Chapter 257
As for Yu Xunge, she mostly followed Feng Mu around, assisting her in various battles, and she inherently disliked the intrigues and management that came with leadership.
**Chapter 333: Feng Ran - Frustration and a Vow**
Managing a legion, balancing the power and ambitions of various factions, is an art.
And employing people is a significant test of a manager's mental health.
Take Yu Xunge herself, for instance. She could maintain a superficial friendly relationship with Yu Xunhuan and Su Yitong, but that was built on the premise of her constantly causing them losses behind their backs.
After stealing their attributes and equipment, she would engage with them amicably. This wasn’t a negative emotion; rather, this kind of "friendliness" brought her joy, much like a murderer returning to the crime scene to admire their masterpiece.
She could tolerate some verbal disrespect, as long as no one shouted at her face. She didn’t see that as a big deal. However, if anyone took action against her, she would never tolerate it. Allowing such a threat to live another day was an insult to her.
But when it came to being a leader of a legion...
Sometimes, when Yu Xunge saw the faces of certain "Oaks," she genuinely wanted to kill.
If it were Liang Yuchuan in charge of Feng Mu, half of the Oaks would be dead by now, and the other half would have to take a lunch break before continuing the slaughter.
Yet Feng Mu could endure it. Even if the Oak’s character was utterly terrible, as long as they hadn’t verbally insulted Feng Tang, Feng Cang, or Feng Ran, and their divine talents were useful and could be employed, she would smile and embrace them, even risking her own injury to save them on the battlefield.
Yu Xunge was healing her to the point of nearly having a stroke.
Especially that one time when an Oak, designated as a tank, failed to interrupt a beast's ultimate move. Yu Xunge saw him glance at Feng Mu out of the corner of his eye; not only did he not interrupt in time, but he also subtly guided the beast’s attack towards Feng Mu.
Yu Xunge almost thought she would have to use “I said the marshmallow isn’t expired, so it isn’t expired,” but Feng Mu held on, with her health dropping to just 0.19%. Yu Xunge immediately threw all her healing skills onto Feng Mu.
After the battle, that Oak came over to bow and apologize, claiming it was an accident.
Feng Mu sensed something was off, but she couldn’t produce evidence. If she executed him on the spot, it would be hard to justify, and the Oaks following her would worry about being killed for a single mistake.
More importantly, this Oak’s tank talent was S-rank; they couldn’t afford to lose him.
Since he offered her a way out, she had to take it. So, Feng Mu smiled nonchalantly and said it was fine.
Yu Xunge felt that all the grievances she had endured since birth paled in comparison to what Feng Mu had to deal with in a single day.
On the way home, Feng Mu even comforted her, saying she could be tough on herself but not on her subordinates. What she needed was cohesion, not fear, and she told the stingy Feng Ran not to be so petty.
Yu Xunge thought she was talking nonsense.
That day, Yu Xunge missed Liang Yuchuan so much.
If Liang Yuchuan had been there, that Oak would have been done for on the spot.
Months had passed since that incident, but Yu Xunge still felt angry when she thought about it.
Even someone as cautious as her couldn’t overlook the bigger picture. If it had been her, she would have swallowed her anger for the greater good and her public image, but she would have found a chance to sneak into that Oak’s home at night, steal his attributes, and kill him—unlike Feng Mu, who had managed to endure until now.
So, when Feng Tang wanted Feng Mu to be the leader of the afternoon tea group, Yu Xunge had no objections. Not that she could change anything anyway; historically, Feng Mu was the second leader of the afternoon tea group.
She even clapped her hands and said, “Mother, I support my sister!”
Seeing Feng Ran’s relieved expression, Feng Tang clearly recalled those events. Her gaze darkened as she looked at Feng Mu and sincerely said, “I’m sorry for putting this burden on you, but I’m proud of you. Although I’ve made my decision, I seem to have forgotten to ask you if you’re willing to accept this legion?”
Feng Mu frowned and shook her head, “Mother, you won’t get into trouble. You will definitely return safely.”
Yu Xunge’s smile froze on her face, her pupils dilating. Oh no, that was the right answer with high emotional intelligence!!
Beside them, Feng Cang nearly spat out his food from laughing at Feng Ran’s change of expression, covering his mouth awkwardly but still unable to stop chuckling.
Fortunately, Feng Tang didn’t mind.
She looked into Feng Mu’s eyes and said, “I will do my utmost to make the afternoon tea group better and worthy of your efforts.”
That statement was so solemn, it felt like a vow.
...
Feng Tang’s departure seemed to take away all of Feng Mu’s rationality. She transformed into a different kind of Oak, her methods becoming extremely ruthless. Anyone who dared to question whether Feng Tang would return, or covet the position of the afternoon tea group leader, regardless of whether they were part of the core, would be dealt with by Feng Mu.
Using brutally harsh methods, she suppressed all dissent within the afternoon tea group with blood.
Yu Xunge privately asked Feng Mu, “Didn’t you say this would make them lose faith in you?”
Feng Mu replied, “It’s fine. As long as they trust and support Feng Tang, that’s enough.”
When Feng Tang was around, she saw herself as the manager of the afternoon tea group. She wouldn’t let Feng Tang be troubled by trivial matters.
With Feng Tang gone, her focus was on protecting the afternoon tea group, and the more ruthless she was, the more the Oaks would long for Feng Tang.
Yu Xunge and Feng Cang naturally supported Feng Mu; the latter believed everything her family did was right, while the former felt indebted to Feng Mu for all she had given.
Since following Feng Tang to learn archery, in just a few years, Feng Tang had brought back seven archery skill books for her, all starting at B-rank.
After Feng Tang left, Feng Mu took it upon herself to gather the best bows, the sharpest arrows, and the most dazzling and powerful shooting skills for Yu Xunge.
Perhaps they weren’t as good as what Feng Tang would have brought home, but everything Feng Mu could procure, she brought back for Feng Ran and Feng Cang. Of course, the most precious items were reserved for Feng Tang.
In the mid-year of 5080 in Ruin Core, all the Oaks heard the announcement: their life levels had risen, and they all cheered, except for Feng Mu, Feng Cang, and Yu Xunge, who felt sorrowful.
Feng Tang returned, having lost an eye and a leg. Yu Xunge was using her healing skills to mend her injuries, and to her surprise, even Feng Cang was crying, while Feng Mu, who valued Feng Tang the most, didn’t shed a tear.
After healing, Feng Tang smiled and embraced Feng Mu, Feng Cang, and Yu Xunge one by one, then took them and some members of the afternoon tea group who had supported Feng Mu since her departure through a portal to the tower.
Once, Yu Xunge thought this was an oak tree, but after living in Senhai for over two hundred years, she learned that it was a very special tree. Not only was it the first tree in Senhai, but it was also said to have existed since the first Oak was born. It was the only oak tree grown from a Mu tree seed, combining the strengths of both Mu and oak trees, making it the tallest, strongest, and most beautiful tree in Senhai.
The current “tower” looked a bit different from what she had seen in Zelan, but she knew that in the near future, the Oaks would transform this tree and move the captured dungeon light screens into the tower.
**Chapter 335: Feng Ran - Mother, I Have a Dream**
Yu Xunge witnessed the vow made under the tower, which would be recorded in the annals of Oak history.
During the oath, Feng Tang held Feng Mu, who was as tall as her, with her left arm, while her right hand held Feng Cang’s. On her back was the eight-year-old Feng Ran.
That year, Yu Xunge heard that many Oaks had “mysteriously” defected, forming three different organizations outside. When she heard this news, her expression broke; there had only been six small teams in Dinghai.
That year marked the beginning of the 11 alien races occupying one-third of the dungeon light screens. Several extremely powerful alien races guarded the dungeon light screens, making it impossible for the Oaks to clear the aliens inside in time. Every seven days, a large number of alien soldiers would surge out from the dungeon light screens.
Feng Tang began leading them into battles, clearing the aliens that entered Senhai, or gathering forces to reclaim the dungeon light screens.
As Feng Tang grew more familiar with Zelan, Yu Xunge finally asked a question that had been on her mind: “Why do they have so many soldiers? It’s like they just keep coming, no matter how many we kill. Do they reproduce like spores?”
Feng Tang had clearly investigated this issue as well. She answered her daughter’s question:
“The sea demons cultivate a type of giant sea creature that can lay millions of fish eggs every day. As long as the aliens donate a bit of their flesh and blood to feed this sea creature, the eggs it lays can hatch into these aliens. The longer the hatching time, the higher the level of the aliens after they break out of their shells. At least 80% of the aliens you see below level 45 are low-level aliens that hatch quickly.”
“Doesn’t this cause harm to the aliens donating flesh and blood? Are these considered their children?”
“Perhaps. It’s said that the aliens that hatch don’t resemble their donors. Each alien can only donate once a month, and the major royal families of the aliens reward those who donate flesh and blood every year, so they are quite willing to do it.”
Feng Tang would satisfy all of Yu Xunge’s curiosities—except for the world battlefield.
Table of Contents
