Chapter 22: Immediate Capture

"What's wrong? Have you heard of him?" Noticing Xiao Nanfeng's unusual expression, Xiaoyu asked in surprise.

"No!" Xiao Nanfeng quickly shook his head. For now, he didn't want to reveal his identity.

"Not heard of him? Why are you so excited then? That Xiao Hongye is an elder of the Huang Faction, and Elder Ku is an elder of the Xuan Faction. I heard from the senior brothers that they are arch-rivals and have been fighting for many years!" Xiaoyu whispered eagerly.

Xiao Nanfeng: "…"

One is his father, the other his master—he couldn't just speak out.

"Do you really want to take my master as your teacher? Is it because you genuinely like playing the guqin?" Xiao Nanfeng changed the subject.

"Playing the guqin is one aspect, but also, those who enter the Dao through music cultivate their souls much faster than other practitioners," Xiaoyu said with anticipation.

"Cultivating the soul?" Xiao Nanfeng raised an eyebrow. His judgment had indeed been correct; his master's guqin music was beneficial for soul cultivation.

"Don't think about soul cultivation just yet. You're at the Acquired Realm. You should focus on refining your true energy first. Once you reach the Innate Realm, Elder Ku should teach you. Ugh, it's so frustrating! Why do you have such good luck while I have it so hard?" Xiaoyu said with a sad face.

Watching Xiaoyu pretend to wipe away nonexistent tears, Xiao Nanfeng couldn't help but twitch his face.

"Alright, Senior Sister, stop acting! If there's a chance, I'll help persuade my master, but I can only occasionally whisper in the wind; my master definitely won't listen to me."

"Haha, you're a good junior! That's enough for me!" Xiaoyu immediately changed her expression and smiled.

Xiao Nanfeng fell silent at her sudden transformation. Are you an actress?

"Senior Sister, I'm done eating. While the spiritual energy from the Golden Demonic Eel is still in my body, I want to practice some punches to absorb it fully. Wait for me a moment," Xiao Nanfeng said as he stood up.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Assuming his stance, Xiao Nanfeng unleashed a series of punches, creating sounds like thunder.

"Oh, is this the Tyrant Fist? In just one month, how have you improved so much? I remember that Elder Ku corrected your posture in the first few days. How come your Tyrant Fist has progressed so rapidly in such a short time?" Xiaoyu was astonished.

"During this time, I comprehended many Daoist scriptures about boxing in the Scripture Palace and made some modifications to better fit my style," Xiao Nanfeng replied while punching.

"You dared to alter the boxing technique just from reading a few Daoist scriptures? Aren't you worried your understanding might be incorrect?" Xiaoyu asked, surprised.

"It won't be," Xiao Nanfeng said calmly.

Xiaoyu looked at him strangely: "You really can brag."

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Xiao Nanfeng continued to practice, each punch hitting the air, resonating with thunderous sounds.

"What level are you at now?" After watching for a while, Xiaoyu noticed that his modified technique was not awkward at all; instead, it flowed smoothly. Curious, she asked.

"I've just scratched the surface," Xiao Nanfeng said casually.

"You can't claim to have merely scratched the surface unless you've grasped the essence of boxing. You've only been at it for a month, and you dare say you've scratched the surface?" Xiaoyu's eyes widened in disbelief, eager to try, "Come, let me be your sparring partner! Let's see your level!"

"No need, I prefer to practice alone." Xiao Nanfeng completely avoided her invitation. He vividly remembered their last encounter; if she got angry again and unleashed the Five Poisons Heart-Piercing Palm, he wouldn't have his master around to help him this time. He refused to suffer.

"Hmph, ungrateful!" Xiaoyu wrinkled her nose but didn't press further.

After practicing the Tyrant Fist three times, Xiao Nanfeng slowly concluded his session.

"Not going to spar anymore?" Seeing Xiao Nanfeng not engage her, Xiaoyu yawned out of boredom.

"I've already digested the energy of the Golden Demonic Eel," Xiao Nanfeng nodded. "I plan to head to the Scripture Palace to read. Would you like to join me?"

"I don't want to!" Upon hearing the words "Scripture Palace," Xiaoyu shook her head vigorously, "You go ahead. Don't forget what you promised me earlier!"

"Sure."

"By the way, I brought back two Golden Demonic Eels from my recent extermination mission. I'll share one with you!" Xiaoyu said with a smile before leaving.

Xiao Nanfeng looked at her in surprise. There was a reason why Xiaoyu had such good relations in the Taiqing Immortal Sect—she was so generous!

"Thank you, Senior Sister!" Xiao Nanfeng expressed his gratitude.

Xiaoyu waved her hand and walked away with a joyful stride, looking quite pleased: Eating from my hand while avoiding helping? 

After Xiaoyu left, Xiao Nanfeng returned to his courtyard, took a bath, changed into clean clothes, and went to the Scripture Palace to read.

Around noon, just as Xiao Nanfeng came out of the Scripture Palace, he spotted the servant disciple Tang Xiaoyi, who had previously brought him a meal.

"Senior Brother!" Upon seeing Xiao Nanfeng, Tang Xiaoyi's eyes lit up. He stepped forward to greet him, smiling, "Xiaoyu Senior Sister asked me to bring you a portion of the Golden Demonic Eel. When would you like it? The sect has a special area for raising Golden Demonic Eels, so we don't have to worry about it dying soon."

"Xiaoyu Senior Sister really works efficiently!" Xiao Nanfeng marveled.

"Yes! Xiaoyu Senior Sister takes great care of you," Tang Xiaoyi said with a suggestive glance. He then continued, "Senior Brother, the sect's disciples are going out to exterminate demonic caves and bringing back various mythical creatures. They're given to us servant disciples for selling and cooking. Besides the Golden Demonic Eel, we have other mythical creatures in the kitchen. Are you interested?"

"Hmm?" Xiao Nanfeng's expression changed.

"The Golden Demonic Eel Xiaoyu gave you is valued at two hundred taels of gold. If you find another mythical creature you like, you only need to make up the difference!" Tang Xiaoyi explained.

"Where's the kitchen?" Xiao Nanfeng asked.

"It's near the dock where you landed. If you want to change things up, we can go check it out. You can choose yourself, and we'll take care of the cooking," Tang Xiaoyi invited with a smile.

Xiao Nanfeng's interest was piqued. Near the dock? Isn't that just where I wanted to go? He still had ten thousand taels of gold left on that big ship. It had been over a month since he arrived, so he should be less conspicuous now.

"Oh, let's go now!" Xiao Nanfeng said with a smile.

"Now? So eager?" Tang Xiaoyi frowned slightly.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem?" Xiao Nanfeng noticed the change in Tang Xiaoyi's expression.

"No, no problem! It's just that you said you wanted to go right now, and I haven't prepared anything. Weren't you planning to read first?" Tang Xiaoyi replied with a forced smile.

"Books can wait. You don't need to prepare anything; just lead the way!" Xiao Nanfeng insisted. He had gradually adapted to his identity; as the only disciple of the suffering master, he had no need to be modest with servant disciples.

"Alright!" Tang Xiaoyi reluctantly nodded.

The two left the Scripture Palace and walked along a small forest path. Not long after they left, news of Xiao Nanfeng's departure reached Zhao Yuanjiao.

Zhao Yuanjiao was slightly excited upon hearing his junior brother's report: "After waiting for a month, he finally made contact?"

"Senior Brother, just as you predicted, Nanfeng secretly slipped away with a servant disciple, avoiding our surveillance. He must be plotting something," the junior brother said, equally thrilled.

"It seems the month was not wasted. Who is that servant disciple?" Zhao Yuanjiao asked solemnly.

"His name is Tang Xiaoyi, responsible for cooking mythical creature meat. His culinary skills are decent. Xiaoyu Senior Sister went to the kitchen to choose a servant disciple to deliver meals to Nanfeng, and Tang Xiaoyi volunteered. He has been in charge of Nanfeng's meals this past month," the junior brother explained.

"The tail is already showing. Let's see how big of a fish we can catch this time." Zhao Yuanjiao's eyes turned cold as he said chillingly, "Immediately gather the team and capture Tang Xiaoyi and Nanfeng!"