Chapter 144: Lifting Your Veil

The sky of the mystic realm is blue, the water of the mystic realm is clear, and the women of the mystic realm—well, they walk sideways as if they own the place!

When Chu Tianfeng heard that Feng Mingxue was the one accompanying him to the swamp, he realized almost instantly that the sky and earth of the mystic realm must be upside down.

Every time he saw that little head poking around him, he felt an urge to roll it into a ball and crush it to pieces!

The two of them walked one after the other into the swamp.

Naturally, Chu Tianfeng was in the front, and Feng Mingxue was in the back.

Chu Tianfeng continued to hunt for beast cores, while Feng Mingxue walked alone, unwilling to even challenge a mid-stage tier-1 crocodile. She simply followed right behind Chu Tianfeng, constantly demanding beast cores from him.

To give Feng Mingxue something to do and to grant his own ears some peace, after more than an hour of relentless effort, Chu Tianfeng finally found an opponent for the heroine Feng at the edge of a swamp: a crocodile that had just advanced to the early stage of tier-1.

That crocodile was just like a crocodile from the outside world, or perhaps even smaller—it was practically a baby crocodile!

Yet, heroine Feng seemed quite fond of such an opponent, giving her the feeling that she could conquer the entire world.

Chu Tianfeng even helped her clear out the surrounding environment, burning away all the earth dragons within a radius of a mile or two and driving all other crocodiles out of the area so that heroine Feng could perform to her heart's content.

Bidding farewell to that pair of one human and one crocodile, Chu Tianfeng instantly felt the sky clear and bright, the world restored to beauty, and the spring scenery as radiant as ever.

With a single sword in hand, his pace became much faster. Within two hours, he swept across nearly half of the swamp, knocking over all crocodiles of tier-2 and above that he encountered, and digging out dozens of beast cores.

At noon, Chu Tianfeng flew back on his sword, yet heroine Feng was still teasing that baby crocodile.

Chu Tianfeng admired that baby crocodile to the utmost degree; knowing it clearly couldn't win, the stubborn creature actually refused to run away and kept offering its backside to Feng Mingxue.

Chu Tianfeng roasted a crocodile leg and shared half of it with Feng Mingxue.

"How did I do?" Feng Mingxue asked with a cheeky smile.

"Splendid!" Looking at the panting baby crocodile in the distance, Chu Tianfeng broke out in a cold sweat. "You've been fighting it for over two hours?"

Actually, he really wanted to say that what she was doing could hardly be called fighting; it was more like petting! And she had been petting it all morning!

"Hee-hee!" Feng Mingxue swished her ponytail. "Every time I fought it for half an hour, I took a ten-minute break."

"You were basically giving it lessons, Your Ladyship." Hearing this, Chu Tianfeng couldn't help but be amused. "You must take it easy, though. Don't end up teaching the entire Feng family sword technique to it."

"Get lost!" Feng Mingxue picked up the piece of crocodile meat in her hand and hurled it at him. "Do you believe I'll teach you first?"

Chu Tianfeng sidestepped to avoid it. "May I ask what Professor Feng's arrangements are for the afternoon?"

"I—" Feng Mingxue rolled her eyes dramatically. "Will continue to teach that blockhead."

After finishing the crocodile meat and resting for about another half an hour, Chu Tianfeng flew back into the swamp to search for beast cores.

Watching the figure roaring away over the aquatic weeds, Feng Mingxue felt an indescribable emotion in her heart.

After spending days together, and having even faced life and death side by side several times, she already knew that although Chu Tianfeng could not be considered an absolute saint, he was no villain either.

She felt genuinely grateful in her heart for the time he had rescued her and healed the scars on her face.

Later, when she learned that Chu Tianfeng had only saved her for the sake of spirit stones, it had provoked her fierce temper, leading her to rob him of his bird eggs and his water-avoidance bead. Yet, he had never held any of it against her.

The bird eggs aside, she knew very well how valuable that water-avoidance bead was.

Sometimes, she really wanted to know what kind of person Chu Tianfeng truly was. And where on earth he had learned those miraculous hidden weapons and lightness skills.

Unable to figure it out, she simply stopped thinking about it; Feng Mingxue was not someone who enjoyed taxing her brain.

Besides, she didn't have the time for that; she still had a dedicated disciple that needed instruction and cultivation.

Thus, sword shadows flashed across the air once again, and that baby crocodile once more tirelessly presented its backside to Feng Mingxue.

***

Who knows how much time had passed, just as Feng Mingxue herself was beginning to feel quite bored, several figures flew over from afar.

In an instant, the newcomers rushed close—a total of six people, led by a horse-faced youth with a rather sinister look in his eyes.

If Chu Tianfeng had been here, he would surely have recognized this person at a glance.

Qiu Li, the one who had jumped onto the ring alongside Ma Zhiguang to challenge him.

It was hard to say whether Qiu Li and his companions had good luck or bad; the six of them had been passing by the edge of the swamp, originally intending to catch a few fish to eat, when unexpectedly they caught sight of this mermaid, Feng Mingxue.

To catch her or not to catch her—they had debated for quite a while.

If they caught her, she was, after all, a proper member of the Feng family; once the news leaked, they would surely find themselves without a burial site. If they didn't catch her, watching such a mermaid slip away right between their fingers left them utterly unwilling.

In the end, desire overcame fear, and the six of them unanimously decided to catch her first and figure out the rest later.

"Ha-ha, Feng... Feng Mingxue, is it?" Qiu Li looked at Feng Mingxue as if gazing at a delicious cake, drooling profusely.

"The women of the Feng family all wear veils, but they seem pretty much the same underneath." A square-jawed youth beside him licked his lips. "Brother Qiu, I heard you like it from behind. Even if she were Feng Piaopiao, wouldn't it be all the same to you?"

Ha-ha! The group burst into loud laughter.

From the moment these people appeared, Feng Mingxue knew they harbored malicious intentions and had already grown secretly vigilant.

Among these individuals, she only recognized two. One was Qiu Li, who roamed the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, wielded a soft whip with supernatural skill, and frequently engaged in uncapitalized robbery and looting.

The other was Gao Ming安 (Gao Ming'an), the square-jawed youth who had just spoken. He had once been a lay disciple under the sect of Shanglin Zen Temple, but was later expelled by Master Jianxing for suspected rape of innocent women.

Feng Mingxue had never held a good impression of these two in the first place, and hearing them insult her mother, Feng Piaopiao, made her rage soar to the heavens.

"You're courting death!" Unwilling to waste words, she flicked her long sword and thrust straight toward Gao Ming'an's glabella.

Gao Ming'an had been prepared; he drew a machete from his back and raised it to meet the attack.

With a loud clang, sparks flew in all directions!

"You... you are not at the early stage of Hua Jin!" Gao Ming'an's eyes widened in shock as he pointed at Feng Mingxue.

A major reason they had decided to make a move was Feng Mingxue's cultivation level.

Previously, Feng Mingxue's cultivation, much like her reputation for beauty, was known to almost everyone.

Yet that sword strike just now had nearly knocked his machete out of his hand.

Late stage of Hua Jin! At least the late stage of Hua Jin!

Hearing this, Qiu Li's expression changed drastically, and he waved his hand. "Brothers, charge!"

The arrow was already on the bowstring; it had to be fired whether they wanted to or not!

If they didn't eliminate Feng Mingxue today, tomorrow might well be the day of their execution!

"Attack!" The others weren't fools either; understanding the gravity of the situation, they quickly drew their weapons, forming a encircling formation in preparation for a gang beat-down.

"Humph!" Seeing the opponents closing in for an encirclement, Feng Mingxue felt a quiet surge of anxiety.

She had been engaged in an exhausting battle with that baby crocodile for a long time, and her internal true essence was significantly depleted. Even if there were only two or three opponents, she wouldn't dare fight them head-on, let alone six!

Of the thirty-six stratagems, fleeing is the best!

With a move named "Splitting Mount Hua," Feng Mingxue slashed toward the youth on the far left. Taking advantage of the moment that youth stepped back, her figure flickered and she broke through the encirclement right past him!

"Quick, don't let her run!" Qiu Li shouted loudly.

"Stop her!" Gao Ming'an yelled at the top of his lungs as well.

***

Feng Mingxue ignored them entirely and simply sprinted forward for all she was worth!

Qiu Li and the others followed closely behind, biting onto Feng Mingxue's heels and refusing to let go.

Fortunately, all crocodiles of tier-2 and above in the swamp had already been wiped out by Chu Tianfeng; otherwise, these seven individuals would likely have long since become belly-satisfying meals for the crocodiles.

Even so, numerous crocodiles were startled by them, splashing around and following behind them, occasionally launching attacks.

This large group of people, clad in various colored garments, flying back and forth through the swamp like butterflies flitting among flowers, created such a massive commotion that it inevitably alerted Chu Tianfeng, who was flying through the air on his sword.

At first, he thought Feng Mingxue had brought Long Fei and the others to find him. But when he saw Qiu Li trailing behind and heard the shouts and screams of Qiu Li and his gang, he couldn't help but find it amusing—delightfully, ecstatically amusing!

It was rare to see Feng Mingxue leading a large gang of little hooligans on a long-distance run; naturally, Chu Tianfeng wouldn't have the heart to interrupt their fun.

No, not only could he not interrupt, but he also had to go and add to the festive mood!

Little enchantress, you have your days of trouble too!

With a roll of his eyes, Chu Tianfeng quietly merged into the rear of the procession. Then, gradually increasing his speed, he overtook Qiu Li and the others one by one, arriving directly behind Feng Mingxue.

"Little vixen, stop right there!" Qiu Li bellowed.

"Lift your bridal veil!" Chu Tianfeng sang out in a raspy voice.

"Dammit, don't run!" Gao Ming'an brandished the machete in his hand high in the air.

"Let me take a look at your face!" Chu Tianfeng continued his ghost-like wailing.

......

The further she ran ahead, the more wrong Feng Mingxue felt. Suddenly turning her head back, she saw that prankster Chu Tianfeng chasing her while brandishing a crocodile leg!

Fury rose within Feng Mingxue, and without a second word, she executed a "turning horse spear" maneuver, her long sword suddenly stabbing toward Chu Tianfeng.

Chu Tianfeng laughed heartily and leaped aside to dodge.

Taking advantage of the opening, Qiu Li and the others swarmed forward to surround them.

"Ha-ha! Brother, thanks. We'll share a piece of the pie with you later," Gao Ming'an laughed heartily.

The fellow assumed Chu Tianfeng had come to help them intercept Feng Mingxue.

"However, you'll have to queue up behind us brothers." A trace of fierce ruthlessness flashed across the corners of Qiu Li's eyes.

Chu Tianfeng looked at Feng Mingxue, then turned back to Qiu Li and the others, asking in surprise, "Does no one recognize me?"

"Who the hell do you think you are? You..." Gao Ming'an wanted to curse further, but seeing the legs of everyone around him trembling and a flash of insight striking his brain, he suddenly realized who this person standing opposite him was. His face turned as pale as paper, leaving him at a complete loss.

"Senior Chu, we had eyes and failed to recognize Mount Tai. We'll let you have the first go at this chick." It was Qiu Li who sized up the situation quickest and had the fastest-spinning brain.

Feng Mingxue's mood had just begun to calm down, but upon hearing this, her anger flared up again. Pointing her long sword straight at Qiu Li, she snapped, "Chop him into pieces for me!"

Hearing this, Qiu Li and the others wailed inwardly: *Crap! We're dead for sure! These two dog-like villains are in cahoots!*

At the same time, Qiu Li and his companions felt intensely resentful: *How utterly shameless, actually willing to let his own woman act as bait for fishing!*

"Well said, well said!" Chu Tianfeng clapped his hands loudly. "First of all, let me state that I have no intention of intervening in your dispute. However, Brother Qiu, you lot are supposed to be real men—chasing a young girl in such a grand and imposing manner, aren't you ashamed of yourselves?"