The Debonair Jing Feng

?Chapter 12: The Debonair Jing Feng

Bi Fan ordered a plate of beef, a few side dishes, and a pot of fine wine.

There was plenty of fine wine in the Eight Treasures Gourd. Having been steeped in it, Bi Fan had grown somewhat addicted to drinking.

But all the wine in the Eight Treasures Gourd was spirit wine, potent in both medicinal properties and alcohol. Just smelling it was enough to get Bi Fan drunk.

Bi Fan had only just started eating when the Gluttonous Sable poked its head out from the front of his robe.

"Eh!" Someone at the same table as Bi Fan exclaimed in surprise. "That's a young Dragon Sable!"

"Big brother, you know about Dragon Sables? This little fellow is the greediest thing around," Bi Fan said with a smile.

From childhood to now, Bi Fan had never had any friends. He was naturally quite talkative, but had always pretended to be dull and taciturn.

Now that someone had struck up a conversation, Bi Fan wanted to chat a little longer.

"Squeak, squeak!" The Dragon Sable leaped onto Bi Fan's shoulder and protested.

"Little brother, my name is Jing Feng. Would you sell me your Dragon Sable?" the youth asked warmly.

Bi Fan shook his head. "Brother Jing Feng, the Gluttonous Sable is my friend. I'd never sell him."

"If you won't sell him, I won't press you. You seem to have a decent cultivation, so you must be a disciple of the Qingyang Sect. I'm Jing Feng, an Inner Disciple of the Qingyang Sect. If you ever need anything, come find me." Jing Feng lightly waved his feather fan as he spoke.

"My name is Bi Fan, and I'm an Outer Disciple of the Qingyang Sect," Bi Fan said excitedly.

He had already begun to think of Jing Feng as his first friend. No one had ever been this kind to him before.

Of course, Jing Feng didn't consider Bi Fan a friend. He simply didn't want to give up on the Dragon Sable.

The Dragon Sable was a real head-turner, the ultimate weapon for winning over girls. Jing Feng had no other hobbies; he simply loved to frolic among the flowers.

Of course, Jing Feng did have one virtue: he didn't like snatching other people's things by force. His favorite saying was, "A gentleman does not take what others cherish." In practice, though, he had "courted" more than a few other men's women.

Jing Feng stopped paying attention to Bi Fan, though his eyes kept drifting toward the Dragon Sable.

Bi Fan was hungry and ate quickly, wolfing down his food.

The Dragon Sable didn't care for any of the dishes, except the wine. Bi Fan gave him a small cup, and the little fellow got a bit tipsy, swaying his head from side to side. He looked utterly adorable.

Seeing how cute the Dragon Sable was, Jing Feng liked him even more and began scheming about how to get his hands on him.

Jing Feng had always believed that nothing in the world was truly unsellable; the price simply hadn't reached what the owner had in mind.

"Brother Bi Fan, you're heading down the mountain on some important business, aren't you?" Jing Feng tried striking up a conversation again.

"I don't have anything important to do. I'm just going to Qingyang Town to buy some everyday necessities," Bi Fan replied.

"Oh? Would you be interested in taking a trip to Tingfeng Valley?" Jing Feng asked.

Bi Fan had no idea where Tingfeng Valley was or what went on there.

After Jing Feng explained, he learned that Tingfeng Valley was a marketplace where cultivators traded.

Tingfeng Valley was over a thousand li from Qingyang Mountain, and it was the nearest trading hub. Cultivators from many sects went there to trade, while Rogue Cultivators brought out treasures to exchange for what they needed. It was bustling all year round.

Bi Fan was greatly tempted. He really wanted to go and see it for himself, but when he thought of the Medicine Garden on Jade Maiden Peak, he hesitated.

Jing Feng smiled. "Don't worry, Brother Bi Fan. I have a few Divine Speed Talismans. We can go and come back quickly—it'll only take two or three days."

"Such a magical talisman as the Divine Speed Talisman really exists?" Bi Fan asked in surprise.

"Of course." Jing Feng took out two Divine Speed Talismans and handed them to Bi Fan. "These are for you. Let's go together and see the place."

Bi Fan accepted the talismans, secretly pleased. He had noticed that there were a few in his Cosmic Bag too, but he couldn't tell one talisman from another.

Unable to resist Jing Feng's persuasion, Bi Fan finally agreed to go with him to Tingfeng Valley.

"Excellent! I won't be bored, either. We'll set off first thing tomorrow morning," Jing Feng said happily.

Jing Feng's gaze stayed fixed on the Dragon Sable, and he kept thinking about how to get Bi Fan to part with him.

After the meal, Bi Fan went out and bought all the things he needed.

Then he returned to his room, cultivated for a while, and began studying the three manuals.

The Qingyang Willow Catkin Sword Art was one of the Qingyang Sect's top manuals, taught only to Core Disciples. Bi Fan couldn't cultivate it yet.

Even so, he read it carefully and committed the Qingyang Willow Catkin Sword Art to memory.

The Misty Dance was a cultivation manual for movement techniques. Bi Fan read it once and barely managed to remember it, but it was so profound that he couldn't possibly comprehend it at his current level.

Still, the Misty Dance contained some simple techniques for dodging and shifting around. They were meant to lay the groundwork for the Misty Dance and were within his reach, so Bi Fan committed them to memory.

Afterward, Bi Fan took out the Carefree Art and read through it.

He was stunned. The Carefree Art included methods for cultivating inner breath and spiritual power, as well as many martial techniques. Even after cultivating inner breath, they would be difficult to master.

The martial techniques in the Carefree Art could only be used to some effect by experts of the Mortal Transformation Realm. Its inner-breath cultivation method could only be practiced by those in the Spiritual Wisdom Realm, so Bi Fan had to set it aside for now.

At the moment, Bi Fan could just about learn the first move, the Carefree Immortal Finger. It involved condensing inner breath into a thin line and then striking an enemy with it—an unpredictable attack of tremendous power.

After committing all three manuals to memory, Bi Fan began to cultivate.

First, he practiced the Misty Dance's basic footwork several times. He found it remarkably intricate and useful in a real fight, so he practiced it a few more times until he could use it with ease.

Of course, the Misty Dance's basic footwork required long-term practice to reach perfection and lay the foundation for the full technique.

Then Bi Fan began practicing the Carefree Immortal Finger. It mainly involved gathering inner breath and shooting it from the fingertip to kill an enemy without a trace.

But inner breath could bring out at most a tenth of the Carefree Immortal Finger's power. Once he cultivated spiritual power, its might would increase tenfold.

Bi Fan didn't finish cultivating until dawn. Unfortunately, he hadn't mastered the Carefree Immortal Finger; he still couldn't shoot out his inner breath to kill an enemy.

Bi Fan washed up and left his room. Jing Feng was already waiting in the hall.

Jing Feng came over with a smile. "Brother Bi Fan, you haven't had breakfast yet, have you? Come have a bite with me, and then we'll set off right away."

His eyes were fixed on the bulge in Bi Fan's chest, where the Dragon Sable was sound asleep.

The two ate quickly. After Jing Feng paid the bill, they set out.

Jing Feng taught Bi Fan how to use the Divine Speed Talisman. Then they activated their talismans together and hurried toward Tingfeng Valley.

As soon as the Divine Speed Talisman took effect, Bi Fan felt wind beneath his feet, and he sped along at incredible speed.

Following behind Jing Feng, Bi Fan felt the wind roar past his ears as the scenery on either side streaked backward like lightning.

Jing Feng smiled. "Brother Bi Fan, how's the speed? Exciting, isn't it?"

He kept his feather fan in hand, occasionally opening it with an elegant flourish.

Bi Fan found Jing Feng's affected manner a little ridiculous, though he didn't pay it much mind. Ever since practicing the Carefree Immortal Finger the previous night, he had taken to making all kinds of gestures with his fingers—snapping at flies, rubbing his nose, and so on. He especially liked stroking his chin, even though he hadn't grown a beard yet.

They raced like the wind, and time flew by.

"Brother Bi Fan, Tingfeng Valley is just ahead. We have to stop here and walk in slowly, or we'll be attacked," Jing Feng said. He clearly wasn't visiting for the first time.

Bi Fan hurried to a stop and looked around, but saw nothing unusual—not even a single person.

Could Jing Feng be trying to fool me, then steal the Dragon Sable?

Bi Fan was on guard, cautious to the utmost.