Chapter 526: Returning Home

"This is our advantage." Cheng Feng's voice was not loud, yet it was exceptionally clear in the quiet cabin. "Only by looking down from the sky do you realize how small this place is."

"Yet it is this small place that we have fought so long for. If we cannot hold it in the future, this ship will be our final retreat."

After he finished speaking, he maneuvered the Sun to continue heading south, and within a few moments, they had arrived above Heimu Prefecture.

Wei Zhuang looked down from the window.

Heimu Prefecture was more than several times larger than Qingxi County, but seen from the sky, it was no larger than the palm of a hand.

He saw the Cao Gang (Grain Transport Gang) boats docked by the pier, saw the red walls and green tiles of the Cheng Mansion, and could even see the old locust tree in the courtyard, looking like a small green umbrella.

"Master Cheng, how fast can this ship fly?" Wei Zhuang asked.

"At full speed, it takes about an hour from Qingxi to Heimu Prefecture," Cheng Feng said. "But the energy is limited and cannot be used lightly. The faster it flies, the greater the consumption. Today is just a test flight to let you get familiar with it. In the future, when you use it, you must carefully consider the urgency, understand?"

"Understood." Wei Zhuang and the others replied in unison, their voices much steadier than before.

The Sun swept silently over Heimu Prefecture, like an invisible shadow.

Everyone in the cabin stood up and crowded to the windows to look down.

They had lived on the ground for half their lives and had never overlooked the place where they made their living from such a perspective.

Shock and awe were written on every face.

The Sun headed straight for Qingxi County, finally returning to that desolate valley near Qingxi County.

The Flying Boat descended slowly and landed back on the flat ground in the valley.

The blue light extinguished, and the surroundings returned to a deathly silence.

The cabin door slid open, and everyone filed out. As soon as Tietou's feet touched the ground, his legs went soft, and he nearly knelt down.

The brothers beside him were no better off than he was.

Only Babai and Wei Zhuang looked as usual.

"Take it easy," Babai grinned. "It's like this the first time. You'll get used to it after a few more rides."

Wei Zhuang took a deep breath of the crisp air in the valley, struggling to calm his surging Qi and Blood. He walked to Cheng Feng's side and whispered, "Cheng Feng, this thing is too miraculous. An item of the Immortal, it truly is something we couldn't even imagine."

"I didn't bring you here to think about that," Cheng Feng said. "This ship will be under your command from now on."

"It's not for you to broaden your horizons; it's to preserve the roots of the Hong Sect."

"I brought you here today so you could experience it yourself and have a sense of certainty in your heart."

"If that day truly comes, you won't be so panicked that you forget how to board the ship."

"In the event that Heimu Prefecture really has an emergency, you can find a reason, and you can arrive in about an hour."

Wei Zhuang nodded heavily, an unprecedented solemnity appearing in his eyes: "Don't worry. As long as I, Wei Zhuang, am here, the Sun will be guarded."

Cheng Feng patted his shoulder and turned to walk toward the outside of the valley.

The sunlight fell on his back, gilding the outline of his entire figure with a golden edge.

Babai followed behind, turning back to give Wei Zhuang a "follow me" gesture.

Wei Zhuang led his brothers to follow quickly. When he walked out of the valley entrance, he looked back. The desolate valley remained the same, with three sides of stone walls like knife-cut cliffs, and the entrance so narrow it could only allow one person to pass sideways.

Who would have thought that this inconspicuous place hid their final lifeline?

After returning to Qingxi County, Cheng Feng never mentioned the Sun again. Wei Zhuang also tacitly did not ask any more questions.

Those brothers who had been on the Flying Boat all kept their mouths shut after returning, as if they had only had an absurd dream.

Only Tietou ran a high fever that night, tossing and turning in his sleep, shouting "It flew, it flew."

Wei Zhuang had a doctor feed him a bowl of calming medicine; the next day the fever broke, but the man had become much more silent.

Cheng Feng stayed in Qingxi County for two more days.

During the day, he moved an old bamboo chair and sat under the old locust tree by the drill ground, watching Wei Zhuang command the newly organized county militia in training.

Most of those people were young and strong men from various villages, or laborers who had free time. They wore uniformly issued grey cloth jackets, carried wooden spears, and practiced each move and stance earnestly.

Although the formation was not as neat as the Hong Sect disciples under Wei Zhuang, it was still decent.

Cheng Feng watched for a long time and nodded secretly to himself. Wei Zhuang had a method for training soldiers; he didn't engage in flashy tricks, only teaching people how to ambush in the countryside, how to use sharpened bamboo spears to stab people, and how to scatter iron caltrops and tripwires in the alleys.

These were not the ways of the regular army, but skills honed in the Jianghu—practical and vicious.

These militiamen, every single one of them, were the future foundation of the Hong Sect.

Wei Zhuang explained from the side, his expression showing a bit of complacency: "How about it? If these people train for another two or three months, they can hold their own for a while once they are sent out."

"If the Red Lotus Sect comes again, as long as they don't encounter decent Martial Dao experts, these local youngsters can block them in the mountain gullies so they can't get out."

Cheng Feng gave an "un" sound and didn't say much. His gaze swept over a dark-skinned, half-grown boy on the drill ground; that boy had the steadiest posture while holding his spear, and his eyes were the brightest. Cheng Feng pointed: "That one is not bad."

Wei Zhuang looked in the direction of his finger and smiled: "That child is named Shitou, from a family on the east side of the county."

"His father's leg was broken by the Red Lotus Sect, and he came to sign up to be a soldier himself."

"This child has a streak of ruthlessness in his bones; I quite like him."

Cheng Feng nodded: "Keep an eye on him. For those with potential, don't just use them as militia. Arrange for those with potential to come to the Hong Sect; it's not often one gets the chance to train one's own disciples relying on the imperial court."

Wei Zhuang understood: "Understood."

In the afternoon, Cheng Feng went to the Tieshan Martial Arts Hall.

He had walked that alley in North City countless times and could find his way even with his eyes closed.

But this time, standing at the entrance of the alley, he almost didn't recognize it. The alley was still the same alley, but the blue brick walls had been freshly painted, and a row of brand-new wooden plaques hung on the wall.

The top one was a full five feet long, with black background and gold characters, writing the four large characters "Tieshan Martial Arts Hall".

The characters were inscribed by the most famous old scholar in the county, the brushwork vigorous, reflecting light in the twilight. The two stone lanterns at the entrance had already been lit, illuminating the new plaque on the lintel brightly.

Cheng Feng stood at the entrance for a moment, not in a hurry to go in. Several half-grown boys were just coming out of the martial arts hall, all in grey cloth training uniforms, some carrying wooden swords, some carrying sandbags, chattering about the new moves they had learned today.

When they passed by Cheng Feng, someone recognized him, first stunned, eyes wide, opening their mouth to shout.

Cheng Feng raised his hand in a gesture for silence. That boy swallowed the "Master Cheng" that was on the tip of his tongue, his face flushed red, and he nodded and ran off.

Back then, when the Red Lotus Sect attacked, Qingxi County was in imminent danger.

Wang Tieshan took the disciples willing to follow him and joined forces with Cheng Feng's men, carrying blades and guns to retreat to Hong Village overnight.

Later, when counterattacking Qingxi County, Tieshan Martial Arts Hall charged at the very front; three disciples died, and over a dozen were wounded.

That battle established the reputation of Tieshan Martial Arts Hall. Once the county seat was liberated and the martial arts hall reopened, those coming to apprentice by name wore down the threshold.

Coupled with the secret support of Hong Sect, Tieshan Martial Arts Hall is now the number one place for martial arts practice in Qingxi County.

Cheng Feng stepped through the main gate; the front courtyard was bustling.

About twenty disciples were practicing routines in the courtyard, their shouts uniform and powerful.

A dark-faced man with his hands behind his back was patrolling; he was someone who recognized Cheng Feng.

Seeing Cheng Feng enter, he hurriedly stepped forward and lowered his voice: "Master Cheng, Master is practicing in the Rear Courtyard. He said if you came, you should go straight in."

Cheng Feng nodded and passed through the hall.

Several lanterns were lit in the Rear Courtyard, illuminating the blue-brick ground brightly.

Wang Tieshan was practicing his blade in the courtyard. He danced a thick-backed blade with such force that it whistled; the blade light swirled like a silver chain around his body, impenetrable even to water.

Cheng Feng stood under the veranda watching quietly, not making a sound to disturb him.

What Wang Tieshan was practicing was the "Galloping Thunder Blade," the trump card of Tieshan Martial Arts Hall; every move and stance was devoid of flashiness.

Cheng Feng could tell that his master had already practiced this blade to an extremely high realm, and it was indeed difficult to make further progress.

But precisely because of this, the old man's cultivation had been stuck at the peak of Bone Refining for years, unable to break through that layer of the wall.

Once Wang Tieshan finished the set of blade techniques and stood in a horse stance for a moment, he wiped his sweat and walked over to sit down.

He looked Cheng Feng up and down and sighed: "You've toughened up, and your killing intent is heavy. You haven't been sparing with blood since you left, have you?"

"It's alright," Cheng Feng said.

Wang Tieshan snorted: "Don't give me that. You can fool others, but you can't fool this old man."

"The Blood Qi on you now, I can smell the stench from two zhang away."

"But a real man should get his hands dirty when necessary. If you don't touch blood, you can't protect your home."

Cheng Feng nodded and took an oil-paper parcel from his bosom, placing it on the table: "I brought you some good tea leaves. 'Qingyun' from Tianqi City; have a taste."

Wang Tieshan did not stand on ceremony; he picked it up, brought it to his nose to sniff, praised it as "good stuff," and tucked it into his bosom like a treasure.

The two chatted for a while, the topic drifting from the current situation in Heimu Prefecture to the future of Hong Sect.

Although Wang Tieshan was holed up in Qingxi County, his information was extremely well-informed. He even knew about the Heimu family marrying off their daughter to Cheng Feng as a Concubine.

It was likely news brought back by Wei Zhuang when he went to Heimu Prefecture to offer congratulations.

Sipping his tea, he squinted his eyes and said: "That old fox Heimu Canglong is willing to place this bet, which shows he also sees that you, Cheng Feng, are no mere mortal."

"But remember, favors from the Heimu family are not easy to owe; they will all have to be repaid in the future."

Cheng Feng gave an "mm." He was naturally clear on these things.

He touched his chest, took out a thin, old booklet, and placed it on the table.

"I see Master has been stuck at the peak of Bone Refining for some years, unable to advance further. This 'Tethered Silk Art' is a method to assist in moving from Bone Refining to Organ Refining. If Master has the mind for it, you might as well practice it."

Wang Tieshan did not look at the booklet, but instead laughed and scolded: "The only thing I regret in this life is that Zhao Wei married a brat like you."

"The only thing I find comforting is that you really are a genius."

"Looking at it now, taking you in back then was indeed the best thing I ever did."

Cheng Feng did not respond.

No matter how far he had come now, his initial foundation,

was indeed taught to him hand-in-hand by the old man before him.

This debt of gratitude, he would remember for a lifetime.

The master and disciple sat opposite each other and drank a few more bowls of tea. The fire in the courtyard stove gradually died out, and the sky had turned completely dark.

Cheng Feng looked at the sky and stood up, saying: "It's getting late, I'll head back first."

Wang Tieshan did not keep him, only waving his hand: "Go. Don't let it delay your important business."

When Cheng Feng reached the courtyard gate, Wang Tieshan added from behind: "That cultivation technique, this old man will practice it. At the very least, I can't let you, my disciple, be the only one charging at the front in the future."

Cheng Feng looked back and smiled, then turned and vanished into the night.