Chapter 6: Mastering the Kunpeng Wings

"Look at what I caught!"

Smack!

"Get lost! How dare you steal my stuff!"

"I found it first!"

"You're full of crap! She's mine!"

"Come back here, you damn woman! How dare you run!"

Die suddenly jolted awake from her dream. She scanned her surroundings and found herself in darkness. The fire burning inside the cave had already gone out.

Suddenly, she realized she was holding onto a warm and strong body.

With each breath, the scent of the man in her embrace filled her senses.

"Ah! How could I have fallen asleep?"

Die lightly smacked her forehead in self-reproach, then turned her attention to Chen Mo. His body temperature had returned to normal.

She let out a sigh of relief and, using the faint light, checked the wound on his back. The knife wound had already healed without any signs of infection.

Wiping the cold sweat from her forehead—sweat caused by her nightmare—Die's lips curled into a smile.

She released her hold on Chen Mo, and seeing that he was still asleep, she quietly left the cave.

Finding a secluded spot in the canyon, she clenched her fists and gazed at the bright moon above, murmuring, "Who am I, really?"

---

Somewhere in the desert…

In a tavern built into a cliffside.

"Even the renowned Ice Emperor failed to find that snake-woman?"

Inside a dimly lit room, where the flickering lamp cast shadows on the walls, a middle-aged, rotund man in luxurious robes spoke. His face carried a smile, but the mockery in his expression was unmistakable.

"She was rescued. I followed the clues south for an entire day but found no trace of her," Hai Bodong replied.

"Oh? Rescued? Someone actually managed to snatch her from under the great Ice Emperor's nose?" The man's smirk deepened, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Someone got to her before I did. I only came to inform you," Hai Bodong said indifferently. "Rest assured, I will bring you the snake-woman from the painting within our agreed timeframe."

Hai Bodong furrowed his brows slightly and turned to leave, but before stepping out, he added coldly, "Speak to me like that again, and I'll twist your head off and use it as a chamber pot—even if you're a business partner of the Mittel Clan."

With that, the wine jug on the table in front of the fat man instantly froze solid.

A shiver ran down the fat man's spine, rendering him speechless.

---

Shortly after Hai Bodong left…

A dark figure slipped through the window into the fat man's room.

The fat man instinctively opened his mouth to call for help, but the figure spoke first.

"Where is it?"

The fat man was momentarily stunned, noticing that the intruder wore a white mask. "You seem unfamiliar. What do you—"

Whoosh!

Before he could finish his sentence, the figure flicked his wrist, and an image appeared before him.

Understanding that this person was connected to his employer, the fat man asked, "Why isn't the usual contact here?"

"I'll ask one more time. Where is it?"

The fat man, unfazed, leaned back in his chair and spread his hands. "The goods are en route. Besides, our agreed-upon time hasn't arrived yet. I ask that you wait patiently."

"Tell me their location."

"Ah, that would be against the rules." The fat man turned his chair away from the intruder and continued, "I've hired the highest-paid expert in the Jia Ma Empire—someone who has never failed before. However..."

He spun his chair back around, his face filled with greed. "If you add twenty more snake-woman servants, I might reconsider."

The figure nodded slightly.

Seeing this, the fat man burst into laughter, his flabby cheeks shaking. "Straight to the point! There was a minor incident earlier today—the snake-woman was rescued. But don't worry, we'll speed up the search. As soon as we find her, you'll be the first to know."

Hearing this, the masked figure's brows furrowed slightly. His clenched fist, hidden within his black robe, gradually loosened. "Once you find her, I'll bring you what you want."

With that, he leaped out of the window and disappeared into the night.

"Guards!"

"What's wrong, Boss?"

"Get out there and find that snake-woman from the painting!"

"Yes, sir!"

---

When Chen Mo woke from his coma, his whole body felt like it had been pricked by countless needles.

As he opened his eyes, something felt off. Looking down, he suddenly realized that two slender arms were wrapped around him. He could also feel a soft pressure against his back.

Chen Mo was momentarily stunned. He raised his arm to gently remove Die's hand from his waist, but before he could, she woke up.

For a brief moment, they both froze.

Though Chen Mo couldn't see her expression, he could definitely feel that she was now awake.

"Ahem..." Chen Mo coughed lightly and quickly withdrew his hand, not wanting her to think he was taking advantage of her. "Uh, I need to get up."

"Oh! Right!"

Die was startled. Last night, she hadn't thought much about it, but now that he was awake, she suddenly realized the awkwardness of their position. Her face turned red, and she quickly let go of Chen Mo before scrambling to her feet.

However, seeing the wound on his back, she hesitated before reaching out. "I-I'll help you up."

"Alright." Chen Mo didn't refuse.

With Die's support, he stood up. As he turned to face her, their eyes met.

Die immediately lowered her head, her face flushing even redder.

She wasn't sure what had come over her, but last night, after clearing her thoughts, she had returned to the cave and, for some reason, ended up hugging Chen Mo again.

[Ding! Favorability +1. You have gained 1 Favorability Coin.]

Chen Mo: "???"

Hoping to break the awkward atmosphere, Die pointed at his back. "Y-your back… When did you get those tattoos? They look like golden wings..."

She hadn't noticed them last night due to the darkness, but now, she saw two golden wing-shaped tattoos, each about the size of a palm, on his back.

"Golden wings?" Chen Mo was taken aback. Then, recalling his practice from the night before, he murmured, "Could it be the Kunpeng Wings?"

Focusing inward, he discovered that two new minor meridians had formed on his back. As he willed his Dou Qi into these channels, the golden tattoos began to glow faintly.

A moment later, the tattoos transformed into a pair of tangible golden wings.

Moreover, the size of these golden wings expanded from palm-sized to nearly a foot wide.

"You—you grew wings!!!"

Die gasped, covering her lips with her delicate hands.

In her amnesiac state, she couldn't yet comprehend such things.

"This is a flying Dou Technique!"

Chen Mo curiously examined the golden wings. The feathers shimmered like flames. Testing them, he gently flapped once, generating a small lift that raised his body an inch off the ground.

Encouraged, he tried flying higher, though his movements were still clumsy—he needed more practice.

A grin spread across Chen Mo's face.

From now on, he finally had a means to save his own life.

****

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