Chapter 981: The Heroic Chronicles of Young Di Nufeng (I) (Side Story)

"I, Di Nufeng, will definitely become a great hero known throughout the land!"

At fifteen years old, Di Nufeng made this bold declaration to the Discipline Master, the very one who never allowed her to leave the mountain. Her youthful face brimmed with stubborn determination.

Yet, the Discipline Master would always say, "It’s not time yet."

"But others get to leave the mountain when they're only at the early stage of the Spiritual Awareness Realm. I’m already at the pinnacle and about to break through to the fourth realm. There’s no danger at all. So why won’t you let me go?" Di Nufeng protested.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaa...." Discipline Master sighed and shook her head. "Ah Feng, the reason I won’t let you leave the mountain isn’t because I’m worried about your safety. It’s because..."

Just as she was about to continue, an attendant disciple called from outside, "Discipline Master, the sect leader summons you to discuss an urgent matter."

"Alright," the Discipline Master replied, "I’ll head over immediately."

Then she turned back to Di Nufeng. "Ah Feng, be patient and focus on your cultivation a little longer. When I have the time, I’ll choose a few senior brothers and sisters to go with you on your first mission down the mountain. Does that sound alright?"

"Okay," Di Nufeng replied sweetly with a gentle smile.

The next day, the Discipline Master left the mountain on official business, taking the entire Hall of Discipline with her. That included the attendants and disciples. Word was that they would not return for several days.

And so, Di Nufeng made her way to the Sword Exchange Pavilion.

When Di Nufeng saw the hesitant look on the face of the Sword Exchange Pavilion’s supervising elder, she raised her brows and shouted, "Old man, I’m asking you a question! I’m at the pinnacle of the third realm. Am I qualified to take on a mission and go down the mountain or not?"

"Yes..." the elder replied.

"As a disciple of the Mount Shu Sect, isn’t it my duty to slay monsters and destroy devils in exchange for sword coins?"

"Yes..."

"If I’m here to accept a mission, am I breaking any sect rules?"

"No..."

Di Nufeng grabbed the supervising elder by the collar and shouted, "Then why won’t you let me take a mission and go down the mountain? Are you picking on me just because I’m young, naive, and easy to bully?"

"The heavens know I wouldn’t," said the supervising elder, raising both hands with a pained expression. "Which elder on Mount Shu would dare bully you? Mama mia... But the Discipline Master gave prior instructions. She didn’t approve it, so I’m not allowed to assign you any mission."

"She gave instructions? Then go get her so we can settle this face to face!" Di Nufeng snapped. "If you can’t find her, just remember this. I mastered the immortal art for the Samadhi True Fire last month. You’d better start sleeping with one eye open. Who knows what might happen? The Sword Exchange Pavilion could suddenly become a fire hazard."

"Oh, mama mia..." said the supervising elder, who was nearly in tears. On one side, he was being threatened by this little monster. On the other, he had to follow the Discipline Master’s orders. How could he not be drenched in cold sweat?

However, he couldn’t scold Di Nufeng, let alone lay a hand on her. When Di Nufeng caused trouble, there was no such thing as holding back. Only the Discipline Master could keep her in check. If she said she would set fire to the building, she absolutely meant it.

By the time the Discipline Master returned, the entire Sword Exchange Pavilion would likely have been set on fire several times over.

Left with no choice, the supervising elder said, "Then I’ll give you a simple mission. Go down the mountain and complete it, but don’t stay out too long."

"One?" Di Nufeng barked. "If others see that, they’ll think I can’t even handle a single mission. This old lady is going out for three days, so give me three. One for each day."

The supervising elder had no choice but to agree. The attendant disciple didn’t dare delay and quickly handed over the mission slips to Di Nufeng.

Only after receiving them did Di Nufeng finally let go of the Sword Exchange Pavilion elder. She gave a sharp snort and said, "At least you know your place."

She turned and strode out, leaving all the Mount Shu Sect disciples in the hall staring at one another in stunned silence.

...

The supervising elder began to explain. "The first mission...

"In Xu Family Village in the Southern Regions, there’s reportedly a weasel that has gained sentience. It sneaks into villagers’ homes at night to steal chickens and ducks. It has even bitten cattle and sheep to death..."

"That’s just outrageous!" Di Nufeng exclaimed.

When Di Nufeng arrived at Xu Family Village and the locals heard that she was an esteemed cultivator sent by the Mount Shu Sect, they welcomed her with great hospitality. The entire village, young and old, gathered together and treated her to a lavish meal with good food and wine.

It was Di Nufeng’s first time going down the mountain for a mission, and she had never experienced anything like this before.

Patting her chest proudly, she declared, "We disciples of the Mount Shu Sect are brimming with righteousness. We’ll definitely take care of this vile demon for you. Just you wait and see!"

Her words rang out with conviction, and she truly meant them. She was determined to make her first mission a complete success.

That very evening, she climbed a tall tree outside the village and concealed her presence. With a picture album in hand, she waited in ambush for hours. Only when the moon reached its highest point did her target finally appear.

A loud howl suddenly pierced the night as a foul-smelling yellow wind swept across the ground, sending dead leaves swirling through the air.

Di Nufeng, who had been half-asleep, jolted awake the moment she caught the scent of demonic qi. Her eyes gleamed with sharp light.

Sure enough, the foul wind slipped into a locked chicken coop. The chickens inside let out shrill cries as they were bitten one after another.

"Hey!" Di Nufeng shouted. "Where do you think you’re going, demonic creature?"

With a roar, a streak of fire shot into the chicken coop. The flimsy structure couldn’t withstand the blast of Samadhi True Fire. It burst apart at once, and the chickens inside didn’t even have time to scream before they were reduced to ash, swirling away into the wind.

"Awroo!" howled the weasel demon.

Still in the early stages of cultivation, the creature had never seen anything like it. Trembling with fear, it curled into itself and turned into a stream of yellow wind. It slipped under the wooden fence of the neighboring yard and vanished into another home.

Di Nufeng charged after it without hesitation, afraid it might escape. She thundered across the ground in hot pursuit.

The yellow wind raced ahead, and the trail of fire followed behind. In a matter of moments, the chase took them through more than half the village.

At last, just as the weasel demon tried to flee up a barren hill, Di Nufeng flicked out a spark that pierced its right leg. The demon let out a sharp cry and collapsed.

"Brazen creature!" Di Nufeng shouted as she strode up. "You trespass into homes and butcher chickens like weeds. Are you still not ready to die?"

With a sharp boom, she struck it with her palm before it had the chance to answer. The weasel demon was reduced to dust on the spot.

"Heheh," Di Nufeng chuckled as she clapped her hands and brushed off the dust. "Slaying monsters and upholding justice is really a piece of cake for Heroine Feng... huh?"

Her nose twitched at the smell of smoke.

When she turned around, she saw flames rising high across the village. The entire place was on fire. Villagers rushed out of their homes, shouting and scrambling to fight the blaze.

However, no amount of water could extinguish Samadhi True Fire. All they could do was watch helplessly as the flames devoured their homes one by one.

Thankfully, since everyone had been waiting for Di Nufeng to catch the demon, no one had gone to bed yet. There were no casualties.

But the people were the only things that had been spared.

The firelight lit up half the sky.

...