"Of course I'm pretending to be surprised — Qi Chen, why did you bring Teacher Yan here?"
Feng Yuan said discontentedly as he picked up the garbage bag that had fallen on the ground, while Teacher Yan stared at him with a serious face and said,
"To prevent you from being attacked by the G Organization! And yet you still dare to sneak out of the city!"
"I told you, it's fine. Look, nothing has happened for so long."
"That was before! Do you have any idea how often traces of the G Organization's activities have been spotted around Maomu City recently?"
Seeing Teacher Yan glaring at him fiercely, Feng Yuan shrank his head and whispered softly,
"I already said it's fine..."
"Do you think your Eggshell Chicken can take on those lunatics, or do you think you're stronger than those madmen?"
"But, I still want to go out into the wild... The Turtis Tree I found before is probably going to bear fruit today."
Feng Yuan shrank back a few steps, trying to distance himself from the angry Teacher Yan. Xiao Ji, who was somewhat scared, hid inside the hut and peeked out at Teacher Yan. Hearing Feng Yuan's words, Teacher Yan and Qi Chen stiffened, and Teacher Yan looked at Feng Yuan strangely and asked,
"What do you want the Turtis Fruit for? Isn't that a Spiritual Medicine used by Wood Spirit Beasts?"
"It's for Xiao Ji to use. Plus, I can make some special potential-enhancing potions with it."
"You... don't need to go to such lengths..."
Qi Chen looked at Feng Yuan with a complex expression, crossing his arms in front of his chest as Feng Yuan said with feigned disdain,
"What are you talking about? I'm doing it for Xiao Ji."
Teacher Yan glanced at Qi Chen, understanding Feng Yuan's intention, and sighed,
"Alright then, let's make a quick trip. Where did you find the Turtis Tree? If it's too far from the city, you should give up on it."
Hearing Teacher Yan's tone soften, Feng Yuan quickly took out his phone, pulled up the map, and pointed to a location,
"It's in this area."
"Here? It's not far, fine, let's go there and come back quickly."
"Great."
Feng Yuan called Xiao Ji out, locked the door, and casually threw the garbage into the trash bin. Suddenly, Feng Yuan froze and began looking around for something after a while. Xiao Ji also seemed to have sensed something, surprisedly chirped, and then started to look around. Seeing Xiao Ji peering around, Feng Yuan kept searching while speaking,
"Xiao Ji, did you sense it too?"
Xiao Ji nodded at Feng Yuan.
"What, did you find something?"
Qi Chen found it odd when he saw that Feng Yuan wasn't following and asked. After Feng Yuan didn't find anything and kept glancing around, he caught up with the others,
"It feels like something is spying on us."
"Really?"
"Yeah, it should be."
"You're not mistaken, are you?"
Seeing Qi Chen's skeptical look, Feng Yuan complained unhappily,
"I'm telling the truth! Xiao Ji sensed it too, didn't you, Xiao Ji?"
Seeing Xiao Ji at Feng Yuan's feet nodding in agreement, Qi Chen's expression changed and he hurried after Teacher Yan. After hearing Qi Chen's account, Teacher Yan came over and looked at Feng Yuan seriously,
"Is what you told Qi Chen just now true?"
"Yes, it's not just me, Xiao Ji sensed it too."
Xiao Ji looked squarely at Teacher Yan and chirped affirmatively. Teacher Yan thought for a moment, then took out his phone and stepped aside to make a call. A while later, he returned with a somewhat solemn face and said to them,
"Let's go, quick trip there and back."
"Okay~"
Feng Yuan's response was casual as he picked up Xiao Ji and placed it on his head.
"Xiao Ji, open wide~"
On the bus, Feng Yuan intermittently took out a piece of Spirit Beast Food and handed it to Xiao Ji on his head. Qi Chen glanced at Teacher Yan, who was sitting up straight not far away, and quietly asked Feng Yuan,
"Do you know who was spying on us in the school?"
"I don't know, such matters are dealt with by the school, right?"
"Could it be those lunatics from the G Organization? Didn't Teacher Yan say they've been active around our city recently?"
Feng Yuan glanced at Qi Chen, who looked worried as he fed Xiao Ji a piece of Spirit Beast Food, and said,
"It couldn't be. If the G Organization really infiltrated the school quietly, all the security staff would be out of a job."
"But..."
"I really don't buy that the G Organization is that bored to attack our school. When it comes to influence, High School No.1 is the best in Maomu City. As for attacking me? If they wanted to, they would have done it already."
"Alright, stop worrying about the school for nothing. We're almost there. Aren't you going to let Ah Mu out of your backpack?"
"Oh, we're almost there? Okay."
Xiao Ji looked at Qi Chen with confusion.
After getting off the bus, Feng Yuan said to Teacher Yan with a teasing smile,
"Let me lead the way later. I know this path well."
Teacher Yan frowned, looked at Feng Yuan, and finally nodded silently. Feng Yuan waved at Qi Chen and said,
"Let's go."
As Qi Chen followed the two through the increasingly dense woods, Xiao Ji suddenly stopped and called out to Feng Yuan, flapping its little wings and pointing excitedly in one direction.
"Yo, this you can use for your Potion. Let's collect some."
Following Xiao Ji's direction, Feng Yuan spotted a fruit tree and, without waiting for a response, ran over with Xiao Ji to pick the ripe fruits.
"Here you go."
"What're you giving it to me for?"
Upon seeing Qi Chen puzzledly accepting the fruit, Feng Yuan replied with annoyed sarcasm,
"Ahm Mu can use it too. Oh, Teacher Yan, do you want any?"
"No need."
Teacher Yan spoke while watching the surroundings vigilantly with Mingxiu Tongzi. Qi Chen helplessly took the fruit from Feng Yuan and placed it into his backpack. Along the way, Feng Yuan collected many ingredients for making Potions, sharing a bunch with Qi Chen and a few that Teacher Yan could use.
"Aren't we there yet? My backpack is almost full."
"It's close. We're nearly there."
"Are there so many Spiritual Medicines in this forest?"
Seeing Teacher Yan's skeptical look, Feng Yuan chuckled and sprinted ahead with Xiao Ji. Realizing that Feng Yuan was intentionally taking a roundabout route, Teacher Yan sighed and continued forward, attentively ensuring the safety of both Feng Yuan and Qi Chen.
"Here we are. Look, that's the Turtis Tree."
Feng Yuan pointed at the mysterious tree ahead, whose fruits glistened with a pale blue light. Feng Yuan ran toward the tree, shouting with joy,
"We're in luck—it's just about to ripen."
Feng Yuan's actions seemed to trigger a memory in Teacher Yan. Mingxiu Tongzi, on guard, noticed something off about Teacher Yan and quickly called out, interrupting his reverie. Shaking his head, Teacher Yan fell silent and surveyed the surroundings.
"Qi Chen, bring your backpack over here."
"What now?"
"Hey! Don't snatch!"
Qi Chen shook his head helplessly and looked at Feng Yuan with confusion as he snatched away his backpack.
"What are you up to now?"
Feng Yuan sorted through various Spiritual Medicines from the backpack while processing them and said,
"Preparing the Potion. The Spirit of Wood Potion must be made with Turtis Fruit that has ripened no more than five minutes ago."
Seeing Feng Yuan taking out various Potion-making tools from his own backpack, Qi Chen expressed his surprise,
"You can't be planning to make the Spirit of Wood Potion right now, can you?"
"What else? I'll feed it to Ah Mu as soon as it's ready. The effect of the Spirit of Wood lasts only thirty minutes."
Feng Yuan kept busy with the tools without looking up. As the pale blue light on the Turtis Fruit deepened, Feng Yuan quickly picked the ripe Turtis Fruits as soon as the light turned deep blue. After a while, Feng Yuan handed the light green Potion to Qi Chen and said,
"Here, the Spirit of Wood Potion."
"Teacher Yan, do you want some?"
Feng Yuan turned and asked Teacher Yan, who was still on guard. Seeing Teacher Yan shake his head, Feng Yuan put the remaining Turtis Fruits into the backpack, noting that Ah Mu had already drunk the Potion and fallen asleep. As Feng Yuan was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed and a Black Scythe emerged behind him. Snatching up the scythe, he swung it forward,
Clang! A pitch-black Energy arrow was blocked by the scythe and dissipated into smoke.