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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 181: Cooperation
It turned out that the hundreds of onlookers had long since dispersed, and the more than fifty people who had surrounded Sun Zhe had also retreated. On the vast street, apart from a dozen disciples from the Temple Left Hall standing nearby, only Sun Zhe and Song Guiyi remained.
The two exchanged glances; at this moment, neither had the desire to continue fighting. Instead, both showed a hint of confusion. Logically, they hadn’t engaged in combat like those others and should have been able to leave. However, they truly did not dare to move while the imposing woman before them remained silent.
Both pairs of eyes were fixed intently on the alluring Yan Ruoyun in front of them. Their intentions were clear: they wanted to leave. Sun Zhe and Song Guiyi were certainly not comparable to those other individuals; after all, they were figures on the Star Ranking List. Although they could not afford to offend Yan Ruoyun too much, it was still unacceptable for them to not even dare to look at her.
If it were an ordinary woman being stared at so openly by two men, she would have likely felt embarrassed and flushed by now. Yet, encountering the extraordinary Yan Ruoyun, she seemed completely unfazed. Instead, she looked around at the surrounding streets and houses without uttering a word, allowing Sun Zhe and Song Guiyi to gaze at her as they pleased.
After being left hanging by Yan Ruoyun for a while, the two could no longer contain themselves. When had they ever been treated this way by a woman? Even if she was no ordinary woman, their hearts couldn't help but swell with anger. Just as they were about to speak up, Yan Ruoyun turned her face toward them.
Perhaps sensing that their patience had reached its limit, Yan Ruoyun smiled slightly at them. The cold demeanor she had just displayed suddenly transformed into a smile, leaving both men momentarily stunned.
"You may leave."
Yan Ruoyun's cool voice rang out again, but when Sun Zhe looked up, he realized that her delicate finger was not pointing at him but rather at Song Guiyi beside him.
"I can't leave?" Sun Zhe asked in surprise.
Upon hearing Yan Ruoyun's words, Song Guiyi disregarded Sun Zhe and stepped toward the other end of the street. However, the triumphant look in his eyes before he left betrayed his thoughts; although he hadn’t defeated Sun Zhe, taking a step ahead at this moment still gave him a slight edge over him.
Seeing his expression, Sun Zhe felt a surge of anger rise within him. This time he was genuinely furious; this woman was clearly targeting him intentionally—time and again allowing others to leave while keeping him behind.
"You stay!" As expected, Yan Ruoyun's calm voice rang out once more.
"I want to leave; can you really keep me here?"
Sun Zhe's gaze suddenly turned cold. After rushing all the way from Lingyun Prefecture to Linwu City, he had not stopped the refining of the Yin Huai Iron Corpse. After nearly a month of refining, the strength of the Yin Huai Iron Corpse had improved again, reaching the early stage of Thunder Lord. Although it would take at least another three months of refining to reach the mid-stage of Thunder Lord, Sun Zhe was confident that he could leave here with the early-stage Yin Huai Iron Corpse.
He cast a cold glance at Yan Ruoyun, who was riding on horseback, and was about to step away.
“If you leave now, I won’t force you to stay, but you won’t be able to participate in this Selection Trial. You should understand that with my identity as the Sixth Enforcer of the Left Hall, I can cancel the qualifications of one or two participants…” Yan Ruoyun's voice suddenly rang in Sun Zhe's ears.
Sun Zhe's movements froze instantly; his foot that was about to step forward halted immediately. He could not give up on this Selection Trial; only by participating could he return to his hometown, which had always been his dream. Slowly turning around, Sun Zhe's expression darkened as he coldly stared at Yan Ruoyun and said in a deep voice,
“What do you want?”
Under his gaze, Yan Ruoyun unexpectedly felt a hint of pressure. As the Sixth Enforcer of the Left Hall, she had entered the Realm of Thunder Lord years ago, yet now she felt pressure from a Cultivator at the Thunder Lord Stage. This was indeed unprecedented but had truly happened.
Yan Ruoyun's expression flickered slightly; she did not immediately answer Sun Zhe's question. With a swift motion, she patted her horse's back and gracefully leaped down from it, her movements flowing like water.
Walking slowly in front of Sun Zhe, her black tight-fitting outfit accentuated her perfect figure, fully displayed before him. Suddenly, a fragrant scent wafted into Sun Zhe's nose. Despite this, the coldness in his eyes did not diminish as he subtly took a step back.
Yan Ruoyun then turned around and coldly addressed the more than ten disciples of the Left Hall,
“You all go patrol elsewhere.”
“Yes.”
The disciples did not dare show any slackness in response to Yan Ruoyun’s command. They were not like Sun Zhe and naturally did not dare oppose her. They answered in unison.
As soon as her words fell, over ten of them spurred their horses and galloped towards the other side of the street.
“Alright, since they have left, we can discuss our cooperation now.” After watching the disciples leave, Yan Ruoyun turned back to Sun Zhe and spoke.
“Cooperation?”
Sun Zhe frowned, not understanding Yan Ruoyun's meaning. It seemed there was nothing they could collaborate on; one was the high-ranking member of the Thunder Temple, the Sixth Enforcer of the Left Hall, while the other was merely a Loose Cultivator at the Thunder Lord Stage. The difference in their cultivation levels was vast, and their statuses were worlds apart.
Although Sun Zhe did not feel inferior, he understood his own capabilities. He did not believe that what Yan Ruoyun could not accomplish, he could. Moreover, he seemed to have no need for Yan Ruoyun's help.
Seeing Sun Zhe's expression, Yan Ruoyun quickly grasped what he was thinking. She organized her words slightly and asked, "You just entered Linwu City not long ago and were blocked by someone. How did Song Guiyi from the Tian Yun Sect know you were here? Haven't you questioned this yourself?"
"Are you suggesting that someone within the Thunder Temple has a grudge against me and is using this opportunity to scheme against me?" Sun Zhe's eyes flickered as he spoke in a deep voice. Only someone from the Thunder Temple could have received news so quickly, and Sun Zhe remembered that the man recorded at the city gate was indeed from the Thunder Temple's East Hall. However, he did not recall having any enmity with anyone from the Thunder Temple; at most, he had crossed paths with Bing Yan from the West Hall.
"At least you're not completely foolish. If you couldn't figure this out, I would have to reconsider whether to cooperate with you," Yan Ruoyun said casually as she glanced around. At that moment, she did not show any cold demeanor but spoke to Sun Zhe quite naturally.
"Do you know who that person is?"
Sun Zhe still did not understand who he had offended within the Thunder Temple. If he could find out who was scheming against him through Yan Ruoyun, he would be quite pleased.
Sun Zhe was known for repaying grievances tenfold. Since it was the other party who provoked him first, as long as he knew who they were, he would not hold back. Even if his current strength was inferior to theirs, he could seek revenge in other ways; Sun Zhe was not one to be stubbornly inflexible.
"You don't need to worry about who those people are right now. Even if I told you, it wouldn't help. But as long as you cooperate with me, I guarantee your safety during the Selection Trial. They won't specifically assign any special opponents to you during the Selection Trial. With your strength, I believe passing this Selection Trial shouldn't be too difficult."
Upon hearing Yan Ruoyun's words, Sun Zhe suddenly felt alarmed. Since they were people from the Thunder Temple, it was highly likely they would set traps for him during the Selection Trial. Although Sun Zhe had great confidence in his abilities, if they were too cunning and managed to exclude him from those two hundred participants, it wouldn't be difficult for them to do so. In that case, he would have no chance of qualifying to enter the Nine Continents Mainland.
Thinking of this made Sun Zhe's heart chill slightly. However, despite his inner worries, he did not show any signs on his face and calmly asked Yan Ruoyun, "What benefits do you gain from helping me like this? Or what do you need me to do?"
Hearing Sun Zhe's question, Yan Ruoyun understood that he was already inclined toward cooperation and did not hide her intentions. She directly replied, "You should understand that if you pass the Selection Trial, you'll have a chance to enter the Nine Continents Mainland. My request is for you to protect someone for a period after you enter the Nine Continents Mainland. As for the specific details, I will tell you everything when you're about to enter the Nine Continents Mainland. I also believe you are not someone who would go back on your word."
Sun Zhe stared at Yan Ruoyun for a while, but ultimately did not see any suspicious signs on her. This clearly indicated that she was the one fulfilling her promise first. Even if there were traps later on, he could completely withdraw. Having thought everything through, Sun Zhe slowly nodded.
"Alright, I agree, but I hope the time you mentioned isn't too long." If she truly intended to cooperate sincerely, Sun Zhe would naturally fulfill his promise.
"Of course, it might be very soon. I won't restrict you for too long."
Yan Ruoyun smiled slightly and replied.
"Since that's the case, I'll take my leave now."
With that, Sun Zhe stepped away and walked into the distance. The time for the Selection Trial was approaching, and he still needed some time to fully recover from his injuries. Better safe than sorry; Yan Ruoyun's words had reminded him that only by restoring his strength to its peak would he not fear her next scheme.
Watching Sun Zhe's departing figure, Yan Ruoyun's gaze flickered slightly as she murmured to herself,
"Clearly at the early stage of Thunder Lord cultivation, but why do I feel a pressure akin to that of a Realm of Thunder Lord from him... Perhaps he really can be of some help."
As she thought this, she couldn't help but rub her slightly swollen forehead, a hint of fatigue flashing in her eyes.
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