One of the shorter men in the group rolled his eyes and said with a smile, "Captain, there are five of us. How are we splitting the loot?"
The captain glanced at him. "How? We'll figure it out when we get back."
Another man, tall and thin, gave a cold laugh. "When we get back?"
"Captain, we all know what kind of people we are. This battle blade and armor are worth hundreds of millions, and then there's whatever's in that box... Who's going to believe you when you say we'll split it later?"
The tension rose at once. The captain's expression darkened. "What are you getting at?"
The tall, thin man tightened his grip on his blade. "I'm saying we should divide everything now, so there won't be trouble later."
The deputy captain stepped up beside the captain and glared coldly at the tall man.
"You want to fight?"
The short man suddenly laughed. "Fight? No, no need."
He pulled a small bottle from his pocket and shook it.
"Didn't you notice that you felt a little numb during the fight?"
The captain's expression changed.
He looked down at his arm. There was a tiny wound where the Mountain Demon had clawed him earlier.
Now the skin around it had turned a strange bluish black.
"You... you poisoned us?"
The short man's grin widened. "Just a little something. Colorless and odorless. I smeared it on the Mountain Demon's claws. You got scratched a few times, so the poison's already in your bloodstream."
With a roar, the deputy captain charged at the short man, swinging his blade.
But after just one step, his legs gave way, and he fell to his knees with a thud.
The captain and the others also collapsed, their bodies too weak to move.
The tall, thin man burst into laughter. He walked over and kicked the battle blade out of the captain's hand.
"Idiots like you think you can split the loot with us?"
The short man put away the bottle, went to the stone platform, and picked up the iron box.
"Captain, deputy captain, thanks for all your hard work along the way. My brother and I will gladly take these things off your hands."
The captain's face turned livid. He ground out, "You... you'll die a horrible death..."
The tall, thin man couldn't be bothered to answer. He brought his blade down.
The captain's head rolled to the ground.
He cut down the deputy captain and the others one by one. The smell of blood spread through the cavern.
Clutching the iron box, the short man beamed. "Let's see what's inside!"
The tall, thin man came over, and the two of them examined the iron box together.
Song Chen watched it all in silence from the shadows.
Infighting, poisoning, and betrayal.
What a show.
Did they know the saying about the mantis stalking the cicada while the oriole waited behind?
Now the two men thought they'd finished the job. Wrapped up in their triumph, they'd let their guard drop to the lowest.
Time to act.
Song Chen slowly drew his battle blade. Purple lightning silently coursed along its length.
He took a deep breath and sprang forward. He covered the thirty meters in the blink of an eye.
The short man had just looked up when a streak of purple light slashed toward him.
"Pfft."
His head flew into the air, a smile still on his face.
The tall, thin man was horrified. He dropped the iron box, drew his blade, and swung.
But Song Chen's blade was faster. A purple arc cut through the air, overtook the other man's strike, and sliced into his neck.
The tall, thin man's eyes widened. His mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. He fell to the ground with a thud.
Two strikes.
Two Second-Rank Martial Artists, dead.
Song Chen sheathed his blade and glanced over the bodies littering the ground.
Then he walked to the stone platform and looked at the skeleton.
It had been smashed into pieces. When the five-man team had taken the items, they hadn't cared about protecting the body.
Song Chen was silent for a few seconds, then knelt on one knee and bowed solemnly.
"Senior Ye, I'm Song Chen. Forgive me for disturbing you."
He stood up, picked up the scattered items, and gently set them beside the stone platform.
Then he began to clean up the scene.
He dragged the five bodies to one side and dumped them in a corner. Then he dug a pit in the ground with his blade and covered up their bloodstains.
Finally, he returned to the stone platform and looked at the skeleton.
"Senior, I'll take you outside and lay you to rest somewhere with a beautiful view."
He wrapped the bones in cloth and carried them on his back, then took the battle blade, armor, and iron box.
Before leaving, he glanced back at the cavern.
The underground river still flowed softly, and the stalactites still hung from the ceiling.
But some people would remain here forever.
Song Chen turned and headed for the cave entrance. After leaving the cave, he searched for a long time before finding a sunny slope at the edge of the valley. There, he dug a deep hole.
He gently placed the bones inside, covered them with earth, and made a small mound.
There was no headstone, only a flat rock. With his blade, he carved a few words into it: "Tomb of Ye Tiejian, respectfully raised by his junior, Song Chen."
He stood before the grave and bowed deeply.
"Senior, I'll borrow your belongings for now. If I get the chance one day, I'll carry on your legacy and make sure the world knows your glory."
The mountain wind howled, tugging at his clothes. Somewhere in the distance, beasts roared.
Song Chen took one last look at the small grave and turned to leave.
He now carried a battle blade, a suit of armor, and an iron box on his back.
A hero's legacy.
Song Chen took one last look at the inscribed stone and walked away.
Carrying the battle blade, armor, and iron box, he retraced his steps.
He left the valley, climbed the cliff, and returned to the dense forest of Vast Wild Mountain.
He found a secluded cave, ducked inside, and set the items down.
The first thing he examined was the iron box.
It was small, about the size of his palm, jet-black all over and surprisingly heavy.
Complex patterns were carved into the lid, resembling some kind of spiritual-energy formation.
Song Chen tried to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge. He tried using his blade, too, but the edge left not so much as a white mark on the lid.
Good stuff.
The material was at least B-Grade.
He studied the sealing formation carefully, trying to find a way to break it.
But after a long while, he came up with nothing. He knew next to nothing about formations.
"Unless I break it by force, there's no way to open it..."
he muttered.
Break it by force?
He couldn't bring himself to do that.
A powerhouse like Ye Tiejian had kept it close at hand, so it had to be something special. If he damaged whatever was inside, it'd be too late for regrets.
Forget it. He'd keep it for now.
He put the iron box in his backpack and picked up the battle blade.
The blade was about 1.2 meters long, silver-white from end to end, with faint cloud patterns rippling along its edge. Two ancient-looking characters were carved into the hilt: Thunderclap.
Song Chen swung it lightly. The blade cut through the air with a clear, ringing hum.
He tried channeling his Blood Qi into it.
The blade lit up at once, purple lightning intermingling with its silver-white glow. It resonated perfectly with the Lightning Ability inside him.
What a blade!
He tested its edge with a light slash, leaving a deep mark in the nearby rock wall.
A-Grade.
This was definitely an A-Grade battle blade.
Song Chen's heart beat a little faster.
A-Grade weapons were priceless. There probably weren't even a handful in all of Anning City.
He fondled it for a while, then set it down and picked up the suit of armor.
It was a full suit, complete with breastplate, pauldrons, arm guards, leg guards, and boots.
It was a dark teal all over, and its armor plates were covered in the same dense spiritual-energy formations. Though some parts were damaged, the main structure was intact.
He put it on. It fit perfectly, as if it had been tailored for him.
The armor was so light that he could barely feel its weight. He tested its defense by striking it several times with the back of his blade, but it didn't budge.
A B-Grade defensive set.
Even with some damage, it was more than enough to let him dominate among Second-Rank fighters.
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