Chapter 109: Holding a Rare Treasure for Bargaining

Ye Xin led the wolf cavalry into a mountain hollow. He looked up at the sky and quietly said, “It’s just above. Take your time digging. By now, timing should be about right. No need to rush. It’s best if Commander Zhuang doesn’t arrive until you haven’t finished digging—that will be more convincing and lower his final guard.”

“Yes, Young Marshal,” several veteran officers responded. They dismounted and, under Hao Fei’s guidance, headed toward the hillside.

Ye Xin also dismounted, sitting on a large rock. From his pocket, he pulled out several pieces of dried meat and began chewing slowly.

Xue Bai and a few others threw the prisoners to the ground, then dispersed. Xie En came over to Ye Xin’s side, followed by Ye Ling and Wen Rong.

Ye Ling glanced around before leaning close to Ye Xin, lowering her voice so the prisoners twenty meters away couldn’t hear. “Brother, why aren’t you nervous at all?”

“Nervous about what?” Ye Xin smiled and gave a subtle signal. He still needed those prisoners to cooperate and could not let them see the truth.

Xie En reluctantly went over and dragged the prisoners two by two into the woods, putting over a hundred meters between them. Lazy by nature, he disliked such trivial tasks, but Ye Xin’s orders were fearsome—no one who had come from the Heavenly Sin Camp dared to ignore his commands.

For months, Xie En had trained hard, partly spurred by Ye Xin’s challenges, and partly to maintain his top-three ranking. Now a senior innate warrior, he had begun to relax again, and no one could do anything about it.

“Commander Zhuang is, after all, a seasoned battlefield veteran—a true veteran!” Ye Ling sighed. “Facing such a formidable opponent, how could you not be nervous?”

“Because you only see his strength, not his weaknesses,” Ye Xin explained. “No one in this world is perfect. If you’re skilled at uncovering flaws, you can see the other side of the coin. Then, step by step, you create a situation where timing, terrain, and human factors all favor you. In the end, you’ll realize destroying even someone like Zhuang is surprisingly simple—so simple that you won’t believe it’s true.”

“What about Xiao Mo Finger?” Shen Miao suddenly asked.

“He has weaknesses too,” Ye Xin said calmly. “But his actions are still within what I can tolerate. There’s no need to target him directly—just a small warning will suffice.”

Ye Xin’s words were arrogant, as if with a flick of his hand, he could destroy Xiao Mo Finger, famed as the smartest general of the Nine Kingdoms. Yet Ye Ling, Wen Rong, and the others dared not disbelieve him, nor could they, for Ye Xin’s true self was dazzling.

At least, before Zhuang was undone by Ye Xin, they would not rush to judgment.

“What do you mean by timing, terrain, and human factors?” Wen Rong asked softly. She knew this was a rare chance to broaden her experience and so set aside her pride to ask questions, trying to keep pace with Ye Xin’s thought process and understand his plan.

“Timing means Zhuang is old now, and Zhuang Shanyuan is the future of the Zhuang family. To rescue Zhuang Shanyuan, he’s willing to risk everything,” Ye Xin smiled. “Terrain means we’re inside the Great Zhao Kingdom’s borders, which will make Zhuang relax his final guard. If I’d chosen the battlefield in David Kingdom, the difficulty would be tens of times greater, and it wouldn’t even be certain Zhuang would follow.”

“And human factors?” Wen Rong pressed.

“You’ll see soon enough,” Ye Xin said. Then he looked at Xie En. “Bring those prisoners back. They’re too far away now to put on the act.”

Xie En shook his head as he stood, understanding Ye Xin was deliberately instructing Ye Ling and Wen Rong. The elite of the Heavenly Sin Camp had reached their high level of insight and maturity precisely because of Ye Xin’s constant guidance. Still, he wasn’t about to do all the hard labor. What he needed most now was a good rest, so he could watch Zhuang’s downfall with a clear mind.

The prisoners were dragged back by Xie En. Ye Ling and Wen Rong knew better than to speak carelessly now. Their hearts pounded anxiously. Though Ye Xin spoke with certainty, they couldn’t control their emotions. They couldn’t imagine how Ye Xin would simply and cleanly destroy Zhuang.

Hours passed, and the veteran officers of the Wolf Legion continued digging for treasure. The hollow echoed with the clinking of iron against earth. Even at their fastest, they had uncovered plenty. Along with the treasure boxes dug near the safe house days before, dozens of small chests were stacked high, their lids opened to reveal round, polished spirit stones.

“Life without Mo Yan is really a bit strange,” Ye Xin muttered, shaking his head before drawing out his Killing God Blade.

The faint sound of hooves approached from outside the hollow. Soon, several knights burst in and formed a line.

Zhuang, holding back his excitement, looked up to see the Heavenly Sin Killing God lazily sitting on a large rock, holding the Killing God Blade he had once confiscated. Beside him rested a Boundless Heavenly Wolf, on whose head a curious little purple marten was perched, gazing this way.

Not far behind the rock stood a few girls with slightly anxious expressions—Mei Jielan and Xiang among them—each distinctive in character.

In front of the Killing God, several prisoners lay in utter misery, tortured beyond recognition. Iron hooks pierced their shoulder blades and spines, leaving them motionless, only faint moans escaping their lips.

Zhuang felt his blood surge and his body tremble. His combat prowess had remained at its peak for decades, never waning, yet now he dared not move.

Next to the rock were dozens of small chests filled with spirit stones, confirming his suspicions.

“I thought it was someone else, so enthusiastic toward me,” Ye Xin smiled warmly. “Turns out it’s Commander Zhuang... It’s been over two years. How has your health been, Commander?”

“Seems this commander has truly aged,” Zhuang replied slowly. “Even a mere leader dares to act insolently before me!”

“You misunderstand, Commander—I would never underestimate you,” Ye Xin’s smile grew wider. “But... I find it strange that you’d chase me all this way.”

“Oh?” Zhuang’s heart sank abruptly. What he feared most was that his opponent would see through him, discern his motives. He had intended only to probe lightly before striking to rescue his grandson Zhuang Shanyuan. Though two other grandsons had also fallen into the Killing God’s hands, they were less important; their deaths were acceptable.

Yet Zhuang hadn’t expected that, despite his extreme caution, he still underestimated the Heavenly Sin Killing God. His opponent’s cunning was unfathomable, revealing his weaknesses so swiftly.

“Abandoning my army to chase after a few retainers—Commander, why such urgency? And calming your fury to talk nonsense here... so strange, so strange!” Ye Xin suddenly acted, pressing the blade against a prisoner’s neck. “If I’m right, one of these prisoners is someone Commander Zhuang values highly, the one he must save no matter what, yes?”

Though prepared, Zhuang’s heart sank. He wasn’t afraid of the Killing God’s strength, but his opponent’s immense intellect. He had never imagined being cornered so completely—not by force, but by mind alone.

“Is it him?” Ye Xin smiled.

The prisoner was Zhuang’s other grandson, Zhuang Yiyuan, trembling and staring blankly at Zhuang.

Zhuang’s expression remained icy and unreadable.

“Not him? Then he’s useless.” Ye Xin laughed lightly, then the blade flashed. Zhuang Yiyuan’s head was severed cleanly, spinning before rolling to the ground. His headless body collapsed limply.

A sharp pain stabbed Zhuang’s heart. Though indifferent to Zhuang Yiyuan’s fate, he was still his grandson; seeing him slain stirred uncontrollable grief.

“Is it him?” Ye Xin placed the blade on another prisoner’s neck.

This one was a family retainer of the Zhuang clan. Facing death, he made no plea, spitting defiantly instead.

Ye Xin studied Zhuang’s expression carefully, and Zhuang understood the Killing God was watching him, struggling to control his own face.

“Not him either?” Ye Xin sighed softly, then with a flash, the retainer fell into a pool of blood.

“Is it him?” The blade was pressed against Zhuang Shanyuan’s neck.

Zhuang barely held himself together, desperately searching for a solution but finding none.

“Still not?” Ye Xin furrowed his brow.

“Stop!” Zhuang roared. Though knowing he was defeated, he had no choice. If he hesitated even a moment longer, Zhuang Shanyuan would share the fate of the others, and the Zhuang family’s future would be lost.

“Oh ho ho ho... looks like I’ve found him,” Ye Xin laughed coldly, sheathing his blade and stepping forward. Grabbing Zhuang Shanyuan by the hair, he hoisted him up roughly. “Who is this kid that Commander Zhuang values so much?”

“Heavenly Sin Killing God, speak plainly—what exactly do you want?” Zhuang said coldly.

“Commander, let’s have a proper talk,” Ye Xin smiled. “This is a rare treasure... If I don’t make you suffer a great loss now, I fear I’d regret it for the rest of my life.” (To be continued.)

P.S.:

Many thanks to Xianghai Roast Shrimp, Domestic Cat Little Meow, Xiao Ni, Ice Guilty, Surnamed Hao or Hao, Purple Spiral Dance, Immortal Xuan, Fan or Noodles, Smoke-Free Beacon, Bowl King Li Tianwang, Lin Yu 1974, Hehe Po, Lontankee, Yan Shuang Nong, Plain Fluctuation, Wu Mei, HGX, Hoping for a Lifetime, Huang Liang Already Dreamed, Zhongxin OO, and others for their generous rewards.

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