Unconventional Moves

On the mountain peak.

Yi Feng gazed at the distant mountains and cursed loudly.

"This so-called Hong Sect moves ridiculously slow..."

"I've been waiting here for a whole day, and they still haven’t tracked me down. Utterly incompetent!"

He grumbled incessantly.

Looking back, he hadn’t gone far after kidnapping the woman.

Logically, there should have been some commotion by now.

After venting his frustration, Yi Feng glanced sideways.

The woman he had abducted had woken up half a day ago.

Strangely, she showed no reaction—not even a hint of fear.

She simply sat there in silence, not uttering a word.

When Yi Feng’s gaze fell on her, the woman slightly lifted her pale chin, gave him a cold, indifferent look, and then lowered her head again without speaking.

Though she was inwardly shocked by Yi Feng’s ability to knock her out effortlessly and abduct her with ease, she had long understood that there were always greater powers beyond what one knew.

Running into someone like him was just bad luck—nothing more to say.

As for anything else, she saw no need to engage with him.

Given the current circumstances, his motives were almost certainly tied to the Saint.

Whether he wanted information from her, sought to eliminate a future rival, or intended to use her as leverage against her faction—it didn’t matter to her.

At worst, she’d die.

And she didn’t have much time left anyway...

Yi Feng studied her again.

This woman was truly peculiar.

But it worked in his favor—less trouble for him.

Her silent demeanor was ideal.

If she had wailed, begged, or resisted, it would’ve wasted his time trying to calm her down.

After that glance, Yi Feng ignored her and sat down bored nearby.

Yet his indifference only deepened the woman’s confusion.

No interrogation?

If he kidnapped her, shouldn’t he want something?

Still, it suited her—less talking.

Time passed slowly.

Half a month slipped by.

Not a single word was exchanged between them.

Yi Feng neither harmed her nor made any other move. He simply paced back and forth, muttering to himself.

This odd behavior eventually drew occasional glances from Piaomiao Hong, who had remained expressionless until now.

His actions made his motives unclear.

If he wanted her dead, he could’ve killed her immediately.

If he sought information, why hadn’t he asked?

If he aimed to use her against her faction, where were the demands?

Another half-month passed.

Yi Feng grew visibly irritable.

"This damn Hong Sect is unbelievably slow!"

A whole month, and still no sign of them. Pathetic efficiency.

He even considered letting her go.

But remembering the wasted month, he dismissed the idea.

"Guess I need a backup plan," Yi Feng muttered, hands behind his back.

He couldn’t just keep waiting—he had to seek other paths to death.

But where?

Powerful experts weren’t like cabbages, easy to stumble upon.

And he’d already tried every other method he could think of.

Frustrated, Yi Feng approached the woman and looked down at her.

She lifted her head, meeting his gaze indifferently.

"Tell me, do you know of any dangerous places?"

"Specifically, deadly ones—places where survival is impossible, where no one comes out alive."

Yi Feng emphasized his words.

Hearing this, Piaomiao Hong’s eyes flickered.

A cold smirk formed in her heart.

So, after a month, he finally made his move?

Was this a threat?

Telling her that if she didn’t cooperate, he’d throw her into a place of certain death?

A psychological tactic to break her before extracting information?

Clever.

For an ordinary person, after a month of mental torment, such a threat might indeed make them beg for mercy.

But she wasn’t ordinary.

If he wanted to use danger as leverage, she’d turn it against him—not by yielding, but by naming the most perilous place she knew.

That way, she’d make her stance clear:

Neither intimidation nor death would make her submit.

"The Forest of Terror," she answered without hesitation.

Currently, it was the most dangerous place in the Nine Realms.

Few knew of its existence—it had emerged due to the Saint’s rebirth.

A Saint’s arrival could reshape the world’s fate, let alone a minor realm like the Nine Realms.

During this period, lands of great fortune and great horror were appearing across the realms.

The hidden powers were now vying for these sites of opportunity.

Different factions held knowledge of different locations.

Piaomiao Hong assumed Yi Feng had abducted her to learn the sites she knew.

And the Forest of Terror was one of them.

"Oh? The name alone sounds terrifying," Yi Feng said, a hint of delight in his voice.

"Then please guide me there."

"Fine."

She agreed flatly, her face betraying no fear.

She watched him closely, expecting frustration at her defiance.

But instead, Yi Feng seemed... excited.

The Forest of Terror wasn’t far.

After crossing a great ravine, they arrived in half a day.

Standing at its edge, an eerie aura seeped from the forest, sending chills down the spine.

The contrast between inside and outside was stark.

Outside—bright, vibrant with life.

Inside—dark, suffocating with death.

This place had once been an ordinary mountain range.

But the Saint’s influence had twisted it into something monstrous.

Piaomiao Hong remained expressionless.

She was certain Yi Feng would now threaten her—demand she reveal the sites of fortune or be thrown into the forest.

But she wouldn’t bend.

Since she had named the Forest of Terror herself, she wouldn’t fear it.

Death meant little to her.

Without wasting words, she stepped toward the forest, making her stance clear through action.

Yet the moment she entered, Yi Feng’s voice rang out.

"What are you doing?"

He yanked her back.

"Why go in? Just stay here."

After saying this, Yi Feng casually tied Piaomiao Hong to a tree and then strode into the Forest of Terror.

After all, he had never intended to harm her when he abducted her—he merely used her as bait to draw the hatred of the Hong Sect.

And since this place was dangerous, Yi Feng naturally wouldn’t drag her inside to her death.

His figure soon vanished from Piaomiao Hong’s sight.

Bound to the tree, Piaomiao Hong was left utterly bewildered.

?????

What the hell…

What kind of game is he playing?

Her mind went blank as she realized she couldn’t see through Yi Feng at all.