Refining the Purple Cloud Wings

Green Mountain Town.

Inside the cave, the light was dim. Only a slanting ray of sunset barely squeezed in through the entrance, falling upon Lu Heng, who sat cross-legged.

In less than a quarter of an hour, the Black Flame Purple Cloud Eagle's soul was erased.

With a thought from Lu Heng,

the Dou Qi within his body gathered behind his back. Then, a pair of purple light wings, two or three meters wide and etched with faint cloud patterns, unfolded outward like phantoms.

Dou Qi flowed across the purple wings, bringing a light breeze through the cave and stirring the gravel and dust on the ground.

Lu Heng's body grew light, and he rose from the ground, hovering in midair.

"This worked?"

Lu Heng turned his head to glance at the pair of purple light wings behind him and tried pouring Dou Qi into them.

As the azure and crimson Dou Qi within him surged in, the patterns on the Purple Cloud Wings instantly lit up, carrying him darting left and right through the cramped cave.

At first, Lu Heng crashed into the rock walls a few times, but after several minutes, he got the hang of it and moved through the air as nimbly as a large butterfly.

This feeling was amazing.

He had never flown on a plane in his previous life, yet in this one, he could actually soar freely through the sky. It was simply unbelievable.

Moreover, even on the Dou Qi Continent, one needed to reach the Dou Wang realm to achieve Dou Qi Transformation Wings.

Now that he had the Purple Cloud Wings, even if he could not defeat opponents below the Dou Wang realm, he would at least be able to escape.

Lu Heng gauged the consumption of Dou Qi within his body.

This pair of light wings was practically a bottomless pit. Every second they remained active, they devoured his Dou Qi in huge gulps.

"At this rate of consumption..."

Lu Heng calculated inwardly.

If it were an ordinary nine-star Dou Zhe, they would probably be finished after flying for half an hour.

Even in the original story, after Xiao Yan obtained the Purple Cloud Wings, he could only fly for around twenty or thirty minutes.

But Lu Heng was different.

He possessed a dual-attribute physique to begin with. His Dou Qi Qi Vortex was more than twice as large as those of the same rank, and his recovery ability was astonishing as well.

"I can probably fly for two hours."

Lu Heng landed and retracted the light wings, quite satisfied with this endurance.

With medicinal pills to support him, more than two hours would be enough to fly from Green Mountain Town back to the vicinity of Wutan City.

"Home."

Lu Heng dusted himself off and walked out of the cave.

Standing at the edge of the cliff, he fixed his gaze on the direction of Wutan City, took a deep breath, spread the purple wings behind him, and shot into the sky like a streak of violet light.

High in the air, violent winds howled.

Lu Heng flew for more than two hours before the outline of Wutan City finally appeared in his sight.

Whenever half of his Dou Qi was depleted along the way, Lu Heng would take a medicinal pill. Otherwise, it would have been difficult to sustain such a long flight.

As he neared Wutan City, Lu Heng did not dare fly brazenly straight into the city.

In this remote little city, where a Dou Ling expert could dominate an entire region, seeing someone capable of "Dou Qi Transformation Wings" flying through the sky would probably cause a commotion.

Lu Heng could not be bothered with the trouble, so he found an empty grove several miles outside the city and landed without a sound.

After putting away the Purple Cloud Wings, Lu Heng briefly tidied his windblown hair, then went to a stream to wash his face, rinsing away most of the bloody and earthy smell he had picked up in the mountains.

He looked at his reflection in the water. Hmm, his skin was a little darker, but he had grown sturdier. Much of his youthful immaturity had faded, replaced by a steadiness in his brows that came from having seen blood.

"Big Sister Ya Fei will probably feel sorry for me when she sees me like this, right?"

The corner of Lu Heng's mouth lifted at his reflection. After straightening his robe, he joined the crowd entering the city with light steps.

The Miteer Auction House remained as bustling and prosperous as ever.

As Wutan City's haven for big spenders, it never lacked nouveau riche waving gold coins around.

Familiar with the place, Lu Heng avoided the crowded main entrance and headed to the side door of the Miteer Auction House.

Several guards had just been about to shout at him. When they recognized his face, the spears in their hands nearly fell to the ground. Just as they bent over to greet him as "Young Master Lu," Lu Heng stopped them with a raised finger.

"Shh."

Lu Heng blinked, pointed upstairs, and with a tap of his foot, swept down the corridor like a gust of wind without making the slightest sound.

On the second floor, in the office at the end of the hall.

Lu Heng stood before the familiar mahogany door and took a deep breath.

The heart that remained calm even when facing magical beasts now sped up a little, rather disgracefully.

"Knock, knock."

Lu Heng raised a hand and knocked softly on the door twice.

The sound of pages turning came from within, followed by the voice he had missed, carrying a trace of fatigue.

"Come in."

Lu Heng pushed open the door and entered.

Afternoon sunlight spilled in through the window, with tiny specks of dust floating in the air.

Ya Fei was leaning over the broad desk.

Today, she wore a fitted purple-and-gold brocade robe. Its cut was exceedingly bold, perfectly accentuating the enticing curves of her waist and hips. The glimpse of pale skin exposed at her neckline was dazzling under the sunlight.

Ya Fei held a pen in her hand and frowned at a thick account book, not even looking up at the person who had entered.

"Just put the food on that table."

While marking the ledger, Ya Fei gave the order without raising her head, her voice hoarse from working for so long.

"Tell the kitchen to add more goji berries to Uncle Gu Ni's medicinal meal tonight. He has been staring at account books so much these past few days that his eyes are going blurry."

The room fell silent.

There was no sound of plates being set down, nor any response from a maid.

Only the slightly heavy sound of breathing slowly drew nearer.

Ya Fei's hand holding the pen paused slightly.

The auction house maids were all strictly trained. Who would dare be so unruly?

An inexplicable irritation rose in Ya Fei's heart. Just as she was about to look up and scold the person, a shadow had already fallen across her desk.

"Big Sister Ya Fei, I don't need goji berries. I'm in great health."

The young man's voice carried a distinctive brightness, along with a hint of irrepressible laughter, abruptly ringing out in the quiet office.

"Clatter."

The charcoal pencil in Ya Fei's hand fell onto the desk, rolled twice, and blackened a contract worth a fortune.

Her entire body stiffened in the chair as though she had been frozen by a spell. Only after a full two or three seconds did she suddenly raise her head.

Backlit by the sun, Lu Heng's figure was far more upright than it had been five months ago. Broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted, he stood there like a straight spear.

His once fair and slightly rounded face had become sharply defined, his skin a healthy wheat color. Only those eyes fixed upon her remained just as before, holding the warmth and slyness that made her feel at ease.

"Lu... Little Brother Lu Heng?"

Ya Fei's voice trembled, as though she feared that if she spoke any louder, the illusion before her would burst like a bubble.

Lu Heng walked around the desk and came before her. Rather than standing properly as he had in the past, he bent slightly and braced both hands on the chair's armrests, caging the businesswoman who usually commanded Wutan City within his embrace.

"Mm, it's me."