"I'm not mistaken! She is indeed at 10th Stage of Refining! " thought Zhang Feng as he looked at her. Then he tried to speak with her. "What does the girl need?" asked Zhang Feng. The girl looked at Zhang Feng vigilantly. She checked his cultivation. After seeing that it was only on the 7th Stage of Qi Refining, she finally let go of some of her vigilance. Zhang Feng had already hidden his cultivation and looked like that he was at the 7th Stage of Qi Refining.
She asked in a cold tone," I am injured right now so I'm looking for a place to recuperate. I wish to rest here for some time. I hope that it doesn't mind you." Zhang Feng looked at her and nodded. "Sure. I don't mind it," replied Zhang Feng emotionlessly.
The girl nodded and sat down at a spot far from Zhang Feng. "Is it really necessary to be cautious? Besides, I am not evil. Well, everyone has their measures. I don't care about it.." thought Zhang Feng as he focused on his meat.
As soon as Zhang Feng ate the meat, he felt himself asking for more. His cooking skills were improved by a large extent since he escaped into the forest. Also, Gu Di talked about culinary skills when Zhang Feng got bored of cultivating. Gu Di was talented in every aspect. Mental Strength, Combat Strength, Literature, Wine-Brewing...you name it. He had always been a perfectionist. That was one of the valuable things he had taught to Zhang Feng. Being perfect in everything helps a lot in future cultivation. It helps a person to become independent, dominant and most importantly free. As long as you are independent you have the means to overcome most of the difficulties. It broadens one's perspective about life and cultivation. Being free is crucial because as long as you are free, unrestrained and unfettered only then can you go ahead in Martial Arts. "As long as you are free, your heart is free. It is unbounded, free from shackles and pure. So never ever restrain yourself from being free. The joy of freedom is something that very few people can appreciate. Most of them don't cherish it. They take it as a right, as an entitlement. Dao is everywhere. It exists in the smallest things. Even in freedom. Freedom cultivates a sense of dignity and confidence in the mind of the cultivator. So always remain free, kid." those words of Gu Di suddenly echoed in Zhang Feng's mind as he remembered that conversation with Gu Di. A sigh of remembrance and sadness escaped through his mouth.
Zhang Feng just lightly shook his head and resumed eating. As he was eating he found that the girl was staring at Zhang Feng. Zhang Feng thought, "Why is she staring at me? I didn't offend her as far as I remember. Heck, I didn't even talk with her. Then what? Is she staring at my food? I hope she doesn't attack me and rob my food. Why am I worrying about that? I am much stronger than her. If necessary, I will just kill her. If you think that I will be lenient because you are a girl then you are wrong. This Young Master believes in gender equality." Another reason Zhang Feng felt so cautious was that he couldn't see through her. Even though she had lower cultivation than him it was like something was blocking him from checking her. It felt like a layer of mist was barricading him from seeing through. There was an inexplicable ambivalence which draped her whole body. A fierce internal struggle happened in his mind as he finally reached a conclusion.
Zhang Feng put some meat on another leaf and asked," Would you like to have some meat?" The girl looked at the meat and Zhang Feng for a long time. It looked like she was contemplating her choice. Suddenly, a low rumble came from the girl's stomach. She quickly nodded in embarrassment. She reached out and took the leaf. Zhang Feng then continued to eat his food. "Now I can eat in peace....Ahh, this meat is so delicious. I must get some more hares and store their meat in my Storage Ring. This is simply delightful." thought Zhang Feng as he secretly nodded. "Did you kill this hare?" asked the girl suddenly. Zhang Feng looked and saw the girl asking him with a vigilant look. "No, I brought the meat from the market," said Zhang Feng simply. Then the girl nodded her head in understanding. Zhang Feng got surprised by the girl once again. She certainly knew that the hare was of Condensing Energy Realm just by eating the meat. So she wanted to verify Zhang Feng's strength. But a pity that Zhang Feng successfully dodged her obstacle. "What is your name?" asked the girl.
Zhang Feng waved his hands and said, "We just met a while ago. This can already be considered as fate.
The girl got surprised by Zhang Feng's reply. She was watching Zhang Feng since she came here. She had fought against a monster of Mid- Condensing Energy Realm and suffers from some injuries. So she needed a place to recover. When she met Zhang Feng for the first time, she hadn't expected him to be so nonchalant. She was always confident in her appearance. Men used to lust and desire for her no matter where she went. Therefore, she had to wear a veil to avoid troubles.
It was said that 'Your body may lie but your eyes always speak the truth'. However, Zhang Feng's eyes were always clear and without any lust for her. He looked firm and steady. His face looked ordinary but his eyes... his eyes were deep as starry wells. They seemed to have seen through vicissitudes of life. Yang Zhi Ruo felt that all her secrets were seen by him. However, his cultivation was only at the 7th Stage of Qi Refining. She checked his bone age and it was the same as her. She also was 12 years of age. Having a cultivation of the 7th Stage of Qi Refining at 12 years of age was considered to be good in Matterhorn City. However, she always felt that the boy near her was mysterious.
His eyes were always calm and his body always steady. He had a sense of maturity beyond his age. Unfathomable. This was the word that suited Zhang Feng. For the first time in her life, she was curious about someone. So she asked him his name. But the result was quite unexpected. She got blatantly rejected. Suddenly she understood that the guy was playing hard to get. He probably wanted to win her attention by that. She disdained such type of people very much. She just glanced at him and continued eating her food. The food was extremely delicious. It had the perfect amount of spices, herbs and salts. It was even cooked perfectly so that it had a crispiness to it. Each bite would make her taste buds cry with joy. Her mouth unconsciously started watering. "Unexpectedly, this guy is a good cook. But so what? In this world strength matters." thought Yang Zhi Ruo.
Soon Zhang Feng ate to his fill. He had eaten nearly 2 kg of meat in a single go. There was still some cooked meat left but he decided to leave it for the girl since she was gobbling it up greedily. "She must be extremely hungry," thought Zhang Feng. Zhang Feng packed all his things and stored them in his storage ring. Then Zhang Feng set off for the city. He didn't even bother to say goodbye to the girl.
Zhang Feng reached the city at night. He was quite tired so he decided to sleep straight away. The next day he woke up early and asked about the Assessment day. "The assessment is 5 days away. I should use this time to consolidate my Realm." Zhang Feng had to change his face back to normal because the innkeeper wouldn't be able to identify him. "I should change the inn now. It will be troublesome if he finds out that I'm the one Zhong Fei is looking for and besides I broke the training wall in the room. If he finds out then he will definitely make me pay for it."
Zhang Feng went to a restaurant to eat. He was in a relatively good mood. He ordered some dishes and sat in a corner.
Yang Zhi Ruo felt angry. She thought that the guy had just left to bring something. But she didn't expect the guy to leave suddenly. She waited for him but he didn't come.. She too wanted to leave but thought that it would be rude of her to go without thanking him. After all, he gave her food and water and a place to recuperate.
So she wanted to say a proper goodbye and give him some Spirit Stones or gold to repay the favour. She never liked to owe others anything. She waited for him for nearly 12 hours until it dawned on her that the guy might have left the forest. "Forget it, if I find him in the future I will repay him. Now I must head to Matterhorn City and take part in the assessment." thought Yang Zhi Ruo. "Ruo'er, try to avoid contact with that guy in the future." said a voice in her mind. "Why Master?" asked Yang Zhi Ruo feeling puzzled. "That guy is...dangerous." Yang Zhi Ruo felt even more surprised after hearing it. She knew who her master was and what she was capable of. But now when she heard her Master's words she felt extremely astonished. "Why Master? He is only at the 7th Stage of Qi Refining. What's so dangerous about it? I think you might be fooled by the guy pretence to be mysterious." said Yang Zhi Ruo coldly. "Even though his cultivation was at the 7th Stage of Qi Refining, I couldn't see through him. And he definitely isn't pretending to be mysterious. I couldn't see through his bloodline. Either it must be of extremely high grade which is difficult to awaken or he must not possess any bloodline." said the voice. Yang Zhi Ruo was once again startled. She looked deep in thought. "I felt like there was a hidden beast within him. Once it erupts, it will shock the whole world. Not to mention his state of mind and heart. I couldn't find any emotions in his eyes when he saw you. This shows that he isn't affected by beauty. He has never peeked at you
this whole time. This signifies two things. Either he is a fool or he has never regarded you as his opponent. After all, one must be alert in front of strangers, irrespective of the circumstances. And with his state of mind he would definitely be alert if he saw a stranger who has a higher cultivation than him.
I have hidden your cultivation at the 8th Stage of Qi Refining, but looking at him, he must have enough confidence to defeat you or at least retreat successfully. But what I can guarantee you is that, that isn't the guy's true face." said the voice as he expressed his thoughts. "What? So that guy is wearing a disguise?" asked Yang Zhi Ruo feeling shocked. "Yes, some sort of face-changing technique I suspect. And the grade of the technique is fairly high. At the very least, it is not found in this world. It must be from a higher world. So that guy must have a huge background or a great opportunity." Yang Zhi Ruo deeply admired her Master after hearing his words. She had such a deep vision. She just met Zhang Feng and could discern so many things. She understood her Master's words and nodded, "Yes I will pay heed to your words, Master." She then set off for the City.
Zhang Feng ate heartily and filled his stomach to the brim. He had already changed his face back to the ordinary one. He set out to find a new inn.
Quote: "The world as we have created it is a process of our thinking...."