Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio
Li Min squatted on the ground and looked at Zhang Ruochen with her eyes blinking. She asked, “How do you feel now? Have you recovered?”
Zhang Ruochen shook his head and said, “It would take at least three days for me to recover completely.”
Actually Zhang Ruochen had to spend at least one month to fully recover. He told Li Min three days since he wanted to enter the Scroll World to nurture his wounds.
Li Min laughed. “You were so arrogant that you dared to chop the Empress’s shadow. Now have you learned your lesson?”
Cough-cough.
Zhang Ruochen felt intense pain in his organs. He coughed and blood came out of his mouth.
Li Min walked to him immediately and patted him on his back. “There, there, I will not leave you alone, as you’ve been wounded so severely. Let’s wipe the blood off you. Alas, a Half-Saint should be so vulnerable. How pitiful!”
Then she took out a green embroidered handkerchief and gave it to Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen smiled and took it. He could smell the faint fragrance of orchid on it, and looked at the orchid delicately embroidered on it. He could see that the little girl was clever with her hands.
He wiped blood off his lips, then returned the handkerchief to Li Min. “Thanks a lot.”
“They say the blood of a Half-Saint could sell at a high price.”
With a pair of small white hands holding the handkerchief, the clear eyes of Li Min gave out greedy lights when she saw the blood stain on it.
Zhang Ruochen was shocked and couldn’t help but feeling that the reason why Li Min had lent him her handkerchief was to obtain blood of a Half-Saint.
“Eh!”
A very strong power wave appeared in the range of Zhang Ruochen’s spiritual power.
“Someone is coming!”
Zhang Ruochen put on a gloomy face and looked at the entrance of the cave.
Even if he was severely wounded, Zhang Ruochen still operated his spiritual power to perceive changes in the surroundings, in case anyone should follow them here.
Li Min was startled by it, and hid behind Zhang Ruochen’s back at once like a frightened rabbit.
Blackie, which was lying on the ground, now flipped its body and stood up. Its black eyes gave out black brilliance, and it said in human language, “He must be something to have followed us here. Let me deal with him.”
“No rush,” Zhang Ruochen stopped Blackie.
He was quite curious about the identity of the visitor. How could he catch up with them so soon?
Apparently the person became aware that Zhang Ruochen had sensed his Qi, so he stopped outside the cave.
“Huo Yin from Crypt of Sacred Central calls on Lord Zhang.”
His voice penetrated the formation outside the cave and was heard inside.
Li Min was a little shocked, and said to Zhang Ruochen with a low voice, “Huo Yin is one of the 108 Saint Generals of Sacred Central Crypt. It is said that he has a Six-Ear Monkey, which could capture any blow and the slightest breath even thousands of kilometers away. Huo Yin must have used the help of Six-Ear Monkey to find us.”
Zhang Ruochen raised his head and gave a glance at Li Min.
The little girl knew well about the powerful figures in Kunlun’s Field…surely she could compete with Saint Lady.
But Zhang Ruochen wondered why people from Sacred Central Crypt should come to him.
Zhang Ruochen said, “You’ve followed us here, what do you want?”
“Our young master wants to meet you in person,” said Huo Yin.
“Young master of Sacred Central Crypt?”
“That’s right.”
Zhang Ruochen naturally had no bad feelings towards people from Sacred Central Crypt.
It’s just that he was severely wounded now and it would be better not to make contact with them.
After all, his having kindness to them didn’t necessarily mean that they liked him too.
Zhang Ruochen covered his injured chest with his hand, and said with weak breath, “I don’t want to meet anyone now. I just want to nurse my wounds. Please return!”
Li Min bit her lips lightly and wanted to remind Zhang Ruochen that he could never afford to offend the young master of Sacred Central Crypt. But as Zhang Ruochen had said no, she said no more words.
The voice of Huo Yin changed from kindness to coldness. He said gloomily, “To be honest, you are now a felon wanted by the imperial government, and you’ve been severely wounded. Without protection, you don’t have many days to live.”
Zhang Ruochen frowned and coughed. “Young master of Sacred Central Crypt, will protect me?”
Huo Yin said, “Our young master admires your courage and talent very much. After all, not many people in this world are unafraid of the Empress. If you offer to give the sarira of Emperor Buddha to us, our young master will be willing to take you in and protect you. Once you join Sacred Central Crypt, those from the Ministry of War couldn’t lay a finger on you.”
The reason for the young master of Sacred Central Crypt to come to Yuan Mansion was to rob the sarira of Emperor Buddha from Zhang Ruochen, after he heard that Zhang Ruochen appeared there.
Now that Zhang Ruochen was severely wounded, it was the best timing to take the sarira of Emperor Buddha. And if he could also take Zhang Ruochen in and make him work for him, it would be even more perfect.
“So you are here for the sarira.”
Zhang Ruochen remained silent for a while and said, “Doesn’t he worry that once I join Sacred Central Crypt, I will steal the spotlight from him, and even his position as the young master?”
Huo Yin stood outside the cave and rubbed the head of Six-Ear Monkey gently. He sneered and said, “The master of Sacred Central Crypt must come from the family of Kong. However great your talent is, you can not steal the spotlight from young master. Don’t worry, our young master is a generous person who doesn’t envy talents. As long as you really have talents, young master will surely give you enough resources to cultivate yourself.”
Li Min blinked her eyes and said with a low voice near Zhang Ruochen’s ear, “It sounds good, Zhang Ruochen, you should agree to it. Sacred Central Crypt is really influential in Central Region. After you join the camp of the young master of Sacred Central Crypt, you won’t have to hide, worry or wander anymore…”
Zhang Ruochen glared at her.
“Why…why do you look so fierce?” Li Min shrank her neck and murmured, “I know you don’t want to give the sarira of Emperor Buddha away. But life is more priceless compared with it.”
Zhang Ruochen said nothing to Li Min and stood up slowly. He walked outside of the cave with steady steps.
Hua!
A light curtain flashed at the entrance of the cave. Lines of inscriptions moved outside and disappeared shortly after.
Zhang Ruochen walked out of the cave. His face had lost color, but he still stood straight and looked at Huo Yin. “You should go back to tell your young master that I will bear his kindness in mind. But I like loafing around and don’t want to join any force to restrain myself.”
Huo Yin wore black iron robes, and stood in midair with feet stepping on the white clouds. He was quite skinny and dark, and his beard was cut orderly. A red Six-Ear Monkey was on his shoulder.
Hearing Zhang Ruochen’s words, Huo Yin sneered to himself, and said, “It’s not wise for you to say that. Are you sure of it?”
“I’m sure.”
Zhang Ruochen could feel the coldness given out by Huo Yin clearly. And he felt even colder in his heart.
Orange Star Emissary once told him that after Emperor Ming disappeared, Master of Kong Family allied with forces of the imperial government and controlled the government.
He had faith in Kong Lanyou before, so he had considered everything optimistically.
But now, Zhang Ruochen had to think twice. What role did Peacock House or Kong Family play in the coup 800 years ago?
After Emperor Ming went missing and the Crown Prince tragically died, there were still some direct-line descendents of the Royal Zhang Family who had the talent to become the new Emperor of Sacred Central Empire. And yet, why should the Master of the Kong Family take over the government?
Why should the master of Sacred Central Crypt come from Kong Family instead of Zhang Family?
Zhang Ruochen felt confused and pained, as he had more doubts about the controversial case that had happened 800 years ago.
“Zhang Ruochen, you have to submit either voluntarily or by being forced to. Do you think if you don’t go and meet young master, he would let you go away? To tell you the truth, young master is determined to get the sarira of Emperor Buddha.”
Two clouds of flame gushed out from Cui Yin’s palms and twisted the space by burning. He said coldly, “You could survive if you give us the sarira and submit to young master. Otherwise you will die here and the sarira would fall into the hands of young master as well. You are a clever person, you know what to do.”
“What’s the difference between you and robbers?” Zhang Ruochen didn’t even try to conceal his contempt.
“What a stupid person! As long as we can get the sarira, what’s the harm of becoming robbers?”
“Once you’ve robbed, you will become robbers forever.”
Fierce fury gushed out from Huo Yin’s eyes. He stopped arguing with Zhang Ruochen and closed his hands to overlap two clouds of flame.
Later, a column of fire, which was one meter thick, gushed out from Huo Yin’s palms and rushed to Zhang Ruochen who was standing outside the cave.
The cultivation of Huo Yin had reached Fifth Level Half-Saint, so naturally he was one of the foremost powerful figures.
Zhang Ruochen stood still and didn’t move, with his hands folded behind his back. He only shook his head slightly, and felt more disappointed.
“You think I’m just a pet?”
Blackie gave a weird laugh, and stretched out one claw to carve lines of inscriptions in midair, which formed a round plate of Battle Formation more than 30 meters in diameter.
Boom!
The column of fire hit on the round plate of Battle Formation, and was crushed into little flames that flew to all sides.
A savage beast rasied by Zhang Ruochen could be so powerful.
Huo Yin was a little startled. He felt bad and rode on the cloud to retreat for a certain distance.
But Blackie patted to its front with a claw, and pushed the round plate of Battle Formation forward to flip and press on Huo Yin.
The round plate of Battle Formation revolved quickly while dense and thick lightning gushed out to become thick lightning knives which struck at Huo Yin.
Huo Yin opened his Saint Soul Territory at once, and threw a Flame Marble over his head to resist the attack of the lightning.
“Heihei! How could you defend yourself from my Seven-class Divine Thunder Formation?”
A pair of black wings grew out of its back. Blackie flew to the upper side of Battle Formation, and exhaled a mouthful of Holy Qi and put it in the round plate of Battle Formation.
The light given off by the round plate of Battle Formation was ten times brighter than before with its diameter expanded to about 40 meters long, giving out strong lightning power.
Huo Yin felt very bad. As a saint general, he’d been beaten by a cat. Could there be anything more shameful than this?
The Six-Ear Monkey raised by him was already a rare species, which was envied by many Half-Saints.
But this cat of Zhang Ruochen’s was so powerful that it could arrange a Battle Formation which was even more powerful than the Great Battle Formation.
