As Xiao Sheng began to bid farewell to Shen Feng, Shen Feng also understood that he no longer had time to continue searching for people near the Great Wall. He had no idea about the condition of Zhang Jue's wife, and in times of chaos, many places had no signal, making it incredibly difficult to find someone.
If it were before the end of the world, finding someone would have been a simple matter. All he would have needed to do was post a photo online, and the person could be found directly. But now, it was the end of the world. Forget about the internet; even getting electricity was difficult, let alone using the internet to find someone. Thus, Shen Feng's search hit a snag.
Now, Shen Feng could only reluctantly give up on his search. Xiao Sheng needed to return to Yan Jing, and Shen Feng also needed to return to Yu Zhou.
At this moment, Xiao Sheng brought up the topic of marriage. Shen Feng could only shake his head helplessly and say, "Since you're about to marry my sister, I will definitely make time to attend your wedding. I'm just worried the headquarters might forbid it. Never mind, let's not talk about this. Let's have one last barbecue tonight, and then we'll go our separate ways."
Shen Feng had spent two months on this trip. The time wasn't excessive, and the enemies he faced weren't entirely insurmountable. Therefore, Shen Feng returned safely. Upon hearing the news that they were returning to Yu Zhou, Xu Xing was both happy and a little sad.
Xu Xing was happy because she could finally go home. For her, home was wherever her mother was. She was sad because she had to part ways with Qi Yunfang. Before this, Xu Xing had no opportunity to go out, and making friends required her mother's permission. This rare outing allowed Xu Xing to meet her first friend, and now they had to separate, making Xu Xing very reluctant.
Seeing Xu Xing's reluctant gaze, Qi Yunfang smiled and said, "Don't look so glum. We can still communicate in the future, and meeting up will be quite simple. Besides, aren't you still aiming to complete your great goal? If you're already so reluctant to part, how will you ever kill bandits in the future?"
Qi Yunfang had learned of Xu Xing's ambition from her. Xu Xing's heart was set on eradicating all the bandits in the world. If she couldn't achieve that, she would at least try to eliminate the bandits within the country. Although it was difficult, Xu Xing wanted to give it a try.
Hearing Qi Yunfang say this, Xu Xing immediately perked up. She couldn't help but think, "That's right. This is just a temporary separation. If I'm already so unwilling to part, how can I accomplish great things in the future?"
All along, Xu Xing's biggest obstacle had been external doubt. Almost everyone questioned whether this young ability user could kill bandits. After all, the bandits she would face were desperate criminals. If she was already so sentimental about a mere separation, how could she steel her heart in more dangerous situations?
Xu Xing quickly regained her composure and said, "In that case, Sister Qi, we've made a promise. We'll write to each other often. It's a shame communication in Yu Zhou is blocked now, and most contact methods with the outside world are unusable. Otherwise, we could even call each other regularly."
The sadness in Xu Xing's heart was now completely gone, replaced by a renewed determination. Xu Xing was already prepared to make a big splash. She had made up her mind that she would definitely use her abilities to earn others' respect.
Everyone held a barbecue party by the Great Wall. When they returned, they had encountered multiple wolf attacks. Therefore, after the ability users' battle, there was a lot of wolf meat left on the sleds. The meat tasted similar to dog meat, but with a stronger flavor. It offered a unique taste when grilled.
At this time, Zhang Zi found dried mushrooms brought from a nearby town. They were dried mushrooms and tasted very good. Especially when fried with pork while fresh, it was a local delicacy. Even though they were dried now, they were excellent for making soup.
While distributing the mushrooms, Zhang Zi said to Shen Feng, "Look how good we are to you! We share good things with you, unlike you, who did some shady things behind our backs just to hoard some good items for yourself."
Shen Feng was subtly chided. It was clear Zhang Zi was referring to Shen Feng's earlier act of setting fire. Shen Feng felt awkward to refute, as he had indeed done it, and his argument would lack conviction.
"By the way, aren't these mushrooms? Why are they called 'kou mo' (口蘑)?" Shen Feng didn't want to get into a prolonged argument with Zhang Zi, as continuing the conversation might expose him. So, he changed the subject. Since Zhang Zi was distributing many dried mushrooms, the topic naturally shifted here.
When Shen Feng asked, Zhang Zi shrugged and said, "I don't know either, but everyone calls them that, so I call them 'kou mo'."
"I know this. It's because in ancient times, mushrooms were imported from outside the pass, and they had to pass through Zhangjiakou. Hence, they were called 'kou mo'," Jin Zijue interjected.
"Oh, I see," Shen Feng nodded.
Mushrooms within China are actually unevenly distributed. Over eighty percent are in Yunnan Province, ten percent in the Northeast provinces, and the remaining ten percent are spread across more than twenty provinces. The Northeast and Southwest regions together account for the absolute majority of the mushroom market in China. Mushrooms contain savory compounds that can be used as MSG. Outside these two regions, the only option for mushrooms is artificial cultivation. However, people in the Northeast and Southwest dislike artificially grown fungi.
Shen Feng, being from Sichuan Province, had some opportunities to eat wild mushrooms. After wild mushrooms were picked in Yunnan Province to the south, they could be delivered to Sichuan Province within a day, but the price would increase by five to six times. Most people didn't have the chance to try them. Shen Feng, however, had the opportunity to taste wild mushrooms under the guidance of his parents. Even after a day of picking, the mushroom soup still tasted incredibly delicious.
At this moment, Shen Feng also had the chance to taste the dried mushrooms from the Northeast and was eager to know the taste of mushrooms from both the north and the south.
However, just as Shen Feng was stewing the soup, Lu Xian suddenly sensed danger. A large number of heat sources were approaching them. They were near the Great Wall, and beyond the Great Wall lay the grasslands, with many wolf packs. But Lu Xian discovered that these approaching heat sources were individuals.
Upon realizing this, Lu Xian did not dare to delay and immediately reported, "City Lord, Mr. Xiao Sheng, unknown individuals are approaching us. There are at least three hundred of them."
Shen Feng immediately looked at Xiao Sheng and asked, "Did you call these people?"
Xiao Sheng shook his head and said, "Although I contacted headquarters, I also informed them of my return. But I mentioned that I would still be searching for Zhang Jue's family outside, so I didn't ask anyone to pick me up."
Upon hearing this, Qi Lingshan quickly said, "City Lord, since these people are not here for Mr. Xiao, they must be here for us. Don't forget that we killed over twenty ability users from the Tianlong Bureau. If they've come for revenge, it won't be good."
Shen Feng thought for a moment, then stood up and said, "If that's the case, we should leave first to avoid being sought for revenge. Goodbye, Xiao Sheng."
Shen Feng had originally intended to stay with the ability user management team for another night, but the current situation did not allow him to do so. These individuals of unclear identity suddenly appeared here without any prior notice, acting suspiciously. They must have been afraid of being discovered by him, especially on this dark and windy night, making it easy to be ambushed. Therefore, it was best to leave quickly for safety.
Shen Feng immediately wanted to leave. After all, there were only four of them. They were still in the Yan Mountains. If they could just disappear into the mountains, there would be no problems.
Since Shen Feng had said so, Xiao Sheng couldn't insist on him staying. After all, Xiao Sheng couldn't guarantee that the approaching individuals posed no threat. If they were harmless, why wouldn't they have informed him in advance?
The attitude of the ability user management team towards Shen Feng remained indifferent. After all, their good fortune might have been ruined by Shen Feng. It would truly show broad-mindedness if they were still to try and keep Shen Feng now.
Shen Feng and his group of four were about to leave the campsite. Even Shen Feng was worried about being surrounded by ability users. In a one-on-one fight, Shen Feng currently had almost no opponents. But as the saying goes, "Even the best boxer can't fight two opponents." When facing a siege of ability users, Shen Feng would also be in danger. The only thing he could do was use his extreme speed to escape far away and break out of the enemy's encirclement. At this moment, Shen Feng and his group were not in Yu Zhou. Since it wasn't their territory, it was better to leave quickly.
However, at that moment, a strong beam of light suddenly shone on Shen Feng from a distance, making it impossible for him to open his eyes. This was something Shen Feng had not anticipated. He didn't expect them to use a powerful flashlight to shine on him. Shen Feng immediately prepared himself, thinking that if anyone dared to attack him, he would find a way to teach them a lesson.
This sudden turn of events stunned everyone else as well. This was because the direction from which the strong light was shining was from the darkness. This meant that someone had approached them stealthily.
"Beware of enemy attack, prepare yourselves," Jin Zijue shouted, then threw away his skewer of meat, ready to fight at any moment.
On the other side, Xu Xing and Qi Lingshan stood on either side of Shen Feng, guarding against any potential dangers around them.
Lu Xian then used his abilities, finally locking onto the opponent's position, and said, "Let's be quick, stop hiding. I've found you. It's meaningless for you to continue hiding. Don't think you can do whatever you want by using invisibility."
As he spoke, Xu Xing held a sniper rifle in her hand. Even if the enemy was hidden in the darkness, she could directly pinpoint their location. Now she was sure that the opponent's ability was invisibility, which allowed them to approach unnoticed.
Facing the tense situation, a pleasant voice came from the darkness, "Alright, alright, it was just a joke. I just wanted to scare you a little. I didn't expect your reaction to be so extreme. This is too intense?"
After speaking, the woman in the darkness revealed her true face. She slowly walked out of the darkness. The strong light that had been shining on Shen Feng also disappeared. The woman was dressed in white, like a spirit in the night, standing before everyone and slowly saying, "Long time no see, everyone."
Everyone focused their gaze on the woman. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was an old acquaintance. If it was her who appeared here, it made much more sense.
Shen Feng also looked at the woman who had just appeared and was surprised to find that the woman before him was Li Keyi. After more than a year without seeing her, she was still as radiant and captivating as ever.