Mainland Martial Arts

Chapter 534 The first time we met

Chen Xiner's door wasn't completely closed. She was sitting by the window, lost in thought, gazing out at the night. Hearing footsteps, she turned around and saw Lin Feng. She raised her hand slightly and invited him, "Come in and sit down." Her voice was gentle, and in this bustling inn, it seemed especially peaceful.

Lin Feng walked into the room and sat down on the chair across from Chen Xiner. His eyes fell on Chen Xiner's face. After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered up the courage to ask, "Can you tell me about when we first met?" His eyes were filled with anticipation, eager to find even the slightest clue about his past from Chen Xiner's story.

Chen Xiner was slightly startled, her expression instantly becoming somewhat complicated. She frowned slightly, her tone calm but with a hint of alienation: "Stop, it's me and Lin Feng who know each other, not you." As she said this, she actually felt a little reluctant in her heart. Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in front of her, her heart was full of entanglement.

These words were like a sharp blade, instantly piercing Lin Feng's heart. His smile froze, a trace of embarrassment and loss appearing on his face. He lowered his head and remained silent for a long time, his heart filled with mixed emotions. In Chen Xiner's eyes, he was always an imposter, a stranger with Lin Feng's appearance but none of his memories. Even he himself began to doubt his own identity, wondering if he was truly the Lin Feng that Chen Xiner loved so deeply. Images of Chen Xiner and the real Lin Feng kept appearing in his mind. Those images were so blurry, yet they filled him with an immense longing.

The room fell silent, accentuated only by the faint clamor coming from outside the window. Lin Feng's heart was filled with confusion and pain. He didn't know how to prove himself, or how to regain his lost memories. Chen Xin'er's heart rippled as she watched Lin Feng's dejected expression, but she quickly hid her emotion, her eyes still tinged with a hint of wariness and suspicion.

Chen Xiner sat on the edge of the bed, her eyes a little wandering. She sighed softly, and the sigh seemed to be wrapped in the dust of time, carrying endless emotion and melancholy.

"Oh! Okay! I'll tell you about how Lin Feng and I met. What if you are the real Lin Feng? I also need to get to know you." Chen Xiner's voice was gentle, breaking the long silence. It seemed like she was talking to Lin Feng, or as if she was confiding the memories deep in her heart.

Lin Feng's eyes, which had been lowered, instantly lifted, a glint of surprise and anticipation flashing across them. He leaned forward slightly, his hands unconsciously gripping the armrests of his chair, as if this would bring him closer to the past that was about to be revealed. "Really? Thank you so much." Lin Feng's voice trembled slightly, a sign of his extreme desire to understand his past.

Chen Xin'er nodded slightly, her gaze gradually becoming distant, her thoughts drifting back to that scorching, yet thrilling summer. "That was when I was ten," she began slowly, a hint of sadness in her voice, as if shrouded by the haze of memories. "My father was murdered by a rival clan and was severely poisoned. He needed the core of the Yellowstone worm as a detoxifying agent, along with other medicines."

Recalling her father's agony after being poisoned, Chen Xiner's eyes dimmed. Her fingers subconsciously clenched the corners of her clothes, her knuckles turning white from the strain. "At that time, Uncle Minghui and I arrived in Huangshi Village. The village was filled with an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The villagers were very simple, but at the mention of the Huangshi worm, fear would flash in their eyes." Chen Xiner frowned slightly, trying to recall the details. "We asked around and finally found the location of the Huangshi worm's nest. It was a deep cave in the mountains behind the village. The entrance was covered by dense thorns and vines, and a faint stench of decay emanated from it."

"We cautiously entered the lair. It was dark, damp, and filled with a pungent, fishy smell. Suddenly, a gigantic figure rushed out from the darkness. It was the Yellowstone Insect King." Chen Xiner's voice trembled slightly, and a look of fear crossed her face, as if she had returned to that life-or-death moment. "The Insect King had reached the Grandmaster level. He was enormous, more than two men tall. His shell was as hard as iron, and every wave of his tentacles stirred up a strong wind."

"We had a fierce battle with it. Uncle Minghui fought hard to resist, but there was a huge gap between our strength and its. " Tears flashed in Chen Xiner's eyes. "My companions fell one after another, and the blood dyed the floor of the cave red. Finally, Uncle Minghui and I tried our best to escape from that horrible place." Chen Xiner's shoulders trembled slightly. That tragic experience was a pain that could never be erased from her heart.

"At the same time, Lin Feng arrived in Huangshi Village." Chen Xiner paused, a strange light flashing across her face. "He's different from us. He came for the Huangyao Stone. Lin Feng's father was captured by the Wang family of Qingmu City. The only way to rescue his father is to make a detonator."

"Lin Feng met Uncle Minghui and me when he was searching for the Huangyao Stone in Huangshi Village." Chen Xiner's lips curled up slightly, revealing a faint smile. "He was wearing a washed-out shirt, and his hair was a little messy, but his eyes were exceptionally bright, revealing a sense of determination and cleverness."

"After he learned that the yellow medicine stone was the final ingredient he was looking for, he still wanted to help us." Chen Xiner recalled the scene, her eyes full of smiles. "He stood at the entrance of the clinic, deliberately standing there without saying a word, just staring at Uncle Minghui. When Uncle Minghui and I saw him, he ran away, successfully attracting our attention."

"After we were drawn in, he mysteriously pulled out a small bamboo tube containing a detonator he'd crafted," Chen Xiner's eyes gleamed. "He led us to an open space outside the village and lit the detonator. With a loud bang, a massive crater was blasted into the ground, sending clouds of dust billowing. Uncle Minghui and I were stunned. At that moment, I witnessed the power of the detonator for the first time, and I was deeply impressed by Lin Feng's ingenuity."

"After that, we reached a preliminary cooperation. During that time, Lin Feng devoted himself to making detonators and artillery." Chen Xiner closed her eyes slightly, as if she was back in those busy and fulfilling days. "His room was filled with all kinds of strange tools and materials. He was buried in them all day long, sometimes frowning, sometimes jumping for joy."