"Chiii!!"
The first to react was Xiaoqiu, nestled in Changgong Xiaojing's arms. Even before Lin Feng's voice reached them, its ears twitched, and its eyes lit up with delight. The moment Lin Feng's figure appeared, it chirped joyfully, leaped from Changgong Xiaojing's embrace, and shot towards Lin Feng like a blur.
"Chiii! Chiii!!"
However, it didn't dive into Lin Feng's arms. Instead, it landed directly on his head, baring its teeth and tugging at his hair fiercely.
"Haha!! Alright, alright! I know I was wrong. I shouldn't have thrown you out back then. Stop messing around."
Lin Feng listened to Xiaoqiu's indignant grumbles. He could tell it was angry about being 'abandoned' earlier, and it even seemed to be blaming him for not letting it stay and fight alongside him – though it sounded strange, Lin Feng genuinely felt that was Xiaoqiu's meaning. A touch of warmth rose in his heart.
"Lin Feng!!"
Just as Xiaoqiu was venting its fury on Lin Feng's hair, a voice, trembling with surprise and excitement, rang out from ahead. Lin Feng looked up to see a silver figure fluttering towards him like a butterfly... then throwing herself directly into his embrace...
"Lin Feng, you're alright... thank goodness..."
Changgong Xiaojing clutched tightly at Lin Feng's clothes, burying her face against his shoulder. Her body trembled slightly, filled with nothing but overwhelming joy.
No one could truly grasp Changgong Xiaojing's feelings at this moment. The events of the past several hours had impacted her profoundly. Her perception of Lin Feng had undergone a complete transformation – from initial disdain and annoyance, to shock and admiration when he risked himself to lure away the Fire-Tailed Scorpion King for the sake of the others, and finally, to profound awe and gratitude when he stayed behind alone to hold it off so she could escape. His image in her mind had been utterly overturned.
Ever since Lin Feng had been trapped in that lava cavern, while she navigated the underground maze searching for an exit, her thoughts had been consumed by his safety. She couldn't shake the thought that if Lin Feng had actually died because of it... she would likely carry that guilt forever...
And now, at the peak of her anxiety, Lin Feng had suddenly appeared before her, safe and sound. The joy was too much to contain; swept up in her emotions, she had impulsively thrown herself into his arms.
"Uh..."
Changgong Xiaojing's bold action left Lin Feng momentarily stunned. The soft, warm jade-like form in his arms, the faint, pleasant fragrance drifting into his senses... When he had carried her underground earlier, his nerves had been too frayed to notice these things. Now, he realized just how soft and sweet-smelling the young woman's body was. Intense awkwardness washed over him; his hands hovered halfway in the air, unsure whether to put them down or hold her.
"This... Miss Changgong, thank you for your concern. I'm fine. Please don't cry... everyone is watching."
Lin Feng felt dampness on his shoulder. He was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected this usually fierce young lady to cry over him. It was deeply touching, making his earlier 'self-sacrificing rescue' feel worthwhile.
"Ah!!"
Lin Feng's final words, 'everyone is watching', jolted Changgong Xiaojing back to reality. She suddenly became aware of her impropriety. With a gasp, she hastily sprang back from Lin Feng's embrace, her cheeks slightly flushed.
"Xiaojing, you..."
Indeed, the others nearby were staring in astonishment. Kou Tingting looked at Changgong Xiaojing with wide eyes, unable to believe her close friend was suddenly acting so warmly towards Lin Feng.
Zheng Kai was practically gaping. What on earth did Lin Feng do to Changgong Xiaojing in those few hours? How did he make the notoriously fierce Changgong young lady cry tears of joy for him? Could it be... besides what Xiaojing just told us... Lin Feng did something 'else'? Zheng Kai couldn't help but entertain a rather mischievous speculation...
"Big Brother! You really made it back safely! I knew it! I knew you'd be fine! Did you... did you take down that Tier 3 Fire-Tailed Scorpion?!"
Zhang Fangzhou and his two brothers had also rushed up to Lin Feng. Zhang Fangzhou asked excitedly.
Lin Feng smiled and nodded. "Yes, that's right. The beast is dead."
"What?! You really killed it?!"
Hearing this confirmation, the group was utterly shocked. Seeing Lin Feng appear, they had all assumed he must have used some method to shake off the Scorpion King and escape. Even Zhang Fangzhou's question had been asked more out of hope than expectation. No one had truly believed Lin Feng could have slain the Tier 3 demon beast.
"Lin Feng... how did you do it?!"
Zheng Kai stared at Lin Feng with profound respect, bordering on awe, his voice filled with incredulity.
"I possess a powerful spirit artifact magic treasure. It's extremely difficult to control, so I never dared to use it before. But when I was truly cornered, I had no choice but to gamble everything on it. Luckily, I succeeded. I managed to exploit the Scorpion King's moment of carelessness and finish it."
Lin Feng didn't want to reveal the secrets of the strange fire or the White Tiger Soul Rending Talisman, so he kept his explanation brief. He instinctively glanced at Changgong Xiaojing, wondering if she had already told the others about the strange fire.
Honestly, even if they knew, it wouldn't be a huge problem. But if she hadn't mentioned it yet, he saw no need to bring it up himself. Similarly, he had no intention of disclosing the vast amount of materials he'd acquired underground; he had obtained those alone and saw no reason to share them now.
Surprisingly, Changgong Xiaojing seemed to notice Lin Feng's glance and understand his unspoken question. She gave a subtle shake of her head, indicating she hadn't revealed the strange fire. She had calmed down considerably and realized that since Lin Feng claimed to have dealt with the scorpion, he had likely obtained the strange fire. If he wished to keep that secret, she was willing to help him conceal it. Just a secret between the two of us.
"By the way, Lin Feng, how did you get up here? You were only a step behind me," Changgong Xiaojing asked, puzzled.
"Oh? You only just arrived?" Lin Feng was slightly surprised. "I followed the marks you left along the way. That's how I caught up so quickly."
Changgong Xiaojing understood immediately. She had taken many wrong turns navigating that underground 'maze' herself. Lin Feng, following her trail markers, had had a much easier journey and had nearly caught up to her.
Lu Yang spoke up. "Alright, since both Lin Feng and Miss Changgong are safe and sound, let's leave this place and return to the city. Wei Lie and Qin Xu have probably already notified their families by now. We should be able to meet them upon our return."
"Oh? They went back for reinforcements?" Changgong Xiaojing blinked, finally understanding why Wei Lie and Qin Xu were missing. She nodded. "Then let's hurry back."
"Good, let's go then."
Lin Feng nodded in agreement. He could easily imagine how frantic the Changgong family must be upon learning of Changgong Xiaojing's earlier peril. It was likely experts from the Zheng and Kou families were involved too. Such a large mobilization meant they should indeed return quickly to reassure everyone.
The group immediately left the cave complex, departed Chiyan Mountain, and set off swiftly towards Qingyun City.
Sure enough, as they neared the edge of the Seven Peaks Forest, they saw a large group of people approaching hurriedly from the direction of the city.
At a glance, there were probably twenty or thirty people. Lin Feng faintly recognized Wei Lie and Qin Xu among those leading the group.
"Father!!"
Zheng Kai, Changgong Xiaojing, and Kou Tingting exclaimed almost simultaneously in surprise, breaking into a run towards the approaching group.
Naturally, they weren't calling out to the same person, but to the three middle-aged men at the forefront.
Lin Feng was also somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected the heads of all three families to come personally. This was quite a significant force.
"Xiaojing!!"
The newcomers were equally surprised to see Zheng Kai and the others. One of the leaders, a man in a purple robe, saw Changgong Xiaojing, his face instantly lighting up with joy. He moved like lightning, striding swiftly towards her.
This man was Changgong Xiaojing's father, Changgong Zhenghong, the current head of the Changgong family. Rumored to be at the Great Perfection of Foundation Building.
Meanwhile, Zheng Kai and Kou Tingting stopped before a scholarly-looking man in white robes and a tall, square-faced man in yellow robes, respectively. These were undoubtedly their fathers.
As Lin Feng and the others approached closer, they overheard Zheng Kai and the others quietly explaining the situation to their fathers.
Just as they reached the group, Lin Feng distinctly heard his name mentioned by all three young masters. Simultaneously, the three family heads looked up towards him with expressions of astonishment.
Lin Feng stepped forward proactively and bowed respectfully. "Junior Lin Feng greets all Seniors."