197: Yunmeng Zhi Xie

As the morning sun rose, Yunmeng City woke from the silence of night, but today’s awakening carried an unusual vibration.

By the time Qin Feng and the other three escorted the more than eighty rescued women to the City Lord's Mansion, news of the missing girls being saved had already spread throughout the city. A crowd grew larger in the square before the mansion; as the women, who had been separated from their families for months or even years, were returned one by one, cries, laughter, and shouts of joy intertwined.

City Lord Yun Ting, a middle-aged man with a resolute face clad in cyan-gold battle armor, possessed an aura as steady as a mountain at the Mid-stage Martial King level. He personally came out to greet them at the mansion gates. Watching the citizens weeping in each other's arms, he looked at Qin Feng and the others—who were slightly weary but had clear eyes—and bowed deeply with cupped hands. "Four heroes, I, Wu, on behalf of the thousands of citizens of Yunmeng City, thank you for your great kindness!"

Upon entering the main hall of the mansion, Qin Feng briefly explained the events of the previous night. He omitted details such as the Four Symbols Battle Array and the System, simply stating that they had seen an injustice and acted to eliminate the Red Lantern Workshop after discovering its evil deeds.

"That Red Lantern F Bo Master had a Half-step Martial Emperor cultivation and six Martial Kings as lackeys. They occupied the lake for over a decade, acting with secrecy and cunning." After listening, City Lord Wu Yunting's expression was grave yet filled with admiration. "I sent people to investigate many times, but they were always detected in advance, and we returned empty-handed. For the four of you to defeat the strong as the weak and pull them out by the roots is truly admirable!"

His gaze swept over the four of them, lingering for a moment longer on Qin Feng and Ji Ruxue. "To have such cultivation and courage at such a young age, you must come from extraordinary backgrounds. I wonder where you intend to go next?"

Qin Feng said frankly, "We are following our master's orders and need to head to the Molten Core Secret Realm to complete a mission."

"The Molten Core Secret Realm?" A flash of understanding appeared in City Lord Yun Ting's eyes. "No wonder you are passing through Yunmeng City. That Secret Realm is dangerous, especially the ground fire and poisonous miasma, which are hard to defend against." He pondered for a moment before turning to give a few instructions to a nearby attendant.

A moment later, the attendant brought over a red copper box and a roll of leather map.

City Lord Yun Ting opened the box, revealing four palm-sized, scale-shaped red jade talismans, as well as four pieces of inner clothing that were as light as gauze and shimmered with a faint silver luster.

"This is the 'Fire Scale Talisman,' refined from 'Fire Lizard Scales' unique to the Molten Core Secret Realm mixed with 'Fire-repelling Crystals.'" He picked up a jade talisman and injected a trace of True Qi; the surface of the talisman immediately glowed with a warm red light. "Worn at the waist, it can automatically absorb excessive fire poison and heat within a three-zhang radius, keeping the wearer cool. One talisman can last for about ten days, after which it must be placed in a cool area for twelve hours to restore its effectiveness."

He then pointed to the four inner linings. "This is the 'Ice Silkworm Silver Thread Lining,' worn under outer clothing without appearing bulky. Ice Silkworm Silk itself is not afraid of ordinary fire, and the 'Cold Silver Thread' woven into it can better disperse and withstand sudden high-temperature impacts and fire splashes. Although it is not as good as specialized fire-resistant armor, it is superior in its lightness and flexibility, making it suitable for movement in complex environments."

Next, he unfurled the leather map. The map was drawn with extreme precision, not only marking the known major regions and dangerous zones of the Molten Core Secret Realm but also using different colors of cinnabar to circle over a dozen mining spots, with small characters noting the time of the most recent survey, estimated reserves, and the Yao Beast activity observed at the time.

"This is a map accumulated by Yunmeng City over the years from organizing personnel to survey the Molten Core Secret Realm." City Lord Yun Ting pointed to several areas marked with conspicuous red crosses. "In these places, there has been intense ground fire activity or signs of powerful Yao Beast nests migrating within the last six months; you must bypass them. These areas marked with blue circles are relatively safe and may still have earth core flame marrow remaining; you can focus your investigation there."

He gave a bitter smile. "To be honest, my Yunmeng City also has several mining teams that occasionally enter the edges of the Secret Realm to collect some fire day of the week stones and low-grade flame marrow to supplement the city's expenses. This map can be considered something we exchanged for with lives and experience. I present it to you today as a small token of my gratitude."

Qin Feng solemnly took the map and the red copper box. "We are deeply grateful for the City Lord's generous gift. These items will be of great help to us on this journey."

"There is no need for thanks; compared to you removing a great evil for Yunmeng City, these are insignificant." City Lord Yun Ting waved his hand and added, "If you encounter my Yunmeng City's mining teams in the Secret Realm, you can show this map or my City Lord's Mansion token, and they may be able to provide some immediate assistance." As he spoke, he handed over a bronze token engraved with cloud patterns.

After leaving the City Lord's Mansion and returning to their inn rooms, the four of them were finally able to truly meditate and recover.

Inside the room, Xia Ya removed her bracers, revealing slightly swollen wrists and palms—vibration injuries sustained when she had withstood the F Bo Master's Blood Palm. Xiao Chun's hands glowed with a soft emerald light as the healing power of the Myriad Medicine Body brushed over the injuries like a spring breeze, and the swelling subsided at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Ji Ruxue had a bruise on her shoulder where a dark and evil energy had grazed her, and the Qi and blood in Qin Feng's chest were also somewhat turbulent. Xiao Chun treated them one by one, while simultaneously guiding medicinal power to nourish everyone's consumed True Qi.

During a break in the treatment, Ji Ruxue took out a letter sealed with black wax and a dark gold card from her robes and placed them on the table.

"Found these on the F Bo Master's body," she said flatly. "The wax seal is the emblem of the Yin Demon Cult. The gold card is a 'Gold Exchange Card' redeemable throughout the Daqian Imperial Dynasty, with a face value of three hundred thousand gold coins. When the other pleasure boats were sinking, I was busy saving people and didn't have time to search thoroughly."

Qin Feng picked up the letter and broke the seal. The writing on the letter was brief and cryptic, using some kind of code, but the core meaning was clear—it invited the Red Lantern F Bo Master to join the Yin Demon Cult's peripheral organization, the 'Blood Lotus Alliance,' promising to provide Cultivation Techniques and resources, and hinting that 'high-quality Cauldrons' could be handed over in exchange for higher rewards. At the bottom was a distorted lotus pattern.

"As expected, there is a connection with the Yin Demon Cult." Qin Feng's gaze turned cold as he put away the letter. "This gold card..." He looked at Ji Ruxue.

"Spoils of war should be shared," Ji Ruxue said indifferently. "After all, we still owe the Fire Refining Hall eight hundred thousand."

Qin Feng didn't stand on ceremony and took the gold card. "In that case, we are only short by five hundred thousand. If we can complete this mission, the debt can be cleared."

Xia Ya moved her basically recovered wrists and grinned. "Speaking of which, after this fight, I feel like our Four Symbols Formation is running much more smoothly. Sister Xue's timing when cutting in from the flank, the range of Xiao Chun's medicinal mist, the rhythm of Young Master Qin's True Qi dispatching... everything seems to have much more chemistry."

Xiao Chun withdrew her healing light and nodded. "Yes, when the Formation is linked, I can more clearly feel everyone's True Qi flow and status, making it easier to grasp the timing for healing and support."

Although Ji Ruxue didn't speak, there was a hint of agreement in her eyes. In last night's battle, the Four Symbols Battle Array had clearly progressed from the rawness of its first actual combat to the smoothness of the second encounter. Especially when facing the explosive pressure of a Half-step Martial Emperor, that kind of wordless cooperation and trust was something no Cultivation Technique could bestow.

After half a day of treatment and meditation, the four of them had restored eighty to ninety percent of their True Qi, and their injuries were basically healed. In the afternoon, they packed their bags and prepared to set out again.

Just as they walked out of the inn, the sight before them left the four of them stunned.

The long street outside the inn was already packed with a dense crowd. At a rough glance, there were at least several hundred people, including men, women, young, and old. Standing at the very front were the women rescued yesterday and their families.

Seeing Qin Feng and the others come out, the crowd immediately became stirred.

A white-haired old woman, supported by her granddaughter, stepped forward tremulously and was about to kneel. "Benefactors... thank you, benefactors, for saving my granddaughter..." Behind her, dozens of rescued women and their families also moved to kneel.

Qin Feng hurriedly stepped forward to support the old woman. "Elder, please don't! Seeing an injustice and acting is what our generation should do."

"Benefactor!" A haggard middle-aged woman with swollen red eyes stepped forward holding a small cloth bundle. "There's nothing valuable in my house; these are pancakes I made overnight, take them to eat on the road..." Inside the bundle were several still-warm, golden-brown pancakes.

"And my family's smoked meat!"

"These are insoles I wove; they're durable!"

"This water skin is new..."

The crowd surged forward, thrusting all sorts of simple yet heartfelt items toward them. Some gave a basket of eggs, some a bag of home-grown fruit, some hand-sewn insoles, and even a child stuffed a piece of candy they couldn't bear to eat into Xiao Chun's hand.

Looking at her arms filled with various items and then at the sincere, grateful faces before her, Xia Ya, who had always been bold and straightforward, found her eyes turning red. Xiao Chun's eyes were already blurred with tears as she held her arms full of "gifts," unsure of what to do. Even Ji Ruxue's cold features softened a few degrees at this moment.

Qin Feng took a deep breath, cupped his hands as he looked around at everyone, and said loudly, "We accept the kind intentions of all you fellow townspeople! There are too many things, and we truly cannot carry them all, so please take them back! Seeing families reunited is the best reward for us!"

"Benefactors!" The crowd refused to disperse, many wiping away tears.

City Lord Yun Ting also arrived with a squad of guards to maintain order. Seeing this, he shouted, "Fellow townspeople, the four heroes still have a journey ahead of them, so let them travel light!"

"On behalf of the four heroes, I thank you all for your gratitude."

After much persuasion, the crowd finally pulled back slightly to open a path. However, many people still followed the carriage all the way out of the city gates. Until the carriage drove onto the main road, those figures remained at the city gate for a long time, waving their hands and refusing to leave.

Inside the carriage, Xia Ya carefully wrapped up a few pieces of pancakes and fruit that hadn't been refused, muttering, "This smells better than any delicacies from land and sea."

Qin Feng unfurled the map gifted by City Lord Yun Ting and cross-referenced it with the System's intelligence, planning their next route.

Xiao Chun wiped her tears and lowered her head to prepare the needles and medicine for the next stage.

Ji Ruxue leaned against the carriage window, gazing at the scenery receding rapidly outside, her eyes deep with thought.

Pulled by the Flame-treading Beasts, the carriage sped away toward that increasingly scorching land to the south.

The warmth and gratitude of Yunmeng City were left behind, while the heat and challenges of the Molten Core Secret Realm lay ahead.