Chapter 2641 - 2642: Bian Shui Fort

Big Cat didn’t have any interest in going to Cha Mu Town with Feng Yuan, and Feng Yuan wasn’t sure what it had been busy with lately. However, with Kong Qing watching over it, and considering Big Cat’s cautious nature, Feng Yuan wasn’t worried it would get into any serious trouble.

Once he confirmed that they weren’t going, Feng Yuan quickly packed his luggage and boarded the special vehicle prepared by Maomu City. On the vehicle, a woman dressed in traditional Cha Mu attire exchanged contact information with Feng Yuan, telling him to contact her anytime if he needed anything during the trip.

The car stopped once it reached Cha Mu Town. Of course, if Feng Yuan wanted to go anywhere, the car would take him. Essentially, during his stay in Cha Mu Town, that car was at Feng Yuan’s service.

"Hmm, let me see, Xiao Ji, where do you think we should go?"

Unfolding the special map handed to him by the guide before disembarking, Feng Yuan turned to Xiao Ji and asked. Although he could let them arrange the itinerary, Feng Yuan felt it might be better to let Xiao Ji choose.

At this moment, Xiao Ji was stumped, staring at the map. Feng Yuan’s decision delighted it, but it wasn’t very adept at using a phone. Moreover, with Big Cat not around, it was difficult to gather and organize information from the internet without help. Arranging an itinerary was definitely not its forte.

"Don’t tease it, just pick any spot. Maybe it won’t be perfect, but it surely won’t be a problem."

Glancing at Feng Yuan, Veronia said helplessly. This map was specially made by Cha Mu Town. Even during wartime, it was unrealistic for Cha Mu Town to operate all tourist attractions.

That’s why this map existed. The attractions listed on it were approved by both Cha Mu Town and Maomu City. While personal preferences might vary, there was no risk of deception.

Joking aside, this trip was a gesture of gratitude towards the Beastmasters who helped Maomu City. Deceiving them now would be absurd. Who would do such a foolish thing? Perhaps only someone truly foolish would attempt it, and the consequences would be dire.

That’s why Feng Yuan dared to let Xiao Ji choose. It didn’t matter to him where they went; they all seemed the same. Having Xiao Ji take on the responsibility was a relief.

Even with Veronia’s explanation, Xiao Ji still felt pressured. The Fluffy Fire Wolfhound came over curiously to look at the map, pawed at it, and barked. Veronia glanced at the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound, annoyed, and said,

"You didn’t even look."

Looking towards Veronia, the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound barked again, its eyes darting over the map. Astonished, Veronia said,

"The river-side village — it seems like it might be worth visiting."

"What river-side village?"

Feng Yuan asked with a perplexed look. He couldn’t understand the language of spirit beasts, so he had no idea what the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound was saying. Could it be the place it was pawing at? It seemed like... a river ran through it — it really was a river-side village.

"Xiao Ji, what do you think?"

Instead of making an instant decision, Feng Yuan sought Xiao Ji’s opinion. After all, he had initially asked Xiao Ji, and now with the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound’s unexpected suggestion, he wasn’t sure if Xiao Ji would mind.

Seeing the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound helping make the choice, Xiao Ji felt relieved, fluttered its wings, and chirped merrily. Veronia lightly chuckled and said,

"It says it’s okay."

Bian Shui Fort was not originally a famous tourist attraction in Cha Mu Town, but with the implementation of the town’s grand tourism plan and the inevitable drop in spiritual medicine prices due to technological advancements and increased production, it began voluntarily joining the tourism plan.

Of course, these efforts earned them gratifying results. If not for the war, Bian Shui Fort might have quickly become one of Cha Mu Town’s popular tourist destinations.

This also made them fortunate enough to be included in this leisure trip. The reason for this luck was naturally because the Maomu City authorities had specially dispatched personnel to guard these tourist sites for the event.

Unlike an ordinary invitation, the stationed troops could only enjoy the sites during their rest periods, whereas the invited guests had no such restrictions and even had special vehicles for transport.

Nevertheless, this was a rare break for the soldiers. During wartime, they usually had to be on the frontline, making such rest opportunities nearly impossible.

It was only after the Temple’s emergence and the substantial drop in pressure along the defense lines that Maomu City dared to organize such activities; otherwise, they would certainly face criticism.

Due to widespread personnel shortages, it was generally unacceptable to divert military forces for such purposes.

However, given that the defense pressure around Maomu City had significantly decreased and involving Feng Yuan in this event, it was tentatively pushed forward.

Indeed, if Feng Yuan hadn’t accepted the invitation, the entire leisure journey would have been canceled. The first invitation was sent to Feng Yuan, and because of this, it was specially delivered by Liao Yu of the Special Duty Team.

Even though the two had a good relationship, it’s important to note that Liao Yu had an official standing. The Special Duty Team wasn’t particularly free either; thus, Liao Yu’s involvement was not just due to their relationship but also as a mark of importance.

Feng Yuan might have realized this, but he probably didn’t care; he simply acted according to his heart.

With the support of the City Defense Army, the villagers of Bian Shui Fort returned to their homeland and could to some extent live as they did before the war.

Indeed, even in Cha Mu Town, they had to gather the scattered locals into a few locations; spread too thinly, they couldn’t be adequately protected.

Compared to temporary shelters, living in one’s home was certainly more comfortable. This, combined with Feng Yuan’s arrival, resulted in a warm welcome from dedicated greeters as soon as he stepped out of the car.

A girl in the unique local attire greeted him enthusiastically, taking his hand and leading him into the village. Even Xiao Ji and his companions received kind attentions.

This degree of hospitality felt a bit overwhelming for Xiao Ji and its friends, but Veronia remained unperturbed, having experienced far more grandiose situations in the Mythical Era.

"Strange, their enthusiasm seems a bit excessive."

Floating in the air, Veronia murmured quietly. It wasn’t concerned about any ploy; in fact, if it were an ambush, it would be interesting, but it was clearly impossible.

For this activity, Maomu City had meticulously arranged for the City Defense Army to ensure no switching of identities could occur.

Unlike Veronia, Feng Yuan had already guessed the reason. Knowing the scope of the invitation beforehand, he speculated these people were so warm due to that very reason.

"You still have that thing, huh."

Qingcheng Creek flowed quietly beside Bian Shui Fort. Feng Yuan walked barefoot on the creek’s pebble bed, with the chilly winter water barely covering the tops of his feet as it ran coolly across them. The Fluffy Fire Wolfhound frolicked in the stream, splashing water everywhere.

On it, a special amulet prevented the creek water from soaking its fur.

That was the amulet Feng Yuan bought for the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound during their last trip to Hot Springs Town, specifically to allow a Spirit Beast that dislikes water to play in it.

Xiao Ji didn’t use such an item; after overcoming its psychological hurdles, the creek water posed no problem for it. In fact, Xiao Ji could even flap its wings to kick up gusts of wind and send the splashed water right back at the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound.

Shaking its tail, the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound proudly displayed the amulet, which it had been preserving for just the right occasion, and now it finally saw use.

"You don’t mind the cold at all, do you guys?"

Sitting atop the Rainbow Bubbles, Veronia called out loudly from a distance. Winter was upon them, and it didn’t have any peculiar fondness for enjoying water during the cold season; it was indeed frigid.

"It’s not so bad; after all, borrowing the power of a Beast Tamer, this bit of cold is really nothing."

Igniting a small flame on his fingertip, Feng Yuan chuckled, mentioning how the Fluffy Fire Wolfhound’s flame power was more than adequate to ward off the cold.

"Besides, isn’t this creek the most famous part of Bian Shui Fort? Now that we’re here, how could we not indulge a little?"

His gaze skimmed over the clear stream as Feng Yuan attempted to spot the special little fish nurtured in this part of the water.

According to the locals, those fish had tender, tasty flesh with a unique flavor, a culinary delicacy.

Catching fish from the water was one of Bian Shui Fort’s special features, referring, of course, to those unique little fish.

However, as locals stated, the fish could evade spiritual power detection and had camouflaged scales, making them difficult to catch.

"Hmm, perhaps you’re right."

Glancing at Feng Yuan, Veronia had no intention of joining in. The water was too cold, and even though fire attribute energy could fend off the chill, it felt like unnecessary hassle.