Chapter 48: Endless Steps, Always by Your Side

  "When was the last time?"

  Ning Feng was leaning against the edge of the pool with a happy smile, thinking about when he last saw it full.

  "It's done, the first section of Taiyang Bone has been cast, and I've entered the Taiyang Method."

  "That feeling..."

  The gentle breeze couldn't help but close his eyes, savoring the endless expressions.

  After a while, he opened his eyes, and his face was full of hesitation: "Want to... want to... want to..."

  Ning Feng felt as if there were seven or eight monkeys, taking his heart as a peach and scratching it vigorously, itching unbearably.

  "I've had enough!"

  "Endure it!"

  Ning Feng almost gritted his teeth with determination, and fiercely turned his head away, not looking at the rippling golden waves.

  "I have already cast the first section of the Sun Bone, and what follows is just a matter of gradual progress. To say that one step is more difficult than another, this pool of golden water may not necessarily allow me to advance further."

  "Endure, hold on, and survive."

  Her eyes were flashing with golden light, and she endured it again.

  Anyway, there's no one around, so he doesn't have to worry about people laughing at him. He spins around 180 degrees, from facing the Golden Pond to having his butt face it, and then pretends not to see anything.

  "Wait for the second one, the second golden opportunity."

  The fists were clenched and the mind was made up.

  "This time abroad, I will wholeheartedly complete the tasks assigned by Master, without dividing my attention, of course, fame is to be sought."

  Ning Feng snapped his fingers as he calculated, "When I return to Tianyun Peak, I won't dare say more, but at least two pools, right?"

  "By then..."

  He can already think of exhausting two pools with his Sun Method, or starting to cultivate in the initial stage of Qi Refining. How far can he suddenly advance?

  "When the time comes, it will surely surprise everyone and create a big stir."

  "It's settled then."

  Ning Feng suddenly stood up and with a speed as swift as lightning, he stepped out of the Jiukong Stone Boundary.

  Can't take it anymore if I stay here...

  "Wow!"

  Ning Feng sat cross-legged on the bed, opened his eyes, and then put away the Jiuyan Stone like a snake sloughing off its skin. He was just one step away from learning Shu Baili's phrase "Guanyin Ru Lai Fo" to clear his mind.

  Whenever he thinks of Shu Baili, Ning Feng can't help but laugh. Where did this guy learn to say such things? Isn't he afraid that the Bodhisattva and Buddha would be dragged down by his words and get angry enough to kill him with a single finger?

  "Ta-da-da~"

  Suddenly, a knock at the door came in, which was not much bigger than a mosquito.

  Ning Feng immediately knew who it was from the sound of the knock on the door, which came from about the height of his thigh.

  For some reason, I thought of Da Yu's small mouth stuffed with rice cakes, and one hand holding clothes and rice cakes, the other waving goodbye, and a smile involuntarily climbed onto his face.

  The wind opened the door, and it was indeed Da Yu who came in.

  She slipped in stealthily and slammed the door shut with a "bang", patting her chest with her small hand, exhaling a sigh of relief.

  Looking at Xiaoyao doing thieving, Ning Feng couldn't help but want to laugh, rubbing her head and asking: "What's wrong, little girl? Are you looking for big brother for something?"

  The big girl twisted her head, shook off the devil's palm, and seemed to be angry that her brother had messed up her hair and pouted.

  The little girl's face was round and chubby like a bun, when she got angry, there was no intimidating aura at all. Ning Feng couldn't help but rub her cheeks a few more times.

  "Big brother."

  The big girl couldn't escape, so she didn't struggle and mysteriously said: "You know magic, right?"

  Ning Feng nodded, this is true, although still very inexperienced.

  "You can beat the monster." Da Ya waved her lotus-like arm, adding persuasive power, "Others have seen it."

  "Hmm!"

  The wind blows in harmony with the earth's heavy heartbeat.

  Da Ya immediately felt at ease and leaned in, whispering: "Big brother, my grandma might have encountered a monster, will you help me?"

  "Monster?"

  Ning Feng put away his playful thoughts and asked seriously: "What's going on? Da Ya, tell me."

  Dà yā shook her little head like a rattle drum and said: "I don't know either, Grandma came back from the county town and slept with me, every day she dreams and shouts 'Monster! Monster!' waking everyone up."

  She hugged Ning Feng's arm and said in a spoiled and pleading tone: "Tomorrow, Grandma is going to follow the peddler's team back to the county town. Big brother, you have to save her, don't let the monster eat Grandma."

  In the end, Xiao Yao's voice was trembling with tears: "At most, at most, from now on, Da Yao won't make a fuss about eating pastries anymore."

  Ning Feng's eyes lit up bit by bit as he listened, and a smile even curled up at the corner of his mouth. Fortunately, there was a height difference between them, otherwise Xiao Liu would have thought that Ning Feng was not trustworthy if she saw his expression.

  "The clue is here."

  Ning Feng thought: "Even without Da Ya, I'm sure there will be other ways for me to find out about this matter."

  "I knew it, Master's level of character, the setup is not easy to escape, let alone find no clues."

  In high spirits, Ning Feng made all sorts of promises to Xiaoyao, finally coaxing her into tears of laughter.

  Little Xiao returned home late at night, but it wasn't a big deal. Seeing her happy, Ning Feng escorted Big Xiao out the door.

  Out of the house, Da Ya and Xiao Daren were uneasy, giving all sorts of instructions, but they were still young after all. They repeated themselves over and over again, just about those few things, Ning Feng's ears almost grew calluses from listening.

  "Ah~"

  The two had just walked out when Da Ya suddenly let out a cry of surprise, then covered her mouth and walked over with her head hung low.

  In front of her, a kind-hearted old lady first stared at Xiaoyu with a glance, then nodded to Ning Feng, still looking like a well-cultivated elderly person.

  Since Xiaoyao's grandmother appeared, Ning Feng was overjoyed and didn't need to send her home, bidding farewell from afar.

  Under the moonlight, with a gentle breeze, one could faintly see that the old lady's neatly combed face had an indelible fatigue, as if something was weighing heavily on her heart, making it hard for her to sleep at night.

  "It seems there is indeed a problem."

  The old lady and her granddaughter walked away, with the wind blowing gently behind them. From a distance, they could still be seen, with the old lady speaking in a low voice, and the little girl hanging her head, looking like she was being scolded, couldn't help but smile.

  After they walked out of sight, Ning Feng saw a sly-looking person pop up, waving at him and then disappearing with a whoosh.

  "Shu Bailin..."

  Ning Feng blinked his eyes and said, "What does he want to do?"

  He really saw it, this old guy popped up in a place that was none other than right under the windowsill.

  Shu Bailin's expression when he left with a wave of his hand, that sly and triumphant look, made it clear without thinking that he had overheard every word of the conversation between him and Xiaoyao.

  "Mind your own business, you'll know tomorrow."

  Ning Feng couldn't figure it out and could only give up, shaking his head as he returned to his room.

  A night without words.

  The next day, when he opened the door and was still sleepy, Shu Bailin appeared again like a ghost.

  Ning Feng was startled, especially when he saw that Shu Bailin's eyes were red like a rabbit's, clearly having not slept all night, and his hair was messy as if he had been to many places. He almost thought he had encountered a monster, but fortunately, the golden talisman stuck on just in time.

  Shu Bailin walked over, a string of whispers, Ning Feng's expression changed bit by bit, and finally his gaze was completely different.

  "Is it really like this?"

  Ning Feng's expression at this moment is similar to the one he had that night by the bonfire when Shu Bailin appeared and a paper charm fell behind him, in short, it can be summed up in four words: looking at him with new eyes.

  "Walk and talk."

  Two people walked while talking, and before they knew it, they had left the inn and were heading straight for the west end of town.

  Ning Feng and Shu Baili had already finished their conversation before they even reached the town entrance.

  Originally, Da Ya's grandmother had been living in the county town all year round. Even in the county town, she was one of the most famous midwives, and she was best at taking care of pregnant women.

  From the time a woman becomes pregnant until she finally gives birth, the old lady is always in charge. No wonder her eyebrows are so beautiful and her eyes are so kind. Perhaps it's because she has helped bring too many new lives into the world and saved too many mothers and children from danger, accumulating great merit as a result.

  She is said to have been frightened for some reason this time and has returned to the town.

  He was stunned for a few days and then called back by his master's family in the county, so he decided to set off early this morning.

  "So it was like that."

  Ning Feng looked at the town entrance, especially the merchant caravan that was about to set off, and couldn't help but feel deeply impressed by how much Shu Bailin had managed to find out in just one night.

  At the same time, he also understood what Tianyunzi's arrangement was.

  It's likely that if Ning Feng hadn't met Da Ya and didn't have the help of someone like Shu Bailin, he would have been able to find out enough evidence to prove this matter in just one night, and it would have spread quickly.

  Even if he didn't catch up with the merchant group today, when he heard the news later, he would still go there, it makes no difference.

  Ning Feng thought to himself as he headed towards the town entrance. The old lady across from him and Da Yu, who had come to see him off, both saw him. Da Yu jumped up, calling out happily and waving his hand, but was immediately slapped on the head by a woman who seemed to be his mother, and became subdued.

  After taking two steps, Ning Feng discovered that Shu Baili had retreated half a step and was closely following behind him, like a tailgater. He asked strangely: "What are you following me for?"

  Shu Bailin was taken aback, and then he cried like a dead mother, with a mournful face: "That's it, old Shu, I'm a rootless floating duckweed, a sourceless flowing water, drifting to wherever, flowing to wherever, who knows where I'll die..."

  "Get to the point..."

  Ning Feng took a deep breath and restrained himself from covering his mouth, of course, the rotten yellow teeth were also an important factor.

  "Wherever you go, it's not as good as following Brother Ning to take a walk and see his heroic appearance." Shu Bailin puffed out her chest and added: "Besides, I'm familiar with all sorts of things, so I'm still useful."

  In the end, that poor thing was like an old cat wagging its tail.

  "Rub ~"

  The wind was blowing again and he had an urge to wipe his sweat, shook his head and continued walking.

  Shu Bailin's mouth immediately cracked a smile, isn't this tacit consent? He understood.

  Yin Feng's reputation in Ganlu Town made it easy for him to travel with the merchant group, and the old lady still bowed from a distance, but her eyes seemed deeper, and her kind face showed a hint of apology, as if she had guessed something.

  Putting aside idle chatter, Ning Feng and Shu Bailin followed the merchant group, bidding farewell to those who had come to see them off, heading in the direction of the county town.

  Bathing in the non-poisonous morning light, Ganlu Town soon became a gradually smaller backdrop. After walking for another short while, it's likely that you won't be able to see it anymore.

  The wind seemed to have a feeling, turned his head and took a look, just saw the town basking in the morning sun, as if it had been coated with a layer of gold, completely different from the bleak and rainy scene when he first arrived.

  "It's all thanks to you, Ning brother, that we were able to get rid of the Stop Step Demon and Gān Lù Town is now like this."

  Shu Baili was moved to speak out, this time it's the truth.

  Ning Feng glanced at him and then gazed deeply at Ganlu Town, sighing: "The Stop Step Demon is endless."

  "Those who stop at the edge of success, unwilling to admit their own shortcomings, will instead try to hold everyone else back from advancing."

  "Perhaps they will be in other places, with different names, not called Stop Witch, but: mature, steady, wise, cautious..."

  "Innumerable faces, can't change the nature, the evil that stops at nothing is inexhaustible, perhaps it's around you and me."

  After speaking, Ning Feng fell silent, Shu Bailin also fell silent, each lost in their own thoughts as the caravan headed towards the distant county town.