The next morning, the people from the Warrior Reserve Camp arrived at the practice field. They already knew that Zhang Yuxian had left. Quite a few people had heard the sound of him riding his beast at full speed during the night.
Of course, Yi Yun was among them.
"Yi Yun!"
On the practice field, Lian Chengyu called out to Yi Yun from afar, his expression still gentle.
"Young Master Lian, what is it?"
Yi Yun smiled. He understood that Lian Chengyu's amiable manner was merely an act for the villagers.
There had been no shortage of villagers coming to watch the excitement on the practice field these past few days. Although Lian Chengyu had long wanted to get rid of Yi Yun, he could not do it in front of the villagers.
The reason was that Yi Yun had won Zhang Yuxian's appreciation. After Zhang Yuxian completed his mission, he might return to the Lian Clan to look for Yi Yun.
Even if Zhang Yuxian did not come back looking for him, he might ask about Yi Yun during the Divine Kingdom Grand Selection.
If Lian Chengyu really attacked Yi Yun in public, it would certainly be satisfying, but with so many people witnessing it, the matter would inevitably spread. Lian Chengyu could not possibly kill everyone in the Lian Clan to silence them.
Once Zhang Yuxian discovered the truth, Lian Chengyu would inevitably be implicated. Thus, Lian Chengyu settled for second best, choosing a slow and steady method to quietly eliminate Yi Yun.
Since Lian Chengyu had not fallen out with him, Yi Yun was naturally happy to play this game of taiji with him. After all, if they truly clashed now, Yi Yun felt that his strength was still insufficient. Besides, he had yet to finish absorbing the Savage Bone Essence.
"Yi Yun, before Lord Zhang left, he left behind a note and a box of pills. The note said that the pills were meant for the two of us. The medicinal effects of my share are fierce, so someone with a low cultivation level cannot take them. As for the share meant for you, it is most suitable for a beginner in martial arts to lay a foundation."
Lian Chengyu spoke with such certainty that if Yi Yun had not known what kind of person he was, he would almost have believed him.
"Oh, pills!?" Yi Yun's eyes lit up, seemingly filled with excitement and anticipation. "Lord Zhang left pills for me?"
"That's right!" Seeing Yi Yun's foolish appearance, Lian Chengyu sneered inwardly. As expected, he's a complete idiot. He really thinks good fortune has fallen from the heavens.
"Lord Zhang is truly generous. He has shown the two of us great kindness by nurturing us. Once we rise to prominence in the future, we must not forget him!"
Lian Chengyu patted Yi Yun on the shoulder as he instructed him, a faint murderous glint flashing through his eyes.
With Zhang Yuxian gone, Lian Chengyu no longer deliberately concealed his killing intent in front of a child like Yi Yun.
"Young Master Lian is right. I won't forget." Yi Yun put on an earnest expression of someone sincerely receiving instruction.
"Yi Yun, your talent is no inferior to mine—in fact, it even surpasses mine in some ways. Once this Savage Bone Essence is refined, I plan to give you some as well. The Savage Bone Essence concerns not only the future of the two of us, but also the future livelihood of the thousand-plus households in the Lian Clan. I wouldn't feel at ease handing it to anyone else. Only if you personally oversee the refinement, Little Brother Yi, can I rest easy."
"How about this? Continue refining the savage bones during the day. Once the Savage Bone Essence is refined, the two of us brothers will consume it together. I'll then circulate my energy for you and strive to help you reach the second layer of the Mortal Blood realm—the Qi Long Realm. After that, I'll give Lord Zhang's pills to you and let your cultivation advance another step!"
As Lian Chengyu spoke, the corners of his lips curled slightly upward. Yi Yun knew that this was a mocking smile.
Without Zhang Yuxian, in Lian Chengyu's eyes, wasn't a child like him something he could knead however he pleased, right in the palm of his hand?
Even if Lian Chengyu had truly prepared pills for him, they were probably some kind of slow-acting poison. Taking them might leave his entire body paralyzed before he slowly died in agony.
However, in Lian Chengyu's eyes, no poison could compare to the cold poison of the Cold Python Savage Bones. That was the truly incurable medicine. Using the Cold Python's poison to send Yi Yun on his way could not have been more fitting!
"I'll certainly complete whatever Young Master Lian has entrusted to me!"
Yi Yun patted his chest in guarantee, looking like an impassioned young man making a solemn vow.
As a matter of fact, when Zhang Yuxian entered the Lian Clan, the refinement of the savage bones had never stopped. It had merely been moved to the vicinity of Lian Clan Medicine Mountain.
After all, it would not have been appropriate to set up a huge cauldron in the village and keep a fire burning day and night while Zhang Yuxian was there.
Lian Chengyu wanted to continue poisoning Yi Yun with the cold poison, making him die miserably while ensuring that the commoners of the clan noticed nothing, so that there would be no witnesses left alive when the time came.
As for Yi Yun, of course he wanted to absorb as much of the savage bone's energy as possible before completely falling out with Lian Chengyu, raising his cultivation to the Qi Induction Realm and adding another trump card to his arsenal.
Thus, with both harboring their own schemes, the two struck a perfect bargain. Yi Yun happily went to refine the savage bones.
Of course, in Lian Chengyu's eyes, Yi Yun's happy appearance was nothing more than the behavior of a chuunibyou teenager.
"This idiot. I tell him to go die, and he's still so happy about it. My heavens, my talent actually loses to this idiot in some areas. What a disgrace!"
Lian Chengyu gave a cold laugh and subconsciously clenched his hand, the joints producing faint pops of bone.
Yi Yun had gone three days without absorbing the savage bone's energy, and he had long been unable to wait any longer.
Without the nourishment of the savage bone's energy, Yi Yun's cultivation progress had been very slow these past few days. He also constantly felt hungry.
"You brat, where the hell have you been?"
The dark-faced laborer in charge of refining the savage bones spoke gruffly when he saw Yi Yun.
These laborers had eaten and slept at Lian Clan Medicine Mountain for the past two days, so they had no idea that Yi Yun had been chosen by Zhang Yuxian and taught martial arts.
In their minds, Yi Yun was still the same sickly boy as before, so they naturally showed him no warmth.
Yi Yun ignored the laborers completely and skillfully made his way to his own spot to chop wood.
Today, he planned to go all out and ravenously absorb the savage bone's energy. He knew that he did not have much time left. Lian Chengyu's patience probably would not last more than a few days.
He had to break through to the fifth layer of the Mortal Blood realm—the Qi Induction Realm—as quickly as possible.
Facing the huge cauldron scorched by flames, Yi Yun took a deep breath. His field of vision was already filled with endless specks of light.
Those specks of light were like the most delicious delicacies, making Yi Yun's index finger twitch with desire.
Come on, all of you. I'll eat every last bit!
That thought arose in Yi Yun's mind. Centered around his heart, a purple vortex surged into existence.
At that instant, Yi Yun felt his entire body grow scorching hot. Streams of heat raced wildly along the Ren and Du Meridians that he had only recently opened.
Then, within Yi Yun's vision, a purple-red radiance lit up at the mouth of the huge cauldron. Countless specks of light flew out of the "Li Fire Water" one after another, rushing toward Yi Yun like a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix!
"This..."
Yi Yun suddenly froze. There were far more specks of light than he had expected—so many that they almost formed lines!
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"
The specks of light fell into Yi Yun's body like a torrential rain, recklessly surging into his meridians.
Yi Yun's body trembled violently. He felt as if his meridians were about to burst!
Pain!
The intense pain caused Yi Yun to collapse headfirst onto the ground, yet that energy continued pouring endlessly into his body.
If the laborers refining the savage bones could see the Purple Crystal's radiance of energy, they would have seen Yi Yun's entire body enveloped in a layer of light.
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