42: Chapter 42 Black Wind Pass

Inside the carriage, a sour, rotting stench refused to dissipate.

"Ugh..."

Su Wan and Zhang Yuniang were pale and sallow, each clutching a wooden basin and retching non-stop.

Jiang Feng hadn't expected this.

He had originally assumed that since Cultivators were pregnant, it would just mean a bit more Spiritual Qi in their bellies and should be quite stable. He hadn't expected their reactions to be the same as ordinary women, or even worse, because the jolting stirred up the Spiritual Qi in their wombs.

Yuan Chu leaned lazily against Jiang Feng's chest, looking at him with resentment.

She, however, was not vomiting.

But the carriage pulled by the Wind-Running Colts, even with a stability Formation cast upon it, was still shaking violently.

Given her cultivation level, flying through the air was merely a matter of a single thought.

Yet Jiang Feng wouldn't allow it, insisting she stay obediently in the carriage, claiming it was for the sake of experiencing life.

Experience what? The misery of morning sickness?

Yuan Chu extended a finger, lightly drawing circles on Jiang Feng's solid chest, silently accusing him.

"Bear with it a little longer. Once we pass that checkpoint ahead, we'll find a place to rest."

Jiang Feng patted her mischievous little hand, his tone somewhat helpless.

Jiangyuan City was three thousand li away from Huoyang Commandery; even with the Wind-Running Colts traveling a thousand li a day, it would still take three days.

Seeing that Su Wan and Zhang Yuniang's condition was deteriorating, Jiang Feng immediately decided to stop for a day at the checkpoint ahead.

He would also take the opportunity to see what the world outside Jiangyuan City was really like.

...

An hour later, the carriage slowly drove into a majestic pass.

The checkpoint was built between two perilous peaks. The city walls, cast from black iron rock, were covered in old scars from blades and axes, and the air was filled with a pungent mix of blood and cheap alcohol.

Above the city gate, someone had used a Sharp Weapon to carve three menacing characters—Heifeng Pass.

This was the border between Jiangyuan City and Black Wind City, a true lawless land.

There was no law here, only fists. There were no Cultivator clans, only desperate outlaws.

As soon as the carriage entered the city, gazes latched onto it, examining the luxurious carriage and the spirited Wind-Running Colts again and again, the greed in their eyes undisguised.

Jiang Feng found an inn that looked reasonably clean and stopped.

When Su Wan and Zhang Yuniang were helped off the carriage, their legs were weak, and they could barely stand.

Jiang Feng settled them into a guest room to rest and had Young Master Jiang Chen guard the door to prevent anyone from approaching.

"Husband, let's go out and play!"

Yuan Chu had been cooped up in the carriage for a day and a night and had long since lost her patience.

Hearing she could move about freely, she became very excited, hooked her arm through Jiang Feng's, and headed toward the street.

"Slow down, slow down. You are also a pregnant woman."

Jiang Feng stumbled as she pulled him along, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation.

The two walked side by side along the chaotic streets of Heifeng Pass.

Although Yuan Chu wore a veil, hiding the face that could topple nations, her ethereal and holy aura, along with her exquisite curves faintly visible beneath her fairy-like robes, made her stand out even more in this filthy place.

For a moment, the gazes of the men on the street were almost all fixed upon her.

When they saw Jiang Feng beside Yuan Chu—with his graying hair, restrained aura, and appearance of an ordinary old man—those awestruck gazes instantly turned into undisguised jealousy and contempt.

"Husband, did you see that? Your wife's charm cannot be hidden anywhere."

Yuan Chu's telepathic transmission carried a hint of small triumph.

Jiang Feng's eye twitched.

This girl was afraid the world wouldn't be chaotic enough.

Sure enough, trouble didn't need to be sought; it would deliver itself to one's doorstep.

Three burly men, chests exposed and reeking of alcohol, swayed as they blocked the path.

The leader had a centipede-like scar on his face, and his triangular eyes swept wantonly over Yuan Chu.

"Little girl, what's the point of accompanying an old thing like this who has one foot in the grave?"

The scarred man grinned, his mouth full of yellow teeth making one want to vomit.

"Why not come with us brothers? We guarantee you'll be a bride every night!"

"Get lost."

Jiang Feng spat out a single word, very simple.

"Yo, old thing, your bones are quite hard, eh?" Another burly man stepped forward with a sinister grin, the aura of his Qi Refining seventh-layer cultivation erupting. "If I don't dismantle your old bones to feed the dogs today, you won't know how the words 'Heifeng Pass rules' are written!"

Yuan Chu watched from the side with great interest. Not only was she not the least bit nervous, but she also continued to tease him telepathically: "Husband, they say they want to dismantle your bones. I'm so scared."

Jiang Feng ignored her teasing. He took a step forward.

That step looked slow, even a bit lethargic.

The two burly men who were about to pounce felt the old man's figure suddenly blur, and then, a palm pressed against their chests.

Bang! Bang!

Two crisp sounds of bones breaking made one's scalp tingle.

The two tall Qi Refining seventh-layer Cultivators had their bodies bent backward at a strange angle, flew backward several zhang, and slammed heavily onto the stone road.

They didn't even have time to let out a cry before their chests collapsed completely. Blood mixed with fragments of internal organs sprayed from their mouths and noses, and after twitching twice, they stopped moving entirely.

One move, two lives ended.

In fact, ninety-nine percent of the people around didn't even see if Jiang Feng had moved at all.

The noisy street instantly fell silent.

Those gazes that had been stuck on Yuan Chu now turned entirely into fear and awe, shifting away from Jiang Feng in unison, not daring to look again.

The remaining scarred man's lewd grin froze completely. Cold sweat poured down his temples, and his legs shook like a sieve.

Jiang Feng didn't even look at him, holding Yuan Chu's hand and walking past him calmly.

It wasn't until their backs disappeared around the street corner that the scarred man's legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Husband, that was so imposing!"

Yuan Chu's eyes were full of admiration, and she almost hung off Jiang Feng.

This small episode did not dampen their spirits.

Although Heifeng Pass was chaotic, it was also quite lively.

Street stalls lined both sides of the road, selling all sorts of Medicinal Pills, Magical Artifacts, Talismans, and Yao Beast Materials of unknown origin.

The two walked and stopped, and when they passed a secluded corner, Yuan Chu suddenly stopped.

Her gaze fixed on a cracked, rusty Medicine Cauldron at a stall.

The Medicine Cauldron was only the size of a palm, dark and dull all over, without a shred of Spiritual Qi, and was tossed carelessly in a corner by the stall owner like junk, covered in dust.

"What's wrong?" Jiang Feng looked in the direction of her gaze.

Yuan Chu did not answer, just quietly watching the Medicine Cauldron, a strange luster shining in her eyes.

Jiang Feng felt a stir in his heart.

Yuan Chu's standards were very high; anything that could make her look twice could not possibly be ordinary goods.

He stepped forward, pointed at the Medicine Cauldron, and was about to ask for the price.

A cold, clear female voice rang out from the side without warning.

"I want this Medicine Cauldron."

Jiang Feng turned to look.

A woman, also wearing a veil, was already standing gracefully in front of the stall, though he hadn't noticed when she arrived.

She wore a white dress, her figure tall and statuesque, like a snow lotus.

Although her face couldn't be seen, that cold and aloof temperament seemed completely out of place in this dirty, chaotic street.

Most peculiarly, she carried a faint, fresh fragrance of herbs and plants, clean and pure, which felt very comfortable to smell in this filthy air.