On the mountainside behind Changyue Peak, Yang Zhen squatted among weeds and rocks and relieved himself until heaven and earth went dark, expelling all the impurities brought out by the cleansing of his meridians and marrow. Just as he was about to stand, he suddenly heard a murmured conversation.
"S-senior brother, are you sure the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow is here? We're out in the wilderness. Could there really be something that good here?"
Oh!
Yang Zhen's eyes went round. What was going on?
Essence-Nourishing Marrow?
He could tell from the name that it was good stuff!
Curiosity was a fine tradition, and to carry on that fine tradition, Yang Zhen decided to see what the two intended to do here.
After parting the grass in front of him, Yang Zhen sucked in a sharp breath.
A male and a female disciple of the Shangyuan Sect were sneaking around, looking as guilty as thieves. It seemed they were up to no good.
"People's hearts aren't what they used to be, they really aren't!"
Shaking his head, Yang Zhen stealthily drew closer to the pair. "Under the bright heavens, in broad nightlight, a man and a woman are actually doing such a hateful thing. Stealing is shameful, so shameful."
Though the two kept an eye on their surroundings, how could they catch so much as Yang Zhen's shadow? Before long, they relaxed again.
"Junior sister, do you remember that cave at the foot of the mountain?" the male disciple asked, perfectly content.
The female disciple nodded curiously. "The cave we got trapped in last time?"
"The very place where you and I first met. I went back a few days ago, and a treasure might be about to emerge inside. Once I get that treasure, my cultivation will surely soar, and an elder or even the sect master himself will take me as a personal disciple."
"Oh!" the female disciple said in delighted surprise. "Then you mustn't forget me."
"How could I?" The male disciple vaulted over a rock and said with a strange laugh, "Come with me, junior sister."
"Wait for me, senior brother!" the female disciple cried.
Yang Zhen let out a surprised sound. A cave on the back mountain?
He knew the place. This was getting interesting.
Yang Zhen turned and slipped away, avoiding the route the two had taken so he would not be discovered so easily.
How clever. Yang Zhen gave himself a thumbs-up for his ingenuity.
The back mountain was vast, and finding a cave there was no easy task. Fortunately, Yang Zhen was quite familiar with the area, and before long, he found the cave he remembered. Once inside, he sensed something unusual.
Waves of refreshing Essence Qi washed over him, making him feel wonderfully comfortable. The Essence Qi here was actually denser than outside. No wonder that outer sect male disciple had said a treasure was emerging here.
The farther in he went, the more certain Yang Zhen became that there had to be something good inside.
The cave did not run straight but wound through several turns. Yang Zhen had no idea how long he had walked when he suddenly heard a voice from within.
"Senior Brother Duan, are you sure there really is Spirit-Cleansing Marrow in here?"
Yang Zhen was stunned. Why was there a woman's voice here?
The woman sounded young, and her voice was lovely, sweet and soft.
Senior Brother Duan?
Could it be Duan Langcai?
Yang Zhen hid around a bend and listened. A muffled voice came from within. "Junior Sister Fang, how could there be Spirit-Cleansing Marrow in a place like this? You know perfectly well what sort of person Duan Langcai is. Watch out for his schemes and tricks."
The woman addressed as Junior Sister Fang sighed. "Senior Brother Lü, Spirit-Cleansing Marrow is vitally important to me. Even if there's only the slightest chance, I have to try."
Senior Brother Lü snorted and said nothing more.
Yang Zhen followed the group step for step. Duan Langcai was at the ninth level of the Essence Condensation Stage, just short of breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. He was powerful.
Yang Zhen did not know how strong Senior Brother Lü and Junior Sister Fang were, but he supposed they could not be weak either. Otherwise, how could they have ventured into a cave with the notorious Duan Langcai?
The back mountain was already beyond the Shangyuan Sect's sphere of influence. Holding his sword, Yang Zhen peered farther in by the faint glow.
A young man with his hair bound beneath a fine crown laughed aloud. "Senior Brother Lü, you're wronging me by saying that. I, Duan Langcai, may be a controversial figure, but I'm no despicable man. How could I lie and deceive people about something like this?"
"Hmph. No matter how glibly your tongue twists, let's see what you have to say if we don't find any Spirit-Cleansing Marrow."
Duan Langcai looked at Senior Brother Lü with a half-smile. "It's true that you like Junior Sister Fang, Senior Brother Lü, but you can't curse her to fail to find the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow. Don't you know how important it is to her?"
"You... you're talking nonsense!" Senior Brother Lü was so angry he could not get another word out.
"Senior Brother Duan, Senior Brother Lü, stop arguing." Anger showed on Junior Sister Fang's beautiful face, and she walked ahead as if in a huff.
Duan Langcai hurried after her and said in a clear voice, "Don't worry, Junior Sister Fang. An outer sect disciple of the Shangyuan Sect let this information slip to me by accident. I came here once before, and there really is Spirit-Cleansing Marrow inside. It just wasn't mature yet."
"Really?" Junior Sister Fang's whole body trembled, and she looked at Duan Langcai in delighted surprise.
"Of course it's true."
"Thank you, Senior Brother Duan!" A little embarrassed by Duan Langcai's undisguised stare, Junior Sister Fang hurried ahead.
Watching from behind, Yang Zhen kept shaking his head. When it came to emotional intelligence, Senior Brother Lü was practically a block of wood compared with Duan Langcai.
And that outer sect disciple-just how big was his mouth, to let information like that slip out?
His intelligence was a real cause for concern!
But with Duan Langcai and the others here now, taking the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow without anyone noticing would be as hard as climbing to heaven.
I have to think of something!
Just then, a fork suddenly appeared in the path ahead of the group.
Junior Sister Fang stopped hesitantly and turned to ask Duan Langcai, "Senior Brother Duan, which way should we go?"
Duan Langcai said with a smile, "Either way works, but the left is a little closer. How about this? You come with me on the left, and Senior Brother Lü takes the right. When I came last time, there was also a Red Candle Fruit over there that was about to ripen. Senior Brother Lü can pick it on the way."
"Red Candle Fruit?" Junior Sister Fang cried. Clearly, Red Candle Fruit was very precious too.
Senior Brother Lü was visibly tempted. He looked at Junior Sister Fang and said through gritted teeth, "There are only three of us here. At worst, we can take that path on the way back. Can't we pick the Red Candle Fruit then?"
Junior Sister Fang nodded. "That works too!"
A trace of mockery flashed in Duan Langcai's eyes, but he promptly put on a smile. "In that case, let's all go left together."
Junior Sister Fang glanced at Duan Langcai and suddenly said, "To be safe, we'd better take the right path. There's no immediate rush to collect the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow. If someone comes in now and picks the Red Candle Fruit, that won't be good."
The three headed right. Yang Zhen was overjoyed and hurried down the left path, pushing his speed to the limit.
Clearly, that woman surnamed Fang was no pushover either, but Yang Zhen did not care. All he wanted now was the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow.
With the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow, Yang Zhen could break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm as quickly as possible. And the woman surnamed Fang was clearly not as ignorant as she appeared; she might very well end up playing both Duan Langcai and Senior Brother Lü.
The cultivation world was incomparably cruel. All too often, people laughed and chatted one moment and drew blades the next.
What worried Yang Zhen now was how to collect the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow before the three arrived, or simply eat it all.
Spirit-Cleansing Marrow was difficult to condense and was said to mature only once every ten years. When Yang Zhen reached the deepest part of the cave, the three had indeed not arrived yet. He hurriedly rubbed his hands together, ready to collect the Spirit-Cleansing Marrow.
"Who's there?" A woman's sharp cry rang out, giving Yang Zhen a fright.
They had caught up with him after all.
Yang Zhen took a deep breath and turned his back. The next moment, the Best Actor took over. His expression grew profound, his gaze sharp and as deep as the endless starry sky. He fixed his eyes on the newcomers, a meaningful smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
(End of chapter)