Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Peril of Azure Bamboo

After calming himself, Qin Feiyang pressed his finger onto the first stroke of the word "Return" and continued writing. It was an extremely tedious task, yet it consumed true energy at an alarming rate. Within less than a hundred breaths, his internal true energy was completely depleted. He swallowed the remaining ten Qi Gathering Pills, waited for his energy to be replenished, and resumed writing.

However, these few pills were but a drop in the ocean. When his energy was exhausted once more, he had no choice but to leave the ancient fortress and absorb the essence of heaven and earth to restore himself.

“At this rate, who knows how many years it'll take to master the Return Technique. I’ll have to find more Qi Gathering Pills,” Qin Feiyang muttered. He had been writing for so long, yet hadn’t even completed the opening stroke; he felt utterly helpless.

Time drifted on. The horizon began to brighten.

Following her mother’s orders, Luo Qingzhu left Iron Ox Town with five hundred Qi Gathering Pills to seek out Qin Feiyang.

But barely half an hour after she departed, a dark shadow surged from the distant sky. Like lightning, it descended above the Lin family in just a few dozen breaths.

Fifteen black eagles soared overhead, each with wings spanning five or six meters, exuding ferocious might in all directions! The lead eagle was even larger—over ten meters in length. Its black eyes, sharp as blades, radiated an astonishingly fierce light; a single glance was enough to make one’s heart tremble!

These eagles were called Iron Eagles, savage beasts by nature! Not only were they incredibly fast, but their feathers were hard as steel, and their temperament was cruel.

Upon the back of each Iron Eagle stood a figure, proud and upright. Their faces were expressionless, like gods of slaughter descending upon the world, their bodies brimming with murderous intent and an unfathomable aura.

At their head was Lin Han, master of the Lin family in Yan City. He stood like a king, overlooking Iron Ox Town with a piercing gaze.

Their arrival startled everyone in Iron Ox Town.

“Greetings, master of the main family!” The Lin family’s patriarch hurried out, kneeling in reverence.

Lin Han asked, “Have you found Qin Feiyang yet?”

The patriarch shuddered and replied anxiously, “I am incompetent. Please punish me, master!”

As the words fell, a bone-chilling cold swept over him, as if he had been plunged into an ice cellar; his face turned deathly pale.

“Yiyi greets the master of the main family. Please spare my father,” came a voice.

Lin Yiyi stepped forward, bowing beside her father.

“You are Lin Yiyi?” Lin Han scrutinized her from head to toe.

“She is indeed my daughter,” the patriarch responded quickly.

Lin Han nodded. “You are quite attractive. Now, tell me honestly—do you know where Qin Feiyang is?”

“Master, I do not know,” Lin Yiyi replied respectfully.

“Do you truly not know, or are you pretending?” Lin Han’s gaze glinted with icy suspicion.

“I can swear—I truly do not know,” Lin Yiyi said.

“I doubt you would dare to lie to me.” Lin Han’s voice was cold. He turned to the patriarch and asked, “Where might Qin Feiyang be hiding?”

“He is definitely concealed in the nearby mountains,” the patriarch replied.

“What does he look like?” Lin Han demanded.

The patriarch extended his hand, true energy surging from his forefinger. With a series of gestures, a likeness of Qin Feiyang formed before everyone, condensed from pure energy.

Lin Han stared at the image, his eyes full of fierce cold. He barked at the fourteen figures behind him, “Find him at once—even if you must turn the earth upside down, bring him to me!”

“Yes!” The fourteen replied respectfully and, riding their Iron Eagles, scattered outwards from Iron Ox Town.

Boom! Crack! Their power was overwhelming and tyrannical. Wherever they passed, countless wild beasts and monsters were annihilated; mountains and forests were wantonly destroyed, leaving chaos in their wake. The air was thick with the stench of blood.

“You little beast—daring to kill my son, you must have nerves of steel! Today, I’ll make sure you have nowhere to run, nowhere to hide!” Lin Han sneered, then leaped from his eagle’s back, landing smoothly before Lin Yiyi and her father.

Both father and daughter were dumbfounded. It was a hundred meters high—he had jumped from such a height without a scratch, calm and collected. It was incredible.

Lin Han looked up at the Iron Eagle and commanded, “Old Black, help with the search.”

“Chirp!” The eagle screeched, spread its wings, and vanished into the mountains with a gust of wind.

“Master, please come to the hall and rest,” Lin Yiyi and her father exchanged glances and carefully offered hospitality to Lin Han.

“I didn’t expect Lin Han to arrive so soon,” said Luo Qianxue, standing at the window of Treasure Pavilion, gazing anxiously towards the Lin family estate. “Qingzhu, you must be careful!” Qin Feiyang’s whereabouts had not been revealed to her by Luo Qingzhu, so she could not send anyone to warn him.

At this moment, Luo Qingzhu had reached the mountain cave. But as she entered and found it empty, she was stunned.

“Has he already left?” She frowned, murmuring to herself, then turned and called out loudly, “Qin Feiyang, are you still here?”

Meanwhile, inside the ancient fortress…

“Did I just hear Luo Qingzhu’s voice?” Qin Feiyang was surprised and turned to the Wolf King. “Did you hear Luo Qingzhu?”

The Wolf King nodded.

“Ah!” Qin Feiyang was astonished. The outside sounds could actually reach inside? But why was Luo Qingzhu here again?

He closed the iron book, covered the iron box, and with a thought, brought the Wolf King into the mountain cave, striding outside.

Sure enough, it was Luo Qingzhu. She stood at the cave entrance, scanning the surroundings with suspicion in her bright eyes.

“Looking for me?” Qin Feiyang stopped at the entrance, warily surveying the area.

Luo Qingzhu jumped, turning to Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King. “How did you come out from inside? I clearly didn’t see you just now!”

Qin Feiyang, seeing no trace of others, relaxed and smiled, “The Wolf King and I have always been inside. If you didn’t see us, you must have been seeing things.”

“Seeing things?” Luo Qingzhu was puzzled. Had she really imagined it?

“Did you need something?” Qin Feiyang asked, not wishing to dwell on the matter.

“Liu Yun and Yin Chuan have confessed everything. Now everyone knows you were framed by Lin Baili and his accomplice. My mother sent me to apologize to you and offer compensation.” Luo Qingzhu took out a spatial pouch and tossed it to Qin Feiyang.

He caught it, peered inside, and was shocked—so many Qi Gathering Pills!

“Liu Yun, Yin Chuan… Looks like I owe those two a real thanks,” Qin Feiyang laughed.

He had never liked Liu Yun or Yin Chuan; they felt the same about him. Yet, unexpectedly, it was they who had cleared his name.

“I’ll accept these pills, but I’m not one for unearned gifts. I’ll pay you in gold coins at market price,” Qin Feiyang said, carefully counting.

“No need to count—there are exactly five hundred, but my mother instructed…” Luo Qingzhu began.

“That’s enough, thank your mother for me, but I really don’t like owing favors.” Qin Feiyang quickly counted out a thousand gold coins, placed them in a pouch, and forced it into Luo Qingzhu’s hands.

“You’re not only arrogant, you’re stubborn,” Luo Qingzhu said helplessly.

“A little stubbornness is good,” Qin Feiyang chuckled.

“What are your plans now?” Luo Qingzhu rolled her eyes, put away the pouch, and asked.

Qin Feiyang thought for a moment. “Now that the misunderstanding is resolved, there’s no need to hide. In a while, I’ll visit the nearby cities.”

“That makes sense—with your talent, Iron Ox Town could never keep you forever. You’ll leave sooner or later,” Luo Qingzhu nodded.

“I was never a native of Iron Ox Town. I’m just a passing traveler here,” Qin Feiyang smiled faintly.

“Then I wish you luck. I’ll head back now,” Luo Qingzhu said and prepared to leave.

Boom! Crack! Suddenly, deafening explosions approached.

“What’s going on?” The two and the wolf rushed to an open spot and looked toward the source.

An Iron Eagle streaked like lightning toward them. A black-clad man stood on its back, coldly surveying the ground below. His forefinger pointed repeatedly, unleashing dazzling golden beams that crashed into the forest beneath, obliterating vast swathes in an instant.

“Battle energy!” Qin Feiyang’s pupils contracted. Only those who had reached the Battle King realm could wield battle energy. This meant the black-clad man was a Battle King!

Luo Qingzhu said, “He’s from the Lin family of Yan City. In all of Yan Prefecture, only their mounts are Iron Eagles. I never expected them to arrive so quickly. Qin Feiyang, you’d better hide at once!”

But when she turned, neither Qin Feiyang nor the Wolf King were anywhere to be seen.

The moment he learned the pursuer was from the Lin family, Qin Feiyang had slipped into the ancient fortress with the Wolf King, unseen and unheard.

“When did they leave?” Luo Qingzhu was stunned. Such speed!

“Not even a goodbye—so rude,” she muttered, frowning as she looked up at the Iron Eagle. She called out loudly, “I am Luo Qianxue’s daughter. Please, senior, show mercy!”

“Hm?” The black-clad man paused, followed her voice, and asked, “Are you the girl from Star Moon City, Luo Qingzhu?”

“Yes, senior,” Luo Qingzhu nodded.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, frowning.

Luo Qingzhu smiled. “Just wandering and enjoying the fresh air.”

“Have you seen Qin Feiyang?” he demanded.

“Qin Feiyang?” Luo Qingzhu hesitated, then shook her head. “I haven’t.”

“Oh, really? I heard you were captured by him yesterday. You should know where he is. Little girl, if you know what's good for you, tell me honestly. Otherwise, even if you are her daughter, you may not leave this place alive today. After all, these mountains are desolate; if I kill you, no one will know.”