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墨書 Inktalez
On the way back, Ye Tian was contemplating whether to return directly to Cloud Sea Sect or to go to Chuiyun Town to meet up with Duan Liubai and the others.
He had been away from the inn for quite some time, and Duan Liu's drunkenness should have worn off by now. Although Ye Tian had left voluntarily to protect the two of them, he still secretly hoped that they would come looking for him, not because he wanted them to help share the danger, but because of the bond of "brotherhood."
The journey was not far, but it wasn't exactly close either. With Skyward Martial Arts in full swing, Ye Tian and Dong Qi had already chased a hundred miles away.
This was a vast forest, and Ye Tian had a natural sense of direction, so he did not get lost. He was currently retracing his steps because both Cloud Sea Sect and Chuiyun Town lay along this route.
Halfway through the journey, Ye Tian suddenly sensed two auras ahead. The auras were weak, likely around the level of Four-Stage Martial Artists.
"Could it be them..." Upon sensing the auras, a glimmer of hope rose in Ye Tian's heart. After all, he was not a deity; he could not be completely devoid of desires. He could face danger alone for his brothers, but he also hoped that his brothers would not abandon him.
With hope in his heart, Ye Tian quickened his footsteps. As the auras drew closer, his anticipation grew stronger.
About half a tea's worth of time later, although he still couldn't see them, he could vaguely hear their voices.
"Old Bai, you can't do this!"
The speaker was Duan Liu, clearly sounding somewhat helpless and reproachful.
"Heh heh, I’ll take on the role of the bad guy. Damn it, I'm just trying to keep us alive!" Bai Kuo's words were filled with grievance and indignation. After all, he had merely made a choice that any normal person would make. He didn't want to be an overly heroic figure; was that wrong?
Moreover, even if it was wrong, it wasn't Duan Liu's place to say so. After all, Bai Kuo's decision was not solely for himself, and he was already feeling quite distressed about it.
"That's not... Old Bai, that's not what I meant. I just feel..." Duan Liu also found himself in a difficult position. To be honest, he was somewhat dissatisfied with Bai Kuo's actions but also understood him deep down.
"Forget it, let's search in this direction. If we can't find him, we won't go back!" Bai Kuo said decisively, seemingly a bit frustrated.
Duan Liu was silent for a moment before saying, "Are you sure those two won't deceive us? According to what you said, Brother Ye is just a Three-Stage Martial Artist. How could he survive under five Four-Stage Martial Artists..."
As soon as these words were spoken, Bai Kuo immediately became angry and shouted, "What do you want then? Should I just end my life to repay this?"
Duan Liu was taken aback by Bai Kuo's intense reaction and stammered, "What are you talking about... I'm just worried..."
The two had a good relationship, so Bai Kuo did not continue to be angry but chose to suppress his frustration.
After letting out a long sigh, Bai Kuo said softly, "It can't be wrong. Those two's eyes definitely weren't lying."
Upon hearing this, Ye Tian seemed to understand the situation. The reason must be that after Duan Liu woke up and found Ye Tian missing, he pressed Bai Kuo for answers. After hearing the details, Duan Liu felt dissatisfied and insisted that they set out to find Ye Tian. Coincidentally, their departure time overlapped with that of the two who had fled earlier, leading to an encounter at some point. The two were discovered for some unknown reason and after a struggle lost the fight. They then provided information about Ye Tian, prompting Duan Liu and Bai Kuo to come searching in this direction.
"Sigh..." Ye Tian sighed lightly and thought to himself, "Although they came looking for me, a difficult-to-repair rift has already formed between them. Duan Liu will be fine, but it will inevitably be awkward for him when interacting with Bai Kuo."
"Forget it, let's take it one step at a time." Shaking his head, Ye Tian activated Yuqi Tayan Jue and after several leaps was now less than a hundred zhang away from the two.
Duan Liu and Bai Kuo's strength was relatively low compared to the disciples of Cloud Sea Sect; however, in a place like Spirit Martial Town, their Four-Stage Martial Artist abilities would still make them top-tier experts.
Thus, when Ye Tian entered within a hundred zhang range, they began to sense him slightly. Normally speaking, their sensing range wouldn't reach that far; the reason was that Ye Tian intentionally amplified his aura to give them more time to prepare and avoid any awkwardness upon meeting.
"Brother Ye?!" Duan Liu felt somewhat pessimistic. After hearing that five people were pursuing Ye Tian, he believed that Ye Tian would definitely encounter trouble. Even when the person involved recounted the events himself, he still only believed three parts of it. Therefore, he was so surprised when he sensed something.
Bai Kuo did not respond but simply nodded lightly with a complex expression on his face.
Moments later, Ye Tian's figure appeared within their line of sight, and he greeted them without hesitation.
"Brother Duan, Brother Bai!"
"Brother Ye! It really is you..." Duan Liu was somewhat excited and quickly rushed forward. Bai Kuo remained silent but followed closely behind.
"How could you be injured so badly?!" Duan Liu looked Ye Tian up and down, noticing the blood-red stains on his chest and abdomen, which looked quite alarming.
"Are you... okay?" Bai Kuo's eyes showed concern, but he felt embarrassed to express it, as it seemed a bit like hindsight.
"Haha, do I look like someone who's in trouble?" Ye Tian laughed heartily, though this laughter was naturally meant to reassure the two. In such a situation, it would be impossible for anyone to genuinely laugh.
Ye Tian's laughter was bold and without any hint of weakness. Duan Liu, being simple-minded, half-believed him and did not press further. However, Bai Kuo shot Ye Tian a meaningful glance, his expression filled with more shame.
"Tell me how you fought against those five villains," Duan Liu said, pulling Ye Tian to a clean spot to sit down, his face full of curiosity and excitement.
Defeating five opponents of equal or even superior strength as a Three-Stage Martial Artist was no easy feat.
Of course, he had no knowledge of the existence of Crimson Dragon Golden Blood and spiritual energy. Analyzing the situation with his own reasoning led him to only one conclusion—Ye Tian was a martial arts genius.
His analysis wasn't wrong, and Ye Tian could only use this excuse to deflect him. After sharing the story, Duan Liu was thoroughly convinced while Ye Tian could only smile wryly.
The reason Ye Tian chose not to reveal the truth was not due to distrust in Duan Liu's character but rather because this person tended to be a bit talkative and easily excited; he lacked discretion in his speech...
"Are your injuries really okay?" Duan Liu glanced at Ye Tian's abdominal wound. There was a narrow knife cut that, while not gruesome with flesh exposed, was deep enough for someone trained like him to recognize that if it were any deeper, it could easily sever Ye Tian's intestines.
"I told you I'm fine; I'm fine." Ye Tian feigned impatience before changing the subject. "Brother Bai, I have something here that seems quite significant. You're older and more knowledgeable; can you help me identify what it is?"
Having been pestered by Duan Liu earlier, Ye Tian feared that Bai Kuo might think he was intentionally ignoring him out of resentment. So now that he had a moment of free time, he immediately brought up the topic.
Bai Kuo originally had some thoughts along those lines, but he did not blame Ye Tian, because after all, it was his own lack of loyalty. Not to mention being neglected; even if he received a few cold glares, he would have to endure it.
However, he never expected Ye Tian to take the initiative to talk to him, and there was a noticeable politeness in his words, though it still lacked the casualness of before.
"Oh? What is it?" Bai Kuo walked over slowly, looking at Ye Tian with confusion. Of course, he was also deliberately suppressing that feeling of estrangement.
Ye Tian chuckled lightly and took out an object from his bosom. This object emitted a faint dark luster; it was the Mysterious Steel Heart Mirror left behind by the Scarred Man.
"What is this?" Duan Liu snatched it away first and began to examine it closely.
Since the object had no patterns or decorations and looked like a plate, Duan Liu did not immediately realize that it was actually a heart-protecting mirror.
"A plate?" Duan Liu indeed thought this object was a plate.
"A mirror?" Bai Kuo's guess was slightly closer.
"It's a heart-protecting mirror, obtained from the Bandit Leader," Ye Tian explained, then added, "I just think this material is special, but I don't know its specific origin."
In fact, Ye Tian did not expect to get an answer from either of them; this was merely a way to ease the awkwardness. Moreover, he already had a conclusion about the material of the Mysterious Steel Heart Mirror in his heart.
"It should be forged from Wutan Xuansteel," Bai Kuo said after observing it for a while.
Ye Tian was slightly surprised upon hearing this; he did not expect Bai Kuo to be someone who recognized valuable items.
"What is Wutan Xuansteel?" Ye Tian pretended not to know and continued to ask.
Seeing Ye Tian's eager expression for knowledge, Bai Kuo felt somewhat reassured. Because if someone does not acknowledge you in their heart, they would never seek your advice. Even the ancient saying "it is not shameful to ask for guidance" is based on the premise that the questioner has some recognition of the person being asked.
Imagine, would you ask a question to someone you despise? The answer is affirmative; ninety-nine percent of people would not!
"This is hard to say; it's a relatively rare special type of steel," Bai Kuo paused and added, "It's a kind of special steel that our Martial Sovereign possesses."
"Could it be something from Esoteric Buddhism?" Ye Tianxin thought to himself, but his expression remained calm as he smiled and said, "Boring. Since Brother Bai knows it, I'll just give it to you."
Ye Tian spoke casually, but he understood the significance of the Mysterious Steel Heart Mirror. Being able to withstand a strike from Thunder Palm without damage made it an absolute lifesaving artifact for any Martial Practitioner below the Martial Unity Definition.
"This won't do..." Bai Kuo quickly waved his hand. Although he didn't understand the Mysterious Steel Heart Mirror as thoroughly as Ye Tian, he knew it was definitely a good defensive item.
"Brother Bai isn't still hung up on what happened before, is he?" Ye Tian laughed casually, showing an expression of letting bygones be bygones.
Seeing this, Bai Kuo first frowned and then sighed deeply. He understood Ye Tian's intention; refusing would mean drawing a line with Ye Tian. Having already felt some regret, he naturally wouldn't make another mistake now.
Finally, Bai Kuo smiled in relief and said, "Then I will graciously accept it. However... to be honest, I truly feel guilty."
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