Chapter 110: The Dual Cultivation Technique

"Why are you at odds with the Huangshan and Hengshan Sects?" Chu Tianfeng asked.

"It's no secret, so I don't mind telling you." Du Jingjing tucked her long hair behind her ears. "We received intelligence that many martial artists have been going to Myanmar to purchase weapons, then returning to the country through the mountainous areas near Remi. Our team leader sent us here to intercept them."

"Oh?" Chu Tianfeng recalled the old man and the youth from the Wang family he had encountered earlier. Judging by what Du Jingjing said, the guns they had possessed must have been bought in Myanmar as well.

He immediately felt something was off. "Why are these sects buying guns?"

"It's all for the Peach Blossom Valley secret realm," Du Jingjing said, glancing at Lu and Wei behind her before lowering her voice. "I heard there's a Fog Zone inside the secret realm where the mist is very thick. All the guns they bought are equipped with infrared sights, likely for use in that area. You should remember to prepare an infrared telescope yourself."

Chu Tianfeng possessed spiritual sense and had no need for such bulky equipment, but he didn't want to explain further. He simply shook his head and asked, "These martial artists are quite strong. Isn't it a bit of a miscalculation for the Special Investigation Unit to send only the four of you to guard this place?"

"It's not that," Du Jingjing said, her voice turning somber. "Two teams were assigned this mission; there is another squad to the southeast. However, that squad just arrived. The previous members encountered an unknown sect the day before yesterday and all died heroically."

"Those sects are truly bold to challenge the Special Investigation Unit," Chu Tianfeng couldn't help but remark. "It seems your unit only knows how to bully the weak and fear the strong, lacking the courage to take these sects to task."

"Brother Liu is right," Lu Hui, who was walking behind, chimed in. "I feel incredibly stifled, too. Our old team leader died at the hands of those bastards. If it were up to me, I would have already stormed their lairs with guns blazing."

Chu Tianfeng knew Lu Hui was referring to Fan Youchang. Back at Thousand Birds Lake, their team had been besieged by the Gold Prospecting Sect, and Fan Youchang had died at the hands of Ma Tu.

Du Jingjing also knew who Lu Hui meant. Her eyes reddened. "We went to see Cao Zhengming at the time, but he insisted it was He Bufan's personal action and claimed He Bufan had already betrayed the sect. We couldn't find any evidence, so the matter was dropped."

"Does that mean your encounter with the Huangshan and Hengshan Sects today will also be dropped?" Chu Tianfeng asked.

"Most likely," Du Jingjing sighed deeply. "Even if we confront them, the masters of the Huangshan and Hengshan Sects will likely claim that Lu Yunlai and Chen Weifeng acted on their own. At most, we can only issue a wanted notice for the two of them."

Lu Yunlai? Chen Weifeng? Chu Tianfeng silently committed their names to memory.

"Fortunately, Brother Liu arrived in time; otherwise, it wouldn't be those guys lying on the ground, but the four of us," Lu Hui said. "I just don't know how to write today's report."

"Write exactly what happened," Du Jingjing said, wiping away her tears. "We were besieged by Lu Yunlai and Chen Weifeng of the Gold Prospecting Sect, and thanks to the help of good citizen Liu Feng, we managed to turn the tide."

Chu Tianfeng curled his lip, noncommittal. The name "Liu Feng" was a fabrication anyway, so he didn't care how she wrote it.

Ten minutes later, the group finally reached "Chu Tianfeng's Home."

"Here?" Lu Hui looked at the barren surroundings and frowned deeply.

"Is there a problem?" Chu Tianfeng asked.

"It's too exposed; we'll be easily discovered," Du Jingjing said, feeling uneasy.

"It's fine. You can stay here honestly from now on. If anyone comes to cause trouble, just leave it to me." With that, Chu Tianfeng walked behind a large tree and quietly took out pots, pans, rice, oil, and other daily necessities from his ring.

"Wow!" Lu Hui frowned again as he saw the pile of items. "Is it really a good idea to start a fire here?"

Chu Tianfeng put the items on the ground. "Don't worry, leave it to me."

Lu Hui looked at Du Jingjing, who smiled slightly. "Forget it, listen to him."

Thus, the group busied themselves with cooking. Chu Tianfeng had prepared plenty of supplies, including rice, vegetables, meat, chicken, and duck. As it happened, Lu Hui was a decent cook, and in less than an hour, a sumptuous meal was spread out.

Yan Ruoyun had already woken up but was kept on the stretcher by the others, watching them work with gratitude. During the meal, Chu Tianfeng brought out monkey wine, getting Lu Hui and Wei Chengxun tipsy. Lu Hui even hugged Chu Tianfeng, begging him to call him "Second Senior Brother."

That night, everyone went to sleep. Chu Tianfeng, however, followed his routine and sat cross-legged under a large tree to cultivate. Yet, after completing one major cycle, his spiritual sense detected a graceful figure slowly approaching.

"Why aren't you sleeping?" Chu Tianfeng asked. He was very familiar with that figure—familiar with every detail of her, er...

"I can't sleep," Du Jingjing said, walking over to him and sitting cross-legged.

"So you come to disturb me because you can't sleep?" Chu Tianfeng looked dejected.

"Seeing you cultivate night and day makes me feel like I've wasted my years," Du Jingjing said with an eye roll. "So, I've decided to cultivate properly from now on."

"She was blushing just now, and her heart rate was at least 180," a soft voice echoed in his sea of consciousness.

Chu Tianfeng was caught between laughter and tears, thinking that women really did love gossip, even a thousand-year-old "maiden" like Xiyazi. He ignored her, flipped his right hand, and took out two Peiyuan Pills, handing them to Du Jingjing.

"Thank you! I..." Du Jingjing took the pills, hesitating.

"Alright, when did you become so indecisive?" Chu Tianfeng smiled slightly. "It's not usually ideal to boost one's cultivation so rapidly, but I suspect there will be a fierce battle in the Peach Blossom Valley secret realm. I hope you can be fully prepared."

"I know." Du Jingjing stopped talking and swallowed the pills.

After instructing Xiyazi to keep a careful watch, Chu Tianfeng began his circulation. It is said that men and women working together makes the task easier, a rule that seemingly applied to cultivation as well.

Around midnight, Du Jingjing successfully advanced to the late stage of Hua Jin, and Chu Tianfeng smoothly broke through to the eighth level of Qi Refining!

After stabilizing his cultivation, Chu Tianfeng quietly went to another hill to practice the Five Elements Evasion techniques, not returning until he was exhausted in the early hours of the morning. Coincidentally, as he arrived back under the tree, Du Jingjing had just finished her cultivation and stood up.

Both were drenched in sweat and exhausted. Du Jingjing was relatively better off, excited by her substantial gain in strength, while Chu Tianfeng felt like a wilted vegetable.

They walked back to the camp laughing and talking, only to find Lu Hui and the others already awake.

"You two didn't sleep all night?" Lu Hui asked, holding a towel and looking at them in surprise.

"Yes, we were cultivating," Du Jingjing said casually.

"Cultivating?" Lu Hui chuckled strangely. "This place has beautiful mountains and clear waters, indeed perfect for cultivation. However, I earnestly advise you both: field activities carry risks, and you must be cautious."

"Get out!" Du Jingjing was furious and kicked out at him. In her haste, she didn't consider the power of her strike. Lu Hui, equally surprised by her speed, was sent rolling seven or eight meters away like a soccer ball.

"Ah—" It wasn't Lu Hui who screamed, but Du Jingjing. She covered her mouth with both hands, staring at the "Lu Hui ball."

Chu Tianfeng, disinterested in the spectacle, took out his toothbrush and toothpaste.

"After only one night, your... your cultivation..." Lu Hui pointed at Du Jingjing in shock, stuttering. "Could it be... you were practicing the legendary dual-cultivation technique?"

*Clatter.* The toothbrush and toothpaste fell from Chu Tianfeng's hand onto the grass. Wei Chengxun and Yan Ruoyun on the stretcher also gaped in shock, their eyes darting between Chu Tianfeng and Du Jingjing.

"Dual-your-grandfather!" Du Jingjing's face turned beet red as she glared at Lu Hui. "If you aren't dead, get up!"

Lu Hui limped over to her, still stunned. "Was it really just cultivation?"

Du Jingjing made a fist, threatening to strike again.

"Mercy, great heroine!" Lu Hui cried out, terrified. "I'm going to wash my face!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Afterward, Lu Hui took charge of breakfast, making porridge and flatbread, and even prepared some chicken soup for the injured Yan Ruoyun.

Over the next few days, they mostly stayed at "Chu Tianfeng's Home." Lu Hui and Wei Chengxun took turns patrolling, while Chu Tianfeng focused on cultivation and Du Jingjing balanced caring for Yan Ruoyun with her own training.

One evening, after dinner, they prepared to sleep. Chu Tianfeng went to his usual spot.

"We have visitors," Xiyazi’s voice echoed in his mind, slightly excited, before he had even walked twenty meters.

"What's the situation?" Chu Tianfeng stopped. Someone venturing into the mountains this late was likely no good. Regardless, assessing their strength was necessary.

"Eleven martial artists: two at the late stage of Hua Jin, two at the early stage, and the rest are negligible," Xiyazi said with disdain. They were too weak for her to bother with.

"Someone is here. I'll go check," Chu Tianfeng said, returning to the group.

"I'll go with you," Du Jingjing said, standing up. Lu Hui and Wei Chengxun also insisted on joining.

Chu Tianfeng looked at Yan Ruoyun on the stretcher and shook his head. "There are many of them. You stay and take care of Yan Ruoyun; I'll handle it alone." He didn't want the distraction of protecting them. He preferred to work alone.

"No, it's too dangerous for you to go alone," Du Jingjing objected.

"No matter how many wolves there are, they are nothing to a tiger," Chu Tianfeng smiled slightly. "Just a few small grasshoppers. It's a favor to them that I'm even taking action." With a wave of his sleeve, he walked away.

"Wait." Du Jingjing ran over and handed him a pistol and some ammunition. "Take this."

Chu Tianfeng didn't want to hurt her feelings, so he took them. "Be careful. I'll wait for you to come back," she whispered.

Chu Tianfeng nodded, then leaped away. Du Jingjing stood there, watching him disappear. A moment later, she realized something and exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot to give him the infrared telescope."

Lu Hui crossed his arms, looking unbothered. "For an expert like him, that thing is probably useless."

"I don't believe that," Du Jingjing tossed her ponytail.

"Then tell me how he detected the enemy?" Lu Hui stretched. "If I remember correctly, he hadn't even walked twenty meters away. You stand there and try using the infrared telescope."

Du Jingjing looked at the spot where Chu Tianfeng had been, her brow furrowing. "We're at the bottom of a slope; we shouldn't be able to see outside."

"So..." Lu Hui sat down with a thud. "Either there are no enemies, or he's a master of the Yuan Heaven stage with a 'Heavenly Eye'."

"Huh?" Du Jingjing muttered to herself, "That's impossible. He told me not long ago that he was at the mid-stage of Xiantian."

"Then he must be a semi-immortal who predicted them with his fingers," Lu Hui said, lying down on the ground.

Du Jingjing could only roll her eyes.