Chapter 198: Quack! Senior Brother Bai, Save My Tooth!!
“Haa… finally over!”
Shui Miao Miao plopped right onto the ground, and that big puppet Big Bro Bai set up was already lying there, motionless.
She stared at the puppet on the ground, feeling suddenly that maybe this puppet was just… ordinary.
“Not bad, not bad. Congratulations, Junior Sister Shui, on defeating a tough enemy,” came the cheerful voice of Bai Feng as he pushed open the door and clapped politely.
He was standing outside the door simply because Shui Miao Miao had lost way too many times. If each loss meant she got teleported out every time, his Spirit Stones stored in the Array wouldn’t last long.
So he just stood there, waiting for her to lose so he could drag her out.
Shui Miao Miao looked up at Bai Feng, and the joy in her heart abruptly froze the moment her eyes met his.
Senior Brother Bai really knew how to mess around!
Making her endlessly fight puppets was one thing, but then fixing up their little dings and dents after every battle? Talk about not giving her a single chance to cheat!
If it weren’t for Bai Feng reviewing her failures after each loss—pointing out what she needed to improve and even personally explaining swordsmanship tricks—I’d think he’s just here to torment me, Shui Miao Miao thought.
“Senior Brother Bai, is this about the end now?” she climbed to her feet and asked.
“Not quite.” Bai Feng shook his head with a smile as Shui Miao Miao looked at him eagerly. “This was only the first elite monster. There are several more ahead, and at the very end… hmm, there’s one more— a *really* strong enemy. Defeating it will mark the true clearing of this area.”
“And…,” Shui Miao Miao’s voice trailed off, as if all her energy had been drained. She thought, with Bai Feng’s talent, if he wasn’t here torturing prisoners in the prison, he should be doing something more productive.
“If you’re tired, Junior Sister Shui, you can go back and rest first. Come back tomorrow,” Bai Feng suggested.
But Shui Miao Miao shook her head stubbornly. “No, I want to keep exploring!”
Her choice to continue wasn’t because she’d developed some strange hobby, but purely because after knocking out that tough enemy, her pride swelled—she felt this secret realm was just a piece of cake.
With her current strength, defeating the elite monsters, she figured she could strut around without worry, perhaps even turn the area into her backyard.
Seeing her confident look, Bai Feng hesitated a little, reluctant to crush her confidence, but still reminded her, “Well… just so you know, the enemies ahead will be more numerous and they’ll fight together.”
“Yep, yep, I got it! I’ll be careful!” Shui Miao Miao nodded vigorously, oblivious to how serious that warning was.
After a brief rest, she pressed on.
Though still alert, she wasn’t as cautious as at the start.
Soon she spotted a wandering puppet. No hesitation, she drew her sword and charged.
But this puppet, upon noticing Shui Miao Miao, didn’t counterattack like others. Instead, it emitted a whistle-like sound.
In the next moment, the whistle abruptly stopped. Shui Miao Miao stomped on the puppet’s head, furrowing her brows. “What’s with this puppet? Did Bai Bro set this up wrong?”
Just then, hurried footsteps sounded from not far away. She instinctively looked back and saw a bunch of puppets wielding weapons rushing toward her.
“Huh?”
Looking at the more-than-two-digit number of puppets, Shui Miao Miao’s mouth twitched.
Senior Brother Bai did say there’d be more enemies, but he didn’t say they’d all pour out at once, did he?
*Quack! Senior Brother Bai, save my tooth!!*
From nearby, Bai Feng…… froze.
He’s at Golden Core perfection. Who’s afraid of a bunch of puppets? Just fight them!
……
“Pant pant… pant…”
Ling Feng, cloaked with a thick cloak covering his face, was running out of the city into the deserted forest, adrenaline still pounding in his chest.
After plunging deep into the dense woods, he finally collapsed onto the ground, unable to keep going.
Not only his shoulders, but a black pattern spread across his face, emanating faint Demon Energy.
If he hadn’t escaped in time, he’d probably be captured by the Demon Path right now.
“What is this damned thing?!”
He stared at the Ancient Bell in his Spirit Sea, which was obviously causing this strange condition.
No matter what he did, he couldn’t move the Ancient Bell at all—like it was rooted in his Spirit Sea.
“Finally got a few days of normal life, and it’s all because of this broken clock!” Ling Feng punched the ground in frustration.
Is it possible he’ll have to stay away from the city and wander the wilds forever?
Suddenly, he sensed the Demon Energy inside him calming down, and the black patterns on his face gradually receded.
“What the heck is going on?”
He rolled onto his back and sat up. Aside from the Ancient Bell in his Spirit Sea, everything else seemed to revert to how it was before the Demon Energy outburst.
But he wasn’t exactly happy. After all, with this disturbance, who knows when the next Demon Energy chaos will happen.
He had to find a way to purge the Demon Energy from his body. Otherwise, he’d have no choice but to stay far away from cities.
While pondering methods to remove the Demon Energy, he suddenly looked up at the sky. A few birds took flight in a panic, swiftly vanishing into the sky.
“Am I too tense?” Ling Feng shook his head and prepared to head back to the city and talk to Shi Tou and the others.
He’d finally become the squad leader of the guards and arrived at Golden Lion City to manage a shop—thought things would start looking up, but instead, this happened.
As he was heading back, the small birds that just took off once again landed on the treetops. One of them tilted its head, staring intently at his back.
Meanwhile—
“This doesn’t look like Demon Energy’s invasion,” Bai Feng mused thoughtfully.
It was truly impressive—being the Child of Destiny really does set you apart. Even after being corrupted by Demon Energy, he still differs from ordinary folk.
“I’d better help,” Bai Feng decided.
He and the Demon Path hated each other deeply. Seeing Ling Feng’s state, if he didn’t step in, that guy might just join the Demon Path.
He really didn’t want to have to send him to pick up his luck after joining the Demon Path, only to turn around and target him later.
Plus, if he didn’t help, System might find an excuse to toss more Luck Points his way.
His Luck Points were already sky-high, but reducing them never hurts.
“Maybe Xian Fire can remove his Demon Energy,” he wondered.
Probably not, based on Ling Feng’s state—he’s way different from Zuo Qiu. This guy’s Demon Energy isn’t simple.
After a few seconds of thought, Bai Feng had an idea.
He wouldn’t personally go to suppress Ling Feng’s Demon Energy—that’d be too dangerous and obvious. Instead, he planned to craft a Spirit Artifact capable of storing Xian Fire, using the fire to cover its effects.
His reasoning was solid: Ling Feng’s Demon Energy situation isn’t exactly secret. His experiences are hard to hide; he’s told Stone and the White Family about his past multiple times.
With this in mind, Bai Feng could justify giving Ling Feng a Spirit Artifact that suppresses Demon Energy, as a reward—and perhaps help him clear his inner demons, so he doesn’t join the Demon Path out of desperation.
In his calculations, part of Bai Feng hoped this would prevent Ling Feng from turning against him once he’s cleared of the Demon Energy, while also avoiding system penalties from excessive Luck Points.
