The Oriole Behind

At this moment, a short man in the team rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Captain, there are five of us. How are we going to split the loot?"

The captain shot him a glance. "How to split it? We'll talk about that when we get back."

Another tall, thin man let out a cold sneer. "Talk about it when we get back?"

"Captain, we all know exactly what kind of people we are. This combat blade and armor are worth over a hundred million, not to mention what's in that box... You say we'll split it later, but who's going to believe that?"

The atmosphere turned tense in an instant, and the captain's expression darkened. "What do you mean by that?"

The tall, thin man gripped his hilt tightly. "I mean we should split the loot right now to avoid any trouble later."

The vice-captain stepped up beside the captain, glaring coldly at the tall, thin man.

"Are you looking for a fight?"

The short man suddenly started laughing. "A fight? No, no need for that."

He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and gave it a shake.

"Don't you guys feel a bit of numbness in your bodies from the fight just now?"

The captain's face changed.

He looked down at his arm, where there was a tiny scratch from when a Mountain Demon had clawed him earlier.

At this moment, the skin around the wound was turning an eerie, bruised black.

"You... you poisoned us?"

The short man's smile grew even brighter. "Just a little something. Colorless and odorless. I mixed it onto the Mountain Demon's claws. Since you were scratched a few times, the toxin is already in your blood."

The vice-captain let out a roar and lunged at the short man with his blade.

But he had only taken one step before his legs gave out, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

The captain and the others also slumped down, their bodies drained of all strength.

The tall, thin man laughed heartily, walked over, and kicked the combat blade out of the captain's hand.

"Idiots like you actually thought you could split the loot with us?"

The short man put away the bottle, walked to the stone platform, and picked up the iron box.

"Captain, vice-captain, thanks for all your hard work. My brother and I will be taking these things off your hands."

The captain's face was livid, his teeth gritted. "You... you won't have a good end..."

The tall, thin man couldn't be bothered to respond and swung his blade down.

The captain's head rolled onto the ground.

The vice-captain and the others were also slaughtered one by one, the stench of blood filling the cavern.

The short man clutched the iron box, his face full of joy. "Quick, let's see what's inside!"

The tall, thin man leaned in, and the two of them began to examine the iron box together.

Song Chen hid in the shadows, watching it all in silence.

Infighting, poisoning, and betrayal.

Truly spectacular.

I wonder if they know the saying about the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Now that these two think they've succeeded and are lost in their joy, their guard is at its lowest.

It's time to act.

Song Chen slowly drew his combat blade, purple electricity flowing silently along the steel.

He took a deep breath and surged forward, covering the thirty-meter distance in the blink of an eye.

The short man had just looked up when he saw a flash of purple blade-light descending before him.

"Pfft."

His head flew into the air, a smile still plastered on his face.

The tall, thin man was struck with terror; he dropped the iron box and drew his blade to strike back.

But Song Chen's blade was faster. The purple arc of light cut through the air, striking the tall, thin man's neck before he could even move.

The tall, thin man's eyes widened, his mouth opened, but he couldn't get a word out before he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Two strikes.

Two Tier 2 martial artists, dead.

Song Chen sheathed his blade and swept his gaze over the corpses littering the floor.

He then walked over to the stone platform and looked at the skeleton.

The bones had been reduced to a pile of fragments; the five-man team hadn't cared to protect the remains while grabbing the loot.

Song Chen remained silent for a few seconds, then knelt on one knee and bowed his head solemnly.

"Senior Ye, this is your junior, Song Chen, disturbing your rest."

He stood up, gathered the few items scattered on the ground, and placed them gently beside the stone platform.

Then, he began to clean up the scene.

He dragged the five corpses to the side, dumped them in a corner, and used his blade to dig a pit in the ground to bury the bloodstains.

Finally, he returned to the stone platform and looked at the skeleton.

"Senior, I will take you out of here and find a place with beautiful scenery to lay you to rest."

He wrapped the skeleton in cloth, strapped it to his back, and gathered the battle blade, the armor, and the iron box.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the karst cave one last time.

The underground river continued to murmur, and the stalactites remained hanging from the ceiling.

But some people had been left behind here forever.

Song Chen turned and walked toward the cave entrance. Once outside, he searched for a long time before digging a deep pit on a sun-drenched slope at the edge of the valley.

He placed the skeleton inside gently, covered it with earth, and piled up a small mound.

There was no tombstone, only a flat rock upon which he carved a few words with his blade: Tomb of Ye Tiejian, erected by his junior, Song Chen.

He stood before the grave and bowed deeply.

"Senior, I shall borrow your belongings for now. If the opportunity arises in the future, I will surely spread your fame and let the world know of your glory."

The mountain wind howled, tugging at his clothes, and the roars of beasts echoed from the distance.

Song Chen took one last look at the small mound and turned to leave.

On his back, he now carried a battle blade, a set of armor, and an iron box.

These were the gifts of a hero.

Song Chen glanced at the inscribed stone one final time before turning away.

Carrying the blade, the armor, and the iron box, he retraced his steps.

He exited the valley, climbed the cliff face, and returned to the dense forests of the Vast Wild Mountain.

Finding a hidden cave, he crawled inside and set his burdens down.

The first thing he wanted to examine was the iron box.

The box was small, about the size of a palm, pitch-black, and felt heavy in his hand.

Intricate patterns were carved into the lid, resembling some kind of psionic array.

Song Chen tried to pry it open, but it didn't budge. He tried using his blade, but the edge slid across the lid without leaving even a white mark.

A fine item indeed.

The material of this box was at least B-grade.

He studied the seal array carefully, attempting to find a way to break it.

After a long while, he gained nothing; he knew nothing about arrays.

"Unless I use brute force, it won't open..."

He muttered to himself.

Brute force?

He couldn't bring himself to do it.

Anything kept so closely by a powerhouse like Ye Tiejian could not be ordinary. If he damaged the contents, he would have no tears left to cry.

Forget it, he would keep it for now.

He stowed the iron box in his backpack and picked up the battle blade.

The blade was about 1.2 meters long, silver-white throughout, with faint cloud patterns flowing along the edge. Two archaic characters were carved into the hilt: Thunderclap.

Song Chen swung it lightly, and the blade cut through the air with a clear, resonant hum.

He tried channeling his blood-energy into the blade.

The metal lit up instantly, silver-white light intermingled with purple arcs of electricity, resonating perfectly with his own Lightning Ability.

A fine blade!

He tested the edge, slicing lightly against the nearby stone wall, leaving a deep gouge.

A-grade.

This was undoubtedly an A-grade battle blade.

Song Chen's heart skipped a beat.

An A-grade weapon was worth a fortune; there were likely only a few in all of Anning City.

He toyed with it for a while, unable to put it down, before setting it aside to pick up the armor.

The armor was a full-body set: chest plate, pauldrons, bracers, greaves, and boots—everything was there.

The entire suit was a dark cyan, its plating etched with dense, intricate psionic arrays; though damaged in a few spots, the main structure remained intact.

He donned the armor, and it fit perfectly, as if it had been tailor-made for him.

The armor was incredibly light, feeling almost weightless on his body, yet when he tested its defensive capabilities by striking it hard with the back of a blade, it didn't budge in the slightest.

B-rank defensive set.

Even with some wear and tear, it was more than enough for him to walk sideways through the second tier.