Chapter Twenty-Seven: I Finally Have Time to Deal with You
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“What are you people?”
Even when confronted by more than a dozen men, Ye Feifan’s expression did not change. His grip tightened around the sword hilt, and his body trembled faintly.
The leader stepped forward and gently stroked the ordinary treasured sword in his hand. A faint, cat-and-mouse menace seemed to roll off him. He had noticed Ye Feifan’s tension and understood that his target was frightened.
“You should be Xiao Martin, shouldn’t you? We’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”
A traitor?
Ye Feifan’s eyes widened. He had never expected the mole within the Zhang family to be so efficient, revealing his whereabouts in the blink of an eye... Though he could not rule out some underhanded dealings by the Antiques Appraisal Auction House.
“Do you really think you can keep me here?” Ye Feifan panted softly, his feet trembling slightly, giving the impression that he could barely keep hold of his sword.
Big Yellow, lying on his shoulder, was utterly bewildered. He had no idea what was happening.
“Enough nonsense. Are you going to kill yourself, or shall we do it for you?” Although they were deep in the wilderness, no one could guarantee that some wandering hero might not suddenly appear to uphold justice. The leader had no intention of wasting time toying with his prey.
“Then I’d like to see what you’re capable of. Come and get me!”
Ye Feifan raised the sword in his hand. His military greatcoat rustled sharply in the wind, creating an indescribably discordant sight, while his legs trembled faintly.
“Attack!”
At the leader’s command, the black-clad men drew their treasured swords and charged. They had no intention of fighting him one-on-one; they planned to hack Ye Feifan to death in a chaotic assault.
What a hellish level of everyday difficulty!
As a cultivator without any cultivation method, Ye Feifan knew that he was no match for the death servants. He could only take advantage of the opening created when they were lulled into carelessness by his acting and kill one black-clad man in the Two-Tribulation Realm. But another black-clad man severed the treasured sword in his hand.
What a shoddy item!
“Big Yellow, kill them. Three dried fish.”
“Meow!”
The weight lifted from his shoulder as the orange cat sprang away and pounced on one of the black-clad men. Several flashes of silver streaked through the air. One man was cut into several pieces, his remaining upper body sprawled on the ground, screaming miserably, while the arms of the others were severed one after another.
“Everyone, be careful!” The leader panicked. The instant the orange cat released its aura, he sensed that something was wrong. The spy’s intelligence had been inaccurate—the other side was clearly protected by a demon beast.
A miscalculation!
Ye Feifan snatched up a treasured sword from the ground and retreated a short distance. Before him, an orange-yellow blur moved with the violent speed of a laser beam trapped inside a sealed chamber.
Big Yellow unleashed a storm of blood and carnage. Amid the miserable screams, more than a dozen black-clad men were stripped down to bare bones. Even in death, the black-clad leader’s eyes remained wide open.
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A weight settled onto his shoulder again. Big Yellow had returned, his white-and-yellow forelegs stained a deep crimson.
The battle had unfolded too quickly. In the blink of an eye, every enemy had fallen.
Staring at the flesh and blood scattered across the ground, Ye Feifan’s face was pale, but he did not vomit. Instead, he felt the violent impulses within him stirring with excitement, as though he could handle scenes of such carnage.
There had been more than a dozen black-clad men, but only the leader possessed a spatial pouch. The others had nothing but a treasured sword. They were a band of utter paupers.
Ye Feifan opened the spatial pouch. Aside from several bottles of pills, there was nothing of note inside. He could not help feeling disappointed and stored the spoils in his system space.
This remote wilderness was far from safe. The howls of wolves drifted faintly through the night. Drawn by the smell of blood, the packs would soon come and devour the flesh on the ground, saving him the trouble of digging a pit and burying it.
He could no longer use his Sword Foundation identity. No one knew whether the opposing side had hidden agents in the Desolate Wasteland, so he could only alter his face into another identity.
Nicholas Ma Old-Five!
With the effects of the Dream Mirror of Disguise, Ye Feifan even discovered that he could beautify his appearance. He hurriedly added a series of enhancements—smoothing his skin, removing blemishes, polishing his features, and so on. Before long, his face had transformed into that of Ma Old-Five, a man with distinctly native features.
He also needed to change out of his military greatcoat to prevent anyone from recognizing him. Too many people had seen him wearing it. His other outfits would be better left in his spatial storage for the time being.
At present, a blue robe suited him perfectly. Once he put on an ancient-style wig, the effect was striking, an indescribably beautiful combination.
His body looked tall and straight beneath the blue robe, and the orange cat made an unexpectedly harmonious companion. Ye Feifan had already left the killing ground far behind. As long as no one was nearby, his identity would not be exposed.
Judging from this ambush, the Zhang family, the Liu family, and the Antiques Appraisal Auction House had all taken part in the plan to surround and kill him. Perhaps it had not been the Zhang family head’s original intention, but attempting to intercept him still came at a price.
He was weak at present and could only wage a guerrilla campaign against them. After completing his side mission, he would settle accounts with them. As for the interest, he would leave that to the ominous beings to collect. For now, he needed to lie low and wear down the temper of those great families.
Carrying a host of doubts, Ye Feifan wandered through the mountains and forests for a full week before finally finding a town in the Desolate Wasteland called No-Abode Town.
The sects throughout the Desolate Wasteland were recruiting disciples. No-Abode Town was governed by the Lawless Sect in the mountains, and its disciple selection would begin in two days. Ye Feifan had arrived just in time for the recruitment.
After spending a few ounces of silver, Ye Feifan obtained information about the Lawless Sect from the young waiter at the inn.
There was nothing wrong with the sect itself. The problem was that its philosophy was terrifying. In summary, it could be reduced to four words: lawless and unrestrained. The sect was exceptionally rigid and domineering.
Because of the sect’s rules, not many people joined, and quite a few were eliminated during the admission process. The entire sect had no more than five hundred members.
It was decided!
A smaller population meant less internal friction. The Lawless Sect sounded like a sect that disliked restraints, making it highly suitable for someone as easygoing as himself. What sect could possibly suit him better?
Having decided to take part in the disciple selection, Ye Feifan planned to sleep for an entire day and, while dreaming, take a look into the waiter’s circumstances. He had been in the mountains before, where safety concerns had kept his mind stretched taut. Now that he had some breathing room, he naturally intended to strike the other man hard at once.
Within dreams, no one had any secrets—unless they exceeded the limits of what he was capable of prying into.
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The familiar darkness remained unchanged. Yet the dream realm itself was a riot of color, resembling rainbow bubble gum that had been dyed in vivid hues. With practiced ease, he lit a stick of Beginner Dream-Inducing Incense, drawing the pitch-black dream toward him.
Had the sinister energy already begun affecting the dream?
Wearing the Dream Mirror, Ye Feifan saw the content of the waiter’s dream. The location appeared to be the Northern Star Teahouse.
...
Night.
The young waiter entered through the back door of the Northern Star Teahouse, carrying a wooden bucket. He furtively hid it among the flowers and plants in the courtyard, then slowly slipped away and stood in the old alley, fastening the back door’s bolt.
He ran out of the old alley, circled around, and entered the Northern Star Teahouse through the front door. Going to the back, he pulled on it to make sure there was nothing wrong with the door.
In the darkness, the young waiter carried a bucket of fresh blood in one hand. With the other, he held half of a twisted strip of cloth, dipped it into the blood, and brushed it back and forth across the pillars.
He continued until all eight pillars had been painted. Then the moonlight made him stop.
“What is that?”
A glimmer of gold flashed across the top of the octagonal tower. It was a reflection of moonlight. There was a hole in the roof, and the moonlight shone through it, revealing the reflected gleam.
After hiding the wooden bucket and his tools among the plants outside the teahouse, the young waiter climbed onto the roof and carefully examined the swaying pocket watch.
“Tick-tock, tick-tock...”
“Could someone have come here?” he muttered to himself.
He took a small box from his chest. After opening it, he dipped a finger into the blood and smeared a drop across the broken watch.
“Whoever you are, if you dare come here, I’ll force you to reveal your true form.”
The young waiter slid down from the octagonal tower. Just as he was about to retrieve the wooden bucket, the door suddenly creaked.
Someone was coming!
The young waiter threw himself down and rolled to the base of the wall.
The door opened, and Ye Feifan walked in, completely unaware that someone was lying at his feet.
[Postscript: Prosperity, Democracy, Civility, Harmony; Freedom, Equality, Justice, the Rule of Law; Patriotism, Dedication, Integrity, and Friendship.]
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