sage.
Sages were warriors who had inherited the power of the Celestials. They governed villages, and Whispering Cloud Village's Sage was Long's grandfather, Yan Suxin.
In this era, every village had a Sage. If this had been the twenty-first century, the position of Sage might have been a combination of village chief and principal.
Sages not only governed their villages but were also responsible for education. Thus, the villagers of Whispering Cloud Village deeply admired their Sage, and even the Sage's descendants received their respect.
"Master Ji, we were only able to escape those Mogu soldiers because you stepped in earlier. Master Ji, if you do not mind, please allow me to host you tonight!" Compared with Sindragosa Village, Whispering Cloud Village was much smaller. Not long after entering the village, Long Suxin stopped in the center and spoke politely.
At that moment, Long Suxin and Ji Feng's group stood before a three-story stilt house. A flag hung above it, bearing the words "Sage's Residence."
This was the home of Whispering Cloud Village's Sage—Yan Suxin's home.
"Brother Feng, the Sage of Whispering Cloud Village is so poor! He actually lives in such a shabby stilt house. By my reckoning, a Sage should live in the best house in the village!"
"In the game, the houses around Halfhill in the Valley of the Four Winds were about the same as this. You cannot really call it shabby, but this place is indeed rather rundown..."
"Anyone worthy of being called a Sage must naturally be a good person. And what good person isn't poor as dirt..."
Whispering Cloud Village stood on the border of the Land of Zuldazar, a place that was not prosperous to begin with. Yan Suxin's residence was also the oldest and most dilapidated building in the village. No wonder the viewers did not believe this was where a Sage lived.
"Long, this is really your home? It is truly the Sage's residence? You are not joking, are you?"
"This is my home. How would I dare fool Master Ji? Please..."
Long Suxin had not realized that Ji Feng thought the house was shabby. He thought Ji Feng simply did not believe his identity, so he hurried forward and pulled open the door.
"Yao Shi, do the Sages of Shadowwind Village also live in houses like this? Is our village's Sage this frugal as well?"
"Master Ji, Whispering Cloud Village seems to have only one Sage, Yan Suxin. Our village has three Sages, and all three live in houses built of square bricks and bluestone, not stilt houses like this..."
Shadowwind Village was far larger than Whispering Cloud Village, even larger than Sindragosa Village. Yet the virtue of Shadowwind Village's Sages could not compare to the Sage here.
"So that is how it is. All right, let us put these troublesome matters aside for now. We will rest here for the night and continue our journey tomorrow." Ji Feng waved his hand and pointed at the old stilt house. As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped forward and followed Long Suxin inside.
Ancient Pandaren calligraphy sheets, peppers, and garlic hung on the walls. Large woven grass mats covered the floor, and piles of crudely made books were stacked around the room. Yet the first-floor hall was currently empty.
"Grandfather, I am back. I have brought some friends with me—some Pandaren from the north." Standing in the first-floor hall, Long Suxin called out.
"Cough, cough... Long, you are back? It is good that you are back. Cough, cough... You even brought back some friends. It seems you gained quite a lot from this trip..." An elderly Pandaren with a hunched back descended from the second-floor stairs. He was Yan Suxin, the Sage of Whispering Cloud Village.
"Master Ji, this is my grandfather, Yan Suxin, the Sage of Whispering Cloud Village..."
At the sight of Sage Yan, Long Suxin could not help smiling. He stepped forward to support the old man and introduced the two of them.
"Ji Shadowwind, warrior of the Shadowwind Clan, greets the Sage..." Holding a high position while living in such humble quarters—such a man deserved the title of Sage. How could Ji Feng possibly fail to respect him?
"Ji Shadowwind... Mm, a fine name. Please, come in! I can sense the goodwill within you. Please..."
As Sage Yan spoke, he pointed toward the second floor. At that moment, Ji Feng noticed something: Sage Yan seemed unable to see. This Sage was actually blind.
"Master Ji, although Grandfather cannot see, he can sense our auras. Grandfather is very hospitable. Please..." Supporting Sage Yan, Long Suxin nodded invitingly.
"Thank you for receiving us, Sage. We have imposed upon you."
Ji Feng pressed his palms together in salute, then led the group upstairs.
"Hmph, so these are the people who saved Long Suxin? I never expected them to be slaves..."
As Ji Feng climbed the stairs, he looked up and saw a round table already laden with dishes. No one had started eating yet. To his surprise, there were quite a few people on the second floor.
"Brother Feng, something feels off here! Why does this feel like a banquet with a hidden agenda? I think we should run..."
"You are making a fuss over nothing. Perhaps they are Sage Yan's descendants. Still, that fellow's attitude really does seem rather poor..."
"The one speaking is dressed extravagantly. He is clearly an important figure. You young people are simply too inexperienced. I would guess his status is much higher than Sage Yan's."
At that moment, the viewers all voiced their opinions.
"Young friend, please sit... These are the Sages from other villages in the Land of Zuldazar. This is the Sage of Feili Village, this is the Sage of Xuehua Village, this is the Sage of Jingji Village, and this is the Sage of Qianmo Village..." Sage Yan gestured for Ji Feng to sit, without pursuing the other man's rudeness.
"Long, I never expected a slave to be the one who saved you. It seems Whispering Cloud Village has truly declined. Sage Yan, you should carefully consider the matter I mentioned to you last time. You must understand that my Feili Village is far stronger than Whispering Cloud Village..." The Pandaren who had been unfriendly toward Ji Feng spoke again. Sure enough, his status was even higher than Yan Suxin's.
During this period, the Mogu had been invading, and Whispering Cloud Village was attempting to unite with the other villages. The Sages of those villages had come to Whispering Cloud Village to discuss an alliance.
"Haha... Sage Feili, we can discuss that matter later. Let us eat first!" Sage Yan seemed unwilling to say more. He merely waved a hand toward the food on the table.
"This... Very well, then I shall give you face today." This so-called Sage of Feili Village was truly arrogant. When he spoke, he acted as though no one else existed.
Feeling somewhat displeased, Ji Feng sat beside Long Suxin. His disciples and the elves were arranged at another table. Once everyone was seated, they began eating and drinking.
"Grandfather, Master Ji saved me and the villagers on the way back. He is not only a warrior, but also a Pandaren who has received the Ancestral Legacy. Grandfather, I wish to take him as my master." While they ate and drank, Long Suxin suddenly spoke.
Ji Feng was eating a piece of sweet potato at the time, and he nearly choked when he heard that.
"Ancestral Legacy? Hahaha, ridiculous... This is the first time I have heard of such a thing. What exactly is this Ancestral Legacy? Slave, could you explain it to me..." Sage Feili asked with a sneer as he looked toward Ji Feng.
"Brother Feng, that Ancestral Legacy of yours might fool children, but it will not be easy to fool this old fellow. Ancestral Legacy... That old bastard will probably expose you today..."
"We are nearly done eating. Is the main show finally beginning? Brother Feng, I want to see how you show off today. Against a veteran braggart like this, ordinary showing-off tricks probably will not work."
"Long Suxin keeps staring at Brother Feng whenever he has nothing to do. I thought he was interested in you that way, but it turns out he wants to become your disciple. That kid has a clean background and profound martial skill. He is a fine prospect, Brother Feng, so do not miss out."
"Brother Feng, it is always martial fights, martial fights. Let us see something classy today! Any high-class showing off?"
"I just got off work! What is Brother Feng streaming today? Why can I not understand any of this?"
Night had only just fallen. Converted to Earth time, it was around 19:00. At this hour, the viewers who had worked all day had finished dinner, and the livestream was at its most active.
As the viewers spoke, an idea suddenly came to Ji Feng. Tonight, he would stream something different. Tonight, he would try taking the "main story" route.
"Viewers, the first stream was a martial fight against Shanbu. The second was subjugating a clan. The third was boasting in front of Illidan and Falondar. But in this fourth stream, you will see a brand-new host. Tonight, I am preparing to unleash a storm of positive energy."
Ji Feng sent a comment in the livestream.
"There is true feeling in this world, true love in this world—is that the style..."
"No, no, I am not drinking this bowl of chicken soup."
"Brother Feng, tell us! Are you planning to play inspirational gratitude tonight?"
"I remember when I was in high school, someone came to give a speech at my school. My classmate cried his eyes out, then knelt before all the teachers and students, kowtowed to the principal, and swore he would never go to an internet café to play games again. Brother Feng, can you achieve that kind of stream effect tonight? Could it be... you are planning to feed the Sage a bowl of spiritual chicken soup?"
"I went through that kind of thing too. He had just finished kneeling, crying, and slapping himself in the face that afternoon, then that very night he climbed over the wall and went out again. That kind of chicken soup is poisonous. Do not drink it..."
The viewers had thoroughly ruined the idea of positive energy.
"Brothers and sisters of the livestream, I also know that the Ancestral Legacy probably will not fool these old fellows. I will not be feeding anyone chicken soup... As for how I will show off tonight, just watch."
The viewers' idea of positive energy was still far too naive. What Ji Feng was naturally going for was something truly classy. At that moment, the main story began.
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