Ma Liang was correct to assume Ming Feizhen ordered him to endanger Su Xiao to provide Su Xiao with a chance to develop experience fighting alone. After subduing Ma Liang and company, Ma Liang’s spear inspired Ming Feizhen to request Yu Feiyuan’s aid in protecting Su Xiao and Shen Yiren, coming out when Su Xiao needed help, since Su Xiao wasn’t a match for them.
If Shen Yiren took her abilities up another notch, the girl group had a distinct probability of being the toughest group on the island.
“I see. So that happened to Brother Feizhen,” Yu Feiyuan commented once she heard Su Xiao’s recount, trying to feign ignorance as best as she could.
Huofeng cleared her throat to prompt Yu Feiyuan and then dimpled: “Brother Su, we all know each other, and we are family with Mount Daluo, so we how about we team up?”
“That would be fantastic! We will be safe as long as Wutong Jin Yuxuan is with us!”
“Having said that, I have another suggestion.”
“My ears are yours.”
“According to what you told us, Ming Feizhen will be bedridden for the next three days and may require half a month to recover.”
“Yes, his injuries are bad and likely needs more than three days to recover.”
“That being the case, he can’t travel with us. If travelling aggravates his injuries, his life will be in peril.”
“But… What if someone comes here?”
“It sounds like you don’t know the rules. Do you know what they attacked you for? Do you know why your escort sticks to you?”
“For… a weapon?”
“Precisely. They just want Ming Feizhen’s broadsword.”
“Are you referring to the burnt stick?”
“Uh, yes, yes, that’s the one.” Huofeng pinched the top of her nose. “The rule of issuing challenges here is dependent on the location of a sect’s weapon. If you’re in possession of it, they’ll come for us instead of Ming Feizhen.”
“Ah, I see, I see… Still, we cannot just leave him here for the next three days…”
“I have a solution.” Huofeng presented a brocade box. “This is my sect’s life preservation soul retrieval pill. If the name doesn’t give it away, it’s as close to resurrection as you’ll get, but it requires the consumer to rest for three days. During the three days, they stop breathing and cannot be distracted. I’m going inside to feed him and bury him in a hole now so that nobody can find him. We’ll return to dig him out after three days. What do you say?”
It went without saying that it wasn’t Huofeng who knew Su Xiao’s character so well to have an answer for nothing.
As the group was some distance from the cavern entrance, Ming Feizhen didn’t have any hassle sneaking out. He whistled at a desolate location and then waited for Wugufengdeng to heed his call.
Although animals didn’t like Ming Feizhen, he did learn how to communicate with rodents under Hong Jiu’s tutelage – to an extent and provided Hong Jiu trained them. In saying that, Wugufengdeng didn’t respond to Ming Feizhen’s call at any given moment because they were close but because the former was terrified of Ming Feizhen.
“Good boy.” Ming Feizhen picked up Wugufengdeng to pet. “Don’t quiver. Don’t quiver. I need you to help me find Second. Let’s get going. We have a lot of places to go to. Any opinion, Wugufengdeng?”
Wugufengdeng: Can I not go?!
The conversation Ming Feizhen had with Wugufengdeng as they sneaked back to shore would likely have an animal welfare association on his case for animal cruelty. Ming Feizhen was ready to drug Shen Yiren into facing her problems if it came down to it so that he could run off to other islands. Thankfully, the ambush gave him an alternative approach. Things didn’t work out because he had a genius plan; he was just unbelievably lucky this time.
“Boss needs to learn how to stop acting tough so much. Why push herself into a corner all the time, agreed?”
Can I just leave?! Why does my opinion even matter?!
Unlike Su Xiao, Shen Yiren wouldn’t fall for the pill gimmick. That being said, she wouldn’t dig him out of the hole, either. After all, what if disturbing him during the three day window really did harm him? Ming Feizhen, having healed to almost a hundred percent, could just return three days later and await rescue in the hole.
“I’m a genius. Only I’d come up with such a genius idea,” Ming Feizhen preened.
“Feizhen?”
Ming Feizhen shivered, affording Wugufengdeng an opportunity to slip away.
“Y-you… already recovered?”
Ming Feizhen was so occupied trying to understand Wugufengdeng that he didn’t notice Shen Yiren was tailing him.
“What… are you… boarding the boat for?”
I’m a genius. Only I’d come up with such a genius idea to shoot myself in the foot!