Chapter 48: The Myriad Flames Feast Begins

Finally, after several days of anticipation, Furnace City welcomed its grandest celebration: the Myriad Flames Feast.

Yue Feng and his companions prepared to depart. Situ Yan had sent his guards the day before to communicate with Yue Feng, and to avoid any unnecessary trouble, they had agreed to meet directly at the feast.

Since they still had to travel together, Wang Yu could no longer avoid Yue Feng. Naturally, she maintained her guard, ensuring Yue Feng had no opportunity to take advantage.

Frustrated, Yue Feng could only rub his nose and seek other avenues.

The young woman was left behind in the room by Wang Yu and the others. As she possessed no cultivation, it would be difficult for Yue Feng and Wang Yu to look after her if she ventured into the Myriad Flames region.

After ensuring her safety with protective measures, the two of them, accompanied by A-Bao and Xiaoke, set off under the young woman’s well wishes. Jerry remained in the room to keep her company.

As Furnace City’s most important festival, the entire street was far more vibrant than usual. Crowds surged, moving towards the central area where the Myriad Flames Feast was destined to begin.

“There are certainly a lot of people,” Wang Yu remarked, gazing at the dense crowd.

As a transmigrator, she had grown numb to such sights; every national holiday in her past life saw tourist attractions packed. Having once braved the Great Wall during a holiday, she recalled feeling utterly overwhelmed.

Fortunately, the Situ family’s people were maintaining order, having managed this city for four hundred years, they were adept at controlling the chaotic yet orderly flow.

Yue Feng extended his hand to the beautiful woman beside him. “Hold my hand so we don’t get separated, Yu’er. And please don’t sit on A-Bao anymore; that would make it too easy for us to be pulled apart.”

Wang Yu paused, then dismounted from A-Bao, offering her small hand to Yue Feng.

‘Hmm, why is my face so hot?’ she wondered. ‘It must be the temperature here, being so close to the volcano. Yes, that’s it.’ As Wang Yu sought excuses for herself, she shifted her attention, telling A-Bao, “Stay close; don’t get lost.”

“Oh, alright, my Tsundere-sama!” A-Bao quickly responded, a proud look on their face. “I’m the best at sticking to people! Back in the day, I used to cling to the nannies’ legs and make them drag me back!”

Wang Yu gave A-Bao a speechless look. She didn’t know what other pandas thought, but A-Bao had definitely been lazy as a pig, preferring to be dragged rather than walk back.

She offered her utmost respect to its former zookeepers. ‘Rest assured,’ she thought, ‘in this world, I will train A-Bao to be diligent, obedient, and a sensible good panda. Otherwise, it’s off to the dinner table!’

Yue Feng and Wang Yu moved slowly with the human current, much like a highway during peak hours, inching forward.

“Ah!” Wang Yu endured the snail-paced movement, her delicate hand tightly grasping Yue Feng’s to avoid getting lost. This situation was easily irritating.

“I knew I shouldn’t have been so prim!” Wang Yu complained. “Master said they have a VIP channel. I’m such an idiot!”

“There, there,” Yue Feng consoled her. “We’ll be free soon.” The day before, Situ Yan had sent them an identification token. With it, Yue Feng and Wang Yu wouldn’t have to wait outside but could rest in a VIP room—a privilege of the Situ family.

Upon reaching the entrance of the Myriad Flames Feast plaza, Yue Feng and Wang Yu did not wait outside with the other cultivators. Instead, they found a guard stationed outside the feast and presented the token.

The guard examined the token, confirmed its authenticity, and respectfully ushered Yue Feng and Wang Yu inside. He then handed the token to an attendant, who would lead them to their designated room.

Following the attendant through a corridor, they stopped at a room. The attendant opened the door and respectfully said,

“Please rest here, both of you. The Myriad Flames Feast will begin shortly. From the exterior glass of this room, you can directly view the plaza’s center, while those outside cannot see in.”

“Thank you,” Yue Feng replied politely, then led Wang Yu by the hand into the room. Inside was a spacious area with comfortable seating, various drinks, and snacks.

Facing the plaza was a transparent glass wall, offering an unobstructed view of the scenery, ensuring they wouldn’t miss anything.

“Ah!” Xiaoke immediately flopped onto the soft sofa, tore open a bag of snacks, and began munching voraciously. “I’m exhausted! I can’t believe there were so many people today!”

“???” Wang Yu glared furiously at the creature who had been leisurely flying in the sky the entire time. She instantly used wind to pull Xiaoke into her hand, gripping its neck and shaking it vigorously.

“My dear Xiaoke,” she said, “can you tell me where you’re exhausted?”

“Cough, cough! Stop, stop!” Xiaoke, thoroughly rattled, quickly tried to explain.

“It’s emotional exhaustion, emotional exhaustion! I watched my master suffer below, and as your spirit pet, I couldn’t share your burdens. My heart was filled with endless self-reproach! You see me flying so freely in the sky, but in truth, I was constantly thinking of your suffering!”

Wang Yu’s expression softened, and she was about to release it.

Xiaoke, however, then added with a mischievous grin, “Besides, you two, master and mistress, were being so sweet and loving down there. How could I possibly interrupt?”

Wang Yu’s face instantly froze. Expressionless, she lifted Xiaoke to her eye level and enunciated each word: “You. Go. To. Hell!”

Xiaoke’s face made intimate contact with the wall, then slid down it.

“How long do you plan to hold my hand?” Wang Yu snapped at Yue Feng, who had been watching the scene unfold. “You can let go now.”

Yue Feng didn’t immediately reply. Instead, he led Wang Yu’s small hand to the sofa and sat down. “I want to hold it forever, and never let go.”

“Stop!” Wang Yu retorted irritably. “That pick-up line doesn’t work on me. It’s too cliché.”

Yue Feng looked at Wang Yu innocently. “Even telling the truth isn’t allowed? Besides, you’ve been ignoring me these past few days. If I don’t get my fill now, when will I?”

“Heh heh,” Wang Yu glared at him. “Why do you think I’ve been ignoring you?”

“Eh? Why?” Yue Feng blinked. “I don’t know.”

“Hmph.” Wang Yu decided she wasn’t going to humor Yue Feng’s act of feigned ignorance.

Yue Feng, however, had no intention of letting her off the hook. Taking her by surprise, he pulled her into his embrace.

Wang Yu’s eyes closed. “What are you doing?” she asked, trembling. “A-Bao, aren’t you going to save me?”

“Hmm?” Yue Feng cast a deadly gaze at A-Bao.

A-Bao, flustered and at a loss, caught sight of the unconscious Xiaoke. They gritted their teeth and declared, “Release our master!”

With that, A-Bao charged towards Yue Feng and the wall behind him.

*Boom!* A-Bao’s head made intimate contact with the wall. “Ah!” Following in Xiaoke’s footsteps, they passed out.

“I’m doing what you’ve been angry about all this time.” Seeing A-Bao so ‘sensible,’ Yue Feng turned his attention back to the uneasy beauty in his arms, his face inching closer to Wang Yu’s.

Wang Yu closed her eyes, not daring to meet Yue Feng’s affectionate gaze. Just as their lips were about to meet, the sound of the door opening echoed through the room.

“Brother Yue, I trust you’ve been well recently?”

Wang Yu jolted, immediately pushing Yue Feng away and sitting on the side, her face flushed as she lowered her head.

Situ Yan looked at the ambiguous pair before him and awkwardly said, “My apologies, I seem to have arrived at an inopportune moment. Perhaps I should step out, and you two can continue?”

Yue Feng reluctantly turned to Situ Yan, grumbling, “No need, Brother Situ, please take a seat.” In his heart, however, he secretly lamented, ‘What a perfect opportunity! I was so close to conquering Yu’er. Never mind, there’ll be other chances.’

“Haha, I apologize for the interruption, truly,” Situ Yan said, playing it off as he sat opposite Yue Feng and Wang Yu. “Uh, who are these two?”

Situ Yan pointed at the unconscious Xiaoke and A-Bao on the side.

“It’s nothing,” Yue Feng glanced at them. “They wanted to find out whose head was harder, theirs or the wall’s. This is the result.”

Situ Yan paused, then laughed. “Haha, is that so?”

Yue Feng saw Wang Yu with her head down, saying nothing, and knew he would have to speak with Situ Yan alone.

However, Yue Feng observed Situ Yan, noting that while he seemed energetic, a weariness was etched between his brows. He couldn’t help but ask with concern, “Brother Situ, have you been troubled by anything recently?”

Situ Yan smiled bitterly. “It’s nothing, just some family matters. It won’t affect anything, it won’t affect anything.”

In truth, Situ Yan had been assisting with the disappearance of his second brother, Situ Yan, ever since before the Myriad Flames Feast began.

The Situ family, it was known, was not a place where just anyone could come and go. Despite layers of strict security, his second brother had simply vanished.

Recalling the empty confinement room sent shivers down the Situ family’s spines. They immediately ruled out the possibility of Situ Yan escaping on his own; he lacked the ability. So, who could it have been?

The guards on duty were loyal to the Situ family, and they all stated that no one had entered or exited during their watch.

The confinement room was in the Situ family’s backyard, meaning their internal defenses were utterly useless against whoever had taken Situ Yan.

Now, everyone in the Situ family felt vulnerable, and their defense level had been raised to the highest.

Situ Yan vaguely sensed that the Sacred Lands knew something. They had proactively informed the Situ family that they would assist with stringent security during this Myriad Flames Feast.

In such extraordinary times, these Sacred Lands should have been eager for the Situ family to make a mistake, not offering such goodwill.

As for helping openly while secretly causing trouble, Situ Yan didn’t believe the Sacred Lands were that foolish. What could be done covertly would be done covertly; doing it openly would only harm them and diminish their prestige.

Situ Yan considered a possibility: the events about to unfold were something even the Sacred Lands couldn’t predict or fully prepare for, forcing them to find ways to prevent it.

This was the most terrifying thought. He had even shamelessly asked his own sect, but his inquiries were met with silence, like a stone sinking into the sea.

Only his master had told him to prepare well for the grand competition, implying some things simply couldn’t be avoided.

Yue Feng watched the shifting emotions on Situ Yan’s face and didn’t press him, merely thinking, ‘It seems the Situ family’s troubles are indeed significant.’

At that moment, thunderous cheers erupted outside. The Myriad Flames Feast had begun!