We Are Not Enemies

Xu Wen eventually persuaded Old Xie and Wang Xiaoshuai to leave. Before parting, after swearing oaths that they would definitely return, the two chose opposite directions and rapidly vanished where the sea level met the horizon.

The Dark Wind Eagle hovered above the ocean. The three of them watched the two fly far away until their figures completely disappeared. Only then did Bi Er’s gaze return to its calm state, resembling a pool of toxic black water as she looked toward Xu Wen:

"You certainly have some nerve!"

"Teleportation consumes a considerable amount of mental energy. You would do well to conserve your strength; losing your energy halfway through would not be pleasant."

Xu Wen calmly closed his eyes. As he spoke, an unprecedented sense of loneliness washed over him.

He knew that from this moment on, he was truly without support. The two women beside him were like Budong’s two eyes. Even though he knew they could not threaten him, he still felt extremely uneasy, so he simply closed his eyes and refused to look at them any longer.

"Hmph!"

Xu Wen’s unreserved sarcasm made Budong angry once more, yet he was forced to withdraw his mental energy from his disciple.

"Ah."

Bi Er’s body staggered with a cry of surprise, and she fell into Ku Er’s arms with one hand clutching her chest—the sudden sensation of regaining control over her own body felt much like falling from a great height.

Opening her dazed eyes, she saw that the Dark Wind Eagle, stripped of its two "large passengers," appeared completely empty and exceptionally unfamiliar. Xu Wen’s complexion also looked remarkably pale, icy, and devoid of the slightest emotion.

"What just happened?"

Bi Er’s face was filled with confusion. As she rubbed her slightly throbbing head, she had no recollection of what had just transpired. However, her mind was far from simple; with a sensitive thought, she guessed that she must have missed something, and something intimately related to her at that!

Ku Er told her in a flat tone that their master was on his way and that she would know everything once he arrived, after which she fell silent and refused to say anything more.

Bi Er glanced at Xu Wen, who sat cross-legged like a statue. Her lips moved a few times, but no sound came out. The three of them once again plunged into a death-like silence.

Before nightfall, Budong indeed caught up with the Dark Wind Eagle.

He glanced at Xu Wen and, without saying another word, landed on the back of the Dark Wind Eagle. Uttering a single word of departure, the group of four silently resumed their journey, flying inland toward the southeast.

For a day and a night, the four of them scarcely spoke a single word.

Xu Wen remained like a wooden sculpture; Budong occupied himself by inspecting the spoils of war he had acquired from several nine-star powerhouses, while the two disciples sat quietly in the back, saying nothing.

It was not until fishing boats and the mainland gradually appeared on the sea surface that subtle changes appeared in the expressions of all four.

...

"Damn bureaucrats, they've raised taxes again."

"Captain Yang, how many times have we put out to sea this month?"

On the deck of a slowly moving fishing boat, a dozen fishermen stood or leaned against the bow, sighing and cursing the bureaucrats who had forced them out to sea to labor yet again.

Click!

Old Yangtou, the owner of the fishing boat, took a puff of his pipe and sighed:

"The Dark Empire's invasion this fierce has been devastating. It's already a miracle that our Fengwu Kingdom has managed to survive this calamity of war, so stop complaining." His sturdy fishing boat was joined by a dozen fishing families who made their living by the sea, possessing fine aquatic skills and ample experience, making them quite renowned in Jingwan Port.

Normally, putting out to sea once or twice a month allowed them to rest for the better part of a month while ensuring that every household on board had plenty of food and clothing. Recently, however, life had grown increasingly difficult. This was already their fifth time at sea this month, and with such high frequency, it was no wonder everyone was grumbling.

"That's right, I heard that even a powerhouse like the Qingyun Empire now has half its territory in the hands of the Dark Empire, and they have to rely on the Crimson Alliance to barely fend off the Dark Empire's invasion. Us suffering a little hardship is nothing... As long as our families are safe and sound, a bit of hardship and a few more trips out to sea really isn't a big deal."

The others nodded in succession.

Fishermen of simple nature could sometimes be stubbornly honest and endearing.

"Dad! Dad!"

A crisp child's voice suddenly rang out from the stern of the boat. Several children leaped joyfully out of the cabin and ran onto the deck, pointing excitedly at the sky above and shouting:

"Birds!"

"Big birds! Dad, look!"

A group of fishermen smiled indulgently, casting benevolent glances at an eight-year-old child carved of jade: "Little Jin, it's not your first time at sea, haven't you seen enough sea birds yet?"

"When we catch some fish later, I'll give you a whole basin to play with the sea birds." "Haha!"

Little Jin's small face turned red. While tugging at the hem of a fisherman's clothes, he stubbornly pointed at the sky, continuing to cry out for his dad: "Not sea birds! Very big birds! Look! They're coming down!"

"Yeah!" Several other children nodded vigorously as well.

"Very big birds?"

Old Yangtou finally revealed a trace of surprise.

Just as he was about to raise his head to look, a fierce gale suddenly whipped up, and a dark cloud swooped down directly above the fishing boat, buffeting the vessel violently and causing the little kids to sway unsteadily. Thanks to the fishermen who scrambled to grab them, none of them tripped and fell to injury.

"Little Black!"

With a crisp, clear rebuke, the violent wind abruptly ceased.

Only then did the fishermen notice that above the boat, a giant black eagle with a wingspan of over ten meters had somehow appeared. Its gaze was sharp, and it stared at the people on the vessel with an extraordinary, majestic presence.

"A magical beast?"

The fishermen shrank back instinctively, shielding the children behind them with tense expressions.

After all, Old Yangtou was experienced and knowledgeable. Unlike the younger fishermen who panicked, he put down his tobacco pipe and pouch, cupped his fists respectfully, and cautiously inquired: "This old man is a fisherman from Jingwan Port. Might my lords have any instructions?" He had already seen several men and women sitting atop the Dark Wind Eagle; judging by their attire, they should be rather formidable adventurers or mercenaries.

Anyone capable of subduing such a fierce and majestic flying magical beast must possess considerable strength and status.

"Jingwan Port? What kind of place is that?"

A voice came from atop the Dark Wind Eagle. It did not belong to the young man from earlier; this voice sounded somewhat aged, yet the tone carried an air of superiority that even high-ranking military generals lacked, along with a commanding presence that could not be ignored.

Old Yangtou’s bowed body lowered a fraction more. Not daring to draw a full breath, he honestly replied: "Replying to my lord, Jingwan Port is a small seaside town in Laisang County of the Fengwu Kingdom. Its fame is negligible, so it is only natural that my lord has not heard of it."

"Fengwu Kingdom? Which country is this?"

Atop the Dark Wind Eagle, Budong frowned inwardly.

Hearing this, Xu Wen shook his head repeatedly and could not help but issue a sarcastic remark: "To think a dignified nine-star dark mage lacks even the most basic geographical common sense?"

"..." Budong glanced at him sideways without losing his temper:

"A cultivator focuses entirely on cultivation; how would they have the leisure to care about so many trivial matters? On the other hand, do you actually happen to know about the Fengwu Kingdom?"

"The Fengwu Kingdom is merely a medium-tier weapon-exporting nation. It borders several countries including the Qingyun Empire and the Crimson Alliance, and is separated from the Dark Empire you wish to return to by at least twenty thousand miles." As Xu Wen spoke, a faint smile appeared on his face. A journey of over twenty thousand miles, even relying entirely on the Dark Wind Eagle’s speed, would take at least ten days and nights to complete, not to mention having to fly through the airspace of several nations along the way—how could it possibly be smooth and unobstructed?

Budong’s eyebrows twitched upon hearing this.

"You certainly possess a thorough understanding of the Soul Continent's geography."

"I know a thing or two, just slightly better than certain people who know nothing at all." Xu Wen looked straight ahead, his tone of feigned modesty laced with sarcasm, causing the two women behind him to want to laugh yet unable to do so.

"Heh."

Whether because his harvest on this trip had been overly bountiful and lifted his spirits, or because he was pleased that Xu Wen was back under his control, Budong repeatedly ignored the disrespect in Xu Wen’s tone and continued with a smile:

"Then let me ask you, in which direction are the Qingyun Empire and the Crimson Alliance, and how far are they from the Fengwu Kingdom?"

"Oh, I almost forgot. What you most wish to do right now should be to find a quiet place to consume the blood coral worm. Whether you return to your country or not is of little consequence to you; the most important thing is to ensure you are not disturbed by powerhouses of the same rank." Xu Wen’s voice was lowered significantly, sounding almost nasal. He certainly did not want these words to bring death and disaster to the innocent fishermen below.

"Talking to a smart person certainly saves a lot of trouble."

Budong laughed heartily and glanced down at the fishermen below:

"Since I need to find a place anyway, to avoid drawing attention, we might as well take their fishing boat to enter the country and live in seclusion in the Fengwu Kingdom for a while."

"..."

No sooner said than done, Budong swept forward, appearing on the deck like a ghost.

After all, Old Yangtou had spent decades at sea and his discernment was not lacking. Knowing that someone capable of flight possessed terrifying strength, how could he dare show the slightest objection to Budong’s request? He hurriedly abandoned his fishing operations, accommodated the group of four from the Dark Wind Eagle, and turned the boat around to head back.

Only the little children were extremely excited by the arrival of the strange guests, chasing after the pretty elder sister and asking where the big bird had gone.

"Child."

The cabin was very small. Budong personally brought Xu Wen into one of the rooms, and his very first sentence was: "Do you know the real reason why I have tolerated you all the way here?" With that, he stared intently at Xu Wen with a smiling expression.

"Rejuvenation Pill."

"That is only one of them, but you still lack the qualifications to act arrogantly in front of my eyes." Budong slowly shook his head, then continued: "The real reason I tolerate you is because my disciple told me that besides fire magic, you are also proficient in necromancy. This proves that the gap between us is not all that vast, and we do not necessarily have to interact in a hostile posture, do we?" Necromancers were intolerable to the vast majority of nations on the Soul Continent; from the moment his identity as a necromancer was exposed, Xu Wen was destined to be spurned by all nations outside the Dark Empire.

"I don't mind telling you, I study necromancy solely to kill a necromancer."

Xu Wen’s words were astonishing.

Budong was clearly stunned and couldn't help asking: "Who?"

"Specter."

Budong couldn't help shaking his head: "The person you want to kill is a nine-star high-tier necromancer." The implication was self-evident.

"I know."

Xu Wen’s expression remained unchanged; he was more aware than anyone else of just how terrifying a nine-star necromancer was.

"I'm not trying to crush your spirit, but even if I consume the blood coral worm, and even if I enter the demonized state, I would absolutely never provoke such an opponent. In this lifetime... you will never kill him."

"Not necessarily."

Xu Wen gave Budong a calm look: "If I were you, I wouldn't waste a heaven-sent natural treasure like the blood coral worm so carelessly. The essence of two blood coral worms can be refined into at least six Dragon Soul Pills. Each Dragon Soul Pill grants at least one tier of cultivation breakthrough, and if you're lucky, you can gain even more..."

"..."

"How about this, we strike an agreement: I will help you refine the Dragon Soul Pills, and in the future, you will assist me in killing Specter."

When he finished speaking, Xu Wen noticed that Budong was looking at him suspiciously, as if gazing at an idiot.

(To be continued)