Xiao Ji hesitated for a moment before finally making up its mind to stare at Feng Yuan. Guessing its decision from Xiao Ji’s actions, Feng Yuan smiled and said,
"Well then, could you please go and catch some fish or wild rabbits to bring back?"
"Oh right! Don’t hunt wild boars!"
Remembering something, Feng Yuan hurriedly admonished Xiao Ji, who had transformed into a large black bird. With a loud cry, indicating understanding, Xiao Ji flew high into the sky to look for hunting targets. Meanwhile, Feng Yuan conjured various cooking tools out of thin air and, looking at the muddy land and the accumulated water, thought for a moment and then gazed at the sky.
Above, from the concealed throne, the figure in a black robe lightly lifted the hand holding the Lantern, which hung suspended in the air for a moment before starting to sway gently. At Feng Yuan’s location, as if time accelerated, the muddy land rapidly dried up and the water quickly dissipated like ice and snow melting. Seeing the dry ground, Feng Yuan clapped his hands in satisfaction.
On the throne, the slightly raised hand of the person in the black robe fell back down, as if nothing had happened.
"You actually caught a wild rabbit? I was just speaking off the cuff, but that’s pretty good, I’m a bit tired of fish anyway," Feng Yuan said with a smile after seeing the wild rabbit Xiao Ji brought back. Noticing Xiao Ji’s dissatisfaction, Feng Yuan smoothed its feathers and added,
"Good work, this thing isn’t easy to catch, is it? Though eating too much fish can get boring, there was no need to go out of your way for that."
Although Feng Yuan said that, his face showed great contentment. Glancing at Feng Yuan, Xiao Ji chirped joyfully. Patting Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan spoke,
"I’m going to make breakfast first, you can change back to your original form and rest for a bit, I’ll call you when breakfast is ready."
Xiao Ji shook its head and, noticing the ground had dried, simply sat on the ground watching Feng Yuan cook breakfast.
After a delicious breakfast, Feng Yuan stood up and said to Xiao Ji,
"Let’s rest a bit, and then we’ll set out."
"Right, I remember there’s a river nearby, let’s go check out the riverside," Feng Yuan said quickly packing up those things and tidying up any leftover trash so that the clearing looked roughly back to normal. Then, humming a tune, he led Xiao Ji through the forest.
"I wonder if there are any fish in the water," Feng Yuan murmured curiously as he released his spiritual power to feel around the slightly turbid river water. The next moment, Xiao Ji sensed Feng Yuan wanted to borrow its power; though a bit puzzled, Xiao Ji still passed its power over. Looking at the black orb of energy in his hands, Feng Yuan said with a mischievous grin,
"For lunch, let’s still have fish."
Having said this, Feng Yuan tossed the black orb of energy into the sky, and a plethora of black energy spikes quickly spread out above the river. The next moment, like rain, those spikes rapidly pierced into the river. After a short while, with a slight lift of his hand towards the sky, the black energy spikes emerged from the water, carrying fish that flew towards Feng Yuan. Casually collecting the fish, he turned to Xiao Ji, whose eyes gleamed, and said,
"That move, Feather Fall, is pretty good, isn’t it?"
Xiao Ji nodded, never taking its eyes off Feng Yuan. Knowing what Xiao Ji was thinking, Feng Yuan stood on tiptoe to touch its head and said,
"I can teach you, but you can’t use it in your current form. You need to evolve at least once to do so."
Seeing Xiao Ji’s disappointment, Feng Yuan stroked its neck and climbed onto its back, saying,
"Feather Fall may not be a special secret technique, but it does have its energy requirements. In your current form, your energy isn’t sufficient. Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use it. Anyway, let’s find a more open space and I’ll teach you."
Xiao Ji felt glad upon hearing Feng Yuan’s words but then suddenly remembered Feng Yuan’s current mission and hesitated, shaking its head.
"What’s the matter? You don’t want to?"
Xiao Ji let out a long cry as if to say something. At that moment, the specter of Agunas spoke,
"It says to take you around for a tour first, there’s no rush for the secret technique."
"Hehe, Xiao Ji is even considering others now. It’s fine, the beast tide in the Cangyun Mountain Range won’t come so quickly, and I’m just a bit curious anyway, it’s no big deal if we don’t find anything," Feng Yuan said cheerfully.
Xiao Ji called out several more times, and even without Agunas’s translation, Feng Yuan understood the meaning. Feng Yuan gently patted Xiao Ji’s back and smiled,
"Since that’s the case, let’s go. Let’s see if we can find any clues."
"Do you think he ran off because he doesn’t have faith in my brother?" Mo Ling asked while eating at the snack stand, trying to get information from Yao Yin. However, Yao Yin seemed like a transformed person, having previously ’unintentionally’ revealed various pieces of information, she was now even more difficult to deal with than Feng Yuan, impervious to all attempts to probe for useful information.
"I have no idea, maybe you scared them away~"
"How could that be? I didn’t do anything..."
Mo Ling’s face blushed as she lowered her head, while Yao Yin looked at her with the fascination one might show for an intriguing toy.
(It seems she’s interested in him... Too bad... that guy is clearly more troublesome than Brother Tianxing, and besides, they aren’t even from the same era. Should I advise her against it...)
(But she’s so intriguing~)
"Feng Yuan didn’t say what he was going out to do and hasn’t come back all night?"
Mo Li closed her eyes and pondered while looking at the intelligence in her hands.
(Guo Huai didn’t leave. According to the reports, it seems he gave him something, and now he’s shut himself in. Yao Yin has been following Xiao Ling around, but I can’t read that woman. At first glance, she seems like the naive ladies from great families, inexperienced in the ways of the world, but...)
(Chen Huanxiang was able to conceal herself so well. If she hadn’t been exposed in the end, I wouldn’t have noticed her real intentions. What a pity...)
(Forget it, so far she hasn’t shown any malice towards Xiao Ling. Xiao Ling needs some friends after all...)
"What do you think about this rumor?"
Mo Li handed the letter she was holding to the young adjutant following her, who read it and said,
"Although the likelihood is extremely low, the description is too realistic to dismiss as mere rumors."
"Yes... Although the occurrence of a beast tide in the Cangyun Mountain Range is highly unlikely, and it’s just beasts, there’s no guarantee they can breach the defenses of Yongning City, much less sweep across the entire Cangyun region."
"But if it’s them..."
Mo Li said with a grim expression, recalling her discovery, which made her increasingly uncertain whether the rumor was just that—a rumor.
"Should I take a squad back for defense first?"
The adjutant asked tentatively, to which Mo Li waved her hand and said,
"No need. If it’s their doing, even if we all return it won’t help, and we might even be annihilated in Yongning by the enemy."
"How is that possible!"
"Issue an order, no spreading rumor talk! You go back, and arrange for the relatives of the soldiers to be evacuated from Yongning in secrecy, dispersing them to the cities of Zhen Nan and Chi Jiang, as well as Qingxi, Ji Tian, and Linghu Town. I remember we have arranged our people there; have them provide assistance."
The adjutant looked at Mo Li in surprise and said,
"If we do that, our hidden forces will be exposed. Is it necessary to go to such lengths over mere rumors?"
Mo Li looked at the adjutant calmly and said,
"If I hadn’t discovered that matter, maybe I wouldn’t believe the rumor, but after that attack, my elder brother got flustered from losing a general, which led me to discover some shocking things."
"So if he gets involved, the beast tide could very well sweep across the entire Cangyun region. Damn it!"
Mo Li said, slamming her fist onto the table, unable to contain some bitterness as she spoke,
"It’s a pity I’m still too weak, or else I wouldn’t need to abandon those people."
"Although I can evacuate those people, not to mention whether they would listen to me, just by doing this, my brother might notice, and it could hinder Zhen Nan..."
Mo Li sighed and continued,
"Instruct those in charge of evacuation to be discreet, do not let anyone notice."
Lost in thought while looking at various documents on the table, Mo Li then said,
"Did you leave early because you discovered something..."

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