Late at night,
Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, Bing, Qiao Ying, and Yue Yan were enjoying the fine wine personally brewed by Wu Shen at Qing Xin Ya Ju.
In no time, all five of them were sprawled on the floor, drunk.
...
The next day,
"The Daughter Red gifted by Wu Shen to the Feather Clan is truly outrageous..."
Ye Feng, upon waking, was speechless. He realized that after drinking this wine, regardless of one's strength, they would become as drunk as an ordinary person.
After getting drunk last night, the five of them didn't wake up until late morning, when Shuang came looking for them.
"Bing, this wine is so delicious... it feels so comforting to drink..."
At this moment, Shuang's somewhat coy voice rang out. She had discovered a little more than half a jar of Daughter Red and curiously began to drink it.
After two cups, Shuang's cheeks flushed, and her eyes became hazy.
"Uh, Shuang... that wine..."
Before Bing could finish speaking, Shuang plopped down onto the table, drunk.
...
After washing up and having lunch, Ye Feng headed to the ice plains of Ao Fa City to cultivate, as the heaven and earth energy there was more abundant than outside.
...
In the evening,
"Big Brother, look who I found!"
As soon as Ye Feng returned to Qing Xin Ya Ju, Xiao Xiao's voice echoed.
"Huh, it's you!"
Ye Feng looked in the direction of the voice and was surprised. Behind Xiao Xiao walked a girl of about eighteen or nineteen, with the air of a delicate young lady. It was Han Qiuli, whom he had met before at the Tyrannosaurus Rex base.
"Ye Feng, long time no see!"
Han Qiuli greeted Ye Feng, appearing quite nervous.
"Ye Feng, you know so many people. You even know Junior Sister Han... She helped a lot during the recent monster clearing operation in Ao Fa City..."
Bing's surprised voice chimed in.
"Let's not chat outside. Come and eat!"
At this moment, Shuang's voice rang out.
"Okay..."
...
After a sumptuous dinner,
"Ye Feng, your strength has grown incredibly... You're even stronger than the legendary gods..."
After learning about Ye Feng's deeds, Han Qiuli looked at him with bewildered astonishment. She felt that the once familiar mysterious young man now seemed impossibly distant.
She should have been happy for Ye Feng, but for some reason, Han Qiuli felt a pang of sadness and a hint of fear.
"You're not bad either, Golden Rank One!"
Ye Feng scratched his head and replied.
"Really!"
Upon hearing Ye Feng's words, Han Qiuli's eyes lit up, and she became quite excited.
Although she knew she had worked hard and diligently, receiving Ye Feng's recognition still brought her genuine joy.
"Mhm!"
Ye Feng nodded seriously.
"Big Brother, Sister Han, come and have some fruit..."
...
Later, Ye Feng chatted with Han Qiuli for a while before returning to the rooftop to study the Huozhong Lu.
This was because he saw Shuang returning alone to the abandoned urban area where zombies roamed.
While Ye Feng was studying the Huozhong Lu, Xiao Xiao, Bing, Shen Yunyao, and Han Qiuli were chattering and exclaiming from time to time.
...
Late at night,
Shen Yunyao and Han Qiuli had already returned to rest. Xiao Xiao, Bing, and Qiao Ying were also asleep. Ye Feng, however, was feeling somewhat dejected, as he had been studying for a long time with no significant results.
"This is really troublesome... Some of the formations in the Huozhong Lu contain divine patterns... but there's no systematic introduction to them..."
Ye Feng murmured, lounging in his rattan chair. His Jie Huo appeared in his hand, and he idly manipulated it, making it leap and draw various patterns.
Ever since his body had recovered and he had undergone tribulation again, the Jie Huo within him had completely become his power.
"Boom! Whoosh!"
"Whoa!"
Ye Feng exclaimed. Because he had been swaying too much in the rattan chair, he had nearly fallen backward. Coupled with the excessive amount of Jie Huo he had conjured, some had accidentally landed on the Huozhong Lu on the stone table beside him.
Ye Feng immediately sprang up and rapidly patted at the bamboo slips of the Huozhong Lu, dispersing the Jie Huo.
"Bad... the Huozhong Lu was... Huh?"
Ye Feng, who was frantically patting the Huozhong Lu, suddenly stopped. He realized that the bamboo slips of the Huozhong Lu had not been incinerated by the Jie Huo.
Not only that, but after the bamboo slips of the Huozhong Lu were touched by the Jie Huo, new rune patterns seemed to appear.
"The Jie Huo couldn't even scorch the Huozhong Lu?"
Ye Feng was extremely surprised. He had tested it before; even a trace of Jie Huo could instantly pierce through the barrel of a grenade launcher.
Then, Ye Feng examined the spot where new rune patterns had just appeared on the Huozhong Lu. He frowned slightly, conjured Jie Huo in his hand, and moved it closer to that spot.
"Whoosh!"
As Ye Feng's Jie Huo touched that spot, the bamboo slips of the Huozhong Lu immediately emitted firelight, as if they were burning. However, with his previous experience, Ye Feng did not panic and continued to observe.
"More than one or two new runes... Could it be that after the Huozhong Lu bamboo slips come into contact with Jie Huo, new rune patterns appear?"
Ye Feng muttered, and the Jie Huo in his hand increased.
"Whoosh~ Boom!"
Soon, large areas of the Huozhong Lu bamboo slips glowed with the unique golden flame of Jie Huo.
"This... these are divine patterns?"
...
For the next few days, Ye Feng either cultivated in the ice plains or stayed alone in his room to study the hidden divine patterns within the Huozhong Lu.
...
One midday,
"This is unbelievable... The Huozhong Lu actually contains divine patterns... but they can only be seen by burning them with Jie Huo..."
Ye Feng, after another all-nighter, muttered.
"Big Brother, it's time for lunch!"
At this moment, Xiao Xiao's knock sounded.
"Oh, coming right away!"
Ye Feng put away the Huozhong Lu and quickly walked out the door.
...
"By the way, Bing, where did your sister go?"
Ye Feng asked the girl in a short, gauze-like shirt beside him while eating a piece of steak.
"I am Shuang. Sister is busy with some things..."
The girl in the gauze-like shirt replied, her face slightly flushed.
"I..."
Hearing this, Ye Feng felt a wave of awkwardness.
"Big Brother, what were you looking for Shuang for?"
Xiao Xiao interjected, diffusing the slightly awkward atmosphere.
"Oh, show me the Shen Yin Talisman. I want to see if it's what I suspect..."
"If it is, perhaps... you can move freely in the future and won't need to go into the zombie hordes!"
Ye Feng spoke cautiously, not making any promises.
Although he had made significant progress studying divine patterns recently, he feared that the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment for Shuang.
...