NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 97: Farewell
Early in the morning, over a hundred figures silently gathered outside the Blue Silver Lodge, patiently waiting for something.
As the red sun finally rose in the eastern sky, the door of the lodge, locked from the inside, was opened, revealing a slightly drowsy Zhang Mufeng's face.
"Hmm?"
With the first glance at the crowd gathered outside the door, all of Zhang Mufeng’s drowsiness vanished, his half-squinted eyes flew wide open.
Instinctively, he closed the door and relocked it, then hurriedly turned around and dashed towards the storeroom's adjoining resting room. Even before he got close, he called out in a suppressed voice:
"Yi! Yi—! Wake up! There are a lot of people outside—!!"
Inside the resting room, Ling Yi, who had already awakened and was cultivating soul power, opened his eyes, shifted his body but didn't get up. Instead, he spoke out loudly towards the door, "Ah Feng, those people outside should be bought by Ye Luo and Le Qing, and others who know we're leaving today and have come to see us off.
Take Ah Xin and Ah Yin to make sure all the luggage is sorted so nothing gets left behind, then load everything into the vehicles with Ye Luo and Le Qing…
I'm cultivating right now, it’ll take a little more time to conclude—"
After saying that, he said no more and closed his eyes to meditate.
Outside, Zhang Mufeng listened to Ling Yi's words, first feeling relieved, then offering a sheepish smile to Qingqiu Xin and Long Yin, who had just risen upon hearing the noise.
He was met with two pairs of disdainful eyes in response.
Meanwhile, disregarding the simple morning wash-up of these three companions outside, they began to once again check the luggage they had packed since yesterday.
Inside the rest room, Ling Yi opened his eyes with a sense of trouble, lowering his head slightly with a tinge of melancholy in his heart.
Ever since three or four years ago, this inexplicable melancholy has played out every morning, lasting for quite a while each time.
As Ling Yi's physical condition has improved, this feeling has only become more pronounced.
Having no other choice, he had been engaging in active physical practice from a young age, escalating from crawling around to playing alongside Ah Huang and Miao Miao, gradually developing and refining the canine and feline forms in the "Basic Body Training Exercises."
Even the "Three Farmer's Stances," founded through observing villagers plowing, harvesting, and chopping wood, serve as methods to temper his physique, activate, and strengthen the body's energy and blood.
Today, with the twelve forms of the "Basic Body Training Exercises," the "Three Farmer's Stances," the nine styles of the "Beast Martial Soul: Form and Will Boxing," alongside various basic combat techniques with cold weapons, alongside various nourishing medicinal diets, nourishing soups, martial soul evolution, soul power enhancement, and strength augmentation...
All these accumulations have made Ling Yi's body, at the age of fifteen, robust to an unimaginable degree for an ordinary person.
Ling Yi, robust in vigor and full of spiritual energy in his organs, has now reached an awkward stage in life. One could say he has truly matured.
On Douluo Continent, people mature earlier due to the existence of extraordinary powers like Martial Souls. Thus, every night, Ling Yi alternates between soul power cultivation and deep sleep.
During soul power cultivation, his mind remains focused. In deep sleep, his 'true self' awakens, instinctively adjusting his body's functions for perfect balance, thus sparing him the embarrassment of dealing with certain physical urges in the morning.
However, continuing like this indefinitely isn’t an ideal solution—
Ling Yi looked down at his own rightful heir with a hint of vexation. He considered a scolding, but recognizing its innocence, and thinking of the hardships it had endured over the years, he couldn't bring himself to be harsh.
Ignoring the persistent free will, Ling Yi refocused his mind on guiding his soul power within, allowing his will to protest in vain.
'Let it be. It will eventually tire and rest,' he thought.
After about fifteen minutes, Ling Yi felt the rebellious will finally calm down. He opened his eyes at the right moment, got up, dressed, and headed to the small corner behind the wooden house to wash in the bathing area.
Once Ling Yi had freshened up, he returned to the main room of the Blue Silver Wood House. The room, large and empty except for some wooden racks and a bed at the sides, and the 'Blue Silver Grass' growing on the walls, now matched the size of those outside the house.
Clearly, inside the Lan Yin wooden house, the special 'Lan Yin Grass' nurtured with 'chenxiang' fragments as fertilizer had already been packed along with other belongings, ready to be loaded onto the carriage and taken away by Ling Yi.
Stepping out of the wooden house, as soon as Ling Yi emerged, he saw Long Yin carrying a sword in his left hand and an axe on his right shoulder, transporting his two thousand-forged weapons to one of the carriages.
At this moment, Zhang Mufeng had just jumped down from the back of the carriage, presumably having arranged his belongings.
"Mr. Ling~"
In the distance, someone in the crowd spotted Ling Yi and immediately called out.
This voice stirred everyone who had been silently watching Zhang Mufeng and Long Yin, as well as Qingqiu Xin, Le Qing, and others carrying large bundles of gifts.
For a moment, the name 'Mr. Ling' echoed repeatedly through the crowd.
Ling Yi wore a warm smile and approached these onlookers, looking around and greeting everyone with a smile.
Finally, Ling Yi's gaze locked onto four individuals at the center of the crowd—three men and a woman who stood there as others naturally cleared a space around them.
Kang Zhan, possessing the martial soul 'Piercing Mountain Armored Beetle,' was a forty-fourth level strong assault system battle spirit master, ranked fifth among the top ten experts of the Xiaofeng Market crowd.
Yuliang, martial spirit "Ash Serpent", level forty-two agility attack spirit master, ranked seventh among the top ten experts of the Xiaofeng Market group.
Chen Yuanzhi, martial spirit "Double Pronged Steel Fork", level forty-one power attack spirit master, ranked last among the top ten experts of the Xiaofeng Market group.
Shu Xin, martial spirit "Lavender Smoky Vine", level forty-eight control system spirit master, ranked second among the top ten experts of the Xiaofeng Market group.
These four individuals, aside from Kang Zhan's younger brother Kang Zhao, who was severely injured and saved by Ling Yi recently, had all either been treated by Ling Yi for their own injuries or had relatives and teammates cared for by him. Their gratitude and camaraderie towards Ling Yi were natural.
In response to the friendship extended by these friendly-spirited soul masters, Ling Yi naturally reciprocated with his own goodwill.
"Mr. Kang, Brother Yu, Brother Chen, Sister Xin," Ling Yi stepped forward, greeting each of them warmly.
Hearing the distinct honorifics, Kang Zhan raised an eyebrow, feigning dissatisfaction. "Mr. Ling, don't you think our titles are a bit too formal?"
"Big Brother Kang," interjected a slender-eyed middle-aged man with a hoarse chuckle, "you say Little Brother Ling addresses you too formally, yet don’t you call him just as formally?"
"Exactly!" added a robust middle-aged man with a hearty laugh. "Old Yu makes a point—you, Big Brother Kang, take pride in your strength, keeping a distance from our little brother, yet expect him to call you a close brother?"
Beside them stood Shu Xin, a woman of exquisite beauty yet unmatched strength. She merely watched with a gentle smile, choosing not to speak a word.
(End of Chapter)
