Chapter Thirty-Nine: The Blood Leech of the Great Wilderness

“Desolate Blood Leech!”

Even though what Qin Feng held in his hand was a blood-red cocoon, Qin Tianshu recognized it at a single glance.

Desolate Blood Leech? This was the first time Qin Feng had heard such a name, but with an aura so ancient, it was clear this blood leech was no ordinary creature.

“No wonder I couldn’t find it that day. So this rare and savage creature actually ended up in your hands.” After her initial shock, Qin Hongyu spoke out first, her tone tinged with a mixture of surprise and reproach.

Qin Tianshu, on the other hand, wore a grave expression, his gaze fixed intently on the slightly blackened blood cocoon in Qin Feng’s hand.

“You tried to burn it?” Qin Tianshu asked.

“Yes! Then it turned into this. But I could sense that it wasn’t dead; instead, it seemed to have entered some special state, almost like… slumber.” Qin Feng touched his nose, pondering for a long while before finally finding the right word to describe the state of the Desolate Blood Leech.

“Hmm. Give it to me.”

Qin Tianshu nodded, stretching out his hand.

Qin Feng leapt forward and placed the blood cocoon in Qin Tianshu’s palm without the slightest hesitation. He knew that the moment this thing was revealed, it no longer belonged to him. Even if he refused, with the other’s strength, it could be taken by force.

Qin Feng was gambling—on Qin Tianshu’s character, and on his own luck.

Once the Desolate Blood Leech was in his grasp, Qin Tianshu’s expression grew even more serious. He stared closely at the slightly blackened cocoon for a long time, sniffed it, then held it to his ear as if listening. Such comical gestures looked out of place on the always solemn Qin Tianshu, but Qin Feng felt his own heart tighten, hardly daring to breathe.

Fortunately, after examining it, Qin Tianshu’s grave expression gradually relaxed, replaced by undisguised delight. Clearly, something about the transformation of the Desolate Blood Leech was a breakthrough; otherwise, the ever-stoic Qin Tianshu would never have lost his composure in such a way.

He closed his fist, and when he opened it again, the cocoon had vanished.

“Ha ha ha!”

Qin Tianshu could no longer contain his joy and burst out laughing.

At his side, Qin Hongyu’s face was filled with curiosity. She could not recall the last time she had seen her father smile so happily, and her curiosity toward Qin Feng only deepened.

“It’s done!”

Qin Feng felt a weight lift from his heart. He figured that what he wanted was pretty much in the bag.

Because of the Desolate Blood Leech, Qin Tianshu now looked upon Qin Feng with favor. After so many years, only Qin Shaohong and this young man before him had ever gotten the better of Qin Hongyu, and this young man had even helped him solve the problem of the Desolate Blood Leech’s evolution—a puzzle that had remained unsolved until now.

“Kid, I don’t know what kind of flame you used to turn the Desolate Blood Leech into its current form, but you’ve done me a great favor, whether you meant to or not. As for the matter with Hongyu, let’s drop it. As for your request to study in the Dragon Pavilion… well, that’s not difficult. Here, take this—just don’t clear out the entire pavilion, and I, Qin Tianshu, will vouch for you.”

With that, he tossed something to Qin Feng. Catching it, Qin Feng saw a green dragon leaping forth from the surface of the token, and he was instantly astonished.

“This is… an Elder’s Token?”

“Exactly. Not only is it an Elder’s Token, it’s the highest grade! With this, you’re free to come and go not only in the Dragon Pavilion, but throughout all of Tianfeng City, without any restrictions.”

Qin Tianshu stroked his beard and nodded his answer.

“All right, boy. If you like, you can start calling me uncle from now on. As for the Dragon Pavilion, let Hongyu take you there. I’m off!”

With that, Qin Tianshu stretched out his arm, and, with a display of overwhelming physical strength, tore a rift in the space before him. In a flash, he slipped into it, the gap closed, and he was gone without a trace.

His departure was so abrupt that both Qin Feng and Qin Hongyu were left gaping.

“Father!”

Qin Hongyu was the first to react, calling out anxiously, but there was no response. Clearly, Qin Tianshu was eager to return and research the Desolate Blood Leech’s evolution, and could not be bothered with his daughter’s petty troubles.

Qin Feng, for his part, was somewhat surprised.

He had not expected that a single Desolate Blood Leech could be so precious to a master at the peak of the Earthly Core realm, to the point of wiping clean the matter of bullying his daughter.

The result had far exceeded his expectations.

Yet, Qin Feng did not regret relinquishing the Desolate Blood Leech.

Having experienced its strange power firsthand, he knew just how terrifying and dangerous that thing was. Mishandled, it could turn on its master, draining him to a husk. With his current strength, it was simply not something he could control.

Better to trade such a perilous thing for something truly useful.

Given his current condition, what he most needed to study was the Soul of the Dead Serpent—his bloodline soul, which was the true foundation he could rely on. Thus, the books and the wisdom of predecessors in the Dragon Pavilion were what mattered most. Besides, after this adventure, his horizons had broadened, and he realized just how little he really knew of the cultivation world. The quickest way to remedy that was to read in the Dragon Pavilion of Tianfeng City.

The books there were far superior to anything in the small Dragon Martial Hall of Luoyang Town.

Qin Feng was determined to uncover his own secrets by his own efforts. And by using this method to enter the Pavilion, he owed no one a favor—a perfect solution.

With everything settled, Qin Feng turned his gaze to Qin Hongyu, who stood in the distance, stamping her feet in frustration. He shrugged meaningfully. “Miss Hongyu, is it? Now it’s just the two of us.”

At these words, Qin Hongyu’s body trembled slightly.

But then, she drew herself up and snapped, “Qin Feng, you scoundrel, what are you planning now?”

Seeing her so flustered, Qin Feng was secretly delighted. But he had enjoyed himself enough; there was no need to keep antagonizing her. Now, Qin Feng truly wanted to resolve their differences.

So he pinched his nose and teased, “Just now… when Uncle left, I believe he said…” Qin Feng deliberately drew out his words, “he said you were to be my guide!”

“Hmph! You scoundrel, just looking at you makes me sick. Guide you? You wish!”

Qin Hongyu snorted, glared at him fiercely, her face flushed—whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to say—and then fled as fast as she could. Clearly, she still held a grudge over their recent encounter.

With his guide gone, Qin Feng had no choice but to find his own way.

With the Elder’s Token in hand, he could go anywhere in Tianfeng City unhindered. He wondered, though, whether even Qin Hongyu’s private chambers would be open to him…

That was just a passing thought—he certainly didn’t have the nerve.

If things escalated, there would be no mending their relationship.

He pinched his nose and picked a direction at random, heading out.

Tianfeng City was vast, but he had a mouth, didn’t he? If he didn’t know the way, he could always ask.

…