128: Chapter 8 Mei Chaofeng

Before long, Disciples of the Iron Palm Sect arrived, but all they found was Qiu Qianren's corpse, his eyes wide with lingering resentment.

On the ground nearby were two lines of small characters: "The killer is Jiang Yichen of the Custody Soul Pavilion!"

The scene immediately fell into an uproar.

Qiu Qianren's confidants instantly shouted for revenge for their Sect Leader.

Others argued that they must first investigate the situation. After all, if this Jiang Yichen could kill even Qiu Qianren, his Martial Arts must be extremely high. The remaining members of the Iron Palm Sect were far inferior to Qiu Qianren; without clarifying the situation, it would be impossible to avenge him.

However, more people suggested taking Qiu Qianren's body back first and placing it within the Forbidden Ground.

Other matters could be discussed later.

Soon, they departed with Qiu Qianren's corpse.

Meng Li, who had been observing from the shadows, saw this and quietly slipped away.

What happened to the Iron Palm Sect next had little to do with him.

If they wanted to find the Custody Soul Pavilion and Jiang Yichen to avenge Qiu Qianren, they would only be chasing shadows. This was because the Custody Soul Pavilion and Jiang Yichen were an assassin organization and a character from a Wuxia game Meng Li had played in his first life; they simply did not exist in this world.

Unless he used that persona again in the future, it would be a miracle if the people of the Iron Palm Sect could find anyone.

With this matter settled, Meng Li returned to the Dream Travel Residence, took a short rest, and set out on his return journey.

This period of travel had not been short. Calculating the time, it was time to go home.

...

Two years later.

In the Great Desert, a solitary moon hung high.

The Dream Travel Residence stood quietly. Four harnessed steeds either rested with closed eyes or leisurely grazed, occasionally letting out a snort.

Meng Li wore a moon-white robe with cloud patterns. With his long hair flowing loose, he reclined on a lounge chair, staring blankly at the moon in the sky.

He had been in the Great Desert for some time now. He had come here for two reasons:

First, to travel.

Second, to see if he could encounter Mei Chaofeng and "borrow" The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual she carried.

Although with his current Martial Arts and foundation, he felt he wouldn't lose to the Five Masters even without the Nine Yin Manual, the same saying applied: for someone who liked collecting, while the quality of the items was important, completeness was also a basic requirement.

However, until now, he had found no trace of Mei Chaofeng.

But according to the information he had gathered, Mei Chaofeng should have already left the Zhao Kings Manor to come to the Great Desert to seek revenge on Guo Jing.

Could it be a stroke of bad timing? Had she not arrived yet, or had she already been scared off by Ma Yu's bluff?

Meng Li muttered to himself, planning to head further north for a bit to see.

If he still didn't encounter her, he would return to the Central Plains.

The matter of the Nine Yin Manual could be dealt with later.

With his mind made up, Meng Li withdrew his wandering thoughts and prepared to return to his room to sleep.

Just then, a figure in black with disheveled hair came leaping swiftly from a distance.

"Who is it?!"

The disheveled figure in black was like a bat. As she approached the Dream Travel Residence, she keenly heard the sound of Meng Li pushing his door open. Her leaping motion came to an abrupt halt, and she stood in place, calling out a sharp, wary question. At the same time, her head tilted slightly in a listening posture, as if capturing the movements of her surroundings.

Meng Li used the moonlight to observe the other party and found it was a woman.

She looked to be about thirty years old, with disheveled hair that hadn't been combed or washed for a long time. Her complexion had a paleness from not seeing sunlight for a while, and there were obvious dark circles under her eyes. Combined, these features made her look somewhat eerie, almost like a ghost.

Her eyes were dim and lifeless. Judging by her behavior, she was likely blind.

Appearing in the Great Desert, a woman, eerie as a ghost, and blind.

Combining these factors, Meng Li instantly guessed her identity—Mei Chaofeng!

He had just been thinking about searching further north and heading home if he couldn't find her, only to encounter her the moment he turned around.

It was truly a case of "Chocolate's mother opening the door for Chocolate"—coincidence to the extreme!

Smiling inwardly, Meng Li asked in return, "And who are you?"

Hearing this response, the woman in black—Mei Chaofeng—was startled.

She had heard the door push earlier and had asked out of caution, but she hadn't been entirely certain. In this Great Desert, most people lived in tents; there were few buildings with doors and windows like in the Central Plains. Moreover, she had traveled through this area before and was certain no one lived here.

Combining these facts, Mei Chaofeng had initially thought the sound she heard was an illusion.

Who would have thought there really was someone! And judging by the voice, a very young person.

But why hadn't she heard the other person's breathing or footsteps?

Could it be...

Thinking of a certain possibility, Mei Chaofeng curled her hands into claws and took a defensive stance. "Are you a person or a ghost?"

Meng Li smiled and said, "A person, naturally. If ghosts were coming for you, it wouldn't be just one, but a whole crowd."

"That's true. After all, many souls have died at the hands of me and my 'Bandit'." Mei Chaofeng gave a cold laugh and then asked, "Who are you?"

Bandit?

Hearing this address, Meng Li's brow twitched slightly.

It was confirmed; she was indeed Mei Chaofeng.

Because this form of address was unique to Mei Chaofeng and Chen Xuanfeng; she called him "Bandit," and he called her "Thief Wife."

Facing Mei Chaofeng's question, he looked at the Dream Travel Residence and replied, "Meng Li, a traveler of the world who enjoys collecting Martial Arts."

Meng Li?

Mei Chaofeng thought for a moment but found she hadn't heard the name before, so she didn't think much of it.

After she and Chen Xuanfeng betrayed Peach Blossom Island, they were hunted by many Martial Forest figures gathered by the implicated Lu Chengfeng, forcing them to flee to the Great Desert. Eventually, they encountered the Jiangnan Seven Monsters, and Chen Xuanfeng accidentally died at the hands of Guo Jing. She fled again, ending up at the Zhao Kings Manor in the Jin Kingdom, where she was taken in by Yang Kang.

Not long ago, she felt that her Nine Yin White Bone Claw had reached Major Achievement and she no longer feared the combined strength of the Jiangnan Six Monsters. Thus, she returned to the Great Desert to seek revenge on the Six Monsters and Guo Jing.

Who would have thought she would encounter the "Seven Masters of Quanzhen."

The Seven Masters of Quanzhen were Disciples of the Divine Ability Wang Chongyang, yet they had not received the true legacy of profound Martial Arts like the Innate Skill or the Nine Yin Manual.

In terms of individual strength, even against Qiu Chuji, who had the highest Martial Arts, she was not afraid.

However, when the Seven Masters joined forces, they not only had numbers but also a combined attack Formation passed down by Wang Chongyang called the "Big Dipper Formation." Once The Seven Masters of Quanzhen deployed this Formation, they could unite the strength of seven people into one. It was said they could briefly contend with any of the current Four Masters.

Even with her Nine Yin White Bone Claw at Major Achievement, Mei Chaofeng was far from being their match.

Therefore, she could only flee. She hadn't expected to encounter Meng Li halfway through her escape.

Seeing that she didn't know Meng Li, Mei Chaofeng did not intend to linger.

Because she was plotting her next revenge, and also because she sensed something strange from Meng Li's lack of breathing and footstep sounds, she did not want to provoke him.

Seeing her about to leave, Meng Li spoke up, "Wait a moment."

"Judging by your appearance, you must be the Iron Corpse, Mei Chaofeng, one of the Twin Killers of the Dark Wind."

"I have heard that The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual is with you. I would like to borrow it for a look. I wonder if you could grant me this convenience?"

"No!"

Seeing Meng Li plotting for The Lower Volume of the Nine Yin Manual on her person, Mei Chaofeng's expression turned cold, and she resolutely refused.

If she hadn't felt that Meng Li was not simple, she wouldn't have just refused; she would have attacked directly.

"Then, how about we make a trade?"

...