A few days later, during a "phone call" with Tu Shan Hong Hong, Tu Shan Hong Hong entrusted Ling Feng to protect Tu Shan Rong Rong on a trip to the Southern Kingdom to discuss matters concerning the Demon Alliance.
Tu Shan Hong Hong had now founded the Demon Alliance, and all three major Demon Emperors had agreed to join.
However, Tu Shan had only recently risen to prominence, and besides Tu Shan Hong Hong, there was not a single Great Demon King strong enough to defend them.
The Yi Qi Dao Alliance could attack Tu Shan at any moment. Without a Great Demon King guarding it, Tu Shan Hong Hong dared not leave easily.
And so... Ling Feng agreed.
He decided to leave immediately, though he wasn't sure how long this trip to the Southern Kingdom would take.
To be safe, Ling Feng requested a week's leave from the Head of the Academy, Durandal, and decided to enjoy the scenery along the way.
...
In the world of Fox Demon, outside Tu Shan, in an inn in a human town.
It was already evening, and the inn was packed with guests.
Before long, a young man in a green shirt strode through the doorway, followed closely by a woman in a pink dress, leading a girl in green.
All three wore bamboo hats, a common practice.
Seeing guests arrive, the busy innkeeper's boy rushed forward enthusiastically.
"Three honored guests, please come in. What would you like?"
After the three found a corner to sit, the man in the green shirt placed a small piece of silver from his waist onto the table.
"Bring us some of your best dishes, and make it quick."
Upon seeing the silver, the innkeeper's boy's eyes lit up. A big spender!
"Certainly, honored guests. Please wait a moment."
"By the way, would you like some wine?"
The innkeeper's boy carefully took the silver from the table, nodding and bowing with a full smile.
"No, thank you."
The man in the green shirt shook his head.
"Very well, I will instruct the kitchen to prepare your dishes promptly."
After the innkeeper's boy left, the girl in green suddenly spoke.
"Brother Ling Feng, is eating a meal worth this much expense?"
"It's nothing, just a little money," Ling Feng said, smiling at Tu Shan Rong Rong.
A small piece of silver was truly nothing to him. His White Stone Grotto-Heaven was filled with vast amounts of silver and gold.
For a cultivator like him, only spirit stones, which contained spiritual energy, were useful.
Gold and silver were akin to ordinary stones; cultivators wouldn't even glance at them.
In the cultivation world, spirit stones were the true currency.
As for gold, it had little use beyond the mortal realm.
"Brother Ling Feng, when did you become so wealthy?"
"I remember when you were at Tu Shan, you acted like you'd emptied your pockets just to buy a few candied hawthorns," Tu Shan Rong Rong asked softly, her large eyes filled with confusion.
Tu Shan had only recently recovered and was in its early stages of development, desperately lacking funds. Even she couldn't allocate much money.
"Rong Rong, you don't need to speak so softly. I've already set up a soundproofing spell here, so no one can hear you," Ling Feng reminded her with a smile.
However, it was understandable that Tu Shan Rong Rong was so cautious when they were outside.
Ling Feng took a ring from his waist, placed it on the table, and pushed it towards Tu Shan Rong Rong, smiling.
"That was then. Here, this is called a spatial ring. It has space the size of a house. It has no restrictions, and you can use it by channeling your mental energy into it."
"Inside, I've placed some gold and silver, along with some elixirs I no longer need."
"I know Tu Shan is just starting and is in dire need of money. Consider this my contribution to you."
"Of course, if you're worried about the ring falling into the wrong hands, you can have it recognize you as its owner by dripping blood on it. This way, others cannot use it unless they break the restrictions."
Tu Shan Rong Rong's eyes lit up at his words. She quickly picked up the spatial ring from the table and put it away. Why be polite with her brother-in-law!
A spatial ring was an extremely rare magical treasure in Tu Shan Rong Rong's eyes.
After all, in their world, there were no storage items as compact and convenient as spatial rings.
Storage bags were a bit too large.
"By the way... Brother Ling Feng, if my sister knew you were flirting with a beautiful older sister, what do you think she'd say?"
Suddenly, Tu Shan Rong Rong's eyes narrowed, and she looked at Raiden Mei, who was sitting on Ling Feng's other side.
"Uh..."
Looking at Tu Shan Rong Rong's gossipy and eager expression, Ling Feng suddenly felt like taking back the spatial ring he had just given her.
Ling Feng looked at Raiden Mei on the other side.
Raiden Mei was not wearing a neon kimono now, but a classical pink Hanfu dress.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
If Raiden Mei had seemed like a gentle older sister before, she now resembled a fairy-like celestial sister.
As for why he brought Mei along, they had faced life and death together. Aside from the secret of the system, there was almost nothing he needed to hide.
There was no need to worry about safety; even if he encountered the peak of the fox demons, San Shao, he could still escape if he couldn't win.
In case of danger, he could quickly recall Mei into the White Stone Grotto-Heaven.
"Ling... how many more secrets are you hiding from me? For example... how many other confidantes do you have?"
At this moment, Mei also narrowed her eyes and looked at Ling Feng with a friendly expression.
"Gulp~"
Ling Feng swallowed. The situation seemed to be turning unfavorable.
Despite Mei's voice being calm and gentle, it sent a chill down his spine.
"This... well..."
Ling Feng didn't know how to answer Mei's question.
What I just said was pure nonsense.
There were still some secrets that weren't meant to be revealed yet.
Was he supposed to say he couldn't count them?
That would be suicidal!
"Are you perhaps trying to start a harem, Brother Ling Feng?"
*Pfft!*
Tu Shan Rong Rong's additional jab struck Ling Feng directly in the aorta.
What the hell! How did you know?!
Glancing at Mei's increasingly "friendly" smile, Ling Feng broke out in a cold sweat.
"Honored guests! Your food has arrived!"
Fortunately, the innkeeper's boy arrived just in time, rescuing Ling Feng from his predicament.
"Eat up. We'll continue our journey after this," Ling Feng said sheepishly, quickly serving dishes to the two women to divert the topic.
"Hmph."
Mei let out a soft hum. Seeing Ling Feng flustered, a faint smile subtly curved the corners of her lips.
In fact, everything just now was an act. She had long been mentally prepared for certain things.
She had fallen into Ling Feng's hands for life.
However, opportunities to tease Ling Feng were rare, so she had to cherish them.
Besides, how could a philanderer like him, who wasn't satisfied with just her and Ying, and had so many other confidantes in different worlds, not be given a little lesson?
On the other side, Tu Shan Rong Rong ate her meal, her mind occupied with a certain matter.
"...I still have a chance," Tu Shan Rong Rong thought to herself, then straightened her expression and savored the delicious food.
After a hearty meal, the three decided not to travel at night and booked two rooms to rest for the night.
As for room assignments, Ling Feng naturally took a room by himself, while Mei and Tu Shan Rong Rong shared one.
At night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, dotted with stars.
Mei leaned out of the window, the clear moonlight illuminating her delicate and refined face. Her purple eyes were as brilliant as amethysts.
"Sister Mei, why do you like Brother Ling Feng?"
Inside the room, Tu Shan Rong Rong sat obediently by the bed, looking at Mei, who was gazing out the window, and asked softly.
She was like a curious baby.
Hearing this, Mei's delicate lips curved slightly. She gently brushed a strand of hair from her forehead behind her ear and walked back to the bed, recalling softly.
"Why... I can't quite explain it myself. The first time I met him, he saved me from danger..."
Mei recounted her memories quietly, while Tu Shan Rong Rong listened attentively, as if listening to a story.
...
The next morning, the three woke up, freshened themselves, and set off in the direction of the Southern Kingdom.
The journey from Tu Shan to the Southern Kingdom was somewhat long, but it offered a good opportunity to enjoy the scenery along the way.
The group traveled slowly, like tourists.
When they passed through human towns, Ling Feng noticed that the name of the Righteous Pavilion seemed to be spreading gradually.
There were both good and bad reputations, as everyone's thoughts and opinions differed.
The good mostly involved eliminating demons, while the bad involved rescuing demons from the Yi Qi Dao Alliance.
Currently, the Righteous Pavilion had ten disciples, both demons and humans. Perhaps due to their experiences, they shared similar personalities and got along very harmoniously.
Ling Feng had entrusted the management of some matters in the Righteous Pavilion to Mo Xiao Fan, only appearing when new disciples joined.
He would establish his authority, guide them on their cultivation problems, and provide them with spare magical artifacts for protection.
Although the Righteous Pavilion was established by Ling Feng on a whim, as the Pavilion Master, he had to take some responsibility.
As for the trivial matters, he was happy to be a hands-off manager, leaving them to Mo Xiao Fan.
However... Ling Feng finally understood how comfortable it was to be a hands-off manager.
No wonder that fellow Barbatos spent all day slacking off; it was that much fun.
The Righteous Pavilion also frequently interacted with Tu Shan. The disciples, apart from being at their sect, generally enjoyed strolling through Tu Shan City.
Ling Feng didn't interfere too much; as long as they didn't commit any wicked deeds, they were free to do as they pleased.
The Righteous Pavilion did not have too many rigid rules.
Although the scenery on the road to the Southern Kingdom was pleasant, there were also times that marred the view.
In a village on the border of the Southern Kingdom, Ling Feng looked at the blood-soaked village littered with corpses, his brow furrowed.
"What is this?!"
Seeing the corpses of children as young as one or two years old in the river of blood, Mei's delicate brows knitted.
Even as a god from Inazuma, she had rarely witnessed such a bloody scene.
Mainly, during the Archon War, Mei had stayed in the main city and had not joined the battlefield.
Tu Shan Rong Rong's face turned slightly pale, a little frightened, and she instinctively leaned closer to Ling Feng.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, over a dozen semi-transformed werewolves lunged at the three from the houses on either side.
From the bloodstains on their fur, their bloodthirsty eyes, and their gleaming, blood-stained claws, it was clear.
They were the culprits who had attacked the village.
And now, they intended to attack them.
"Beasts!"
A cold glint flashed in Ling Feng's eyes. Immediately, the dozen werewolves were decapitated, falling lifelessly to the ground.
The gushing blood was blocked by an invisible energy and merged into the blood river.
"Let's go."
Ling Feng said indifferently, taking Mei and Rong Rong by the hand and choosing a different path.
Not long after Ling Feng and the others left, a flame suddenly ignited, and the entire small village went up in flames.
But strangely, apart from the village, the surrounding forest remained untouched by the fire.
Dust to dust, earth to earth.
...
After some more time, Ling Feng and the two women had arrived at the capital city of the Southern Kingdom.
As rumored, the variety and number of poisonous insects within the Southern Kingdom were indeed numerous.
For ordinary people, straying from the established official roads to venture into dense forests infested with poisonous insects would be a death sentence.
At the gate of the Southern Kingdom's capital city, the guards, upon hearing that the three visitors were from Tu Shan and had come to discuss matters concerning the Demon Alliance, immediately went to report.
To be honest, among the three Demon Emperors, the fastest to agree to join the Demon Alliance was the Southern Kingdom's Poison Emperor, Huan Du Qing Tian.
Although it was a demon kingdom, humans also lived there.
Even though Tu Shan Hong Hong had eventually exchanged blows with Huan Du Qing Tian before he agreed to join the Demon Alliance, he was indeed the first to consent.
In the Southern Kingdom's imperial palace, the three were treated to excellent food and drink.
Although the Southern Kingdom's Poison Emperor was a Demon Emperor, he was also a benevolent person.
Huan Du Qing Tian personally came out to entertain the envoys from Tu Shan.
During the banquet, Huan Du Qing Tian chatted with Tu Shan Rong Rong.
Initially, Huan Du Qing Tian thought it was a joke that Tu Shan had sent a little girl to discuss matters.
However, after a few rounds of discussion, he realized that this green-haired little fox was completely a cunning old fox, with a very deep mind!
Having arrived in the Southern Kingdom, Ling Feng had no intention of staying in the capital city and planned to explore other places.
Discussing matters would not be concluded in a day or two, and Tu Shan Rong Rong still needed to communicate remotely with Tu Shan Hong Hong.
However, he could still guarantee Tu Shan Rong Rong's safety.
He had left his flying sword, Ao Xue, by Tu Shan Rong Rong's side. Even if Huan Du Qing Tian tried to detain her, he wouldn't succeed.