Chapter 38
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Chapter 38: The Shadow of Departure
Three days later, two small leaders, along with more than fifty men, left the stronghold and, under the cover of night, headed toward the Yang Family’s mine.
"Alas, in the end, we have to do the dirty work ourselves," the delicate man said. "Big Brother is really cautious; the previous groups tested the waters, and there’s just a little kid who has just started Gathering Qi at the mine. Why not just take care of him?"
"Alright, enough complaining. Let’s move swiftly and get it done," the scarred-faced man replied.
As the group approached the mine, they slowed their pace.
Under the scarred-faced man’s direction, the followers surrounded several entrances to the mine.
"Why is there no movement at the mine?"
"Why don’t you check what time it is? They must all be asleep; of course, there’s no noise," the delicate man said, sounding a bit impatient.
Hearing this, the scarred-faced man dismissed his doubts, and the two of them concealed their presence as they quietly entered the mine, making their way to Yang Linghu’s original residence.
The two entered the wooden cabin from opposite sides, only to be shocked to find it completely empty.
"No one?"
“What’s going on? Weren’t they still mining a few days ago?”
As the sound of the broken door echoed, their followers surged in from every entrance, only to find that there was indeed not a single shadow present.
"Check the storage room," the scarred-faced man ordered.
Upon reaching the storage room, they saw that all the ore had already been moved, and only then did they realize that the Yang Family had evacuated ahead of time.
"Well, we scared them off last time, and they ran off before we arrived," the scarred-faced man said. "This is good too; it’s less trouble, and with the Yang Family abandoning the mine, Master Zhang’s goal is achieved, and we can just take our money and leave."
After searching the mine thoroughly to confirm that no one was hiding there, they felt relieved.
At that moment, on a small hillside not far from the mine, Yang Linghu concealed his aura, lying in the bushes to observe the situation below.
If he had been in his old state of mind, the delicate man and the scarred-faced man would have already lost their heads by now.
However, he was much calmer now, especially since Yang Lingqing warned him not to act impulsively and to be cautious. He naturally kept his guard up.
Although he had the strength to swiftly kill the delicate man and the scarred-faced man, he chose not to act rashly.
If he exposed himself first, it could lead to danger, like a mantis stalking a cicada with a yellow weasel behind.
Fact proved that Yang Linghu’s judgment and caution were correct.
Just as the two men were about to return to report back, laughter came from nearby, and two figures appeared.
"Master Zhang!"
"Big Brother, you’re here too?"
The two were startled and hurried forward to welcome them.
"Hahaha, Master Zhang was worried something might go wrong, so my brother and I decided to follow along," Liao Feng chuckled.
Zhang Chen glanced over the mine and showed a somewhat disappointed expression, having not witnessed the Yang Family being dealt with firsthand.
"This is too much trouble for just a little kid at the first level of Gathering Qi. The two of us can easily handle him," the delicate man said.
"This was Master Zhang’s idea. He said that the Yang Family’s cultivation methods are somewhat powerful and that you two might suffer, so he decided to follow along with me," the scarred-faced man replied.
"I see, then we should thank Master Zhang," the delicate man responded.
As they spoke, the delicate man and the scarred-faced man instinctively looked toward Zhang Chen’s waist, where a turquoise green treasure hung.
They had walked all this way without noticing they were being followed, probably thanks to the treasure’s magical properties.
The elder brother had previously been defeated because of this treasure and had agreed to work for Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen’s appearance confirmed Yang Linghu’s earlier suspicion, but he hadn’t expected that the Zhang Family was truly allied with the bandit group.
It was well-known that the bandit group was causing chaos within the dynasty, making many people suffer and earning widespread anger among the populace.
"There are four of them. Let’s temporarily abandon the mine and return home to inform Lingqing for further discussion," Yang Linghu decided, crouching down to quietly retreat.
But just then, he felt a pricking sensation on his back, instantly realizing that he had been exposed!
This was not due to any action on his part but because Zhang Chen activated the treasure on his body, which Yang Linghu had not anticipated.
He saw the eyes of the four men below all turn toward the hillside. Zhang Chen growled, "Kill him!"
Whoosh!
Two shadows shot forward, the delicate man and the scarred-faced man charging up together.
Yang Linghu frowned. Seeing that he had been exposed, he decided to stop hiding. At that moment, the delicate man was faster than the scarred-faced man and had already closed in on him.
This man had complained all the way here, but now he rushed in quickly, fearing that his credit would be snatched away.
However, when he finally stood before Yang Linghu and felt the powerful aura emanating from him, he froze for a moment.
"This is… the second level?"
This thought was the delicate man’s last in this world.
In the next moment, Yang Linghu punched out, shattering his upper body into pieces, leaving only his lower half kneeling on the ground.
This scene shook Zhang Chen and Liao Feng to their core. The scarred-faced man, seeing this, froze in place, dumbfounded.
Fortunately for him, Yang Linghu had no intention of lingering and withdrew after quickly dispatching the delicate man.
"Chase! We cannot let him escape!" Zhang Chen and Liao Feng shouted as they immediately pursued him.
"Where did he get such second-level Gathering Qi cultivation? Wasn’t he just at the first level a little over a year ago?"
In shock, Zhang Chen couldn’t understand it, but now that Yang Linghu had seen his collusion with the bandit group, he couldn’t let him get away.
All three of them were at the second level of Gathering Qi, so their foot speed was relatively matched.
Zhang Chen was determined to keep Yang Linghu from escaping and directly pulled out two treasured Wind-Running Talismans to stick on himself and Liao Feng.
In less than a quarter of an hour, the two of them managed to block Yang Linghu.
"If I say I didn’t see anything today, can we pretend this didn’t happen?" Yang Linghu said, turning to the side.
Liao Feng smirked coldly, killing intent in his eyes.
Yang Linghu had killed his sworn brother, and there was no way he would let it go easily.
Zhang Chen also smiled insincerely, "Hehe, you are quite amusing. Even now, you still have the energy to joke!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the three figures moved simultaneously, quickly engaging in battle.
Liao Feng, who had trained in martial arts, cultivated a technique at the Gathering Qi level.
Zhang Chen practiced the "Fiery Technique" passed down from the Zhang Family, unleashing waves of flames with fierce attacks.
Any ordinary cultivator facing such a joint assault would likely find themselves at a disadvantage very quickly.
Yet since he began his cultivation, Yang Linghu had experienced intense battles, facing two enemies simultaneously during the monster tide and even challenging opponents above his level multiple times.
So even in the current situation, he remained calm, seeking ways to turn the tide while fighting and retreating.
Compared to Zhang Chen, Liao Feng’s combat strength was noticeably lower, so Yang Linghu sought to close in on Liao Feng, using his body as a shield. This way, Zhang Chen could not launch large-scale fire attacks.
After exchanging several punches, Yang Linghu realized in his heart that Liao Feng was not as strong as he was.
