Chapter 231

Chapter 231

The forest was silent, save for the tearful, blood-soaked narration of the phoenix-eyed female cultivator.

Shen Jizhi listened absentmindedly, his thoughts mostly occupied with a cool analysis of last night’s dream.

Yin Yusheng had said it had nothing to do with Qi Wan’s illusionary fragrance.

But could Yin Yusheng’s words be trusted? Not necessarily. He was just a half-baked medical cultivator, after all. Besides, the events in Yujiang City were something Yin Yusheng had only heard about, not experienced firsthand.

But what if it really had nothing to do with the illusionary fragrance?

Shen Jizhi lowered his gaze.

On the ground, littered with dry branches and fallen leaves, a pair of boots made of water-blue fabric sank slightly into the earth.

His eyes shimmered like the surface of a river at dawn. Memories associated with this fabric effortlessly surfaced in his mind.

On ordinary days, he didn’t deliberately think about these things, so it felt as though he had forgotten them.

But at certain moments, with just a flicker of thought, they became as vivid as if they were happening all over again.

A narrow tree hollow, representing a sliver of life, surrounded by countless skeletal figures wielding swords, knives, and their bare hands, hacking at him. Inside, Jian Huan clung desperately to his arms, her face twisted with effort as she pulled him in.

Her eyes were tightly shut, her brows furrowed, sweat beading on her forehead as she gritted her teeth.

She looked nothing like a beauty, more like a flower petal stretched out of shape.

But… but what?

And this seemed to be just the memory of when that robe was destroyed.

Before that, there was the moment he had taken the robe.

Jian Huan had been rushing around the mansion in search of treasures when she happened to pass by his door. She caught a glimpse of the robe and casually remarked, “Wow, that robe of yours looks pretty good.”

And after that, there was the time he was sewing the boots, noticing her clumsy stitches and the note that read, “Good people live a life of wealth.”

He hadn’t wanted to help her mend her clothes.

So why had he ended up doing it?

Shen Jizhi was momentarily stunned.

Unconsciously, there were so many memories tied to these water-blue bamboo-patterned boots.

He didn’t want to dwell on them any longer.

Some things, once opened, were like staring into an abyss.

Suddenly, his ears caught the words “fourth-grade Silver Trace Grass,” and Shen Jizhi instantly pulled himself out of his tangled thoughts.

He turned his head, his gaze settling on the phoenix-eyed female cultivator’s face, listening intently to her next words.

Fourth-grade Silver Trace Grass?

Fifth-grade Wolf King’s demon core?

Both were valuable treasures.

No matter how chaotic the dream had been, it was just a dream, not reality, and it only concerned him, affecting no one else.

He wasn’t a Buddhist cultivator, nor did he practice emotionless swordsmanship. In truth, it didn’t have much practical impact on him.

The issue needed to be resolved, but not right now.

In the secret realm, he should focus on what needed to be done there. The amount of spirit stones he could gather was what truly affected his life.

So, Shen Jizhi pushed these thoughts aside. Now wasn’t the right time to deal with this. He would address it when he left the secret realm and had some free time back at the Jade Clarity Sect.

He knew how to prioritize.

Over there, the female cultivator’s story was coming to an end.

Jian Huan approached her and patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Alright, you should take care of your senior brother for now. We’ll discuss this matter among ourselves, okay?”

The female cultivator wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and nodded.

Jian Huan stood up, exchanged a few meaningful glances with Yang Ye and the others, and then gathered around Shen Jizhi.

Shen Jizhi closed his eyes briefly, and when he opened them again, his usual aloofness had returned.

The five of them formed a small circle under the tree.

Above them, the lush branches and leaves stretched out freely under the sunlight.

Jian Huan cleared her throat, her eyes gleaming with excitement. “I think, as disciples of the Jade Clarity Sect, when we’re out in the world, we should stand up for the weak and fight against the strong. Those three cultivators have gone too far, and they’ve caused the deaths of seven people! We must risk our lives to demand justice from them!”

Yang Ye, holding his little pig, nodded. “That’s the only way we won’t let down the expectations of our elders.”

Yin Yusheng agreed, “Exactly. Besides, we’re also going to reclaim what’s owed to us for the medicine. It’s only fair.”

Wen Jiu added softly, “Right.”

Shen Jizhi pondered for a moment. “But since they’re so obsessed with the Silver Trace Grass, we should make sure they’ve collected it before we make our move.”

Jian Huan nodded seriously. “We should fulfill their wish, after all.”

Yang Ye chimed in, “Yes, it would be cruel to leave them with regrets in the secret realm.”

Yin Yusheng sighed lightly. “As healers, we can’t do such a thing.”

Wen Jiu nodded again. “Mm!”

The Wolf King was no weakling, and there were still plenty of three-eyed silver wolves left. Those three cultivators, deluded into thinking they could take the Silver Trace Grass, would likely suffer casualties.

Even so, the three cultivators—one at the Golden Core stage and two at the peak of the Foundation Establishment stage—would be formidable opponents, even if injured. The five of them might not have the upper hand.

After some careful discussion, they decided to stage a meticulously planned act.

…

It didn’t take long for the Scarred Cultivator among the three to wake up. They shared the location of their cave with Jian Huan and the others.

Before Jian Huan and her group left, the Scarred Cultivator pleaded, “Honored ones, let the three of us join you! They killed our junior brothers and sisters! We want to avenge them! We can contribute too…”

“No, you can’t contribute.” Jian Huan held a thick stack of talismans in her hand. Her gaze fell on the three, who were seething with hatred, and she refused without hesitation. “Your injuries haven’t fully healed. What can you do to help? You’ll only hold us back, and there’s a real risk of us all getting wiped out.”

Being so bluntly dismissed, the three paled and stammered, “But—”

“No buts.” Jian Huan cut them off. “Find a safe place to recover. If you want us to die faster and your junior brothers and sisters to have died in vain, then feel free to follow us secretly.”

The three, who had indeed considered following them in secret, were left speechless.

Shen Jizhi, holding a piece of cloth made from a torn robe, was gently wiping his snow-white sword.

After finishing, he put the cloth back into his storage pouch and left the three with a cold remark: “If you come, I’ll kill you first.”

The three had no choice but to abandon their plans and watch as the five walked away.

In the dense forest, where the trees twisted like coiling serpents, the girl in light yellow caught up to the figure in white and blue robes.

The white and blue robe was adorned with a lifelike golden embroidery of a mythical beast.

Jian Huan stepped on a bamboo staff, her spirits high. Suddenly remembering something, she said to him, “By the way, I actually had a dream last night too.”

Shen Jizhi glanced at her indifferently. “Oh?”

“Yeah!” Jian Huan smiled, a hint of pride in her expression. “But mine was a good dream. I dreamed that I owned properties all over the Nine Provinces, and my vault was so full of spirit stones that I couldn’t even fit any more. I was lying on a pile of spirit stones, sleeping. Do you know how that feels? I didn’t even want to wake up…”

Shen Jizhi reminded her with a straight face, “You do know it’s just a dream, right? Don’t take it too seriously.”

Jian Huan scoffed. “You’re just jealous that even in my dreams, I’m richer than you. Besides, maybe one day my dream will come true?”

Shen Jizhi gave a sarcastic smile. “Heh.”

Jian Huan muttered, “Some people just can’t handle others’ success…”

Behind the tree where Jian Huan and Shen Jizhi had rested the previous night, beneath a pile of dry leaves, there was a patch of black-brown medicinal powder mixed into the soil.

The insects and ants in the dirt were motionless, frozen in place. Only after Jian Huan and the others had been gone for a while did they slowly begin to move, crawling away in a daze.

This was just a corner, unnoticed by anyone.

The sun rose higher, and by the upper stream of the river, the three brothers sat in an open area, tending to their wounds.

Although the ten people had lured away most of the three-eyed silver wolves, there were still plenty left, and the Wolf King was a tough opponent. All three of them had been injured.

Fortunately, they had brought plenty of elixirs, and after consuming them, they were mostly healed.

The Third Brother was sorting through the stolen storage pouches. He picked through them, his expression one of disdain as he tossed them aside. “These small sects really don’t have much to offer.”

The Second Brother pulled out a jug of wine from his storage pouch, took a sip, and gazed at the blue sky and white clouds. He exhaled a long breath of alcohol. “Third Brother, don’t be so harsh. If it weren’t for them luring away the smaller wolves, we wouldn’t have succeeded so quickly. We should be grateful to those ten people. They did us a great favor!”

The two brothers looked at each other and burst into laughter.

The Third Brother laughed until tears nearly fell. “Second Brother, did you see their faces when I threw them out? The girls turned pale, and the men were so scared they wet themselves!”

"Did you see that?" Second Brother took another swig of his wine. "How embarrassing! They’re cultivators, yet they were so scared they wet themselves!"

"Hahahaha!" The two brothers burst into laughter again, reveling in their schadenfreude.

Third Brother asked, "We’ve already gotten the Silver Trace Grass and the demon core. There’s nothing else of value in this secret realm. What should we do next?"

Just as Second Brother was about to answer, First Brother, who had been meditating with his eyes closed to heal his injuries, slowly opened his eyes.

Second Brother and Third Brother immediately straightened up and greeted him respectfully, "First Brother!"

First Brother nodded, his eyes, with too much white showing, glinting with malice. "Who said there’s nothing of value left in the secret realm?"

Second Brother and Third Brother were taken aback.

First Brother’s lips curled into a cold, bloodthirsty smile. "Did you notice that group of people when we were outside the secret realm?"

Second Brother put down his wine and asked, "First Brother, which group are you talking about?"

First Brother replied, "The group with three men and two women. They all looked quite attractive."

"Of course," Third Brother nodded, his eyes also gleaming with desire. "But that group seemed to have powerful backgrounds. They’re probably from wealthy or influential families. Didn’t you say it’s best not to provoke such people, First Brother?"

"I did say that," First Brother admitted, standing up and walking to the riverbank. He clasped his hands behind his back and gazed at the sky, weighing his options. "But that Green Bamboo Staff is no ordinary item. I’m truly tempted by it…"

The fourth-grade Silver Trace Grass was their original goal for this trip, but that Green Bamboo Staff was undoubtedly worth more than the Silver Trace Grass.

Moreover, the entire staff seemed to be a single, seamless piece. Though it looked simple, he could sense an extraordinary aura emanating from it. This item couldn’t simply be measured by its material value.

Third Brother’s heart stirred slightly. "First Brother, should we—" He made a slashing motion across his neck.

Second Brother added, "Among their group, the strongest is the girl carrying the black sword. She’s at the sixth level of Foundation Establishment."

Meanwhile, both Second Brother and Third Brother were at the seventh level of Foundation Establishment, and First Brother was at the Golden Core stage.

To be honest, even without First Brother’s involvement, Second Brother and Third Brother could easily kill all five of them together.

First Brother stepped on a scorpion crawling on the ground, crushing it underfoot, and made his decision. "You’re right. No matter their background, we’ll kill them in the secret realm. Who’s to know they died by our hands?"

That Green Bamboo Staff—he was determined to have it!

This resolve was confirmed when Jian Huan and her four companions arrived and confronted them.

He had just decided to wait until his injuries were fully healed the next day before going after the five of them, but they had come to him instead.

It seemed fate had intervened—the Green Bamboo Staff was destined to be his.

Jian Huan stood in the middle of the group, visibly nervous. She clutched Shen Jizhi’s wide sleeve and mustered the courage to address the three brothers. "Was it you who harmed the senior disciples of Wind Blade Gate yesterday?"

Her voice was clear, but it trembled uncontrollably.

The three brothers immediately burst into laughter.

They had been ready to attack, but upon hearing her words, they decided to toy with her instead.

Such a young girl, still so naive.

Third Brother leered at her. "So what if it was? Are you here to seek justice for them, little girl?"

Second Brother crossed his arms. "Oh, from the sound of it, not all ten of them died? How many survived?"

One by one, none of them would leave the secret realm alive.

With over twenty days until the secret realm’s exit opened, they had plenty of time to kill every witness.

This was why they loved coming to secret realms like this.

With their strength, they could dominate in a realm of this level.

As First Brother had said, it was better to be the head of a chicken than the tail of a phoenix!

First Brother asked, "Which sect do you belong to?"

Noticing the greed in their gazes, Jian Huan tightened her grip on the Green Bamboo Staff, her voice faltering. "W-We’re just rogue cultivators! You—you’ve gone too far! We’re all cultivators—how can you act like this? I advise you to surrender immediately! Once we leave the secret realm, you can explain yourselves to the Imperial Pacification Office and return Wind Blade Gate’s belongings!"

The three brothers were thoroughly amused by her words.

Such a naive little brat, fresh out of the nest!

Third Brother asked, "And if we don’t?"

Jian Huan’s expression hardened. "Then don’t blame us for being impolite!"

As soon as she spoke, Shen Jizhi and Wen Jiu drew their swords, Yang Ye raised his fists, and Yin Yusheng lifted his long-handled scythe.

Yang Ye whispered, "Are we really going to fight? Their strength…"

Yin Yusheng also hesitated. "Junior Sister, maybe we should let this go. It’s not our business…"

Jian Huan hissed back, "No! The elders told us to stand up for the weak when we’re outside!"

Third Brother drew his sword and said to First Brother, "First Brother, let Second Brother and I handle this. You just watch."

Such small fry weren’t worth their First Brother’s time. Besides, First Brother had been the most injured, having nearly single-handedly defeated the Wolf King.

First Brother nodded slightly, deciding to observe from the sidelines and assess the five’s techniques to get a better understanding.

The situation was on the verge of erupting.

Jian Huan flung a talisman, but it veered slightly off course. Third Brother lazily dodged it, shaking his head with a smirk.

Shen Jizhi charged forward with his sword, but his strike missed, and Third Brother easily evaded it again.

Wen Jiu managed to exchange a few blows with Second Brother, but he quickly fell into a disadvantage.

Yin Yusheng and Yang Ye exchanged glances, then rushed forward together, signaling Shen Jizhi to help them drag Jian Huan away. They whispered urgently, "Junior Sister! This is beyond us!"

And so, the four of them persuaded Jian Huan, and without hesitation, they fled as fast as they could, leaving behind a hurried apology: "Please forgive us, seniors! Our junior sister is still young and doesn’t know any better!"

Second Brother and Third Brother were stunned.

They… just left?

They hadn’t even started fighting!

First Brother didn’t hesitate any longer. "Chase them!"

Such weaklings couldn’t possibly be disciples of a major sect, which meant they could be killed without consequence.

The dense forest in the secret realm had restrictions—no matter how high cultivators flew, they couldn’t go beyond ten people’s height.

The five of them used speed talismans, darting through the forest like five bolts of lightning as they fled.

First Brother, still concerned about his injuries, had been reluctant to act. He thought his two brothers were more than enough to deal with the five youngsters.

But the speed talismans were indeed fast, and his brothers were struggling to catch up.

Growing impatient, First Brother suddenly surged forward, closing the gap in an instant. But just as he was about to catch them, he stopped in his tracks.

Ahead was a narrow strip of forest connecting two larger sections, like a waist linking the upper and lower body.

He was currently at the "navel" position.

The path ahead seemed normal, but the layer of fallen leaves on the ground looked suspicious.

The girl had thrown a talisman earlier, so was this… a formation?

First Brother sneered.

Child’s play!

Second Brother and Third Brother caught up. "First Brother?"

First Brother glanced at them, and the three brothers, already in sync, nodded. Second Brother and Third Brother circled around to the right, while First Brother flanked from the left.

But the ambush happened at that moment!

Jian Huan suddenly emerged from the bushes on the left, swinging the Green Bamboo Staff. The talismans hidden in the soil, arranged in a specific formation, shot out like arrows from all directions, aimed directly at First Brother in the center.

There were too many—countless yellow talismans raining down like a storm.

First Brother deflected most of them, but many still landed on him. Thunder talismans, faint talismans, and various other types exploded like fireworks, lighting up the area.

Jian Huan’s faint talismans couldn’t knock out a Golden Core cultivator, but they could momentarily disorient him.

And in that brief moment, a massive black iron sword, carrying an unstoppable force, came slashing down toward First Brother’s head!

First Brother barely dodged, but a spirit pig suddenly charged out, its body swelling as it rammed into him, slamming him against a tree trunk. His already injured body coughed up a mouthful of blood.

Wen Jiu didn’t give him a chance to recover. Fearless, he charged forward, and the spirit pig kicked off the tree, launching itself at First Brother again.

Between the man, the pig, and the talismans hidden everywhere, the three forces took turns attacking, trapping First Brother like he was stuck in quicksand.

First Brother roared in fury, "How dare you, you brats!!"

But no one responded.

No one spoke a word—not even the pig made a sound.

Jian Huan gripped the green bamboo strip, calmly weaving through the forest. Though she seemed to keep some distance from First Brother, every stroke of the bamboo strip was crafting a cage for him.

The bamboo strip that First Brother had coveted was no ordinary item—it was the magical tool of Elder Yuqing, a treasure beyond compare.

With the final stroke, First Brother was ensnared by the spiritual patterns of the formation.

Even with Elder Yuqing’s magical tool, Jian Huan could only delay First Brother, a Golden Core cultivator, for a short while. She couldn’t hold him indefinitely.

Wen Jiu acted decisively, raising his sword. In an instant, First Brother’s head fell to the ground.

Among the three brothers, any of them could have been spared—except for First Brother, the Golden Core cultivator.

Without hesitation, the spirit pig trotted over, grabbed First Brother’s hair in its mouth, and lifted the severed head.

Jian Huan quickly called out, “Don’t eat that!”

The pig snorted, wagging its tail, and carried the head off to its master to claim a reward.

It knew better than to eat such filth, but it could trade the filth for something delicious.

Jian Huan and Wen Jiu exchanged a glance and hurried over.

On one side, Jian Huan set up formations with talismans, aided by Wen Jiu and the spirit pig.

On the other side, Yin Yusheng used poisonous incense to create another formation, supplemented by the traps Jian Huan had laid earlier, along with Shen Jizhi and Yang Ye.

By the time Jian Huan arrived, Shen Jizhi’s group had already wrapped things up.

Unlike their approach, they had spared Third Brother’s life.

Though Third Brother’s limbs were crippled, he was quick-witted. Instead of provoking the group, he pleaded desperately, “I was wrong! I was wrong! I’ll listen to you! I’ll return everything in the storage pouch! The Silver Trace Grass and the demon core—they’re all yours! Please, spare me! It was all my brothers’ idea! I just followed their orders!”

The group had no patience for his rambling.

Letting him go would only create another hidden enemy.

Yang Ye tossed a lump of paste to the pig and barked, “Speak! Who are you?”

“We’re disciples of the Jade Clarity Sect!” Third Brother blurted out, thinking fast. “The three of us are inner disciples of the Jade Clarity Sect! I have a disciple token to prove it! Inner disciples have life lamps—if they go out, the sect elders will spare no effort to hunt down the killers and avenge us! But if you let me go, I can say my brothers died at the hands of the Wolf King. The elders won’t investigate further. If I die too, the Jade Clarity Sect will eventually track you down!”

The elders and peak masters of the Jade Clarity Sect were notorious for their protectiveness. They might not care much about their disciples while they were alive, but if a disciple was killed, they would leave no stone unturned to uncover the truth.

Then, it would be a tale of revenge, no matter how long it took.

In the cultivation world, few dared to provoke the Jade Clarity Sect. Instead, many sought to curry favor with them. That’s why, in recent years, Jade Clarity Sect disciples on training missions often kept their identities hidden, afraid of being hounded by opportunists.

The five of them exchanged odd looks.

Jian Huan asked uncertainly, “The Jade Clarity Sect?”

Third Brother’s heart leapt with hope, thinking his words had struck a chord. He nodded eagerly, “Yes, there’s a token in the storage pouch. You can check for yourselves.”

Shen Jizhi was already rummaging through Second Brother and Third Brother’s storage pouches.

Hearing this, he searched Third Brother’s pouch and soon found a token.

The other four leaned in curiously.

Jian Huan instinctively reached out to Shen Jizhi. He glanced at her briefly, then handed her the token by its edge, careful to avoid any physical contact.

The token felt weighty in her hand, with the three characters “Jade Clarity Sect” written in bold, golden strokes, exuding an air of grandeur.

It felt even better than the talisman brush Shen Jizhi had made for her.

Jian Huan and Yang Ye were still outer disciples—they didn’t have inner disciple tokens.

She asked the other three, “What do your tokens look like?”

The three hesitated, then reluctantly pulled out their own tokens.

The four tokens were held up side by side, and the difference was immediately apparent.

The tokens of Shen Jizhi and the others were cracked and worn, with the characters for “Jade Clarity Sect” written in ordinary spiritual ink, now faded. The “Qing” and “Sect” characters had even lost their water radicals.

Jian Huan: “…”

She quietly slipped the pristine token into her own storage pouch.

She wanted the fake one.