The Comedic Trio

"Zhang Leyang, that scream just now couldn't have been from Brother Lin Chuan, could it?" Zhang Wei asked, his face looking ghastly.

The sound of the scream had already faded to a faint echo by the time it reached the cave, and combined with the lack of distinct features in the cry, it only served to make the trio's anxious hearts sink even further.

"I don't think so..." Zhang Leyang said, sounding uncertain.

Just as the three were caught in a state of nervous agitation over the sudden scream, another voice rang out.

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

The expressions of the three changed instantly. Although they couldn't identify the voice, in their minds, Lin Chuan was no match for those youths who were all above the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage. The words sounded exactly like Lin Chuan begging for mercy.

"Damn it! I'm going out there..." Zhang Wei's face turned livid. He stood up, ready to charge out, because at this point, secrets and the like had lost all meaning. If a person was about to die, who could care about such things?

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

"Are you sure? We only just met Brother Lin Chuan; are you certain you can recognize his voice?" Zhang Mo asked with a frown.

In their hearts, they actually 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 level of the Qi Refining Stage. Even if he had some means to make the six of them retreat, it shouldn't have been enough to make those six people let out such miserable screams.

One had to realize that even the weakest among those people was at the sixth level of the Qi Refining Stage, and the strongest were at the eighth. To say that Lin Chuan could make such a group beg for mercy was simply too inconceivable. Not only did they not believe it, but anyone with even a basic understanding of cultivation would find such a thing impossible—it was the biggest joke in the world.

"Actually, I can't tell if it's Brother Lin Chuan's voice either, but have you noticed? That plea for mercy just now said 'beg you to spare me,' not 'beg you all to spare me.' This implies that there was only one attacker..." Zhang Leyang analyzed, not even realizing how sharp his mind was being this time.

Zhang Mo and Zhang Wei exchanged a glance. Although they still desperately wanted to rush out, they held back for the moment.

"Could it be that because the opponent saw that it was only Brother Lin Chuan, they only sent one person to fight him, which is why he phrased his plea that way?" Zhang Mo said, his face looking grim.

If a single person was enough to make Lin Chuan beg like that, didn't it mean the opponent's strength was so overwhelming that even Lin Chuan's trump cards were useless? A wave of despair washed over the three of them.

Although they didn't regret staying behind, dying in such a pathetic manner was truly frustrating.

"Let's go out and fight them to the death. Since Brother Lin Chuan is already dead, why are we still staying here? Waiting for them to rush in and kill us?" Zhang Wei spat, standing up and preparing to charge out of the cave.

However, as he turned around, Zhang Mo froze. He had been prepared to face those powerful enemies, but the moment he turned, he saw Lin Chuan—with his white hair and white eyes—standing at the cave entrance, wearing an expression of utter listlessness.

Lin Chuan had been standing at the entrance for a while. He had wanted to see what these three were whispering about, so he had activated his Byakugan to watch them debate how he was begging for mercy. He had nearly charged over to beat the living daylights out of Zhang Leyang and the others, feeling as if ten thousand grass-mud horses were galloping through his heart.

Damn it, their imaginations are way too wild!!! Lin Chuan cursed inwardly.

"Eh? Brother Lin Chuan, you're not dead??? Weren't you just begging for mercy?" Zhang Wei's eyes widened, looking at Lin Chuan in disbelief.

Lin Chuan rubbed his forehead as a flock of crows seemed to fly over his head. He was starting to regret saving these three—truly!

Zhang Wei's words immediately caused Zhang Leyang and Zhang Mo, who were still hesitating, to turn their heads. The three of them stared at the living, breathing Lin Chuan at the entrance as if they were seeing a ghost.

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

"No, no, how could we be!!"

"Ah, Brother Lin Chuan, you're overthinking it! We were just discussing how you managed to drive those six away!"

"Ah, haha, we've always believed in you, Brother!"

Lin Chuan watched them spout nonsense in silence and simply turned to walk away. Although he missed the goofy nature of these three—which reminded him of his college classmates—he really had the urge to give them a sound beating.

Seeing Lin Chuan walk away, Zhang Leyang immediately followed.

"Did Brother Lin Chuan drive those six away? You're truly amazing to be able to force back an expert at the eighth level of the Qi Refining Stage!"

"Winning without a fight, Brother Lin Chuan, your strength could definitely rank in the top ten among this year's newcomers!"

"That's right, that's right! We didn't even hear the sounds of a fight, just their screams of terror. It seems they were just paper tigers after all!"

The three laughed as they spoke. Regardless of the details, the danger had been averted, and they were relieved to no longer be facing death.

Although they didn't know what method Lin Chuan had used to scare those six away, in this world, it was relatively easy to frighten someone—for instance, by having some kind of ultimate weapon that could ensure mutual destruction. In such cases, unless there was a deep-seated grudge, most would choose to retreat rather than fight to the death.

Furthermore, the reason for the conflict was the five Crimson Flame Lotus plants. While these Foundation Establishment Stage herbs were quite valuable, even if they had given them to the other party, they wouldn't have been able to take them away; they were meant to be handed over to the Lin Clan. At most, they could have traded them for some cultivation resources.

Lin Chuan didn't offer an explanation, as he really didn't want to talk to these three idiots, fearing their wild imaginations would cook up even more nonsense.

"Wait, this is blood. Lin Chuan, are you hurt?" Suddenly, Zhang Leyang spotted a pool of blood on the ground and hurriedly looked at Lin Chuan's body.

But from head to toe, aside from two large holes in the knees of his pants, Lin Chuan appeared to have no injuries at all. And if he remembered correctly, Lin Chuan had been dressed like this since they first met.

Last time, outside the cave, he had been in such a rush to deal with those dozen people that he hadn't had time to take off his clothes when he used his Shikotsumyaku. This time, he had been prepared, so he had intentionally taken off his upper garment; otherwise, after this battle, his clothes would have truly looked like rags.

Lin Chuan was just about to explain that he wasn't injured, but he realized it was unnecessary, as the gazes of the three had already fallen upon the flames not far away, where the six corpses were currently burning.