Chapter 45: A Sudden Blow to the Head, Fishing

The mantis catches the cicada, the oriole is behind.

Fengxi locked onto his prey, sharpening his knife with a swish, ready to make a fortune.

However, there is a saying that goes very well——

Even when beating a dog, you must look at its owner!

So, he was caught.

He was completely caught.

A blow from a blunt stick knocked him down; he had no ability to resist and thus fainted.

The last thought in his mind before fainting was of the work he was carrying.

"Oh no, oh no!"

"I still have everyone's belongings on me!"

"If I lose it…… I'll bear the resentment of those who had expectations……"

Fengxi felt regret.

If he had not been lured at the start, and thus greedily pursued, thereby causing complications…… how could this regrettable situation have happened now?

In life's journey, there are always various temptations that cause people to deviate from their set goals, ultimately misstep and can never turn back.

Self-restraint, firming one's original heart, unswerving…… only then can one walk toward success.

A sudden blow to the head certainly knocked Fengxi down, but it also helped him straighten his life's path.

Danger, danger—it is both peril and opportunity.

Of course, such an insight from this gain can only be realized after he awakens.

If he were to just kick the bucket…… it would become a bowl of poisonous chicken soup, a tragic case used by later people to educate others.

……

No one knows how long has passed.

The unconscious Fengxi regained consciousness.

Although this process was arduous, with his consciousness faintly coming and going, he seemed to see a great divine being——

Houtu Ancestral Witch!

Moreover, the scene behind the Houtu Ancestral Witch made Fengxi forever engrave it in his heart, unable to forget.

That was the background palace when he was coaxed into becoming part of the Wu Clan, striving for the heavenly and earthly protagonistic status of the great human race!

What does that mean?

The world after death!

The mysterious means of a blow to the head is truly terrifying…… one strike caused Fengxi's three hun to leave his orifices and his seven po to ascend to heaven, nearly killing him outright.

However, the psychological shadow left by the Houtu Ancestral Witch stimulated him, the terror of reincarnation reappeared, instantly driving his three hun and seven po back into his body, steadfast as a mountain, breaking free of death's allure.

Only then did he regain consciousness and control over his body…… feeling the vibrant life force, Fengxi nearly burst into hot tears.

Of course, he did not show it.

He had not forgotten what caused his faint…… at present the situation is unclear; he should remain still and motionless, to understand his own condition and safety.

Maintaining the faint state unchanged, Fengxi cautiously probed, first checking his own condition.

"【Hand? Still here。】"

"【Foot? Still here。】"

"【Heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys—have they been cut?】"

"【All good, all good…… these parts are all inside the body, safe and sound.】"

"【Hiss…… aside from the spot on my head that was struck and hurts badly, I am actually completely intact?】"

Fengxi was a bit astonished, then inexplicably felt at ease.

This is a very good piece of news——facing him who had completely lost the ability to resist, they did not deal a lethal blow, so the situation is not bad.

However, if the mustard-seed universe carrying everyone's fortunes on his person were still there, that would be even better!

"【A person dies, but money remains unspent…… that is a very sad thing.】"

"【But a person lives, yet the money is gone…… this is even more sad!】"

"【Is there anything sadder than this?】"

"【Yes!】"

"【That is a person living, money gone, yet deeply in debt, owing astronomical debts……】"

Just thinking of it, the gazes of hundreds of thousands of Wu Clan members filled with resentment all fixed on him…… Fengxi's thoughts raced, and he began to consider the problem of fleeing.

Even if, the angry Wu Clan warriors jointly pleaded with the Ancestral Witch to display divine powers, shouting loudly in the Honghuang world——

"「Scoundrel Fengxi, embezzling and fleeing, shameless…… return my hard-earned money! Return my hard-earned money! 」"

He also couldn't care less about that.

Of course…… if he could avoid this situation, that would be best.

After all, in a world where a Great Luo cheat exists, fleeing…… how far could one actually run?

Probably before he even gets far, the Ancestral Witch will reset time and coldly watch him——you go ahead and run again!

"【The situation probably isn't that serious…… everyone says killing for treasure, if my huge sum of money were really stolen, how would they let me go?】"

"【Moreover, the one who struck me down so easily must have a strength realm far above a Golden Immortal…… the wealth of hundreds of thousands of Golden Immortals would surely not be on the mind of such a figure, right?】"

Thinking anxiously, Fengxi dared not open his eyes, but tuned his hearing to the utmost.

The Wu Clan does not cultivate the primordial spirit, lacking divine sense as a means of investigation, but that certainly does not mean their perceptual system is weak.

——They possess extremely powerful five senses and six consciousnesses!

With eyes opened, they can see through, observe in a 360-degree blind-spot-free view, above they can gaze at the sea of stars, below they can observe the nine profundities.

A twitch of the ears, and one can listen to the sound of the Great Dao, discerning all vibrations in the universe.

……

The five senses and six consciousnesses, immensely powerful!

Raised to the extreme, tracing the bloodline back to the primordial deity Pangu, it truly puts past, present, and future at a glance; the prayers of the Myriad Heavens echo in my heart.

Moreover, compared to divine sense—which requires actively opening and projecting outward, making it easy to detect—the Wu Clan's abilities activate entirely within oneself, possessing extremely high concealment.

At this moment, Fengxi's hearing is exceptionally keen, taking in every sound of the mountains and rivers across thousands of miles…… the howling of fierce winds, the rushing flow of great rivers, the 'crack-crack' sounding like some strange beast gnawing on something……

And, a voice filled with indignation——

"How unreasonable…… how unreasonable!"

"The Phoenix lineage…… has fallen!"

"And what about those feathered folk…… where has their backbone gone? Where did it all go?"

"Others wield a big stick, then offer a sweet date…… and then simply lay out all the information outright?"

A clear, crisp female voice, yet using the harshest words in criticism, finding the Phoenix lineage and the feathered folk utterly worthless.

Fengxi is very curious.

Just which big shot can scold with such confidence?

In Phoenix Nest Mountain, the names of those Great Luo of the Phoenix Clan are all implicated, lumped together as targets of criticism.

"Don't be angry, don't be angry……" another gentle voice rose, offering persuasion.

This made Fengxi tremble all over——this is the being who knocked him flat with a stick.

Moreover, I don't know if it's an illusion, but this voice always feels familiar……

"I always feel I've heard a voice like this sometime before……" a thought flashed through Fengxi's mind.

"This pot can't be blamed entirely on those little rascals, can it?!"

"They're not lacking backbone; rather, someone holds Kong Xuan's feather, representing the will of the future successor of the Phoenix lineage…… what can they do?"

"Be loyal and diligent, lest you offend Kong Xuan…… for a moment your backbone stiffens, but who knows when, should a leadership bearing a grudge remember it, you'll be sent to charge forward or take the blame in the future?"

"If you're not loyal and diligent, once a problem arises you become the target to be made an example of, to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys."

"It's hard…… this is the sorrow of small folk; why bother blaming them again?"

After saying this, the female voice fell silent.

Fengxi, meanwhile, gave a thumbs-up in his heart——it's rare to see someone so reasonable and considerate of subordinates.

Must give a like!

After a while of silence, the female voice sounded again.

But this time, she shifted the topic, venting her grievances onto Kong Xuan.

"Kong Xuan, this kid…… is so, so, so naive!"

"Others just need a couple of words to fool him, and he gets led astray in a daze!"

"With such a mindset, how can he ever inherit the great cause of the Phoenix Clan?"

"You can't say that……" the previous person said nonchalantly, "Who hasn't walked through an era of innocence?"

"How long has Kong Xuan been born? Such performance is also normal."

"At the very least, he's much stronger than that person back then……"

"You still have the nerve to say that?" the female voice suddenly rose, "You……"

"All right…… don't get angry, don't get excited." that person changed the subject, "Quick, look…… a big fresh fish has taken the bait!"

"Tsk…… another unlicensed transmigrator."

"Hmm, let me see what good stuff this one brought."

"Huh?" seemingly surprised, "Dragon essence blood?"

"Ha! The black hand behind this transmigration has invested quite a bit!"

"A drop of Great Luo true dragon's essence blood…… this guy, after transmigrating and cultivating for a while, becomes a Grand Unity!"

"Come, come, come…… this is your snack, see if it suits your taste."

"Don't change the subject! Let me tell you……" the female voice held dissatisfaction, still muttering, but soon it turned into an "awwoo" sound, "Huh? The taste is actually not bad."

"That's only natural……" someone spoke with a smile, "The aura in this drop of essence blood looks very familiar…… seems to be that of the Ancestral Dragon."

"Heh…… looks like that old dragon isn't behaving either."

"Going downstream in time, activating Great Luo powers, tracing spacetime, placing a piece in the past…… what do you want to overturn? Or change?"

"Over these years I've been fishing here, I've caught dragon essence blood—no less than eighty, if not a hundred!"

"Ancestral Dragon…… hum, this guy is still unruly." Having satisfied his hunger and with business at hand, the female voice also calmed down, "But he doesn't even think…… the beatings he's taken, the pits he's walked through, aren't they few?"

"The less obtainable something is, the more urgently one wants to change it…… especially when putting all one's capital on the line, victory is just a step away." That person chuckled, "Humans…… hey! Humans!"

"The kings of humanity have a tacit understanding, playing the next great chess game."

"Poor old dragon, a tragic dragon's life…… heaven only knows when it will get a chance to turn things around."

"You, as a fisherman, have no right to say that," the female voice said with some contempt, "Who is it fishing here, blockading the ages of spacetime, picking off one by one the pieces the old dragon set up?"

"Accident…… it's all just an accident!"

"I put out the bait, the big fish took the hook, I can't help it!"

"But now, the bait is used up…… hmm, actually no, that over there, that little Wu Clan member pretending to be unconscious, looks like suitable fish bait?"

(End of chapter)