Chapter 231: Wind and Snow Mountain Shrine
"You... do you know how long I've waited for this day?"
The Golden-Winged Eagle King was so overwhelmed with emotion he nearly knelt down, ready to shout "godfather" just to express his respect for Chu Feng.
Chu Feng smiled and said, "No rush. A good meal is never too late. I still need some time, and I already promised Bing Yan that I'd write the Dao Scripture for her first. Your Brahma Script will have to wait."
Golden-Winged Eagle King: "..."
He had rejoiced too soon. Though he was frustrated, he held no resentment.
After all, anyone with eyes could see that Elder Bing and Chu Feng had an unusual relationship.
Just the fact that they spent time alone together in a room every night was something outsiders couldn't compare to—let alone the fact that he was just a mere eagle.
Chu Feng glanced at the sky, already beginning to pale, and said, "Alright, let's pack up. Time to leave Dayuan Royal City."
"Yes."
Everyone responded in unison, then returned to their rooms to pack.
As the sun rose, a horse-drawn carriage slowly rolled out of Dayuan Royal City.
The carriage continued its journey south.
Several days later, at dusk, it arrived outside a dilapidated temple.
Chu Feng said, "Let's rest here for the night."
"Yes."
The Golden-Winged Eagle King promptly signaled the thousand-mile steed to stop.
Chu Feng stepped down from the carriage and walked toward the broken-down temple. As soon as he entered, his gaze was drawn to the shattered mountain deity statue in the center.
There was demonic qi—and not a weak one, either.
However, Chu Feng didn't pay it much mind. To someone of his strength, such a creature was utterly insignificant.
As long as the thing didn't disturb his writing that night, it was fine.
The Golden-Winged Eagle King quickly cleared out a clean spot for Chu Feng.
Chu Feng then took out brush, ink, paper, and inkstone, sat on the floor, and resumed writing the Dao Scripture he had yet to finish.
Roughly half an hour later, the sound of shuffling footsteps came from outside.
Chu Feng remained undisturbed. The Golden-Winged Eagle King, currently in his small eagle form, glanced outside and saw seven or eight child beggars approaching the temple.
The oldest among them looked no more than eleven or twelve, the youngest only four or five.
Every one of them was filthy and disheveled, their clothes torn and ragged.
Upon seeing Chu Feng's group, they stood cautiously at the door, not daring to come closer.
Bing Yan glanced over and said calmly, "Make yourselves at home. Don't mind us."
"Thank you, kind one."
The lead child beggar respectfully bowed to Elder Bing, then ushered the others to gather at the opposite corner of the temple from Chu Feng's group.
They began starting a fire, and one of them retrieved a chipped, broken pot from beneath the mountain deity statue and placed it atop a makeshift stove to boil water.
The firewood crackled as the flames grew.
Just as the children were busy working, the sound of hooves suddenly echoed from outside.
The lead child immediately turned to one of the others and said, "Sixth, go out and see who's arrived at the temple entrance."
"Got it, Big Sis."
The one called Sixth replied, then ran outside.
Moments later, he came jogging back and said, "Big Sis, it's a team of escorts."
Upon hearing this, the eldest sister finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Remember, no matter what happens later, endure it if you can. Don't provoke them."
"Okay."
All the child beggars clearly respected their Big Sis and nodded obediently.
Chu Feng, as if not hearing any of their chatter, continued writing without pause.
Soon, a loud voice came from outside.
"Captain, there's nothing dangerous in here—just a scholar and his wife, and a few child beggars."
With those words, a burly man led a group into the temple.
The head escort cupped his fists toward Chu Feng and said, "Apologies for the disturbance."
"Go ahead."
Chu Feng uttered the words calmly, not even sparing the newcomers a glance.
This action caused the expressions of the escorts behind the head guard to change.
To them, this scholar clearly didn't take them seriously.
One of the younger escorts even flushed with anger and glared at Chu Feng, but the head escort stopped him.
"Stand down. Do what you need to do."
"Yes."
Though the escorts were inwardly frustrated, none dared disobey the head escort's order.
After all, their leader was the only Dao Foundation cultivator among them. The rest were merely Body Tempering martial artists—not even proper cultivators.
One of the younger escorts couldn't help but ask, "Boss, you're a true Dao Foundation cultivator. Why be so respectful to a scholar?"
The head escort replied, "There's no other reason. That honored one, in this desolate place, met so many of us without even the slightest change in expression. He didn't even pause his writing hand. That alone tells me he could wipe us out with a wave of his hand."
Hiss…
The surrounding escorts instinctively sucked in a breath upon hearing this, and their eyes toward Chu Feng carried newfound reverence.
Up on the beam, the Golden-Winged Eagle King grew even more frustrated. This little guy has seen a lot—
Wasted my chance to show off in front of everyone.
As the escorts settled in, night gradually fell.
Whoo… whoo…
The wind outside grew louder, shaking the roof tiles with clattering sounds.
Inside the temple, the lights were bright, and all three groups remained in silence.
It was broken first by a child beggar.
"Big… Big Sis, I'm scared."
The eldest sister replied, "Don't be. It's just wind tonight, nothing more."
"Boss, I don't think this wind feels right," one of the escorts said.
The head escort nodded slightly. "There is indeed something wrong. Be ready for battle at any time."
As he spoke, he deliberately glanced toward Chu Feng's direction. To his surprise, the scholar was still writing.
He truly couldn't understand how that man could sit still for hours on end like that.
"Boss, it's snowing."
An escort shivered as he said this.
"Snow in June… Damn, we're in deep trouble."
The head escort frowned deeply, his brow forming a tight crease.
Whoosh…
Chu Feng suddenly put down his brush and murmured, "So tired…"
Bing Yan heard this and said, "Young master, let me massage your shoulders."
"Sure."
Chu Feng paused after responding, then turned to Bing Yan and asked, "You know how?"
Bing Yan gave a slight nod. "I've seen others do it before. I know a little."
Chu Feng: "..."
As if she hadn't noticed Chu Feng's expression at all, Bing Yan moved behind him and gently pressed her small hands on his shoulders.
Chu Feng slowly closed his eyes, a contented expression appearing on his face, as if he hadn't heard a word the escorts had said.
The escorts looked at this scene, recalling what their leader had just said, and silently thought: No wonder he's called an honored one. Even with a mountain collapsing in front of him, his face doesn't change.
Knock, knock, knock…
A sudden knock on the door broke everyone's train of thought…
Hey readers! If you're eager to dive into advanced chapters, consider joining our Patreon. By joining, you'll get access to 20 chapters ahead and enjoy 8 new chapters per week. Plus, we have 2 more exciting fics with the same chapter release rate, giving you a total of 32 chapters per week! Join now and keep the adventure going!
Patreon: https://patreon.com/Alex_Cruise