Black Wind Mountain Outpost

At that moment, Jiang Feng and the others were heading west. They had already left town.

In the distance, the dark outline of Black Wind Mountain was faintly visible.

Black Wind Mountain was rich in natural resources, especially medicinal herbs.

The reason a tiny place like Black Water Town could support three medicine halls was this very mountain.

Many locals went into the mountain to gather herbs and supplement their livelihoods. But the mountain held more than medicinal plants—it also harbored man-eating beasts. Plenty went in and never came back out.

With Fan Qingyang leading the way, the group walked and stopped along the route, chatting and laughing. Anyone who knew they were there to collect herbs would have been surprised; they looked more like a group out on a spring excursion.

Jiang Feng naturally kept his mouth shut. The Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall wasn't his family's business, and he had no interest in worrying himself over it. Besides, he wasn't the one in charge, so there was no need to say something that would offend people.

He walked quietly at the very back of the group, keeping the Iron Stake Technique running through his body while silently adjusting the rhythm of his Exquisite Breathing Method.

As noon approached, they found a shady spot at the foot of the mountain and stopped to rest.

Jiang Feng sat alone in a corner, deliberately keeping his distance from the others. He had tried his best to keep a low profile, but there was still someone who couldn't stand the sight of him.

"Well, Jiang Feng, you don't even forget to cultivate while you're out collecting herbs. What diligence! I wonder how your cultivation's going. Have you made it to the second level of the Blood-Moving Realm yet? Hahaha!"

Jiang Feng smiled and replied blandly, "Can't help it. I'm a dull fellow, so I can only use the dull method of letting the early bird catch the worm. Unlike you lot, all 'extraordinarily talented'—you can raise your strength just by chatting and laughing."

The man who had mocked him was immediately struck dumb, his face turning red with fury and embarrassment.

If he really were extraordinarily talented, why would he still be working as an apprentice here?

But he didn't think Jiang Feng had the right to make fun of him, either. He was at least at the third level of the Blood-Moving Realm, while Jiang Feng hadn't even reached the second. What gave him the right to laugh at him?

Thinking this, he got to his feet and stormed toward Jiang Feng, cursing as he went.

"Jiang Feng, did Young Master Wu hit you so hard you lost your mind? How dare you talk to me like—"

Jiang Feng's eyes snapped open at almost the same instant, and he fixed the man with a cold stare.

At that single glance, the young man shuddered involuntarily, as if some terrifying beast had set its sights on him. His swaggering steps faltered, and the words caught in his throat were swallowed back down.

Just then, Fan Qingyang suddenly spoke up:

"Enough. Stop arguing. We're all with the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall, so we should help one another out. Looks like everyone's had enough rest. Let's get moving."

The young man seized the chance to back down. He shot Jiang Feng a vicious glare, tossed out a threat, then turned away. "Jiang Feng, you got lucky today. Watch your mouth from now on!"

Jiang Feng no longer bothered looking at that clown. Instead, he turned his attention to Fan Qingyang, who was walking ahead.

Honestly, he was confused.

Fan Qingyang's words just now were completely out of character. Jiang Feng had expected him to add fuel to the fire and egg the others on to gang up on him. He had already prepared himself to deal with that.

But now things had suddenly taken a turn. Rather than putting him at ease, it only deepened the unease in his heart.

Fan Qingyang probably isn't planning some petty little scheme this time. He's definitely prepared a "big surprise" for me.

For the rest of the journey, Jiang Feng remained on high alert and even deliberately widened the distance between himself and the others.

He quietly slipped the dagger he carried into his sleeve, ready to deal with any sudden trouble.

As time passed, Jiang Feng and the others finally reached the outskirts of Black Wind Mountain.

Night had already fallen. Deprived of daylight, Black Wind Mountain looked especially sinister and terrifying. Cold winds howled through the woods, sending dead leaves and branches rattling. The entire wilderness seemed to have become a living cloud of black mist, baring its claws as it swallowed everything around it.

At last, before the sky had gone completely dark, the group reached the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall's outpost in Black Wind Mountain.

Calling it an outpost was generous. It was little more than a patch of cleared land with three lonely wooden cabins standing on it.

The largest cabin was a storehouse for medicinal herbs and supplies. The other two, smaller ones served as lodgings.

Fan Qingyang led everyone into the storehouse to take inventory. As usual, they only needed to count out enough supplies to take back to the Benevolent Heart Medicine Hall and the job would be done.

But once they finished counting, they discovered that not only were there too few varieties of herbs, but the quantities were far from sufficient as well.

A scrawny apprentice looked at Fan Qingyang with concern.

"Boss, there aren't enough herbs. If we take this little back, will we even be able to complete the job?"

Fan Qingyang looked completely unconcerned. He hadn't taken part in the inventory at all; his gaze had remained fixed through the window on the woods behind the storehouse, as if searching for something. At the apprentice's question, he answered casually:

"If there aren't enough herbs, we'll go up the mountain and gather some tomorrow. We'll head back once we've got enough."

At that, many of them looked uneasy.

Collecting herbs and gathering them yourself were two completely different things. Going into the mountains to gather herbs could genuinely cost them their lives. But they didn't dare say much, so they had to swallow their objections.

By the time they left the storehouse, it was already late. To be well rested for gathering herbs in the mountains the next day, they began dividing up the rooms.

Fan Qingyang smiled at Jiang Feng and pointed to the two little cabins.

"Jiang Feng, this cabin's bigger, so the nine of us will squeeze in together. You can take that little one over there by yourself. You lived alone at the Medicine Hall before, so that should be fine, right?"

Jiang Feng couldn't have been happier with the arrangement.

He would rather sleep in the storehouse than stay with that crowd. In his eyes, those men who followed Fan Qingyang's every lead were the greatest danger on this trip.

As he watched Jiang Feng head alone toward the isolated little cabin, a meaningful smile appeared on Fan Qingyang's face.

A few apprentices who didn't know what was going on couldn't help voicing their confusion.

"Boss Fan, why are we letting that kid Jiang Feng have a room to himself? This cabin's big, but nine of us are still a bit cramped.

"If you can't stand him, just make him sleep in the empty spot. Letting him take up such a big room all by himself—isn't that too generous?"

The speaker's voice grew softer as he noticed Fan Qingyang's expression darken and his gaze turn cold.

"Whose word carries more weight, yours or mine? If you really want to sleep over there, I won't stop you. But let me make one thing clear: if anything happens tonight, don't say I didn't warn you."

The man immediately cowered, plastering on a fawning smile.

"Boss Fan, what are you talking about? How could I ever disobey your orders? I only wanted to teach that Jiang a lesson and help you vent your anger."

Fan Qingyang lifted his chin and gave a soft snort.

"Enough. Don't waste your breath. Go back and rest. I'll keep watch outside tonight. Let me warn you now: there might be quite a bit of noise outside tonight. Whatever you hear, don't come out.

"If you see anything you shouldn't, you may not get the chance to open your eyes again."

The others weren't exactly innocent, either. The moment they heard this, they understood what he meant. Their eyes turned fearful as they quickly nodded in agreement.

"Don't worry, Big Brother Fan. We sleep like the dead. We definitely won't hear or see a thing..."

"Right, right. Even if we die, we'll die inside the cabin. We won't take a single step outside!"

They all rushed to pledge their obedience, afraid that if they nodded too slowly, Fan Qingyang would hold it against them. Seeing how frightened they were, Fan Qingyang nodded with satisfaction.

He had handpicked these men himself, and they were absolutely loyal to him. Whatever he did, they would obey him without question. If Jiang Feng was to be framed as a thief, their testimony was indispensable.

He waved them back into the cabin, then immediately turned and hurried toward the woods behind the storehouse.