Chapter 33

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Chapter 33: Losing His Pants

It is still uncertain whether the Jiang family has betrayed, especially since Wen Yun had been focused on tracking Shen Xinghai’s whereabouts and couldn’t pay attention to where the Jiang family members were. Now, with her mental energy depleted, she couldn’t perform another full search of the area.

If she continues searching, this clever little trickster is going to become a fool.

The group decided to wait and watch, while searching for treasures in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm and looking for clues of the demon cultivator.

Suddenly, a cold wind blew through the dark forest, making the already spooky environment even more terrifying. If an ordinary person was here, they would have been scared half to death by the strange things happening.

However, the people here were a group of sword cultivators.

Bao Pilong remarked, "Why does this place give me chills down my spine?"

Shen Xinghai raised his sword confidently and declared, "I hold the righteousness in my heart, fearless of ghosts and evil creatures. If it dares to come, I will fight!"

Zhu Erchong, not in the mood to appreciate his bold words this time, was still worried about Shen Xinghai coughing up blood earlier. He gently patted his junior brother’s shoulder and said, "Junior Brother Shen, don’t rush into battle. Take a rest to prevent coughing up blood again."

"…"

Shen Xinghai was urged to sit down, but he couldn’t focus on meditation as his attention turned to Wen Yun on the other side.

Wen Yun was currently focused on examining a body on the ground.

She studied very seriously, paying attention to the black totem on the back of the man’s neck and the small leaf whistle in his hand, occasionally turning back to poke the snake head with a stick.

Even if it were someone else, not to mention a young female apprentice like her, even Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong over there deliberately kept their distance from these two things, but she was not afraid at all, as if she were studying magic very seriously.

This left Ye Shubai, who was standing by her side protecting her, unsure of what to say for a moment, so he continued to silently stand by her side.

"Have you discovered anything?"

"The bones on his body are very strange, some are broken and even twisted." Wen Yun pointed at the body with a stick, and said in a serious tone, "You know, an adult has about two hundred and six bones, but this person is missing four pieces, or more accurately, he has four broken bones."

Ye Shubai understood what she meant and calmly replied, "He was killed by a sword."

That’s why Ye Shubai didn’t break his bones, they were already broken before.

Wen Yun silently noted this clue in her heart, then disdainfully kicked the body aside and called out for her senior brother.

The three senior brothers over there responded in unison, "Hey!"

Wen Yun asked, "Who can help deal with the bodies here?"

Zhu Erchong took out a small knife and a copper mirror, carefully trimming his big beard by the firelight. He sighed, "I’ve been so busy lately, I forgot to pay attention to my image as a sword cultivator."

Bao Pilong took out a chicken feather from his space bag, which was from the roasted chicken they had earlier. He sighed, "It’s a pity that you were a divine chicken, but ended up in my stomach. I will make a grave for you…"

Wen Yun remained silent.

Shen Xinghai sat up and said, "Martial Sister Wen, let me handle this."

Wen Yun frowned, "Sit down, your injuries are not healed yet."

The two who tried to escape were caught and helped to handle the bodies. In the end, it was because the giant python was too large and of an unknown species. It couldn’t be burnt by fire, so they had to bury it in a pit.

The two senior brothers chopped the long python into smaller pieces. Their hands were numb from chopping, and they looked at Wen Yun, puzzled, "Martial Sister Wen, this python’s skin is harder than gold and stone. We had to chop it dozens of times to cut through. How did you manage to cut it in one sword strike?"

Wen Yun waved Ye Shubai’s sword and said calmly, "As a sword cultivator, I naturally used a sword."

She tried to mix magic elements into the sword energy, and the golden spiritual power is most suitable for sword training because it is strong and sharp.

The senior brothers looked down on the plain wooden sword, but still tightly held onto their own swords, believing that even if others were better at swordsmanship, their own wife was still the best!

Wen Yun was practicing digging holes with the sword energy when she heard Zhu Erchong excitedly ask, "Martial Sister Wen, how does this snake meat taste?"

It seems that the helicopter chicken did not satisfy his hunger.

Before she could speak to dismiss their thoughts, Ye Shubai, not far away, spoke first.

"Poisonous."

So the two of them could only reluctantly give up their thoughts, but Wen Yun became interested and took out a porcelain bottle from the space bag.

The space bag was a gift from Xu Wanfeng, containing some unknown items. Wen Yun looked at the lotus-patterned bottle and when she opened it, a faint fragrance spread out – it turned out to be perfume.

Truly, the Second Master Brother of The Tenth Peak loves beauty the most!

Wen Yun poured out all the remaining fragrance without hesitation, ran to the giant snake’s mouth, took out the poisoned teeth with a sword, and carefully threw them into a porcelain bottle.

This is a good thing, I will study it later.

Wen Yun’s satisfied smile after pulling out the snake’s teeth scared her two senior brothers. They quickly buried the snake’s body, afraid that she would experiment with the snake venom the next moment.

After handling the body, it was already late at night. Although the group were experienced cultivators, they were still human and felt tired. So they decided to rest in the dark dense forest.

Shen Xinghai placed his sword beside him, sat under a large tree, and began meditating with crossed legs.

Shen Xinghai knew that consistent practice was crucial. Despite his injuries, he couldn’t afford to relax in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm, where the spiritual energy was potent. With his fellow cultivators around, he could finally focus on practicing diligently by absorbing spiritual power into his body.

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong found a place with many dried leaves to lie down early. They were tired from rushing here earlier and chopping snakes all night, so they were already snoring loudly.

Hearing the snoring from the side, Wen Yun pulled Ye Shubai’s sleeve, raised her head, and said, "I’m so tired, can you keep watch for a while? I’ll sleep for an hour and then we can switch."

Wen Yun had overexerted her mental strength earlier, and now she felt drowsy and just wanted to sleep. She couldn’t continue practicing like Shen Xinghai, the tough sword cultivator.

The environment was dark and difficult, but she didn’t mind at all. She had lived for hundreds of years and had faced all kinds of hardships. If she cared too much, she wouldn’t have reached the peak of the mainland.

Ye Shubai looked around and grabbed Wen Yun’s collar as she was about to lie down, lifting her up.

"Wait."

He swung his sword and chopped the big tree behind Wen Yun into several pieces. Shen Xinghai nearby opened his eyes to glance over, while the other two senior brothers remained sound asleep.

Ignoring the reactions of others, Ye Shubai swiftly cut the wood boards and carefully crafted a simple wooden bed for her.

Then he took something out of the space bag and spread it on the bed, saying coldly, "Go to sleep."

Wen Yun looked at the large white tiger skin with silver stripes and felt that it was special, "What is this?"

"It’s a sacred beast of the Sky Tiger Tribe, killed five hundred years ago out of convenience. The skin looked nice, so I kept it all these years."

Wen Yun, "…"

Casually? How can it sound so easy for him to kill a tribe’s sacred beast like a demon cultivator?

She was very tired, so she stopped being polite, quickly lay down on the small bed, and politely patted the bed, saying, "Don’t stand there, come sit."

Ye Shubai didn’t sit down, he stood in front of Wen Yun with his back to her, not sure if it was to shield her from the gaze of the other three male cultivators or to block the cold wind tonight.

"It’s cold and damp outside, it’s better not to sleep on the ground in the future."

Watching his back, Wen Yun whispered, "Martial Brother Zhu is right, you are truly a very thoughtful person. I have never paid attention to these things myself, always living roughly and hastily."

Ye Shubai fell silent for a moment and said gently, "You are still young, girls of your age are usually taken care of by their sect elders for cultivation. You don’t need to work so hard. You have suffered more in the past without anyone’s protection, so I can at least be considered your master and will take care of you as you grow older."

She wasn’t actually a young girl, Wen Yun thought. If he knew she was actually an old senior of over five hundred years, he probably wouldn’t say that.

But the words "young girl" sounded so gentle that she couldn’t bear to remove them from herself.

Wen Yun felt a bit ashamed, quietly burying half of her face into the silver-striped tiger fur, only showing her round eyes staring at Ye Shubai’s back.

She is clever and can handle strong enemies with calmness, but when faced with such gentleness, she doesn’t know how to respond and clumsily says, "You seem to understand young girls quite well."

The figure ahead remained still, and Ye Shubai fell silent for a long time, seeming like he didn’t want to talk anymore.

Wen Yun was regretting the sudden argument earlier, when Ye Shubai’s cold voice suddenly spoke up.

He said, "No, besides you, I have never known any other young girl."

Wen Yun blinked, "Huh? Doesn’t the Qingliu Sword Sect have many female disciples?"

The cultivation world is different from the feudal mortal realm. No one looks down on female cultivators or says that girls should stay at home to raise children. Everyone speaks for themselves with their own abilities. So even the top Sword Sect has many outstanding female sword cultivators, like Martial Sister Mengran from the sixth peak.

Considering Ye Shubai’s excellence, shouldn’t there be female cultivators around him to keep him company?

Ye Shubai remained silent for a moment and his voice carried a rare sense of loneliness, "From a young age, I was nurtured and raised by several elders of the sect. I have no memory of having peers around, only masters who taught me swordsmanship."

"They said I was born with innate sword talent and shouldn’t waste it, so I have always been diligently practicing sword techniques in the valley where the elders reside, never leaving the valley until I formed my Golden Core."

"When I first left the mountain gate to attend the Swordsmanship Contest, those my age called me "ancestral master" or "Martial Uncle". They respected me, but kept their distance, perhaps because I was unsociable and not good at getting along with others."

He rarely spoke so much, especially about his own past.

Wen Yun didn’t know how lonely his past was. She used to think of him as the first respected and feared sword cultivator, living freely and confidently. But now, seeing him struggling in the snow when he first entered the cultivation world, and hearing about his past, she felt a deep sadness.

He was a man of noble character, open and honest in his actions, born for the people, wielding his sword for their well-being.

Yet the people saw him as a great threat, because his sword was too sharp, and he stood too high above them.

They couldn’t reach his level, but instead of trying harder, they harbored dirty thoughts of bringing him down, burying him in the ground to hide his light from the world.

Wen Yun gently tugged at Ye Shubai’s sleeve, and though he seemed to sense it, he only slightly turned his head without looking back at her.

"What’s wrong?"

"It’s not that you are unsociable," she whispered earnestly to him. "It’s just that the people you’ve encountered lack honesty and integrity. They are false sword cultivators, holding prestigious swords but without belief or ambition in their hearts. That’s why you don’t fit in with them, you are not of the same kind."

She quietly pointed to Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong over there, the two of them were sleeping soundly while hugging their swords, occasionally smacking their lips as if savoring the roast chicken they had earlier.

She then pointed to Shen Xinghai, who was heavily injured but still meditating with his eyes closed.

"Look, a true sword cultivator is like that, hearing about a fellow disciple in trouble and risking their life to rush to their aid without hesitation, not seeking fame and fortune, only seeking a sword in hand and freedom. That’s why you were able to get along with them right after meeting, they warmly called you Junior Brother Ye and are willing to fight alongside you."

Wen Yun pinched the tiger fur and let out a small yawn, her head feeling heavy and drowsy, almost unable to keep her eyes open.

Later on, she spoke in a low and broken voice, unable to even remember what she said, only vaguely seeing the man in front of her finally turning to look at her, saying something, but she didn’t understand anything anymore.

Her dreams were filled with the soft and gentle scent of white plum blossoms, feeling as if she was in a comfortable and soft place like the clouds, Wen Yun slept especially sweetly this time.

When she woke up, the sky was still hazy, not knowing if it was still early in the morning or because of the lack of light penetration in the dark dense forest, making it difficult to see clearly.

Her brain, which was exhausted and on the verge of passing out at any moment last night, was now clear, perhaps due to depleting her mental energy all at once, she felt a slight improvement in her long-stagnant mental strength upon waking up this time.

Very good, a new day brought good things, surely this would be another smooth and successful day.

Wen Yun rolled on the bed for a while, cuddling under the blanket, not feeling like getting up.

Wait, a blanket? Where did it come from?

Wen Yun looked down and realized she was still lying on the magnificent silver tiger-skin, covered with a pure white soft outer shirt, plain like its owner’s personality, clean without a speck of dust.

She yawned, suddenly not wanting to stay in bed anymore, quickly got up to tidy up Ye Shubai’s outer shirt and put it away properly.

Seeing no one around, she confidently cast a cleaning spell on herself, then thought for a moment and also cast one on his clothes.

Carrying Ye Shubai’s outer shirt, she walked towards the nearby area, only to find those four people had actually pierced through the dense treetops in the forest not far away. The dawn was breaking, casting a gentle light on the group of white clothed sword cultivators, making the sweat on their foreheads shine brightly.

They seemed very energetic and spirited.

The man in the front had his hair tied up high, still looking calm and composed. He was not wearing an outer shirt, just a slim-fitting snow-colored garment, highlighting his tall and slender figure even more.

He didn’t have a wooden sword in his hand, just a small wooden stick.

Zhu Erchong saw Wen Yun at once and immediately shouted for help, "Martial Sister Wen, you finally came! Please come quickly and accept the teachings of your Martial Brother Ye. I really can’t take it anymore."

But before he could run away, Ye Shubai, standing in front of him, moved his arm in a mysterious way, and the small wooden stick hit Zhu Erchong’s waist directly, making him cry out in pain and hop on one foot trying to escape.

Shen Xinghai frowned and reminded, "Martial Brother Zhu, we cultivators can only move forward, not retreat. Do not act like a coward!"

After being trained by Ye Shubai for an hour, Zhu Erchong angrily said, "Damn it, Junior Brother Shen, if you dare, come and fight him! The people from The Tenth Peak are all abnormal, they are all freaks!"

How was his mood?

Just two words, regret!

He shouldn’t have invited Junior Brother Ye to practice swordsmanship early in the morning. At first, he thought Junior Brother Ye seemed a bit aloof, and he was prepared to be rejected. But unexpectedly, the other party agreed, which marked the painful beginning of this morning.

Initially, Zhu Erchong thought Junior Brother Ye, who looked so handsome and pretty like a younger martial sister, should be given a chance. But he never expected what happened next!

From the first move, he was completely dominated by Junior Brother Ye! Even though the other party only held a small stick, each of his strikes was faster than Zhu Erchong’s and his swordsmanship was so elegant that it was impossible to anticipate his next move.

This feeling is like when later on, fighting with Martial Sister Wen with swords. At first, he could still fight back, but it got harder as it went on. It seemed like the opponent had already predicted his moves, Zhu Erchong was countered before he could finish his attack!

So what was supposed to be a friendly sword fight turned into Zhu Erchong getting beaten up one-sidedly. By the end, Zhu Erchong was jumping around like a monkey, shouting out in pain.

Ye Shubai frowned slightly, feeling dissatisfied with this group of disciples. While he didn’t expect everyone to be as talented as Wen Yun, they should at least be able to pass through like the other three disciples, right?

Unfortunately, in Ye Shubai’s eyes, Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong couldn’t even barely pass.

Therefore, Ye Shubai, as the ancestor of the Qingliu Sword Sect, took up the responsibility of training the two disciples together. If Shen Xinghai’s injury had not yet fully healed, there would probably have been one more getting beaten up.

"Zhu Erchong, you have a weakness under your armpit."

"Bao Pilong, don’t turn your stabs into pokes."

…

Under Ye Shubai’s harsh training, the two seniors who were most enthusiastic about practicing swordsmanship were lying on the ground like dead dogs, not moving at all.

"I can’t go on, I really can’t go on, Senior Brother Bao… Senior Brother Bao, you continue with Junior Brother Ye."

"Martial Brother Zhu, how can a male cultivator say he can’t go on? You… you go fight him."

Tired as he was, Ye Shubai’s achievements in swordsmanship were unmatched. Through his merciless guidance, they discovered weaknesses they had never noticed before, leading to great improvement in their sword skills in the future.

So instead of scaring them, the fight brought them closer to Ye Shubai. They even brought out a hidden pot of wine, wanting to become blood brothers with him.

Of course, the invitation of the two disciples was coldly rejected by the old ancestor.

After practicing swordsmanship, the group set off to search for treasures in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm.

Zhu Erchong led the way, saying, "I heard from my Grandmaster Shang Ling Zhen that he once found a spring in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm. He said that when he was seriously injured, drinking that spring water helped him recover quickly. Let’s first find that spring to heal Junior Brother Shen’s wounds."

Wen Yun quietly asked Ye Shubai, "What does his Grandmaster call you?"

Ye Shubai replied, "He also calls me Grandmaster."

Wen Yun stayed quiet, decided to ignore the issue of seniority in the future, and then asked, "Do you know about the Spirit Spring?"

Ye Shubai nodded and replied, "Indeed, there is such a Spirit Spring. Each major sect always informs the younger generation to go and fetch water. When I came 500 years ago, I saw it too. At that time, I took all the spring water, and I think new water must be flowing out now."

It’s a good thing that he couldn’t move the spring water, otherwise, the legend of the Spirit Spring would probably disappear completely in the Dark Heaven Secret Realm.

Wen Yun was curious, "Did you drink all that water in one go? There should be some left, right? Can you let me taste a sip?"

Ye Shubai looked at her indifferently and said, "It’s all gone."

"What a pity…"

He looked away and continued walking calmly, "But you have tasted it. When you were unconscious before, you were soaking in that Spirit Spring to heal. The cup you drank after waking up was the last drop."

Wen Yun suddenly remembered feeling cool as if in seawater while unconscious, only to realize that she had been soaking in the Spirit Spring water all along!

Just then, Bao Pilong ahead spoke loudly, "Healing? As sword cultivators, we don’t need Spirit Spring water for healing! Unless your neck is broken, just find some herbs to apply yourself. Why waste such a precious treasure? We could sell it for money and exchange it for minerals!"

Wen Yun, "…"

Shen Xinghai actually agreed with what he said, nodding in approval.

"Yes, we cultivators are tough as rocks, a little injury is nothing to worry about. Martial Brother Zhu, how much is that spiritual spring water worth? Can it be exchanged for a fire spirit stone for forging swords?"

Zhu Erchong also looked eager, saying in a serious tone, "I’ll state a price, don’t be shocked."

He slowly extended a finger, "One top-grade spiritual jade—"

Wen Yun thought that this thing was not too expensive, luckily she wasn’t wasting Ye Shubai’s money too much, otherwise, how long would it take for her to pay off her debts?

"One drop!"

One top-grade spiritual jade, one drop?

How…how many drops would it take to use for a bath?

Wen Yun’s expression gradually became sorrowful. Whenever she thought about how she had once soaked in top-quality spiritual jade, she felt a dull pain all over her body.

Indeed, without realizing it, she had been assimilated by the sword cultivators, becoming a very stingy sword cultivator.

Wen Yun quickly grabbed the wooden sword from Ye Shubai’s hand, performed a somewhat unfamiliar Sword Control Art, soared into the air, and loudly told the four men below, "Hurry up and fetch spring water, what are you standing around for!"

Zhu Erchong was dumbfounded, "But we don’t know where the spiritual spring is…"

Ye Shubai, "I know…"

Wen Yun remained expressionless but actually felt extremely anxious, "Fly first, I will search slowly in the sky later!"

Ye Shubai, "I know where…"

Wen Yun, "Martial Brother Ye, you control the sword, I will search for the location of the spiritual spring!"

She was really in a hurry, so much that she had forgotten he had already fetched the spiritual spring. Ye Shubai could only silently resume the duty of being her steed on the flying sword, quietly bringing her towards the direction of the spring.

Luckily, the Spirit Spring is very close, so he doesn’t need to worry about her using too much mental energy.

However, when they flew around the Spirit Spring, they found a naked man standing by the spring.

He had his back to everyone, his clothes already removed, and was crouching down to unfasten his belt, seemingly planning to take a bath in the Spirit Spring.

Before Wen Yun could see what was happening, Ye Shubai quickly pushed her behind him, blocking her view completely.

"Don’t look," he said.

Wen Yun responded, "I haven’t had a chance to look yet…"

Zhu Erchong and Bao Pilong angrily shouted—

"You scoundrel! Pull your pants back up!"