Chapter 23

As the twilight descended, the evening sun cast a warm glow across the sky. The horizon was painted with hues of smoke-like clouds, and inadvertently, nightfall approached.

It was five o’clock in the afternoon.

Daoist Qinghong glanced at the time, wearing a somewhat apologetic expression as he addressed Lin Feng and Song Xueyan, “Young Lin, Miss Song, the rules of the Daoist temple prohibit hosting guests overnight, so I must ask you both…”

Lin Feng and Song Xueyan nodded understandingly.

“Thank you for your hospitality today, Daoist,” Lin Feng smiled. Song Xueyan had already reminded him that the Clear Breeze Temple never allowed outsiders to stay overnight, and Daoist Qinghong wouldn’t make an exception for two individuals.

Lin Feng carefully stored the mysterious dagger and the Celestial Chart fragment, placing them in a black wooden box, which he wrapped in a package and carried on his back.

The two of them respectfully bowed to Daoist Qinghong and then left the Clear Breeze Temple.

Today’s visit had been quite enlightening for both of them.

Descending the mountain was much simpler than climbing up. Neither of them used their cultivation to descend but walked down slowly.

On the path of cultivation, the emphasis lay in the process. Each experience, every landscape, would provide a fresh understanding and bring about a new transformation in one’s cultivation.

“Ring, ring, ring…”

During their descent, Lin Feng’s phone suddenly rang. He glanced down to see the caller ID displaying an unknown number.

“It should be a call from the Dragon Pavilion,” Song Xueyan whispered.

Lin Feng nodded and cautiously answered the call.

“Lin Feng, do you remember what you said yesterday? That you would tell me about the Death Valley today and were planning to come over…”

The voice of Murong Mengxi came through the phone.

Lin Feng was momentarily stunned, realizing he had promised Murong Mengxi to share information about Death Valley.

“Alright, let’s meet somewhere, and I’ll tell you,” Lin Feng replied in a deep voice. Since he had promised Murong Mengxi, he wouldn’t go back on his word.

“Jiangzhou Grand Hotel, Room 1801.”

“Okay, I’ll be there in an hour.”

Lin Feng hung up the phone and turned to Song Xueyan beside him. “Yan Yan, sorry, but could you please take me to Jiangzhou Grand Hotel later?”

“No problem. I was planning to meet Captain Mengxi as well. I’ve decided to join the Special Operations Bureau.”

“Well, congratulations in advance,” Lin Feng smiled.

Ten minutes later, they reached the foot of the mountain. Lin Feng got into Song Xueyan’s car, sitting in the back seat with great tact. The car slowly headed towards Jiangzhou Grand Hotel.

During the journey, Lin Feng was lost in thought, staring out the window. Thoughts of Death Valley brought back terrifying memories. If it weren’t for Captain Mengxi mentioning it, he would never have willingly recalled that part of his past.

Seeing Lin Feng deep in thought, Song Xueyan refrained from asking too many questions.

Meanwhile, back at Clear Wind Daoist Temple, after Daoist Qinghong watched Lin Feng and Song Xueyan leave, he locked the temple gates. He then hung his whisk on the wall and removed his clothes.

At 7:00 PM, night fell. Daoist Qinghong sighed deeply, and then veins bulged across his body. His face contorted into a ferocious expression as he expanded and grew.

Daoist Qinghong, originally 1.7 meters tall, transformed into a three-meter-tall figure covered in glossy black fur. His head underwent a peculiar change.

“Awoo~”

A mournful wolf howl echoed from Clear Wind Daoist Temple. The elegant Daoist Qinghong had transformed into a legendary werewolf.

As a werewolf, he lost human rationality. Glaring at the surroundings, he emitted an angry roar, charging toward the entrance of Clear Wind Daoist Temple.

Bang!

The moment the werewolf touched the main gate, the array of Clear Wind Daoist Temple activated, propelling the creature forcefully backward. Despite its attempts to break free, the werewolf found itself trapped within the expansive Clear Wind Daoist Temple. The beast couldn’t escape, no matter how hard it tried.

Transforming into a werewolf was Daoist Qinghong’s secret, as well as the secret of Clear Wind Daoist Temple—a place where no one stayed overnight.

Unaware of the situation at Clear Wind Daoist Temple, Lin Feng and Song Xueyan had already arrived at Jiangzhou Grand Hotel.

This marked Lin Feng’s third visit to the hotel. The first time was with Zhao Jing, the second time during the Chu family’s banquet, and now the third.

Lin Feng and Song Xueyan entered the hotel. The receptionist couldn’t help but whisper upon seeing Lin Feng, “Look, it’s him. Last time, he booked a room with another woman, and now he’s with a different one.”

Lin Feng might not have heard, but Song Xueyan heard every word distinctly. She looked at Lin Feng with an odd expression, thoughts involuntarily connecting to her close friend Xia Shiyu.

“Could it be that they’re…?” Song Xueyan’s mind wandered into daring speculation.

As it turned out, a woman’s wild imagination could be quite terrifying.

The moment they stepped into the elevator, Lin Feng felt a chill behind him. Without thinking, he knew it was the tigress Song Xueyan. He wasn’t sure what he had done to upset her, but he kept a low profile, not daring to breathe too loudly.

What a joke! Song Xueyan was the one who could crush stones with her bare hands!

Jiangzhou Grand Hotel.

Eighteenth floor.

As they walked out of the elevator, two bodyguards stood by the entrance. Judging from their auras, Lin Feng could tell both were cultivators, both in the Body Tempering Realm.

Lin Feng only had a grasp of four realms in cultivation: Qi Refining, Body Tempering, Spiritual Perception, and Core Formation. From the auras these two emitted, he could deduce that both were in the Body Tempering Realm.

Lin Feng could only guess the highest cultivation level he had encountered so far—Daoist Qinghong and the elderly member of the Mei family—were at the pinnacle of the Spiritual Perception Realm.

As for the Core Formation Realm, Lin Feng wasn’t certain whether Murong Mengxi, as a member of the Special Operations Bureau of the Dragon Pavilion, had reached that level.

Not far away, at the entrance of Room 1801.

Zhao Jing, dressed in black, had been waiting for quite some time.

Seeing Lin Feng and Song Xueyan approaching, Zhao Jing lowered her head to check her phone and said in a deep voice, “Lin Feng, you said you’d be here in an hour, but it’s already been over half an hour.”

“Sorry, got stuck in traffic.”

Lin Feng scratched his head apologetically. He didn’t expect Zhao Jing to be so concerned since he only mentioned an approximate time.

“Come in; the team leader has been waiting for a while.”

Without much talk, the two followed Zhao Jing into the room.

The familiar setup greeted them. Lin Feng sat down comfortably, looking at Murong Mengxi in a red dress on the chair, politely greeting, “Hello, Aunt.. Murong.”

Lin Feng almost called her “ AUNTIE “

In fact, Murong Mengxi is Murong Hao’s younger daughter, theoretically belonging to the same generation as Lin Feng’s father. Calling her Auntie would not be a problem.

On the opposite side, Murong Mengxi’s eyebrows slightly furrowed.

Lin Feng, this kid, doesn’t know his limits.

“Xueyan, have you considered it? Do you want to join the Special Warfare Bureau?” Murong Mengxi skipped Lin Feng and first asked Song Xueyan.

Song Xueyan nodded repeatedly.

“Captain Murong, I’ve already made up my mind. I want to join the Special Warfare Bureau.”

“Great! The Special Warfare Bureau welcomes you.” Murong Mengxi smiled slightly, then gave a signal to Zhao Jing, who took Song Xueyan out.

“Xueyan, I’ll take you to handle the procedures.”

“Okay.”

As the two left, only Lin Feng and Murong Mengxi remained in the room.

“Lin Feng, now it’s just you and me. Please tell me about the information on Death Valley.”