Chapter 131: Temporary Ceasefire
The first time they came to the base, the atmosphere was solemn but not repressed.
When Jiang Yue and his group returned this time, an oppressive feeling permeated the air. Even the heaven and earth was affected and seemed to follow the general trend.
"I will inquire first and then find you." Li Futian said
The others nodded and then walked away.
Although they wanted to follow, they weren’t as well connected as Li Futian.
For the moment, it was less tiring to let Li Futian inquire the news and then relay it to them.
As for whether he would reveal everything he learned, it was all the same to them.
After all, they would find out even less if they inquired by themselves.
"I will go back to my tent first." Xuan Ke said as soon as they arrived in the tent area.
After everything that happened, he knew the two needed time alone, and he didn’t intend to be a light bulb.
"Good."
Yu Nianzhen didn’t argue and readily accepted the monk’s consideration.
After saying a few more words, Xuan Ke went to his tent, and the two entered their own.
Without saying a word, Jiang Yue removed the defence array plate from his storage ring and methodically set it up.
When he was done, he threw himself into Yu Nianzhen’s arms and placed his face on the other’s neck.
On instinct, Yu Nianzhen enclosed him within his arms and buried his head into Jiang Yue’s silver hair.
"Let’s travel for a while after we leave the thousand herbs garden." Jiang Yue suddenly said.
"Okay."
Yu Nianzhen had no objections to Jiang Yue’s idea.
After the mess of the last short while, he missed the days of idyllic travel when they first arrived in the Cangxing world.
He missed driving their bullock cart while Jiang Yue played the pipa beside him.
Although they were weak in those days, their hearts were at peace.
However, he couldn’t help but despise himself when he thought of that.
Back then, all they wanted was a way to cultivate, and they didn’t care about the hardships they would encounter.
Unfortunately, the grass is always greener on the other side.
Now that they had all the opportunities they could ever want, they wished to return to the past.
’Is there no middle ground?’ He wondered.
At this thought, he sneered in self-mockery.
In this world, anything could be achieved by the strong.
If he was powerful enough, he could ignore the small moves made by the Death Flower Ascension Front.
He could treat the thousand herbs garden like a vacation for himself and Jiang Yue.
"Do you think our bullock is still okay?"
"It should be."
"I also think so."
Jiang Yue was a little guilty when he thought of the bullock and cart.
He was guilty that they hadn’t cared about the bullock for more than five years after leaving it with the Bai family in Fengying city.
Yu Nianzhen was in closed cultivation and had a reason, but he wasn’t the same.
If he had the inclination, he could have travelled to Fengying city to check on the bullock.
He could have acquired a beast breeding bag and retrieved the bullock from the Bai family at any time in the last five years.
Now that he thought of the bullock, his thoughts naturally went to old man Cang.
’How did the old man get involved with the Death Flower Ascension Front?’ He wondered.
"We should take the chance to ask about Siwang." He spoke.
"Let’s do so."
Although they hadn’t forgotten their promise to the old man, the two had put it to the back of their minds.
It wasn’t because they were reluctant to fulfil it but because they couldn’t find a way.
All their inquiries did not yield results, and they still did not know the identity of ’Siwang’.
Now that they knew the name of the organisation and many members had come to the thousand herbs garden, they could take the chance to inquire some more.
"Are you hungry?"
"Not really."
Yu Nianzhen rubbed his hair and helped him take a seat.
He removed a firestone from his storage ring, lit it, and then placed a pot of water to boil.
He then prepared some ingredients while Jiang Yue watched from the side.
"Why?" He asked.
"It’s good to eat. It will help us feel better."
"Nianzhen, are you okay?"
Jiang Yue grabbed his hand and turned him around.
He didn’t like to see the trace of guilt hidden in the other’s eyes, and for a moment, he felt hatred for Wang Xue’er.
It wasn’t hatred born of jealousy but resentment.
For an absurd moment, he blamed her for dying and causing Yu Nianzhen’s guilt.
However, this unreasonable emotion only lasted for a moment.
In the end, Wang Xue’er was just unlucky like everyone else in the thousand herbs garden.
"After we travel for a while, let’s close for a few years." Yu Nianzhen said.
This statement did not answer Jiang Yue’s question, but he, nevertheless, received the answer he needed.
"Let’s close together this time around."
"Good."
Yu Nianzhen put the ingredients in the pot and adjusted the fire to bring it to a boil.
While they waited for the soup to boil, the two didn’t talk.
Instead, they leaned on each other and allowed their thoughts to roam wildly.
Unfortunately, time would not turn back.
They could only accept this setback and move on from it.
"Don’t think about it any longer." Jiang Yue said.
"I know. I..."
Before he could finish his words, Yu Nianzhen felt a disturbance in the defence array.
"Fellow Daoist Li has come back." He said.
He temporarily disabled the defence array, and two people entered the tent.
Without ceremony, Xuan Ke and Li Futian sat across the two.
"Are you cooking?" Brother Ke asked.
His nose twitched and saliva collected in his mouth when he smelled the pleasant fragrance of the food.
"Soup."
"I want a share."
Yu Nianzhen sneered and glared at the monk.
’Why do I have to cook for a deviant monk? I only want to cook for my husband.’ He thought and didn’t mean to share with the monk.
When Li Futian ’saw’ the look on Yu Nianzhen’s face, he chucked lightly and turned a sympathetic look at the monk.
’I am afraid he can’t eat young brother Yu’s food in his life.’ He thought.
"Did brother Li find anything?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
At this, everyone turned solemn, and three pairs of eyes looked at Li Futian expectantly.
"It’s like we expected. There was a small skirmish with the Death Flower Ascension Front."
After that, Li Futian revealed everything he knew.
From what he found out, the Death Flower Ascension Front suddenly appeared and began to attack the array.
Although the array was powerful, maintaining it required a lot of resources.
This was especially so when under attack.
Even if the enemy could not break the array in a short time, the resources to maintain it would be exhausted first, which would weaken the defence.
Because of this, the base leaders sent people out to fight.
Unfortunately, the cultivators sent out by the Death Flower Ascension Front were powerful elites.
In the end, the base could only manage by using quantity to defeat quality. This, however, was not ideal, and no one wanted to be cannon fodder.
After a long fight, both sides could not manage, and the leaders came to an agreement.
"An agreement?" Jiang Yue asked when he heard the explanation.
"What kind of agreement?"
Li Futian sighed, and his face looked more solemn, "one month before the inner region opens, there will be a decisive battle between the two sides."
"Each side will send fifty people, and the winners will receive the second half of the map."
The map was one of the reasons why both sides did not fight to the death.
At the moment, the half of the map held by the BlueStar Treasure pavilion was kept in a guardian formation box that was not easy to deal with.
As for the half held by the Death Flower Ascension Front, Li Futian discovered it was protected by some kind of poison.
"Until the map is completed, both sides aren’t willing to go all out." Li Futian said.
The other three went silent as they absorbed everything they learned.
"Is the map so important? More important than dealing with the Front?" Jiang Yue asked.
He didn’t look down on the map, but he wondered whether it was worth the sacrifice of so many talented cultivators.
Although the Front was powerful, he felt the allied forces could deal with it if everyone came together.
However, the map was in the way of an all-out war.
"What do you think?" Yu Nianzhen asked.
His eyes were on Li Futian, and there was no doubt who he was addressing.
Li Futian didn’t answer for a long time, but when he did, his answer was unexpected.
