BTTH : From Humble Beginnings to Dou Di

After carefully storing the scroll, Lin Feng glanced at the piles of gold coins before him.

Then, he turned to Xiao Yixian and said, "We've checked everything. As for the remaining gold coins, you take seven, I take three. Once we've collected them, let's lay this senior to rest."

"Alright." Xiao Yixian nodded, showing no objections.

The two of them then divided the gold coins from the three corners and stored them in their storage ring.

Afterward, they dug a pit in a corner of the stone chamber and buried the remains along with the broken bone.

Once everything was done, Lin Feng scanned the cave and, seeing nothing else of value, turned to Xiao Yixian and said, "Alright, let's head ba—wait! Someone's coming?!"

"What?"

Hearing this, Xiao Yixian was also startled. She quickly shook her head and said, "Impossible! Only the two of us know about this place!"

"I'm not mistaken. And there's quite a number of them!"

Lin Feng's expression darkened, his gaze instinctively shifting toward Xiao Yixian.

"You suspect I called them here?"

Seeing Lin Feng's look, Xiao Yixian's delicate face immediately turned cold with anger. "If I wanted to harm you, I could've had those mercenaries take action back at the camp. Why would I wait until now?"

Hearing this, Lin Feng also found her reasoning sound. But as the approaching footsteps grew louder, he quickly said to Xiao Yixian, "Take out the medicinal powder from before and be ready. Follow my lead."

"Alright." Xiao Yixian gritted her teeth, grabbed all the medicinal powder in her small hands, and hid them inside her sleeves.

Just as she finished preparing, a familiar, smug voice echoed in the stone chamber.

"Heh, what an unexpected surprise! It seems the heavens truly favor me today!"

Following the voice, over a dozen figures slowly emerged from the dark passage outside the chamber.

"Mu Li!"

Upon hearing the voice, Xiao Yixian's silver teeth clenched tightly.

At the pitch-black entrance, over a dozen mercenaries stood in three rows, completely blocking the doorway.

From the back of the group, a figure stepped forward. Under the glow of the Moonlight Stone, his face was revealed—it was none other than the young master of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, Mu Li!

His gaze swept across the opened stone box in front of Lin Feng and Xiao Yixian, a greedy glint flashing in his eyes.

Earlier that day, Mu Li had noticed Xiao Yixian and Lin Feng leaving together for a long time. When they returned, their clothes appeared slightly disheveled, which led him to suspect that they had engaged in something improper in the woods.

That night, as he lay in bed, the thought infuriated him more and more. Unable to suppress his emotions, he decided to take action in the dark, planning to force himself onto Xiao Yixian and make the situation irreversible.

However, when he arrived at Xiao Yixian's tent, he found it completely empty.

At that moment, Ma Si, the mercenary he had sent to kill Lin Feng, rushed over to report that Lin Feng's tent was also vacant.

Mu Li immediately assumed that Lin Feng and Xiao Yixian had sneaked off for another secret rendezvous.

Fueled by his twisted sense of possession—"If I can't have her, no one can!"—he gathered his men to catch them red-handed in the forest.

But instead of catching them in the act, he stumbled upon a rope tied at the cliff's edge, which led him to discover the cave.

Realizing what had happened, Mu Li swiftly ordered his men to seal off the area and personally led a group down to block the exit.

Licking his lips, Mu Li scanned the stone chamber and smirked. "Apologies for interrupting you two."

"You followed us?"

Seeing Mu Li and the mercenaries behind him, Lin Feng instantly felt relieved.

Other than Mu Li, a six-star Dou Zhe, the rest of the mercenaries were only four- or five-star Dou Zhe.

Although he couldn't kill them all, escaping with Xiao Yixian shouldn't be a problem.

Mu Li shrugged with a smile. "Not exactly. These treasures are simply too important for the Wolf Head Mercenary Group. With them, we can easily dominate all the forces in Qingshan Town. Only then can we qualify to expand our influence beyond this small town."

Then, he turned to Xiao Yixian, his gaze softening. "Hand over the treasure. Xiao Yixian, you should know how I feel about you. If you follow me, I promise that once I take control of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, I will never mistreat you."

His voice was gentle, filled with supposed affection.

"Disgusting! Get lost!" Xiao Yixian didn't waste words, rejecting him outright.

Seeing Mu Li about to speak again, Lin Feng gave Xiao Yixian a look, and she instantly understood.

With a swift motion, she tossed the medicinal powder in her hands into the air, scattering it across the chamber.

The fine powder spread rapidly, filling the already dim cave with a hazy mist.

"Follow me!"

Lin Feng grabbed Xiao Yixian's hand and bolted toward the exit.

"Hold your breath! Those at the entrance, don't move! Block the doorway! Ma Si, attack them!"

Mu Li's expression darkened as he shouted orders. With the cave already poorly lit, the sudden cloud of powder made it even harder to see.

"Mid-Grade Yellow-Class Dou Technique: Crushing Rock Fist!"

"Mid-Grade Yellow-Class Dou Technique: Crushing Rock Fist!"

"…"

Before the mercenaries could react, powerful gusts of wind struck them. A palm, brimming with violent force, slammed heavily into their chests.

Caught off guard, several mercenaries let out agonized screams as they were sent crashing into the cave walls, sliding down lifelessly.

Hearing the screams of his subordinates, Mu Li's face darkened, and he hastily retreated, landing at the very edge of the stone gate.

By doing so, he completely blocked the exit.

"Boom!"

A surge of energy shot forth.

The second row of mercenaries, who were all five-star Dou Zhe, couldn't withstand Lin Feng's attack. With muffled grunts, they staggered backward, leaving a temporary opening.

Before the others could react, two figures darted forward like slippery fish, escaping through the gap.

"Young Master! They're coming your way!" the mercenaries shouted in alarm.

Mu Li's pupils shrank. Planting his feet firmly, he spread his arms, completely sealing the narrow passage. His clenched fists emitted a faint green glow as his Dou Qi surged.

Under the influence of his green Dou Qi, his fists gradually took on a wooden-like texture.

"I want to see how a mere two-star Dou Zhe like you plans to break through me head-on!"

As Lin Feng and Xiao Yixian charged forward, Mu Li sneered.

"Get back!"

With a thunderous roar, his wooden fists gleamed with green light, carrying a fierce wave of energy as he swung them toward Lin Feng.

"Low-Grade Black-Class Dou Technique: Wood Hardening!"

Yet Lin Feng's speed remained unchanged. His calm expression showed no fear. Inside his body, Dou Qi surged wildly, guided by his Black Class Dou technique.

"Low-Grade Black-Class Dou Technique: Scarlet Flame Palm!"

As Dou Qi flowed through the specific meridians engraved by Scarlet Flame Palm, Lin Feng's right palm turned bright red.

"Boom!"

Fist and palm collided in the narrow cave, sending shockwaves through the air.