A Boy? A Girl?

Someone was coming? Xu Yuan's hands paused slightly of their own accord. Subconsciously, he followed Bai Muxi's gaze. The dense woods on an early spring night carried the sounds of nature stirring awake. The momentary silence beside the campfire made the surrounding rustle of insects and the distant, leisurely cries of beasts ring out with exceptional clarity. Xu Yuan, however, saw nothing; the dark mist blocked his vision. Glancing at the expression on Bai Muxi's face, Xu Yuan resumed turning the skewers over the wooden rack, chuckling lazily. "Deep in the forest dwells a solitary soul, eh? Though judging by your look, it's probably no reclusive master." Bai Muxi peered into the depths of the mist for a few moments. "It's a youth, about fourteen or fifteen. The clothes bear the Feng family crest." At those words, Xu Yuan's mind immediately leapt to the two peerless prodigies of the Feng family. The secret missive had recorded that they were siblings by blood. The sister was eighteen, the brother fifteen. And now, they just happened to cross paths with another fourteen- or fifteen-year-old Feng family youth... At the thought, Xu Yuan's pupils shrank sharply, his head snapping toward the general direction of the ancestral hall. Dammit, he knew there couldn't be that many geniuses running around in this world. Could those siblings have snatched what his maternal grandfather left for him?! As he pondered, Bai Muxi seemed to deduce what was on his mind and hurriedly explained, "Young Master, that youth is only around the Iron Body Realm, not the prodigy mentioned in the missive." At this, Xu Yuan's brows smoothed out at once. He exhaled a breath and huffed, "Next time, don't pause like that." "Understood." Bai Muxi showed a hint of sheepishness. Glancing into the woods once more, Xu Yuan sounded slightly puzzled. "This valley is already in the heart of the Mount Xifeng Range, several hundred li away from the primary settlement peak. What is a mere Iron Body youth doing out here this late?" The surroundings were pitch-black. Bai Muxi knelt across from the campfire, the leaping flames casting flickering light across her delicate, lovely face. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Young Master, could it be a scout post?" "A scout post?" Xu Yuan stared at the half-cooked skewers before him and murmured, "That's certainly possible." As the ancestral grounds of the Feng family, the Mount Xifeng Range strictly barred outsiders from entering, much like the mountain gates of sectarian orders. However, as a blessed land rich in spiritual energy, the mountain range produced numerous heavenly treasures and earthly wonders every year. In the days of the Feng family's prime, none dared covet such riches. But with martial academies being established and the number of commoner cultivators multiplying exponentially, alongside the main bloodline's absorption into the Prime Minister's Manor, that deterrent power had plummeted. The intelligence delivered by the Black Scale Guards had noted this as well. Every year, swarms of fly-like "gold diggers" snuck into the mountains to try their luck. To them, a single rare spirit herb might be traded for the pills needed to break through a bottleneck. To prevent these outsiders from disturbing the ancestral grounds and to safeguard one of their few remaining revenue sources, the collateral branches of the Feng family not only assigned Grandmasters to patrol the mountains, but also established hundreds of outposts across the thousand-li range. The clansmen stationed at these outposts were mostly around the sixth or seventh rank—a case of a starving camel still being bigger than a horse. Taking a skewer of marbled meat from the wooden rack, Xu Yuan took a hearty bite of the fatty cut. The well-seasoned spices and savory juices burst across his taste buds. Chewing, he said under his breath: "Still, it's a bit strange. The clansmen stationed permanently at the outposts are mostly middle-aged folk stuck at bottlenecks with no hope of advancing. A fourteen- or fifteen-year-old at the Iron Body Realm... given the current state of the collateral branches, this youth should be studying in Qifeng Hall." Listening closely, Bai Muxi placed her fair hands on her crossed knees and was just about to push herself up when Xu Yuan's muffled voice, thick with food, came across: "What are you planning to do?" Bai Muxi looked at him and answered truthfully, "Since Young Master suspects he might have found the Feng family ancestral hall, why not simply capture him and question him?" Xu Yuan gave her a calm glance, swallowed the meat, and spat out two words: "Sit down!" "..." Bai Muxi obediently lowered her hands and gazed at Xu Yuan with puppy-dog eyes. Didn't Young Master's words earlier imply that this kid might have stolen his fortuitous encounter? Why snap at me... Wiping the grease from his lips with a silk handkerchief, Xu Yuan exhaled a plume of white mist and looked up through the trees at the starry sky, his tone calm. "Muxi, if we question him and find that he truly discovered the ancestral hall, what do you plan to do? Imprison him, or kill him?" "..." Bai Muxi fell silent, but her eyes gave her tacit agreement. Xu Yuan cut his eyes toward her with a faint smile. "It doesn't matter. Even if that youth did find the Feng family ancestral hall, so what? If outsiders could take what's inside so easily, there wouldn't be any point to bloodlines in this world, would there?" He paused, lowering his voice. "More than half the scholars in the empire brand my father a thief of state, wishing they could feast on his flesh and drink his blood. Have you ever seen my father pay them any mind? Heh, even a second glance is a waste of time. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to eliminate threats to me, but first they must actually qualify as one. If you killed everyone in your way, wouldn't you tire yourself out?" Bai Muxi pressed her lips together and mumbled in a low voice, "Young Master, is a fifteen-year-old at the sixth-rank Iron Body not enough to warrant caution?" "..." Silence fell for a moment, an odd look flashing through Xu Yuan's eyes. Hearing this, he suddenly understood where Xiao Bai was coming from. Day in and day out, he dealt with cheaters like Xu Changge, Tianyan, and Ran Qingmo. Anyone who wasn't a Grandmaster before twenty was considered a genius? Bullshit. Excluding himself, of course. Yet by ordinary worldly standards, while a sixth-rank youth around fifteen couldn't compare to those monsters at the world's apex, he could still fairly be hailed as a prodigy. It was merely that their frame of reference had drifted a bit out of touch. Sighing softly in his heart, Xu Yuan waved a hand. "There's no need to disturb him. Use a spell to lure the boy away. Once Ran Qingmo returns, we set off immediately. A youth like this must be registered on the Feng family's roster. If something happens to him, it might invite unnecessary trouble..." "But Young Master..." Bai Muxi suddenly cut in to interrupt, "...the boy is about to be attacked by a demonic beast. A fifth-rank demonic python." Without a second thought, Xu Yuan waved his hand. "Leave him be." The moment the words left his mouth— Thud—! A dull crash resounded from the woods over a hundred zhang away, then vanished just as swiftly. Bai Muxi rose to her feet and looked back at Xu Yuan, her voice hesitant. "Mr. Ran saved him." "..." Xu Yuan clicked his tongue. The delicate-featured youth knelt primly beside the campfire, eyes darting back and forth between the three before him. Feng Fangming felt that today, he had encountered three truly extraordinary figures. First was the girl in ink-black robes with an icy demeanor. This big sister, who looked only a few years older than him, had shattered the head of a fifth-rank azure-scaled serpent with a single punch, saving his life. Right now, she was sitting with her eyes closed in cultivation, as if that violent scene had never happened, holding a white crystal in her hand that appeared to be a Source Crystal. Next was the serene sister clad in white, her figure boasting alluring curves. Her bright eyes were like deep pools, yet for some reason, Feng Fangming couldn't shake the feeling that this gorgeous older sister looked at him with a faint trace of hostility. And lastly was the brother in brocade robes, who was busy tinkering with jars and bottles while skewering meat from the azure-scaled serpent. Judging by the dynamic among the three, this relaxed brother seemed to be the one calling the shots. More importantly, with his cultivation, he couldn't see through their realms at all, even though they looked only a few years older than him. At this thought, Feng Fangming's fists clenched slightly without him realizing. These three reminded him of that aloof figure back in Qifeng Hall, the one who seemed to look down upon all creation. An eerie silence hung over the four gathered by the campfire. Several times Feng Fangming wanted to break the silence, but hesitated, not daring to disturb them. Out of duty as a scout, Feng Fangming felt he ought to ask what they were doing in his family's ancestral land, but judging by their bearing, they didn't look in the least like people hunting for treasures in the mountains. Amid his inner struggle, a wisp of roasted meat aroma drifted into his nose. And then, he heard a warm, gentle male voice speak: "Feng Fangming, right? How old are you this year?" Hearing this, Feng Fangming hastily lifted his gaze toward the speaker, only to see the man smiling warmly as he handed over a steaming, fragrant skewer of meat. Reaching out with both hands to accept it, Feng Fangming pulled his fingers back as if shocked the instant they brushed Xu Yuan's. Pursing his lips, Feng Fangming answered softly: "Answering Young Master... just turned fourteen after the New Year." "An Iron Body at fourteen, hmm..." The man smiled gently, handing two more skewers of serpent meat to the two sisters beside him, before offering a quiet compliment: "Very impressive." Feng Fangming was just about to offer words of thanks when a sentence struck like lightning: "Though... "You're actually a girl, aren't you?" "..." The air became so still a dropped pin would have sounded like thunder, save for the crackling of the campfire. Surprise flashed in Bai Muxi's bright eyes. Ran Qingmo blinked, her eyes widening round as saucers, her cheeks puffed out, chewing paused mid-bite. Xu Yuan smiled with narrowed eyes, his gaze seeming to pierce right into the heart. With all three gazes converging on her, Feng Fangming opened her mouth, closed it, and opened it again. Blinking, she forced herself to remain calm, her voice laced with confusion: "Young Master... what do you mean by that?" Xu Yuan waved a hand and chuckled. "Pay it no mind. I simply thought the aura about you was rather unusual. If I've offended, please forgive me." Feng Fangming lowered her head and gave a strained, awkward smile. "Young Master, you certainly know how to joke." Xu Yuan gave her a deep, knowing look, then changed the subject: "This place borders the heart of the Mount Xifeng Range, where all manner of venomous insects and demonic beasts pose immense danger. Why were you scurrying through the woods so late?" At the mention of this, Feng Fangming's expression turned solemn. "I am a scout of this Seven Mysteries Valley. Tonight is my shift." With that, she formally cupped her hands in a respectful salute toward Ran Qingmo: "Thank you, sister in black, for saving my life. Given the habits of the azure-scaled serpent, I likely would have been locked in a grueling battle tonight." Ran Qingmo said nothing, merely shaking her head slightly to signal that it was nothing. Beside them, Xu Yuan showed a flicker of intrigue. A grueling battle, not death. It seemed this girl could fight above her realm... As he thought, Xu Yuan spoke up again: "Fangming, given your age and cultivation, by all rights you should be studying in the Feng Pavilion of Qifeng Hall, shouldn't you? How could your Second Elder bear to dispatch you out here?" Qifeng Hall was the academy for the clan's younger generation, teaching profound techniques as well as literature and theory, while the Feng Pavilion was the premier hall among them, taught personally by the elders. A flicker of surprise showed in Feng Fangming's eyes, seemingly baffled as to why the young master before her knew the Feng family's inner workings so well. But after a brief silence, she still replied softly: "Entrusted by someone." "Entrusted by someone?" Xu Yuan arched a brow. Feng Fangming remained silent. Xu Yuan pondered slightly and chose not to press further. He pointed at the skewer in her hands. "Eat up quickly. The early spring nights are cold; it'll get chilly soon." After those words came the rustling sounds of chewing. As Feng Fangming ate the savory, flavor-packed serpent meat, her eyes swept over the brocade-robed young master several times. Ultimately unable to hold back, she asked in a low voice: "Young Master, may I ask what business the three of you have coming to our Feng family's ancestral grounds late at night?" The instant the question was asked, Bai Muxi cast a cool glance at her. With just that single glance, Feng Fangming felt plunged into an icehouse, her mind buzzing with chaotic dissonance, her delicate frame trembling uncontrollably. Smack—! Yet in the very next instant, a crisp slap jolted Feng Fangming back to reality: the young master had just swatted the older sister in white right below the small of her back. This Xiao Bai shared Lou Ji's exact virtue—always scaring kids at the drop of a hat. A classic food chain. Then again, he did need someone beside him to play the bad cop. Withdrawing his hand, Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said breezily: "How about this: tell me who entrusted you, and I'll tell you why we're here. Deal?" Out of fear rooted deep in her heart, Feng Fangming subconsciously wanted to refuse, but upon seeing the look cast by the sister in white once again, she quietly swallowed her words. Patrol duty had a casualty rate. Every year, a few scouts watching the mountain forests died at the hands of outsiders. The three before her possessed unfathomable cultivation. Judging solely by how the sister in ink-black had casually shattered that azure-scaled serpent's head with a punch, Feng Fangming knew she stood no chance of resisting. Biting her lip, she clenched her fists tightly and murmured: "An elder brother of the clan sent me here." "An elder brother?" Xu Yuan frowned. "Which one?" Feng Fangming stared at Xu Yuan for several moments before muttering under her breath, "Young Master, you probably don't know him." "Just say the name. I can judge for myself whether I know him." "It's Feng Ruxian." "..." Hearing the name, Xu Yuan said nothing. Instead, he exchanged a glance with Xiao Bai at his side, a playful smile curving at the corner of his lips. Seeing this expression on the brocade-robed young master, Feng Fangming's confusion deepened. Tightening her fists slightly, she asked subconsciously: "Young Master, you know him?" "Don't be in a rush. I haven't finished asking yet." Noticing her expression, Xu Yuan raised a hand to cut her off. His face remained smiling, his voice echoing softly: "Why did he ask you to come here?" "He wanted me to watch over a cave for him." "A cave with nine bright lamps?" "Eh? Young Master, how did you know?" Feng Fangming's eyes wavered. "Good question." Pushing on his knees, Xu Yuan slowly stood up from the prayer mat. With a beckoning gesture, he produced a medallion and tossed it to this girl of ambiguous gender before him, his tone indifferent: "Because my name is Xu Changge."