Chapter 14: “Chasing a Wife from Afar, the Road is Long.”

Seeing the person appearing outside the woodshed, Luo Qi was so frightened his face turned white.

The information he had bought only mentioned there was a treasure on this mountain; it didn’t reveal that the one holding down the stronghold was a Jianghu Rogue Cultivator.

Her cultivation base wasn’t even higher than theirs, but her archery skills were exceptional, and she had Magic Treasures to assist her. The two of them together were no match for her.

It was over!

Luo Qi wailed inwardly. His Master often said that people in the Jianghu were treacherous. He hadn’t believed it at first, but he never expected to run into a tough opponent just after descending the mountain.

The bandits on this mountain weren’t like his fellow disciples in the Fuyun Sect, who would fear him somewhat because of his Master’s status.

Were they going to die here today?

Feng Jin walked into the woodshed. Luo Qi’s ears caught the rhythmic footsteps.

Fear gripped his heart, and in his panic, he blurted out, “W-what do you want?! I’m telling you, let This Young Master go immediately! Otherwise, when my Master finds out, he’ll definitely tear down this bandit stronghold of yours and make you die a horrible death!”

Lin Chao was so infuriated by Luo Qi’s idiocy that he felt like he was ascending to heaven and descending to hell simultaneously. He thought: Idiot! He hasn’t had enough beatings yet!

His anger flared. Afraid that Luo Qi would provoke Feng Jin and drag him down too, he immediately stomped hard on Luo Qi’s foot.

Luo Qi let out a ghostly “Owww!” and retracted his foot in pain, shaking and flicking it as if having a cramp. He turned and glared furiously at Lin Chao. “What are you doing?!”

Lin Chao scolded, “Shut up!”

The two glared at each other, neither willing to back down.

At that moment, Feng Jin spoke: “I have no grudges against you two. The previous conflict may have just been a misunderstanding.”

Hearing this, Lin Chao’s eyes lit up, and he nodded hurriedly. “Yes, yes, it’s a misunderstanding!”

Adopting the mindset of a drowning man clutching at a straw, he continued, “We were deceived. We somehow ended up on this mountain, disturbing your cultivation, honored one. We are truly sorry. Please, be magnanimous and let us go!”

Feng Jin replied, “That is exactly my intention as well.”

Hearing they could leave, Luo Qi was stunned for a moment, then immediately changed his tune. “A misunderstanding, a misunderstanding, definitely a misunderstanding! Please untie us, honored one, and we’ll go down the mountain right away!”

Feng Jin, however, raised a hand. “Before I let you two leave, there is one thing I’d like to confirm with you.”

Luo Qi’s hope was dashed. He cursed Feng Jin inwardly as a scoundrel, but verbally asked, “Confirm what?”

Lin Chao was gratified that Luo Qi had finally spoken like a human being, and chimed in, “Please speak, honored one.”

Feng Jin then asked, “Who told you two to come to my stronghold to seek treasure?”

Luo Qi’s expression changed slightly, but Lin Chao had no reservations and immediately spoke:

“It was the villagers in Zhuangan Village below the mountain! We were inquiring for news at the Luocheng Immortal Market and heard that Immortal Ruins had once been discovered in the nearby mountains, with treasures appearing. After arriving at Zhuangan Village, villagers at the foot of the mountain told us the treasures had been snatched by the bandits in the stronghold on the mountain.”

Feng Jin glanced at the little fox beside her. The fox nodded at her.

“Someone, come.” Feng Jin called two helpers and instructed, “Untie them and escort them out of the stronghold.”

Lin Chao felt like he had been granted amnesty and thanked Feng Jin profusely.

Feng Jin turned and left the woodshed. With that Vicious Deity gone, Luo Qi relaxed and began cursing again. “Can’t you even untie a rope?! Hurry up and loosen it!”

The bandit untying him glared sharply, his killing intent palpable.

Luo Qi instantly cowered. “It was your Head Chief who said so! Do you dare disobey orders?”

“…” The bandit continued untying the ropes. After finishing, he grabbed each of them by the collar with one hand, hauled them out of the stronghold, and bellowed, “Scram!”

Luo Qi and his companion fell face-first into the dirt. Lin Chao dragged Luo Qi away, but Luo Qi was still resentful. Before leaving, he even threw out a harsh threat: “You people just wait!”

Feng Jin stood on the slope, gazing into the distance until their figures disappeared on the mountain path.

The bandit who had just “escorted” Luo Qi and Lin Chao out returned to report. Feng Jin ordered him, “Follow them. Do not alert them.”

The bandit clasped his fist, and with a flicker, vanished from the spot.

The little fox witnessed this scene, its gaze slightly focused. Observing Feng Jin’s calm and steady demeanor, it didn’t dare underestimate her.

This stronghold truly hid dragons and crouching tigers.

Feng Jin withdrew her gaze from the distance, crouched down, and faced the little fox. “Thank you for your help, Senior Sister. Miss Yan’s injuries have not yet healed, and you also have wounds, Senior Sister. The villains below have malicious intentions, and their true purpose is still unknown. Why don’t you and Miss Yan stay in the stronghold to recover from your injuries for these next few days?”

The little fox flicked its tail, thinking: I have no objections.

Provided that little ancestor, Yan Zhao, can behave.

In the other guest room, Yan Zhao woke up not long after falling asleep.

She found herself covered with a very thick blanket. Though warm, it was very heavy.

Throwing the blanket entirely off, Yan Zhao jumped up and looked left and right. Not seeing the little fox, she immediately became anxious. It was indeed a trick by that Bandit Queen, trying to drug her and lure the fox away.

She quickly pulled open the door and ran out of the guest room. Several people training in the courtyard turned their heads in unison, curiously sizing her up.

Yan Zhao passed through the crowd without a sideways glance, heading straight for the main tent without looking back.

The tables and chairs inside the tent had long been removed. Feng Jin was not there, and neither was her fox.

Yan Zhao pursed her lips. Without lingering a moment longer, she turned and left.

Just then, a man approached her and asked, “Miss, what are you looking for? I can help.”

Yan Zhao didn’t respond, walking straight past him as if he were a puff of air.

A rich aroma of cooking food drifted from the direction of the kitchen. Yan Zhao raised her eyes to check the sky; it was already midday.

She didn’t stop, about to pass the kitchen door, when Ah Ling came walking head-on, holding a bundle of firewood, and bumped straight into her.

“Miss Yan,” Ah Ling called out to her first. “You’re awake?”

Yan Zhao finally stopped. Her gaze fell on Ah Ling, and she asked, “Where’s the fox?”

Ah Ling was surprised. “The fox is missing?”

It was the same as saying nothing. Yan Zhao stopped asking and walked away without looking back.

“Unreasonable!”

Ah Ling clenched her fists and waved them at Yan Zhao’s retreating back.

She definitely couldn’t reconcile with Yan Zhao.

This weird person was only cute when she was asleep.

Yan Zhao passed by the woodshed again and noticed the door was wide open. Several hemp ropes were scattered beside a pillar, but the two people were gone.

She peeked into the woodshed but didn’t see the little fox.

As for whether those two “fellow disciples” were dead or had run away, she was utterly indifferent.

She had circled the entire stronghold without finding the fox.

Passing through the courtyard once more, Yan Zhao suddenly stopped and asked, “Where is that female bandit leader?”

The man Yan Zhao had ignored earlier was first surprised, then realized she was probably referring to their Boss. His mood instantly became quite subtle. “She went towards the stronghold gate.”

Yan Zhao then headed for the stronghold gate. Before she even reached it, she saw Feng Jin from afar, walking back.

The little fox followed at Feng Jin’s side, pacing unhurriedly.

Yan Zhao halted her steps.

Feng Jin and the little fox noticed her simultaneously.

“Miss Yan,” Feng Jin raised a cheerful smile, her expression bright and open.

The little fox quickened its light gait, coming towards Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao was silent.

Then she started walking again, brushing past the approaching little fox.

The little fox screeched to a halt whirled around in surprise.

Feng Jin also raised her eyebrows, astonished.

Yan Zhao acted as if she hadn’t seen them, walking straight towards the stronghold gate.

The two gate guards looked at each other, unsure whether to stop her.

Just as she reached the gate, the fox caught the leg of Yan Zhao’s trousers in its teeth, pulling her back.

Contrary to her usual behavior, Yan Zhao said nothing. She simply stamped her foot, yanking her leg free.

With a rip, her trouser leg was torn by the fox.

The fox was thrown backward by the momentum and tumbled over as it landed.

When it looked up again, Yan Zhao had already stepped out of the stronghold gate and was heading down the mountain.

The fox held a small scrap of cloth in its mouth, a bit dumbfounded.

Feng Jin was speechless. “What’s wrong with Miss Yan?”

The little fox seemed thoughtful. It released the cloth, then started running down the mountain in pursuit.

“Hey?!” Feng Jin panicked, seeing the fox run off. She jogged out of the stronghold as well, instructing the gate guard, “Tell Ah Ling not to wait for me at noon.”

By lunchtime, the news that the Head Chief had chased after Yan Zhao down the mountain had spread throughout the stronghold.

“If you ask me, our Boss is a heroine who can’t pass the trial of beauty. Too bad the beauty is so petty. The Boss injured her first; now it’s too late for regrets. Chasing a wife from afar, the road is long and difficult.”

“There’s not a shred of evidence; you make it sound like it’s true.”

“Then you tell me, what’s the reason?”

The man was speechless, clearly also not understanding Feng Jin’s strange behavior over the past two days.

“If you’ve got nothing to say, then don’t always try to refute me.” The man holding the “Boss chasing a wife” theory pretentiously picked up his chopsticks like a feather fan, guiding the nation’s affairs. He even turned to ask Ah Ling, who was passing by, “Ah Ling, don’t you agree?”

“Agree about what?!” Ah Ling slammed the rice basin onto the table in a fury. “Even food can’t shut your mouths, huh? Fine, no dinner tonight. Nobody eats!”

The group of men instantly fell silent, hunching by the table to bury their heads in their food, as obedient as grandsons.

After Ah Ling left, someone quietly muttered, “Serves you right. You just had to bring that up. Knowing full well how much Ah Ling cares about the Boss, and you still said it right in front of her. Happy now?”

The person who was rebuked wasn’t convinced. “It was just a joke, was it really necessary?”

The brothers who had been boisterously joining in the commotion with him all turned their faces away, refusing to stand with him.

“You lot, a bunch of little bastards!”

After the meal, Ah Ling waited and waited, but Feng Jin didn’t return. An indescribable emotion lingered in her heart.

Halfway through the hour of Xu, the sky was almost dark.

Ah Ling grew increasingly worried. She went back to her room, grabbed a bow, called two men to follow her, and left the stronghold.

Yan Zhao had walked very fast going down the mountain. In no time at all, she had left the fox far behind, disappearing from sight.

The little fox, still unhealed from its old injuries, truly couldn’t catch up and could only watch her disappear into the distance.

Feng Jin caught up and beckoned to the fox. “I’ll take you to chase her.”

The fox hesitated, but Feng Jin had already scooped it up into her arms.

Then, forming hand seals and chanting a spell, she summoned a beam of Sword Qi, riding upon it as she flew swiftly through the forest.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Feng Jin frowned. “The trail has gone cold.”

They descended from the air, landing in an utterly ordinary patch of empty ground.

The little fox jumped down from Feng Jin’s embrace and circled around, finding a palm-sized pouch in the weeds.

There was no Soul Sense Imprint on the pouch, so anyone could check its contents.

Feng Jin picked up the pouch and examined it.

Inside were a great many strange and unusual things, among them the two pieces of cured meat that had been taken from the stronghold’s granary.

The little fox’s heart sank.

This was bad.

Feng Jin casually put away the pouch while simultaneously pointing her fingers together like a sword, casting out a streak of Sword Qi.

With a whoosh, the Sword Qi tore through the air, cleaving through illusion. The surrounding shadows rippled, and a human figure suddenly appeared on the ground.

It was Shen Tuo, the fierce bandit who had been sent down the mountain earlier to follow Luo Qi and his companion.

Shen Tuo had been knocked unconscious on the ground. Feng Jin unsealed his acupoints and woke him.

Upon waking and seeing Feng Jin, Shen Tuo’s expression was full of shame. “Boss, I’m sorry. I lost them.”