Reborn as Murong Fu: This Time I'm the Protagonist

Chapter 516 Xiao Feng Reunited
Xiao Feng followed Tong Lao westward, and by the time they arrived at Piaomiao Peak according to the location Tong Lao had agreed upon beforehand, it was already dusk.

As the setting sun cast its golden rays, a towering peak pierced the clouds, its depths unknown to all.

Xiao Feng looked around and saw towering peaks and jagged rocks, exuding a desolate and lifeless aura. However, at the foot of the mountain was a dense forest. Although it was late autumn, there were still many old trees that had not shed all their leaves. The lifelessness was mixed with a tenacious vitality, and the strangeness was also mixed with an indescribable otherworldly charm.

The two qualities blend together, making the entire Misty Peak like a song in the clouds, ethereal and unpredictable.

Xiao Feng inwardly cheered and strode down the mountain. The fallen autumn leaves crunched under his feet, a sound that carried a chilling undercurrent of silence, like a sudden burst of noise in the still twilight. He had only taken a few steps when a loud shout rang out: "Halt! Who goes there!"

The voice sounded like a man's, like the mournful cry of an owl in the dark night, indescribably unpleasant. Combined with the atmosphere of the place, it was extremely eerie. The voice echoed among the mountains, like a ghost wandering in the valley.

Xiao Feng strode forward, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and said loudly, "Xiao Feng, a Khitan, has come to Lingjiu Palace at the invitation of Senior Tianshan Tonglao. Please convey my greetings."

Upon hearing the other person introduce themselves, the voice, though excited, carried a hint of hesitation: "You're Xiao Feng?"

"Exactly!"

"Hahaha, I've finally been waiting for you, kid!"

"Brothers, charge! Kill this bastard!"

"Kill this brat, and you'll be free! Let's charge!"

Suddenly, it was as if sunlight had shone into the cave where bats had roamed for years, and all sorts of noises arose all at once.

A flash of cold light appeared, and various silver needles, darts, and iron lotus seeds, accompanied by the sound of wind being cut, came flying towards Xiao Feng's vital points all over his body.

The sudden turn of events startled Xiao Feng, but he remained calm and composed, his face as still as water.

He slightly bent his left leg, then suddenly swept his right leg across the ground, sending a powerful burst of energy, carrying countless withered leaves, crashing into the incoming projectile.

A chorus of screams and cries of pain erupted from the woods, mixed with curses in various accents from all over the country, clearly indicating that many people had been injured by the rebounding projectiles.

Xiao Feng roared like a tiger: "Who are you, you cowardly rat hiding your head and tail! Come out!"

He was anxious. In his mind, the sudden appearance of so many unidentified people at the foot of Misty Peak, where Lingjiu Palace was located, likely meant that Lingjiu Palace had been attacked. Lingjiu Palace was a subordinate force of the Free and Unfettered Sect, which was Murong Fu's sect. As a friend, Xiao Feng certainly couldn't stand idly by and watch his friend's force be harmed.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a large cauldron flew straight toward Xiao Feng. The cauldron was so fast that it reached Xiao Feng in an instant.

With no way to dodge, Xiao Feng secretly channeled his energy, let out a low shout, and slammed his palm against the cauldron. The cauldron flipped over, and a handful of poisoned needles glowing with an emerald light shot out from within. Xiao Feng's sleeves billowed like two giant blowers, blowing the needles away with the force of the air. A few needles pierced the person inside, eliciting a cry of pain. It turned out that someone had been hiding inside the cauldron, unleashing a hidden weapon, but Xiao Feng's counterattack had caused them to suffer the consequences.

Xiao Feng kicked the cauldron again, causing it to fall over to the ground. He then leaped into the air and used his "Thousand-Pound Drop" technique to stand on the cauldron, shouting, "What kind of hero are you, trying to kill me with a sneak attack? Come out here yourself!"

Before the words were finished, a soft rustling sound was heard, and something like a pangolin burrowing through a hole quickly darted out from under the cauldron, pushing up fallen leaves and causing a floating mound to rise from the ground.

Xiao Feng laughed heartily: "I thought he was some kind of hero, but it turns out he's just a burrowing rat!"

The mound moved quickly, darting more than ten feet away in the blink of an eye. Xiao Feng was too lazy to chase after such a coward.

The mound of earth rippled for a moment, and a short figure suddenly sprang out from underground—a dwarf less than five feet tall.

The dwarf had a wretched face, and his hair was like withered grass burned by a wildfire, with only a few sparse strands stubbornly refusing to go away in the autumn wind. As soon as the dwarf appeared, he angrily cursed, "Grandpa, I am the Mulberry Earth God of Bilin Cave in Western Sichuan, not some burrowing gray rat!"

Xiao Feng grinned: "What a filial grandson! That's a very pleasant way to call me 'Grandpa'!"

A tiger's roar resounded, shaking the mountains and forests. In an instant, more than a dozen jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, driven by two strong men, attacked Xiao Feng.

Xiao Feng was startled. He kicked the large cauldron away, and its massive body crashed down, instantly shattering the skull of a leopard and killing it on the spot. The other beasts were also startled by this sudden turn of events and scattered in all directions. The beast tamers struggled to drive them away and stabilize the situation. Then, Xiao Feng leaped up to the tallest tree nearby.

Xiao Feng looked closely and realized that the two people driving the beasts were none other than the Shi brothers from the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, whom he had met once a few years ago.

Xiao Feng shouted, "Are those Shi Zhongda and Shi Shufa below?"

The two burly men were taken aback: "Who are you, and how do you know our brothers' names?"

Upon seeing that the newcomer was indeed an acquaintance, Xiao Feng said loudly, "I am Xiao Feng, and I also had another name, Qiao Feng. Several years ago, I met you two at the Heroes' Gathering in Luoyang. How have you been?"

In the dim light of dusk, the two brothers made out the face of the person on the treetop, and a look of joy flashed across their faces: "Chief Qiao, what are you doing here? And why are you surnamed Xiao again?"

It turned out that Qiao Feng's identity was a shameful matter for the Beggars' Sect, so the elders of the sect gave an order not to spread it. In addition, some unfounded accusations against Qiao Feng were later proven to be pure fabrications, so the matter was left unresolved. Therefore, the Shi brothers, who were far away in Hedong, did not know the reason behind it.

Xiao Feng sighed, "This is a long story, and I will explain the reasons to you two another day. Why are you two here today?"

The Shi brothers exchanged a glance, hesitated for a moment, and said, "We are here to kill a man named Xiao Feng. There is a crucial reason for this that we cannot tell Chief Qiao. We never imagined that Xiao Feng is Chief Qiao. If we had known this earlier, alas..."

Xiao Feng was shocked: Could it be that these people gathered here specifically to kill him? But why? Who exactly are his enemies, that they could attract so many skilled fighters to ambush him here?
Xiao Feng clasped his hands and said, "There seems to be some misunderstanding involved in this matter. Could it be that you brothers have been instigated by someone else?"