North of Sunstone Peak lay the borderlands of Pandaria, where a hundred rivers converged. It was also the homeland of the Elf race.
The northern elves had been on friendly terms with the Pandaren for generations and traded with them often. Ji Feng and Li Luo were heading north to seek help from the elven clan.
After more than half a month of travel, Ji Feng and Li Luo finally arrived in the lands north of Sunstone Peak...
The sky was high and clear, and the cool breeze was pleasant. The northern climate was neither as humid and rainy as Krasarang Jungle nor as barren as the Dread Wastes. Instead, it was rather similar to the Valley of the Four Winds.
In the era before The Sundering, the lands north of Sunstone Peak had not yet been swallowed by the Endless Sea. Lush grass covered the ground, streams murmured along, and herbivores filled the mountains and plains. Leisurely horned sheep, wild stags, cunning foxes, enormous sandback Mushan Beasts, turtles basking beside the rivers, and blue waterflies occasionally rising from the water—the northern scenery was truly enchanting.
At sunrise, one came to the north; at sunset, mountain villages came into view...
At dusk, Ji Feng and Li Luo stood on a stretch of high ground and could see a distant village. Beyond the boundless fields stood rows upon rows of domed houses, staggered at varying heights, each with its own courtyard...
Human and Pandaren buildings mostly had sloped roofs, while elves favored courtyards and pointed-roofed houses. Clearly, the village in the distance was an elven settlement.
"Brother, we've finally reached elven territory. I still remember coming here fifty years ago. I never expected that when I returned this time, everything would be exactly as it was, without the slightest change..." Li Luo sighed as she looked at the distant mountain village.
In ancient times, Pandaren lived for a hundred years without their strength fading. In this age, when the Well of Eternity nourished all things, Pandaren were not considered adults until they reached eighty. Li Luo was still a young girl, not very old at all.
"We're here. We really are. Now, shouldn't you come out? How much longer are you planning to follow us?" Standing beside Li Luo, Ji Feng slightly turned his head and coldly looked toward the forest behind them.
With the system in hand, Ji Feng could keep track of every enemy around him. At that moment, he could clearly see a white skull on the area map, representing an enemy.
The skull represented an enemy, while its color represented the enemy's strength. White meant the newcomer was not very strong. After all, red-named enemies like Shanbu were not something one encountered easily...
"Brother, what are you..."
"What? Still not coming out? Are you waiting for me to make a move?"
As Li Luo looked on in confusion, Ji Feng suddenly took out a piece of blackstone ore. As soon as he finished speaking, he viciously hurled it away.
"Huh... A mere Pandaren actually discovered me. How very strange..."
"You..."
The land for dozens of miles around was covered in pale yellow grass, dotted with many small thickets. The instant Ji Feng threw the stone, an elf with pointed ears emerged from the brush.
"Brother, it's a female elf. Her eyes are actually blue..." Li Luo said in surprise when she saw the elf emerge from the woods.
Snow-white skin, delicate pointed ears, long golden hair, sapphire-blue eyes, and a purple clan mark painted above her brows—the newcomer was an elven girl.
"Who are you? What are you doing in elven territory?" The elven girl swiftly drew the dagger at her waist after leaving the woods and pointed it at Ji Feng.
"Little girl, are your elders around? Can you take me to see them?"
Ji Feng shook his head upon seeing her. The elven girl before him was beautiful, but she was not even one and a half meters tall. She was still underage; anyone could tell she was an inexperienced kid.
Ji Feng and Li Luo were currently in Pandaren form, both nearly two meters tall. Standing before them, the elven girl was utterly inconspicuous.
"I... I'm an elven ranger! How dare a mere Pandaren look down on me? If you hadn't behaved fairly well, I would've killed you already..."
The inexperienced girl gripped her dagger and hunched over, trying to assume an assassination stance. Yet what should have been a solemn killing posture became completely distorted in her hands. She looked utterly ridiculous and not the least bit intimidating.
"And don't call me little girl! My hundredth birthday is coming soon. Once it arrives, I'll be an adult..."
"You fat, chubby thing, you're incredibly rude..."
The little girl narrowed her eyes slightly and made an expression wholly unsuited to her age, the look of a superior plotting over the world. It was impossibly out of place on her.
"You little girl, no chest and no butt. What do you expect me to call you?"
"And it's fatty, not fat once. You need to take responsibility for what you say. Looks like this little girl has never been trampled by a mogu Mushan Beast." Ji Feng teased her with a hint of displeasure.
"Ah! A mere Pandaren dares mock me? Watch me teach you a lesson—Shadow Strike!"
The little girl slightly hunched over and vanished from Ji Feng and Li Luo's sight. This was an elven ranger spell. In this era, rogues and hunters had yet to split into separate professions; both could be called rangers.
Ji Feng closed his eyes and remained completely still, like an old monk in meditation. He seemed not to regard this opponent as a threat at all...
Whoosh!
A flash of white light streaked past as a dagger stabbed toward Ji Feng. At that critical moment, Ji Feng moved.
Two fingers!
With only two fingers, Ji Feng blocked the little girl's attack. He pinched the sharp dagger between his fingers. Such martial prowess was truly astounding.
"Monster!"
The Pandaren the little girl had seen were all simple, honest farmers. She had never seen a Pandaren martial artist before. Seeing Ji Feng block her with his fingers alone, she was so frightened that she could not utter another word.
"Little girl, how about it? Do you still want to fight me? If you apologize to me, I'll be magnanimous and let you off for what happened today." As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Feng lightly flicked the dagger between his fingertips. It immediately fell between the little girl's legs and embedded itself in the ground.
Ji Feng could already guess what would happen next. Surely this little girl would cry and beg for mercy, after which he and Li Luo would go over and comfort her. Perhaps she might even become his disciple.
As he pondered this, Ji Feng could not help but smile. His smile held three parts tenderness and seven parts friendliness, brimming with gentlemanly charm...
"One arrow piercing the clouds, and thousands of troops will come rushing to meet it. You furry bastard, just wait! My people will be here soon. I am Meridale Sindragosa, a member of the Stormrage Guard..."
"You fat once... Lord Illidan Stormrage will soon lead the guards here. When he does, I'll teach you a harsh lesson..."
Just as Ji Feng was daydreaming, the little girl moved with lightning speed and pulled a long red tube from her waist. Inside was a firework used by the elven guards to call for help.
Bang! Bang!
A burst of red fireworks exploded in the sky. The deafening blast immediately snapped Ji Feng awake.
"Red fireworks, a first-class reinforcement order. Pandaren, Lord Illidan will be here very soon..." After setting off the firework, the little girl was no longer as frightened as before. She picked up her dagger and warily took up a defensive stance.
This isn't how the script is supposed to go! I'm the protagonist. Illidan, do you really have to make an appearance this early?! Ji Feng roared inwardly.
Red fireworks blossomed overhead. A pair of golden eyes slowly turned toward the distance, and Illidan Stormrage, the prophesied child chosen by Elune, the Moon Goddess, and the Mother of Holy Light, Shira, slowly appeared before the elven village.
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