The Windless Mercenary Group, the Qiu Family Siblings

"So this is the outskirts of Windless City?" Chen Yan asked, surveying the desolate surroundings.

Qiu Yashuang nodded.

"Where is Windless City? How far is it from Black Wind Valley?" Chen Yan continued.

Qiu Yashuang glanced up at Chen Yan's face, somewhat speechless. The moment their eyes met, she looked away again as if she'd been burned.

She muttered to herself, This exhibitionist who crawled out of a snake's belly must be a few bricks short of a load! He doesn't even know about Windless City?

But... that face was... well, not bad.

Unusually patient, she explained, "You're going to Black Wind Valley? It's not too far, maybe three or four hundred kilometers."

"If you... come back to our camp with me, I can consider having one of the group's vehicles give you a ride."

"Camp?" Chen Yan seemed unfamiliar with the word.

Qiu Yashuang was starting to get used to it.

Before Chen Yan could say anything else, she eagerly cut in, a hint of pride in her voice. "We run this whole area!"

"The Windless Mercenary Group! Surely you've heard of us, right?"

Chen Yan's face remained expressionless, showing neither surprise nor admiration.

Qiu Yashuang felt defeated and pouted. "Honestly, where did you crawl out from, you caveman?"

Not far away, brothers Qiu Rao and Qiu Jiu were hiding behind the giant snake's corpse, whispering and gossiping.

"What's gotten into Sister Ya? She's being so patient," the younger Qiu Jiu asked in a low voice, poking his brother in the side.

"If we'd asked questions like that, she'd have already served us a fist."

Qiu Rao gave a knowing snort. "What would a kid like you know?"

"That's called being in heat. Sister Ya probably saw how... well-endowed he is and wants to drag him back to have his babies."

"But," Qiu Jiu admitted honestly, scratching his head, "he really is good-looking. Better-looking than any celebrity we've seen on posters."

"He also said he's going to Black Wind Valley. That place is dangerous. He's probably one of those elite students from a martial arts university in the city, out here to get some experience..."

The brothers were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice someone silently creeping up behind them.

"Having a nice chat?" Qiu Yashuang's ominous voice suddenly came from above.

Qiu Rao and Qiu Jiu jumped in fright and instinctively crouched with their arms over their heads, so practiced at it that it was almost heartbreaking.

"Sister Ya, we were wrong!" they cried in unison.

They were already bracing themselves for a knuckle rap, but the expected pain never came.

Qiu Yashuang only glared at them. Her tone was impatient, but, unusually, she didn't lay a hand on them. "Shut up and get to work!"

As she spoke, she absentmindedly twirled a loose strand of hair over her shoulder around her fingertip.

"Go cut off some good snake meat to take back! Hurry up!"

At once, the brothers sprang into action with palpable relief, scrambling to pull out their tools and get to work on the huge snake carcass.

Qiu Yashuang remained where she was, gently shaking her head as she tried to maintain the image of a "strict but caring big sister."

She subtly turned her head, hoping to see Chen Yan's reaction out of the corner of her eye.

Instead, she saw him gazing blankly into the distance, as if he couldn't care less about what they were doing.

Qiu Yashuang gritted her teeth, feeling a sudden, inexplicable flare of anger.

Chen Yan's thoughts didn't linger on the people in front of him.

Earlier, he had left an extremely subtle spiritual mark on his father, Chen Kefa.

Although his father had also cultivated the Mystic Meditation Method, he was nowhere near advanced enough to detect the mark that followed him like a shadow.

What puzzled Chen Yan, however, was that his connection to the mark had become intermittent and erratic.

At times, he could sense it clearly, as if it were just inches away.

At others, it seemed to sink into the sea, vanishing without a trace, as though some invisible force had cut it off.

But one thing reassured him: the spiritual mark had not vanished completely.

That proved that his father, Chen Kefa, was still alive!

A long time had passed since Chen Kefa and the other man had stepped into that unknown Rift.

During the brief moments when he could sense the mark, Chen Yan could faintly catch indistinct emotional fluctuations from Chen Kefa at the other end...

The feeling seemed to be... delight?

But was there also a hint of nervousness mixed in?

Or perhaps both?

It was a complex state of mind unique to a situation where great opportunity and unknown danger coexisted.

Somehow, Chen Yan had a feeling that his father's encounter this time was no ordinary one.

He hadn't simply stumbled into danger. It was more like he'd set out on a thorny road that also concealed opportunities.

In that case, there was no need to rush.

Perhaps... watching and waiting was the best choice for now.

Chen Yan swept his gaze over the three people before him and made up his mind.

It wouldn't hurt to go with them to that so-called camp for now.

He could borrow a map and take a look. With his Photographic Memory, he could quickly construct a precise three-dimensional coordinate system in his Memory Palace.

After that, whether he rode in their vehicle or not wouldn't matter. He had his own way of getting to Black Wind Valley.

The Qiu brothers' whispered conversation had given him an idea. He could pose as a student from a Martial University, which seemed likely to save him a lot of trouble explaining himself.

Having made up his mind, Chen Yan said, "I'll go back with you..."

At once, a barely concealed flash of delight crossed Qiu Yashuang's face.

"...Could I borrow a detailed map when we get there?" Chen Yan added.

"Of course! Absolutely!"

Qiu Yashuang hurriedly agreed, secretly delighted.

Once you dare to come into the camp, you can forget about leaving!

The simple principle she'd been taught since childhood was that if she met someone she liked, she should tell him outright. If he agreed, all the better. If he didn't... then she'd find a way to keep him around and figure it out later!

If he dared to stand naked in front of her, then he'd better take responsibility!

Once they'd packed up, Qiu Yashuang led her two younger brothers toward the vehicle they'd parked nearby.

It was a heavily modified open-top off-road pickup.

Rough weld marks and added steel plates covered its body. Junk and ropes filled the truck bed, clearly used often to haul back their hunting "spoils."

They'd cut up the enormous snake carcass and stuffed its most valuable parts into the truck as well. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

"Get in!" Qiu Yashuang said, patting the passenger-side door and gesturing to Chen Yan.

But Chen Yan shook his head. He glanced over the vehicle and said calmly, "No need. I can keep up."

Qiu Yashuang froze, thinking he was going to change his mind. Her brows had just begun to furrow when Chen Yan finished speaking and paid them no further attention, instead calmly practicing his boxing forms where he stood...

His movements were fluid, his aura steady, as if he were somehow harmonizing with his surroundings.

"You... can keep up?" Qiu Yashuang looked at the steel beast, then at Chen Yan's long legs, and found the idea absurd.

Chen Yan finished his set and looked at her calmly, his eyes seeming to say, Try it and see.

Qiu Yashuang's competitive streak flared.

She wanted to see whether the guy really had the skill or was just bragging!

She slammed on the gas. The modified pickup roared like a beast, its tires kicking up a cloud of dust as it shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The speedometer's needle climbed rapidly, soon approaching the terrifying speed of two hundred kilometers per hour. The wilderness blurred past on either side.

"Whoa, Sis! Too fast!" Qiu Jiu screamed from the truck bed, clinging tightly to the railing.

Looking through the rearview mirror, Qiu Yashuang saw a figure following behind them through the swirling dust, moving at an unhurried pace like a ghost. He looked as relaxed as if he were strolling through his own backyard.

And the most infuriating part was... he was still practicing his boxing!

Her heart jolted. She slammed the gas pedal to the floor. The engine roared as it unleashed all its power, and the truck sped up again!

But no matter how fast she drove—even when it felt like the vehicle was about to fall apart—every time she turned to look through the side window, she could clearly see Chen Yan's ridiculously handsome face.

He even had enough time to lift an eyebrow at her.

His breathing was steady, his clothes fluttering in the wind.

What a dashing young man.

"I... holy crap!" Qiu Rao's jaw dropped as he stared at Chen Yan outside the window, his tongue tied in knots.

Qiu Jiu was even more dumbfounded. Clutching his head, he muttered to himself,

"Can he conjure things out of thin air?! And shrink space to cover a thousand miles in a step?!"

"Sister Ya! Did we hit a ghost?! Or meet an immortal?!"