______________________________________________________________________________________________

Luckily for the duo, many of the powerful people staying in the Emerald Dragon had gone adventuring in the mountains and making money from killing powerful beasts. There was no one that the duo had to really worry about. They talked to the innkeeper about the room in which she came to take a look at it. She had nearly fainted upon seeing the status of the room that she had rented to the duo. Feng Yun and Xia Qing didn't tell her the full story, only that there was a slight cultivation mishap and that things had gotten out of control. Feng Yun payed the woman double what the room was worth in compensation and out of pity. He himself had not pictured the absorption of the first true creation element to be this destructive. Feng Yun and Xia Qing were moved to a more isolated room which did not lack in quality to the previous one. The innkeeper had been grateful that Feng Yun had given her extra money so she allowed them to stay in her inn.

Normally, if a cultivator causes trouble in an inn, they would be expelled from the inn regardless of their status. This was the rule of Sky Wind City. Innkeepers were not very strong so rules had to be enforced in order to keep them safe. If a cultivator happened to continue to cause trouble in an inn, then the City Lord's Mansion would get involved and keep them locked up in the City Lord's Prison. Second Class Cities were indeed different than that of Third Class Cities. The former had a much stronger enforcement of justice in their cities whereas the latter could choose to ignore a conflict. In Second Class Cities, there were still people of distinguished status. You had to be careful who you offend. Feng Yun and Xia Qing had spent the night resting and gathering their strength rather than cultivating. With their speed of cultivation, it wouldn't be hard to make breakthroughs. However, if they went too fast, then it would cause serious harm to their future prospects. They needed to establish a strong foundation before making a breakthrough. Only then would you be much stronger compared to those on the same level. So, instead of cultivating, they took the time to rest.

During this time, Xia Qing was restless. She could not help but think about the events that happened earlier that day. She had experienced a feeling that she had never felt before. It made her confused, which led her to being angry. What the hell was his feeling that she couldn't seem to understand at all? Thinking about it carefully, it all originated back to Feng Yun. The moment she had met Feng Yun, they had become fast friends. Both were focused on cultivation and both had extremely good temperaments. However, upon journeying together, she learned a great many things about him. Feng Yun had appeared easy to read and friendly at the beginning of their friendship. But now, she felt a bit different. He was shrouded in mystery and had the outlook of an adult. He had never stopped taking care of her when she ad nearly died and he had obviously sacrificed something to save her. That much was clear to Xia Qing. Then, during the vision, he himself came into it and comforted her. She was able to accept the Void Element easier that way and gained stronger power from it. She was grateful to him in many ways and had treated him as a very good friend most of the time. But was this childhood friend of her's more than just that? It hurt her head just thinking about it. She knew she had only scratched the surface in understanding Feng Yun and perhaps she would never fully understand him. Even so, she knew that he would always help her in times of need and she too in turn would do the same. With this final thought, Xia Qing let out a sigh and turned to stare at Feng Yun's pretty face, which slept like a doll on the other bed. Xia Qing let out a chuckle seeing this and whispered,

"Pfft. Just what exactly are you, Feng Yun? You're so ferocious in battle but so cute when you're vulnerable." Xia Qing then closed her eyes and entered her own deep slumber, facing Feng Yun.

The next morning was quite eventful. Many people were sitting at tables discussing the commotion that happened last night. They had all heard the terrifying booming sounds that sounded throughout the whole Emerald Dragon. They all payed close attention to the people entering through the main hall. They gazed at them carefully, suspecting each person to have caused it. The main reason for this analysis was so that they could either rope this person into joining them or kill them and steal whatever treasures they have.

Fortunately, Feng Yun and Xia Qing were only children of twelve years of age so they wouldn't be suspected. Just in case however, they decided to take off their cloaks and keep them within their interspatial materials. They wanted to appear confident such that people would not suspect that they weren't hiding themselves. Feng Yun was clad in his usual snow white jacket with golden linings and silky black hair falling down his shoulders. He almost looked feminine. Feng Yun had also changed his eye color from the golden and ruby double pupils to a green viper-like color. After all, who had seen golden and ruby pupils in any part of the continent. It made him stand out too much. He was only able to get by without causing so much trouble because he had his cloak covering most parts of his face. The current situation required him to make a slight change in appearance however. Xia Qing did not need to change much about her appearance as she wasn't as irregular as Feng Yun. Besides her purple hair and azure eyes, she was fine just the way she was. She had donned a Hanfu colored both green and yellow, as if she was a shrine maiden. She looked very cute and still had a immature feel about her.

HANFU: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Yellow_and_green_hanfu.jpg

Feng Yun had always made a constant check of the time so he was aware of when the expedition would take place. Duo Ling had told him alongside the location to be there as early in the morning as possible. They would not leave until the afternoon, but they had to sort the cultivators into different groupings based on strength. For that, they needed an inventory of the people there. Also, they were still waiting for supplies to come in. This was their most valuable mission up to date and they did not want to mess up. Feng Yun and Xia Qing did not need food as their cultivation level had reached the point where they could withstand certain amounts of time without eating or drinking anything. Once you reached the Tyrant or Truth Realm, you would be able to go on forever without eating. This was useful when undergoing closed door cultivation as the cultivator could just go on straight uninterrupted by worldly needs. The two walked past the various cultivators that stared at them as they passed, eyeing them and then shaking their heads. They were thinking that two little children that hadn't even gone through puberty yet couldn't have done this. Besides, if they dared to question them personally, they might be offending someone of a high status. This was evident from their clothing and bearing. They had the air of a noble and prideful nature.

The two walked up to the innkeeper and gave her the room back, saying that they wouldn't be returning to Sky Wind City.

The innkeeper sent them off with a 'thanks for visiting' and they left silently. They made their way to the front gate where the Death Singer Mercenaries were meeting with the people being escorted. Since there were many people of distinguished status in Sky Wind City, they did not attract too much attention and traveled soundly. The trip wasn't long so the two decided to take a leisurely walk there. They weren't really in any rush to get there. The people who saw them thought that they were siblings which made Feng Yun smile slightly. After a few minutes, they made their way to the gate. There, Feng Yun saw a large group of people there. They all had the crest of a long scythe and a skull directly adjacent to it. The Death Singer Mercenary crest! Feng Yun looked around and saw a familiar figure giving orders to people directing them to stations and an amiable smile plastered across his face. The man was quite handsome and had a very mature impression on people around him, giving them the feeling that you could rely on him. This man was naturally Duo Ling. Feng Yun beckoned Xia Qing towards him and they walked over.

.

Duo Ling noticed them out of the corner of his eye and turned his head to look at them. His expression erupted into smiles and it was evident that he was happy to receive them. Duo Ling waved them over and began to make conversation with them.

"Junior Brother Qiu, Junior Sister Huo. Thank you for coming on the mission! With your help, the mission should go quite well."

"The pleasure is ours, Senior Duo. However, how should we be sorted into our battalions for the escort mission." Feng Yun asked. Duo Ling answered with ease.

"Oh, that's easy. Coincidentally, I am the organizer for the battalion squadrons. How about this, you guys join my 5th Battalion. That way, you can work much more efficiently since you have someone you know on the team."

Feng Yun nodded his head and turned to Xia Qing. She made the sign that confirmed that she was alright with the decision. Feng Yun cupped his hands in respect and said,

"Then, Battalion Commander, we will be in your care." Feng Yun assumed a new title for Duo Ling and confirmed the decision.

Duo Ling laughed out loud and wore a smile on his face that said that he was pleased with the decision that they made. He told them to go meet with the other members of the 5th Battalion, who were located in one corner of the gate area. There were about two other members besides Duo Ling and they were very different from one another. One was a very cold woman about thirty years old. She had a very pure and strong appearance as well as a firmness that seemed unshakable. She was named Meng Rou. The other member was a dark skinned man with a large build and scars painted across his face. He looked very easygoing and friendly towards the duo. This man was named Cang Lin. Feng Yun and Xia Qing did not really know much about other members of the squadron but they hoped to understand them so that they could perform well in the battlefield. Initially, they were very surprised that the people joining their squadron were very young, but they did not underestimate them too much because they knew from experience that the younger you are, the more dangerous you are.

Feng Yun stood with the others and waited for Duo Ling to finish assigning people to their groups. Duo Ling walked over to their side after he had finished, a tired expression on his face. He looked over and said,

"I'm sure you have become acquainted with each other. Meng Rou, Cang Lin, do not underestimate these two just because they are young. They have a very great talent as well as a high combat efficiency. They will become key players in our Battalion." The two members nodded their heads seriously. Duo Ling then gave them instructions to remain on standby until further orders to move out were given. During the waiting time, Feng Yun had started cultivating to pass the time. Xia Qing followed suit. Both were leisurely cultivating and not attempting to get far. They didn't want to get exhausted right before the journey. Both Meng Rou and Cang Lin raised their eyebrows at this. These youngsters were very hardworking. They glanced at Duo Ling the meaning clear. It was a good decision to pick these two to join their Battalion. Duo Ling smiled with an all-knowing expression. After a while however, they heard a shout.

"The contractors have arrived!" They all looked up and even the duo exited their cultivation session to see who exactly it was that they were supposed to escort on this mission.