Strange Village

After emerging from the Teleportation Array, Lu Feng felt somewhat dazed. This was not his first time experiencing teleportation, but unlike before, he was now merely at the One Soul Realm, utterly incapable of ignoring the effects caused by spatial distortion as he once had.

"Bleurgh..."

After taking only a few steps, Lu Feng felt dizzy and disoriented. Before he could even make out his surroundings, he bent over and began vomiting.

Suddenly, Lu Feng heard the tender sound of crying from nearby. He wiped the corner of his mouth and looked up, only to see a little girl crying over there, with a youth of seventeen or eighteen standing beside her and trying to comfort her.

The little girl looked fifteen or sixteen. She wept like pear blossoms in the rain, her large tear-filled eyes seeming set into her round little face. She looked utterly adorable, a true beauty in the making. Even dressed in plain, worn hemp clothes, she could not hide her delicate charm.

The youth beside her was much more ordinary. His hair was messy and unkempt, his skin dark, and he wore hemp clothes with dirt still clinging to his hands.

"Who are you?" The youth shifted slightly to shield the girl, watching Lu Feng with great wariness.

Lu Feng was still somewhat dazed and did not know how to answer for a moment. He had not even figured out where he was.

"Bad man." The little girl spoke through her tears, looking so pitiful that it tugged at one's heart.

Lu Feng was puzzled. How had he become a bad man? Though his face was a little pale from vomiting and dizziness, it should not have been enough for her to call him a bad man, right?

Seeing the little girl cry without stopping, Lu Feng could not bear it and asked, "What happened? Do you need help?"

Hearing Lu Feng's words, the youth grew somewhat angry and roared fiercely, "No need. Leave this place quickly. Don't disturb us while we're handling important business."

"Don't go! Compensate me for my Black Green Snake." The little girl stopped crying and hid behind the youth as she spoke with a hint of resentment. Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of angering Lu Feng.

"Compensate you for what?" Lu Feng asked in confusion.

"It's all because you were howling like ghosts and wolves over there! You scared away the Black Green Snake we were trying to catch." The little girl's face was filled with grievance.

"Howling like ghosts and wolves?" Lu Feng could not help but laugh bitterly inwardly. So his unintentional vomiting had caused someone else quite a bit of trouble.

After understanding the reason, Lu Feng said somewhat sheepishly, "Don't worry. It's just a little black snake. Watch, I'll catch it back for you right away." Though it had been unintentional, it was still his fault for causing them trouble.

Under the pair's watchful eyes, Lu Feng took out an incense stick from the Tail Ring on his little finger, planted it where they had been trying to catch the Black Green Snake, then took out a flint and lit it.

"What is that?" the youth asked, his expression still guarded and wary.

"Beast Moss Incense. Ordinary beasts without spiritual intelligence will be enchanted the moment they smell it and obediently come over, as docile as if they were drunk." Lu Feng smiled gently, signaling for them to wait patiently.

Very quickly, just as Lu Feng had said, all sorts of creatures began gathering around—rats, centipedes, insects, and more.

The little girl seemed somewhat frightened. Seeing so many snakes, bugs, rats, and ants, she unconsciously moved farther away.

"Look, look!" The little girl suddenly tugged excitedly at the youth's clothes.

In the distance, a small dark green snake with some ugly markings was crawling unsteadily toward them. It was precisely the Black Green Snake they needed.

Seeing this, the youth immediately leaped forward, grabbed the basket at his waist, pinched the snake seven inches from its head, and caught it in the basket.

"Brother, look! There's another one over there—another one!" The little girl was beside herself with excitement. Though they were terrifying snakes, in her eyes they seemed like delicious food, and her eyes were full of joy.

"Thank you, big brother! With the black snake gallbladder, Mother's cold illness can finally be cured!" the little girl cried happily to Lu Feng. Her earlier dislike and disdain had vanished completely. At that moment, Lu Feng was like an omnipotent god in her eyes.

So it was to save her mother! Lu Feng could not help feeling moved.

"Watch out..." the youth shouted. He swiftly put the black snake he had just caught into the basket and rushed toward the little girl.

The youth's shout also drew Lu Feng and the little girl's attention. They immediately discovered a wild wolf not far behind them, staring at the three of them like a tiger eyeing its prey, saliva dripping from its jaws.

"Get behind me." As he spoke, Lu Feng spread his arms to shield the two behind him, then took up a defensive stance and stared fixedly at the wild wolf.

When Lu Feng stepped forward to protect them, a strange light flashed through the youth's eyes. After that, the way he looked at Lu Feng was no longer so fierce. Meanwhile, the little girl hid behind Lu Feng in fear, too frightened even to open her eyes.

Lu Feng stared intently at the wild wolf, not daring to act rashly. The wolf seemed wary of something as well, and the two sides remained locked in a standoff.

"Waaah..." The little girl finally failed to suppress her fear and began crying.

At the very instant her crying rang out, the wild wolf pounced. Distracted by the little girl's sudden cry, Lu Feng did not react in time. The wolf's leaping claw raked fiercely across the arm he had raised to block it.

After landing, the wild wolf immediately sprang up again and pounced.

Just as the wolf was about to reach him—

"Whoosh..."

An arrow carrying the force of tearing wind shot over with incredible speed and struck the wild wolf in time. It pierced through its eye and emerged from the back of its head, ending the wolf's life in an instant. The strength of the archer was evident.

Looking at the fallen wolf, Lu Feng froze. The sense of crisis, of death drawing near only moments ago, had suddenly sobered him completely. He was no longer the formidable figure he had once been.

He was very, very weak now—so weak that he could not even defeat an ordinary wild beast.

At this rate, let alone surviving the remaining four years, he might meet with trouble the moment he entered the world.

"We'll have wolf meat tonight. A little extra for your meal." The speaker was a middle-aged man, the very person who had fired the arrow. His name was utterly ordinary: Huo Gen.

While Lu Feng was still in a daze, Huo Gen had already reached the wolf's corpse, roughly dealt with it, and slung it over his shoulder.

Lu Feng came back to his senses and looked at the middle-aged man before him. The man was very tall and powerfully built, his muscles firm and full of explosive strength. A scar as wide as a little finger ran across his left cheek, making every gesture of his appear rough and bold.

"Come, follow me into the village. I'll bandage you up." Huo Gen carried the wild wolf on his left shoulder while naturally draping his right arm over Lu Feng's shoulder, looking like two brothers who had known each other for years.

Praise showed on Huo Gen's face as he said loudly, "I saw from afar how you stepped forward to protect the little one just now. I didn't expect your body to be so weak, yet you acted like such a man. Not bad, not bad."

Lu Feng felt somewhat embarrassed by Huo Gen's words. Hearing that his body was weak, he could not help but smile bitterly. If not for the matter of the seven souls, he would certainly have been as robust as Huo Gen now. But there was no helping it—he truly was weak at present, weak enough that even carrying that wild wolf would take effort.

I've just come out of the valley. It would be good to find a place to learn about things first. There's no rush to go to Azure Dragon Town, Lu Feng considered inwardly.

"Uncle Huo Gen, don't lean on big brother like that. His arm is still bleeding." The little girl trotted along after them. From her angle, Lu Feng really did look as if Huo Gen were pressing down on him, though Lu Feng actually felt no pressure at all.

"It's fine, little girl. My name is Lu Feng. Just call me Lu Feng." Lu Feng slowed his pace slightly, turned back, and said with a smile.

"Okay, Brother Lu Feng. My name is Huo Yu, but everyone calls me Xiao Yu." The little girl smiled sweetly, then pulled over the youth at her side and introduced him. "This is Huo Niu, my brother. He has a terribly stubborn temper. He didn't know you just now, so his attitude was a bit bad. Brother Lu Feng, please don't take offense." After saying that, the little girl gave an embarrassed smile.

The youth named Huo Niu smiled, stepped over, and rubbed Huo Yu's head. Teasing her fondly, he said, "As if your attitude was so good just now. Who was it that kept demanding Brother Lu Feng compensate her?" He then burst into laughter.

"Brother~" Huo Yu cried out coquettishly, then hopped and kicked at him, trying to hit Huo Niu.

"Brother Lu Feng, don't take offense. These two siblings have been used to bickering and playing around since they were little," Huo Gen explained with a few laughs. "We live in the village ahead. The village is small and has few people, but every one of them is warm and hospitable."

"That's right, we have to properly thank Brother Lu Feng tonight." Huo Niu dodged one of Huo Yu's playful kicks and said to Huo Gen with a smile, "Uncle Huo Gen, you didn't see it just now. Aunt Bai Ji's snake gallbladder was only obtained with Brother Lu Feng's help too."

Led by Huo Gen, Lu Feng arrived at a village. Mountains surrounded it on all sides, with only a narrow path connecting it to the outside. From high above, it looked like a massive pit raised on all sides and sunken in the middle. More vividly put, it resembled a tea bowl with a single crack in it.

The moment Lu Feng stepped into the village entrance, he heard people calling from far away.

"Come help out! Huo Gen is back from hunting!"

"Aunt Bai Ji, your daughter is back!"

"..."

With a single glance, Lu Feng saw that there were not many people in the village, perhaps only around twenty. Though all of them were busy with their work, every face bore a smile, and they seemed free of all care.

"Mother, look! Look what we caught!" Huo Yu tugged Huo Niu along as she ran toward a wooden house, shouting excitedly.

A middle-aged woman stood at the entrance of the wooden house, her back against the door as she craned her neck in anticipation. Her face was somewhat haggard, and she looked very weak.

"You are not allowed to sneak out again in the future." The woman held Huo Yu's hand and scolded her with a trace of severity, though her words held even more affection.

"Got it." Huo Yu cutely stuck out her tongue.

Huo Gen set down his prey, walked over, and patted Huo Niu on the shoulder. "What are you standing around for? Hurry up and deal with these Black Green Snakes."

"Got it! I'll go find Grandpa Mu Tong right away." Huo Niu answered, then happily ran into the distance.

"This child's temperament still won't settle down. He'll be an adult in a few days, yet he still acts like a child." Huo Gen said with a smile.

Bai Ji pursed her lips in a helpless smile, then looked at Lu Feng and asked Huo Gen gently, "And this is?"

To everyone in the village, Lu Feng was a stranger. But because Huo Gen had brought him back, they all welcomed him warmly. The village's simple and honest customs were plain to see.