On the way back, the moonlight was like water, spilling over the vast wilderness.
Lin Feng rode the Great-Horned Deer at the front, the Wildfire Spear strapped to his back, the ancient seal characters on its shaft flowing slowly under the moonlight.
Behind him, Zhao Hu, Shadow Snake, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, Su Yurou, A Wang, and Scarface Liu followed on their deer.
Further back, five hundred Beacon Guards marched in three columns, their steps synchronized and silent as iron.
ng Yi walked at the very front of the troop, with six Centurions flanking him, their halberds pointing diagonally toward the night sky.
"Lord, why do you think there was a map hidden in that stronghold?"
Tie Dun sat on his deer, clutching a piece of jerky he had scavenged from the stronghold, chewing until his mouth was slick with grease.
"Is that Yellow Turban Army really planning to attack our Beacon Fire Town?"
Lin Feng didn't look back, his voice flat: "It doesn't matter if they plan to attack; what matters is that we attacked them first."
Tie Dun chuckled: "That's true! Over three thousand people, and you wore them down by yourself for two days. In the end, we just went up to finish things off."
Lord, your way of fighting is just too unfair!"
Zhao Hu slapped the back of his head: "Watch your mouth. That's the Lord's tactics!"
Tie Dun rubbed the back of his head, looking aggrieved: "I didn't say it wasn't a tactic..."
Wang Wu couldn't help but laugh, and Arrow Eye shook his head with a smile.
Su Yurou rode her deer in the middle of the group, holding her blue crystal staff. The moonlight fell on her face, softening her delicate features.
She watched Lin Feng's back from ahead, lost in thought.
A Wang and Scarface Liu followed silently on either side.
They were n of few words, but both had smiles on their faces tonight. Who wouldn't be happy after winning a battle?
"Lord," Zhao Hu urged his deer forward two steps to pull level with Lin Feng, "is that Class Change Book dropped by the Yellow Turban Ritualist for a healing class?"
Lin Feng nodded: "Yellow Turban Ritualist, a rare class, healing type."
Surprise flashed in Zhao Hu's eyes: "A rare Healer? That's much stronger than a normal Healer."
Lin Feng didn't respond, only tilting his head slightly, his peripheral vision sweeping over Su Yurou behind him.
Su Yurou seed to sense sothing and looked up, eting Lin Feng's gaze.
Lin Feng had already turned back.
"Pick up the pace," he suddenly said. "We're heading back to Beacon Fire Town tonight."
Everyone was taken aback. Tie Dun grumbled: "Lord, it's the middle of the night, what's the rush..."
Before he could finish, the moonlight suddenly changed.
It wasn't a gradual darkening, but as if soone had splashed a bucket of fresh blood across the sky.
A thick, piercing, heart-palpitating red. The moonlight fell, dyeing the entire earth a dark crimson.
Everyone's faces, bodies, and weapons were covered in an eerie blood-colored hue.
The Great-Horned Deer let out uneasy low cries, their steps becoming erratic.
The five hundred Beacon Guards stopped simultaneously; so looked up, so gripped their weapons, and so gasped in low voices.
"What... what is this?!" Tie Dun dropped his jerky, staring up at the sky with his mouth wide enough to fit an egg.
Zhao Hu's face was grim as he stared intently at that blood moon. Wang Wu and Arrow Eye exchanged a look, both seeing the unease in each other's eyes.
A Wang and Scarface Liu instinctively moved closer to Su Yurou, their hands resting on their sword hilts.
Su Yurou covered her mouth, her eyes filled with horror. In her eighteen years of life, she had never seen such a moon.
Shadow Snake erged from the shadows and looked up at the sky. A rare look of gravity flickered in her usually cold eyes.
"Lord..." Zhao Hu's voice was very low, "This is..."
Lin Feng didn't answer imdiately.
He reined in his Great-Horned Deer and looked up at the blood moon. The moonlight fell on his face, dyeing his features a dark red.
His expression showed no change, but his fingers gripping the reins tightened slightly.
Then, his pupils suddenly constricted.
Deep inside his body, sothing was waking up. It wasn't power or a skill, but the talent that had been with him since the first day of his awakening: the Eye of Probability.
It was heating up, scorching his soul, as if resonating with that blood moon.
A line of golden text that only he could see appeared before his eyes—not one line, but two.
The first line was old and was being overwritten by the new one.
【Talent: Eye of Probability (Unique)】
【Old Effect: Once every thirty days, you can designate a kill-drop item (ignores original probability, but the original probability cannot be 0). Charges: 1/1】
【New Effect: Consu probability pool points to increase the base drop probability of a designated item. Every 1% probability costs 1 point. 100 points are restored every thirty days. Points can accumulate. Current probability pool: 0】
【Example: If an item has a base drop probability of 20%, consuming 30 probability pool points can increase it to 50%. Remaining probability pool: 70 points.】
Lin Feng was stunned.
The Eye of Probability had evolved.
It had changed from "Designated Drop" to "Adjust Probability." The ceiling was higher now; whereas before he could only get one item, now he could split the usage, making it much more flexible.
When encountering items with high drop rates, he could secure them with a small number of points.
For items with low drop rates, he could stack it up to 100%.
Of course, even if the probability was stacked to 90%, there was still a possibility of getting nothing.
The evolution ca too suddenly. And it happened exactly when this blood moon appeared.
He looked up, gazing at the sky again. The blood moon still hung high, dyeing the whole world dark red.
Its appearance had changed his talent. What about other things? The monsters in the Nightmare World? The lords of other territories? Those ancient beings slumbering in unknown corners?
A sense of unease like never before welled up in Lin Feng's heart.
"Full speed ahead," his voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly. "Back to Beacon Fire Town."
No one asked questions. The Great-Horned Deer accelerated into a gallop, and the five hundred Beacon Guards shifted from a walk to a run. The sound of their footsteps echoed like muffled thunder across the blood-colored wilderness.
No one spoke during the journey. The blood moon hung in the sky, silently watching the troop, stretching everyone's shadows very, very long.
At midnight, the silhouette of Beacon Fire Town finally appeared in their sight.
Torches on the walls were still burning, and the sentries on the watchtowers blew their horns imdiately upon seeing the troop.
The city gates slowly opened, the firelight illuminating the gateway, warm and steady.
Lin Feng charged into the city first on his deer. Behind him, the troop entered in single file.
The gates closed after the last Beacon Guard entered. The heavy bolt dropped with a dull thud.
Lin Feng dismounted and looked up at the sky.
The blood moon had disappeared. The moon had returned to its original color, a faint silvery white, hanging in the night sky, as gentle as water.
If not for the lingering fear on everyone's faces, he might have even thought everything just now was an illusion.
Zhao Hu walked to his side, also looking up at the moon. After a long silence, he whispered: "Lord, that just now was..."
"I don't know," Lin Feng interrupted him, his tone calm. "But it certainly wasn't anything good."
He tossed the reins to a resident who ca to et them and strode toward the Council Hall. "Everyone, assemble at the Council Hall."
Inside the Council Hall, the lights were bright.
Lin Feng sat in the main seat, his gaze sweeping over everyone present. Zhao Hu, Tie Dun, Wang Wu, Arrow Eye, Su Yurou, A Wang, Scarface Liu, Shadow Snake, and ng Yi. Everyone was there, not one missing.
"Business first," Lin Feng began, his tone more direct than usual. "Everyone worked hard during this attack on the Yellow Turban Stronghold."
Tie Dun scratched his head and laughed: "Lord, how did we work hard?
We just went up at the end to finish things off. The one who really worked hard was you, wearing them down alone for two days..."
Zhao Hu gave him another slap: "The Lord is speaking, why are you interrupting!"
Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere relaxed a bit. Lin Feng also smiled and waved his hand: "Zhao Hu, let him speak.
Tie Dun is right. In this battle, I was the main force.
But that's not because I'm much stronger than you; it's because that way of fighting only suits one person."
He paused and continued: "But if you hadn't been guarding outside the stronghold, and if ng Yi and the others hadn't surrounded and killed the Chief at the end.
And without Su Yurou's healing, I wouldn't have dared to fight like that. The credit belongs to everyone; no one should decline it."
Zhao Hu cupped his fists: "The Lord overstates it. This is all our duty."
Everyone chid in. Lin Feng said no more, taking the spoils of war from his robe and placing them on the table one by one.
Three items. A booklet glowing with purple light, a booklet glowing with blue light, and a purple forehead band.
Lin Feng picked up the purple booklet, his eyes falling on the cover—"Interdiate Class Change Book: Yellow Turban Ritualist."
"Su Yurou."
Su Yurou was stunned for a mont and stood up: "Lord."
Lin Feng handed the booklet to her: "This is yours."
The Council Hall fell silent instantly. Everyone looked at the purple booklet and then at Su Yurou, their eyes filled with surprise, but no jealousy.
Su Yurou stood frozen in place, not reaching out. She looked at the booklet, her lips trembling slightly, her voice shaking: "Lord, this... this is a rare class, and a healing one too... I..."
Lin Feng looked at her, his tone calm: "You are worthy of it."
Su Yurou's eyes turned red. She opened her mouth, wanting to say sothing, but couldn't get a word out.
She thought of her father. That retired village-level lord who had exhausted all the favors he'd accumulated over decades in the Nightmare World just to get her that first-tier Healer book.
That first-tier book was sothing her father had traded half his life for. And now, a second-tier rare healing class book was placed right in front of her.
Sothing priceless was pushed toward her so casually by Lin Feng.
"Lord, I..." her voice choked up.
Zhao Hu spoke up, his voice steady: "Lass Su, take it. Everyone has seen your contributions."
Tie Dun also nodded: "Exactly! In every battle, you're in the back healing us. If it weren't for you, I would've died several tis already."
Wang Wu smiled: "Take it."
Arrow Eye nodded: "Mhm."
A Wang and Scarface Liu looked at each other and said in unison: "Take it."
Shadow Snake leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, and spoke for once: "Take it."
Su Yurou finally couldn't hold it ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) back, and tears fell. She took the purple booklet with both hands, cradling it like a rare treasure.
She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice, though it still carried a sob: "Lord, I... I definitely won't let your trust down. I will always stay in Beacon Fire Town, with everyone."
Lin Feng nodded: "Good."
He pulled a handful of white crystals and a dozen green crystals from his robe and pushed them to the center of the table.
"These are the crystals seized this ti. A dozen green crystals and dozens of white ones. Zhao Hu, you take them and distribute them to everyone."
Zhao Hu stood up and took the crystals: "Yes, Lord."
Lin Feng nodded, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"Everyone is tired tonight; get so rest early."
Everyone rose and took their leave. Zhao Hu went to distribute the crystals, and Tie Dun walked out yawning.
Wang Wu and Arrow Eye walked out together, while A Wang and Scarface Liu whispered about sothing.
Su Yurou held the purple booklet; her eyes were still red, but she had a smile on her face, and her steps were light as if she were about to fly.
Lin Feng leaned against the back of his chair and looked toward the shadow in the corner.
"Shadow Snake, you stay."
The spectral figure erged from the shadows, the purple shadow moon blade at her waist glinting coldly.
She stood before Lin Feng, saying nothing, just watching him quietly.
"Follow to the second floor."
Shadow Snake's eyelashes trembled slightly.
She said nothing, only nodding gently.
User Comments
0 comments from readers