The Three Goofballs

"Zhang Leyang, that scream just now wasn't from Lin Chuan, was it..." Zhang Wei asked, his face grim.

By the time the scream reached the cave entrance, it was already faint. And since there was nothing distinctive about that kind of cry, it only added to the three of them's anxiety, making their already worried hearts sink even lower.

"It probably wasn't..." Zhang Leyang said, sounding unsure.

Just as the three of them were fretting over the sudden scream, another voice rang out.

"Ahhhhh... don't kill me... please, don't kill me... I..."

The three of them immediately paled. They couldn't tell whose voice it was, but in their minds, Lin Chuan was no match for those youths at the sixth layer of Qi Refining Stage or higher. No matter how they heard it, it sounded like Lin Chuan was begging for mercy.

"Damn it! I'm going out there..." Zhang Wei's face turned ashen. He got to his feet and was about to charge outside. What did any secrets matter now? Someone was about to die—who could care about all that?

"Wait... that doesn't sound like Lin Chuan..." Zhang Leyang grabbed Zhang Wei, who was about to rush out, his expression shifting uncertainly.

"Are you sure? We've only just met Lin Chuan. Are you sure you can recognize his voice?" Zhang Mo asked with a frown.

Deep down, they hoped it wasn't Lin Chuan's voice, because if Lin Chuan died, they would be next.

But Lin Chuan was only at the fifth layer of Qi Refining Stage. Even if he had some way to make the six of them back off, surely he couldn't make them scream like that.

The weakest among those men was at the sixth layer of Qi Refining Stage, while the strongest was an expert at the eighth layer. To say that Lin Chuan could make six men like them beg for mercy was simply too absurd. It wasn't just that they didn't believe it; anyone with even a little understanding of cultivation wouldn't believe such a thing could happen. It was the biggest joke in the world.

"Actually, I can't tell if that was Lin Chuan's voice either. But did you notice? Just now, he said, 'Please spare me,' not 'Please spare us.' That means there was only one person attacking him..." Zhang Leyang analyzed, not even realizing how sharp his mind was being for once.

Zhang Mo and Zhang Wei exchanged a glance. Though they still badly wanted to rush outside, they held themselves back for the moment.

"Could it be that they saw Lin Chuan was alone, so they only sent one person to fight him? That would explain why he said that while begging for mercy..." Zhang Mo said, his face grim.

If just one man had made Lin Chuan beg for mercy, wouldn't that mean his opponent was so powerful that none of Lin Chuan's trump cards had been any use? Despair filled the three of them.

They didn't regret staying behind, but dying like this would be pretty pathetic.

"We're going out there! Let's fight him! Lin Chuan's already dead, so what are we still doing here? Waiting for them to come in and kill us?" Zhang Wei spat, getting to his feet and preparing to charge out of the cave.

But when Zhang Mo turned around, he froze. He had already steeled himself to face those powerful enemies, but the moment he turned, he saw Lin Chuan standing at the cave entrance, his white hair and pale eyes unmistakable, looking utterly miserable.

Lin Chuan had been standing at the cave entrance for a while. He wanted to see what they were whispering about, so he had activated his Byakugan and watched them discussing how he had begged for mercy. He had nearly charged over and beaten the three of them senseless. He felt as if ten thousand fucking horses were galloping through his heart.

Damn, what an imagination!!! Lin Chuan cursed inwardly.

"Huh? Lin Chuan, you're actually still alive??? Weren't you just begging for mercy?" Zhang Wei stared at him wide-eyed, unable to believe it.

Lin Chuan rubbed his forehead. A flock of crows flew over his head. He was starting to regret saving these three. He really was!

Zhang Wei's words made Zhang Leyang and Zhang Mo, who had still been hesitating, turn around. All three stared at the living, breathing Lin Chuan standing at the cave entrance, as if they were looking at a ghost.

"I'm not dead. Are you disappointed?" Lin Chuan paused, then forced a smile as he looked at the three of them.

"No, no, of course not!!"

"Ah, Lin Chuan, you've got it all wrong. We were just talking about how you drove those six away!"

"Ahaha, we've always believed in you!"

Lin Chuan watched the three of them spout nonsense, speechless, then turned and walked away. He really did miss their goofy nature, since they reminded him of his college classmates, but he was also itching to beat the three of them senseless.

As soon as Zhang Leyang saw Lin Chuan turn and walk away, he hurried after him.

"Did you drive those six away, Lin Chuan? You really are amazing—you even managed to force an expert at the eighth layer of Qi Refining Stage to retreat!"

"To subdue the enemy without fighting, Lin Chuan, you're definitely among the top ten newcomers!"

"That's right, that's right! We didn't hear any fighting at all, only their terrified screams. Turns out they're just a bunch of paper tigers!"

The three of them laughed. No matter what, the danger was over, and they were happy to have escaped the threat of being killed.

They had no idea how Lin Chuan had managed to scare those six away, but it wasn't that hard to frighten someone in this world. For example, if you had a powerful weapon that could take them down with you, then unless they had some deep grudge against you, they would usually choose to retreat rather than fight to the death.

Besides, the clash had started over five Crimson Flame Lotuses. These Foundation Establishment Stage medicinal herbs were worth quite a bit, but even if the other side got them, they wouldn't be able to take them away. They had to be handed over to the Lin Clan, so the most they could get in return was some cultivation resources.

Lin Chuan didn't bother explaining. He really didn't want to talk to these three goofballs—he was afraid their imaginations would conjure up even more trouble.

"Hey, there's blood here. Lin Chuan, are you hurt?" Zhang Leyang suddenly spotted a pool of blood on the ground and hurriedly looked Lin Chuan over.

But apart from two large holes in the fabric at his knees, Lin Chuan didn't seem to have a single wound. Besides, if Zhang Leyang remembered right, Lin Chuan had been dressed like that when they first met.

Last time, outside the cave, Lin Chuan had been in a hurry when he used Shikotsumyaku to deal with those dozen or so people. He hadn't had time to take his clothes off. This time, he had been prepared when he used Shikotsumyaku, so he had deliberately taken off his shirt. Otherwise, by the end of the fight, his clothes really would have looked like a beggar's rags.

Lin Chuan was just about to explain that he wasn't hurt when he realized he didn't need to. The three of them were already looking at the flames in the distance, where the six men's bodies were burning.