Book 3 Chapter 16: Resentment - Martial God

Chapter 16: Resentment "It’s actually them?" He Wude’s surprised voice reached He Yiming’s ears. He Yiming felt a slight stir in his heart and immediately asked, "Grandfather, do you know who they are?" "They are disciples from the Lingyao Peak, a generation younger than me." He Wude hesitated briefly before continuing, "Their father was an old friend of mine." A sharp glint flashed in He Yiming’s eyes as he said, "Grandfather, just because you consider them friends doesn’t mean they regard you the same way." He Wude paused, lost in old memories. Over forty years ago, when he was expelled from the sect, there were indeed very few who truly cared for him. Although these girls’ elders were also from the same peak, they didn’t have the same closeness as he did with He Wujin and didn’t offer him any kindness. The conversation between the grandfather and grandson was extremely soft, concealed outside the cave. Although the two women were clever and cautious, cunning as foxes, they could never have imagined that He Yiming would possess the extraordinary ability of supernatural hearing, allowing him to eavesdrop on their conversation from such a distance. Upon entering the cave, the two women exchanged glances and both donned wide-brimmed hats. Then, one of them took out a jade bottle from her bosom, uncapped it, and waved it under Yuan Lixun’s nose. Seeing this, He Yiming inexplicably relaxed, understanding that they didn't harbor much killing intent. Otherwise, they wouldn't have bothered to disguise themselves, preventing Yuan Lixun from seeing their faces. The scent from the bottle was evidently unpleasant because, even in her unconscious state, Yuan Lixun scrunched her delicate nose before gradually regaining consciousness. He Yiming thought to himself, worthy of being disciples from Lingyao Peak, even having access to such advanced sedatives. To deal with a girl of only six layers of internal strength, high as ten layers, they still felt the need to use such means. This showed how cautious these two women were. Yuan Lixun opened her eyes, a hint of confusion flashing across them. Although she was exceptionally intelligent, ever since she followed He Yiming, she was flattered wherever she went. Especially on Lingyao Peak, even someone as powerful as He Wujin, with ten layers of peak internal strength, dared not show any seniority in front of her. So, for a moment, it was difficult for her to connect her state of unconsciousness with being kidnapped. But when she finally fully awoke and her bright eyes took in the surroundings, she instantly began to understand. Simultaneously, a trace of fear involuntarily flickered in her eyes. After all, she was just a young girl. Though she had the strong backing of He Yiming, finding herself suddenly in such a situation naturally caused panic. "Little girl, you’re quite clever, saving this old man some words." A gruff male voice emerged from one of the women wearing the wide-brimmed hats. Their robes were loose and thick, and the hats obscured their faces, completely concealing their identities. Had He Yiming and He Wude not known who they were beforehand, they might have been fooled by the voice as well. Yuan Lixun forced a smile and said, "Senior, I do not know you. You might have mistaken me for someone else?" Though she thought this was unlikely, she felt she had no choice but to try and buy time. "Hmph, this old man won’t mistake you." The rough voice continued, "We brought you here to ask you something. If you're honest, we'll let you go." Yuan Lixun was slightly stunned, though not overly pleased by this. Even ignoring the credibility of the promise, the question itself was unlikely to be simple. "What is it that senior wishes to ask? I fear I might not satisfy you." The old voice chuckled coldly, "You’re declining without even hearing the question, which means you intend to dodge it." Yuan Lixun’s expression changed several times before lowering her head, "I dare not." Just as the person was about to speak again, the other signaled, causing them to realize something. Angrily, they said, "Well, the little girl is stalling for time in front of me." Yuan Lixun inwardly cursed her luck, but her face remained bewildered. The person snorted coldly, "I don’t care if you’re pretending. Just know that if you want to live, you’ll truthfully tell me where He Yiming hid the innate golden pill." The grandfather and grandson outside and Yuan Lixun understood immediately that this was about the coveted priceless treasure. He Yiming realized they must have searched his quarters when he and Yuan Lixun were away, failing to find anything and thus shifting their attention to her. He Yiming raised an eyebrow, standing up, now knowing the two women’s intent—there was no longer a need to listen. However, just then, He Wude extended his hand to stop him. He Yiming looked over in confusion as the elder quietly said, "Let's see how Lixun responds." He Yiming frowned, "Grandfather, why?" He Wude looked deep into his eyes, "I want to see if she can be part of the He family and is a match for you." He Yiming was slightly taken aback, then smiled confidently, speaking softly, "Grandfather, I trust her." Inside the cave, an overpowering, terrifying murderous aura suddenly emanated from the other, a master of ten layers of internal strength fully unleashing their presence—something a sixth-layer wouldn’t withstand. "I know He Yiming is concocting pills and will be back soon, so stop stalling," the voice pierced coldly, "Both we and you have only one chance. Make it clear, or you'll regret being born a woman." Yuan Lixun could no longer conceal her change in expression, despair creeping into her eyes. The voice continued relentlessly, "Don’t tell me he carries it with him. If that’s your answer, you can imagine your fate." Yuan Lixun's lips trembled, her voice quivering, "I'm just an inconsequential concubine, how could I know the whereabouts of such a treasure? You have the wrong person." The voice laughed coldly, "You have one last moment, past that, even if you speak the truth, we won’t go up. We don’t want to confront an innate expert directly." Finally, Yuan Lixun gritted her teeth, "Fine, I’ll tell you. But you must promise to let me go once you know." The voice turned soft, "Rest assured, we have no intention of killing you. Once we have the treasure, you will be unharmed." Outside the cave, a fierce glint flashed across He Wude’s eyes. Yuan Lixun took a deep breath, "Young master gave the pill to my grandfather, so it might be with him." He Yiming and He Wude looked at each other and couldn’t help but smile wryly. Yuan Lixun was indeed astute, deducing that since they dared not confront He Yiming, they surely weren’t innate experts. Hence, she shifted the pill's whereabouts to He Wude. Though not an innate expert, He Wude, at the peak of ten layers, was a formidable opponent, making He Yiming’s kin challenging targets. If they realized Yuan Lixun was gone, they’d certainly be on high alert, making any plans against He Wude unlikely. Inside, the two women exchanged glances, knowing how close the He family was. Yuan Lixun's move was plausible. To them, whether the treasure was with He Yiming or He Wude, it made little difference. With a frustrated grunt, the voice turned sinister, "So, we can’t get the treasure." Yuan Lixun trembled, grasping their implications but feigned ignorance, "He might not carry the treasure. He likes wandering about, you might find it if you search his room." The woman fell silent, clearly tempted by Yuan Lixun's suggestion. Yet at this moment, the other woman sighed and said, "Sister, there’s no need to inquire further." She then removed her hat, revealing her face. The woman adept in voice mimicry hesitated before also removing her hat. Yuan Lixun's expression grew increasingly grim. If these two hadn't removed their wide-brimmed hats, she might still have a glimmer of hope. But their actions showed they intended to silence her permanently. In this realization, genuine fear finally crept into Yuan Lixun's eyes. "Little girl, do you want to know who we are?" one of the women asked. Yuan Lixun forced a slight movement on her face and replied, "Do I still have a choice?" The woman with the ten layers of internal strength smiled slightly, "I am Gu Qiying, and this is my sworn sister Bei Youhui." Yuan Lixun nodded to them, her thoughts racing to find a way out, but despite racking her brains, she couldn't come up with a viable plan. "Elder Sister, we could take a chance," Bei Youhui sighed, her voice tinged with regret. After revealing their faces and names, she knew they couldn't leave this clever-looking girl alive. Gu Qiying continued smiling, but her eyes were cold, "Sister, do you believe she's telling the truth?" Bei Youhui hesitated, "Did you notice any flaws?" "No," Gu Qiying replied icily, "I don’t know if this girl is honest or not, but either way, we’re not getting that innate golden pill." Bei Youhui seemed reluctant to accept this. Gu Qiying's face darkened, "Sister, He Yiming is an innate expert. We cannot afford to leave any trace for him to discover. Even little clues would give us away." She glanced outside the cave somberly, "According to past routines, He Yiming should be done or near done with alchemy practice. We can’t risk it.” Disappointed, Bei Youhui silently agreed. Turning back, Gu Qiying's amiable facade turned menacing, "Young girl, I don't care if you lied, but since I can’t get the golden pill, I’ll vent my anger on you." Facing her gaze, Yuan Lixun was terrified, plunging into despair. Previously, she could take advantage of their greed for a slim survival chance, but Gu Qiying's caution allowed no risks. Yuan Lixun closed her eyes, her breathing rapid as her heart thundered with the refusal to meet her end here. Gu Qiying laughed coldly, raised her hand, "Since you can’t please us, we can't break our word. My sister said you'd regret being born a girl." Trembling both in heart and body from fear, Yuan Lixun shivered. Gu Qiying's laughter grew sharp, like grating glass, agonizing to the ears. At that moment, a clear voice cut through the air, calm and reaching everyone’s ears. "I think you should consider your own fortune first." Gu Qiying's laughter halted abruptly, her eyes showing shock as if she’d seen a ghost. Reacting instantly, she reached for Yuan Lixun, who couldn’t resist. Yet, Yuan Lixun vanished from sight, inexplicably, a living person disappearing into thin air. In that instant, Gu Qiying and her companion felt a chill rise through their spines, as though they would freeze. Gu Qiying suddenly cried, "Sister, run!" Bei Youhui turned without hesitation, sprinting for the cave exit, followed closely by Gu Qiying. Watching Bei Youhui escape unhindered, Gu Qiying deviated onto a side path once outside. Hunched over to reduce exposure, she fled in a direction opposite to Bei Youhui’s desperate flight. At this point, Gu Qiying felt slight relief. She knew after this incident, she’d find no foothold on Hengshan anymore. Giving up any thoughts of returning, she sought only escape. However, just as this thought crossed her mind, her feet came to an abrupt halt. Before her stood a young man, arms crossed, as if waiting there for ages. Behind him, Yuan Lixun stood watching silently. This time, her gaze lacked fear or anger, replaced by an unfathomable pity. In mere moments, their roles had completely reversed. Gu Qiying turned pale, instinctively looking back. He Yiming smiled lightly, "No need to worry about your sister. My grandfather is personally seeing to her, so she won’t lose her way." Perhaps resigned to her fate, Gu Qiying settled into strange calm, sighing, "Elder He, shouldn’t you still be in the alchemy room? How did you learn of Miss Yuan’s disappearance?" He Yiming replied calmly, "Your luck ran out. The task Elder Yao assigned me today took half the usual time, allowing me to find Lixun quickly." Gu Qiying’s lips moved slightly, surprised by this unanticipated reason beyond her control. He Yiming’s expression hardened, "Gu Qiying, as a Lingyao Peak disciple, why commit such a heinous crime? Aren’t you afraid of the sect’s punishment?" "Heinous crime?" Gu Qiying sneered, "Heinous crime? More like the ploy of you innate experts." Her voice, hoarse with despair, continued, "You innate experts hoard all the golden pills, leaving no hope for us." Her eyes turned venomous, her hatred palpable, "Sects’ rules bind ordinary disciples, never the innate elders. If you didn’t hoard the pills and shared them, I wouldn’t be doing this." He Yiming listened silently, finally sighing, "There were only two innate golden pills. How could we distribute them?" Gu Qiying’s eyes grew even more venomous, "When you’ve two pills, why not give me one? You’ve never cared for ordinary disciples." He Yiming smirked, "Why give you a pill? On what grounds?" Gu Qiying was taken aback, "I’ve struggled on Lingyao Peak for decades, surely I qualify for one. Denying me is unfair." He Yiming laughed loudly, "On Hengshan, perhaps not a hundred, but at least thirty or forty others could claim the same right. Whether in seniority or skill, you’re merely average. Even if the Grand Elder awarded pills, you wouldn’t qualify." Gu Qiying opened her mouth, as if He Yiming’s words hit her heart. But her eyes quickly filled with reckless madness instead. "I don’t care! The innate golden pill is mine. No one can take it from me," she screamed. He Yiming snorted, his ears perked and eyes flashing with lethal intent. His silhouette flickered, a rapid back-and-forth movement. Yuan Lixun didn’t even see how he acted before he resumed his place. Meanwhile, Gu Qiying swayed and collapsed, her unyielding eyes still wide, as if eternally protesting. From behind a tree came a deep sigh. Yao Daoren stepped out, peering at the fallen body with a look of lament.