"What’s the matter? Is there anything wrong?"

Lin Hongyi glanced at the dress she was wearing, her eyes bright as stars, looking at Luo Feng.

"No. This outfit suits you better than the Golden Palace uniform."

Luo Feng shook his head and said, "I’ll be back shortly."

Whoosh!

As soon as he finished speaking, Luo Feng’s silhouette darted into the Chaotic Rock Forest.

Lin Hongyi watched Luo Feng’s figure, her lips slightly pursed.

Luo Feng changed into a blue outfit, and the two of them walked towards the village together.

Under the faint moonlight, the entire village layout could be seen.

The village was not large, with only a little over a hundred households, surrounded by a stone wall two to three meters high to fend off wild beasts. The village entrance had a row of sharp fences, with two burly villagers leaning against the nearby stone wall, dozing off intermittently.

"Who?"

Luo Feng didn’t hide his presence. As soon as he approached, he was spotted by the two villagers, one of whom took out a small copper gong and started striking it.

Clang clang clang...

The crisp sound of the gong was very clear in the silent night, echoing far and wide.

As the sound rang out, the lights in many houses in the village immediately lit up, and noisy sounds arose. Quite a few people opened their doors and rushed out of their houses, looking at Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi with some suspicion.

"Who are you, and why are you coming to our Neighbor Water Village so late?"

A burly middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd, asking over the fence.

Luo Feng exhaled gently and said:

"We are passing martial artists, and my friend is injured and not suitable for traveling at night, so we wish to stay the night."

The middle-aged man glanced at Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi and waved his hand, saying, "Move the fence aside."

"Village chief, should we let them in?"

"Yes, they appeared so late; we must question them thoroughly. We can’t just trust their word. The situation in Cold Mist Village is still unclear; perhaps they are the culprits."

Hearing that the fence should be moved, the villagers nearby looked tense.

The middle-aged man was indeed the village chief. He waved his hand and said loudly:

"Alright. I trust myself not to misjudge people; they are not bad people."

There was another sentence the village chief didn’t say: if these two had any malicious intent towards them, none of them would be able to resist.

Although he was merely a martial artist of the seven levels of the Meridian Wheel Realm, he had ventured north and south, encountering not a few masters, including several with Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artists. His intuition told him that the two before him were not simple.

Moreover, this wilderness wasn’t safe at night; those daring enough to travel at night were definitely not ordinary.

"Since the village chief says so, there can’t be any mistake."

"Yes, open the fence."

The middle-aged man was very respected, and as soon as he spoke, someone immediately opened the fence, and the others returned to their respective homes, leaving only those watching the excitement.

"Thank you."

Luo Feng entered the village and spoke to the middle-aged man.

The middle-aged man grinned, saying:

"Please don’t blame them; some things have happened recently, and everyone is quite tense. Come, my house has spare rooms; you can stay there tonight."

Leading the way ahead, the middle-aged man glanced back at Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi, noticing their steady steps and keen eyes, despite their young age. Their refined temperament reminded him of Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artists he had met before. Unable to contain his curiosity, he asked:

"May I be bold and ask a question?"

"Yes, please go ahead."

"Are you both Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artists?"

"Indeed."

There was nothing to hide, and Luo Feng nodded to confirm.

Gasp!

Even though he was somewhat prepared, the middle-aged man couldn’t help but gasp.

The Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artists he had seen before were all around thirty years old, with the youngest being over twenty. Yet, the two in front of him were only sixteen or seventeen!

The middle-aged man now felt fortunate he hadn’t turned Luo Feng down earlier.

Such masters were often capricious. If they were displeased, Neighbor Water Village would likely face disaster.

Even a first-level Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist could easily massacre their entire village.

Luo Feng glanced at him and said with a smile, "Don’t worry, we’re both disciples of the Golden Palace."

"Ah, Golden Palace geniuses! No wonder you’ve achieved so much at such a young age; I admire that!"

The middle-aged man relaxed. Golden Palace disciples generally adhered to their principles in conduct and were not inclined to senseless killing.

Luo Feng remembered the villagers’ discussions and asked:

"What exactly happened here?"

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man’s expression dimmed, and he said:

"Young hero, you may not know, but within a hundred Baili radius, there were originally two villages: ours, Neighbor Water Village, and Cold Mist Village, fifty Baili to the south. However, two days ago, a villager went to Cold Mist Village and found that the entire village and nearly a thousand people had all vanished without a trace."

"Nearly a thousand people disappeared without a trace? Could they have relocated?"

Lin Hongyi asked sideways.

The middle-aged man shook his head and sighed, "The village chief of Cold Mist Village is a friend of mine; he couldn’t have left without a word. Moreover, there are traces of fighting and bloodstains there. I fear they have met with misfortune, yet I’ve searched the entire village and couldn’t find a single body..."

"Over a thousand people have disappeared without a trace, with no bodies left behind. That’s truly strange." Lin Hongyi’s attractive brows furrowed slightly, displaying a pensive expression.

"Hmm, the villagers say a man-eating demon beast appeared, but I found no trace of a demon beast there; it’s indeed very peculiar. However, I’ve already sent someone to South Mountain Town to seek out experts for investigation. There should be results soon."

As the three discussed, they arrived in front of a courtyard, and the middle-aged man said:

"Here we are. Please wait for a moment while I prepare a few empty rooms for you two."

Luo Feng took out a piece of silver and handed it to him, "This is for our lodging."

"So much... Thank you, young hero!"

The middle-aged man accepted the silver with joy, beaming as he entered the courtyard to have his wife tidy up the rooms and prepare hot water for Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi.

"Lin Hongyi, what do you make of this matter?"

Taking advantage of the lull, Luo Feng asked.

Lin Hongyi frowned slightly, pondering for a moment before saying:

"It’s impossible for over a thousand people to disappear into thin air. Even if it were the work of a demon beast, it couldn’t have left no trace at all. I’m not sure what’s going on either."

Luo Feng nodded and said:

"We should pass by Cold Mist Village tomorrow. Let’s take a look then. If it is indeed the work of a demon beast, we can eliminate it to protect the people."

"Alright." Lin Hongyi agreed with a nod.

A short while later, the rooms were tidied up, and the middle-aged man invited Luo Feng and Lin Hongyi inside.

"We have to continue on our journey tomorrow. You should rest early."

Luo Feng reminded Lin Hongyi, then turned to enter his own room.

The room was simply furnished but very clean, with newly changed bedding. In the middle of the room was a bathtub filled with hot water, steam rising softly and shrouding the surroundings in a misty haze.

"The village chief’s wife is certainly thoughtful."

Seeing the bathtub, Luo Feng’s eyes lit up. He took off his clothes and lay in the bathtub, immediately letting out a comfortable sigh.

Splash...

At that moment, a faint splashing sound came from the adjacent room.

Lin Hongyi’s room was right next door. Hearing the sound, Luo Feng naturally knew she was doing the same thing, and a charming image of her elegantly clad in a long dress flashed through his mind, causing some amorous thoughts to arise involuntarily.

Sigh...

Exhaling a breath of impure air, Luo Feng shook his head with a bitter smile, not understanding why his mind was wandering.

"I must just be too tired..."

Thinking this, Luo Feng closed his eyes, soon falling asleep, with only a sliver of consciousness left.

The battle with Asura had drained not just his physical strength. Under immense pressure, his spirit was even more fatigued; this was the first time he felt so exhausted since becoming a martial artist of the Four Spirit Rotations.

On the other side, Lin Hongyi was bathing, considering that she was under the same roof as Luo Feng with only a wall separating them. This left her feeling vaguely nervous and uneasy.

However, the village chief’s house only had two empty rooms, so it couldn’t be helped.

After her bath, Lin Hongyi lay on the soft bed. Like Luo Feng, she quickly fell into a deep sleep. With injuries and continuous traveling, it was also a significant burden for her.

In the dead of night, Luo Feng awoke.

"I fell asleep in the bathtub... That’s a first."

Luo Feng chuckled wryly, emerging from the bathtub. Feeling spiritually recharged, he had no further intention to sleep.

After dressing, he heard the steady breathing from the next room, smiled faintly, and was about to start cultivating. Suddenly, he remembered the wealth and secret manuals he gained in the black hall, musing to himself: Let’s see if there’s anything useful for me.

Seated cross-legged on the bed, Luo Feng took off the dozen storage rings he carried, examining them one by one.

First, he sorted out the Yuan Stones and gold jewelry, discovering to his astonishment the incredible wealth in his possession.

Originally he had nearly 150,000 second-grade Yuan Stones, gained from the demon sect’s base. The Yuan Stones and Profound Level jewelry he acquired totaled a value of 1.5 million second-grade Yuan Stones, coupled with Lin Hongyi’s purchase of the Asura Dagger for 300,000 Yuan Stones, it was nearly 2 million second-grade Yuan Stones!

"Two million second-grade Yuan Stones."

Luo Feng took a deep breath.

Two million second-grade Yuan Stones, a fortune most True Yuan Realm martial artists could never hope to have! Some people may never earn such an amount in their lifetime.

After the initial shock, Luo Feng quickly regained composure, taking out over a dozen Profound Level cultivation technique secret manuals and martial arts manuals obtained from the demon sect stronghold. As for Yellow Level martial arts, there was no need even to consider them.

"I hope there’s something suitable for me."

Uttering a thoughtful hum, Luo Feng flipped through each secret manual.

However, to his disappointment, these secret manuals were quite ordinary. While they might be rare treasures for other Four Spirit Rotations martial artists, for him, they held little value for cultivation.

Though he was unsure of the exact grade of Divine Dragon Nine Changes, judging by its current power, Luo Feng speculated that it was, at the very least, an Earth Level cultivation technique, possibly even a Heaven Level technique, making it impossible to settle for cultivating other techniques instead.

The Sky Cloud Step was an Earth Level martial art, and the Sky Fire King Fist was an outstanding among Profound Grade supreme fist techniques; no need for replacement for the time being.

The only area where Luo Feng now lacked was saber techniques. While Thunder Fire Shocking Heavens had great potential, it also had limitations.

He wanted to cultivate an additional saber technique to ensure better preparation for the New Dragon Rank tournament.

Of course, anything to replace the Golden Crow Great Annihilation Saber would have to be at least Earth Level.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t be worth the trade-off.

Somewhat disappointed, Luo Feng didn’t dwell too much on it. This harvest was already considerable, and the value of these secret manuals at auction wouldn’t fall below two million second-grade Yuan Stones, which is a huge fortune. With five months remaining until the New Dragon Rank tournament, he could take his time to find a suitable saber technique.

Putting away the manuals, Luo Feng’s gaze landed on another storage ring, raising his brows. He remembered this ring belonged to Lu Zhao.

"I’ve yet to look inside this ring. Lu Zhao’s sword-drawing technique was truly formidable. If the secret manual is in here, I could learn it."

In the Misty Swamp, Luo Feng obtained this storage ring from Lu Zhao but hadn’t had time to inspect its contents. Now seemed a good opportunity to see what was inside.