Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
A gentle breeze swept through the forest, adding a touch of refreshment to this vibrant spring season. However, the expressions of the people here varied greatly; some were tense, some were desperate, some had ashen faces, and others wore blank expressions.
This was a square area of ten zhang, where all the trees had been broken down. This was the result of the earlier confrontation when Jingfeng Lei Kuan Ti intercepted Hu Lue.
At this moment, Hu Lue was backing away from the approaching Ye Tian. He wasn't particularly afraid of death; rather, he was filled with too much unwillingness and resentment.
As the Boss of Black Wind Stronghold, with four Martial Mastery generals by his side and over a thousand brothers fighting for him, he had a stronghold to retreat to and the Wang family to rely on for support...
Yet, despite this seemingly advantageous situation, it had ultimately led to such a dire outcome.
Two of the Four Great Kings had defected, two had died, and over a thousand brothers were either killed or faced divine wrath. The foundation of his stronghold had crumbled, and even his allies, the Wang family, had turned against him.
"I, Ghostly Shadow, have dominated for decades; I never expected to die at your hands." The expression on Hu Lue's face shifted from despair to unwillingness. Reflecting on his past, he felt he had few regrets in life; the only one being that he would die at the hands of someone so young.
"Don't worry; we have no deep-seated grudges. After you die, you can look down from above. One day, I will make you feel that your death was not in vain," Ye Tian said, standing three zhang away from Hu Lue with blue light flickering in his palm. No matter how Hu Lue tried to deceive him from this distance, Ye Tian was confident he could deliver a fatal blow.
"If there are no deep grudges, why must you take my life?" Hu Lue retorted bitterly.
"Because you killed my brother."
"They could also be called brothers?" Hu Lue pointed westward where members of the Cold Family stood.
"They share no blood ties with you and have not sworn brotherhood. To put it simply, they are just a group of subordinates," Hu Lue insisted urgently. In his view, subordinates were merely there to serve and sacrifice themselves.
Ye Tian shook his head, looking at Hu Lue with a hint of pity. However, his pity was not for Hu Lue's impending death; rather, it was for Hu Lue's inability to understand the reason behind his tragic fate even as his end approached.
"Ha ha, I am unwilling!" Hu Lue first laughed despairingly before letting out a long howl towards the sky.
"They followed me; I must do my best to protect them," Hu Lue said as death approached him while Ye Tian patiently explained.
"Your future actions will not stop here; by then, your subordinates may number in the tens of thousands. Are you going to be responsible for each and every one of them?" Hu Lue asked hoarsely. At this point, he was no longer entangled in why Ye Tian felt the need to put himself in danger for a few 'insignificant' lives, but rather maliciously hoped to shatter the morality within Ye Tianxin at the last moment, leaving him confused in his future dealings.
"Do my best and have a clear conscience," Ye Tian replied calmly.
"Do your best? Ask yourself if you truly did your best. Do you really have a clear conscience?" Hu Lue questioned sharply.
What he meant was that Ye Tian had not fought directly with him; instead, he had often resorted to words and schemes. In Hu Lue's view, such behavior was opportunistic and insignificant compared to the bloodshed and revenge, let alone deserving of the phrase 'do my best.'
"There are reasons for everything; I must consider this carefully," Ye Tian said without anger, nor did he experience any change in mindset due to Hu Lue's questioning.
Indeed, if Ye Tian had sought revenge against Hu Lue in the past with his usual reckless abandon, it might have better aligned with his statement of 'doing his best and having a clear conscience.' However, this moment was different from before; previously, he had faced enemies alone, where survival was good enough, and death brought no regrets. But now he had three hundred brothers behind him. If he died, how could they return safely to Spirit Martial Town? How could they reunite with their parents, wives, and children?
"To be honest, I really want to face you fairly in a duel," Ye Tian said after a moment of contemplation.
"Then let me go; we can agree to a decisive battle three years from now," Hu Lue's eyes gleamed with cunning.
"Not possible," Ye Tian shook his head.
"Are you afraid..."
"Enough talk; it's time for you to leave," Ye Tian interrupted Hu Lue.
"Give me another..."
Bang!
This time it was Thunder Palm that interrupted Hu Lue's words.
After killing Hu Lue, Ye Tian returned to Wang Tiankuang's side and cupped his hands in salute. "Sky Mad Second Master, now that the bandit extermination is complete, shouldn't we return to Spirit Martial Town?"
Wang Tiankuang paused for a moment before coming back to his senses and returned the salute. "It's time to go back. We've been out for too long, and there are many dangers on the way back."
Ye Tian's words were clearly implying, "I won't hold you accountable for your collusion with Black Wind Stronghold. Let's keep things peaceful until we return to Spirit Martial Town."
Wang Tiankuang's response also hinted at something; he was saying, "I agree not to fight on the way back, but we need to hurry. Xu Fan and his companion might recover and pose a threat to us."
Ye Tian frowned slightly, glancing at Xu Fan and his companion, then turned to Wang Tiankuang with a cold smile before walking towards the crowd in the Forest.
In fact, Wang Tiankuang's hint was clearly a calculated move. He intended to remind Ye Tian to be wary of Xu Fan and his companion while subtly sowing discord between the two parties. However, such lowly tactics could not deceive Ye Tian. Not to mention that he had just shown kindness to Fan Fenglin, even without that incident, it was unlikely that the two injured individuals would recklessly attack him in their current state.
"Sky Mad Second Master, don't play your tricks anymore," Ye Tian said coldly as he took a few steps back.
Wang Tiankuang's face flushed upon hearing this. He had indeed been worried that Xu Fan and his companion would take unfavorable actions once they recovered, but his concern was for himself rather than for Ye Tian.
"Leaf Young Master, are you alright?" Fifth Brother asked as he approached Ye Tian upon seeing him return.
At this, a trace of barely perceptible displeasure crossed Ye Tian's face. Fifth Brother's words carried deeper meaning; since Ye Tian had hardly lifted a finger, how could he be in trouble? Thus, Fifth Brother implied that Ye Tian should have fought Hu Lue instead of resorting to such tactics.
Others might misunderstand him, but everything he did was for his brothers. If they all misjudged him, it would be deeply disheartening.
"Elder Brother Five, let's set off," Ye Tian said without choosing to explain himself and instead walked ahead towards the edge of the dense forest.
Fifth Brother sighed inwardly; the nearly perfect Leaf Young Master now showed a flaw, which disappointed him. However, he did not realize that this flaw arose from his misunderstanding. In the hearts of him and most of their brothers, although Ye Tian’s actions had avenged them, it felt like a waste of effort—though revenge was taken, it wasn't enough to relieve their anger, leaving them with a sense of being undervalued.
On the way back, everyone was lost in their thoughts and remained silent. After being seen through by Ye Tian earlier, Wang Tiankuang felt embarrassed and didn't dare approach again. In truth, he was more afraid of Ye Tian's current strength; he underestimated Ye Tian's intentions and worried that Ye Tian might secretly harm him.
Jingfeng Lei Kuan Ti and Fan Fenglin lagged far behind due to their injuries making movement difficult. Since Ye Tian showed no interest in helping them along the way, he did not send anyone to assist them. Additionally, without horses, they quickly fell further behind. Eventually, after much consideration, Wang Tiankuang decided to return alone and accompany the two.
He was also affected by Hu Lue's death; managing people is always challenging. However, one thing was certain: you must share both joy and hardship with your subordinates.
But Wang Tiankuang could do this not because he understood this principle but because walking alongside the two was not something that could be considered "hardship."
Previously, he had walked within Ye Tian's group but faced disdainful looks and mocking remarks from many who had followed him before. Yet due to the disparity in strength between the two sides, they ultimately dared not retort. Thus, in his anger, he could only wait for Xu Fan and his "difficult brothers" to join him.
Actually, Ye Tian had long advised that you can kill your enemies, but you must not insult them. However, subordinates are ultimately subordinates; they can only be subordinates for two reasons: first, lack of strength, and second, lack of dignity.
Without dignity, they will take advantage of their powerful backing to oppress their previous opponents whenever they have the chance. This situation can be politely described as bullying with power, or more harshly as being a dog relying on its master.
Ye Tian was quite disgusted by this behavior, but he did not speak up to stop it. He had already been misunderstood due to the matter with Hu Lue, and if he spoke up for Wang Tiankuang now, the initial misunderstanding would quickly escalate into hatred.
On the way back, when passing through the trap-laden area, Ye Tian slowed down. After safely navigating through, he accelerated again. Even so, a few careless individuals triggered traps, meeting a gruesome end that need not be elaborated on.
Ye Tian felt no pity for those who died; it was not out of spite but because these individuals had boasted incessantly along the way. They had nothing to do with the destruction of Black Wind Stronghold, yet they spoke as if they had achieved great merit. Such people have a distorted mindset; if they die, so be it.
Throughout the journey, Ye Tian's mindset underwent subtle changes. By now, he admired Cold Boyuan even more. Having been in the Cold Family for over a year and born in Spirit Martial Town for seventeen years, he had never heard anyone speak ill of Cold Boyuan—except for those who deliberately slandered him. Anyone working under him handled every task diligently and without complaint; when it came to life-and-death situations, none hesitated to risk their lives. With such ability to manage people, it was no wonder Cold Family thrived.
Ye Tian's feelings did not stop there; he also felt disappointment towards his brothers. He could not understand why they misunderstood him. Regardless of the methods he used, wasn't the death of Hu Lue the result everyone sought? This thought lingered in his mind and troubled him greatly.
Fortunately, there was one thing that provided him some comfort: none of the guards from Cold Family displayed any boasting attitude. They all understood that their efforts were purely laborious with no credit to claim. Anyone who thought they had achieved something was not trustworthy; fortunately, these individuals were part of those from the Wang family who had defected.
"After returning, dismiss all of them; these people are more trouble than they're worth," Ye Tian thought to himself but did not concern himself with the boasting and lucky thoughts of those from the Wang family.
Then they hurried on their way. Due to the traps, it took them two days to exit the territory of Black Wind Stronghold and another day to cross turbulent waters. After four days, they finally arrived safely at Spirit Martial Town.
Comment 0 Comment Count