Sparring Partner

Those who have the courage to admit they are "afraid" aren't necessarily cowards, but those who struggle until their last breath can all be called warriors. After all, they don't surrender meekly. However, "warrior" isn't always a compliment, as warriors are often the ones who die the fastest.

Ye Tong looked at Calon, pointed at Yasen, and said, "All this time, I haven't been able to figure out my true strength. I've rarely fought anyone before. If you're willing to let him spar with me, I can tell you another secret."

Calon looked at Ye Tong with a strange expression and asked, "What secret?"

Ye Tong bluffed, "On the seventeenth mountain of the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range, there's a hidden treasure, a full hundred Silver Crystals. The reason I know this is because an old man I once saved told me before leaving Cold Mountain City. We're actually entering the Golden Phoenix Mountain Range for those hundred Silver Crystals, but..."

Calon's eyes suddenly lit up, his greed evident. He asked urgently, "But what?"

Ye Tong said with a wry smile, "With our strength, we can reach the tenth mountain with confidence, and maybe even a few more. But to reach the seventeenth mountain... you understand."

"I understand!"

Calon replied without hesitation, "With your strength, the chance of reaching the seventeenth mountain is slim. It's indeed better to exchange it for some benefits than to lose your life in the mountains. I agree. Yasen, you spar with him. Remember, you can injure him, but you absolutely cannot take his life."

Yasen, being shrewd, hesitated and said, "Big Brother, do you really believe him? What if this kid is trying to trick us, and we'll end up wasting our time?"

Calon said confidently, "He wouldn't dare!"

Yasen asked, confused, "How do you know?"

Calon sneered, "Are you an idiot? Since he knows there's treasure on the seventeenth mountain and its exact location, how could we not have him lead the way personally?"

Right!

Upon hearing this, Yasen immediately cursed himself for being clever one moment and foolish the next.

He looked at Ye Tong, then kicked his legs and stretched his muscles. He beckoned with his finger and said proudly, "Kid, considering you've become our God of Wealth, I'll let you have three moves."

"Alright!"

Ye Tong readily agreed, but his gaze fell behind Yasen.

Yasen was taken aback and looked back with suspicion.

Ye Tong pushed off the ground with his toes, instantly lunging in front of Yasen. The moment Yasen was caught off guard and had just turned his head, Ye Tong slammed the hilt of his blade into Yasen's chin. The sound of bone cracking was like the prelude to battle. As Yasen reeled backward, Ye Tong delivered a sharp kick to his chest, sending him flying backward.

"Bang..."

A cloud of dust rose from the ground.

Ye Tong showed a look of disappointment, shaking his head and sighing, "I thought you had the right to be arrogant, but I didn't expect you to be worse than the women at the Fragrant Pavilion. I haven't even warmed up, and you're already flying away like a pig. Truly pathetic! I want to ask you, where did you get the confidence to say you'd let me have three moves?"

Beside them.

Calon and the other two looked at Yasen, who was dazed and trying to get up, with expressions of unbearable sight. They couldn't believe that Yasen, usually as cunning as a fox, could be so foolish today. A single glance from someone could make him lose his guard. It was enough to make onlookers cry from his stupidity.

However, the Medicine Slave's lips curved into a smile, and he praised inwardly, Amazing!

Yasen finally got up from the ground, shaking his head. After regaining his senses, Ye Tong's words echoed in his mind. Instantly, intense humiliation surged through his heart, and a killing intent erupted, making him wish he could tear Ye Tong to pieces.

"Kill!"

Yasen drew his sleeve sword and strode towards Ye Tong. He forgot Calon's orders, his eyes fixed only on Ye Tong, who had brought him such shame. The sleeve sword, less than a foot and two inches long, had its blade spring out from the hilt when he thrust it at Ye Tong, sweeping towards Ye Tong's neck.

His speed was fast, but his strength was not great.

Ye Tong reversed his grip on the hilt, raising his arm instantly to block the short sword. In the same moment, a dagger appeared in his other hand, and he tore a bloody gash under Yasen's armpit. As Yasen's expression changed and he retreated, Ye Tong also took two steps back, shaking his head and saying, "You lost. If I had wanted to kill you just now, this dagger could have pierced your heart from under your armpit."

Yasen clutched the wound under his armpit, a chill spreading through him. Others might not see the subtlety, but he knew it clearly. The dagger Ye Tong held had been aimed straight, but at the last moment, it changed to a horizontal sweep.

What Ye Tong said was true; he had indeed spared his life.

Yasen's face turned from pale to green. Although he was unwilling to accept this fact, he no longer dared to lunge at Ye Tong, fearing that next time, the dagger would pierce his heart. "Your cultivation is clearly only at Qi Refining Third Level, how can you be so powerful?"

Ye Tong glanced at him dismissively, then turned to Calon and said, "Your subordinate reminds me of the embroidered pillows in the textile shop."

Calon's expression turned grim, and he asked, "What do you mean?"

Ye Tong stated plainly, "Looks good, but useless."

"You..."

Calon was furious. He had just boastfully instructed his subordinate to only injure the opponent, not kill him. Yet, in less than half an hour, it had turned into the opponent showing mercy and injuring his subordinate twice.

His face felt hot.

It was as if a pair of invisible hands were slapping him across the face, silently but stinging painfully.

Ye Tong looked at the other two. If he remembered correctly, Yasen had mentioned that these two were both at Qi Refining Fifth Level. Perhaps fighting them would allow him to test his true strength.

However!

If the other party was unwilling to kill him, and he also couldn't kill them during the fight, then he wouldn't be able to go all out and engage in a true life-or-death struggle.

Calon sensed Ye Tong's gaze and immediately asked, "What do you want?"

Ye Tong said, "I want to fight them."

Calon's expression changed, and anger burned in his chest. This scoundrel could defeat Yasen, who was at Qi Refining Fourth Level, and now he was this arrogant? His two subordinates were both experts at Qi Refining Fifth Level, how could a weakling like him at Qi Refining Third Level provoke them?

Instantly.

Calon threw his long saber to a subordinate and clenched his fists, saying, "Originally, I liked you a bit because you knew when to be sensible. I didn't expect you to be so wild and unrestrained now, actually wanting to challenge experts at Qi Refining Fifth Level. Hmph... To avoid wasting time, I'll teach you a lesson myself and let you know the immensity of heaven and earth. Don't court death."

Saying that, his figure flickered, and he lunged at Ye Tong.

"Heh heh..."

The aged voice came from the Medicine Slave.

Calon suddenly felt his throat tighten, and his body froze instantly. The moment he turned his head in terror, he felt over a dozen points on his body being struck rapidly, and tearing pain surged through him like a tide.

"Bang..."

The Medicine Slave grabbed Calon by the back of his collar, slammed him to the ground, and then kicked him away like trash, saying in a low voice, "My Young Master wants to challenge your subordinate; that's a fortune for your subordinate. If you dare to interfere again, this old man will kill you and use you as fertilizer for the big tree!"

Yasen and the other two were terrified. Their scalps tingled, their bodies stiffened, and they didn't dare to move an inch. They knew their boss's strength; he was a Qi Refining Seventh Level expert! How could he have been dealt with so easily?

Who was this old guy?

Could he be an expert in the Innate Realm?

What kind of old monster had the four of them encountered?

Calon coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. A chilling fear shot from the base of his spine to the back of his head. When the old guy made his move just now, he hadn't felt the slightest sign, let alone had time to dodge. Someone with this kind of strength absolutely couldn't be a Qi Refining Ninth Level cultivator.

Then...

He must be an Xiantian expert!

After reaching this conclusion, Calon raised his arm and slapped himself hard. He had calculated everything, but he never expected to provoke an Xiantian Realm expert one day. Was he tired of living?

"Senior..."

"Shut up."

The Medicine Slave glared, then changed his expression faster than flipping a book. He immediately smiled at Ye Tong and said, "Young Master, if you want to challenge anyone, just go ahead and do it. If they dare to refuse, this old servant will skin them alive, rip out their tendons, and then chop them into meat paste to feed the fierce beasts."

"Hiss..."

The four of them gasped in unison.

What a ruthless old guy!

The four felt like crying but had no tears. They looked at Ye Tong expectantly, hoping that the young man, who seemed to be highly respected by the old monster, would spare their lives.

Ye Tong's mood was ruined by their pathetic appearance. He waved his hand and said, "Strip everything off them, and then let them scram!"

"Take it off!"

The Medicine Slave was surprised that Ye Tong would spare their lives, but he admired this style.

Calon was filled with indignation but dared not retort in the slightest. Yasen, however, moved his lips and pleaded, "Can you at least leave us with a pair of underpants?"

The Medicine Slave slapped him away with lightning speed.

Finally.

The four of them, with their clothes stripped, covered their private parts and fled in embarrassment into the distant bushes.

The Medicine Slave watched their disappearing backs with a smile, lamenting, "The Young Master's personality hasn't been completely influenced by the old master. At the very least, he still has some kindness in his heart. If it were the old master, he probably would have ended them with a swift strike, leaving only four corpses on the ground."

Ye Tong curled his lips and said, "Not necessarily. Perhaps he would have sprinkled some poison and turned them directly into a pool of blood."

"Yes, yes, yes."

The Medicine Slave's smile widened considerably, and his gaze towards Ye Tong became more and more satisfied. Then, noticing that Ye Tong had fallen silent, he began to rummage through the items left behind by the four.

Clothes, porcelain bottles, silver notes, Blue Silver...

The Medicine Slave searched meticulously, finding the fate of the four clumsy thieves who tried to rob but ended up being robbed to be quite amusing.

"Huh?"