Chapter 97: The First Night

Upon hearing such shocking information, an ordinary Martial Artist would likely have long since lost their composure, or even doubted the meaning of life.

But no matter how Lu Hanwen and Li Shou observed, Feng Zi's expression remained calm.

That was not a posture deliberately struck, but a composure that came from the heart.

Regarding this, Lu Hanwen asked with great astonishment: "It seems Brother Feng Zi does not feel surprised?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zi frankly replied: "The day I saw Yue Hong, I had already guessed this point, so naturally I am not surprised."

"Of course, if you ask why I am so calm... whether there is an end to the cultivation of the Martial Dao is something I must verify myself; why bother worrying about it prematurely?"

Furthermore, there was one most critical reason that Feng Zi did not speak aloud:

He had already stepped out onto his own path of cultivation; although he was still walking the path of the Martial Dao, its core had already changed, and the shackles of the Martial Dao did not necessarily apply to him.

Of course, he did not say this out loud, both because of his own private reasons and because this path of cultivation had not yet formed a paradigm for others to reference.

With the words spoken and the future plans settled, Feng Zi stretched and said casually:

"Alright, it is time to rest—Qing Lin and Brother Hanwen will keep watch for the first half of the night, and I will keep watch with Brother Li Shou for the second half."

Feng Zi's arrangement did not have any special considerations; it was merely from the perspective of balancing combat power:

His and Qing Lin's strength far exceeded the other two—this was a conclusion verified through actual combat—and when a sudden situation arose, it was necessary to ensure that someone could handle it alone.

As for choosing to pair Lu Hanwen with Qing Lin, it was also because he had fully considered that Lu Hanwen was deep in thought and could make decisions on the fly.

Having said that, he rested his head on his pack and slept on the ground.

Seeing this, Lu Hanwen asked with some surprise: "Just using the ground as a bed like this?"

"Otherwise what? When camping, where would we find so many things to be picky about?"

Feng Zi yawned and said offhandedly: "It was the same when Zhiruo traveled with us; you two grown men should be able to handle it, right?"

After saying this, he stopped speaking, and his breathing gradually became much steadier.

Hearing this remark, Lu Hanwen could not help but be dumbfounded:

What had he just heard? Lu Zhiruo, his own younger sister, was actually able to accept such a harsh environment?

Was this really his sister? Had she changed her temperament?

Li Shou did not have any objections; he simply found a smooth stone wall nearby and leaned against the mountain to fall into a deep sleep.

Seeing that Feng Zi was resting, Qing Lin added some firewood to the campfire and walked silently to the cave entrance, gazing calmly at the stars filling the sky—

The stars under this firmament deviated greatly from her memories.

Watching the two sleeping by the campfire, Lu Hanwen pondered for a moment and also walked to the cave entrance:

After all, he would be traveling with this young lady from now on, so he had to roughly understand his companion's personality.

Furthermore, he wanted to probe from the side to understand Feng Zi's style of conduct.

But before Lu Hanwen could speak, Qing Lin turned her face as if she had "foreseen the future," and placed the tip of her right index finger in front of her lips.

Qing Lin was still that same Qing Lin, still possessing that near-flawless appearance and taciturn personality.

But in Lu Hanwen's eyes, these external appearances could be ignored; the chill that seeped into his marrow made him shudder involuntarily.

He then suddenly realized that the introverted woman who had always hidden behind Feng Zi and seemed shy had never existed from the start!

Or rather, this well-behaved posture was an attitude this "Moon Fish" lady displayed for Feng Zi's sake...

And her true nature had always been this high-and-mighty indifference toward all living things.

This kind of bearing could not be achieved by mere pretense; only by holding the power of life and death over billions of beings for years could one do this naturally.

Even Lu Hanwen had only seen it once before—that was a memory from when he was still a child.

At that time, he had accompanied his father to Yongan Capital in Zhenbei Dao, which happened to coincide with the Martial Examination, and Prince Yong had arrived at the scene in person.

Just by looking from afar, Prince Yong's bearing of indifference toward all living things had been deeply imprinted in Lu Hanwen's memory.

After many years, Lu Hanwen felt this chilling coldness once again.

But unlike in his childhood, this time he faced such pressure directly, and cold sweat instantly covered his forehead.

If he had not forced himself to persist, he would have long since been unable to bear the pressure and would have involuntarily knelt down.

But Qing Lin only gave Lu Hanwen a deep look, then turned to look outside the cave with a lack of interest, saying in a low voice that seemed unintentional:

"Feng Zi always says that Brother Hanwen is a trustworthy friend, and Zhiruo has said similar things; I hope you are truly worthy of this evaluation."

Hearing these words, reason finally overcame fear in Lu Hanwen's mind.

His brain spun rapidly.

After a long while, Lu Hanwen said slowly: "Do not worry, Lady Moon Fish, I know nothing; nothing happened tonight."

"I hope so." The only thing left for him were these four cold words.

Feng Zi still overlooked one thing—Qing Lin's learning ability was extremely strong, strong to a degree he could no longer comprehend.

It is no exaggeration to say that by the second day after Qing Lin woke up, she was no longer that ignorant person.

Therefore, while Feng Zi was still calculating how to let Qing Lin learn more, she had already become an "all-rounder" through her own eyes.

But from beginning to end, Qing Lin had never indicated this:

She hoped that Feng Zi's gaze could always look toward her, and she was willing to always follow behind Feng Zi.

Because of this, when Feng Zi did not tell others her real name in order to protect her, Qing Lin did not mind, and even felt happy—

This was a secret shared between her and Feng Zi that others did not know!

The night was very long, and this small interlude soon dissipated into the night.

Just as the sky was turning light, Feng Zi, who was responsible for the second half of the night watch, walked out of the cave and practiced his Fist Technique under the trees.

【Diligence can make up for clumsiness】; he had never given up on progress—as long as he had free time, he would practice his cultivation arts.

When the sun had fully risen, Qing Lin yawned and led Lu Hanwen and Li Shou out of the cave.

Seeing Feng Zi throwing punches under the trees, Lu Hanwen was greatly shocked:

"Brother Feng Zi, you are truly diligent; even after drifting to this unknown place, you still keep cultivation on your mind."

Hearing this, Feng Zi only smiled and shook his head, drawing back his stance: "Do not flatter me to death; it is merely a trivial habit."

"I have no particular thoughts, I am just thinking that it would be best not to let my skills grow rusty."

Both of them quite agreed with this point, and Lu Hanwen suggested: "Since that is the case, let us cultivate together from now on, so we may improve together."

"That would naturally be excellent!" Feng Zi welcomed this greatly and hurriedly agreed.

He took the travel bag handed to him by Qinglin, took out the south-pointing ladle, and strode forward with long steps:

"Alright, it is time for us to set off and see if there are any villages in the vicinity."