Chapter 19: Young Master, Please Stay

Through a thin veil of mist, Chu Feng gazed out and saw, upon the broad and level mountain peak before him, a vast array of towering palaces and buildings. Red bricks, emerald tiles, countless flowers and trees stood in abundance, forming an imposing palace garden of grand scale.

All around, martial artists in white attire patrolled the grounds, clearly descendants of the Celestial Wood family. Muscular and robust, their presence was formidable as they surveyed every corner of the mountain’s open plateau.

Suddenly, from afar, a faint and peculiar song drifted over. Chu Feng listened closely—the melody was neither wholly weeping nor wholly laughing; it carried both desperation and excitement, creating a haunting effect.

Looking toward the source of the song, Chu Feng spotted, on a clearing a hundred yards away, dozens of burly men dressed in black robes and hats. Each held a torch, and they were divided into two large circles. Singing their eerie tune, they danced and leapt around a blazing central fire.

“Senior sister, may I ask—what are those people doing?” Chu Feng pointed to the black-robed men.

“They are shamans and sorcerers from the martial world, praying for the blessing of our Second Miss,” replied the lady in yellow, “Young Master Lin, please, this way!”

“Very well.”

Chu Feng found himself quite pleased with the yellow-clad woman; compared to Mi Xin Jian, she was worlds apart. He mused that the rumors were true: the Wood family, in their panic over Mu Qiaoxue’s pulse needle affair, had indeed invited unreliable shamans and sorcerers to perform these prayers.

Walking with her, Chu Feng noticed the faces of all the Wood family’s disciples were heavy with worry, some even wore expressions of deep sorrow.

Soon, Chu Feng arrived before a stately grand hall. Above its doors, the sign “Guest Hall” was written in bold, sweeping calligraphy.

“Young Master Lin, please wait here while I inform our mistress.” The yellow-clad woman instructed two disciples, one male and one female, to serve tea to Chu Feng before hurrying off.

Chu Feng had been speculating about the woman’s identity, suspecting she was a lady of the Wood family; to his surprise, she was merely Mu Qiaoxue’s maid.

“Even Mu Qiaoxue’s maid has reached the fourth level of the Body Refining stage, the Rhino Force realm—how much stronger must she herself be? Could she already be a cultivator on the path to Profound Cultivation?”

Sipping his tea, Chu Feng pondered this. Then he reconsidered: it was unlikely. Among the Nine Mountains and Eighteen Veins, the four great powers’ strongest were only at the tenth level of Body Refining. If someone had already stepped into Profound Cultivation, it would surely be widely known.

“My thoughts are like wild horses, galloping wherever they please,” Chu Feng reflected. Instead of dwelling on irrelevant matters, he ought to focus on how to handle the situation before him.

He knew that visiting the Celestial Wood family in search of opportunity was not as straightforward as he’d imagined.

First, the Six Vein Gold Needles were invaluable to the Wood family. Would they entrust such precious items to an outsider whose background was unclear, allowing him to use the mysterious “force” to manufacture them?

Second, even if they agreed to hand over the Six Vein Gold Needles, could the storage pouch truly produce them as promised?

Chu Feng had to consider these questions carefully.

Before coming to the Wood family, he could have left anytime from the foot of the mountain. Now, inside their Guest Hall, if they suspected him of being a fraud, his fate would be grim, and escape would not be so easy.

Just then, footsteps sounded outside the hall door.

Soon, several men in white martial attire entered, clearly not ordinary disciples. Chu Feng swept his gaze—three young men and the yellow-clad woman.

Of the three men, one was about Chu Feng’s age, the other two in their early twenties. All were formidable; the one his age was at the fourth level of Body Refining, while the other two, Chu Feng judged, were at least at the fifth level.

“Fellow martial artist, I am Mu Kaishan, the young master of the Celestial Wood family. This is my brother Mu Kaihe, and the Wood manor’s fiftieth generation chief disciple, Ding Wanchong.”

Mu Kaishan introduced the group, then said, “I’ve heard you possess a secret technique capable of forging items of the gold element?”

“Not exactly,” Chu Feng replied. “It’s limited to small objects. For something like the Six Vein Gold Needles, I am confident I can create them with my secret method. Other items, I cannot guarantee.”

Chu Feng intentionally hedged, for if the Wood family demanded a demonstration, he’d be put in a difficult position.

“Oh, is that so?”

Ding Wanchong, the chief disciple, tall and imposing, wore an incredulous grin. “If you truly possess such powers, could you demonstrate them here? If you succeed, the Celestial Wood family will certainly reward you handsomely.”

“Apologies,” Chu Feng shook his head, “my technique can only be used four times a year, roughly once every few months. So a public demonstration is impossible.”

“Oh?”

Ding Wanchong immediately frowned. “If we give you the Six Vein Gold Needles to recreate, can we observe the process?”

“That’s not possible either.” Chu Feng shook his head. Every inconvenience he’d foreseen, Ding Wanchong seemed to raise immediately. “My method is not to be revealed to outsiders. It cannot be performed before others. If the Six Vein Gold Needles are to be made, it must be in a private space, with no observers.”

“Heh!” Ding Wanchong sneered. “Kaishan, listen to this—isn’t it obvious this fellow is a charlatan? His so-called secret method can’t be demonstrated, nor can it be watched. What explanation is there other than fraud? We’ve already got plenty of shamans in the house!”

Chu Feng was not angered by Ding Wanchong’s skepticism.

He could hardly blame his sharp tongue; most would think the same. Chu Feng hardly seemed a master with unique skills, rather more like a wandering trickster peddling illusions.

Mu Kaishan frowned as well, turning to Chu Feng. “Young Master Lin, do you have any explanation?”

“I have nothing further to explain,” Chu Feng said calmly. “What I have said is entirely true. My secret method is unlike martial arts, which can be demonstrated at will. The process cannot be observed, as is customary for many secret arts.”

“That’s all you have to say?” Mu Kaihe, the one of similar age to Chu Feng, asked.

“That is all.” Chu Feng nodded, facing their skeptical stares without flinching. “If your esteemed family finds it hard to trust me, I will take my leave and not trouble you further.”

Chu Feng was decisive; the Wood family’s fortune was not easily claimed, and he needn’t force the matter. He was never entirely sure he could handle it flawlessly anyway.

Mu Kaishan studied Chu Feng for a long time, then said, “Since you have come to the Celestial Wood family, should you not show sincerity and reveal your true face?”

At these words, Chu Feng’s heart tightened. Mu Kaishan’s sharp eye had seen through his disguise.

“In my travels, it is often inconvenient to reveal my true appearance—not out of deliberate concealment,” Chu Feng explained.

“To be frank, the matter of the Six Vein Gold Needles is of utmost importance to our family. Young Master Lin, you have come recommending yourself, yet your words are vague. Forgive us, but we cannot trust you.” Mu Kaishan shook his head and said to the two disciples, “See him out.”

Chu Feng made no objection. Opportunity was like this—when it appeared, it was impossible to avoid; when it wasn’t, it could only pass you by. At least things hadn’t turned sour; leaving now was not a bad outcome.

“Thank you for your hospitality. Farewell.”

Chu Feng cupped his hands to Mu Kaishan, Mu Kaihe, and Ding Wanchong, then followed the two disciples out of the Guest Hall.

Taking the same basket, Chu Feng descended Celestial Peak and returned to the foot of Celestial Mountain.

“Oh, down so soon?”

Mi Xin Jian was still at the base, and upon seeing Chu Feng’s disappointed expression, instantly knew his efforts had been in vain.

“Young Master Lin, did you gain anything from your visit to the Celestial Wood family?” Mi Xin Jian asked with a mocking smile.

He had seen plenty of wandering tricksters like Chu Feng, who went up the mountain empty-handed and came down in defeat.

“Hmph.” Chu Feng snorted quietly, ignoring the tiresome fellow.

“Take care, then! Next time, come better prepared—at least don’t rush in and out so hastily, only to amuse others!” Mi Xin Jian chuckled as he watched Chu Feng’s retreating figure.

“Young Master Lin!”

Just then, a distant female voice called out, “Young Master Lin, please wait!”