Chapter 30: Uh... I Don’t Know Either
Ding!
The sharp, metallic chime broke the heavy silence of the night air, signaling the absolute end of the countdown with a crisp, echoing resonance inside his mind.
[Emergency Quest: The Blindside has been Completed!]
[Time Elapsed: 19 Minutes, 58 Seconds.]
[Evaluating Performance... Perfect Extinction Achieved.]
[Calculation Complete. You have unlocked a unique combat achievement!]
[Title Awarded: Assassin’s Nightmare.]
[Perks: Grants permanent mastery over low-tier stealth mechanics. Your presence is naturally muffled by the environment.]
[Active Skill Unlocked: Autumn Wind Strides (Mortal Grade).]
[Description: Allows the user to move across any terrain without generating sound or leaving physical tracks, transforming the user’s weight into a feather on the wind.]
Lu Feng blinked against the floating blue text as it slowly dissolved into the dark perimeter of his vision. "Oh, really?"
A deep sense of validation settled over his chest, though his muscles still throbbed with the dull ache of physical exhaustion.
As though nothing had happened, Lu Feng stepped away from the withered husk of the mercenary leader. He left the blood-soaked battlefield hidden deep within the forest with shallow cuts littering his frame, his dark traveling robe torn in several places from the frantic exchange of blows.
"Time to head back." He adjusted his posture and headed back toward the main road to meet the others before anyone realized he had ever slipped away.
On the way, a secondary chime echoed softly in his mind, delivering the notification for the reward tied to completing the emergency task.
The system had awarded him one thousand Ice-Blooded Blossom Pills.
A wave of satisfaction washed over him, because now, he would finally get to strengthen Ye Chenxue even more. As he walked briskly back through the dark trees, his mind wandered to her. He couldn’t help but wonder how terrifyingly strong she really was.
She had gone off to deal with the primary threat on the transport line, and he was certain she would undoubtedly decimated whichever high-level opponent she had been matched against.
However, a sobering, chilling thought crossed his mind as he navigated the dense brush.
He knew for an absolute fact that Ye Chenxue was far stronger than the mercenary leader he had just fought and killed, at least in terms of her established cultivation stage and definitely her mastery over Qi essence.
Yet, that very same mercenary leader had nearly overwhelmed him through sheer, unadulterated combat experience, vicious technique, and ruthless execution.
’If a mid-tier mercenary boss could push me to the absolute brink of death through pure tactical pressure, didn’t that mean someone of Ye Chenxue’s towering caliber could easily end me with a single casual breath if things ever turned sour between them?’
"Well, it wouldn’t come to such a tragic end." He was entirely certain about that. They shared a mutual understanding, and she had no reason to turn on him after everything they had navigated together. But the encounter served as a brutal wake-up call.
He was painfully aware of his own glaring shortcomings. He was still a complete novice who had merely stumbled upon a god-tier core without any formal guidance, lineage, or foundational training.
He desperately needed to learn a proper cultivation technique and master actual martial arts instead of relying purely on raw instinct and the passive overcharged output of the Primordial Chaos Bead.
All of these were things he would address when they finally arrived at their destination safely. For now, his immediate, burning priority was to sneak back into the carriage before anyone noticed his prolonged absence or questioned his battered, blood-stained appearance.
As he drew closer to the main road, he decided to test out his newly acquired active skill. He mentally activated Autumn Wind Strides, and a strange, weightless sensation instantly flooded his limbs.
The heavy, damp mud beneath his boots felt as light as drifting cloud vapor. Instantly, his steps lost all friction and sound. He moved forward across the thick carpet of pine needles, dry twigs, and sharp gravel without generating the faintest whisper of noise, his body feeling as effortless as a floating autumn leaf caught in a gentle evening gale.
He utilized his newly acquired stealth skill to slip past the perimeter guards who were still nervously pacing the area, completely unaware of his passage.
Utilizing the muffled environment around him, he glided like a phantom through the shadows and quietly slid back into the carriage through the rear latch, securing it shut behind him without a single click.
Inside the cabin, there was residual panic and lingering terror, especially in the face of the loan shark. The flickering lantern cast long, dancing shadows across the cramped wooden interior.
The moment Han Lin saw him step out of the dark corner of the carriage with his clothes stained in dried blood and his skin marred by shallow, jagged cuts, her mouth widened in sheer, unadulterated disbelief. "Young Master?!"
She quickly covered her parted lips with her trembling hands in deep shock, letting out a soft gasp before rushing over to him with frantic steps. She immediately pulled out a clean linen cloth from her travel bag, her hands shaking as she began to gently wipe away the crusting blood from the superficial cuts across his arms and face.
Even the partner of the loan shark rushed toward him to assist, her face etched with nervous worry and wide-eyed confusion.
"What happened?"
"Where did you get this much injuries from?"
"Who did you fight?"
They kept bombarding him with questions, asking him where on earth he had gone during the middle of a brutal ambush, why he looked like he had crawled through a slaughterhouse, and what he had possibly been doing out in the dark woods alone while everyone else was fighting for their lives.
Lu Feng, however, kept his lips firmly sealed, offering no reply whatsoever to their frantic inquiries. He offered only a calm, unreadable gaze, letting their anxious questions hang heavily in the tense, confined air of the cabin.
Just then, a sharp, authoritative signal rang out from the guards stationed outside the carriage, cutting through the murmurs inside. It was the pre-arranged signal telling the passengers inside that the outside of the carriage was secure and that they had successfully finished the battle.
It came in the form of a whistle.
The All Clear signal echoed loudly across the clearing, lifting the heavy siege mentality that had gripped everyone for the past agonizing hour.
Hearing the confirmation, the loan shark quickly unlatched and threw open the heavy main door of the carriage, letting out a massive, trembling sigh of relief that seemed to deflate half the tension in the room.
Fresh, cool night air rushed into the stuffy cabin, followed instantly by the thick, overpowering copper scent of fresh bloodshed. Heavy footsteps crunched on the gravel outside, and Ye Chenxue walked up the wooden steps, stepping gracefully inside the carriage.
There was a single, tiny, razor-thin cut on her smooth, porcelain cheek, but her entire exterior was drenched in a terrifying amount of blood. It was immediately obvious, however, that the blood didn’t belong to her.
It was the crimson residue of her opponent, splattered across her traveling garments and long cloak like grotesque, abstract paint from a brutal battlefield execution.
She paused near the narrow entrance, her breathing remarkably steady, controlled, and composed. But the moment her sharp, piercing eyes landed on Lu Feng sitting quietly in the corner, covered in fresh cuts and being fussed over by Han Lin, her eyes squinted in sudden, razor-sharp suspicion.
She turned her gaze slowly toward Han Lin, her voice dropping to a cool, questioning register that demanded immediate, unvarnished answers.
"What in the hell happened in here?"
"Uh... I don’t know either." Han Lin stammered nervously, her hands still clutching the bloodied cloth as she tried to explain the situation. "He just appeared out of nowhere like this. We do not know where he was during the attack."
Ye Chenxue did not look away from Lu Feng. Her gaze pierced through him, searching every inch of his posture for any sign of deception, weakness, or hidden power, but she found only an unshakable, unnatural calm.
She knew the terrifying scale of the ambush outside, and she knew what kind of bloodthirsty monsters had prowled these border woods. Seeing Lu Feng battered yet entirely alive raised questions that defied every known rule of mortal survival.
Lu Feng simply met her intense gaze without flinching, his mismatched eyes holding her piercing scrutiny with absolute, unbreakable confidence.
"What is it?" He asked with a weak yet bold smile.