Jianghu

Where there are people, there is Jianghu. Where there is Jianghu, there will be fighting. Ye Yun had only been in the city for half an hour before witnessing no less than three altercations. Fortunately, both sides were somewhat restrained and didn't actually fight, but Ye Yun wouldn't dare leave his belongings at the inn. He didn't want to go out and come back to find everything gone, especially with so many cultivators in the border town.

He glanced back at the lightning struck wood wrapped in cloth behind him, and Ye Yun longed even more for legendary storage equipment. Unfortunately, such things didn't exist in this world, so he could only carry the lightning struck wood himself.

He casually found an inn to stay at. After eating and cultivating to restore himself to his peak condition, Ye Yun left the border town and headed towards the location indicated on the map. He wanted to harvest the Vermillion Fruit before the demonic beasts in the Great Wilderness gathered, to avoid any unforeseen complications. After all, the demonic beasts in the Great Wilderness were about to attack the city, and who knew if they would eat all the Vermillion Fruits to boost their strength during the siege.

Following the map's directions, Ye Yun traveled further and further off the beaten path after leaving the city. Gradually, all traces of human activity disappeared. Just then, he suddenly stopped, turned, and looked at the overgrown grass not far away, saying calmly, "Stop hiding. Come out!"

However, several seconds passed, and apart from the rustling of the wind through the rocky forest and grass, there was no other sound.

Looking at the motionless grass, Ye Yun shook his head slightly and sighed, "Stop hiding. I noticed you before I even left the city. Who are you people? Why are you following me?"

Unfortunately, apart from the sound of the wind, the grass remained silent.

Seeing this, Ye Yun sighed, "Alas, since you don't want to come out, then there's no need to. I'm too lazy to ask. It's nothing more than robbery and murder."

With that, Ye Yun formed a hand seal with his left hand and shouted, "Lightning, come forth!"

"Crack!"

With a deafening sound, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky, striking directly into the patch of grass. Accompanying the flash of lightning were two shrill screams. Then, two figures, completely blackened, scrambled out of the grass, convulsed a few times, and lay still. They appeared to be dead.

Ye Yun looked at the two blackened figures lying on the ground, a slight smile playing on his lips. Although these two had followed him, he wasn't a bloodthirsty killer who would kill without a word. Therefore, the power of the lightning he summoned wasn't that great. At most, it could only severely injure an ordinary person. These two were clearly not ordinary people. Of course, if they had cultivated evil arts, that would be another matter, as lightning was the most yang and pure element, most effective against demons.

"Tsk, dead already? They really can't take a hit. Oh well, since they're dead, to prevent them from falling into the mouths of wild beasts, I'll just burn them with fire. It'll be an act of good karma."

A sinister smile flashed across Ye Yun's lips, and he began to form the Fire Control Art with his hands. Just then, the two figures on the ground suddenly sprang up and charged straight at Ye Yun. Their eyes were filled with murderous intent as they looked at him.

Ye Yun saw the short blades flashing with a chilling glint in their hands, and his eyes grew cold. The movements in his hands instantly quickened. The Fire Control Art, which was already nearing completion, was finished in an instant. Then, with a wave of his right hand, a blazing inferno erupted in front of him.

Seeing this, the two men exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and their eyes flashed fiercely. They ignored the raging flames and charged straight in.

Ye Yun hadn't expected these two to be so ferocious, and he was startled by their actions. However, he was no longer a novice who had just descended the mountain. Though surprised, he remained calm. He formed a hand seal with his right hand, and the long sword in his left hand was instantly unsheathed and flew towards them like lightning, much to their horror.

"Run! This person already possesses object manipulation. We can't deal with him!"

The moment they saw Ye Yun's sword fly, despair filled the hearts of the two men. Cultivators with object manipulation abilities were far beyond what lowly individuals like them could handle. Now, they could only hope to run faster and escape this place as quickly as possible.

"Old Zhang Six, you tricked me! You said he was just a novice at the first level of Qi Condensation. If I survive, I'll settle this with you!"

Looking at the approaching rocky forest, Wu San's eyes were filled with ecstasy. As long as he entered this rocky forest, spanning several miles, he was confident he could use his familiarity with the terrain to escape from that person. The rocky forest was rugged and complex, with many caves. Even if one could fly, it would be difficult to find someone who had entered.

"Closer, closer! Just a few more meters and I'll escape. Old Zhang Six, Wu San swears he's got it out for you!"

However, just as Wu San was about to charge into the rocky forest, a long sword emitting a blue glow suddenly landed in front of him. Unable to stop in time, Wu San ran headfirst into it, only to be bounced back by a faint blue barrier. He fell to the ground with a thud, rolling several times before stopping. He lay on the ground, staring at the sky filled with white clouds, his face filled with despair.

These two were merely cultivators at the second level of Qi Condensation, and they were quickly subdued by Ye Yun. After being defeated, they realized they couldn't escape and resigned themselves to lying on the ground. Ye Yun found it somewhat uninteresting and said indifferently, "Why were you following me? If your answer satisfies me, I don't mind sparing your lives."

Wu San, lying on the ground with a ashen face, heard Ye Yun's words, and the deadness in his eyes instantly ignited with astonishing light, but it dimmed after just a moment. He had been in this border town for several years and had long understood the wickedness of human hearts. In such a situation, no one would let them go, as the moment they attacked, they became mortal enemies, sworn enemies.

Wu San let out a wry laugh, a forced smile on his lips. "Why else? Old Zhang Six said that what you're carrying on your back might be a valuable treasure, and that you're only at the first level of Qi Condensation, so we targeted you. Oh, right, Old Zhang Six is that big guy you met at the city gate."

"It's truly laughable. We two ants believed another ant and tried to rob a tiger. We don't deserve to live! Finish us!" The other man, hearing Wu San's words, also spoke. From their words, Ye Yun roughly understood the whole story. The reason these two confessed so readily was likely because they knew they were doomed and wanted to drag down Zhang Six, who had given them the wrong information, with them.

"Greed, indeed, is the greatest original sin. You still don't know what's on my back, nor do you know my true strength, yet you dared to follow me. I don't know whether to call you blinded by greed or foolish."

"Originally, I decided to kill you. But now I've changed my mind. I've decided to let you go. However, while your lives are spared, you won't escape punishment. If I see you again, you will regret not being killed by me today."

As he finished speaking, Ye Yun made a hand seal, and the temperature of the surrounding air suddenly dropped sharply. Instantly, a thin layer of frost formed on the ground. The hair and eyebrows of Wu San and the other man were also coated in a layer of white frost, and they shivered, hugging their arms.