There's something wrong with me

Chapter 236: It's Not Impossible

‘My body is already like this, and now I’ve run into someone like him. This completely leaves me no way to live.’

Zhang Feng was somewhat speechless, but his gaze was directed straight at the young man.

He couldn't avoid this gaze.

‘Does this old geezer really have some skill, or is he just feigning composure?’

The young man appeared to be an ordinary coachman, but he was actually a Grand Thief who had roamed many places.

Since he did such things, he certainly had sharp eyes and could discern who was bluffing and who was outwardly strong but inwardly weak.

However, regarding Zhang Feng, this frail old man,

He genuinely couldn't make up his mind for a moment.

Because Zhang Feng looked too much like someone from the Martial Arts world; his demeanor and words were very natural, not like he was deliberately trying to scare him.

But, he didn't leave, because if Zhang Feng really was someone from the Martial Arts world and had some skill,

He would have already made a move.

This was the most concrete proof.

“Old sir, I’m just heading to town, would you like a ride?”

The Grand Thief pondered, then spoke again to test him.

He had a kind and amiable appearance, making it hard to find any fault with him.

Even if the old man was truly a master, he couldn't possibly ‘hit a smiling face,’ could he?

If he really would hit, then he would have already made a move, without needing him to say a second word.

‘I’ve run into a shrewd one; it won’t be easy to shake him off.’ When Zhang Feng heard him say this, he knew that despite the young man’s appearance, he was actually an old hand in the Martial Arts world.

This had nothing to do with micro-expressions or anything similar; it was purely the seasoned experience of traveling the Martial Arts world.

He was well-traveled and knowledgeable, a walking encyclopedia of the Martial Arts world.

“Since young brother is willing to give this old man a ride, it would be ungracious for me to refuse again.”

Seeing that it was hard to shake him off, Zhang Feng was quite straightforward, directly enduring the soreness in his legs, trying his best to walk like a normal person.

But after taking two steps,

Zhang Feng couldn't help but cough a few times, his voice hoarse.

“Old sir!” The Grand Thief saw this scene and suddenly showed a concerned expression, saying, “You’re coughing like this, how can you be fine?

How about I help you take a look? I consider myself to know a bit of medical Martial Arts.”

As he spoke, he was about to get off the carriage, and a thought of killing for treasure also crossed his mind.

No matter how small an ant, it's still meat.

Moreover, this old man looked like someone from the Martial Arts world; who knows what treasures he might have.

Thinking this, he quickened his movements to get off the carriage, and the expression on his face became even more delighted.

And it was precisely because of his demeanor.

Zhang Feng, based on behavioral analysis, thought it over and decided not to hide anymore. Instead, he openly coughed a few times, then limped forward two steps, pushed away the arm he offered, and sat on the flatbed cart behind him.

“To be honest, I, Zhang Feng, suffered some internal injuries a few days ago and am waiting for a friend here.”

Zhang Feng said this, not finishing his sentence in one breath, not saying who his friend was.

Because based on this person's actions,

Zhang Feng felt that not finishing the sentence would make him suspicious, making him hesitant to act directly.

This was because the look in his eyes just now revealed greed; he must have taken himself for someone from the Martial Arts world, believing he truly had treasures.

So, with treasures and waiting for friends,

In normal logic, he shouldn't be some minor lone wolf.

Anyway, this kind of thing and common sense,

It sounds disjointed, but for a clever veteran of the Martial Arts world, this backward deduction is precisely the most logical.

Zhang Feng now judged him to be a clever and suspicious person.

If not, then he would respawn and try a different strategy.

Or respawn ten minutes earlier, rest by the distant road, and not meet him.

But this kind of hiding, even if he could avoid him, there might be other initial crises.

Zhang Feng still wanted to try to resolve him, and also wanted to try if this kind of initial crisis could be resolved through the art of language, ‘turning it to his own use.’

“Old sir, please sit tight.”

And when the Grand Thief saw Zhang Feng push him away, he gave Zhang Feng's back a meaningful glance.

When Zhang Feng clumsily sat down,

He thought for a few seconds, clenched and released his hands, and then finally sat in front of the carriage frame, gave a ‘Hup!’ and began to drive the carriage.

He appeared completely unconcerned about any friends or anything of the sort.

But his action of driving the carriage, and not making a move, also symbolized that he actually harbored curiosity and apprehension in his heart.

‘This old man is from the Martial Arts world, and he’s suffering from internal injuries…’

As he drove the carriage, his gaze was forward, not looking back, nor was he on guard.

‘His friend, is he also from the Martial Arts world? Who exactly is he?

This matter? Should I inquire? Or should I wait and ask later?’

His suspicious nature was very strong.

Because a long time ago, he had ‘three targets for robbery’:

Rob old people, rob women, rob children.

Because these three groups, though seemingly not to be trifled with, were actually the easiest to bully.

Firstly, under normal circumstances, their physical constitutions were generally not high, far inferior to robust men.

Secondly, even if they had some background,

He would rob them and then kill them, and after killing them, there would be no trouble.

But it was precisely because he had previously killed an old man who had someone backing him that he began his fugitive-like crime spree.

His current disguise as a coachman was also out of fear of being recognized.

Because the person he provoked was a Foundation Establishment cultivator from a minor sect!

They possessed a strange Martial Arts that could trace the killer's aura.

Even if this sect, named Xuan Yun Sect, was not famous, and its Sect Master was only barely at the Golden Core stage, they were still cultivators!

Killing him was like an adult crushing a tiny ant.

Facing such an enemy, he naturally had to hide carefully, and when encountering prey, especially prey like Zhang Feng who seemed to have a background and feared nothing,

He was even more cautious.

Lest he offend some other important figure and be ambushed from all sides.

At the same time,

Zhang Feng held onto the railing beside the flatbed cart and said nothing.

Because now, the more he spoke, the more mistakes he would make.

After all, no matter how well he concealed it, how well he pretended, his body was not up to par.

This was the fundamental reason; currently, he couldn't break the situation using his physical condition.

Now he could only hope that this ‘down-and-out coachman’s’ suspicious nature was strong enough.

And as for this kind of small-scale ‘face-to-face battle of wits’ on a human level,

This was truly Zhang Feng's first time.

Not counting the previous Golden Core world where he hid inside the statue.

In that case, although he was still young, he actually had the strength to ‘play god.’

But this time, he had to rely entirely on coaxing, deceiving, and playing deep.

Zhang Feng felt that this adventurous world was truly allowing him to improve in all aspects.

“Old sir.”

At this moment, although Zhang Feng said nothing,

The Grand Thief, however, turned his head and asked, trying to make conversation:

“Are you hungry? I have some biscuits here.”

As he spoke, he took out a few dry biscuits from a bag next to the horse's back.

“This old man cannot eat hard things.” Zhang Feng took out a vegetable cake head from his cloth bag on his own.

It was actually just shredded wild vegetables mixed with a bit of flour, made into soft small steamed buns.

The taste was hard to describe, as it had been kept in the satchel for a long time.

But with plain water from the animal skin waterskin, it was edible.

Here, one must mention how good this ancient era was.

At least Zhang Feng, based on his memory, knew that there were many flowers, plants, and trees in this world, unlike ancient times where trees were scarce, meaning ‘firewood’ was scarce.

In ancient times, wood was a heavyweight commodity, very valuable.

For example, during wartime, the pressure of wood on logistics was sometimes greater than that of provisions.

This also led to ‘plain water’ being very valuable.

The term ‘salary,’ also known as ‘chai shui’ (firewood and water), originally referred to cutting firewood and drawing water, meaning cooking and boiling food.

Especially in some dynasties, wages were paid in wood and charcoal.

This was sometimes more valuable than gold and silver, because sometimes money couldn't buy wood.

Zhang Feng was also well aware of these matters and, based on this information, concluded that this world was currently stable.

At least within the next twenty years, there would be no wars with other dynasties due to resource-related issues.

To his knowledge, within a hundred thousand li radius, there were six states.

He himself was in the Ling Mountain Dynasty, a bit further south.

There were many mountains and trees here, and the emperor hoped that every day would be a scene of abundant resources like today, hence the name.

In Zhang Feng's view, the meaning of the name was not very profound, but it was quite fitting.

And based on some geographical locations,

Zhang Feng knew that this place did not belong to any part of Earth, so there should be no Ling Mountain.

The story of Ling Shan Great Immortal and zuoshangke seemed to have concluded in that timeline.

To be honest, Zhang Feng still missed them very much, but he had also learned everything he could from them.

When he finally relaxed and his own affairs were completely done, he could indeed go to their previous worlds to find them.

There were two worlds where their true bodies still existed.

Perhaps it was because ‘his’ age had grown, coupled with the memories of this body, which inherently held the desire to seek out old friends.

Zhang Feng also felt a sense of longing for his friends.

This kind of subconscious emotional spread is what is commonly referred to as being moved by the scene.

Zhang Feng could now quickly find the basic reasons for his emotional fluctuations.

With the perfection of his Divine Transformation,

All of Zhang Feng's emotions were being completed, about to reach ‘omni-emotional’ within omniscience and omnipotence.

It also meant that even if he had any inner demons in the future, he could quickly find the ‘onset point’ and then apply the right remedy.

This was the system Zhang Feng was currently developing: his own ‘internal’ flaws would no longer exist.

Vague and ethereal emotions could also, like the spiritual energy structure of the past, no longer have any fatal weaknesses.

...

Leisurely sitting in the carriage.

Throughout the rest of the journey, Zhang Feng saw that the Grand Thief said nothing, nor did he try to probe indirectly.

Instead, the Grand Thief hummed a folk song from this world and honestly drove the carriage.

This continued until the town gate appeared before them.

Only then did the Grand Thief turn his head with a smile and say to Zhang Feng, “Old sir, we’ve arrived at the town.”

“Thank you.” After arriving here, Zhang Feng also knew that he was now basically safe.

Unless the Grand Thief wanted to make a move in front of the dozen soldiers outside the gate.

But it wasn't impossible, because these soldiers patrolling the city gates only had a physique of about 30-40.

If the Grand Thief were to make a move, they wouldn't be able to stop him at all, and their own lives would be in danger.

Within the advanced adventure world, the imbalance of Martial Arts was vividly displayed at this moment.

Official personnel and these Jianghu individuals could no longer be equated.

Not making a move now could only mean the Grand Thief was wary and didn't want to stir up trouble, not that he didn't dare.

As a Jianghu individual, Zhang Feng knew about Jianghu matters, so at this moment, he didn't show any joy of 'I'm finally saved'.

Lest the Grand Thief, upon realizing he truly had no background, suddenly kill him and seize his treasures.

At the same time.

Zhang Feng's thoughts were not wrong.

This Grand Thief was indeed constantly watching Zhang Feng, just wanting to see if Zhang Feng was bluffing him.

Facing this exasperating 'battle of wits', even though Zhang Feng felt helpless, he could only act in a way that made the Grand Thief wary.

'When have I ever suffered such a battle of wits?' Zhang Feng felt a slight itch in his head, but it wasn't a sign of growing intelligence.

Rather, he already suffered from Alzheimer's, coupled with various arrangements along the way, and calculations involving various knowledge and Martial Arts advancements.

This caused his current brain to reach the critical point of needing sleep.

Overall, he felt drowsy, accompanied by an inexplicable itch.

"What do you need now?" Zhang Feng knew that relying on himself alone, he wouldn't be able to buy medicinal herbs today, so he decided to make a deal with the devil and initiated his second plan: leveraging the Grand Thief.

"I'm preparing to buy some medicinal herbs to heal my injuries."

Zhang Feng spoke concisely as he dismounted from the carriage, exuding the air of a high-ranking official, "I will list the properties of some medicines on paper.

Go buy them for me.

When my friend arrives, I will have him pay for the medicinal herbs."

'Buy medicine for you?' The Grand Thief heard that this old man not only made him rush on the road, but now also wanted to treat him as a servant, ordering him around like one?

To be honest, the Grand Thief was extremely displeased, even wanting to kill this old man with a single palm strike.

But it was precisely Zhang Feng's high-official demeanor and his constantly shifting aura along the way that made him a bit uncertain.

Because no matter where, in terms of acting, there were second-rate actors and first-rate scholars.

Especially since the Grand Thief had also encountered some people from the imperial court, he knew that Zhang Feng's performance and such natural actions would be very difficult to achieve without being a court official, making it hard to replicate their essence.

This forced him to reconsider repeatedly.

"Help you buy medicine..." His voice softened a bit at this point, "It's not impossible, but who is your friend?"

He spoke, but with a scrutinizing gaze, observing all of Zhang Feng's changes.

Zhang Feng then revealed his true intentions, waiting for him to ask before taking out a yellowed letter from his satchel. It was a letter from fifty years ago, but the light ink handwriting was incredibly clear, as if it had just been written.

It formed a strong contrast with the yellowed paper.

However, upon closer inspection, the ink marks also showed considerable age.

'Covered by spiritual energy? Is it a cultivator's spiritual talisman?' The Grand Thief still had some knowledge. When he saw this strange letter, he knew that Zhang Feng's background was indeed not small.

Regardless of whether he was a court official, just this cultivator's letter proved that Zhang Feng definitely knew cultivators!

And in this world, although cultivators were not as numerous as in the Golden Core world, and there were even few cultivators stationed in the imperial court.

But the overall quality of cultivators was very high, completely refined.

For example, in the Ling Dynasty, which spanned ten thousand li, there were only twelve cultivation sects whose whereabouts were unknown.

Their method of accepting disciples was not to open their mountain gates for recruitment, but for their inner disciples to travel down the mountain and then bring back those who were willing to cultivate or had good bone structure.

Most other cultivation sects within other dynasties were also like this.

They were completely like carefree hermits, dedicated to cultivating in the deep mountains.

There were not many cultivators involved in the affairs of the imperial court.

Similarly, when the Grand Thief saw that Zhang Feng actually knew cultivators, and then saw the first line of the letter, which was 'Xuan Yun Sect', ranked third in this dynasty.

The Grand Thief's expression improved once again, and he even put on a fawning look.

One must know that the sect that chased him like a dead dog was at the bottom of this dynasty.

And within Xuan Yun Sect, there was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator stationed.

That was a 'True Person' who could move mountains and overturn seas!

But apart from that, he was also very concerned about Zhang Feng's friend mentioned in the letter.

Since he had entered Xuan Yun Sect fifty years ago, he must have at least reached the Foundation Establishment stage, right?

But why had there been no contact for so long? Why was there only one letter?

The Grand Thief was now a bit curious about this matter.

He couldn't understand it.

"Go buy the medicinal herbs."

Zhang Feng took the letter from his hand, knowing it was strange himself.

But there was no better way to deal with it.

It was still the same saying: if one's own strength is insufficient, then the relative result is that the more one says, the more mistakes one makes, especially when the other party is also a smart person.

Zhang Feng never treated anyone as a fool, but for smart people, smart people like to overthink, so before one's strength meets the standard, one cannot say everything, just let him overthink and overguess.

Although this rule doesn't apply to all smart people, it definitely applies to him.

Zhang Feng had been in the carriage the whole way, and based on all his actions, he could predict his predictions.

This belonged to a personal cause-and-effect formula.

Zhang Feng was currently performing a 'dimensional reduction attack', completely controlling this person using formulas within the rules.

It was also a kind of experimental live application.

But there were also many loopholes, because people are variables.

Perhaps at some moment, he would 'enlighten'.

Enlightenment means breaking out of the original way of thinking and escaping the cause-and-effect formula one has set up.

...

Upon reaching the town.

Perhaps Zhang Feng's formula had worked.

The Grand Thief didn't say much, but instead paid for a small courtyard for Zhang Feng.

Zhang Feng no longer endured his fatigue and immediately fell into a deep sleep, trying his best to restore his spirit.

Even while sleeping, Zhang Feng was prepared to revive at any moment.

However.

The Grand Thief looked at Zhang Feng, who had collapsed into sleep, and called out to him a few times.

But seeing no response from Zhang Feng.

He then pretended to cover him with a blanket and touched Zhang Feng's thin arm.

Finally.

After looking at Zhang Feng, who was clearly just an ordinary old man, and one whose life force was almost exhausted, he always had a doubt in his heart, always feeling that something was off about Zhang Feng.

Currently, he still didn't know that Zhang Feng was putting on a false front.

If he were to know this, know that he had been played, he would probably grind Zhang Feng's bones to dust, still unable to quell the hatred in his heart.

But precisely seeing that Zhang Feng was about to die, he had even more unanswered questions.

'He looks like he's about to die, and especially, a dying man's words are kind.

Does he really have some precious item? And is he really waiting for someone?

But there's no treasure in his satchel...'

The Grand Thief thought more and more, but couldn't understand, and then shook his head,

'Oh well, he's going to die anyway. Before he dies, I'll find another chance to ask him...

The Xuan Yun Sect letter, and his friend, should not be something he made up...

This... I can't figure it out, I can't figure it out, what secret is this old man hiding?'

The Grand Thief thought for a long time, but truly couldn't figure it out.

Thus.

He ultimately chose to respect Zhang Feng and then rushed off to buy the medicine without delay.

In the evening, he bought all the medicine Zhang Feng needed, and then watched Zhang Feng, who had just woken up, decocting medicine in the kitchen.

He couldn't understand these medicines.

Zhang Feng didn't hide anything, decocting it right in front of him.

Because it was just a common formula for transforming internal energy.

Zhang Feng now needed to recuperate his body.

For a time.

The first half of the evening passed in the mundane time of Zhang Feng decocting medicine and coughing.

The Grand Thief watched for a while, then went back to sleep himself, right next to Zhang Feng's house.

After he left.

Zhang Feng took small sips of the medicine, rested for a while, and then continued to refine the medicinal power.

As the medicinal power was transformed into vital energy, with slight resonance, it tried to circulate throughout his body, combined with biotechnological modification methods, nourishing and repairing his weakened physique.

The remaining medicinal power, meanwhile, wrapped around his internal organs, utilizing internal energy and the 'Golden Core Life' cultivation method of the middle Dantian, and according to the five elements corresponding to the five organs, tried to gather a tiny bit of spiritual energy.

Under the effect of spiritual energy, the essence, qi, and spirit connected, allowing his mind to gradually clear.

But most importantly, after finishing two large bowls of medicinal soup.

Three hours passed.

The moon was high in the sky.

Zhang Feng saw his physique slowly increasing.

The remaining time, which was just over six days, had now become nine days.

At the same time.

The Grand Thief seemed to be sleeping, but in reality, his gaze had been fixed in this direction.

However, he didn't see any changes in Zhang Feng, at most, he was just drinking medicine and looking at the sky in the courtyard.

He looked like an ordinary dying old man, hoping to prolong his life by drinking some highly nourishing medicinal soup.

In the Grand Thief's view, this was truly laughable.

Because if these ordinary medicines could prolong life, then the world would be full of long-lived people.

'When your lifespan is up, heaven will take you, and no one can stop it.' The Grand Thief found Zhang Feng increasingly laughable the more he thought about it.

But in reality, within just three hours.

While the Grand Thief couldn't understand and thought Zhang Feng was merely fantasizing about prolonging his life by drinking medicine.

Zhang Feng had already managed to reverse the five elements of fate, achieving a resurrection-like prolongation of life.

Such a subversion of normal human life ethics was truly defying the heavens.