CH 12

“Xiao Jin, change quickly. Your clothing is torn.” Gu Feng took a new set of clothes from his spatial ring and handed them to Su Mujin, urging him to get dressed without delay. Not wanting Su Mujin to be seen by others, Gu Feng stood in front of him to block their view.

Su Mujin, “. . .” 

He silently swapped his outfit. No wonder he had felt the valley was particularly chilly. It turned out his clothing had been shredded, but . . .

“Gege, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Su Mujin asked, somewhat flabbergasted.

“We’re both men. Torn clothes are just a trivial matter — nothing to take to heart!” Gu Feng had a guilty conscience for a second, but quickly recovered his cool exterior as he spoke.

“. . . then why did you insist I change?” Su Mujin circled Gu Feng to look him in the eye, but saw only calmness. 

That question stumped Gu Feng. That’s right, why am I more worried that other people will see him than I am about people coming to snatch the lingyao? The ancients were right. Beauty will lead you to ruin!

Under the pressure of Su Mujin’s stare, Gu Feng thought fast. Such a pointed question, how am I supposed to answer it?

“What if the cultivators are women? Men still need to be careful and protect themselves. Gege was looking out for you.” Gu Feng miraculously came up with an excuse that even convinced him, and silently admired his own quick wit.

“They’re at the mouth of the valley. Let’s go see who it is.” Su Mujin blinked, then took the lead toward the valley entrance. He didn’t know whether or not to trust Gu Feng’s words.

Gu Feng, “. . .”

Why did it seem like he’d already been seen through?

Before they reached the valley’s mouth, Gu Feng sensed a burst of chilliness, accompanied by a feeling of a sharp blade. With those sensations, he didn’t even need to see the people to know who they were.

Sure enough, just a second later, Xiao Chen and Ling Yunxuan appeared within Gu Feng’s line of sight. Unexpectedly they’ve joined forces.  

Both of them had an aura that made people wish to avoid them, and when they stood together, this effect was greatly amplified.

This feeling of being pierced through the heart by a sword of ice is nearly unbearable. Gu Feng, who was standing off to one side, let out a profound sigh.

Neither Gu Feng nor Su Mujin knew what to say to break the silence, and that previous pair of aloof prodigies also refused to utter a single word. The four of them stood in a silent stalemate, staring at each other in blank dismay.

“Hey, what are you all standing around for? Are you waiting to welcome this sister? I’m so honored. You shouldn’t have!” Hua Yan appeared at the right moment, breaking up the standoff. 

Why did it have to be her again? Gu Feng and Su Mujin groaned inwardly, their thoughts in sync. The previous matter on the boat weighed heavily on both their minds.

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Olcu Teczejc kjr fnfc wbgf ajmlaegc, gfoerlcu ab fnfc rqjgf j rlcuif eaafgjcmf. Lf wfgfis cbvvfv tlr tfjv. 

“Sounds good, but I’m all alone . . .” Hua Yan spoke, and turned her head to look behind her. Beckoning toward the space outside the valley, she shouted, “Hey, hurry up and get over here! Don’t stand there in a daze.”

A man wearing a sea green outfit entered the valley. He had a beautiful face, and looked as tender as jade. Though his appearance ought to make people feel as though they were being caressed by a spring breeze, instead he was surrounded by a gloomy atmosphere. Only when he caught sight of Hua Yen did the gloom dissipate slightly. His personality was completely contradictory to his image.

“Who is this?” Gu Feng felt that he was strangely familiar with that brother, though the person was glaring at him with eyes that seemed to want to burn him alive.

“This is my good friend Ye Mochen. He’s from Healing Hearts Peak, and secretly followed along. Don’t tell anyone.” Hua Yen furtively spoke. 

After those words were voiced, everyone looked at Hua Yan with complicated expressions. Sister, you should keep tabs on your own mouth!

“Since everyone is here, let’s go in.” Gu Feng was still thinking about those last few lingyao, not expecting to waste time with them at the valley’s mouth.

After everyone entered, they saw a vast plain, but it was completely barren. Only ten plants covered in light remained, shining and glittering. Those ten plants were rich with the spiritual qi of a celestial master and they were obviously rare treasures.

“Why are there only ten plants? Where are the rest of the lingyao?” Hua Yan asked in bewilderment. 

“Perhaps someone already came and dug up all the others?” Though Ye Mochen didn’t mention any names, it was clear he suspected Gu Feng.

Gu Feng, “. . .”

Even if I rejected the woman you have a crush on, do you really have to go so far as to target me?

Xiao Chen also showed his doubts on his face, but Lin Yunxuan didn’t respond in the slightest, looking as though he was above all earthly matters. 

“You all think too highly of us. Could we really dig up such a vast plain of lingyao in such a short period of time? I’ve heard that some lingyao can absorb the spiritual qi of other lingyao. Those ten plants over there are incredibly rich in qi, so perhaps they’ve absorbed all the rest.” Su Mujin conspiratorially shared this tidbit, then shot Ye Mochen a provocative look, his smugness nearly angering Ye Mochen to death.

“. . . I believe them. The soil is undisturbed.” These words sounded within everyone’s heads, and the speaker was surprisingly that iceberg Ling Yunxuan.

Everyone, “. . .”

Even at this close range you transmit your voice? 

“Anyway, one’s ability determines the treasures one acquires, so don’t waste time . . .” Xiao Chen said with indifference. He hadn’t even finished speaking before he grabbed one of the remaining plants.

“Fuck, too sinister!” Not to be outdone, the others all displayed their skills.

“Hey, why didn’t you say you were going to begin? Is this any way to treat a delicate girl? You all have no shame!” Hua Yan’s face was filled with shock at the actions of her male comrades.

The ten plants were quickly claimed. Gu Feng, Su Mujin, Ling Yunxuan, and Xiao Chen all had two each, while Ye Mochen and Hua Yan each had one. Hua Yan had missed out on the opportunity due to reacting too slowly. 

“Shijie . . . I’ll give you . . . this one.” When facing Hua Yen, Ye Mochen instantly became as meek as a sheep, and his speech turned awkward.

“No need, I don’t have any use for it. You keep it for yourself.” Hua Yan refused with a mocking laugh.

At Hua Yan’s laugh, Ye Mochen’s neck immediately turned red. Truly useless! In his heart, Gu Feng ruthlessly despised people like Ye Mochen.

“This secret realm is full of peril. Since we’ve all gathered, we might as well stick together!” Keeping in mind his recollection from the past, Gu Feng felt it was better to act in concert, though he couldn’t say why these people engendered in him an indescribable feeling of trust and confidence. 

“I have no problem with sticking together. How should we divide the treasures we find?” Hua Yan fluttered her eyes.

“Naturally they should belong to whoever grabs them first, and once a treasure has been picked up, there should be no fighting over it. How does that sound to everyone?” Gu Feng raised his eyebrows as he proposed a solution.

“Agreed.” Xiao Chen was as precious with his words as before, and Ling Yunxuan once more nodded his head without speaking.

“I . . . I’ll go along with whatever Shijie decides.” Ye Mochen blushed yet again. 

The matter decided amicably, the party left the valley. Outside, the landscape was blanketed in a lush and verdant forest, and the sky had already begun to darken, making it difficult to see very far.

“There are five paths before us.” Gu Feng suddenly came to a halt, “Which one do all of you think we should take?”

Hua Yan took out a compass-like device that could forecast the fortune of the journey ahead. Worthy of being from Tempering Talents Peak, she carried many such treasures, but the compass’ needle only swayed back and forth without settling.

“None of these roads lead to sure disaster, and neither will any of them guarantee our survival. It’s difficult to guess the probability of their outcomes. What do you think we should do?” Hua Yen spread her hands in helplessness and deferred the decision. 

“In that case, let’s take the middle road.” Gu Feng made the call, with none of the others voicing opposition. Su Mujin would follow along with whatever decision he made, and it seemed like he was going to have to take the lead for this group.

As they walked along the road, they became aware that something was fishy. It was too quiet. There wasn’t even a single ant crawling along the ground, and after walking for such a long time, they had yet to reach the end of the forest. Though going by foot was naturally slower than other forms of locomotion, even so, this forest really seemed to be too large.

“Gege, this tree looks just like one we passed by a bit ago. The mark I made is still present.” Su Mujin walked over to the tree and carefully inspected it.

Everyone stopped walking, and came over to look. Although the sky was now completely dark, it was not difficult to see that this tree really did have a small slash mark, and their expressions turned ugly. 

“Apparently we’ve walked all this time and gone absolutely nowhere. Did we walk into an illusion array?” Gu Feng voiced his guess.

“I’ve studied arrays, and there’s no fluctuation signature here belonging to an array.” Ling Yunxuan again used sound transmission instead of speaking.

Gu Feng glanced at Ling Yunxuan with consternation. This person always uses sound transmission, but before he could think of the reason why, Ye Mochen’s screams cut off his musing.

“Th-th-th-there is . . . a pair of gigantic eyes.” Ye Mochen pointed in a direction, terrified and barely able to spit out his words. 

Gu Feng didn’t see anything in the direction that Ye Mochen was pointing. But just then, he felt as though the earth was spinning, and the ground suddenly burst asunder, toppling countless trees all around them.

“Xiao Jin, come here!” Shaken, he grabbed Su Mujin and flew up into the air. Stabilizing his body with difficulty, he looked down at where they had stood, and saw the forest in shambles.

On the ground, a ginormous yellow python reared its head, while leaves flew haphazardly around its massive body, creating a frightful scene.

“It seems we weren’t walking on the road, but rather on the back of this python. While we walked forward, it moved backward. No wonder we never got anywhere despite always walking straight ahead.” Gu Feng said seriously. 

“Oh no, it’s launching an attack at us, and this python has reached the nascent soul stage of cultivation! Everyone, quickly choose a part of it to attack, and use your full power. Otherwise we’ll never get out of here!” Su Mujin’s expression was particularly unsightly.

“The destructive power of my sword is high, I’ll attack the head.” Xiao Chen called first dibs.

“I’ll take the tail.” Ling Yunxuan transmitted.

“Su Mujin and I will take the body!” Gu Feng nodded and spoke, then looked over at Hua Yan and Ye Mochen. 

“I’ll secure the perimeter with concealed weapons. Mochen . . . you should find a safe place to hide out.” Hua Yan hesitated, as Ye Mochen was only in the foundation building period, and it was too dangerous for him to stay close by.

“In this packet is a poison I developed. As long as it enters one’s mouth, even if a demonic beast is in the nascent soul period, it will still be affected. Shijie, take it.” Ye Mochen threw the packet to Hua Yan, then flew off to a safe place to hide. With his level of cultivation, to remain would be foolish and only drag down the rest of the party.

This dialogue might seem long, but in reality, it passed in the blink of an eye. Everyone locked eyes briefly, and then turned to attack the python in tandem.