Chapter 019: Red Alert

Lying in ambush, Wei Qinglong had been crawling at the peak of this small mountain for a full three hours. To accomplish great things, one must have patience—he couldn't help but admire himself a little.

There was no snow tonight, yet the pale ground still reflected a faint, clear light.

The Ice Spirit Flower was about to bloom. Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Wei Qinglong thought he could already smell its unique fragrance. He took a deep breath. “On the path to advancement, this Ice Spirit Flower is something I must obtain. I will get it! Dandelion Hall scum, here I come!”

If he couldn't steal it quietly, then he would just have to make a little noise.

With a wave of his hand, one of his men slipped away quietly, carrying a backpack filled with several dozen Earth Demon Rats. These creatures were notorious for gnawing and destroying spiritual herbs. Encased by a formation seal, the moment they entered the herb field full of spiritual energy and medicinal scents, they grew restless inside the pack.

“Squeak, squeak, squeak!”

Released at the watchtower farthest from the Ice Spirit Flower’s location, the rats immediately darted into the surrounding fields and began feasting. In an instant, the spiritual herbs and flowers in that section rustled and shook violently.

On duty there was Zha Wu. Hearing the commotion, he leapt down at once.

“Damn it, how are there Earth Demon Rats!” Zha Wu was startled, yanking hard on a rope by the watchtower. In a flash, the rope triggered a mechanism. With a shrill whistle, a plume of red smoke shot straight into the sky—the alarm was raised.

Without hesitation, Zha Wu seized an ice hoe and charged after a particularly scrawny rat. The thinner the Earth Demon Rat, the hungrier and more destructive it was.

“Red alert! Quickly, to Old Five’s position!”

According to the rules of the herb field, alarms had several levels. Red was the most severe, indicating catastrophic damage and calling all nearby sentries to reinforce the area immediately.

“Hurry, hurry, hurry!”

From four directions—Zha Er, Zha San, and Zha Qi and Zha Ba—they all dashed in a panic, grabbing whatever tools they could find and racing toward Zha Wu.

When they arrived, they saw dozens of nimble Earth Demon Rats brazenly gnawing on stalks of spiritual herbs. They were instantly furious.

“Beasts! Damn you, I’ll fight you to the death!”

One after another, they joined the battle against the rats. Earth Demon Rats were not particularly powerful beasts, nor were they high-level. Their bodies were only several times larger than ordinary mice. But they were agile and fast, and with so many appearing at once, the defenders were thrown into chaos, scrambling helplessly...

Lin Zhan, standing atop the Cold Ice Stone, tensed at the sight of the red alert, rubbing his hands nervously.

His duty was to guard the Ice Spirit Flower—a single bloom was worth more than the entire output of the herb field. The flower was about to open; this was the crucial moment.

He remembered Zha Shi’s earlier warning and suspected that the sudden chaos must be Wei Qinglong’s doing. Most likely, Wei Qinglong would show up any moment, so Lin Zhan dared not relax.

Zha Shi had already gone to assist. Lin Zhan could only pray that the rats wouldn’t cause too much damage.

At the scene of the man-versus-rat battle—

“Xiaofang, my Xiaofang!”

“Damn you, biting my Xiaowei! I’ll kill you!”

“Sob sob, my Xiaohong…”

The members of Dandelion Hall’s Team C were heartbroken. The Earth Demon Rats were too rampant, devouring their precious, named spirit grasses—it was as if the neighbor’s Old Wang had stolen their wives, an enmity that could never be forgiven.

But the rats were simply too cunning and agile.

Just then, a figure shot through the field like a blazing meteor, brandishing a kitchen cleaver and chasing the rats to the ends of the earth. It was Zha Shi, ever formidable—whether fighting people or slashing rats, his skills were unmatched.

“Quick, let’s form a circle so Zha Shi can kill the rats more easily!”

The team moved swiftly, and Zha Shi’s work became much easier. Though Earth Demon Rats were wild beasts, they had not yet developed intelligence and still feared humans. Once surrounded, they were soon slaughtered one by one by Zha Shi.

During this chaos, Wei Qinglong finally arrived at Lin Zhan’s position.

Though the intruder was disguised, Lin Zhan recognized his stance and movements at a glance.

As Wei Qinglong passed the Cold Ice Stone, he glanced up and sneered, “If that rookie from Dandelion Hall up there dares to interfere, just cripple him for me!”

“Heh, nothing to it!” For a cultivator at the mid Human Stage, defeating someone like Lin Zhan, an ordinary person, was child’s play.

If the target hadn’t been the Ice Spirit Flower, Wei Qinglong would have seized the chance to settle old scores with Lin Zhan. Last time, the entire team had been beaten up by Zha Shi. With a Human Stage expert on his side today, he was eager to reclaim some dignity.

Timing it perfectly, Wei Qinglong’s group reached the Ice Spirit Flower just as it bloomed.

Without hesitation, Wei Qinglong produced three specially crafted wooden boxes, plucked the flowers, placed them inside, and immediately stored them in his spatial pouch.

His earlier feud with Dandelion Hall, which once led him to take just one Ice Spirit Flower, had now escalated to seizing all three. Little did he know, this was exactly what some had hoped for.

“It’s bad! Someone’s stealing the Ice Spirit Flowers! Brothers, hurry!”

Not only did someone on the Cold Ice Stone shout the alarm, but a pile of firewood was ignited, sending flames surging skyward. If the Earth Demon Rat invasion was a red alert, then this beacon fire was an even higher-level warning, tantamount to an enemy invasion.

Lin Zhan leapt down from above, blocking Wei Qinglong’s group. “Leave the Ice Spirit Flower!”

“Ah, put out the fire!” Wei Qinglong’s elation at success barely had time to register before his heart nearly leapt out of his chest. Although each area assigned to a Dandelion Hall labor team was relatively isolated and such a signal could only alert their own squad—without reaching patrolling disciples or other teams outside—it was still a potential hazard. He couldn’t just let the firewood burn unchecked.

It was deep night, and the sudden blaze was conspicuous—a risk that could expose his theft.

What almost made him laugh in exasperation was: who in the world had given this rookie from Dandelion Hall the courage to stand before him and block the way?

He remembered it well. In the last brawl, this rookie had fled the entire time—yes, fled from start to finish.

And now, well, well!

He rolled up his sleeves and said to those beside him, “Hold off the rest of Dandelion Hall for me. This rookie, I’ll deal with myself!”