Bab 41: Entering Rock Desert City + TL/n at the end
"Such a genius, could they be from the Central Plains?" Hai Bodong, now having regained his former Dou Emperor strength, hovered in mid-air outside the city. His wings of Dou Qi flapped as he watched Gu Fei and Little Fairy Doctor ride away on the massive, flying magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King. His mind wandered as he muttered to himself.
Hai Bodong recognized the enormous beast as the ruler of the outer regions of the Magic Beast Mountain Range- a Rank-6 magical beast, the Amethyst Winged Lion King. A Rank-6 beast was equivalent to a Dou Emperor in human terms, and the Amethyst Winged Lion King was in the mid-stage of Rank-6, so even Hai Bodong had to be cautious when facing it head-on.
Now that Hai Bodong's strength had returned and the seal was broken, the once formidable Ice Emperor had finally made a full comeback. Having been sealed by Queen Medusa, he had spent his days miserably hiding in Stone Desert City, running a small shop. Perhaps this time, Hai Bodong was fortunate to encounter Gu Fei, or perhaps it was bad luck to be extorted by him for a hefty price. In the past, the proud and rebellious Ice Emperor might have fought Gu Fei directly. But now, after so many years of hiding, his arrogance had faded.
Moreover, though Hai Bodong couldn't fully understand Gu Fei's strength, he sensed the terrifying power hidden within that seemingly slender young man. Even with his sudden surge in strength, Hai Bodong had no thoughts of betraying Gu Fei, realizing that Gu Fei was far stronger than him. The aura Gu Fei had once released was much more powerful than anything Hai Bodong had faced, even more so than Queen Medusa.
His intuition told him that this mysterious young man was extremely dangerous. Hai Bodong didn't know the exact purpose of the remnants of the map that Gu Fei had taken from him, but he knew the secret they hid was significant. After all, those remnants were the reason Queen Medusa had once hunted him down, leading to his sealed power and miserable existence. Queen Medusa, the proud and powerful leader of the snake people, had pursued Hai Bodong relentlessly, showing just how valuable those map fragments were.
"I've been gone for so long. It's time to return to the capital and see how my old friends are doing!" Hai Bodong finally sighed, relaxing his tense brow. He decided to let go of the thoughts of Gu Fei and the map fragments. These matters had consumed too much of his time and energy. Now that Gu Fei had taken them, Hai Bodong felt a long-lost sense of relief. Guarding such a treasure while constantly fearing that Queen Medusa would appear and kill him was exhausting. Gu Fei's intervention had lifted that burden.
Before leaving, Hai Bodong took one last look at the vast city lying at the edge of the desert and the mainland. The familiar sight of yellow sand blowing in the wind, and the bustling streets filled with cheerful people, suddenly felt more precious as he prepared to say goodbye. Hai Bodong had often thought he might grow old in Stone Desert City, always living in fear, but someone had now given him a chance to return to his old life.
With a faint sigh and a hint of sadness, he took one last look at the place he had grown attached to over the decades of hiding. Without looking back, Hai Bodong's figure gradually disappeared. He didn't know if he would ever return.
The old map shop quietly closed, and no one knew where the elderly shopkeeper had gone. The shop never reopened.
...
Meanwhile, as the Lion King carried Gu Fei and Little Fairy Doctor deeper into the desert, the surrounding heat grew more intense. However, thanks to the protective energy barrier around the Amethyst Winged Lion King, Little Fairy Doctor didn't feel the heat. She sat on the Lion's broad back, gazing at the scenery below. The vast desert was so different from her hometown, and despite having seen it several times, she couldn't help but marvel at the landscape.
Along the way, they saw various cultural scenes below and even encountered snake people, sparking her curiosity. "So these are snake people? Brother Gu Fei, it seems quite unique that they walk using their snake tails!" she remarked, her eyes wide with innocent curiosity.
Gu Fei simply smiled, not explaining to her the fearsome nature of snake people to humans. At one point, she yawned and looked down again, spotting a battle between snake people and humans in the desert below. A dozen or so tall snake people had surrounded a group of seven or eight humans. The snake people's imposing stature made the humans seem pitifully weak in comparison.
Gu Fei then explained that most snake people harbored a deep hatred for humans and were often violent, with many killing humans on sight. If nothing unexpected happened, these humans would likely be killed in this ambush. The enmity between the snake people and the humans of the Jia Ma Empire ran deep, with both sides attacking each other on sight. This animosity had accumulated over time, with no clear right or wrong, and was a tragedy for both sides.
Gu Fei hadn't intended to intervene, but seeing the scene below, Little Fairy Doctor pleaded with him to help. "Brother Gu Fei, please help them!" she said in a soft, pleading tone, her eyes filled with compassion as she noticed a woman holding a child among the humans.
"Alright," Gu Fei responded, glancing at Little Fairy Doctor. Her worried expression reminded him of her kind nature. With her asking for his help, how could he refuse? He immediately ordered the Lion King to fly down toward the scene. Just the sight of the massive beast approaching sent both sides scattering in fear, giving the humans a chance to escape.
...
In just half a day, the Lion King reached the outskirts of Rock Desert City, the closest city to the Jia Ma Empire's border. Gu Fei paused for a moment. He remembered that Qing Lin, a girl with half-human, half-snake blood, lived in this city. Despite her kind nature, Qing Lin had endured a lifetime of discrimination and abuse, her extraordinary talent never fully realized.
Gu Fei had an idea: he wanted to take Qing Lin under his wing and train her early. Perhaps, with enough power, those who had looked down on and insulted her would no longer dare to do so, allowing her to receive the fairness and respect she deserved instead of baseless scorn and insults. After all, Qing Lin was an important character in the original story, with great potential. Keeping her close could also be beneficial for Gu Fei in his journey to gather emotions and power.
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TL/n: In the original novel, the city where Han Bodong hides is simply called 'Desert City'. I thought naming it 'Stone Desert City' might make it less confusing but apparently I shot myself in the foot...
tldr: they're travelling from 'Stone Desert city' to 'Rock Desert city'
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone