"Madam Lin, I may have to trouble you for a few days."

Ling Feng glanced at Lin Moyun. He currently had no place to stay anyway. Remaining with the Lin family would allow him to look after the Lin sisters and little Ling'er, and having a foothold in the imperial capital would make his movements far more convenient.

"Of course that's no problem, sir. Please stay as long as you like. Ling'er... Ling'er still needs your care for her illness."

Now that she knew the hunter before her was actually Ling Feng, Lin Moyun could not have been happier to have him remain. With him here, her family would no longer be so easily bullied by those corrupt officials.

"Thank you, Madam."

Ling Feng nodded with a faint smile. Lin Moyun possessed both grace and intelligence. It was no wonder she had raised a daughter as clever and spirited as Ling'er.

"Lin Feng, go to Yunzhi Pavilion and prepare a room. Bring this gentleman there to rest."

Lin Moyun gave Ling Feng a slight nod before instructing a servant to arrange a room and prepare some food for him.

After Ling Feng left, Lin Moyao watched his departing figure before quietly moving to sit beside her sister.

"Big Sister, who exactly is that hunter? Why do I feel like he knows us really well? But I'm sure I've never met him before."

"You silly girl!"

Lin Moyun covered her lips as she laughed softly. "Honestly, if he hadn't said it himself, I might not have believed it either. But considering the current situation, it makes sense for him to disguise himself."

She leaned closer and lowered her voice, whispering into Lin Moyao's ear.

"Because he is Ling Feng!"

"Huh?"

Lin Moyao's eyelids twitched violently. "Ling..."

"Mhm!"

Lin Moyun shot her a warning glare. Lin Moyao immediately swallowed the last word before it escaped her mouth.

"So it's him!"

Memories quickly surfaced in her mind.

Back in the God-Burying Swamp, Ling Feng had stepped in to save them. Later, when the Lin family casino was suppressed by Sun Tianba, it had also been Ling Feng who appeared and resolved the crisis.

Perhaps this was what people called fate.

At the thought, Lin Moyao's pretty face flushed bright red. She gently pressed her lips together and murmured softly.

"So it's really him..."

After all, what young girl did not dream of romance? And Lin Moyao had long harbored a special affection for Ling Feng.

...

Meanwhile, after arranging Ling Feng's stay at Yunzhi Pavilion, the servant Lin Feng soon returned with some simple food.

Given the Lin family's current circumstances, they truly had nothing better to offer.

Ling Feng did not mind. After filling his stomach a little, he began considering his next move.

First, he had to investigate Tianwei Academy.

Then there was the Deng family. Back then, Old General Deng had treated him well and had even stepped in to block Yan Jinghong on his behalf. If old debts were being settled now, the Deng family might very well have been implicated. Ling Feng did not know what their current situation was like.

As for Deng Yongshi, regardless of anything else, she was still his student in name. As her teacher, he could not simply ignore her fate.

There was also the Alchemist Guild. As the Chief Honorary Elder of the Alchemist Guild, his status alone was enough for Yan Jinghong to regard the entire organization as a thorn in his side.

And the Cangqiong Sect as well. Yue Zhonglian had been captured. What had happened to the others in the sect?

Miss Yue, Brother Wen, and the rest... their current circumstances weighed heavily on his mind.

Of course, there was also his General Weiyuan's Mansion. It was likely that quite a few people were being held there as prisoners now.

If he intended to fight Yan Jinghong to the death, he first had to rescue those hostages. Otherwise he would be forced to hold back, and he could not pretend their lives meant nothing.

Night gradually deepened.

Ling Feng changed into a black night outfit and prepared to move.

The rescue operation began now!

Whoosh!

From within the Lin residence, a dark shadow shot into the night, covering over a thousand zhang in a single instant.

Guards still patrolled the streets and alleys of the city, but to Ling Feng, their presence might as well have been meaningless.

Before long, he arrived at Tianwei Academy.

Once the greatest academy in the imperial capital, it now lay in utter ruin. Even the signboard that once hung proudly above the main gate had been split in two and lay shattered on the ground.

Across the academy grounds stood countless collapsed buildings, silent proof that an extremely brutal battle had once taken place here.

Ling Feng's gaze sharpened. With a flash of movement, he hurried toward Yan Cangtian's medicinal herb garden.

Unfortunately, the garden that had once been filled with all manner of plants had now been reduced to rubble.

Bloodstains could be seen everywhere around the area. Deep fist marks, footprints, and even impressions where human bodies had been violently slammed into the ground were scattered throughout the site.

"Elder Yan!"

Ling Feng took a deep breath and clenched his fists tightly.

He could easily imagine the scene that day. Elder Yan must have been captured here by that bastard Yan Jinghong, and judging by the traces left behind, he had suffered unimaginably brutal torture.

"Yan Jinghong, I will make you repay this a hundredfold!"

Flames of fury surged within Ling Feng's eyes.

Tianwei Academy had now become little more than a ruined wasteland. There was nothing left here worth searching.

Just as Ling Feng prepared to leave and head toward the next location, several familiar figures suddenly appeared within the range of his Boundless Vision.

"It's Instructor Leng and the others!"

His figure flashed again as he flew straight toward the crumbling buildings.

At that moment, Leng Jianfeng sat atop a chunk of broken stone, a wine jar clutched in his hand as he cursed loudly.

"Damn it all! How does one drown sorrow? Only Du Kang[1]! Damn it, damn it!"

Beside him sat a somewhat plump middle-aged man who sighed repeatedly. He too was an instructor of Tianwei Academy. Ever since Director Mu Yunsang had been captured, most of the instructors and mentors had scattered. Only a handful who held deep feelings for the academy had remained behind.

"Instructor Leng, I know you're upset, but there's no need to curse all day long. No matter how much you swear, it won't bring the director back."

"I'll curse if I want to!"

Leng Jianfeng drained another jar of wine and smashed it fiercely against the ground.

"Damn it! Damn it! Why the hell am I so weak? I can't do a damn thing! Drink! Drink! How does one drown sorrow? Only Du Kang!"

After wailing a couple of times, he grabbed another jar of wine and began gulping it down.

"Instructor Leng, that's not how you drink wine!"

Just then, a strong hand pressed firmly down on the wine jar.

Unable to drink, a flash of anger appeared in Leng Jianfeng's eyes. Without hesitation, he struck forward with a palm.

"Who the hell is stopping me!"

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

Ling Feng did not move at all. He stood there and allowed Leng Jianfeng to strike him with full force.

Yet Ling Feng remained completely unharmed. Instead, Leng Jianfeng felt as though he had struck a wall of solid steel. His palm instantly turned red as pain shot through it, causing him to howl.

"Damn it! That hurts! That hurts like hell!"

Through his drunken haze, Leng Jianfeng finally noticed the black-clad figure standing before him, staring with an amused smile.

Rage immediately flared in his chest.

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Damn it, if you want to kill me then just do it!"

"Instructor Leng, why would I kill you?"

Ling Feng calmly removed the mask from his face.

"Instructor Leng, take a look. Do you recognize me?"

"Ling... Ling... Ling..."

The moment Leng Jianfeng saw Ling Feng's face, his drunkenness faded by several degrees.

"You brat... are you tired of living? You still dare to come back?"

1. Du Kang - a legendary figure in ancient Chinese history revered as the "God of Wine" / inventor of alcoholic beverages in Chinese legend. ☜