Edited by Aelryinth

The Wind of Sorrow kept blowing. The deeper they went into the Qinling Mountains, the stronger the wind became.

Not long afterwards, the three defensive Mages of the Violet Imperial Battalion had expended all their energy. The group was now struggling to advance.

Piercing cries constantly sounded from the sky, either from the top of the cliffs or behind the trees. Eyes were watching the group from a safe distance, like the scouts of a hostile army.

The cries grew once again, giving everyone in the group a headache.

Li Dexin looked up and scanned his surroundings. He was on the verge of losing his temper again.

Were these creatures not afraid of dying? He had slaughtered a whole bunch of them not long ago, yet they still dared to follow them!

"I'll handle them!" Ling Fei said.

Li Dexin nodded.

Ling Fei's primary Element was Wind, while her secondary Element was Lightning. She cast several lightning strikes, knocking the Winged Patrol Beasts down from the sky.

Ling Fei obviously had a Soul-grade Lightning Seed, and the Winged Patrol Beasts stood no chance against her. It did not take long for her to wipe out the newest group of Winged Patrol Beasts.

However, Ling Fei was ambushed by a Winged Patrol Beast covered in blue-gray feathers as she was regrouping with the others. The cunning creature was hiding among leaves where she happened to pass. The sharp feathers cut her arm before she could react. Fresh blood poured out of it.

It was a common sight when fighting demon creatures in the wild. Even if a Mage's level was significantly higher than the demon creatures, they might still die if they were ambushed by a weak creature at the perfect time. Luckily, Ling Fei was quite experienced in the wild. She managed to react fast enough to prevent the feathers from slitting her throat!

Ling Fei killed the creature anxiously. She checked her surroundings to make sure there were no other creatures hiding nearby before regrouping with the team.

The Violet Imperial Battalion did not bring a Healer, thus they could only treat Ling Fei injuries with medicines. Zhao Manyan immediately realized his opportunity had finally arrived. He told her about the treatment with an insect which he had learned from Mu Bai.

"Are you sure it's going to work?" Ling Fei had a feeling that Zhao Manyan had some ulterior motives.

"It's very effective. It might be a little painful, but it will heal your veins and muscles in a short time," Zhao Manyan said.

"I don't mind the pain," Ling Fei said.

"I admire your determination," Zhao Manyan said.

Being injured was extremely troublesome, especially since many demon creatures were very sensitive to the scent of blood. A bleeding wound was similar to a constant GPS signal for the demon creatures!

"The Curtain Tree is just ahead. We can rest there," Zhang Xiaohou informed everyone.

"That's great, as expected of General Zhang! I'm so glad that you're with us," Advisor Xu chimed up.

This Curtain Tree was a lot bigger, with around seven areas shielded by the leaf curtains. The group no longer had to crowd into a small area, and everyone had plenty of space to rest up comfortably.

"Let's take this one," Zhao Manyan said.

Ling Fei nodded. She did not feel it was inappropriate.

Mu Bai had used the same trick to heal Zhao Manyan when Gangma broke his bones in the military town in Egypt.

Since then, Zhao Manyan had asked Mu Bai to give him a few insects that could rapidly heal physical injuries. He had stored them inside his Storage Ring for emergency purposes.

Ling Fei was sitting upright, but she frowned immediately when Zhao Manyan took out a fat white insect. She seriously wondered if he was just messing with her.

However, she bit her tongue and withheld her disgust. It was not too late for her to kill Zhao Manyan with her lightning if his method did not work!

"What are you looking at!?" Ling Fei glared at Zhao Manyan when she noticed him looking her up and down.

"I'm...I'm just admiring. You better prepare yourself, I'm about to start. You can scream if it's too painful. It will make you feel better," Zhao Manyan said.

"Cut the crap, just hurry up with it!" Ling Fei snarled.

She extended her arm out. Ordinary serums were useless against the wound. The special feathers of the Winged Patrol Beast seemed to contain some substances that were preventing the bleeding from stopping.

"My little insect is going in," Zhao Manyan said.

Ling Fei raised her head and closed her eyes.

A moment later, she felt a tingling sensation crawling over her wound. She opened her eyes and noticed the white insect turning the color of her blood.

"It's going in, bear with it," Zhao Manyan said.

"Ah!" Ling Fei already braced herself, but she was still surprised by the sharp pain. She could not help but scream.

The pain was unreal, as if she had been stabbed directly in the heart. Ling Fei thought she would be able to withstand the pain since she was a soldier, yet it was far greater than she had imagined. She almost fainted!

"Hang in there, it will soon be over!"

"Hurry up!"

"Soon, very soon, hey, stop grabbing me... AH! It hurts!"

"Is...is it out?"

"It will stay in your body. Don't worry, it's rich in protein. It won't leave any side effects in your body… can you let go of me now? My skin is red from your nails!"

"Assh***, why didn't you tell me that disgusting thing would stay inside me!?"

---

Bai Hongfei and Yu Shishi exchanged glances with another in the next partition, shielded by the leaf curtains. For some reason, they both blushed at the same time.

Damn, what was Zhao Manyan even doing? They knew he was treating Ling Fei's injuries, but those that had no idea might think they were doing something shameless in the wild. Their conversation was too misleading!

The shrieking of the Winged Patrol Beasts returned not long after the group managed to get some rest. Their ears almost exploded from the cries.

The group had been dazzled by the magical appearance of the Curtain Tree last time, but this time, they were extremely worn out. They finally had a chance to rest up peacefully without being bothered by the Wind of Sorrow, yet the creatures had returned before they could even catch their breath!

The relentless efforts of these Winged Patrol Beasts seeking their deaths were exactly the same as the rumors had suggested!

"They are destroying the Curtain Tree again! Damn it, I'm going to kill them all!" Li Dexin was about to lose his mind.