Jin Feng

Ye Han had not expected someone to call out to him the moment he stepped out of his cave abode. From the look of things, they had been waiting outside for him to emerge...

Sure enough!

As the cave abode's doors opened fully.

Not far in front of him stood a burly young man with a brutish face and a long scar across it, making him look quite vicious. His arms were folded across his chest as he stared coldly at Ye Han.

At the sight of the young man, Ye Han frowned, but his expression remained calm. "I am Ye Han. May I ask what brings you here, Senior Brother?"

This fellow clearly came with ill intent, but Ye Han also believed he would not dare do anything within the Azure Profound Sect.

After all, the sect rules strictly forbade disciples from fighting among themselves, especially inner sect disciples...

Of course, there was no telling what someone might do behind your back to trip you up.

The young man stared coldly at Ye Han and said, "My name is Jin Feng. From now on, you'll follow me. Under my protection, no one on Seven Mysteries Peak will dare lay a hand on you!"

A hint of surprise appeared on Ye Han's face. Why had this man named Jin Feng suddenly said something like that to him? And it looked as though he had been waiting here for quite some time.

But Ye Han was young with an old head on his shoulders. He immediately noticed that, as Jin Feng spoke, his gaze kept drifting toward the cave abode behind Ye Han, revealing a trace of envy...

Although Jin Feng concealed it well, Ye Han had seen right through his intentions.

Damn it! This bastard makes it sound so nice, saying he'll protect me if I follow him. Isn't he just here for my cave abode?

Naturally, Ye Han did not refuse him outright. Instead, he said politely, "Really? Then thank you so much, Senior Brother Jin Feng. As fellow disciples, we should look after one another! I'll be counting on your care from now on."

His words were watertight. He had neither promised Jin Feng anything nor said anything that might offend him...

Although he could not tell exactly how powerful Jin Feng was or what level his cultivation had reached...

Zhang Qingshan had told him that, to become an inner sect disciple, one had to reach at least the seventh layer of the mid-stage qi refining realm before turning eighteen...

To become a permanent inner sect disciple, one had to reach at least the eleventh layer of the late-stage qi refining realm before turning twenty!

Jin Feng looked considerably older than Zhang Qingshan. Zhang Qingshan would turn twenty in another month, which was why he had been so excited when he broke through to the Eleventh Layer of Qi Refining Realm a while ago.

He could finally remain in the Azure Profound Sect to cultivate permanently, without having to become an external disciple assigned to administrative duties...

Since Jin Feng looked older than Zhang Qingshan, he must have been over twenty. That meant his cultivation had to be at the Eleventh Layer of Qi Refining Realm or higher...

With cultivation like that, he could crush Ye Han to death with a single finger.

Naturally, Ye Han tried his best not to offend this fellow, lest he end up tasting the bitter consequences.

After all, in the cultivation world, the strong ruled supreme. His meager cultivation was not even enough to fill the gaps between someone else's teeth.

Sure enough, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Jin Feng's mouth. "You know what's good for you, kid. You're worth nurturing. That's your cave abode behind you, isn't it? From now on, I'll give you proper cultivation guidance inside!"

Hearing that, how could Ye Han fail to understand what Jin Feng was after? He simply coveted Ye Han's cave abode and wanted to use this excuse to seize it for his own cultivation.

How could Ye Han possibly fall for a trick like that?

So Ye Han said, "Then thank you so much, Senior Brother Jin Feng! With your guidance, I'm sure I'll make faster and faster progress."

Then he changed tack. "But there's something you might not know, Senior Brother. This cave abode isn't mine alone. I share it with Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan! Without his permission, I can't make the decision to agree to this."

All Ye Han could do was bring up Zhang Qingshan and hope it would make the other man abandon the idea.

But Jin Feng scoffed. "Hmph! You're trying to use Zhang Qingshan as a shield? Let me tell you, that brat most likely won't be coming back!"

After a pause, he continued, "Besides! Even if that brat does return, his cultivation is no match for mine!"

At that, a scorching, fiery-red aura surged from Jin Feng's body. Even Ye Han, standing a short distance away, felt a terrifying pressure that made his scalp prickle.

Only then did Jin Feng continue, "Kid! I advise you to know what's good for you. Otherwise, you'll have nothing but bitter fruit to swallow in the Azure Profound Sect."

Ye Han's heart lurched at his words. Jin Feng did not seem to be merely threatening him. He also appeared to know something about Zhang Qingshan.

Otherwise, why would he say that Zhang Qingshan would not be coming back?

Did that mean something might have happened to Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan?

At that thought, worry rose in Ye Han's heart. After all, Zhang Qingshan's character was completely different from Jin Feng's and that of the other disciples.

Although Zhang Qingshan also had thoughts of making use of him, he was honest and straightforward. He had sincerely guided Ye Han and treated him very well.

If something really had happened to Zhang Qingshan, finding another senior brother willing to help him-or rather, another modest backer-would be very difficult.

At the very least, Jin Feng was clearly not a good choice. This fellow had evidently heard the truth about how Ye Han had obtained this cave abode and knew that he had no one backing him.

Was he taking advantage of his superior cultivation and Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan's absence to bully him?

How could Ye Han believe that someone like this would sincerely guide his cultivation?

If he truly let Jin Feng into his cave abode to cultivate, inviting a god in would be easy, but sending him away would be hard. Jin Feng would be like a cuckoo occupying a magpie's nest, and getting him to leave would be impossible.

Moreover, inside the sealed cave abode, if this fellow wanted to do something to him or imprison him, it would take no more effort than lifting a hand.

Ye Han would never agree to this damned fellow's demands, even if it killed him...

Damn it, that Fifth Elder must have been spreading this matter everywhere, getting the disciples under him to make trouble for me.

So Ye Han said, "Senior Brother Jin Feng, it's not that I don't want to agree. But when Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan left, he left a lot of things with me. If anything goes missing, how could I possibly explain it to him?"

He continued, "If you really want to cultivate in my cave abode, Senior Brother Jin Feng, agreeing would be easy enough. Once Senior Brother Zhang Qingshan returns, it'll be simple to arrange."

For now, all he could do was push the matter onto Zhang Qingshan. At the same time, he wanted to find out what exactly had happened to his senior brother.

Why had Jin Feng said that Zhang Qingshan would not be coming back?

Hearing this, Jin Feng stared coldly at Ye Han. "Kid! Haven't you misunderstood something? I didn't come here to ask your opinion! Never mind that Zhang Qingshan isn't here-even if he were, you'd still have to let me in to cultivate."

Then he added coldly, "Besides, Zhang Qingshan has no idea of his own limits. He actually dared to set his sights on that thing. It'd be a miracle if he came back!"