Fragment Map and the Girl

Fragment Map and the Girl

Jia Ma Empire, Magic Beast Mountains.

Han Feng appeared in midair deep within the mountains. His spiritual sense spread out, enveloping the primeval forest within a thousand-mile radius.

This time, he had come to Qingshan Town to find Little Fairy Doctor.

But he was not sure whether that girl was still in town. Logically, she should have been. But if she was not, he could not make the trip for nothing.

There were still a few things in the Magic Beast Mountains worth picking up along the way.

After unifying the Black-Corner Region, the spoils gathered by his subordinates had piled up like mountains. All the opportunities Xiao Yan should have obtained in the Black-Corner Region had now fallen into his pocket. Bodhisattva Body Transformation Saliva, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map, the corpse of a Heaven Demon Phoenix, and all sorts of miscellaneous cultivation techniques and medicinal pills—he had no use for them himself, but he could leave them for Xiao Yan.

There were four fragments of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame map in total.

He had already found one among the spoils from the Black-Corner Region.

Of the remaining three, one was in the cliffside ruins of the Magic Beast Mountains, one was in Hai Bodong's possession and could be left for Xiao Huohuo to obtain himself, while the last one would have to wait for the future space auction.

With the one already in his hand and another he was about to take, he would have two.

His figure flashed repeatedly, and Han Feng appeared deep within a hidden valley.

Mist filled the valley, while vines covered a half-collapsed stone gate. This place was extremely well hidden, but under his spiritual sense, the spatial barrier protecting it was easily torn apart.

Beyond the stone gate was a spacious stone chamber. Moonlight stones embedded in the four walls illuminated the room as brightly as day.

At the center of the chamber, a skeleton sat upright on a stone chair. Its skull was tilted to one side, its leg bones scattered about, giving off an air of utter desolation.

Three locked stone boxes sat neatly on a bluestone platform before the chair. In the three corners of the chamber, meanwhile, were piles of gold coins, Magic Beast cores, and treasures of every kind, enough to drive any Dou Wang expert mad.

Yet Han Feng had no interest in such wealth. His gaze was immediately drawn to the other side of the chamber.

There, in a medicinal bed piled from soil, grew all sorts of rare herbs seldom seen outside: purple-blue leaves, crystal-clear White Spirit Ginseng Fruit, snowflake-shaped Snow Lotus Seeds, Ice Spirit Flame Grass that gave off threads of cold air... An unusual medicinal fragrance lingered in the air.

"Not bad." Han Feng nodded slightly.

With a casual wave, all the gold coins and treasures in the corners were collected into his storage ring. The herbs in the medicinal bed were sorted and stored one by one.

Only after finishing all this did he look at the skeleton.

He gave the skeleton a slight nod, showing respect for the dead. Then he waved again, and an invisible force blasted a pit several meters deep into the ground.

Immediately afterward, the skeleton was lifted by a gentle surge of Dou Qi. With a thought, Han Feng took an ancient piece of parchment from the skeleton's arm.

It was precisely the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Fragment Map.

After storing the fragment map away, he controlled the skeleton and slowly lowered it into the pit. With another wave, earth and stone covered it, laying it to rest.

Finally, Han Feng looked at the three stone boxes. With a flick of his finger, three thin streaks of Sword Qi shot out, and the locks snapped apart.

The first stone box opened, revealing a scripture made from special beast hide. Three ancient characters were written on its cover—Seven-Colored Poison Scripture.

Inside the second stone box was a pair of wings made from Magic Beast feathers. They were thin as cicada wings, silver light flowing across them. They were the high-grade Xuan-class flying Dou Skill—Eagle's Wing.

The third stone box contained an ancient bamboo scroll, which recorded the high-grade Xuan-class Dou Skill—Mad Lion's Roar.

After collecting everything, Han Feng glanced around the now-empty stone chamber and turned to leave.

It was time to go.

Han Feng walked out of the ruins, and his spiritual sense spread out again, sweeping toward Qingshan Town. This time, his search covered the entire town.

The next moment, he sensed her.

At the outskirts of town, in the direction of the Magic Beast Mountains, a large group of mercenaries had blocked the road. A girl in a white dress stood in the middle, surrounded on all sides, her face pale but her eyes unyielding.

Little Fairy Doctor.

Han Feng's heart stirred. His luck was not bad. She really was here.

Without hesitation, his figure flickered and vanished from the spot, appearing directly atop a tree canopy outside Qingshan Town.

Below, Little Fairy Doctor was tightly surrounded by the Wolf Head Mercenary Group.

"Little Fairy Doctor, Young Leader Mu personally invited you into the mountains to gather herbs. He thinks highly of you, so don't be ungrateful!" A burly mercenary stepped forward, reaching for Little Fairy Doctor's shoulder.

Little Fairy Doctor abruptly stepped back, tightly gripping the slender bamboo tube in her hand.

"I already said no."

Mu Li sat atop a black Magic Beast mount, looking down at her. More than twenty elite mercenaries stood around him, all armed and armored.

"Little Fairy Doctor, you have no one to rely on in Qingshan Town. Even Shopkeeper Yao from Myriad Medicine Hall has already sold you out. Follow this young master, and there'll be a place for you in the Wolf Head Mercenary Group from now on." His gaze lingered over Little Fairy Doctor's fair wrist, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. "And those hands of yours shouldn't always be touching rotten herbs."

Little Fairy Doctor looked at Mu Li and the predatory mercenaries behind him, clutching the bamboo tube hidden in her sleeve even tighter. She knew she could not avoid this today. Her paralyzing poison smoke might bring down a few of them, but Mu Li had a guard captain at the Dou Practitioner level beside him. She had no chance of winning.

She closed her eyes, and that village appeared in her mind again. The scene of being captured by bandits all those years ago surged back. She remembered the thug who had kicked an old farmer's ribs apart, remembered her own helplessness. No one had come to save her then. The only thing she could do was let the poison within her erupt and wipe out every living thing.

And now, was she about to face the same desperate situation again?

But this time, even if she detonated the poison within her, she might not make it out of this street alive.

"Take her." Mu Li had finally run out of patience.

Several mercenaries rushed forward at once. Little Fairy Doctor clenched her teeth and abruptly pulled the stopper from the bamboo tube, ready to fight to the death.

Then, the entire world suddenly fell silent.

It was not an illusion. It was true silence.

The sound of wind through the leaves vanished. The mercenaries' footsteps froze in midair. Even the cries of vendors drifting from the distant town came to an abrupt halt.

The smile on Mu Li's face stiffened. He realized that he could not even blink.

A figure in azure robes slowly descended from the air, landing before Little Fairy Doctor with a calm expression.

Little Fairy Doctor's eyes widened. This man stood only a few feet before her, yet she could not sense the slightest ripple of Dou Qi from him. He was like a bottomless abyss.

Han Feng did not even look at Mu Li. He turned to Little Fairy Doctor.

"Your constitution is very special. You can absorb toxins, but they can also backfire on you."

Little Fairy Doctor's pupils shrank sharply. This person had seen through her secret at a glance.

"I can solve the problem with your body."

The girl froze. Countless emotions flashed through her clear eyes: confusion first, then shock, and finally deep wariness. No one in this world would help her for no reason.

"Solve it?"

"Come with me. I'll help you."

Han Feng spoke as if it were a trivial matter, his gaze calm.

From those casually spoken words, Little Fairy Doctor heard an absolute certainty. It was not a test, nor was it a transaction. It was simply a statement of fact. She stared blankly at the man before her, as though she had grasped the only ray of light in the darkness.

The air around them suddenly exploded.

A furious roar pierced the silence. "Who the hell are you?!"

Mu Li found that he could move again. He had no idea what had just happened. He only felt that the man before him was in his way. Raising a hand, he had the twenty-odd elite mercenaries behind him draw their weapons in unison.

"The Wolf Head Mercenary Group is handling business. If you don't want to die, get lost!"

Before his words had even faded, Han Feng turned his head, lifted his eyes slightly, and glanced at Mu Li.

It was merely a single glance.

Before Mu Li's furious roar could end, his entire body turned to fine dust from the inside out and scattered with the wind. Only an empty saddle remained atop the mount.

The twenty-odd mercenaries did not escape either. On horseback, on the ground, in the midst of charging with weapons drawn—within a blink, they all became dust. A mountain wind swept the gray ash into the forest, leaving not even the slightest trace behind.

Only the burly mercenary who had tried to grab Little Fairy Doctor remained.

It was not that he had survived by chance. Han Feng had deliberately spared him, along with Shopkeeper Yao, who was hiding behind a tree trunk and watching from afar. The two had witnessed everything and had not made a move, so they were still standing. He was leaving behind a pair of eyes to spread his message.

The mercenary collapsed onto the ground with a thud, his pants soaked.

"Go back and tell the people of Qingshan Town." Han Feng no longer looked at him. "I'm taking Little Fairy Doctor away. Whoever dares investigate her whereabouts—"

He did not finish the sentence, but the mercenary nodded madly, his head nearly flying off his neck. He scrambled to his feet and fled back toward town, rolling and crawling without daring to look back.

Little Fairy Doctor stared blankly at the man before her as the bamboo tube slipped from her hand and rolled to the ground.

Mu Li was dead. Those elite members of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, who had glared at her like tigers, had vanished in an instant. The last desperate move she had tried so hard to grasp had not even had the chance to begin before this man.

"Y-you... who are you?" Her voice still trembled, her eyes filled with bewilderment. She did not believe anyone would save her for no reason. It made no sense. No one would willingly approach a poisonous woman.

"My name is Han Feng." His voice was calm, carrying no sense of pressure. "Just passing through. (Kamen Rider.)"

Little Fairy Doctor gripped her sleeve tightly but did not respond. The vigilance in her eyes had not faded. This stranger who had suddenly appeared was absurdly powerful, and she could not see through him at all. But one thing was clear to her: without him, she would not have survived today even if she had detonated her poison.

Han Feng looked at her tense shoulders and did not urge her.

The girl remained silent for a long time. Her lips moved several times, as if she were asking herself why she was hesitating. She had no home and nowhere to go, while this man not only knew her secret but was willing to take her away.

"Can you really cure me?" she finally asked.

"Yes."

Little Fairy Doctor lowered her head, wiped hard at the corners of her eyes, took a deep breath, and gently nodded.

The corner of Han Feng's lips rose slightly. He said nothing more and turned to walk away.

"Stay close. Don't get lost."

The fingers clutching Little Fairy Doctor's sleeve finally relaxed. She hurried after the azure figure ahead, her black hair scattered by the mountain wind.

Behind her, Qingshan Town grew farther and farther away.