Cleverly Saving Alice

The next day, Lin Feng, Dilia, and the Shadow Mouse Beibei set off for home.

On the way back, the magical beasts they encountered grew weaker and weaker, posing no threat at all. Lin Feng and the others stopped wasting time on them. Eager to return home, Lin Feng and Dilia spent every day doing little besides eating, sleeping, and hurrying along at full speed.

Ten days later, Lin Feng and the others finally reached the outskirts of the Magical Beast Forest, where most of the beasts were Third- or Fourth-Level.

Lin Feng couldn't be bothered to kill Third- or Fourth-Level beasts. The two of them and one magical beast traveled through the Magical Beast Mountain Range. Seeing the familiar scenery around them, Lin Feng and Dilia were both filled with emotion.

"Year after year, the flowers look the same; year after year, the people change." Lin Feng couldn't help sighing.

"Boss, quit being so sentimental. We gained a lot from training in the Magical Beast Mountain Range this time. Once we're out, we can exchange these Magic Cores for gold coins, and you'll be a little rich man too. Hee-hee!" Beibei stood on Lin Feng's shoulder, joking with him through their soul link.

At that, even Lin Feng, who had never cared much about gold coins, couldn't help smiling. Over more than five years of training and fighting magical beasts, they'd gained countless Magic Cores. On top of that, plenty of people had tried to rob Lin Feng and the others, only to get robbed themselves and hand over their Magic Cores. The one disappointment was that, although Lin Feng's Space Ring held many Magic Cores, there weren't many high-grade ones. The best was a Magic Core from an Eighth-Level peak Snow Wolf. Most of them came from Second-Level Earth Scorpions—several thousand in all. That was, of course, Dilia's handiwork.

As Lin Feng and the others leaped over a stream, they suddenly heard fierce roars from magical beasts and shouts from people in the distant woods.

"Huh? Anyone who dares come to the Magical Beast Mountain Range must be at least a Fifth-Level warrior, but the outer area is usually full of Third- and Fourth-Level beasts. Why is the fighting so intense?" Lin Feng wondered.

Fierce battles like this could happen in the inner reaches of the Magical Beast Mountain Range, where Fifth- and Sixth-Level beasts roamed and Seventh-Level beasts appeared from time to time. But this sort of thing was rare in the outer area, and fights there were usually over quickly.

He pushed off with both legs, leaped seven or eight meters into the air, and easily bounded from tree to tree. It took him only a moment to reach the battle.

Standing on a branch, Lin Feng quietly looked down.

Two boys and two girls were fighting fiercely against a Bloodthirsty War Boar. One of the boys, dressed in white armor, shouted instructions: "Second Brother, stop running around and protect Alice. I'll draw this stupid pig away. Niya, don't panic. Aim for its vital spots!"

It was obvious that the four had little experience. They were panicking in the face of danger, and only the boy in white armor who led them seemed composed.

"Could this be Alice's group?" Lin Feng gaped in disbelief. The number of boys and girls and the way they were dressed were extremely similar to the descriptions in the original story. Even more strikingly, they were in an area where Third- and Fourth-Level beasts gathered, and had run into a Fifth-Level Bloodthirsty War Boar that had wandered out for a stroll.

"Is this fate? Was Alice destined to meet Lin Feng?" Lin Feng wondered. He worked out the date and realized it was probably August of the year 9997 on the Yulan Calendar—about the same time Lin Feng first met Alice in the original story.

"Forget it. Since I've run into them, I may as well save them." Lin Feng jumped down from the branch and walked over to Dilia.

Although Lin Feng disliked Alice for deceiving the original Lin Feng's feelings, her tragic fate later on had still earned his sympathy. Besides, without Alice, Lin Feng wouldn't have advanced to become a Level Seven Mage so quickly or created the astonishing stone sculpture Dream Awakening, which had won him the title of master sculptor. All things considered, Alice's good and bad deeds probably balanced out.

A red-haired boy shouted in panic, "Boss Kalan, didn't you say the outer area only had Third- and Fourth-Level beasts? That's a Fifth-Level beast!"

The boy at the head of the group, Kalan, was filled with helplessness. As a Fifth-Level warrior, he'd brought three good friends to train in the outermost part of the Magical Beast Mountain Range. They shouldn't have been in any danger, but he hadn't expected them to run into a Fifth-Level beast.

"Pfft!" More than a dozen Earth Spikes burst from around the Bloodthirsty War Boar. Three even struck its body, but its thick hide snapped them off.

"Roar!"

The Bloodthirsty War Boar immediately glared at the only mage among the four, then charged at her at full speed. Its charge was terrifying, and flames occasionally burst from its nostrils. The other boy panicked at once.

"Get out of the way, Alice! Move!" Kalan shouted.

The girl called Alice had long golden hair and a pair of dreamy, misty eyes. She panicked and tried to escape, but the Bloodthirsty War Boar was a Fifth-Level beast. It wasn't highly intelligent, but it was still far more cunning than an ordinary animal.

The Bloodthirsty War Boar charged after Alice.

Seeing it rush toward her, Alice tried desperately to run, but a vine caught her foot and sent her sprawling. When she looked back, the Bloodthirsty War Boar was charging like a madman, its red eyes glaring. With Alice's frail body, one stomp from the beast would be enough to kill her.

Alice froze in terror.

The other two boys and the remaining girl were so frightened that they didn't know what to do. They couldn't reach her in time.

"Alice!" Kalan could only cry out in pain and desperation. He was a Fifth-Level warrior, but it was clear he lacked experience.

"Pfft!"

Seven or eight sharp Earth Spikes, wrapped in dense yellow light, suddenly burst from the ground. The Fifth-Level Bloodthirsty War Boar had thick skin, but two of the spikes still pierced its hard muscles. Blood streamed from its belly.

Unfortunately, the Earth Spikes had only pierced its muscles and hadn't damaged its internal organs.

"Roar!" The Bloodthirsty War Boar threw its head back and howled in pain.

"Pfft!" A Black Short Blade flashed down from above like lightning and pierced the Bloodthirsty War Boar's eye. Its eyeball burst, and the blade went straight through its skull. The beast's whole body shook like a sieve as it writhed in agony, then went still a moment later.

Kalan, Niya, Alice, and the others felt their hearts pounding.

They watched as a sturdy young man in blue warrior's clothes expertly removed the Bloodthirsty War Boar's Magic Beast Core, then turned to leave. Kalan was the first of the four to recover. He immediately called out, "Friend, wait!"

"Hm?" Lin Feng turned around and frowned. He'd only stepped in because of Alice, and didn't particularly want to get involved with this group. If they had been strangers, he might not have bothered to save them at all.

Kalan hurried over and said gratefully, "My name is Kalan. Thank you so much for helping us. If you hadn't stepped in, Alice would have died."

The girl named Alice ran over as well. She was clearly still shaken; her chest rose and fell with every breath. Her misty eyes rested on Lin Feng with curiosity. "Thank you for saving my life. My name is Alice, my full name is Alice Dauf. I'm an Earth Element Mage too."

Lin Feng's gaze lingered on Alice for a moment.

There was no denying that Alice was a girl with an extraordinary air about her. Her endearing quality was innate; she didn't need her voice, makeup, or anything else to create it.

"So Alice really is a little beauty. No wonder the original Lin Feng fell so deeply in love with her. But I'm not going to be foolish enough to repeat his mistake."

"It was nothing. You don't need to thank me." Lin Feng waved at Alice.

"My name is Tony. May I ask what the mage's name is?" another boy asked.

Lin Feng looked at them impassively. "How long have you been in the Magical Beast Mountain Range?"

"Today is our first day," Kalan said helplessly. "We never expected to run into a Fifth-Level beast on our very first day. We're so unlucky. The books said the outer area should have Third- and Fourth-Level beasts. We thought the four of us would be safe here."

"Foolish." Lin Feng shook his head.

Niya, the female archer, immediately bristled. "Hey, what's with the attitude? You only saved Alice. What gives you the right to call us fools?"

"Niya," Kalan snapped.

Lin Feng spoke bluntly. "I'm impressed by your nerve. You actually dared to enter the Magical Beast Mountain Range without a second thought. I also have to say you were lucky not to run into bandits on the way here."

"Bandits?" Kalan and the others exchanged glances. They hadn't run into any.

The Magical Beast Mountain Range stretched for tens of thousands of miles and could be entered from all directions, so it wasn't unusual to avoid bandits.

"If you don't want to die, leave the Magical Beast Mountain Range right now," Lin Feng said.

"Why? Are there a lot of Fifth-Level beasts in the outer area?" Tony asked in confusion.

Lin Feng replied calmly, "In the Magical Beast Mountain Range, especially the outer areas, the most dangerous thing isn't the magical beasts. It's people. The four of you are weak, and you have no experience. I doubt any greedy person would pass up the chance to take advantage of you. You were probably only spared because no one had spotted you yet. Otherwise, all four of you would already be dead."

"The most dangerous thing is people?" Kalan frowned, but a moment later his expression changed completely.

Kalan immediately addressed Lin Feng respectfully. "Mage, we only entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range today, and we know very little about it. We decided to come here on our own. I hope you can help us leave the range together."

Lin Feng frowned. He hadn't expected his kind warning to send things down the same path as in the original story. He didn't like trouble, but if the five of them ran into bandits on their way back, they would be in real danger.

"Mage, please help us," Alice pleaded too.

Lin Feng glanced at Alice. Seeing the pleading look in her eyes, he thought of the scene of her being killed by bandits, and his heart softened. He nodded. "All right. I'm heading out anyway, so I'll take you with me. But if we run into bandits on the way back, I can only do my best to help. If any of you get killed, there won't be anything I can do."

Kalan was delighted and immediately nodded. "We're already very grateful that you're willing to help us, Mage."

Lin Feng nodded. Just then, Dilia came over from the woods and stood beside him, intimately slipping her arm through one of his.

Lin Feng was a little surprised. As far as he knew, Dilia was shy around strangers. Why had she taken his arm in front of so many strangers today? But when he noticed her wary gaze fixed on Alice, he understood Dilia's little scheme. Smiling knowingly, he introduced himself to Alice and the others: "My name is Lin Feng, and this is my wife, Dilia."

To put Dilia at ease, Lin Feng introduced her as his wife.