Chapter 16: Under the veils of the night or the cover of lies.
The group set up tents on a clearing after the sunsets. The sounds of rustling leaves and the occasional roar and howl of beasts reverberating in the mountains and yet...
Feng Jiao Xue glanced around and saw that everyone was acting like everything is normal. Aside from the occasional flinches here and there by those with less experience.
The entire clearing was quickly set up with tents, cultivators cleaning or practicing and magicians working on a barrier around the grounds. Some are already preparing for their dinner.
There are groups heading out, volunteering to patrol the area. Even Feng Jiao Xue can understand the true intent of those teams. They did not even bother to hide or mask the greed in their eyes. The mountain may be full of danger but it is filled with rare or scarce resources that can either be sold at high prices or utilized in many ways.
Feng Jiao Xue sat on a rock, Yin Xiao by her side, a bowl of apples she foraged earlier in front of him.
She cleaned and sharpened her dagger as Yin Xiao munches on the apples by her side.
The evening light softened, casting a warm amber glow across the sprawling forest as Feng Jiao Xue and the others found a suitable clearing to set up camp. Towering trees encircled the site, their ancient trunks standing like silent sentries, and a trickling brook nearby promised fresh water. Shadows danced around them, and the occasional call of a distant bird punctuated the quiet, lending an otherworldly serenity to the place.
Without needing to say much, each member of the group moved with practiced efficiency. Wei Jian, the burly swordsman, stacked logs in a makeshift fire pit, his powerful frame silhouetted against the last vestiges of daylight. Beside him, Mei Lin, the red-haired girl with a fiery spirit, was using her fire qi to lit up the woods, gradually coaxing the flames to life. She shielded her eyes from the flare, her lips curving into a small, satisfied smile as the fire crackled to life.
Feng Jiao Xue concluded that they are a group or in the terms of adventurers, a party.
Looking around again, there are also others in the area. Taking into account their dynamics, there should be seven to ten groups around. It appears that the guards of the crown prince are the ones responsible for night watch.
Speaking of the crown prince....