Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World

Chapter 640: Chapter 327: Young Lin Feng, Part 2

Back in the cave, Cheng Zongyang laid the boy on the wooden bed. Figuring it would take about half an hour for him to wake up, he made his way to the teleportation chamber.

Cheng Zongyang’s expression was unreadable as he stared at the Teleportation Array that led to the Cheng Mansion.

He had the Startup Token for the other side on him, so he couldn’t use the Teleportation Array to return to the Cheng Mansion at the moment. He also didn’t know if the array on that end had been discovered. To be safe, Cheng Zongyang removed the Token from this side’s array as well.

’With the Sect’s power, cracking a Teleportation Array is as easy as breathing. I can’t take that risk!’

He then went to the spacious main hall, sat down cross-legged, and continued to stabilize the Cultivation that had seen a slight improvement after the grueling battle.

A little over half an hour later, Cheng Zongyang heard a stir from the other room and slowly opened his eyes.

He pushed the door open and entered. The boy was huddled in a corner of the wooden bed, his eyes filled with wariness.

Cheng Zongyang gave a small smile, doing his best to appear gentle. In a soft voice, he said, "Come with me, kid. The old man is still asleep."

The boy hesitated, but seeing the commanding look in Cheng Zongyang’s eyes, he stood up and followed him in silence. He glanced around the room. ’There’s no one here but me.’

When they reached the main hall, Cheng Zongyang stopped and turned to face the boy. The boy kept his head slightly lowered, his hands clasped tightly together, his heart pounding with tension and panic.

Cheng Zongyang said softly, "Don’t be nervous. I just have a few questions for you."

The boy looked up, a flicker of confusion in his timid eyes. "Sir, what do you want to ask?"

Cheng Zongyang looked at the boy and said slowly, "Let’s start with your background. What’s your name? Where are you from? And why were you with Lin Changfeng?"

"He’s my grandfather. Shouldn’t I be with him?" the boy asked, a look of confusion on his face.

Cheng Zongyang stared into the boy’s eyes, his own gaze filled with suspicion and confusion. He didn’t answer, but continued to stare with a commanding intensity, exerting silent pressure.

When the boy saw Cheng Zongyang just staring at him without a word, he couldn’t help but lower his head, not daring to meet his gaze. The atmosphere grew heavy with silence.

The boy was trying to figure out how to answer. After a moment, he took a deep breath and said slowly, "My name is Lin Feng. I’ve been traveling all over with my grandfather..."

"I want the truth. I won’t ask again," Cheng Zongyang’s tone turned cold.

’Considering the Cultivation Technique Lin Changfeng practiced and his desperation to keep this boy, not even a real grandson would warrant that kind of behavior, right?’

He had suspected back then that the boy was the target Lin Changfeng had found to devour.

He even suspected that by devouring the boy, Lin Changfeng might have been able to break through directly to the Golden Core realm.

But as Cheng Zongyang pressed him, the boy suddenly asked, "Is he dead?"

Cheng Zongyang glanced at him. "You could say that."

At that, the boy’s tone became flat, all his previous timidity gone. He spoke again. "The grandfather I was talking about was my real grandfather."

Now Cheng Zongyang understood. He nodded slightly. "Continue."

The boy realized then that Cheng Zongyang must know something. He stopped hiding things, his posture relaxing as he sat down on the floor and continued his story.

"At first, I stayed with him because I thought he had saved me and had even killed some people to avenge my grandfather. Later, he took me in as his disciple and helped me start on the path of Qi Cultivation.

"But one day, while Lin Changfeng and I were gathering herbs in the mountains, we were suddenly attacked by a group of men in black. I ran for my life but was hit in the stomach and knocked unconscious. Then, the men in black surrounded and attacked Lin Changfeng.

"What they didn’t know was that I woke up from the intense pain in my stomach. They were in a deadly fight, so I endured the pain and kept pretending to be unconscious. That’s when I overheard their conversation and learned the real reason Lin Changfeng took me in and treated me so well. But that wasn’t even the worst of it. The one thing he never should have done was plot my grandfather’s murder, then put on the charade of saving me and avenging him!"

As he said this, the boy, Lin Feng, gritted his teeth, a startlingly vicious look in his eyes.

"I thought I could no longer cultivate, so I was planning to drop the pretense, cause a huge scene, and then kill myself to keep him from getting what he wanted. But then Lin Changfeng told me that a shattered Dantian could be repaired. So I endured it. I stayed by his side, calling my enemy ’master,’ so that one day I could learn his skills and then kill him with my own two hands!

"After that, I followed him everywhere as we moved from place to place, partly to escape our pursuers and partly to search for Foundation Establishment Pills. Over the past five years, he found the ingredients many times, but every attempt to refine the pills failed. But I wasn’t in a hurry. As long as I had a chance to live, I would take it, so I could kill that old bastard in the end!!"

Cheng Zongyang sighed inwardly. ’This boy carries such a heavy burden.’ But then again, after everything he had been through, it was no wonder he could see the true nature of things.

Still, he hadn’t expected the boy to be capable of such forbearance. ’That kind of mental fortitude is rare.’

At this point, he frowned slightly. "Do you know who those people chasing you were?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I don’t know who they were, but Lin Changfeng always mentioned the Shadow Alliance, so it was almost certainly them. Their skills were incredible. If it weren’t for his Black Death Body, Lin Changfeng would have been no match for the Shadow Alliance."

"Since you knew Lin Changfeng’s real reason for keeping you around, weren’t you worried he’d find out you were faking it and kill you on the spot?" Cheng Zongyang pressed.

"I wasn’t worried." Lin Feng scoffed and shook his head. "He told me he would find a way to restore my Dantian. As long as my Dantian wasn’t healed, I was in no danger. Heh, he was more worried about something happening to me than anyone else. If I died, he knew it would be hard to find another Soul with an aptitude like mine."

Cheng Zongyang was rendered speechless.

He suddenly had a feeling that if Lin Feng survived and grew up, he would become an absolutely formidable figure. He was the type to knowingly walk into the tiger’s den... It was reminiscent of the situation where Han the Demon studied under Doctor Mo, only to be schemed against later.

It was also like Sorong, who had no choice but to take Hawkeye as his master, all for the sake of his vow to one day kill him.

Truly, the boy could bend and stretch as the situation required!

"He did succeed in refining the Spirit Revival Pill, though," Cheng Zongyang continued. "If it weren’t for the commotion caused by the bounty, once your Dantian was repaired and you started Qi Cultivation again, your death wouldn’t have been far off."

But Lin Feng shook his head. "I would still have been safe. I was actually looking forward to having my Dantian repaired. Once it was restored, whether I pursued the Martial Dao or went straight back to Qi Cultivation, he would have had to wait until I broke through to the Third Level to kill me.

"Everyone knows a Spirit Fruit is sweetest and most fragrant—and provides the greatest boost to one’s Cultivation—the very moment it ripens. Who would pick it while it’s still green? The higher my Cultivation, the more potent my Soul Power becomes, and the more beneficial I am to him."

Cheng Zongyang narrowed his eyes slightly. He felt he was starting to get a good measure of this boy.

’From this short conversation, it’s clear this boy has been through a lot. He’s an old soul in a young body, someone who understands patience and how to bide his time. He’s the quiet but ruthless type!’

’He’s been biding his time until now. If I hadn’t shown up, he would have kept enduring and sticking to his plan, waiting for the day to suddenly strike back.’

Seeing no point in dwelling on it, Cheng Zongyang changed the subject. "During your time with Lin Changfeng, did you ever hear him mention anything more about this assassin organization, the Shadow Alliance? For instance, their headquarters, or their overall strength?"

Lin Feng shook his head. "I’ve heard almost nothing. The only time I heard the name was when they were fighting. I couldn’t risk asking about it; that would have made him suspicious. What kind of organization is the Shadow Alliance? Are they really that powerful?"

"You could say that. Lin Feng, did you never think of leaving Lin Changfeng, cultivating on your own, and getting your revenge later?" Cheng Zongyang asked, his curiosity piqued.

A flicker of hesitation crossed Lin Feng’s eyes. "I thought about it, but I didn’t know where to go. I also know how dangerous the outside world is. For a Loose Cultivator with a low Cultivation, it’s too difficult to compete for resources. It was actually better to stay by Lin Changfeng’s side. Setting aside the Cultivation Resources that I couldn’t use yet, at least my safety was guaranteed. I’d never seen anyone get the better of him."

At this, he looked at Cheng Zongyang. "Are you a Golden Core Great Cultivator? No one could ever catch him, but you did."