Chapter 126: Joining the Army

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Hearing the commotion outside, Chu Feng immediately focused his mind to investigate, frowning slightly, utterly speechless. The news had spread far too quickly, and now, he hadn’t even eaten a single bowl of wontons, yet the shop was swarmed with people, packed to the brim.

What frustrated Chu Feng even more was the noisy crowd outside, seemingly gossiping about a romantic affair between him and Xu Yan. He had to admire their talent for fabricating stories, speaking so convincingly as if they had witnessed it firsthand.

"Damn it, this is going to cause big trouble. If Xiao Yue hears this, I’m done for. Xiao Yue, this isn’t Brother Feng’s fault!" Chu Feng cursed silently.

Seeing the bitter expression on Chu Feng’s face, Xu Yan asked, "What’s wrong?"

With a sigh, Chu Feng replied, "In short, we’re famous now. Looks like we can’t stay in the Xuan Division any longer."

Though Xu Yan wasn’t clear on the outside situation, she quickly understood Chu Feng’s meaning. After all, he was now considered a big figure, and once word spread, it naturally drew public attention.

Soon, Chu Feng and Xu Yan finished their wontons, said goodbye to Jiang Cheng and the others, and left.

Chu Feng’s appearance caused another stir; the women around him beamed with excitement, their eyes sparkling as if they wanted to devour him.

With Xu Yan by his side, Chu Feng wove through the crowd, which was densely packed wherever they went.

Finally, the two broke free from the Xuan Division. Chu Feng wiped a cold sweat from his brow and then spurred their horse onward with Xu Yan in tow.

On horseback, Xu Yan sat behind Chu Feng, wrapping her arms around his waist, a faint blush on her cheeks as she smiled, "I didn’t expect the wild man to be so popular now!"

Chu Feng was speechless, "I’m the one suffering because of you."

Xu Yan twisted his waist sharply and scolded, "You wild man! I kindly brought you to the Xuan Division for a stroll, and you blame me for your misery?"

Chu Feng was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Everyone thinks we’re a couple. Isn’t that bad enough? If Xiao Yue finds out, I’m dead meat."

"Then let Sister Long Yue beat you up! Heartless man! Hmph!" Xu Yan scolded.

Chu Feng felt a faint sadness, barely perceptible, pulled the reins to slow the horse as they trotted along the cobblestone path, calming his thoughts. "I think Jiang Cheng is a good person; he really cares for you."

"That’s none of my business!" Xu Yan punched Chu Feng’s back sharply, glaring at him, yet a shy smile crept onto her face as she mumbled, "He’s not my beloved."

Hearing Xu Yan mention her beloved, Chu Feng recalled what Tao Ping and the others had said earlier and sighed quietly, unsure of what to say.

Xu Yan’s expression grew complex; she pressed her face against Chu Feng’s back and spoke softly, "Wild man, don’t you understand my feelings yet?"

Upon hearing this, Chu Feng tightened his grip on the reins, and the horse came to a stop on the stones. The two sat silently on horseback, the air thick with unspoken words.

Feeling the delicate beauty pressed against his back, Chu Feng’s heart stirred in ripples, unsure of what to say or do.

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Xu Yan bit her lip, as if making a resolute decision, and finally spoke again.

"Yes, I like you. Since the night we fought and you pinned me down, you’ve slowly crept into my heart."

"In the Newcomer Division, as you grew stronger and I saw your astonishing talent, I was truly happy for you, but also deeply saddened."

"Because from that moment, I felt you had entered a higher realm, a world I could only long for but never reach."

"When you entered the Tian Division, I knew we were destined to be from two different worlds, and it would be hard to cross paths again. Yet, you have always been in my heart, unforgettable from start to finish."

Tears glimmered in Xu Yan’s eyes as her voice trembled. Though Chu Feng said nothing, a pang of sorrow welled within him.

"In the Xuan Division, I trained desperately, hoping one day to enter your world and close the distance between us. But as your achievements grew, I saw the gap widen. I was lost, heartbroken, troubled—but none of it could stop me from missing you."

Xu Yan clung to Chu Feng, crystal tears streaming down her cheeks onto his back. Sobbing softly, she continued, "Do you know? I wish I could go back to the days in the Newcomer Division. With you, I was truly happy. These years without seeing you have been so painful. So very painful!"

"I know you love Sister Long Yue deeply, and I know I shouldn’t interfere between you two. But I can no longer suppress my feelings for you. I don’t ask for your whole heart; I only hope there’s a place for me in it—even if just a tiny bit… a tiny bit would be enough… sob…"

At this, Xu Yan broke down completely, clutching Chu Feng tightly as the years of longing poured out in tears.

Her words and sobs pierced Chu Feng’s heart like needles.

His emotions surged, and unable to hold back, he turned, pulling Xu Yan from behind into his arms, holding her close. He kissed her deeply before murmuring, "How could I forget those times? When we entered the Newcomer Division, everyone looked down on me and shunned me, but you treated me sincerely. And I liked seeing you flustered and teasing you. Those days were truly happy. I realize now—you had already entered my heart long ago. I’m sorry for making you suffer."

At that moment, clarity dawned on Chu Feng. Before his encounter with Long Yue, Xu Yan had unknowingly slipped into his heart. But at that time, Chu Feng was too obsessed with cultivation, and later, meeting Long Yue completely overshadowed this feeling deep within him—even he hadn’t noticed.

Because of years of longing, the relationship between Chu Feng and Long Yue had transformed from familial affection into love, while the subtle feelings between Chu Feng and Xu Yan had existed earlier.

Chu Feng felt guilty, pained that he hadn’t realized this all these years while Xu Yan had been struggling in the sea of her emotions.

He dismounted and sat by a stream with Xu Yan, gently stroking her hair. Like a child wronged, she buried herself in his embrace, crying sorrowfully for a full quarter of an hour before calming down.

When Xu Yan’s sobs ceased and her emotions settled, she gazed at Chu Feng with tear-filled eyes, blinking repeatedly.

Chu Feng wiped away her tears, smiling slightly. "Why do you keep staring at me?"

"Why did you kiss me? You think I don’t know? I’m going to tell Sister Long Yue you bullied me!" Xu Yan said, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Uh..." Chu Feng was utterly speechless but felt a pang of guilt thinking of Long Yue.

"Sigh, this is fate. I have to face these feelings for this girl," Chu Feng sighed inwardly, unable to imagine what the future held.

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"Don’t worry, I won’t tell Sister Long Yue. Look how scared you are." Xu Yan smiled, her cheeks flushing even more as she looked at Chu Feng, hesitating before asking, "Was what you said just now true?"

Chu Feng pinched Xu Yan’s nose playfully. "Would I lie? It’s definitely true."

A sweet smile appeared on Xu Yan’s face as she wrapped her arms around Chu Feng’s neck, kissing him tenderly. "Hearing those words makes me so happy. I know how you feel about Sister Long Yue, and you don’t need to do anything more. I won’t make things difficult for you. As long as there’s a place for me in your heart, and I can be by your side, I’ll be satisfied."

Chu Feng was deeply moved. He would never betray Long Yue, and naturally, he could make no promises to Xu Yan. Still, he said, "I won’t let you get hurt anymore. Actually, Xiao Yue has known about your feelings for me for a long time. She hasn’t said anything. I think she will eventually accept you."

Xu Yan nodded, pinched Chu Feng’s cheek, and grinned mischievously. "Well, that’s wonderful news."

Chu Feng scratched his head playfully. "Of course! With a beauty like you, a few more brothers wouldn’t be a problem!"

"You wild man, you naughty wild man!" Xu Yan scolded, pinching his waist sharply.

After chatting for a while, Chu Feng escorted Xu Yan to the Xu Lan residence. Over the next three days, he refined the King’s Battle Armor to perfection, then went to find the officer in charge of assigning recruits to the military.

Among the Tian Division recruits, those specializing in medicine, politics, and military affairs had predetermined placements, while those focused on cultivation had their assignments mostly decided, so Chu Feng had no worries about whether he and Long Yue would be assigned under the same marshal’s command.

He had long learned that the human frontier was guarded by ten marshals, each commanding a different army. Among them, Marshal Cui Peng’s forces were the weakest.

In truth, Marshal Cui Peng’s army used to be the strongest among the ten, thanks to one person—Yu Yang.

Yu Yang alone surpassed thousands of talents and armies, making it impossible for Cui Peng’s forces not to be formidable.

Because of this, fewer recruits from the Tian Division were assigned to Cui Peng’s army. After Yu Yang disappeared, Cui Peng’s forces became the weakest overall.

Over the years, the other nine marshals’ forces reached saturation, so the cultivation talents from the Tian Division were all assigned to Cui Peng’s army, including Long Yue, Murong Qiuxue, Liu Yantao, Mo Xuan, Mo Chen, and Duan Yi.

Chu Feng’s service location, naturally, was also within Cui Peng’s army.

Chu Feng sought out the person responsible for recruit assignments mainly for Xu Yan. Given his prestige and status at the Spirit War Pavilion, this was no difficult task.

After stating his request to the middle-aged man, the latter agreed without hesitation, assigning Xu Yan directly to Cui Peng’s army. Since assignments were casual, this was hardly an issue.