Chapter 123: Arrival at the Base Camp of the Southern Territory
The moonlight flowed like water, and after leaving the food street, the two slowly made their way back, as the hotel was not far from there.
However, along the way, Ye Feng's gaze suddenly sharpened as he noticed something unusual in the surroundings.
Seeing this, Hong Qingyan asked, "What's wrong, Big Brother Ye?"
Ye Feng then shook his head slightly and chuckled softly, "It's nothing, let's go."
Hong Qingyan nodded and slowly pushed the wheelchair back along the path through the darkness.
Yet, at this moment, Ye Feng's brow was already deeply furrowed, for he had realized that someone was following them.
Although these secret agents were very skillfully concealed, they could not escape his keen eyesight.
Ever since he had opened his Eye Acupoint, Ye Feng possessed a photographic memory, and he noticed that several groups of people had been lurking around on their way here, and even after taking such a long detour, they were still stealthily roaming nearby.
Moreover, Ye Feng had also opened his nasal Acupoint, making his sense of smell extraordinarily sensitive; he could detect a very peculiar herbal scent on these people.
This scent, which he had previously encountered on two disciples of the Gu&Poison Sect while at the Yin Family in the Southern River Region, led Ye Feng to confidently conclude that these secret observers must be from the Gu&Poison Sect.
With this realization, Ye Feng's gaze in the darkness became fierce, "If you don't remove the roots, the spring breeze will bring them back to life. I never would have imagined that decades later, not only has the Southern Territory's Gu&Poison Sect revived from the ashes, they now even dare to brazenly move about in the secular world!"
"They even dare to surveil me, the Northern Border King, their audacity is truly growing!"
Despite this, Ye Feng did not take action, not because he worried about harming Hong Qingyan, but because these followers were merely insignificant figures.
Taking action now would be useless and might instead alarm them.
Find exclusive stories on empire
Without further incidents, the two returned to the hotel where Sima Zhantian and Xia Lengchan were specifically waiting at the entrance.
"My lord, just now in our hotel room, it seems that some mysterious person tried to sneak in, but Xiao Chuanqi discovered them and has already chased after them. My lord, have you encountered any unexpected situations on your side?" Sima Zhantian hurriedly inquired.
"Daring to sneak into the hotel? Were you able to figure out where they came from?" Ye Feng raised an eyebrow in anger, as the remaining evildoers of the Gu&Poison Sect seemed to be audaciously reckless.
Xia Lengchan saluted and said, "Brother Chuanqi has already given chase and has not yet returned; we were worried that it might be a ruse to lure the tiger away from the mountain, so we did not dare to leave. Moreover, Li Jingang and Zhuge Yu have already gone to find you, my lord."
Ye Feng nodded and said, "Inform Xiao Chuanqi that he need not continue the chase, you all should go back and rest!"
After saying this, Ye Feng walked into the hall and then took the elevator back to his room.
The night had grown deep, and after helping Ye Feng with his evening routine, Hong Qingyan had already gone to sleep, while Ye Feng quietly went to another bedroom to practice cultivation.
For some reason, he always had a feeling that since recovering from his severe injuries, his body seemed to have undergone some unexpected changes.
He felt that to fully understand the changes in his body, he needed to practice cultivation continually; only by unlocking all one hundred and eight acupoints and stepping into the next Realm could he possibly figure it out.
Thus, whenever he had spare time, he invariably chose to cultivate.
This time, the speed of his cultivation was still incredibly fast; in just one night, he had opened up five more acupoints. By now, he had successfully unlocked thirty acupoints, and his Inner Strength had reached an unimaginable level.
Although he hadn't practiced throughout the night, Ye Feng still felt not the slightest bit tired; each breakthrough would restore his spirit to its peak state.
After breakfast, the group set off once again, and by the afternoon, they finally arrived at the border of the Southern Territory, which was very close to the Base Camp.
The Southern Territory Base Camp was situated in a remote mountain town in the south, where there were hardly any ordinary people, only common merchants providing daily necessities.
Xia Lengchan explained, "Perhaps the Southern Territory is different from the Northern Border. The Southern Territory has many mountains, and this remote mountain town is surrounded by mountains on all sides. It's basically secluded from the world, and the base camp of the Southern Territory is located in this small town!"
In fact, the small town was the Southern Territory's base camp, with a huge airport in the center. Besides that, there was only one road connecting it to the outside world, with large mountain ranges encircling it. For a common person wishing to enter, unless they were granted passage through the checkpoints, they would have to scale mountains and cross ridges.
Of course, even if one thought of scaling the mountains, it was impossible because the surrounding mountains were all stationed with the Southern Territory's army.
Because Xia Lengchan and the others were originally commanders of the Southern Territory, the formidable checkpoints didn't stop them, and shortly after, they entered the town.
To be honest, this was Ye Feng's first time coming to the Southern Territory's base camp.
The small town actually looked far from desolate, with row houses everywhere, neatly planned, and there was an even broader square in the center.
The car stopped in the square, and Xia Lengchan and the other two jumped out directly, then quickly came over, opened Ye Feng's car door, and gestured invitingly, "My lord, we have arrived at the Southern Territory Base Camp. Please alight!"
Ye Feng nodded and, supported by Hong Qingyan, sat down in his wheelchair. What puzzled him was that the vast square was eerily silent, without a single person in sight.
Xia Lengchan, Li Jingang, and Zhuge Yu all frowned at this sight.
"It's truly strange. Before we left, I had clearly notified the great commanders of the Southern Territory that the Northern Border King would come, instructing them to come out to welcome him. But now, there's not even a shadow to be seen!" Xia Lengchan said coldly.
Xiao Chuanqi asked, "Did you explain my lord's identity?"
"Of course I did, and I gave them strict and repeated instructions!" Xia Lengchan's brows furrowed deeply.
By all accounts, the arrival of the Northern Border King to the Southern Territory should be a significant event, with a welcoming of no low standard. But now, there was not even a sole figure to greet him, let alone a formal welcome.
Without saying another word, Xiao Chuanqi observed as even Sima Zhantian, who was a bit slow, seemed to comprehend something and couldn't help snorting, "It would be fine if the King of the Southern Territory didn't come out to welcome him, but for the other great commanders of the Southern Territory to be so full of themselves is quite something!"
Xia Lengchan and the others felt somewhat embarrassed and, after thinking for a bit, said, "I'll go to the Southern King's Palace and look for them!"
"No need!"
Ye Feng suddenly gestured for them to stop and scoffed, "They've already arrived."
As he was speaking, down a small sandy path from the east, a group approached them directly.
The person at the head of the group was a gaunt old man, around fifty years old, with a goatee beard, wearing a purple robe, holding two pebbles in his right hand.
He strolled over casually and leisurely, clearly having seen Ye Feng and the others, yet not hastening his pace; instead, he slightly raised his head in an arrogant posture and demeanor.
Ye Feng just quietly watched him, his face as calm as still water.
Sima Zhantian and Xiao Chuanqi, however, were glaring furiously. Had it not been for the fact that this was the Southern Territory's base camp, they would have probably lashed out already.
After a good while, the old man, leading a dozen people, arrived at the square and came up to Ye Feng; he made a perfunctory bow and said, "This must be the legendary Northern Border King, I presume? Rumors say the Northern Border King is peerless and unmatched in elegance and grace, but the person before me is a cripple in a wheelchair, which doesn't quite fit the stories, does it?"
His words seemed complimentary on the surface, but everyone there could tell it was mockery, thick with scorn.
In an instant, the square was filled with a powder keg of tension!