Chapter 41: An Auspicious Start Marred by Misfortune
“If people are fighting, there’s bound to be unexpected gains.” Qin Feiyang’s eyes gleamed.
At this moment, nothing was more desirable to him than money.
“Woof, woof.”
The Wolf King sniffed the air vigorously, then let out a low growl, clearly agitated.
“Brother Wolf, did you sense something?” Qin Feiyang asked in surprise.
The Wolf King nodded, then silently padded toward the entrance.
Qin Feiyang had always trusted the Wolf King’s sense of smell. He quickly followed.
Inside the valley, two young men, both around twenty years old, were locked in a fierce battle.
Blades and swords clashed, the fight was intense!
Gusts of wind swept in all directions!
Their eyes were fixed only on each other, oblivious to the man and wolf who had slipped into the valley and crouched behind a boulder, watching them.
“Their skills aren’t impressive,” Qin Feiyang observed after a moment.
Both men were nine-star warriors, their weapons nearly matched, making the fight evenly balanced.
If they continued, it was certain both would suffer.
But what had driven them to such a deadly struggle? Both seemed intent on killing the other.
He glanced around suspiciously.
Suddenly, his gaze locked onto a small mound to the left.
Atop the mound bloomed a radiant flower.
It was entirely pink, about the size of a baby’s fist, exuding a mist of pink vapor and a scent so intoxicating it made one dizzy.
“Why does this look familiar?” Qin Feiyang muttered.
Suddenly, realization dawned.
It was the Bliss Flower!
The main ingredient for crafting Bliss Pills.
Bliss Pills were renowned for their invigorating effects, making them highly prized by men—especially those with multiple wives and concubines. Powerful men always kept a few at home.
Because of this, Bliss Pills were extremely expensive.
The market price was over two hundred gold coins—one hundred times the price of a Qi Gathering Pill.
And the Bliss Flower itself was no less valuable.
At minimum, it could fetch a hundred gold coins!
“To stumble upon a Bliss Flower as soon as I arrive—Black Bear City is truly a land of opportunity,” Qin Feiyang rejoiced in secret.
Obtaining this Bliss Flower would be equivalent to fifty Qi Gathering Pills—a bountiful windfall.
“Brother Wolf, let’s go,” Qin Feiyang chuckled, then dashed to the mound.
“Someone else?”
The two young men were startled by Qin Feiyang’s sudden appearance.
“How dare you!”
“Stop!”
Both shouted fiercely, united against him, and swung their weapons at Qin Feiyang!
But in that instant, the Wolf King leapt before them, baring its fangs with a murderous gleam in its eyes.
“Wolf cub, you’re courting death!”
Yet the two did not falter; their weapons—sharp sword and broad blade—glinted menacingly as they turned their attack on the Wolf King.
The Wolf King, however, showed disdain.
As the sword and blade neared, it opened its blood-red maw, revealing savage teeth, and with a sudden bite, snapped both weapons clean in two!
The two men were dumbfounded.
To bite through blades forged from black iron—those fangs were terrifying! This was no ordinary wolf.
“Run!”
Both had the same thought, turning to flee.
“Brother Wolf, stop them,” Qin Feiyang ordered.
The Wolf King let out a thunderous roar and quickly blocked their escape at the entrance.
The two fell into despair, frozen in place, afraid to move.
Wolves were not only ferocious but also cold-blooded.
Anyone who could call a wolf brother was surely no ordinary person.
This was a stroke of terrible luck!
Not only had they lost the Bliss Flower, they’d encountered this strange pair, likely losing their lives as well.
Qin Feiyang pulled the Bliss Flower up by its roots and stowed it in his spatial pouch. He turned to the two and grinned. “I wasn’t planning to give you trouble, but you attacked me first. Here’s my offer: leave all your gold coins, and I’ll let you go.”
“What?”
“All our gold coins?”
Both wore bitter expressions.
Qin Feiyang smiled. “Too little? Then leave your spatial pouch as well.”
“No, no, no.”
“We’ll give you the coins.”
They hurriedly shook their heads, emptied their spatial pouches, and poured out a heap of gold coins—more than a hundred, shining seductively.
Qin Feiyang’s smile grew brighter.
Black Bear Town truly was a place of wealth—even nine-star warriors carried so much gold. It wouldn’t be long before he amassed a thousand coins.
“Brother Wolf, let them go. We’re good people, after all—we keep our word,” Qin Feiyang said with a smile.
“Good people?”
The two young men nearly spat blood at his words.
Not only had he taken their Bliss Flower, he’d robbed them of all their possessions—how could that be called good? He was no better than a bandit!
They’d met shameless people before, but never anyone so brazen.
Yet, angry as they were, they dared not speak, and hurried away with their heads bowed.
Qin Feiyang walked to the pile of coins, then suddenly called out, “Wait!”
“Brother, what more do you want?”
“We’ve given you all our coins. You can check our spatial pouches if you don’t believe us.”
They looked utterly miserable, on the verge of kneeling.
Qin Feiyang smiled. “Don’t be nervous. I just want to ask—are there any valuables nearby?”
“Valuables?”
They paused, thinking carefully.
One said, “There are plenty of valuables, but it depends on luck.”
Luck was unreliable.
Qin Feiyang asked, “Are there any readily available?”
“Brother, there’s no such thing as something for nothing in this world,” they replied with wry smiles.
Suddenly, one said, “I do know of a place, but I don’t know if you dare go.”
“Where?” Qin Feiyang’s eyes shone.
He replied, “About two miles south, there’s a medicinal field planted with all sorts of rare herbs. If you’ve got the skill, you could get rich overnight.”
“Medicinal field!”
Qin Feiyang’s spirits soared. “How many herbs?”
The man thought for a moment. “A few thousand, but it’s dangerous there. I advise you not to go.”
“Thank you. Until we meet again,” Qin Feiyang said cheerfully, pocketed the coins, and dashed south with the Wolf King.
“They’re really going? That’s the Pill Hall’s medicinal field! Are they mad?”
“Even better. If they upset the Pill Hall, they’ll surely die.”
“So you told them on purpose—to send them to their deaths.”
“Of course. The Bliss Flower and our coins aren’t so easily taken. But that man—he looks familiar…”
“Familiar? Now that you mention it, I think I recognize him… I remember now! He’s Qin Feiyang, the one from the wanted posters!”
“Damn, he’s worth ten thousand gold coins! Quick, let’s catch up—don’t let him reach the medicinal field, or the Pill Hall’s stingy lot will get the reward.”
Both men hurried out of the valley.
But with their speed, how could they catch up?
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King had already vanished without a trace.
In a dense forest—
“Brother Wolf, medicinal fields usually belong to the Pill Hall or powerful families. Be careful,” Qin Feiyang cautioned.
As a prince, he knew these things well.
Hearing “medicinal field,” he immediately understood the two men’s motive.
But it didn’t matter—forewarned was forearmed, the danger wasn’t great.
Besides, fortune favors the bold; there’s no free lunch in this world.
Half an hour later—
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King climbed to a mountain peak about a hundred yards high.
Looking out—
The mountains rolled, ancient trees thick and lush!
Suddenly—
Qin Feiyang’s gaze sharpened, looking toward the deep woods on the right.
About two hundred meters away lay a cultivated plot, neatly planted with all sorts of rare herbs, swaying in the wind and glowing with radiant light, as if beckoning to him.
That was the medicinal field!
Beside it, a waterfall cascaded down, its roar audible even from afar.
Around the field, a clear stream flowed, with fish darting in its waters.
“So many!” Qin Feiyang was ecstatic.
As a child, he’d read widely, learning about all sorts of treasures. He recognized several precious herbs in that field, besides those for Body Tempering and Qi Gathering Pills.
If he could loot this field, he’d gain at least five thousand gold coins!
But he dared not act rashly.
In the field’s left corner stood a small wooden house.
On the balcony, an old man in black lounged on a chair, sipping wine and humming, all while keeping an eye on the field.
His aura was unfathomable—definitely not ordinary.
Qin Feiyang pondered, then whispered, “Brother Wolf, howl as loud as you can. Maybe you’ll draw him away.”
He lay low in the grass.
“Awooo…”
The Wolf King gathered its strength and let out a resonant howl toward the field, shaking the area!
Then it too crouched in the undergrowth.
“Hm?”
The old man’s brows furrowed, gazing toward the mountain peak where man and wolf hid.
“A wolf cub dares to howl here? Courting death!”
Though he couldn’t see the Wolf King, his murderous intent was palpable.
With a flick of his finger—
A dazzling beam of light slashed through the air, carrying terrifying destructive power, and shot toward the peak.
“Battle energy!”
“Brother Wolf, retreat!” Qin Feiyang’s face changed, and he spun around, racing down the mountain.
The Wolf King didn’t dare delay.
But before they could reach the bottom, the battle energy struck the peak.
With a thunderous crash, the summit shattered!
Boulders of all sizes tumbled down, crushing everything in their path toward man and wolf.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Qin Feiyang and the Wolf King quickly channeled their true energy, smashing the falling rocks and, after tremendous effort, managed to escape.
But along the way, several rocks struck them, making them cough blood, their energy surging violently within!