Secret Story

Seeing the older brother’s troubled look of deep contemplation and his lack of response for a good while, Yi Feng understood his predicament. He smiled and spoke up tactfully.

"Brother Xu."

"I am new to hunting demons with you all and don't understand the intricacies, but I do know that one should quit while they are ahead. Our harvest tonight is not small; perhaps being rash and greedy for credit wouldn't be wise?"

"This is just my personal feeling. If I have spoken out of turn, I hope you all won't take offense."

As his voice faded, the hunters all murmured in agreement and nodded.

A sharp light flashed in Xu Fengyue's eyes; the more he looked at Yi Feng, the more pleasing he found him.

A talent.

This schoolteacher was truly a talent.

Just listen to his words—they were music to the ears. The phrase "quit while you're ahead" contained infinite wisdom. As expected of a scholar, he was truly sensible and reasonable!

With such a perfect excuse handed to him, Xu Fengyue immediately seized the opportunity to step down gracefully.

"Everyone, Mr. Yi makes a valid point!"

"Since we have made some gains tonight, it is only right to quit while we are ahead. In the future, we must learn more from scholars like the Mister here. Relying solely on brute courage makes it difficult to achieve great things!"

Hearing Yi Feng being praised, Wei Xiaowei temporarily set aside the awkwardness in her heart and obediently chimed in agreement.

The crowd also felt it made sense, though they nodded with a hint of reluctance.

Those subtle expressions naturally did not escape Xu Fengyue's eyes. As the second strongest expert in Qinghe Town, he barely had to think before coming up with a perfect justification.

"However..."

"Since we have accompanied the Mister deep into Mount Qingmang today, simply returning like this would be a bit anticlimactic. Let us put aside the hunting of demons for now; instead, we can search for treasures nearby on the mountain. Who knows? We might find something valuable."

The moment these words were spoken, the group's morale was instantly revitalized!

"Treasure hunting? That is a brilliant idea!"

"As expected of the Captain, tonight's itinerary is arranged perfectly!"

"Isn't that the truth? Treasure hunting is much safer than hunting demons. We won't have to worry too much about the Mister's safety, and we might still gain something. It really is all benefit and no harm!"

"Captain Xu is just smart; no wonder he could become a Great Martial Master!"

With just a few words, everyone perked up. They shouldered the cleaned carcass of the demon tiger, their eyes filled with eagerness.

Under Xu Fengyue's leadership, the squad began to scatter and search the immediate area, constantly scanning the ground and occasionally flipping over boulders, giving off a strong vibe of a treasure-hunting quest in an online game.

Trailing behind and watching for a few moments, Yi Feng was bewildered.

"There are treasures on this mountain?"

As soon as his voice fell, Wei Xiaowei, who was beside him, smiled and responded.

"Naturally, there are."

"Mister, you haven't been in our town for long, so you don't understand Mount Qingmang. It is said that people have indeed found precious weapons on the mountain, and some have even picked up protective treasure armor!"

Yi Feng listened with a dazed look in his eyes, voicing his doubtful amazement.

"There is actually such a good thing?"

"It seems this place is likely extraordinary."

No sooner had he spoken than Xu Fengyue, who was walking ahead, turned back in astonishment. A flicker of shock crossed his face, followed by a gaze filled with elder-brotherly appreciation.

"Mr. Yi, you truly live up to being a scholar; your mind is sharp indeed."

As he spoke, everyone stopped to listen to his explanation.

"According to the elders in town, a long time ago, there was a Qingmang Sect on Mount Qingmang. It seems they even produced a legendary Martial King powerhouse, and were once incredibly prosperous, aweing all directions!"

"Unfortunately, the Qingmang Sect later encountered a great war which led to the destruction of the entire sect. Only broken walls and ruins remain buried on the mountain over the years, proving that this sect indeed existed."

"Niece Wei is correct; people in town have indeed picked up treasures. But what you might not know is that even the Old Patriarch's Life-bound Artifact was obtained from this mountain, and it is a Martial King-grade treasure!"

A Martial King treasure?!

The astonishing words resonated, and the entire team listened with shock in their eyes.

Although they were from Qinghe Town, their cultivation was very limited, so they previously had no qualification to know such inside information. Now, hearing the town's second strongest expert reveal this secret, they felt utterly shaken!

Then, thinking that they might also find some treasure, everyone's face flushed red with excitement.

Even Yi Feng had a flash of faint surprise in his eyes.

"So, Mount Qingmang once had such glory."

Compared to the crowd's shock, this reaction appeared very steady. Xu Fengyue nodded with a somewhat habitual satisfaction before quietly instructing the group.

"Everyone."

"We have walked back and forth on this mountain countless times. Even if you rarely have the chance to venture deep into Mount Qingmang, you should know that traces of the Qingmang Sect's formations still remain on the mountain to this day."

"When searching for treasure later, you must not be greedy or rash. Remember to put safety first!"

Hearing these profound words that sounded somewhat familiar, everyone cupped their fists in reverent acknowledgement.

Setting off once more.

Every member of the squad was filled with anticipation. Even with the warning, it was hard to control the temptation of a Martial King treasure. Unconsciously, they sped up and soon ventured deep into the dense forest.

Unwittingly.

A thick fog rolled in towards them.

Walking at the rear, Yi Feng felt as if he had encountered heavy smog. By the time he waved his hand to clear his vision, there was no one left in front of him.

Instantly.

Yi Feng froze in place, shaking his head with a face full of helplessness.

"Damn it..."

"We got separated so quickly? Even if there are formations, they shouldn't be this effective, right? Big Brother Xu really has a jinxed mouth!"

He truly hadn't expected this.

One moment they were talking about it, and in the blink of an eye, everyone had entered a bewildering formation.

This was practically a 'Cao Cao' formation—speak of the devil and he appears!

The most critical part was that this formation had somehow left him out.

However, since things had come to this and he didn't understand formations, he could only wait where he was to see if there would be any other movement before making a plan...

If all else failed, he would have to forcibly break the formation!

While Yi Feng sat quietly waiting.

The others had already fallen into the mist, their faces filled with urgent panic. Searching all around, they couldn't see Yi Feng's figure, causing even more chaos.

"This is bad, we seem to have entered a formation!"

"Mr. Yi is missing?!"

"What should we do!"

"Mr. Yi has no cultivation base; he's likely in danger. Captain Xu, you must find Mr. Yi!"

Seeing this, Wei Xiaowei was already so anxious that beads of sweat appeared on her forehead as she pleaded.