Luo Hui quickly took Qu Zhaoqian to the northern part of Taihang Mountain. Here, He Qiuan had tidied up the remnants of the army. The troops had suffered heavy losses, with only a little over five thousand men remaining. The others had been killed in the previous nights, and the military camp was filled with a somber atmosphere.
He Qiuan was also helpless and could only try his best to comfort his soldiers. In the short term, these soldiers would likely not be able to participate in combat.
When Qu Zhaoqian was brought here, he was soon taken before Xu Xing. Xu Xing was also covered in bandages, and the long saber she carried was gone, likely lost during the battle. It was evident that the previous fight had been extremely perilous, as even Xu Xing could not protect herself completely.
"Sister Xu Xing, thank you for protecting me. Because of you, I was able to escape safely, but I've caused you to be injured," Qu Zhaoqian said gratefully upon seeing Xu Xing's condition.
In that situation, if Xu Xing hadn't suddenly appeared, he would have certainly been captured or killed under the siege of four ability users.
"Don't say such mushy things at a time like this. I saved you as a matter of convenience. What I primarily wanted was to test my own strength. On the night two days ago, I killed at least ten ability users!" Xu Xing quickly stated.
Judging by the situation, if they continued talking, Qu Zhaoqian would start to cry, and Xu Xing couldn't stand that.
Xu Xing herself had fought her way out of the chaotic battlefield two days prior. Her strength was undeniable. Although she had become an ability user very late, her growth rate was incredibly rapid. Most people could not compare to Xu Xing's strength.
Qu Zhaoqian suddenly thought of something and quickly said, "Right, there's another important matter I need to report to the City Lord. I might have seen my cousin before, but I'm not clear about the specifics, and the City Lord didn't say much about what happened back then."
"Your cousin appeared? I remember his name was Yue Hengyi. I met him once back then. I didn't expect him to still be alive!" Xu Xing frowned upon hearing this.
"I must report this to the City Lord immediately. Please help me figure out a way," Qu Zhaoqian said urgently.
Xu Xing nodded and said, "Don't worry about this matter. I will definitely help you. I'm planning to take a plane back to Yuzhou first. You can come with me. Then, whatever you want to know, you can ask the City Lord directly. I believe he will tell you."
Qu Zhaoqian couldn't help but ask Xu Xing, "Can your body withstand flying on a plane?"
"Don't underestimate your sister. I'm a sixth-tier ability user. In this world, besides a few people who can kill me, no one else can do anything to me. I escaped even when I was surrounded by more than a dozen people. You're still worried about me on a plane? You're worrying unnecessarily," Xu Xing chuckled upon hearing Qu Zhaoqian's concern.
After discussing their plans, the two quickly boarded a helicopter and headed towards Yuzhou. This was Xu Xing's call for support. She had sneaked out this time, intending to wander outside for a while before returning. Unexpectedly, she got injured and now had no choice but to return.
Lu Anping personally led people to welcome the captain. "Captain, your unauthorized departure has caused us quite a bit of trouble. Your mother has been pestering us every day about your whereabouts. We've been driven crazy these past few days."
The person who had restricted Xu Xing's freedom was not Shen Feng. There were no major battles in Yuzhou, so Shen Feng would not prevent Xu Xing from leaving. The person who had restricted Xu Xing's departure was actually her mother, Wu Yelian. The reason was very simple: Xu Xing was already twenty-five years old, and many people her age had already had children, with some children already in elementary school.
However, Xu Xing had grown into a young woman, and Wu Yelian, seeing this, was very anxious. She issued an order to Xu Xing: "If you don't get married this year, you're not allowed to go out on missions."
Xu Xing was helpless. She truly didn't want to get married. She enjoyed her freedom and independence. Marriage, on the other hand, would bring a host of trivial matters that she would have to handle. Talking to her mother about this was useless; she wouldn't listen. Thus, out of helplessness, she had no choice but to sneak out.
Xu Xing knew that if she returned home like this, she would definitely hear her mother's nagging. But now, she had no choice but to return to Yuzhou.
"No matter what, we should hurry back!" Xu Xing said with a wry smile.
The helicopter immediately began its return to Yuzhou. Fortunately, Yuzhou could continuously obtain gasoline from Yunnan Province. Otherwise, it wouldn't be easy for Yuzhou to dispatch helicopters to various parts of the world.
The two people on the helicopter quickly returned to Yuzhou. As soon as they landed at the airport, Wu Yelian appeared. She had intended to scold her daughter severely, making her obey her orders and get married quickly. But upon seeing her daughter's injured state, she softened considerably and couldn't bring herself to scold her.
"Oh dear... I really don't know why you, a young lady, are so stubborn. Let's go home quickly. I'll buy you some hens to nourish your body!" Wu Yelian finally shook her head and sighed, then chose to take her daughter away.
Meanwhile, Qu Zhaoqian quickly went to the City Lord's mansion and found Shen Feng in his office, then promptly reported the situation he had discovered to the City Lord.
When Shen Feng heard that Qu Zhaoqian had seen someone who looked exactly like his cousin, he fell silent. Then he said to Qu Zhaoqian, "Actually, I suspected back then that your cousin might not be dead, but I wasn't sure if it was true or false, so I never told you. But now, I think it's time to say it."
"Six years ago, your cousin didn't actually die on the execution ground. He was saved by someone. This was his woman in Japan. Almost no one knew about this. It was only because your cousin and I traveled together that I learned about it. However, at that time, she turned to deal with a hooligan. Unexpectedly, when she turned back, your cousin had already been taken away by the owls," Shen Feng said seriously.
"If this is true, then all the information fits. Because the person I saw is named Bai Tianci. I heard he fell from the sky and landed in a temple. However, he suffered brain damage and lost his memory," Qu Zhaoqian said excitedly.
Now, having learned the events of that year from Shen Feng, and combining it with the information he already knew, Qu Zhaoqian deduced a near-impossible scenario: his cousin was saved during the mutated bird attack on the city, but was later captured by owls, eventually falling from the sky and landing in a temple, losing his memory and living until now.
"If this is indeed the case, I think it's necessary for me to go to the north. I heard that Qin Kewei has also been captured. You, Xu Xing, and Wang Xiqiang are all injured, which is considered an offense to our Yuzhou. I cannot stand idly by!" Shen Feng said solemnly.
Qu Zhaoqian quickly said, "I heard that the people of Taiyuan are going to execute Qin Kewei in a week. We'd better hurry, and perhaps we can still save her!"
Shen Feng nodded and said, "You stay in Yuzhou to recover. Leave the rest to me. I will be heading north soon!"
Qu Zhaoqian suddenly thought of something and immediately found a glass bottle from his person. This glass bottle contained a lot of blood, but this blood had already coagulated. "This is the blood of Bai Tianci that Luo Hui secretly collected. I can go to my aunt and have them do a paternity test. If the paternity test is confirmed, our chances will be even greater."
Shen Feng nodded and said, "In that case, I will immediately have someone help you with this. Tonight, I will first go to Rongcheng to find someone for help. After knowing the results, I will directly send a message to Rongcheng, and then I will know the outcome."
Qu Zhaoqian then immediately went to get samples from his aunt and uncle. With their cells, a paternity test could be performed.
Meanwhile, Shen Feng found Chang Jianyi and said, "I'm going to the north. Firstly, it's to avenge my disciples and Xu Xing. Secondly, it's to find Yue Hengyi. He might not be dead yet. He's also my good brother, and I can't stand idly by."
"Since you've made up your mind, then go. But I'm worried that you might be facing a powerful organization of ability users, and you might not be able to retreat unscathed!" Chang Jianyi said with concern.
"Don't worry about this matter. I will find a helper to go with me, and that is Jin Zijue from Rongcheng. Additionally, I will take two of the remaining three evolution crystals. With Li Keyi in Yuzhou, you will not be in danger," Shen Feng said seriously.
Upon hearing Shen Feng's decision, Chang Jianyi understood. Shen Feng now had a plan. Even when facing fierce enemies, he had a way to retreat safely, so she didn't need to worry unnecessarily.
"Then you must be careful in combat. Do not fall into illusions. When encountering enemy attacks, the first thing you should think of is to create distance!" Chang Jianyi also couldn't help but offer these words of advice.
"Don't worry, I understand this. I will definitely not engage in close combat with the opponent!" Shen Feng smiled and set off. He first returned home to find two evolution crystals, then immediately went to Rongcheng and found Jin Zijue there.
The vicinity of Rongcheng was still in ruins. Due to the earthquake, many buildings had collapsed. The casualties were heavy, and the once-prosperous city was now dilapidated. Perhaps in a decade or so, it could regain its vitality, but in the short term, Rongcheng could not recover its strength.
Guo Pinming learned of Shen Feng's arrival and was already waiting to greet him. However, he soon learned that Shen Feng was looking for Jin Zijue, so he quickly notified Jin Zijue to come to Shen Feng. Now, no matter how arrogant Jin Zijue was, he could only bow his head in front of Shen Feng.
Jin Zijue was originally on the same starting line as Shen Feng. However, the subsequent events changed too rapidly. Shen Feng never stopped evolving and had now become the only eighth-tier ability user on Earth. He himself was still merely a sixth-tier ability user. Now, Jin Zijue had to work under Shen Feng and had become Shen Feng's subordinate. Upon seeing Shen Feng, he had no choice but to bow his head.
"I'm prepared to give you an evolution crystal, but first, you need to accompany me to the north!" Shen Feng said with a smile.
Then Shen Feng took out a red crystal from his person and handed it to Jin Zijue. Upon seeing this good item, Jin Zijue excitedly extended his palm and held the evolution crystal. He knew that as soon as he consumed this, he would soon become a seventh-tier ability user.
"Do you need me to go to the north to avenge you? Of course, that's no problem. But is it a bit too much for just the two of us to take action?" Jin Zijue said, very excited about the evolution crystal in his hand. He had also heard about He Qiuan being defeated by people from Mount Lyang. Now, seeing that Shen Feng was going for revenge, he felt that Shen Feng was overusing his abilities.
Shen Feng smiled and said, "I'm not just taking you to fight, but to meet an old friend. For now, you should hurry and evolve. We'll depart tomorrow morning."
Jin Zijue didn't think much of it, thinking to himself, "The so-called old friend is probably Qin Kewei. It's pointless for him to be coy with me now!"
However, Jin Zijue dared not say this out loud. When one is under another's roof, one must bow their head. He respectfully said, "Thank you for the City Lord's gift. I'm going to evolve now."