West Capital City, Qinling Mountain Range.
Qin Feng woke up early as usual, sitting outside the cave to meditate and cultivate Essence Qi.
In the morning forest, Plant and Tree Essence Qi and Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi are most abundant—it's the best time for cultivation.
He had been cultivating here with his master for over twenty years, and was already a cultivator at the Heart Movement Realm. If he could break through to the Golden Core Realm, condensing a Golden Core in his Divine Sea, it would be a qualitative leap.
Unfortunately, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was scarce, and this step was just impossible to take for now.
The morning sun draped this Primitive Forest in golden gauze, weaving a shimmering cloak atop the Qinling.
A jeep sped along the mountain road, winding through turn after turn, and finally stopped by a cliffside.
A young man and three burly men stepped out of the car, all of them decked out in suits and ties.
The young man was tall and strong, with sword-shaped brows, sharp eyes, and handsome features—at first glance, you'd think he was some Hong Kong or Taiwan celebrity.
The three sturdy men were intimidating as well, their faces wide and coarse, calloused fists revealing their practiced martial roots.
They carried a sack from the back seat; with a glance from the young man, the burly men immediately opened it up.
A delicate face emerged from within, mouth sealed with tape, humming angrily at the young man.
Short hair, straight nose, almond-shaped eyes.
She was an exceptionally pretty girl, dressed in a white chiffon dress, but tightly bound with ropes.
The young man lit a cigarette, taking a few pensive drags as he gazed over the distant cliff, then turned back to fix a cold stare on the girl. "What a shame—so beautiful, but a cop!"
He gestured for the strong men to rip off the tape from the girl's mouth.
The girl's almond eyes widened in anger, glaring and snapping, "Shi Yong, your evil deeds will catch up to you!"
Shi Yong just laughed instead of getting angry, his tone flat. "Lin Nan, you're just a low-ranked officer at the Southern City Police Station. Why poke your nose into my business? To investigate me, you came up with all sorts of tricks—even became my girlfriend. I really don't get it, going to all that trouble, what for?"
Lin Nan gritted her sparkling teeth. "For justice! For fairness! For the law to punish scum like you!"
Shi Yong chuckled, clapping mockingly. "Justice? Fairness? Are you naïve or just cute?"
He took two deep drags of his cigarette, then cursed loudly, "Is there any fucking justice or fairness in this society? I used to believe in justice and fairness, but I ended up worse off than a dog—couldn't even take care of my own woman. Later, I figured it out: no money, no power, no background—only your own fists let you survive in this world!"
"So that's why you sell drugs and ruin people?"
Lin Nan sneered in disgust.
"That's fucking right, that's exactly why!"
Shi Yong sneered, pulling out a pistol from his jacket. With a "click," he released the safety and pressed the muzzle against Lin Nan's head.
Lin Nan showed no fear, pushing her petite frame forward and asked,"How did you find out who I really was?"
Shi Yong smirked with pride. "It's just a bad guy's instinct. Only a woman with an ulterior motive would refuse to sleep with me!"
"You scumbag!"
Lin Nan cursed, then suddenly rolled forward, flipping nimbly to slam into Shi Yong.
She'd practiced martial arts since childhood, and had trained three years at the police academy. With this collision, she was confident she could take Shi Yong down with her.
Indeed, her sudden assault caught even the three burly men behind her off guard.
But as she crashed into Shi Yong's abdomen, Lin Nan suddenly sensed something was off.
Because, in that instant, Shi Yong's lower belly suddenly swelled like a ball.
This sort of Qi Gong, Lin Nan had seen on her police team's instructor before.
In a flash, Shi Yong spun his body, performing a Cloud Hand technique and flinging Lin Nan off the cliff.
The three strong men rushed forward, staring into the misty abyss below with a gasp, apologizing endlessly, "Big Brother, we're useless. We let you get startled!"
Shi Yong flicked his cigarette butt off the cliff, patting one henchman on the shoulder and chuckled, "No big deal. Just a woman—can't stir up any Dalang."
With that, he got in the jeep, taking his men and driving away without a second glance.
As she plunged down the cliff, Lin Nan was struck by the bitter thought that her life was about to end before it even truly began.
She'd only just graduated from the police academy, joining the Southern City Police Station in West Capital City as a beat cop.
A month ago, she'd stumbled upon two female students using drugs in a bar restroom.
Following the trail, her investigation led straight to Shi Yong.
She deliberately approached Shi Yong and set things up to become his girlfriend.
But in the process of collecting evidence, Shi Yong discovered her identity and brought her to the mountains to kill her and cover his tracks.
The cliff was over two hundred meters tall. According to free fall physics, in five seconds, she would be nothing but a pile of flesh.
But in the final second, a figure suddenly flashed past her eyes, and the next instant, she felt herself embraced by a strong, warm chest.
"Miss, are you alright?"
A crisp voice sounded right by Lin Nan's ear.
For a moment, Lin Nan's brain short-circuited, eyes shut tight and panicked. "Is this the Yama Hall?"
The voice answered again, "Miss, this is my place, not the Yama Hall. Nothing to be scared of!"
Lin Nan couldn't believe it. Two hundred meters—how could she survive a fall like that?
Without caring what had caught her, she bit hard at "his" arm, testing what it was.
It tasted like human skin and sweat.
She gathered her courage to open her eyes, and was met by a pair of clear eyes—though beneath a mess of hair and dirt. He really did look like a wildman.
She looked down to confirm her suspicion.
This person wasn't even wearing proper clothes, just a wrapping made of animal fur.
"A wildman!"
Lin Nan screamed in panic, struggling to roll out of his embrace and onto the ground.
The "wildman" frowned slightly. "Sorry, I'm not a wildman. My name is Qin Feng!"
"Qin Feng?"
Lin Nan furrowed her brows, forcing herself to stay calm.
Regaining her composure, she complained to Qin Feng, "If you're not a wildman, then why are you dressed like this?"
"You mean this?"
Qin Feng scratched his head with a foolish grin. "I've lived on this mountain my whole life. To fit in with the animals here, I don't wear regular clothes!"
Lin Nan let out a sigh of relief—she'd just been worried Qin Feng was a pervert!
Standing up, she glanced around and hurriedly asked, "Is there a road down the mountain?"
Qin Feng replied, "Sure, but you have to cross a stretch of forest—it's a bit tricky. If you want to leave, I can take you there!"
Lin Nan was instantly excited. "Great! Let's go right now."
She couldn't stand another minute here. With this tall and wild-looking "savage," she just didn't feel safe at all.