Chapter Seven: Deadly Intent

“Really?” The middle-aged man’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately reached out to grab the elemental crystal on the ground. But just as his fingertips touched it, Ye Xin suddenly lifted his foot and stomped down hard on the back of the man’s hand. The sharp sound of bones breaking rang out clearly.

“Aaah…” The man howled in pain, but Ye Xin’s fist came crashing down an instant later, cutting his scream short.

With a dull thud, the man’s body tumbled through the air, smashing a gaping hole in the cave wall before flying outside.

In the next moment, Ye Xin leapt at the short man.

It was only then that the little fellow came to his senses. In a panic, he raised the iron tube he had concealed beneath his sleeve and aimed it at Ye Xin. With a flick of his arm, a cluster of chilling, star-like darts shot out, aimed straight at Ye Xin.

A cloud of black mist rose over Ye Xin’s body—he was preparing to use his Scorpion Carapace to fend off the hidden weapons. But then a flicker of uncertainty passed through his eyes; for some reason, the carapace’s formation lagged a heartbeat behind, while the darts flew at him at lightning speed, almost upon him in an instant.

Ye Xin twisted desperately, trying to dodge, but it was too late. One dart scraped across his cheek, leaving a deep, bloody gash. Another lodged itself in his thigh, a ribbon of blood trailing from the wound.

The short man stepped back and raised his wrist again, but just then, the burly man’s massive axe fell silently from behind, cleaving into the back of the short man’s head. The brutal force nearly split him in two, and he had no chance to fire again.

“You…” The last young man shouted in a mixture of shock and fury, watching his guide turn traitor and attack them. Ye Xin, meanwhile, changed direction and lunged at him through the air. Realizing disaster was imminent, the young man twisted and hurled himself at the cave wall.

With another crash, the wall burst open, and the young man rolled outside and took off running, legs pumping desperately as he fled into the distance.

Ye Xin landed unsteadily, glancing at the burly man, who was watching him in turn. Neither had any intention of pursuing the fleeing man—they both knew there was no need.

The atmosphere fell silent again. The most pitiful creature present was the little mink, left behind, its round eyes darting anxiously and its long tail sweeping nervously from side to side. In front, it sensed the cold, murderous aura radiating from Ye Xin; behind, the burly man’s heavy breathing was like that of a savage beast. Trapped in the middle, even with its master’s escape hole just beside it, the mink dared not move a muscle.

Suddenly, a blood-curdling scream echoed from several hundred meters away. At some point the young man had stumbled into the swamp, mud trapping him up to the waist. Lizards, each a foot long, clung to his body, tearing at his flesh, the water around him dyed crimson with his blood.

With a guide, they had felt at ease venturing deep into this wild land, as if it were no different from their own backyard. But that was a grave mistake. Ye Xin knew the distribution of the savage beasts and the safest paths, which was why he had made it so far unscathed. The burly man was much the same. Any other mercenary would have had to battle their way through countless dangers to reach the heart of the wetlands.

Hearing his master’s desperate screams, the little mink became even more agitated. It turned, slunk into a corner, dropped to the ground, squeezed its eyes shut, and even draped its long tail over itself as if to say, Fight all you want, just leave me out of it, I’m going to sleep…

“Black Robe, don’t misunderstand—I’m not with them.” The burly man suddenly tossed aside his axe and raised his hands to show he meant no harm.

“Why help me?” Ye Xin asked coolly.

“I’m helping myself as much as you.” The burly man grinned. “They were getting ideas. If you’d followed your nature, you’d have wiped us all out. And while I’m not afraid of you, that would have been a pointless end…”

Perhaps to bolster his own courage, he put heavy emphasis on the words, “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Thank you,” Ye Xin said.

Since the other had shown his hand, Ye Xin responded in kind. He sat down and began channeling his vital energy. Gradually, the dart embedded in his thigh was forced out by his internal force until it protruded from his skin. He grabbed it and yanked it free—a steel spike the length of a pinky.

Seeing Ye Xin’s lack of hostility, the burly man exhaled in relief, walked over until he was about five meters away, and sat down with a chuckle. “Let’s get acquainted. My name’s Shan Pao.”

“Shan Pao?” Ye Xin was taken aback. “I can’t say I’ve heard of you.”

“I don’t want to get mixed up with the people from Destiny City, and I’m not one for empty fame. Naturally, you wouldn’t have heard of me.” The burly man laughed. “I was a wild child found in the mountains—my father made the mountains my surname. And since I cried so loud as a baby, like the thunderous cannons of Tianshan, he named me Pao. What about you?”

“Shan Pao is actually your real name?” Ye Xin asked in surprise, trying to suppress a smile.

“Of course.” The man nodded, understanding that Ye Xin was avoiding the question to keep his own secrets. After a brief pause, he changed the subject: “The miasma will rise soon. You need to treat that wound. Do you have any medicine?”

“No,” Ye Xin replied.

“Me neither. Why carry medicine when the hills are covered in herbs?” Shan Pao laughed. “But by the look of you, you’re in no shape to go picking. I’ll go get some for you.”

“Sorry for the trouble,” said Ye Xin.

“Fate brought us together, no need for thanks.” Shan Pao stood up.

Once he’d left the tree hollow, the little mink, realizing that a fight hadn’t broken out, cautiously opened its eyes to see what was happening. But the moment it met Ye Xin’s gaze, it slammed them shut in terror.

“What a clever little thing…” Ye Xin murmured with a smile.

A wisp of smoke drifted from the center of his brow, coalescing into a cloud. Then the old, hoarse voice appeared: “You actually got hurt? How careless can you be?!”

“I let my guard down,” Ye Xin said, pulling off his cloak with a wry smile. “I knew the little guy had hidden weapons, but I didn’t expect them to be so deadly.”

The cloud of smoke stared at Ye Xin. He was strikingly handsome, but the bloody gash on his cheek was shocking. If it failed to heal perfectly, it would mar his face forever.

“Careless? You think a single word excuses your mistake?!” The elderly voice was furious. “If that wound had been a few inches higher, you’d be dead! A bit more, and it would have pierced your foundation—and I’d be doomed with you! Careless? What have I always told you? Even a lion uses all its strength to hunt a rabbit! With your cultivation, how dare you show off?!”

In Ye Xin’s memory, the old man had never lost his composure like this. He also knew that this time the blame truly lay with him, so he could only listen in silence.

The old voice grew more and more agitated, scolding Ye Xin at length. No wonder he was angry—he genuinely cared for Ye Xin’s safety. Over the past two years, Ye Xin’s performance had been impressive, always pulling through with strength, wit, and unparalleled reflexes, escaping every danger unscathed.

But this time, Ye Xin’s arrogance had put him at real risk. The old man was determined to stamp out that pride before it could take root.

The little mink, frightened by the inexplicable voice, cowered in the corner, trembling.

The scolding went on for over ten minutes, until a sound from outside interrupted them. The old man dissolved into smoke and drifted back into Ye Xin’s brow.

All was quiet. Suddenly, a flash of suppressed savagery flickered in Ye Xin’s eyes. Had anyone looked into them, they would have seen a murderous intent that could no longer be contained.

Soon after, Shan Pao strode back in, just as Ye Xin returned to his usual composure. Shan Pao froze, staring at Ye Xin. “You… You’re Black Robe?”

“It’s me,” Ye Xin replied, realizing too late that he’d taken off his cloak and it was now pointless to put it back on.

“I never imagined you were so young…” Shan Pao stared for a long moment before sighing deeply and walking further into the cave. After a few steps, he paused, suddenly uneasy. “Look, I’ve never had anything to do with those Destiny City people—never before, never again. You… you’re not thinking of killing me to keep things quiet, are you?”

“You’re overthinking it,” Ye Xin said, half amused, half exasperated.

“I went out of my way to get you herbs—it’s all for your own good.” Shan Pao still sounded unsure, shaking his bag for emphasis. “Don’t take my kindness for granted!”

“You have my word,” Ye Xin replied, unsure what else to say.

“Everyone in Destiny City says you’re ruthless and bloodthirsty, but I know you have your principles. You never bully the innocent or the weak.” Shan Pao hesitated, casting a sidelong glance at Ye Xin. “I’ll trust you this once.”

Ye Xin couldn’t be bothered to explain further. He leaned back against the cave wall and looked away.

Shan Pao settled down nearby, opened his bag, dug out a few herbs, and tossed them into his mouth, chewing them vigorously. After a moment, he spat the pulp into his palm and kneaded it into a poultice.

He approached Ye Xin, raising his hand to slap the poultice onto Ye Xin’s cheek.

Ye Xin recoiled, startled. Even though he sensed no hostility, he couldn’t possibly let that stuff be smeared on his face.

He caught Shan Pao’s wrist and barked, “What do you think you’re doing?”

“Treating your wound!” Shan Pao said, puzzled.

“Give it here—I’ll do it myself.” Ye Xin ground his teeth.