One arrow piercing the clouds, and a thousand troops came rushing to meet it.
A red firework exploded in the sky. Before long, dozens of elf guards had gathered in Sindragosa Village. At that moment, they all looked toward a burly, imposing commander.
He wore purple leather armor, with extraordinary features and black hair flowing in the wind. He stood with his hands behind his back.
The commander merely stood there without saying a word, yet he inspired fear in others. He was a descendant of the Stormrage Clan, a junior commander of the Elf race—Illidan Stormrage.
"Lord Illidan, someone set off a red firework outside the village. Should we go provide support?" an elf guard stepped forward and asked.
"The Stormwind Guard has assembled. It is time to move out. Depart!" Illidan nodded and gave the order.
Having received the military order, the elf guards saluted. Before long, they headed toward the site of the firework, which was where Ji Feng's group was.
"Fat Pandaren, Lord Illidan has arrived with the guards. Let's see what you do now! Haha..."
On the hill outside the village, Meridale looked at the approaching figures in the distance and burst into laughter.
"I need the Elf race's help right now. I can't clash with Illidan for the moment. I hope he can see the truth," Ji Feng thought to himself after hearing the little girl.
Illidan had not yet become a Demon Hunter. He was still a member of the Elf race. Before The Sundering, Illidan had been immensely famous among the northern elves. After all, he was the disciple of the Son of the Demigod, Cenarius, and Grand Lord Kutarrus Ravencrest. His mentors were two mighty figures among the elves.
In this era, Illidan was still a powerful elf mage.
"Brother, someone's coming. Look..."
As Ji Feng pondered, Li Luo tugged on his arm and reminded him.
"Golden eyes with double pupils. It really is Illidan..."
Following the direction of Li Luo's finger, Ji Feng focused on Illidan. Those golden eyes were simply too conspicuous for anyone to overlook. Illidan's eyes were unique. His pupils were golden, a gift of the Holy Light...
"Meridale, weren't you attacked? What happened just now? Why did you set off a red firework?" Upon arriving, Illidan ignored Ji Feng and Li Luo entirely. He looked at the little girl and asked with some displeasure.
"Lord Illidan, these two Pandaren bullied me just now. I suspect they are Mogu spies sent to gather intelligence on the Elf race. Please capture them and bring them back to the village..." Meridale sneered coldly at Ji Feng, stepped forward, moved to Illidan's side, and reported in a low voice.
Illidan's face darkened after hearing Meridale's words.
He looked at Ji Feng, then at Meridale, and said coldly, "Meridale, are you joking with me? They are dressed as slaves and have been afflicted with the Flesh Curse by the Mogu. How could they possibly bully you? I brought the guards here to save you, not to play along with you..."
Illidan had originally thought he would encounter a great battle. He had not expected Meridale to toy with him. Two weak Pandaren bullying an elf guard—he believed only fools would accept such a story.
"It's true! This guy is incredibly strong. He blocked my assassination with just one finger. Lord Illidan, he's different from ordinary Pandaren..."
Meridale pointed at Ji Feng, her voice full of anxiety.
"Cough, cough... Cough, cough... I can't go on... Sister, you must return safely to the clan. You must live well in my stead..." The instant Meridale pointed at him, Ji Feng began coughing violently. One arm rested around Li Luo's shoulders while his other hand clutched his chest, as though he had suffered grievous injuries.
Before crossing over, Ji Feng had been an "actor." Every day, he studied the livestreaming techniques of other great streamers. Acting was a basic skill. At that moment, his performance was worthy of an award-winning actor.
In any case, Illidan and the elf guards could not tell Ji Feng was acting.
"Meridale may be the treasured daughter of the Sindragosa Clan, but she can't toy with us like this! That Pandaren seems to have been attacked by the Kun-Lai Summit yetis. With injuries like that, how could he block Meridale's attack with one finger? Does she take us for fools?"
"Judging by their condition, they seem to be seeking help from the Elf race. Pandaren and elves have always been on good terms. If we wrongly accuse them, it may cause conflict between our two races..."
"Our Sindragosa Clan is well-known. We cannot leave others with a bad impression. If the royal court learns that we bullied Pandaren, those arrogant fools will surely call us crude and uncouth..."
Seeing Ji Feng look half-dead, the elf guards began discussing the matter, each voicing their thoughts.
In this era, the Elf race still adhered to "noble traditions." They would never take the initiative to bully the weak. The etiquette taught by the royal court had seeped deep into their bones.
Respect the royal court, protect the weak, stay close to nature, defend honor...
In this era, elven civilization truly surpassed that of the other races by far. They would never do anything that harmed their reputations. They even regarded honor as more precious than life itself. Asking them to help Meridale bully Ji Feng was something they would never agree to.
"Meridale, so your name is Meridale... Honorable Meridale, may I ask how my sister and I have offended you? We only wish to go home. We never intended to create any conflict with the Elf race..." Seeing that the surrounding elves were all on his side, Ji Feng looked at Meridale and spoke between ragged breaths.
"You... You're too good at acting!
"You looked completely fearless just now, but now you're pretending to be on the verge of death. I'm furious! Just watch me teach you a lesson..." Ji Feng looked half-dead on the surface, but his eyes were filled with mockery. To Meridale, his eyes seemed to say, I love seeing you hate me while being unable to do anything about it. Ji Feng had truly enraged her.
"Meridale, what are you trying to do? Do you want to disgrace the Sindragosa Clan? Though I am not a descendant of the Sindragosa Clan, as a member of the Elf Empire, I will never allow the reputation of the Twin Tigers of the Empire to be tarnished. You must not harm them..."
The instant Meridale moved to attack Ji Feng, Illidan grabbed her forearm. He was as fast as lightning, and his strength far surpassed Meridale's.
Red Skull Rank!
Illidan really was no ordinary fellow. Good thing I didn't clash with him! Ji Feng felt a lingering chill as he watched Meridale and Illidan.
Although the system had not revealed Illidan's exact combat power, Ji Feng could guess that it was at least over 600. As the disciple of Cenarius and Kutarrus Ravencrest, Illidan was far stronger than Shanbu. This guy would become a super boss in the future.
"Lord Illidan..." Meridale exclaimed in disbelief as Illidan held her arm.
"Meridale Sindragosa, in my capacity as commander, I order you to put away your weapon. You may return to the ranks now. Leave the rest to me. Remember this well: the honor of the Twin Tigers of the Empire is everything..." Illidan looked at Meridale and spoke sternly.
Twin Tigers of the Empire was a title, an honorary title belonging to Sindragosa and Ravencrest. In the elven language, Sindragosa meant "scholar." They were a high clan of the Elf Empire, and their footprints stretched across all of Azeroth. In this dark age, the Sindragosa Clan was a powerful clan as famous as the Ravencrest Clan.
In Illidan's eyes, Meridale's actions today had completely insulted her name and her noble surname.
Originally, Ji Feng had only wanted to teach the little girl Meridale a lesson. Yet things had developed beyond what he had expected. After thinking it over, he no longer wished to make things difficult for her. He coughed violently, drawing Illidan's attention.
"General Illidan, I am Ji Feng Shadowwind, and this is my younger sister, Li Luo Shadowwind. Several months ago, the Mogu escorted us to the south of Kun-Lai Summit and brought us to The Wandering Isle..."
"We endured countless hardships for one goal alone: to return to the Shadowwind Clan. General, may we take an elven cargo ship back to the Shadowwind Clan's territory?" Ji Feng began coughing violently again, looking utterly miserable.
It was getting late, the sun was about to set, and his stomach was beginning to grow hungry. This little performance should come to an end for today...
On the surface, Ji Feng was coughing, but returning to the clan was not what he was thinking about. He only wanted to eat sooner. At that moment, he desperately wanted to taste elven cuisine.
"The Shadowwind Clan? I went there last month... Oh, right, I heard several Pandaren from the Shadowwind Clan are living in our village. Their leader seems to be called Kang Shadowwind..." an elf guard said casually after hearing Ji Feng's words.
"Kang? Could that be our third brother?" Li Luo exclaimed.
"You know Kang? That guy is a strange one, though he is a decent person. Fine, I agree. You may enter the village..." Illidan controlled the village's intelligence network and had met Kang once. He remembered Kang saying that his destination was The Wandering Isle.
Today, he had encountered people returning from The Wandering Isle. Illidan fell into thought, wanting to see the truth for himself.
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