Chapter 375: Chapter 374: Idiot
Yi Tianyun readily agreed, which brought another satisfied smile to Xu Fei’s face.
"Alright, welcome aboard! I guarantee I can get you into the Coiling Dragon Cave!" Xu Fei didn’t immediately take the Spirit Stones. Of course, he would only collect payment once they arrived at the Coiling Dragon Cave. If he were to run off halfway through, how could they get their money back?
A thousand Spirit Stones wasn’t a huge amount, but it wasn’t a small sum, either. More importantly, no one likes being played for a fool.
Yi Tianyun nodded and went to stand with the man and woman. The pair gave Yi Tianyun a once-over but showed no intention of striking up a conversation, simply continuing to talk amongst themselves off to the side.
"Liang, do you think we’ll find any treasure when we enter the Coiling Dragon Cave this time?" the glamorous woman beside him asked, her voice sickeningly sweet. Her cultivation wasn’t particularly high—only at the second level of the Core Formation Stage—which was actually not bad for her age.
"Treasure would just be a bonus. The main goal this time is to claim the bounty the princess issued. If we can find any trace of Emperor Ren, or even just his remains, the reward is massive! It’s worth far more than any Dragon Bone," Liang Yuantian said with a scoff. "As for that Dragon Bone nonsense, it’s just a legend. It’s too hard to find. Even if there were any, they’d have been picked clean by others. What makes you think it would be our turn?"
"That’s right! The reward for the princess’s bounty is huge! I heard it even includes things like Sacred Artifacts. If we find a trace of Emperor Ren, won’t we be rich?"
"Of course! What do you think all these people came here for, if not to search for traces of Emperor Ren?" Liang Yuantian chuckled. "Ting, just stick with me. I’ll make sure you get through this safely!"
"Then I’ll have to rely on you to protect me, Liang..." Huang Ting’s voice was coquettish to the core as she pressed her entire body against Liang Yuantian, treating him as her personal protector.
Liang Yuantian wrapped an arm around Huang Ting and couldn’t resist glancing over at Yi Tianyun, his face filled with smug satisfaction.
Yi Tianyun couldn’t be bothered to spare them a second glance. ’People like that are a dime a dozen,’ he thought. ’They get a little bit of skill and become blindly overconfident, always looking for a chance to show off. Someone with a lower cultivation base might even be envious. But for me? There’s nothing to be envious of. In terms of looks alone, Yi Yuwei and the others are leagues ahead of her, to say nothing of Shi Xueyun and Ye Qingxuan.’
However, what truly caught his attention was the bounty issued by Ren Zhirou. He recalled hearing people in a tavern back in Dragon Tail City mention that the princess was recruiting experts. It seemed she was constantly sending people to explore the Celestial Dragon Perilous Realm.
Ren Zhirou had never given up. Since she didn’t have time to come herself, she had others search for clues in her stead. As long as someone could find the slightest trace—or even just his remains—a steady stream of rewards would be theirs for the taking.
Things like Sacred Artifacts and Heaven-rank Martial Arts were incredibly tempting. This bounty had single-handedly made the area bustling with activity.
Xu Fei scanned the area, hoping to find more clients. In the time that followed, a few more people came by, but they were already in their own groups and had no interest in joining his.
"Hurry it up. We’ve been waiting here a long time," Liang Yuantian said impatiently.
"That’s right! Liang and I have been waiting for ages. Are you going to lead the way or not? If not, we’ll just go on our own!" Huang Ting chimed in, equally displeased.
"Alright, alright. It looks like no one else is coming..." Xu Fei sighed, then straightened up and said, "Fine. We’ll head in. Once we’re on our way, do not, under any circumstances, wander off. Just follow me. If anything happens because you didn’t listen, don’t blame me. Understood?"
As he spoke, his smile vanished, his face becoming completely stern. His expression was grave; he was speaking about a deadly serious matter, not joking around.
"Yeah, yeah, we get it. Let’s go already!" Huang Ting waved her hand dismissively, then turned to Liang Yuantian with a smile. "What kind of accident could happen? With you here, Liang, we’ll be perfectly fine."
"Of course," Liang Yuantian said, full of arrogance, completely dismissing the warning.
Xu Fei looked at them with a sense of helplessness, then turned to Yi Tianyun. "My friend, you must follow my instructions. It’s extremely dangerous in there!"
"Of course. I’m in your hands," Yi Tianyun said, glancing at the other two. He couldn’t be bothered with them. ’Whether they live or die is none of my business anyway.’
With that, Xu Fei led them deeper inside. Liang Yuantian and Huang Ting followed behind him, with Yi Tianyun bringing up the rear. They all stayed close, maintaining a distance of no more than two meters from one another.
Under Xu Fei’s guidance, the pressure mounted as they ventured deeper. Anyone with a cultivation level too low would have had to turn back here, as they wouldn’t even be able to move forward. However, those who dared to enter at all typically had cultivation at or above the Core Formation Stage, which was why Xu Fei had invited Yi Tianyun to begin with.
Even the area where they had just been standing was inaccessible to those at the Spirit Refining Stage. Unless they had a death wish, cultivators at that level remained in the outer regions.
Yi Tianyun observed his surroundings as they walked. Besides the increasing pressure, nothing else seemed to change; it looked no different from the outside. However, as they ventured deeper, the path grew darker and they saw fewer and fewer people. It was clear that not many chose this route.
"Did you take a wrong turn? It doesn’t look like anyone else uses this path," Huang Ting grumbled from the back.
"SHH!" Xu Fei quickly gestured for her to be quiet. "Don’t be so loud!" he whispered. "This is a shortcut. It’s relatively safer, but we need to be quiet. If we attract any Demon Beasts, I can’t guarantee I can protect you!"
His face was grim. ’Just now, I really wanted to slap that woman right across the face.’
It wasn’t just Xu Fei; Yi Tianyun also felt the urge to slap her. ’Just follow along quietly. What’s with all the chatter?’ The Celestial Dragon Perilous Realm was incredibly dangerous. No guide would want to die because of a client’s carelessness.
"Hmph!" Huang Ting was clearly disdainful, but she shut her mouth obediently nonetheless.
Xu Fei wiped a bead of cold sweat from his brow, scanned his surroundings, and continued leading them inward. After walking some distance, they found themselves in a gloomy and silent area. A lot of Spirit Grass grew nearby, but Xu Fei didn’t pick any of it. Huang Ting and Liang Yuantian’s eyes lit up, but just as they were about to go and harvest it, Yi Tianyun’s voice came from behind.
"If you don’t want to die, I suggest you don’t move from the path," Yi Tianyun said coolly. "The Spirit Grass and Spirit Flowers here aren’t that easy to pick. I don’t care if you want to get yourselves killed, but don’t drag us down with you."
"Brat, you got a problem with us?" Liang Yuantian glared at him, the tension between them thick enough to cut with a knife.
"What are you two doing?! This area is already extremely dangerous! Don’t just go picking any Spirit Medicine you see! If you attract something, none of us will be able to escape!" Xu Fei yelled, stopping them in their tracks.
"Hmph. Kid, you’re lucky this time. If we were outside, you’d already be dead!" Liang Yuantian shot him a cold glare but didn’t attack.
Huang Ting also snorted coldly, clearly displeased with him.
Yi Tianyun shrugged. ’So much for a kind warning being repaid with malice,’ he thought. ’If that’s how it is, they can’t blame me for not trying harder when they get themselves killed.’
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