Chapter 25: Sympathy For Mortals

Although Xie Dongyi joked that he wanted to spar with Lie Zhanfeng, they continued their journey instead. The forest around them was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind. It was the kind of silence that made the faintest sounds stand out, like the crunch of their footsteps on the forest floor.

The quiet was broken when a large shadow darted across their path. Lie Zhanfeng immediately halted, his eyes narrowing. A beast stepped out from the undergrowth—a Darkmoon Wolf. Its sleek black fur shimmered faintly in the dappled sunlight, and its golden eyes gleamed with a feral light. Moreover, it's strength is at the fifth level of qi Refining, much stronger than the Stonehide Boar they hunted before.

Lie Zhanfeng smirked. “Finally, something worth punching.”

Without waiting for a response, he charged forward, closing the distance between himself and the wolf in an instant. The beast snarled and leapt to meet him, its claws slashing through the air. Lie Zhanfeng dodged easily, delivering a powerful blow to its side. The wolf yelped, skidding across the ground but recovering quickly.

“Show-off,” Jimao muttered from his perch atop a low branch.

The Emberclaw Rooster fluffed his fiery feathers, his small, sharp claws digging into the bark. His crimson plumage glinted in the sunlight, and his beady eyes were fixed on the fight below.

Lie Zhanfeng spared the bird a glance. “You want to take a turn?”

Jimao snorted—an odd sound for a rooster. “I could’ve ended this fight already. You’re just dragging it out.”

“Yeah? Then why don’t you fly down here and show me how it’s done?”

“I would, but someone needs to supervise,” Jimao replied smugly.

Lie Zhanfeng rolled his eyes, returning his focus to the wolf. It had recovered enough to attack again, lunging at him with bared fangs. He met its charge head-on, his fist colliding with its skull in a deafening crack. The beast collapsed, lifeless.

Xie Dongyi, who didn't have the chance to take action, sheathed his Zhentian sword with a soft click. “Done playing around?”

“I was testing my strength,” Lie Zhanfeng replied with a shrug. He lifted the wolf’s carcass, slinging it over his shoulder with ease. “Gotta see how much I’ve improved, right?”

---

The forest was quieter now, the fading light casting long shadows through the trees. Lie Zhanfeng adjusted the Darkmoon Wolf’s carcass on his shoulder, its bulk hardly a challenge for him. Xie Dongyi walked a few paces ahead, his hand resting lightly on his sword hilt.

Jimao, perched on a low-hanging branch, ruffled his fiery feathers. His golden eyes gleamed with an almost smug satisfaction as he clucked. “A wolf? Really? That’s all this forest has to offer? Back in my day, even a cub would’ve put up a better fight.”

“Back in your day?” Lie Zhanfeng snorted. “You don't look that old to me.”

Jimao scoffed, his beak clicking sharply. “A few years is more than enough for a being of my caliber to amass superior knowledge and experience. It’s not my fault you’re so slow to evolve. So, you better call me ancestor! You brat!”

“You sure talk big for someone who didn’t even step in,” Lie Zhanfeng retorted, his voice light but teasing. “What’s the excuse this time? ‘Strategic observation’ again?”

“Precisely,” Jimao said without hesitation. He fluffed his crimson plumage proudly. “A true leader delegates when necessary.”

Xie Dongyi glanced back, his brow furrowed slightly. “What’s he saying?”

Lie Zhanfeng smirked. “Nothing useful. Just more of his usual nonsense about how amazing he is.”

Xie Dongyi smiled, shaking his head in amusement. At times like this, it's best to say nothing at all.

Jimao’s feathers bristled, and he hopped along the branch indignantly. “Excuse me? I’ll have you know that I’ve faced creatures ten times more ferocious than that overgrown pup—and won!”

Lie Zhanfeng rolled his eyes, choosing not to translate that particular boast. “Sure, stupid bird. Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

As they continued walking, the atmosphere grew quieter, save for the rustle of leaves underfoot. The silence gave way to deeper thoughts, and Lie Zhanfeng’s gaze drifted toward the distant horizon. Now that they're almost at the top of Westmount, Lie Zhanfeng  can barely see the village below. The one they’d left behind a few days ago.

He’d seen places like it before—simple, unremarkable...But this is the first time he can clearly see its vulnerability.

“They’re so disconnected from this,” Xie Dongyi said suddenly, breaking the quiet. “The people in town, I mean. Do you think they even know what’s out here?”

Lie Zhanfeng shook his head. “Doubt it. Most mortals live their whole lives without realizing what’s right beyond their borders. And it’s not like anyone’s going to tell them.”

He adjusted the wolf’s carcass, his expression thoughtful. The lack of spiritual energy in the area had kept it off cultivators’ maps—just another forgotten corner of the Lingwu Continent. But the balance here was delicate, almost fragile. The beasts in the Westmount forest stayed in their territory, and the absence of spiritual energy kept powerful cultivators away. It was an unspoken coexistence, the kind of tenuous peace that didn’t need words to survive.

Jimao chuckled, a low, smug sound. “Mortals are lucky you exist. Without you cultivators, they’d be nothing but fodder for the likes of spirit beasts like us.”

Lie Zhanfeng’s grip on the carcass tightened. His jaw clenched for a moment, though his voice remained light. “You really think cultivators are doing them a favor, huh?”

Jimao tilted his head, his fiery eyes glinting. “Of course. Who else keeps the balance? Certainly not them.”

Lie Zhanfeng didn’t reply immediately. Instead, he let his thoughts drift back to the book—Conqueror of Hearts and Realms. The words were vivid in his memory, describing worlds where mortals scraped by on the edges of cultivation, where they were pawns in games far beyond their understanding.

A perfect example is the original owner. The poor boy died in the hands of Zhao Tianyun, a cultivator, just because of a treasure he accidentally found.

He sighed softly. “You don’t get it, do you?”

Jimao’s feathers ruffled. “What’s there to get? Mortals are weak. That’s just how it is.”

Lie Zhanfeng glanced at the rooster, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Weak doesn’t mean worthless. Besides, you're weak too.”

His words hung in the air, a quiet weight between them. Memories surfaced—his own struggles in Westmount as a mortal, the times he’d faced dangers with nothing but his fists and sheer determination. He knew what it was like to live on the edge, to be treated as nothing more than a nuisance by those who called themselves superior. So, during those times when he felt so weak and embarrassed, he never thought of asking for help from those people who only wanted to see his jokes.

At that time, he could only run away from danger. The thought of running away made Lie Zhanfeng feel depressed.

For a moment, he even thought of thanking Jimao for not having any killing intent during the time when he was weak and tried to provoke the rooster. Even though Lie Zhanfeng said that Jimao is weak, he was even weaker than him when he was a mortal.

Meanwhile, Xie Dongyi, who had been listening to Lie Zhanfeng's words had a rough idea of their conversation, then finally spoke. “You don’t seem to agree with him.”

Lie Zhanfeng shook his head. “No, I don’t. Mortals—they fight in their own way. They survive in ways most cultivators can’t even imagine. Doesn’t make them any less worthy of respect.”

Jimao blinked, momentarily caught off guard by the sincerity in Lie Zhanfeng’s tone. Then he let out a huff, his feathers settling. “Hmph. Believe what you want. Just don’t expect the world to agree with you.” The mighty Jimao won't admit that he's wrong.

Lie Zhanfeng chuckled, though the sound was softer this time. “I don’t need the world to agree. I’ve seen enough to know better.”

“I agree with you.” Xie Dongyi spoke firmly. This time, his words caught Lie Zhanfeng off guard.

Warmth spread in Lie Zhanfeng's chest, making him feel flattered. This Xie Dongyi in front of him is so different from the villain described in the book.

Although he admired the villain who's both ruthless and powerful, this straightforward and occasionally innocent version of Xie Dongyi doesn't seem bad at all.

The conversation faded as they reached another clearing. Ahead of them, the forest grew darker, the shadows deeper. But even in the growing twilight, Lie Zhanfeng felt a quiet resolve settle over him.

Mortals might be fragile, but they weren’t helpless. And if he could help even a few of them carve out a better life, then maybe his strength would mean something after all.

---

The continues journey stopped for a while as another pack of beasts appeared in their path. This time, it was a group of lesser predators—likely drawn by the scent of the Darkmoon Wolf’s carcass.

“You stupid brute! Why are you carrying that dead thing around? Are you trying to get us killed? Oh no, I'm too young to die!” Jimao started squawking frantically, completely forgetting how he claimed to be a wise old ancestor a few moments ago.

Lie Zhanfeng set the wolf down carefully, cracking his knuckles. “Shut up, it's time for round two.”

Xie Dongyi unsheathed his sword, his movements graceful yet deliberate. The two of them moved in sync, their combined efforts dispatching the beasts with ease. Jimao, not wanting to be left out, leapt into the fray, his sharp claws and smoke attacks adding to the chaos. Although he's weak, don't forget that he had two ready made goons beside him!

By the time the fight was over, the ground was littered with defeated beasts. Lie Zhanfeng dusted off his hands, glancing at Jimao.

“Not bad for a bird.”

Jimao puffed out his chest proudly. “Told you I could handle myself.”

“Sure, sure,” Lie Zhanfeng replied, his tone dull.

As they resumed their journey, the tension from earlier seemed to dissipate.

Location of Zhao Village