Chapter 049: Kid, You’re Quite Sensible

The distance from the assembly point to the Hall of Discipline was not far. Spirit Herb Valley was a place he knew well; Lin Zhan's mind traversed the familiar terrain, hoping he could achieve victory in a single stroke—not necessarily to defeat his opponent in one move, but at least to inflict the greatest possible damage from the outset, so that the initiative would be his. Was it a bit risky? He had no idea what level of the Yellow Rank his adversary belonged to, not a shred of certainty to rely on.

No! Recalling his senior brothers wrongfully imprisoned, Lin Zhan could never resign himself to survive alone, clinging desperately to life. He valued his life, yes, but only when the time was right. Now, he almost wished he had been taken away along with the others.

Windchime Pass—a passage between two sheer cliffs, the only way out of the valley. Ancient icicles hung from the rock faces, and when the wind blew, they struck each other with a pleasant, musical chime—a feast for the ears. At this moment, the three of them were a third of the way along Windchime Pass.

Just now, the two had spoken of the Ding family’s bounty, their thoughts now filled with gold. Cheng Zhi pointed behind them and said, “By the way, Old Wei, this kid has a storage ring on him. Who knows what’s inside?”

“That’s easy enough—just have him hand it over,” Wei Tielong replied, clearly well-versed in such affairs. For a lowly menial to possess a valuable storage ring was highly unusual; there could very well be some unexpected windfall inside. After all, among those who worked in Spirit Herb Valley, opportunities to pilfer precious materials were plentiful—who hadn’t stashed away a few things on the sly?

The two exchanged a glance and turned toward him.

Wei Tielong grinned. “Heh, Menial Eleven, let’s be honest. Your Daisy Hall’s Group C has committed a mistake and is being held by the Hall of Discipline for now. If you have anything valuable on you, hand it over—let me smooth things over for you. Maybe there’s still hope.”

Ha! What a nice speech, Lin Zhan cursed inwardly. But on the surface, he obediently removed a storage ring and handed it over with deference. “Thank you, sir. I do have a few items here—though I’m not sure if they’ll catch your eye.”

What he produced was a ring he’d acquired previously, filled with spoils of battle. The one containing his heavy sword and key resources he most certainly would not produce.

When Lin Zhan revealed the contents, the dazzling array of treasures truly made Cheng and Wei’s eyes light up.

“You’re quite the sensible one, kid.”

“Indeed. I’ll be sure to put in a good word for you.”

The two did not even attempt to conceal their greed; right there on the spot, they began dividing the spoils, their earlier promise to help forgotten.

Lin Zhan watched their faces, a nearly imperceptible cold smile flickering across his own. He had anticipated this. Their sudden demand for the storage ring had disrupted his plan, but he quickly adapted—playing along for now, lulling them into complacency.

“Hey, Old Wei, this isn’t right. Eight stalks of Heaven-Feeding Grass—you should at least give me half. Why take them all?”

“What, you want to trade for a piece of that Golden Earth Lotus?”

“No way, absolutely not! I must have this bottle of Tranquil Valley Pills—vital for reaching mid-Yellow Rank! Old Wei!”

“Nonsense! If you want to break through to mid-Yellow Rank, am I not trying to as well? Let go! I’m warning you, don’t push your luck.”

Lin Zhan observed their squabbling coolly. Seeing the situation, he produced two more storage rings, his lips curling into a mysterious smile. Taking two steps forward, he called out, “Gentlemen, there’s no need to quarrel over such trifles. I have a few more things here—please, accept them.”

“Oh? Playing tricks, are you? Why didn’t you bring these out earlier?” Cheng Zhi quickly snatched up a ring, fearful that Wei Tielong might grab it first, and moved aside to check its contents.

“Hmph, pathetic,” scoffed Wei Tielong, glaring at Cheng. But as he turned back and glimpsed the treasures, his face was all delight. “You really have a trove here, boy!” He reached for the ring in Lin Zhan’s hand. “Let me see what else you’ve got.”

Lin Zhan extended his left hand with the ring.

Now!

From his right hand, the heavy sword flashed forth, its blade aimed straight for the man’s throat.

Blazing Flame!

The Fiery Fist technique, unleashed through the sword, erupted in a foot-long crimson arc. A searing blade of energy burst forth, cleaving the air in a diagonal sweep.

“Damn you, kid!” Wei Tielong was caught completely off guard. Instinctively, he tried to dodge, but his outstretched hand couldn’t be withdrawn in time; he raised it to block, but before he could finish his curse, a sickening sound—his arm was severed clean at the elbow, blood spurting.

The defensive spiritual energy he’d just managed to muster collapsed instantly. Lin Zhan’s eyes blazed; his heavy sword did not pause, coming down with unstoppable force.

Clang!

The sword hacked into the neck, slicing through flesh, muscle, and vertebrae with a grisly crunch, accompanied by the gale the strike conjured.

Lin Zhan had not even struck with all his might, yet with this blow, he could not afford to retrieve his sword or evade Wei Tielong’s dying palm strike. Instead, he leapt high, mustering his strength, and in midair, clenched his right fist and hurled it down at Cheng Zhi’s back.

“Fiery Fist!”

All this happened in a flash; as Lin Zhan’s heavy punch fell, Wei Tielong’s deathblow landed as well, the storage ring still tumbling through the air.

So fast! Cheng Zhi barely had time to react. He turned, only to see Lin Zhan’s fist rapidly filling his vision.

Though a Yellow Rank expert, he panicked. Moments ago, he’d been reveling in ill-gotten gains, with Lin Zhan playing the obedient servant. Now, the world had turned upside down.

For a split second, Cheng Zhi suspected the ambush behind him was from Wei Tielong, trying to keep all the treasures for himself. But as he turned, he realized Wei was already overwhelmed.

With Lin Zhan’s fist closing in, Cheng Zhi hastily gathered inner energy for defense. He had two choices: take the blow head-on, or dodge aside.

In that critical instant, Lin Zhan staggered midair, his expression changing as Wei Tielong’s palm strike hit him from behind. Cheng Zhi made a decision he would instantly regret—he thrust both palms forward, aiming to sandwich Lin Zhan between himself and Wei Tielong.

“You little wretch, die!”

Lin Zhan’s back burned with pain, a metallic taste in his mouth, but he swallowed the blood and, using the force of the blow, accelerated, his fist crashing down on Cheng Zhi.

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