Chapter 148: The Hermit of the Three Caves

After bidding farewell to everyone, Wang Yuanfeng departed from the area. The military camp was shrouded in a faint aura of malevolence, enveloping the entire encampment within its grasp.

However, this seemed to have little effect on Wang Yuanfeng, who practiced the arts of the sword immortals. He moved freely through this oppressive atmosphere. The malevolent energy of an army is essentially a form of national fortune—the consolidated manifestation of murderous intent and the collective will of the soldiers, belonging to a category of fierce and harsh energies.

Such malevolent energy can ward off a hundred evils and terrify both gods and ghosts. Even cultivators cannot use spells normally inside a military camp, especially flying techniques, which they dare not attempt at all. Once airborne, the primordial spirit becomes exposed; without proper defense, it would be directly injured by the surging malevolent energy, causing the cultivator to plummet helplessly and become at the mercy of others.

Yet Wang Yuanfeng’s sword qi was incomparably sharp. Wherever it passed, the malevolent energy automatically retreated, forming a vacuum where his movements remained virtually unaffected.

Guiding his sword with vital energy, Wang Yuanfeng sped through the military camp. The patrolling soldiers only felt a sudden gust of wind blow past; they searched left and right for a moment, and finding nothing, resumed their duties.

Leaving the camp, he looked up at the sky and saw three columns of fortune standing firm in the firmament. One of them resonated faintly from afar with the military camp, carrying a sense of intimacy and familiarity. Wang Yuanfeng knew this belonged to the Taixuan Lake faction.

Another aura field appeared scattered; although it looked dense and thick, it contained numerous tiny strands of fortune intertwined in a state of contention. He guessed this must be the fortune of Mount Ji.

As for the fortune mixed right in the middle, upon closer inspection, though it appeared as a single entity, it was actually a blend of three distinct auras—one tall and imposing, two short and small—yet not fully merged, resembling a loose alliance bound by a tentative agreement.

Wang Yuanfeng mused to himself: So it turns out to be a coalition of three forces; no wonder it is called the "Three Caves."

Suddenly, looking closer at the central aura, he felt it was slightly different from a completely unified entity, appearing somewhat partitioned. He spotted two thin threads connecting it to the other two locations.

Wang Yuanfeng smiled and thought, "How interesting! I never expected such a clever arrangement. Once I finish visiting Taixuan Lake, I shall go and inspect those two connected places to see what exactly is hidden there."

He then chose a secluded route, detouring through the central prefecture to head toward Taixuan Lake.

His body transformed into a streak of sword light, soaring into the distance and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Right where Wang Yuanfeng had just departed, a clump of grass stirred. Amidst the surrounding silence, a pair of furry, long ears slowly poked out from a small hole, twitching back and forth as if intercepting some information.

After a moment, a fluffy rabbit's head emerged from the hole. Its red eyes blinked a few times, revealing a pair of buckteeth, and it muttered to itself, "This person's cultivation is so bizarre that even I cannot see through him. I wonder what scheme he might have? Why do I feel like my destiny and opportunity are tied to him?"

It mumbled to itself by the small hole for a while, shook its head vigorously, and said, "Never mind! As long as I occupy the prefecture, they won't dare to attack me. I can plot my next moves slowly then, and eventually, this Southern Prefecture will be mine... This military malevolent energy is truly formidable; I must get out of here."

"Gagagaga..." It let out a bucktoothed chuckle for a moment before diving back into the hole, disappearing completely. The grass that had been pushed aside drifted back automatically to cover the opening, as if nothing had happened at all.

After a short while, near the spot where Wang Yuanfeng had left, a figure clad in armor suddenly appeared. Had Wang Yuanfeng known, he would have undoubtedly had to completely revise his impression of his father.

It was none other than the Marquis of Wu'an, who had been tailing Wang Yuanfeng all along. He had initially thought of keeping him in the military camp, but after a moment of hesitation, he decided against it and let him go freely. Everything that had just transpired had been observed clearly by him.

Looking at the small hole covered by grass nearby, he smiled and murmured, "So it's a rabbit spirit. The crafty rabbit has three caves; calling themselves the 'Three Caves' is certainly fitting."

He then glanced in the direction Wang Yuanfeng had taken and said, "I know not what your true origin is, but you carry my bloodline after all. As long as you do not bring catastrophe upon the world, this father of yours does not mind giving you a push."

With a flash of his figure, he vanished, as though nothing had occurred.

Shortly after, a streak of sword light flew back, transforming into a young man. He looked toward the military camp; it remained completely enveloped by a thick layer of fierce military energy, its momentum grand and imposing. All birds were barred from the skies above, and an austere, killing intent was reined in without unleashing.

This young man was none other than Wang Yuanfeng, who had just left and turned back.

Glancing at the camp, he murmured, "I never imagined my father could attain such a realm through the path of martial arts. His mastery of martial arts is truly unprecedented in history."

"Yet, pulling the wool over my eyes remains impossible. The Daoist sects excel above all in spiritual perception, especially regarding matters concerning oneself; a single nudge of intuition reveals the truth," Wang Yuanfeng said with a smug smile.

He then cast a glance at the grass-covered hole and once again transformed into a streak of sword light, disappearing from sight.

Inside the military camp, the Marquis of Wu'an was carefully leafing through a volume of *Military Strategies*. Suddenly, his heart stirred, and he looked outward with a puzzled expression. Shaking his head a moment later, he resumed his reading.

Meanwhile, the rabbit that had fled from the small hole lay flat on its back, its four paws pointed toward the sky in trembling terror, as if awaiting death. Its hind legs especially surged with demonic energy, twitching as though they could erupt at any second.

If anyone were to touch this rabbit at that moment, they would undoubtedly be met with a thunderous strike. After a long while, the rabbit finally flipped over and stood on its hind legs.

Looking around, its ears twitching and the three whiskers on its snout trembling, it let out a long breath, patted its chest in a very human-like gesture, and said, "That scared this Daoist to death! Me, the dignified Master of the Three Caves, actually being frightened back-to-back today... The auras of those two humans are simply too terrifying for a rabbit."

"Fortunately he didn't come back, or I would have had to resort to the 'Rabbit Kicks the Eagle' stance again," the rabbit muttered to itself, before adding, "It seems this place isn't very safe either; I must prepare an escape route. Dealing with just one is hard enough, but two at once is truly beyond this rabbit."

With that, it hopped and skipped away through the subterranean tunnel toward the prefecture.

Meanwhile, within the prefectural government office in a spacious hall—judging by its furnishings, usually a place for council—the seats were clearly arranged by hierarchy. Constructed entirely of wood with luxurious materials, it had been newly built within the past decade. Judging by this, the previous prefectural administration of the Southern Prefecture had not been doing poorly; otherwise, where would they have found the funds to construct such a place? Calculated in silver coins, this single hall alone was worth no less than ten thousand taels of white silver.

From this, one could tell that the imperial court was not entirely without influence in the Southern Prefecture. At this moment, a young man draped in a python robe sat in the primary seat, while two youths radiating natural, tranquil auras sat in the lower seats.

The atmosphere was somewhat heavy. The two seated below maintained detached expressions, but the young man in the main seat, though sitting down, kept twisting his hands and shaking his legs incessantly, looking extremely anxious.

After waiting for a while, unable to hold back any longer, he spoke up, "You two, just when is this Master of the Three Caves going to arrive? He’s been gone for quite a while now."