Chapter 24

Hou Dengyun sat down on a stone stool while speaking.

"A long time ago, there was a small village surrounded by mountains and water at the foot of this Qifeng Mountain, where dozens of kind and simple villagers lived. Among them, there was a loving couple; the husband was a hunter known far and near, and the wife was a hardworking and virtuous woman. They worked at sunrise and rested at sunset; although the family was not very wealthy, the couple supported each other, and their days were lived quite happily. The couple raised a smart and clever boy, spoiling him and doting on him since he was young, letting him live a carefree and happy life."

Hou Dengyun lowered his head, recalling while telling the story.

"When the boy was eight years old, a cultivator came to this village. The cultivator was seriously injured and lay on the grass outside the village, dying. The boy discovered him and begged his father to carry him home to heal his wounds. Under his mother's careful care, the cultivator recovered from his injuries. When he was about to leave, he gave this family an animal skin, and the animal skin was filled with crooked characters. The cultivator told the boy's father that to thank them for saving him, he decided to gift them a chance at fortune on this Qifeng Mountain."

Speaking to this point, a look of pain began to appear on Hou Dengyun's face.

"Thus, the child's father asked him what kind of fortune it was, but the cultivator refused to say. After that person left, the father took the boy up the mountain. They first found a water pool and a cave. Later, they climbed to the top of the mountain and saw a tall parasol tree that covered the sky and the sun."

"Later, the father left the boy under the tree and climbed to the top of the parasol tree alone. At the crown of that huge parasol tree, the father saw a huge bird nest and discovered a strange bird egg inside the bird nest. This bird egg was bright red all over, and its surface grew lines like flames. He thought this bird egg might be his son's fortune. Thus, he reached out and took the bird egg. However, before he could leave the bird nest, a flock of Red Phoenix birds flew back. The father was attacked. When he slid down from the tree, there was not a single intact place on his whole body, and fresh blood soaked his clothes. Before he died, he told the boy that the bird egg on the tree should be the boy's fortune."

As Hou Dengyun spoke, tears flowed silently down his cheeks.

"The father died. The boy's world seemed to have collapsed. He wanted to carry his father down the mountain, but unfortunately, he was too weak and couldn't carry him at all. He wept and used tree branches to bury his father hastily, and then, sobbing, he felt his way down the mountain. However, when he returned to the foot of the mountain, he discovered that the village he was familiar with was gone. The village had been razed to the ground by a group of cultivators who had followed. In one day, the village was gone, his father and mother were gone, and his home was gone. He swore to the heavens that he would become a cultivator, and he would avenge his father and mother, and avenge the villagers."

Speaking to this point, Hou Dengyun actually hugged his head and cried out loudly like a child.

"And then what?" Zhang Xingyu asked.

Hou Dengyun raised his hand to wipe his tears with his sleeve and continued: "Later, he entered the city. He begged along the street, and he worked like an ox or a horse for others. He miraculously survived and grew up slowly like a wild weed. Later, by chance, he figured out the characters written on that animal skin. It turned out that what was recorded on that animal skin was actually a secret technique called the 'Spirit-Transferring Great Method'. By adopting this secret method, one could transfer the spiritual roots from a monster to a person, thereby enabling a mortal to also possess the qualifications for cultivation."

"Is this the 'Spirit-Transferring Great Method' you are going to perform today?" Zhang Xingyu asked.

Hou Dengyun nodded: "I obtained the Spirit-Transferring secret method and knew that there was a miraculous Red Phoenix bird egg on that towering parasol tree. Only then did I understand what kind of fortune the cultivator had gifted me that day. I have been carefully preparing and patiently waiting, until today, when I am finally about to get my wish. From now on, I will also become a cultivator, and I will be an amazing cultivator. I..."

Hou Dengyun hadn't finished speaking when he suddenly heard someone outside the cave asking loudly: "Young Master Liu, there is a water pool here, why don't we rest here for a while?"

"That's fine. Let's rest here for a while." Another voice replied.

Zhang Xingyu found this person's voice somewhat familiar.

At this moment, if Zhang Xingyu were outside the cave, he would definitely recognize the person who spoke.

This person is none other than Liu Dayan, who had made him and Wu Tie lead the way and later led people to hunt them down.

For some reason, Liu Dayan had actually brought several subordinates to Qifeng Mountain as well.

Inside the cave, Hou Dengyun heard someone outside, so he immediately stuffed Zhang Xingyu's mouth with a cloth strip. He eavesdropped for a while, then walked lightly to the cave entrance and poked his head out to check.

Outside the cave, Liu Dayan was sitting around the water pool with several subordinates, drinking water while eating food.

"Young Master Liu, there is only this one road up and down Qifeng Mountain. Why don't we ambush them here?" A person with a thief's eyebrows and rat's eyes suggested.

Liu Dayan's eyes lit up, and he nodded: "Ambush, this idea is not bad!"

Just as his voice faded, a burly man beside him also echoed loudly: "Young Master is wise."

After this burly man finished flattering Liu Dayan, he said to the person with the thief's eyebrows and rat's eyes: "Liu San, along the way here, we haven't seen any trace of Hou Dengyun and the others. Could it be that your intelligence is wrong, and there are no Tier 1 monsters, Red Phoenix birds, here at all? If you cause us to make a wasted trip, hehe..."

That Liu San heard this and hurriedly explained: "It won't be wrong. This intelligence was heard from my sister Lvzhu herself. As soon as Young Master Liu returned to the city, I hurriedly reported the news to you."

The burly man still wanted to say something, but Liu Dayan waved his hand at him.

"We will ambush them here. You go and carefully scout the surrounding environment."

"Yes."

The burly man heard Liu Dayan's instruction, stood up, held a steel blade, and strode toward the waterfall direction.

Before long, he arrived beside the waterfall, looked up, and saw the cave covered by the waterfall.

"Young Master, there is a cave behind the waterfall. I'll go in and take a look first." The burly man reported loudly to Liu Dayan while walking along the stone wall toward the cave entrance.

"Damn it!"

Hou Dengyun cursed secretly and slowly drew the Dharma weapon from his waist.

Hearing the conversation outside, Zhang Xingyu keenly sensed a glimmer of an opportunity to escape.

It was just that he couldn't act rashly now.

He had to wait for the best opportunity.

Wait for Hou Dengyun and Liu Dayan's gang to fight, wait for both sides to have no time to pay attention to him, and that would be the best moment for him to escape.

It was better to be a wooden person for now.

One, two, three, wooden person.

Zhang Xingyu closed his eyes and remained motionless.

Outside the cave, the burly man braved the water spray from the waterfall and arrived at the cave entrance step by step.

Seeing him poke his head in, Hou Dengyun aimed at his neck and hacked over with his blade.

"Crack!"

The blade entered the flesh, and the neck separated from the body.

Hou Dengyun was quick-eyed and fast-handed, grabbed the burly man's headless corpse, and dragged him into the cave.

Hou Dengyun breathed a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately, before he could rest for a while, Liu Dayan's inquiry sounded outside the cave again: "Liu Wu, what did you find in the cave?"

No one answered in the cave.

Liu Dayan was puzzled in his heart.

He pointed his finger at another subordinate and said: "What is this guy Liu Wu doing? Liu Er, hurry up and go into the cave to take a look?"

Liu Er heard this and ran quickly toward the waterfall. Arriving at the cave, he opened his eyes wide and observed into the cave.

Just at this moment, a silver-white blade light flashed, and his body was split into two sections.

The upper section fell into the cave with a slap, and the lower section fell into the water pool with a thud.

"There is someone in the cave."

Liu Dayan shouted loudly and reached out to draw the Dharma sword from his back.

"Who is inside?" Liu Dayan shouted loudly into the cave.

Hou Dengyun hid at the cave entrance, staring at them without blinking, not saying a word.

"Hou Dengyun, I know it's you!" Liu Dayan shouted.

Hou Dengyun remained silent.

Seeing that shouting was ineffective, Liu Dayan said to Liu San beside him: "Liu San, call your sister. If we can slaughter Hou Dengyun this time, I will take her as a concubine."

"Okay, Young Master Liu, I will call out now." Liu San answered excitedly.

If his sister could climb up to a wealthy family like Liu Dayan's, he wouldn't have to worry about the second half of his life.

"Sister, it's your brother Liu San, are you in the cave?" Liu San shouted loudly.

No one responded in the cave.

"Sister, if you are in the cave, answer quickly. Just now Young Master Liu said, when we go back, he will take you as a concubine."

Still no one answered in the cave.

"Damn it!" Liu Dayan was angry. He gestured for two subordinates to surround and encircle, and then carefully crept toward the mountain cave with another subordinate.

"Huff, huff!"

Hou Dengyun's breathing became rapid. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, soaking a large part of his clothes on his chest.

He was like a hunting leopard, crouching, sticking to the wall, legs slightly apart, body leaning forward, the Dharma blade in his hand ready to hack out at any time.