Commanding Wind and Cloud
chapter-126

Hundreds of monkeys felt offended after hearing that. Suddenly, the forest was filled with strange voices made by these monkeys which could make people’s hair stand.

Qian Jin’s brows contracted, which produced a cold wave in the forest. The temperature decreased, and the monkey ceased their growling. Instead, they cuddled each other, and the anger in their eyes was replaced with fear.

The monkey king sitting in middle and enjoying the service of the other monkeys was pushed towards Qian Jin by a host of monkeys.

The monkeys had acute instincts. They instantly realized that the person in front of them was different from those who occasionally showed up here. They felt that this person was a humanoid demon beast, and anyone who dared irritate him would suffer greatly.

Qian Jin forced a smile as he looked at the monkey's hair in his hand. He thought, “If my master or uncle Blake knew that I bullied a monkey, would they mock me?”

“Alas…” Qian Jin turned back and walked towards the demon flamingos’ habitat and lamented, “If I was confronted by these monkeys two years ago, I would’ve had to rack my brains to get the monkey king's hair. Now however, I obtained it without too much effort. Two years, in just two years… the changes are so quick and great.”

Gabriella looked at the magic core in her palm and nodded slightly, thinking to herself, “Two years have really brought about a great change.” She used to be stagnant, but she had been progressing slowly yet firmly during the past two years…

Sophia had a sad face as she remembered the past. Her achievements in the past two years were overshadowed by what had happened on the day they discovered the energy stone lode. Her family and fellow warriors were killed by the greed… She thought, “Alas… the energy stone lode should belong to Qian Jin since he rescued my life.

“Well…” Qian Jin turned back to Sophia whose brows were twisted and said, “I suddenly thought of something. Did you notice any human bodies when we left? I mean… Wil…”

A vengeful intent appeared on the pretty face of Sophia as she shouted, “Wilfred!”

“Yes.” Qian Jin kept nodding his head, “When the avalanche occurred, he should’ve been buried under the snow for two years until now. Even if his body was frozen, shouldn’t we have discovered his corpse along the way, or at least any remains?”

Sophia stood there, stupefied. She recalled what had happened as they left the valley. The snow was just at ankle height, and even if somebody was lying on the ground, they should have easily noticed him, however…

No body… no body! Sophia’s limbs were quivering as she felt enmity spread through her body. She looked up at Qian Jin, who was much taller than her and asked, “You mean…?”

Qian Jin scratched his head and replied with uncertainty, “I’m not quite sure about it, but the possibility that he survived the avalanche is there.”

“Wilfred is still alive…” Sophia clenched her tense fingers firmly and cracked them fiercely with strong hatred. “Is he really alive?”

“Perhaps?” Qian Jin smiled nonchalantly. The energy stones in the lode had been thoroughly excavated, so it didn’t matter whether Wilfred went there! Even if he was still alive and had spread news about the energy stone lode to other people, Qian Jin didn’t need to be afraid of him as telling others that the energy stones had been used up would settle everything down.

“If he is still alive…” Sophia punched on the tree by her side and continued, “I’ll send him to hell!”

Qian Jin looked at Sophia as she twisted her lips and asked, “Can you defeat him?”

“…”

Sophia looked at Qian Jin in silence. She continued her warrior training in the Four Season Valley on a daily basis, but she didn’t exert her full effort the entire time like Gabriella or Qian Jin. As a result, her improvements were limited to a certain degree. If she confronted with Wilfred, it was more likely for her to be insulted by him.

Sophia felt regretful for not having practiced diligently in the Four Season Valley for the past two years as she believed that Wilfred had died.

“What’s the point of regretting?” Qian Jin told her in an aloof manner. “I remember that in the thirteenth reign of Zence Empire, there was a god-tier general called Champiz who didn’t like studying when he was young. He was always ranked last in the warrior commander branch of his academy. However, he suddenly woke up and decided to study in his last year before the entrance examination for advanced academies. His first attempt ended in failure, but he didn’t give up. He applied for another year of schooling at his own cost, and the second time, he passed the examination and was admitted to an advanced academy by the warrior commander. Some years later, he become a god-tier general of his time.”

“He wrote down one sentence in his memories that I have kept in mind.” Qian Jin turned back to Sophia and said with a smile, “It’s never too late to start striving for life, as long as you are determined to do so. Maybe you’ll fail the first time, but as long as you’re still alive, you can try a second time and be successful.”

Sophia looked at the moving shadows of Qian Jin and Gabriella and murmured to herself, “It’s never too late to start trying… it’s never too late to start trying…”

The demon flamingos were social animals. They moved swiftly, were aggressive, and had certain resistances to magic elements in their feathers. However, when their feathers were taken off their bodies, their resistance would be greatly decreased, making them vulnerable even to a fireball.

Seeing hundreds of demon flamingos soaring in the sky, Qian Jin took out his moon bow and drew it to its limit without the help of an arrow. His eyes squinted into a narrow line, through which murderous intent spouted out!

[Arrow Intent] of [Divine Shot]!

Sophia seemed to have felt the blowing wind triggered by millions of arrows curving against the sky. The demon flamingos squalled and soared even higher, leaving dozens of feathers drifting down onto the ground.

Qian Jin put away his bow and shook his head. “I haven’t acquired [Arrow Intent] of [Divine Shot]. When [Arrow Intent] is shot out from a bow even without real arrows, warriors can be hit, let alone demon flamingos. Which part haven’t I fully absorbed? I could only frighten them away with [Arrow Intent].”

“We’d better take an egg and leave right away.” Qian Jin climbed up the tree and picked up an egg from the bird’s nest, along with a batch of the exquisite feathers used for decoration by those birds. “Look here. These feathers look pretty, so you can take them with you.”

Gabriella took the flamingo’s egg and their feathers, which could be made into a waistcoat. She put it into the storage bag hidden inside her mage robe. With this egg, she could continue her transition into a supreme mage.

“Let’s go! It’s time to go back to school.” Qian Jin stretched himself and strode towards Oakland city. “It has been two years since I left, and now I’m back! Has Rollin become fatter? Has Franklin’s Blacksmith Shop become the number one blacksmith shop in Oakland? After my return, I will challenge uncle Fabreidis. Will he be shocked by me?”

Qian Jin walked faster. He spent seven days getting here from the outside, and he believed that coming back wouldn’t take that long.

Three days later, Qian Jin walked out of the outer forest of Sunset Mountain. Standing still, Qian Jin observed the towering wall of Oakland city, which had already shown signs of aging, despite still appearing magnificent.

Nothing seemed to have changed in Oakland city in the past two years from its exterior. The trade caravans guarded by the mercenaries drove slowly into the city after they passed the guarding soldiers’ routine check.

Individual merchants were also permitted to enter after going through certain formalities.

Qian Jin felt for his Oakland Mage and Warrior Academy badge, stuck it on his coat and looked back at Sophia. He asked, “We are going back to school after entering the city. What about you?”

“Me?” Sophia looked up to the sky, took a deep breath, and then looked at Qian Jin. Her beautiful eyes shined with seduction as she asked, “Would you please do me a favor?”

Qian Jin frowned and said, “Kill Wilfred?”

“No!” Sophia shook her head fiercely, with her hair dancing at her back. “If Wilfred is still alive, I will kill him on my own. I was wondering whether you could help me forge a two-handed sword. As for the cost, I will pay you later because I do not have much money with me at the moment.”

“No problem,” Qian Jin nodded his head immediately. “What will you do when you have that sword?”

“I want to join an adventurer team or a mercenary group as they have larger information channels.” Sophia came back to her sophisticated state. As if she was possessed by someone who had been on a long vagabond journey, she said, “Meanwhile, I want to become serious and begin my training.”

“Come to the Franklin’s Blacksmith Shop for the sword three days later.” Qian Jin and Sophia walked past the city gate shoulder to shoulder, and then they departed towards different directions.

“We’re finally back.” Qian Jin opened his arms, deeply breathing in the air above Oakland city. Although he hadn’t lived here for long, he had a special sense of belonging to it.

“Why not walk faster?” Qian Jin looked back at Gabriella who was trying her best to walk fast. He looked at her fragile waist, bent over, stretched his arms and instantly held her up before she could resist. He said, “This will be faster…”

Gabriella was used to following Qian Jin’s arrangements during the past two years they spent together in the Four Season Valley. This time, she was at a loss whether to reject him or not, and shortly after she was carried up by Qian Jin. She could feel the wind blowing by her ears.

Despite being old and remote, Oakland Mage and Warrior Academy covered a considerable area. Qian Jin sprinted for a little while and hired a carriage to head for the Oakland Mage and Warrior Academy as soon as possible.

After a jolting trip in the carriage which made Gabriella feel like her backside was split into several pieces, they arrived at the gate of Oakland Mage and Warrior Academy, a place they had waved goodbye to for two years.