Chapter Forty-Four: Following in Their Wake

In the dead of night, just as expected, the sounds of doors opening and closing echoed from the neighboring room, accompanied by frantic footsteps dashing up and down the stairs. Yan Chen, who was hiding behind the door and snickering, could hardly contain his glee; seeing the pallid, bloodless faces of his victims at last eased the stifling resentment in his heart.

Ye Xiang and his two companions had a miserable night. Though all three were cultivators of the Triad Realm, even they could not resist the effects of the Golden Fragrant Powder. Not until the break of dawn, when the eastern sky began to pale, did their bouts of vomiting and diarrhea subside somewhat.

“Yan Chen, your potion is truly remarkable!” Ye Zihan could not help but give him a thumbs-up when he saw their sorry state. Though he himself was no slouch in alchemy, he had little experience with such purgative remedies.

Yan Chen laughed heartily and produced a small bottle, no wider than two fingers, from his robes. “This isn’t my own creation. I got it from a wandering physician, who boasted that the Golden Fragrant Powder could fell any cultivator below the Four Symbols Realm! It cost me quite some time and effort to get my hands on this.” As he spoke, a twitch crossed Yan Chen’s face, betraying the lingering unease he felt toward that master’s methods.

Ye Zihan’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he eyed the bottle, muttering excitedly, “If I get the chance, I’ll have to study it and see if I can replicate the recipe myself.”

“What? You can refine pills as well?” Yan Chen was a little surprised, but soon came to his senses. “Ah, yes—you’re a summoner. Naturally, you’d be skilled in alchemy too.” Remembering that his friend cultivated both the Fire Shadow and Wood Summoning arts, Yan Chen couldn’t help but envy his dual talents.

As the two hid behind the door, still grinning, they overheard the curses of Ye Xiang and his friends, who were now shouting abuse at the innkeeper and the serving boy, threatening to tear the place down for serving them such unclean fare.

“Sirs, you must be mistaken!” The serving boy, having just taken a punch, hurriedly pleaded for mercy in the courtyard outside the rooms.

The innkeeper quickly approached as well. “You’ve wronged us, sirs. You are mighty cultivators; what could our humble inn possibly serve that would cause such trouble for the likes of you?”

Hearing this, the three realized the innkeeper’s implication: someone else staying at the inn must have tampered with their food while they were unguarded.

But who could it be? They had just arrived and had kept a low profile, avoiding any trouble. Suddenly, all three recalled the events at dinner and cried out, “That drunkard?!”

Ye Xiang’s expression darkened as he realized the truth. “So it was all an act...”

The shifty-eyed man’s gaze grew cold and venomous. “It must have been them, treating us like fools!”

Last night, they had taken the pair for down-on-their-luck scholars, never suspecting a ruse. Realizing they had been played for fools enraged them.

The scar-faced man seized the serving boy and growled, “Which room are those two in? Speak!”

“Your master is right here,” Yan Chen’s voice suddenly drifted down from above, accompanied by Ye Zihan’s boisterous laughter. Yan Chen called out, “A pack of mongrels! We were only toying with you last night. If you’re not satisfied, feel free to chase after us. Run along, pups—your master will be waiting ahead.” With that, the two flickered and vanished from sight.

The scarred man gave a roar and started after them, but Ye Xiang stopped him with a warning look. “Their strength is no less than ours. Last night, we simply failed to see through their cultivation.”

“Master Ye, are we just going to let them go?”

“No. A gentleman never lets a grudge go unavenged. But by now, they’ve gone far. I believe we’ll have another chance to cross paths,” Ye Xiang replied unhurriedly. Though he appeared upright and composed, his words dripped with a sinister undertone, especially when his eyes narrowed—a single glance revealed he was no true gentleman. Yan Chen found him dangerous, but he was not overly worried; even if Yan Chen’s cultivation surpassed his own, Ye Xiang, as a scion of a great family, had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, including the ability to fight beyond his rank.

In truth, Ye Zihan and Yan Chen had not gone far at all, but were instead concealing their presence behind the inn, waiting for Ye Xiang and his companions to head for the Maze Bamboo Grove before tailing them.

At first, they considered ambushing them inside the grove, but soon thought better of it—after all, they had no way of knowing which direction the three would enter from, and did not want their efforts to be wasted.

Once noon had passed, the three finally regained their strength; a night of suffering was soon offset by their cultivation.

“If I catch those two again, I’ll tear them limb from limb!”

“Hmph! I’ll drink their blood to vent my hatred!”

All the way, the two—except for Ye Xiang—kept up a constant stream of curses. Ye Zihan and Yan Chen, following along in secret, were left speechless; it was a pity these two weren’t women, for their scolding was as fierce as any marketplace shrew.

“Master Ye, why have you been so quiet this whole journey?” the burly, scar-faced man finally asked, the shifty-eyed man beside him also watching with suspicion.

Ye Xiang pondered a moment before replying, “One of those two last night felt very familiar to me, as if I’d met him before. And when I look at him, I always have the urge to play tricks on him.”

Ye Zihan, following behind, clenched his fists. So you haven’t forgotten me—you even take pleasure in humiliating me.

Yan Chen noticed the change in his companion’s mood and gave him a meaningful look before continuing to shadow the trio.

Qinghe City sat at the border with the Beast Domain, separated by a winding, nearly hundred-mile footpath lined with sparse trees. Along this road, apart from Ye Xiang’s group, other adventuring parties could be seen.

After about an hour’s walk, they finally reached the outer edge of the Maze Bamboo Grove. Endless waves of bamboo stretched before them, the sunlight filtering through offering no warmth, only a chilling coolness.

Demonic beasts only gained intelligence at the fifth rank or above; in the Maze Bamboo Grove, such powerful creatures were only found deep within. On the periphery, the fiercest were of the third rank, with fourth-rank beasts rarely appearing.

“Master Ye, this place is truly ominous,” said the shifty-eyed man, whose name was Zhang Chu. His family held some influence, though nothing compared to the Ye clan.

The scar-faced man was Xiang Kuang, also from a formidable family. All three were scions of illustrious houses, each a rising talent, and all at the Triad Realm—the strongest being Ye Xiang at the mid-stage.

Hiss, hiss...

No sooner had they stepped into the bamboo grove than the hair-raising sound greeted them. Four or five Scarlet Flame Serpents coiled atop the bamboo, flicking their tongues, sharp fangs bared and dripping venom.

Basking in the sunlight, the serpents slumbered, unaware of any approaching danger.

“Quick and clean—kill two and retreat!” Ye Xiang ordered, then sprang into action, summoning a third-rank Wind Hound.

The Wind Hound materialized instantly. Ye Zihan was not unfamiliar with it; he had suffered much at its claws in the past.

Xiang Kuang, a Fire Shadow Dancer, shifted his footing and unleashed a practiced movement, summoning a half-yard-long blade. Zhang Chu, a Sealing Mage of the Earth element, traced complex sigils on the ground, conjuring a bizarre circular formation.

Ye Zihan whispered to Yan Chen, “Be careful,” then circled around to approach from ahead, using the dense bamboo for cover so as not to be detected.

Yan Chen, meanwhile, crept closer to Ye Xiang, a gleaming longsword now in his hand. He exchanged a glance with Ye Zihan through the bamboo, both reading the intent to strike in each other’s eyes.

Immediately, Yan Chen’s sword sliced through the air with a whistling cry.

Ahead, Ye Zihan summoned two third-rank Flame Wolves; his arsenal of talismans contained the spirits of countless such beasts. Though only mid-Triad in cultivation, his true combat power rivaled even Yan Chen at the late stage.

The wolves howled and sprang forward, leaping directly at Zhang Chu, who was still forming seals.

With foes before and behind, and surrounded by four or five Scarlet Flame Serpents, the sleeping snakes were startled awake by the whistling of Yan Chen’s blade. Sensing enemies, they reared up, hissing loudly, their three-foot bodies rising, venom beading on their fangs.

The sudden turn of events left the trio pale with fright, all prior plans in tatters. They were left fuming, desperate to know who had unleashed the sword light and the wolves upon them.

After unleashing a single attack each, Yan Chen and Ye Zihan both turned and fled at full speed. Neither had any intention of lingering; they knew their summoned beasts would not escape unscathed.

The bamboo grove erupted with the shrill curses of Ye Xiang and his companions.

“Bastard! Who ambushed me?!” Xiang Kuang roared, his blade buzzing with rage.

“Just wait till I catch you—I’ll tear you to pieces!” Zhang Chu’s voice was even sharper than before, panic-stricken as he saw venom flying toward him from all sides, and heard the rustling of more serpents approaching.

Ye Xiang, too, was white with fury, veins bulging on his forehead, breathing heavily, too enraged for words.

Only after running several miles did Ye Zihan and Yan Chen finally dare to stop. As they caught their breath, the chilling hissing of countless snakes still echoed behind them, sending shivers down their spines. They thumped their chests, then both burst into laughter.

“At last, we’ve given those arrogant heirs a taste of their own medicine,” Yan Chen crowed. He thought back to the time in Shifang City when Ye Xiang had stolen the mission he had his eye on, and later insulted him at the inn—he had been waiting for this moment of revenge.

Ye Zihan’s lips curled into a smile of pure satisfaction.

But just then, a thunderous crash erupted from the bamboo grove behind them, the sound echoing for miles.

“What happened?” Both gasped, turning to see a cloud of dust rising from the place they had just left, as though the bamboo forest had suffered a tremendous blow.