Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

"Ouch—"

Before he could finish speaking, he fell straight down.

"Thump!"

Fortunately, the grass below was soft enough to be near the stream. But even from a height of ten meters, a fall would be quite dangerous.

Lin Feng grimaced as he got up, rubbed his buttocks which were almost broken into eight pieces, and then touched his back, arms and legs.

Thankfully, my bones are fine, but they hurt.

"Master!" he cried out in his heart, furious.

"You should have told me beforehand!"

"I forgot, I forgot," Master Yu Yuan's voice betrayed his guilt.

"Haven't fought in centuries, I've gotten rusty..."

Lin Feng limped to the stream and scooped up some water to wash his face. The cold water sobered him up a bit. He looked up and saw the mess around him.

Broken trees, craters from explosions, blood floating in the stream, and rags and weapons scattered on the bank.

And that woman who was unconscious.

Lin Feng sighed and walked to the woman's side. The woman was still unconscious, but her breathing had become more steady, and some color had returned to her face, though she was still very pale.

He took out some dry food from his storage ring, gathered some dry branches, and started a small fire by the stream.

Flames leaped up, crackling and popping, dispelling the chill in the forest.

He sat by the fire, munching on a dry, hard flatbread, watching the flickering flames, his mind still replaying the scene from just moments ago.

"Master," he swallowed the biscuit and asked softly.

"Just how strong were you before?"

Master Yu Yuan remained silent for a while.

"Very strong," he said, his voice devoid of its usual playfulness.

"So powerful... that the top forces in the entire Central Court line up to beg me to refine pills. So powerful... that I can decide the life and death of millions with a single thought."

Lin Feng opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.

"But that was all in the past," sighed Master Yu Yuan.

"Now, all that's left is a wisp of a soul, and I still need my disciple's body to move around. Tsk, shameful."

Lin Feng laughed: "It's not shameful. You were... very impressive just now."

"Of course."

Master Yu Yuan started showing off again.

"But Linzi, remember this: external forces are just that—external forces. I can lend you my body for a while, but not forever. You have to become strong yourself, strong enough that one day you can fight with the same power as before without needing to borrow anyone's body."

Raymond Lam nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

He continued munching on his pancake, but his eyes kept drifting towards the woman.

Who is she?

Who are those people in blue robes?

Why are they hunting her down?

And... when will she wake up?

Questions came one after another, but no one could answer them.

After finishing his flatbread and drinking some water, Lin Feng leaned against a large rock next to him, staring blankly at the fire.

The sky gradually darkened.

The light in the forest became hazy, and the distant mountains were reduced to black silhouettes.

Birds returned to their nests, and occasionally a few chirps could be heard.

The woman moved.

Lin Feng immediately sat up straight.

The woman's eyelids trembled, and she slowly opened them.

Those were very special eyes, with light-colored pupils, like amber or pale golden glass.

She first stared blankly at the sky, then turned her head and saw the campfire and Lin Feng.

She blinked, as if trying to figure out where she was. Then she struggled to sit up, but the movement aggravated her wound, causing her to gasp in pain.

"Don't move," Lin Feng said quickly, "You're badly injured."

The woman stopped, leaned against a rock, and caught her breath for a while.

She looked at Lin Feng, her gaze lingering on his face for a few seconds.

"Did you...save me?" Her voice was very soft and extremely hoarse.

Raymond Lam nodded: "Mm."

"Thank you," the woman said, then her expression changed as if she remembered something, "Those people..."

"They got away," Lin Feng said.

"However, it seems a powerful expert passed by and injured them; they probably won't live much longer."

The woman visibly relaxed, but then tensed up again: "Did they leave anything behind? Or... say anything?"

Lin Feng thought for a moment: "They said you stole their most valuable treasure."

The woman sneered, her voice dripping with mockery despite her deathly pale face: "A treasure? The Qinglan Sect doesn't even deserve it!"

Qinglan Sect?

Lin Feng's heart skipped a beat. He thought of Zhao Mingxuan's fiancée, the personal disciple of the Linglan Sect Master.

Are Qinglan Sect and Linglan Sect related?

The woman seemed to realize she had said too much, so she shut her mouth and stopped talking. She closed her eyes and began to regulate her breathing.

Lin Feng could feel the surrounding spiritual energy flowing slowly toward her; although it was very weak, it was definitely flowing.

She is healing her wounds.

Lin Feng didn't ask any more questions.

He added some firewood to make the fire burn brighter, then took out a water pouch from his storage ring and placed it next to the woman.

"Have some water," he said.

The woman opened her eyes, glanced at him, then at the water pouch. Without hesitation, she picked up the water pouch and took a few small sips.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Raymond Lam".

"Lin Feng..." the woman repeated, nodding, "I remember. I owe you a life."

"Need not……"

"You have to pay it back," the woman interrupted him, her tone serious. "I, Yan Ruyu, never owe anyone a favor."

Yan Ruyu.

This name... is quite fitting.

Lin Feng secretly observed her. Even with her injuries and disheveled appearance, he could tell she was an extremely beautiful woman. Her eyebrows were like distant mountains, her eyes like autumn water, her nose was straight, and although her lips were pale, they were beautifully shaped.

"What are you looking at?" Yan Ruyu suddenly asked.

Lin Feng blushed and quickly looked away, saying, "N-nothing."

Yan Ruyu didn't speak again and continued to close her eyes and regulate her breathing.

Lin Feng also leaned against the rock and closed his eyes.

But he couldn't sleep; his mind was a jumbled mess.

So much happened today.

Becoming an apprentice, receiving cultivation techniques, obtaining a storage ring, saving lives, fighting...

And then there's Master's earth-shattering strength.

He touched the silver ring on his left ring finger, then touched the storage ring on his right ring finger.

These two things are like keys to unlocking a new world.

The road ahead is long.

He thought about it and drifted off to sleep.

A wind rose at night, causing the flames to flicker.

Lin Feng couldn't sleep soundly. He dreamed of Uncle Qinglong one moment, his father the next, and then the hideous faces of those men in green robes the next.

Yan Ruyu was sleeping very soundly, or rather, she was in a deep coma.

She was too badly injured, and even with her cultivation, she would need time to recover.

Master Yu Yuan did not sleep.

The remnant soul does not need to sleep.

He floated by the fire, looking at his sleeping apprentice, then at the mysterious woman, his white beard fluttering slightly in the night breeze.

"Qinglan Sect..." he murmured to himself, "That name sounds familiar. I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..."

I thought about it for a long time, but I couldn't remember.

Well, it's been hundreds of years, and countless sects have risen and fallen. It's normal to not remember them all.

He looked up at the sky.

The night sky was clear and the Milky Way was brilliant.

Starlight spilled down, falling on the mountains, on the streams, and on the face of the sleeping boy.

"Kid," he said to Lin Feng, who was still asleep, "your journey has only just begun."

The night is still long.

The wind is still blowing.

The fire crackled and popped, silently burning in the mountains late autumn, guarding one person, one soul, and one wounded soul.