5: The Master of Black Spring Village

The interlude involving the Black Rhinoceros Beast made the team more cautious, but it also subtly eased some of the tension.

After all, the outcome was favorable, and they had gained the Materials of a Bronze Three-star Yao Beast for free.

The gazes directed at Yun Feng, beyond the earlier sympathy, now held a definite implication of him being a "Lucky Star."

Yun Feng was content to maintain the persona of the "Lucky Trash," remaining low-key and observing quietly throughout the journey.

In the evening, the team finally arrived without incident at their destination for this tripBlack Spring Village.

The village was situated in a valley between two low mountains, built around a black spring whose water was rumored to be clear, sweet, and slightly infused with Spiritual Qi.

However, at this moment, a heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the village.

Many villagers were gathered at the entrance, their faces showing fear and anxiety.

Only upon seeing the Yun Family team arrive did they rush forward as if they had seen saviors.

"Esteemed guests of the Yun Family, you have finally arrived!" The old village chief's beard and hair were all white, and tears streamed down his face.

He was about to kneel, but Yun Hao quickly supported him.

"Old man, there is no need for such ceremony.

What happened?

Tell us slowly."

Yun Hao asked calmly.

"It's a Yao Beast!

And not just those small creatures in the woods outside the village!"

The chief's voice trembled.

"It's a Black Scale Leopard!

A Bronze Five-star Yao Beast!

It snuck into the village a few nights ago and carried off two sheep, and last night... last night it even injured a man on watch!

That beast is as fast as a phantom; we are completely helpless against it!"

A Bronze Five-star Black Scale Leopard!

Yun Hao and the two deacons' expressions instantly became serious.

The Black Scale Leopard was known for its speed and stealth capabilities and was extremely aggressive, far more difficult to deal with than the Black Rhinoceros Beast from earlier.

The three of them working together could manage a Bronze Three-star, but facing a Bronze Five-star, their chances of victory were extremely low, and they might even suffer casualties.

The young disciples, whose moods had just relaxed, felt their tension rise again, and the color drained from their faces.

A Bronze Five-star was simply an insurmountable existence for them.

"Village Chief, do you know where that beast usually operates?" Yun Hao asked in a deep voice, already contemplating whether to immediately request aid from the Family or risk attempting to set a trap.

"It's in the pitch-black old forest behind the village.

It's hard to find during the day, and it only comes out at night."

The village chief pointed toward the deeper, darker forest behind the village, which was permeated with faint miasma, and said despairingly, "We cannot afford a powerful Yao Spirit Master, so we can only rely on the esteemed guests of the Yun Family..."

The scene temporarily fell into a deadlock and panic.

Just then, a slightly timid, yet strangely certain voice rang out:

"Um... Village Chief, has the water quality of the Black Spring in your village changed recently?

For example, does it occasionally bubble unusually?

Or does it taste a little astringent when you drink it?"

Everyone looked toward the sound.

The speaker was Yun Feng, who was hiding behind the team, adopting a look of "I am very scared but cannot suppress my curiosity."

The village chief was stunned for a moment and subconsciously replied, "Yes... yes, how did this young esteemed guest know?

It's only been about seven or eight days.

The spring occasionally produces black bubbles, and the water does not taste quite right...

We all thought it was bad luck brought by that Yao Beast..."

Yun Hao frowned and looked at Yun Feng: "Yun Feng, now is not the time to talk about this..."

Yun Feng, however, acted as if he had not heard his cousin's reprimand.

Instead, looking like he had discovered something interesting, he continued "timidly" speaking to the village chief: "Can... can you take me to see the spring?

I... I once read about a kind of symbiotic plant called 'Yin Saliva Grass' in a miscellaneous book in the Family's library.

It likes to grow near Spiritual Springs, and its roots secrete a kind of mucus that Yao Beasts really hate...

Maybe... maybe we can find some clues?"

His words were half-true, half-false.

The true part was that his vast Divine Soul knowledge base indeed contained records of "Yin Saliva Grass," and its root secretions could indeed cause discomfort to some low-level Yao Beasts.

The false part was that he had not read it in any miscellaneous book.

Moreover, he sensed a thread of extremely faint, unusual cold energy fluctuation deep within the spring, which might be related to the Black Scale Leopard's abnormal activity.

Yun Hao originally wanted to scold him for being ridiculous, but seeing the light of hope rekindled in the eyes of the village chief and the villagers, and recalling his "eerie" luck earlier in the day, he swallowed his words.

Forget it; they might as well treat a dead horse as if it were still alive.

"Go quickly and come back fast.

Be careful."

Yun Hao said in a deep voice.

Yun Feng quickly nodded and, led by the village chief, jogged over to the black spring eye bubbling with water in the center of the village.

The spring was not large, and the water was dark but clear to the bottom, where some black pebbles were vaguely visible.

Yun Feng pretended to squat down and stirred the spring water with his hand, but his Divine Sense had already penetrated the bottom of the spring.

Sure enough!

In an extremely hidden crevice on the side wall of the spring, there grew a small clump of inconspicuous aquatic grass with dark purple leaves, emitting a faint cold energy.

It was this energy that attracted the Black Scale Leopard, which favored cold environments, and possibly stimulated its activity.

At the same time, he also "saw" a stone lying quietly next to the clump of Yin Saliva Grass.

It was completely black but had natural silver patterns on its surface.

Most of that unusual energy fluctuation originated from this stone!

[Target scanned: Ordinary Obsidian permeated by trace cold energy.]

[Sublimation Path: Ordinary Obsidian -> Disperse cold energy, activate the latent spiritual nature of the natural patterns within the stone -> Glimmering Evil-Repelling Stone (Black Iron Peak Grade).

No energy consumption required.

Sublimate?]

Yun Feng's heart stirred.

That was it!

He pretended to reach out to scoop up the clump of "Yin Saliva Grass," but his fingers "accidentally" touched the Obsidian.

[Sublimation complete!]

A subtle warm current flashed across the stone.

The silver patterns on its surface seemed to brighten slightly, and the cold energy instantly dissipated, replaced by a gentle aura that calmed the mind.

Yun Feng took the opportunity to scoop up the now somewhat warm Obsidian, along with a few leaves of the Yin Saliva Grass.

He stood up and said to the village chief and Yun Hao, who had followed him and were watching him eagerly: "I... I found it!

It is this kind of grass, and this stone...

The book said that grinding this stone into a powder, mixing it with the grass juice, and sprinkling it around the village should... should have some effect in driving away Yao Beasts."

He spoke with uncertainty, a look of experimentation on his face.

Yun Hao was skeptical but had no better solution at the moment, so he immediately instructed the villagers to follow the directions.

The villagers acted quickly, soon mixing the ground stone powder with the grass juice and sprinkling it in a circle around the village perimeter.

Strangely enough, after the powder was sprinkled, the air seemed to gain a faint, elusive aura that made ordinary wild beasts uneasy.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

The village heightened its vigilance, and everyone was too nervous to sleep.

Yun Hao and the two deacons guarded the village entrance, waiting in full readiness.

Sure enough, in the latter half of the night, a phantom-like black shadow silently appeared in the woods outside the village, its crimson eyes fixed intently on the village.

It was the Bronze Five-star Black Scale Leopard!

It paced restlessly at the edge of the woods, attempting to rush into the village several times.

But as soon as it approached the area sprinkled with powder, it recoiled with a low growl, as if pricked by invisible needles, appearing extremely wary and irritated.

After pacing for nearly half an hour, the Black Scale Leopard was still unable to break through the "barrier."

It finally let out a few unwilling roars, turned, and disappeared into the depths of the dense forest.

"It worked!

It really worked!"

The villagers on watch cheered, relieved to have survived the ordeal.

Yun Hao and the two deacons exchanged glances, both seeing disbelief in the other's eyes.

They looked toward Yun Feng, who was currently leaning against the wall, wrapped in a blanket and "sleeping soundly" (in reality, he could not be bothered with the commotion outside), and their expressions changed completely.

Once was luck, but twice?

This kid... could he really be an unrecognized talent with specialized knowledge?

What exactly was that "miscellaneous book"?

The next morning, as the news spread, Yun Feng immediately became the "Lucky Star" and "Hidden Master" in the eyes of the entire village and the Yun Family team.

The villagers thanked him profusely, and the Yun Family disciples looked at him with even more admiration and curiosity.

"Brother Yun Feng, he is amazing!

What was the name of that miscellaneous book?" Yun Qiao blinked her large eyes, her face full of adoration.

Yun Feng scratched his head and showed a simple, honest smile: "The name... I forgot the name.

I just remember it had many strange grasses and stones drawn inside."

The more vague he was, the more mysterious he appeared in everyone's eyes.

Yun Hao walked up to him, patted his shoulder heavily, and spoke with unprecedented seriousness: "Yun Feng, we owe you this time!

When we return, I will definitely report his contribution to the Elder Council!"

Yun Feng quickly waved his hand: "Brother Hao, he exaggerates.

I was just lucky and happened to remember..."

He felt secretly delighted.

This feeling of manipulating everything behind the scenes and hiding his merit and fame was truly satisfying!

Moreover, he still held the "Glimmering Evil-Repelling Stone" that had been sublimated.

Carrying this item with him in the future meant that ordinary poisonous insects, miasma, and low-level evil spirits probably would not dare to approach him.

The crisis at Black Spring Village was "casually" resolved by Yun Feng in a way no one expected.

The Yun Family team set off on their return journey amid the villagers' profuse thanks.

And Yun Feng's reputation as a "Lucky Star" and "Knowledgeable Scholar (Miscellaneous Book Edition)" also began to quietly spread among the younger generation of the Yun Family.