Green Mountain Town

The morning sun spilled over the golden dunes, making them gleam. At the edge of the city stood an ancient structure in silent repose, as though recounting legends from a thousand years ago.

At that moment, a young man and young girl dressed in blue stood atop the city heights, gazing toward the distant horizon. Behind them, a mighty Griffon waited with its head held high, its feathers glinting gold in the morning light.

The air around them was filled with the desert's distinctive dryness and scorching heat. An occasional breeze blew by, carrying burning sand with it. Yet none of this dampened the young man's excitement for his coming journey; anticipation and exhilaration were written all over his face.

When the first ray of sunlight fully fell upon the Griffon, it let out an earth-shaking cry that echoed through the empty desert. Lin Feng wrapped his right arm around Qing Lin's slender waist, leaped into the air, and landed steadily on the Griffon's back. As the Griffon spread its wings and soared, they gradually left the desert city behind, setting out for Green Mountain Town, a frontier settlement near the Magical Beast Mountain Range.

Only one sentence remained behind. "Uncle Chi Huo, everyone in the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group, until we meet again." The high-spirited youth stood atop the Griffin while the members of the Crimson Fire Mercenary Group below burst into cheers. Gusts of wind and sand swept through the air until even the Griffon's silhouette vanished beneath the rising sun, leaving behind only golden sunlight and the desert's searing heat.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Its broad wings beat powerfully through the air, the sound like a howling gale, as if it could blow away every obstacle in its path. Each flap was accompanied by a deep, forceful tremor, like an ancient behemoth awakening, brimming with power and majesty.

The sound echoed through the air, as though it could pierce the heart and make one feel the Griffon's boundless strength and freedom.

The majestic Griffon soared through the azure sky. Its Wings spread in the wind like enormous sails, every feather shining brilliantly as though woven from starlight.

Lin Feng sat on the Griffon's back with remarkable calm, while Little Qinglin beside him tightly clutched its feathers, feeling its lightning-fast speed. She looked down at the world below, where mountains and rivers wound beneath her feet, while cities and villages dotted the land like stars. Everything seemed both tiny and magnificent.

The air around them carried a fresh scent, as though even breathing had become especially pleasant. Sunlight streamed through the clouds and fell upon the Griffon, draping it in a golden radiance that further highlighted its majesty and mystery.

The scene was truly refreshing, as though they had entered a dreamlike world.

"Relax, Qing Lin. I bought this Griffon specially and have raised it for years. It has already reached the level of a Peak Third-Order Magical Beast, and its flying skills are first-rate. Look at you, acting like you've never seen the world. Wouldn't that disgrace your brother, a dignified esteemed Alchemist?" Lin Feng grinned wickedly at Qing Lin, seemingly eager to see her little face flush with embarrassment.

Qing Lin lived up to his expectations perfectly, her little face turning rosy red. "Big Brother only knows how to tease me. Hmph, I'm never talking to you again." With that, she turned her little face aside and pretended to be angry, though her eyes kept secretly glancing at Lin Feng. Her meaning was obvious.

"Haha, it was Big Brother's fault. Big Brother admits his mistake. Will Qing Lin forgive Big Brother?" Lin Feng quickly raised both hands in surrender, though his eyes were full of laughter.

"Then next time, you have to take me shopping three times, not five times." Qing Lin curled her lips upward, as though she had succeeded.

"Then practice the Grindstone Soul Forging Technique I taught you properly, and I'll agree." Qing Lin's little face immediately fell. That technique gave her such a headache whenever she practiced it...

Time passed amid Lin Feng and Qing Lin's playful bickering. Occasionally, they stopped to rest or gather medicinal herbs.

They continued flying for an unknown amount of time until a piercing cry rang out. The Griffon gradually slowed down, and ahead of them, an enormous mountain range faintly came into view. At its foot, a small town gradually appeared as well.

"Dancing Spiral Griffon King, descend. Green Mountain Town, here I come!" Lin Feng stood at the front of the Griffon with his hands behind his back and spoke calmly.

Under the blazing sun, the earth seemed to have been roasted by the scorching heat, radiating warmth from the inside out. The mercenaries of Green Mountain Town were drenched in sweat and cursed loudly.

Yet today, the town welcomed two visitors who did not fit in at all.

A handsome young man and beautiful young girl dressed in blue walked toward them. Well, perhaps that was not quite right. The young girl was certainly beautiful, but her figure was a little too slight, like a budding lotus not yet in bloom. As for the handsome young man, if his complexion were just five shades lighter, he could be described as having skin like ice and bones like jade.

It could not be helped. Although the flamboyant esteemed Alchemist paid great attention to his looks, he had lived in a desert city and spent a long time training his body in the desert. Unlike Qing Lin, whose bloodline was special, his bronze-colored skin was unavoidable.

But give him another month, and he would surely become a complete and utter handsome man from head to toe. (Hehehe, if that still didn't work, then he could only... hehehe.)

Green Mountain Town, perhaps because it bordered the Magical Beast Mountain Range, was also known as Magical Beast Town. The largest group within the town was naturally the mercenaries who lived with their lives on the line every day. The mercenaries here were better equipped than those in Stone Desert City, yet their overall strength was more than a level weaker. They gathered in groups, hooking arms, spitting as they talked loudly in the streets about which women in town had the most flavor, where the strongest liquor could be found, and which magical beasts were the fiercest...

Sure enough, the moment Lin Feng and Qing Lin stepped into Green Mountain Town, some fools came rushing over to hand Lin Feng equipment.

"Kid, you're pretty handsome, but I wonder how you compare to that young lad from last time? Hahaha! That young lad was played to death by this old man. I wonder whether you can last a few more days, hahahaha." A vicious, muscular man of around fifty, with a scar across his face, grinned lewdly.

"Hahaha, Scarface, ever since you got played by that Gong He Ape, you've become more and more perverted. I think that little lady beside him would be far more enjoyable to play with. Hehehe." Another burly man beside him retorted with a creepy chuckle.

"Mention that again and I'll take your life. Sooner or later, I'll kill you."

"Heh, who kills whom is still up in the air."

The two bickered for quite a while without anyone stepping forward, while the mercenaries nearby began egging them on.

"Hey, hey, hey. You've been talking for so long, shouldn't someone ask for my opinion?" Lin Feng tilted his head.

The moment he said that, the atmosphere turned strange. Everyone turned to stare at Lin Feng...