Chapter 25: Turning Their Scheme Against Them
Chapter 25: Turning Their Scheme Against Them
Over the next few days, Ye Yun hunted demon beasts everywhere. He mostly killed low-level, juvenile demon beasts and only encountered a few in their growth stage. Now, demon beasts in the growth stage posed no threat to Ye Yun at all, but those at the peak of the growth stage were extremely terrifying in power.
With the Storage Ring, whenever Ye Yun came across any treasure, he sent it into the ring. Following the principle of rather killing by mistake than letting one escape, he collected everywhere like a madman.
“It’s almost a thousand Demon Crystal Cores.”
Under a withered tree, Ye Yun effortlessly killed a lion-like demon beast, took its Demon Crystal Core and put it into the ring. Then he flew towards another forest. But shortly after taking flight, he sensed a different aura. It was not the aura of a demon beast. Since the Broken Sword Mountain Range was demon beast territory, that different aura should belong to humans.
“Let’s go take a look.”
A thought crossed Ye Yun’s mind, and he immediately flew towards a certain part of the forest.
In a misty, picturesque, damp forest, seven human Cultivators had just slain three demon beasts. Several of them took off the Demon Crystal Cores and handed them to a middle-aged powerhouse among them. Interestingly, this powerhouse also had a space ring.
“Senior Song Zhen, our harvest over these past few months has already been considerable. This junior wishes to return home. Please grant me this convenience, senior.” Just as the powerhouse put away the Demon Crystal Cores, a spirited young man with broad eyebrows politely approached him and spoke courteously.
The powerhouse Song Zhen stroked his space ring lazily. “Brother Yue, a while ago we discovered a stalk of Millennium Cold Ginseng Grass. That is something priceless. Once we obtain it, we will all leave. Brother, we have gotten along for several months after all. Since the Cold Ginseng Grass is everyone’s hope, why not fulfill our brothers’ wish?”
“Yue Li, Senior Song is right. Please think about us.”
A middle-aged man stepped forward to persuade him.
“Alright then. Once we get the Cold Ginseng Grass, I will leave.” The young man called Yue Li felt he could not refuse again and could only nod in agreement.
“Everyone, rest here.”
Song Zhen waved his hand to the group. He then walked over to the three demon beast corpses. Using a large knife he carried, he cut open the backs of the demon beasts, took out the sinewy parts, and placed them into his ring.
“Cold Ginseng Grass? How come I’ve never heard of it?”
Hidden in the grass about a hundred meters away from the seven people, Ye Yun could see everything clearly ahead. He kept thinking about the Cold Ginseng Grass in his mind; he seemed to have never heard of it before.
“Yun’er, did you just mention Cold Ginseng Grass?”
Just as Ye Yun was puzzled, Uncle Han’s long-absent voice sounded in his mind.
Ye Yun was first startled because Uncle Han’s tone seemed sudden, then he replied immediately, “Yes, Uncle Han.”
“That Cold Ginseng Grass is the best spiritual herb for condensing the body’s essential energy. It is especially greatly beneficial for repairing the Dantian. If you can come across this spiritual herb, it will be of great help to your father’s cultivation.” Uncle Han’s voice gradually faded away.
“Cold Ginseng Grass! I must obtain it!” Images suddenly surged in Ye Yun’s mind: his father Ye Yuan’s dejected state and his former dominating presence. Having his cultivation crippled—this bitter taste Ye Yun understood all too well, let alone for a clan leader.
Ye Yun calculated carefully and decided to secretly follow them. The strongest cultivation among this group was only at the Ninth Layer of Flesh Immortal, which posed no threat to him. The others were all at the seventh or eighth layer. If necessary to obtain the Cold Ginseng Grass, he wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
“Haha, friend, you’ve been in the shadows for so long. Why not come out and meet!”
Just as Ye Yun was secretly pondering, he had not been paying attention to the movements around him. Moreover, he was extremely confident in himself; surely at such a distance he would not be discovered by others. Unfortunately, the other party had already sensed his presence long ago. A powerful aura erupted ahead, and then waves of killing intent also appeared all around.
Ye Yun flew out from the grass. After landing, he was instantly surrounded by Song Zhen and his group of seven. Everyone glared at Ye Yun fiercely, treating him as an enemy.
A seventh-layer Cultivator sized Ye Yun up a few times and sneered disdainfully. “A mere fifth layer dares to barge into the Broken Sword Mountain Range? Truly doesn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Senior Song, how should we deal with this person?”
“Stop wasting words. In my opinion, just kill him. A mere Rogue Cultivator is nothing to fear. Ah, right!” Another middle-aged man chimed in. Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly looked at Song Zhen with a sinister gaze. “Senior, how about…!”
Song Zhen exchanged a look with him. The same expression appeared on his face momentarily, then vanished, replaced by a look of concern. “May I ask your honorable surname, young brother? I am the Captain of this hunting team, Song Zhen. Young brother may call me senior.”
“So it is Senior Song!” Ye Yun immediately clasped his fists in salute, then saluted the other six in turn. “This junior is Ye Yun, truly just a Rogue Cultivator. I came to try my luck. If I’m lucky enough to get some Demon Crystal Cores, that would be a great help to this junior.”
Song Zhen said magnanimously, “So it’s Brother Ye. Hehe, for us to meet here is truly fate. If brother doesn’t mind, you can join our team. We can look out for each other on the road.”
“Senior Song, this Brother Ye Yun’s cultivation is too low. If he follows us, we might not be able to protect him well if we encounter demon beasts. Why not let him leave this dangerous place? Right, Brother Ye Yun!” The young man who looked only about eighteen or nineteen, Yue Li, suddenly stepped forward. He sized Ye Yun up a few times, then immediately looked at Song Zhen.
“Brother Yue, what kind of talk is that? Do you think we won’t properly protect this young brother?” Upon hearing Yue Li’s words, Song Zhen’s face instantly darkened.
Another Cultivator blocked Yue Li and said coldly, “Brother Yue, your Yue Family belongs to the cultivation world. Even the current Supreme Ruler Bai Family regards the Yue Family with considerable caution. Your Yue Family is powerful and influential, what treasure do you not have? How can you compare to us small families? Brother Yue is being rather ungracious, aren’t you?”
“That’s right!” Several others chimed in agreement.
Yue Li was caught in a dilemma for a moment. And just then, Ye Yun’s voice was heard. “Thank you for your concern, Brother Yue. But I came for the Demon Crystal Cores. Having gained nothing so far, I can’t help but feel disheartened. Now that I’ve met Senior Song and all of you, it is also my good fortune.”
“Hear that? Brother Yue, he doesn’t appreciate your kindness. Let it go.” That person patted Yue Li on the shoulder and left with a loud laugh.
Song Zhen came to Ye Yun’s side, praised him a bit, then turned to face the group. “Good, everyone listen up. From now on, Ye Yun, Brother Ye, is our companion. Everyone must get along well in the future. Brother Ye is at the Flesh Immortal Fifth Layer, which is indeed a bit low. We must always be mindful of his safety.”
“Senior Song, now that Brother Ye Yun has joined us, why don’t we go search for that Cold Ginseng Grass?” At this moment, one Cultivator exchanged glances with the others.
Song Zhen nodded and immediately looked at Ye Yun. “Young brother, do you know of Cold Ginseng Grass?”
“This junior does not know. This junior’s experience is too shallow, and my knowledge is limited. Please, senior, tell me, what exactly is this Cold Ginseng Grass!”
Ye Yun faintly sensed their scheming thoughts, so he pretended not to know and asked very humbly.
“Cold Ginseng Grass is a rare spiritual herb, a treasure. On the Purple Jade Continent, Cold Ginseng Grass is incomparably precious. Not even a hundred juvenile Demon Crystal Cores could be exchanged for one stalk of Cold Ginseng Grass, let alone that this Cold Ginseng Grass is a millennium-old one, making it even rarer!” Seeing Ye Yun’s naive appearance, Song Zhen’s eyes were filled with a deep smile.
“A hundred Demon Crystal Cores…!” Ye Yun stammered, his face full of astonishment.
Song Zhen became even more pleased with himself. Even a conspiratorial smile appeared on his face. Ye Yun, without thinking, begged, “Please, senior, you must take this junior along. I would be endlessly grateful.”
“We are all brothers, and one relies on friends when outside. It’s only natural. Let’s set off now, brothers.” Song Zhen seemed unable to wait any longer and immediately gave the order to the group.
The group was extremely excited, talking among themselves for a while as if they had been preparing for a long time. Upon hearing Song Zhen’s command, everyone immediately packed their things and started off.
“Brother Yue, my Song Family and your Yue Family have a good relationship. This time, I hope brother will be accommodating. You understand some things. This Cold Ginseng Grass is something everyone must obtain. If anything unexpected happens, I won’t be able to explain it to the brothers. Brother Ye will be entrusted to your care. This is everyone’s wish!”
As Yue Li took a few steps forward, Song Zhen stopped him with Ye Yun in tow. He first exchanged a complicated look with Yue Li, then spoke to give his instructions. But that tone was not merely about giving instructions.
“What a fine Song Zhen! I didn’t know your character at first, but after spending this time together, I finally do. I deeply regret it now, how I wish I had known earlier. How did I, Yue Li, come to know such a vile, despicable person as you?”
Yue Li seemed very angry. Yet he did not make a scene. Instead, he held back a torrent of vehement words in his stomach. He watched Song Zhen leave without saying a single word. And by not speaking, he was acknowledging what Song Zhen had said.
“Good tactics. Worthy of being an Elder of the Song Family. Having me look after this fool. Once he leaves or runs away, the responsibility falls on me. Then their spearheads will all point at me, and they might very well take action against me. This is not Yue Family territory. If I die in the Broken Sword Mountain Range, even if my family investigates, they will all say in unison that I died at the hands of demon beasts. Truly vile and shameless… For now, I can only swallow my pride and endure!”
The more Yue Li thought about it, the angrier he became. His fists were already making creaking sounds.
“It seems there is indeed a plot. But it’s a pity I, Ye Yun, am no longer that self-proclaimed genius from Red Cloud City who didn’t know the immensity of heaven and earth. Come on, if you want to use me, then I’ll turn your scheme against you.”
Ye Yun pondered carefully in his heart. Recalling Song Zhen’s expression just now, he knew this was a scheming individual. Now that he himself was not a soft persimmon to be squeezed by others at will.
Thinking of this, Ye Yun looked at Yue Li. This person had spoken up for him from the start. They had just met and were nothing to each other, yet he risked danger to warn him. That truly took remarkable courage, and his nature was also upright and unyielding. Ye Yun clasped his fists towards Yue Li and said, “Brother Yue, I’ll trouble you to look after me along the way. I am endlessly grateful.”
“Endlessly grateful?”
Yue Li curled the corner of his mouth, with an indescribable mood, and said indifferently, “You will indeed have to be endlessly grateful to me in the future. Take care of yourself. It’s too late to say anything now. Pray to heaven more.”
After saying this, Yue Li also set off.
“Too late? No one knows what the outcome will be until the very end.”
Ye Yun gave a faint smile. Although Yue Li’s words were somewhat harsh, to Ye Yun, they were sincere, at least coming from the heart. Ye Yun did not linger any longer and strode swiftly to catch up.