Chapter 54: It’s Called Field Practice
The cool night breeze swept through the quiet residential outskirts of Crimson Vale City, carrying the faint, soothing scent of blooming mountain jasmine as Lu Feng finally approached the familiar perimeter of their temporary guest villa.
The doors parted smoothly at his touch, and he stepped into the courtyard, the warm, golden glow of the indoor lanterns spilling outward through the translucent paper windows to welcome him home.
He slipped off his boots in the entryway, balancing his carefully bundled parcels under one arm, and expected to find the villa quiet and semi-dark, perhaps with Ye Chenxue meditating deep in her room and Han Lin still out reviewing her extensive property ledgers.
Instead, the moment he pushed open the door to the main sitting room, a pair of surprised eyes blinked back at him.
Sitting comfortably by the low mahogany table, sipping a cup of steaming floral tea, was Han Lin. She had already changed out of her professional travel dress into a softer, loose-fitting evening robe, though her cheeks were flushed with a vibrant, unmistakable energy of accomplishment.
Lu Feng paused, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise. "You’re back early. I thought the negotiations with the property agents would take well into the evening."
Han Lin beamed, setting her teacup down with a soft clink. She gestured for him to come closer, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I thought so too, Young Master! But once the second agent realized we meant business and weren’t here to waste time haggling over pennies, things moved remarkably fast. Both negotiations were an absolute success."
She leaned forward, resting her hands neatly on her knees. "I’ve secured exclusive viewing rights for two of the finest mini-estates currently available in the upper residential district. Both properties feature fortified perimeter wards, private springs, and more than enough space for all of us. Tomorrow morning, we’ll be heading out together to inspect them in person and lock down the final deeds."
At that exact moment, the soft patter of footsteps echoed down the hallway, and Ye Chenxue emerged from her chambers. Dressed in her neat, unadorned training tunic after a full day of deep, uninterrupted foundation cultivation, the ethereal cultivator stepped quietly into the sitting room, her sharp gaze instantly locking onto Lu Feng.
"You’re back," Ye Chenxue noted, her voice calm and steady as she drifted over to join them at the low table, gracefully folding her legs onto an adjacent silk pillow.
Lu Feng offered a warm, relaxed smile. He stepped forward, placing his burdens down right in the center of the low wooden table.
"Good timing, both of you," Lu Feng said smoothly, sliding the various packages forward. "Since I was out walking through the commercial district today, I figured I shouldn’t return empty-handed. Thanks to Ye Chenxue, I knew what to get."
He first slid the sleek, silk-wrapped parcels toward them. "Comfortable practice robes for your daily forms, Ye Chenxue, and a durable, travel-ready dress with reinforced inner pockets for your ledger work, Han Lin. Check if the fits are right."
Han Lin’s jaw dropped slightly as she gently untied the golden cord of her package, revealing the finely tailored slate-blue fabric. "You... you went out to shop for us while managing everything else?" she whispered, genuinely touched.
Before she could finish marveling at the craftsmanship, Lu Feng slid the second set of boxes forward—the exquisite wooden container from The Jade Frost Bakery. He popped open the lid, releasing an instant, mouth-watering wave of sweet powdered sugar, warm honey, and fragrant peach nectar into the room.
"And some refreshments for the evening," Lu Feng added casually, pushing the steaming honey dumplings and sweet flower-petal pastries toward them. "Consider it a reward for a productive day."
Ye Chenxue stared at the pristine pastries, then up at Lu Feng, a rare, fond smile touching the corners of her lips. She reached into her storage pouch and subtly patted the hidden pocket where she had safely tucked away the ten legendary cultivation pills he had casually tossed at her earlier that morning. It seemed the young master had a consistent habit of casually dropping massive surprises into their lives disguised as simple errands.
As the three of them settled comfortably around the low table, sharing the warm pastries and sipping fragrant tea, Han Lin tilted her head, her sharp administrative instincts suddenly kicking in as she noticed a faint, peculiar smudge of dust on Lu Feng’s outer shoulder.
She paused, narrowing her eyes slightly. "Wait... Young Master. Your robes are completely clean, but your right sleeve is slightly misaligned, and there’s a faint trace of damp alleyway mud on the hem of your boots. Where exactly did you go after visiting the bakery?"
Ye Chenxue instantly stopped chewing, her piercing eyes snapping toward Lu Feng with an instinctive flash of defensive scrutiny.
Lu Feng let out a low, dry chuckle, shaking his head. He reached for a cup of tea, taking a slow sip before deciding there was no harm in sharing.
"Nowhere special," Lu Feng replied smoothly. "Just took a minor detour through different lanes on my way back. Apparently, Crimson Vale has its fair share of local street trash who think an unescorted young master carrying pastries is an easy mark."
Han Lin’s eyes widened in alarm, her tea nearly spilling into her saucer. "You were targeted by robbers?"
"Cornered, actually," Lu Feng corrected with an amused smirk. "Two hooded thugs tailed me for a few blocks, funneled me right into a dead-end alley near a leaking drainage, and politely asked me to hand over my money pouch and your pastries at knifepoint."
Ye Chenxue’s expression darkened instantly, a chilling, murderous aura leaking out of her meridians for a fraction of a second, causing the air in the room to drop by several degrees. "You should have obliterated them on the spot. Why waste time letting them corner you?"
"Patience, Chenxue," Lu Feng chuckled, holding up a hand to calm her down. "I wanted to make sure they were far enough away from civilian eyes so I wouldn’t cause a public scene in the middle of the shopping district. Plus, it gave me a chance to test the structural integrity of my walking pace."
Han Lin leaned forward, her curiosity entirely overtaking her shock as she peppered him with questions. "Wait, two of them? Armed? How did they even approach you without making a sound? Did they try to use a spatial suppression formation, or were they just relying on stealth?"
"Neither," Lu Feng answered, shaking his head with a light laugh. "They were relying on pure, unadulterated overconfidence and terrible footwork. The one in front had a ring piercing his lip and a rusted dagger; the one behind me had a short sword he couldn’t even keep steady. They sounded like a stampeding ox when they tried to sneak up behind me."
"And you just let them march you all the way to a dead end?" Han Lin asked, her eyebrows raised in disbelief, though a small, amused smile was tugging at her lips.
"I played along," Lu Feng nodded, leaning back against his silk pillow with a relaxed grin. "Let the ring-pierced brute reach right out for my money pouch. Gave him a front-row seat to a life lesson. The moment he tried to grab the pastries, I reminded them why threatening a cultivator is a very bad career choice."
"Let me guess," Ye Chenxue said softly, her icy demeanor melting away into quiet amusement as she caught the rhythm of his story. "The brute didn’t survive the encounter intact?"
"Oh, he survived," Lu Feng replied cheerfully. "Though he spent the next few minutes wishing he hadn’t. Swatted the first one across the alley into a brick wall hard enough to crack mortar, and sent the second one flying through a wooden rain-barrel like a discarded ragdoll. I just left them both groaning in the mud, weeping over their life choices."
Han Lin burst into a soft, melodic fit of laughter, shaking her head in utter disbelief. "Only you, Young Master, could go out to buy pastries and real estate provisions, get ambushed by cutthroats, and turn it into a comedy routine by dinnertime."
"It’s not a comedy routine, it’s called field practice," Lu Feng retorted playfully, raising his teacup in a mock toast.