2: First meeting Mo Fengwu

Following the guidance of the System's map in his mind, he sped towards the Black Pine Forest to the west.

The medicinal effects of the Marrow Cleansing Pill had not fully dissipated; Lin Feng felt his entire body brimming with power, his steps light, and his speed several times faster than when he was strong in his previous life.

The Black Pine Forest was filled with miasma, and the light was dim.

Ancient trees intertwined their branches and leaves, cutting the sky into fragmented specks of light.

Piles of decaying leaves rustled softly underfoot, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

The red light spot on the System's map flickered intensely not far ahead, indicating that Mo Fengwu was in extreme danger.

Lin Feng held his breath and lightened his steps.

Faintly, a woman's startled cry and a man's vulgar curses drifted on the breeze through the forest.

"Heh heh, little lass, this Black Pine Forest isn't a place for delicate young girls like you."

"Big Brother, why waste words with her? Just tie her up and take her back to the Immortal Cave. Our brothers haven't had a good meal in a long time!"

"Tsk tsk, this little face, this little figure, much better than those common beauties in the stronghold!"

Lin Feng frowned, quietly pushing aside the obstructing bushes, and looked in the direction of the sound.

He saw three burly men, dressed in short clothes and with fierce expressions, surrounding a young girl.

The young girl was about seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in a light green silk dress, with a refined and ethereal appearance, and a hint of stubbornness and panic in her brows.

She leaned against a thick Black Pine tree, tightly clutching a half-worn hoe, her face pale, her delicate body trembling slightly, yet she still stood firm, glaring at the villains before her.

"You... what do you want to do? I am the daughter of the Mo Estate in Jia Yuan City. If you dare to act recklessly, my father will not let you go!" The girl's voice trembled, yet it was still clear.

The leader, a man with triangular eyes and a face full of flesh, his body covered in dense scars from numerous battles, sneered, "Mo Estate? In this Black Pine Forest, I am king! Little lass, obediently come with us, and you'll suffer less!"

The other two men looked a size smaller but were as strong as two Black Bears. At this moment, they were leering at the young girl, their gazes lewd, uttering strange chuckles.

Lin Feng's eyes turned cold.

He had not yet broken through to Qi Refinement Stage One. To deal with these three men, who looked as strong as Black Bears, without preparation, he would likely face a tough battle.

"System, do you have any items suitable for the current situation?" Lin Feng thought to himself.

"Detecting Host's needs, the System Store can exchange for Poisoned Flying Daggers x 3, consuming 3 System Points. Do you wish to exchange?" A cold mechanical voice responded.

"Exchange!" Lin Feng said without hesitation.

Three small daggers, shimmering with cold light, appeared out of thin air in his embrace.

[Poisoned Flying Dagger: An incurable poison for Mortals; instant death upon contact.]

Lin Feng was delighted. In his previous life, he was known as the 'Dart Kid' back in elementary school.

He quietly retreated a few steps, picked up a fist-sized stone, and, channeling the faint trace of magical power within his body, hurled it fiercely towards a dense patch of grass not far behind the three men!

"Swish!" The stone cut through the air.

"Thud!" A dull sound.

"Who's there?" The triangular-eyed man, highly alert, immediately roared, his gaze sweeping like lightning towards the source of the sound.

A bearded strongman wearing white socks volunteered, "Big Brother, I'll go check!"

Saying this, he grabbed his saber and walked straight towards the grass.

Just as he had put a few steps between himself and the other two, and his attention was completely drawn to the grass.

Lin Feng moved!

He silently circled out from the other side, a poisoned flying dagger already held between his fingers.

While the remaining strongman henchman had his back to him, Lin Feng flicked his finger, and the flying dagger transformed into an almost imperceptible streak of light, accurately landing on the man's back neck.

"Puff!" A barely audible soft sound.

As the poison entered his body, the strongman's pupils instantly dilated, and he fell backward.

"Bang!" The strongman's bear-like body crashed to the ground, shaking the surrounding earth.

"Third Brother? What's wrong with you?" The triangular-eyed man sensed something was wrong, sharply turned his head, and saw his companion falling to the ground.

The bearded man who went to check the grass also heard the commotion and rushed back, "Big Brother, what's going on?"

Both of them saw their companion lying on the ground with wide-open eyes and couldn't help but be shocked.

"Who is it!"

"Get out!"

The bearded man shouted towards the surroundings in a panic.

Lin Feng, feeling good, aimed another flying dagger at the bearded man's exposed calf.

It hit steadily, and the bearded man instantly died from the poison, his burly body falling forward.

With another loud thud, the triangular-eyed strongman this time caught a glimpse of the flying dagger's direction out of the corner of his eye, and turning his head, he immediately spotted Lin Feng hiding in the grass.

"So it was you, brat, causing trouble?" The triangular-eyed man's eyes glinted with murderous intent, staring intently at Lin Feng.

He roared, like a humanoid beast, swinging the broadsword in his hand, creating a gust of foul wind, and using the cover of numerous tree trunks, charged towards Lin Feng, his broadsword aimed directly at Lin Feng's face.

Mo Fengwu, standing nearby, gasped, "Young Master, be careful!"

Seeing Lin Feng's slender figure and seemingly young age, yet daring to step forward, she felt both gratitude and worry.

Lin Feng, whose figure was now exposed, remained unhurried, his footwork shifting, narrowly dodging the triangular-eyed man's fierce strike.

At the same time, he flipped his wrist, the last poisoned flying dagger already in hand, and with lightning speed, he fiercely stabbed it into the strongman's kidney, who was currently recovering from his swing!

"Clang!" A crisp sound. The dagger actually sparked against the strongman's body and did not penetrate.

"Heh heh, my Iron Cloth Shirt, which I've practiced for over a decade, is not something a yellow-haired brat like you can harm."

"Die!"

The man raised his broadsword high above his head again, preparing to split Lin Feng in half with one blow!

Just as he was about to swing his sword, Mo Fengwu, in a moment of desperation, threw the hoe in her hand with all her might!

The hoe spun, accurately hitting the triangular-eyed man's temple.

"Ah!" The man was stunned, and the broadsword, weighing over two hundred pounds, became unsteady in his hand as he held it above his head, causing him to stumble to the other side.

Lin Feng seized this critical moment, and the poisoned flying dagger in his hand flashed with cold light!

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered.

The triangular-eyed man's eyes widened, and gurgling sounds came from his throat as his life force rapidly dissipated.

Lin Feng expressionlessly pulled out the small dagger from the big man's mouth, wiped off the blood, and then put all three small daggers away.

After completing all this, Lin Feng let out a long sigh of relief. The previous struggle, though seemingly a flawless victory, was in fact extremely perilous.

If not for his previous life's experience with darts and the improved Physique from the Marrow Cleansing Pill, coupled with the potent poison on the flying daggers, it would have been uncertain who would have won today.

He turned around and looked at Mo Fengwu, who was still somewhat shaken.

The young girl's pretty face was pale, her chest rising and falling slightly, and her bright eyes looked at Lin Feng with a strange glint, her expression complex, showing gratitude, and a hint of almost imperceptible curiosity.

"Th-thank you, Young Master, for saving me." Mo Fengwu composed herself, bowed gracefully, her voice still trembling slightly, "This humble one is Mo Fengwu. May I ask for Young Master's esteemed name?"

Lin Feng picked up the big man's broadsword and revealed a gentle smile: "I am Lin Feng. Miss Mo, there's no need for such formality; I merely helped when I saw injustice."

He paused, then continued, "The smell of blood here is too strong; it's not suitable to linger. It's best for Miss to leave as soon as possible."

Upon hearing this, Mo Fengwu noticed the bodies lying on the ground and the pervasive smell of blood in the air, and her small face paled a bit more.

Suppressing her discomfort, she took out a delicate sachet embroidered with orchid grass from her embrace and handed it to Lin Feng with both hands: "Young Master Lin's life-saving grace, Phoenix Dance has no way to repay. This is a peace Talisman given by my mother; although it is not valuable, it is Phoenix Dance's small token of gratitude. I hope Young Master will not disdain it."

The sachet felt warm and smooth in his hand, emitting a faint, elegant orchid fragrance.

Lin Feng did not decline and took it: "Thank you, Miss Mo."

The moment he took the sachet, the System's notification sound rang in his mind again.

"Ding! Side quest [Hero Saves Beauty] completed!"

"Quest Reward: [Basic Talisman Crafting] has been issued, System Points + 20 have been issued."

"Detecting Host's bond with [Mo Fengwu] has increased to 'Friendly' (30/30)."

A complex and profound stream of information instantly surged into Lin Feng's mind, consisting of basic Talisman drawing techniques, the identification and processing of various Talisman Materials, and detailed crafting insights for dozens of low-Rank Talismans.

In the Mortal Cultivation World, Talismans were an important means of offense and support for Cultivators, with a wide range of uses.

Mo Fengwu saw Lin Feng accept the sachet, a hint of joy appearing on her face. She softly said, "Young Master Lin, my home is not far down the mountain, at the Mo Estate in Jia Yuan City. If Young Master has leisure, you are welcome to visit Jia Yuan City for a chat. Phoenix Dance and my mother will surely sweep the floor to welcome you, to repay this great kindness today."

"Jia Yuan City?" Lin Feng nodded, "If there's an opportunity, I will certainly come to bother you."

"In that case, I still need to bring the Spiritual Plants my family needs back... Phoenix Dance will take her leave now." Mo Fengwu looked deeply at Lin Feng, as if wanting to engrave his appearance firmly in her mind, "Young Master Lin, please take care."

She picked up the medicine basket on the ground, bowed to Lin Feng again, then turned and quickly left with some unsteady steps, her figure soon disappearing into the depths of the dense forest.

Lin Feng watched her leave until she was out of sight, then retracted his gaze.

Mo Fengwu, in the original work, was the 'white moonlight' for many readers, and seeing her today, he was indeed deeply attracted by her 'first love' face.

Shaking his head, no longer thinking too much, he bent down and began to search the three strongmen's bodies.

A moment later, Lin Feng stood up, holding some scattered Mortal silver notes and a few pieces of jerky.

"Better than nothing." Lin Feng put a piece of jerky into his mouth and chewed it.

He glanced at the three bodies on the ground, having no intention of dealing with them. There were many Yao Beasts in this Black Pine Forest; it wouldn't be long before these bodies became their meals.

"Talisman Crafting..." Lin Feng's heart burned with excitement.

"I still have over 20 System Points left. I need to find a way to earn more so I have enough for exchanging Advanced items in the future."

He felt the surging magical power within him, and the faint sensation of Qi that had condensed in his Dantian from Cultivating the Qingyuan Swordplay.

"Now that everything is ready, it's time to officially step into the Qi Refinement Stage!"

Lin Feng's eyes sparkled. He determined his direction and headed towards a more secluded and hidden mountain hollow he found in the mountains.

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In the original work, many female characters were major 'red flags,' so this book will adapt them. Newcomer, thank you for your support!