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Luo Shanshan just walked away, showing no guilt towards Duan Liu. In fact, until the very last moment, she looked at Duan Liu with a disdainful gaze.
Ye Tian almost lost his temper; for some reason, he could not tolerate such behavior. Luo Shanshan was lucky. If the roles had been reversed today, Ye Tian would have likely exploded her head.
The atmosphere fell into a heavy silence once again, and everyone was at a loss for words. The celebratory mood that should have followed their survival was nowhere to be found; all that remained was oppression and frustration.
"It's fine, it's fine... uh... really fine..." Duan Liu was a good person; he preferred to bury all his sorrow deep inside and could manage a forced smile, but his incoherence could not hide his feelings.
"Brother Duan, that kind of woman isn't worth your tears," Yun'er stepped forward to offer comfort. However, her reason for doing so was that Ye Tian was not good at comforting others.
"Heh heh, really fine." Duan Liu blinked hard and then reached out to rub his eyes.
"The wind is strong, it stings..." Wine Kid suddenly spoke up. After realizing everyone was looking at him strangely, he timidly finished his sentence: "Me too..."
Duan Liu took a deep breath and patted Wine Kid on the shoulder. He understood that Wine Kid wanted to find an excuse for his tears, so he did not blame him for his awkwardness.
"Let's discuss where to go next," Ye Tian finally spoke up. To be honest, part of his anger still stemmed from Duan Liu; it was truly frustrating to see a grown man shed tears over such a woman.
Everyone exchanged glances upon hearing this. After a moment, Cold Moon spoke up: "Of course we continue. Do you think we can't complete the mission without those two?"
After witnessing the power of the Azure Moon Autumn Light Sword last night, Cold Moon's confidence soared. Moreover, she had not fought against Fourth Master and did not know the depth of Huanggang Ridge's strength, which is why she felt so bold.
This boldness resonated with Wine Kid, who showed an eager expression upon hearing her words. After saying "let's set off quickly," he rubbed his hands together in excitement. Although he lacked strength, he was more eager than anyone else.
"I think we should go back..." Duan Liu mumbled. At that moment, he felt as if a huge stone weighed down on him; his mood had sunk to an all-time low, leaving him with no desire to undertake any mission.
"I agree with Brother Duan," Ye Tian said after some thought. His relationship with Duan Liu was quite good; he called him Brother Duan simply because he had grown accustomed to it and found it hard to change.
Duan Liu nodded at Ye Tian in gratitude and understanding. Ye Tian frowned slightly; seeing his good-natured expression made him feel angry, so he chose not to respond.
Moreover, Ye Tian's decision to abandon the mission was not solely based on this consideration; it was a conclusion he reached after careful thought.
First, the strength of Huanggang Ridge was far greater than everyone imagined. This could be inferred from the confrontation between Yun'er and Fourth Master. The Chill energy within Yun'er could stand up to the Crimson Dragon Golden Blood, indicating that the Blood Exchange and Marrow Transformation Technique she possessed was extremely formidable. Even so, after defeating Fourth Master, Yun'er still fell into a state of exhaustion. Although it was possible that her lack of strength prevented her from fully controlling the exchanged blood, it still indirectly proved Fourth Master's power. However, with such capability, he could only rank fourth, which further highlighted Huanggang Ridge's profound strength.
Second, there were only five people left. Although Bai Kuo and Luo Shanshan's departure did not significantly impact their overall strength, among these five, only Ye Tian, Cold Moon, and Yun'er were truly capable of fighting. Duan Liu, despite being a Four-Stage Martial Artist, had very little combat experience, and as for Wine Kid, his low strength combined with a volatile temper made him more of a burden than an asset. With just these three remaining, both Ye Tian and Yun'er were suffering from the toll of the Blood Exchange and Marrow Transformation Technique; after every two or three days of rest, it would be difficult for them to fully recover their vitality.
As for the third point, it concerned Duan Liu. To exaggerate a bit, given his current mental state, even if someone shouted at him before attacking with a knife, he likely wouldn't be able to dodge.
In summary, Ye Tian could only choose to retreat for now. As for the impact on morale from failing to complete missions consecutively, there was no other option.
"Why?" Wine Kid asked in confusion. He felt that since they had just counterattacked against the attackers, they should seize this moment to press on towards Huanggang Ridge and eliminate the bandit stronghold that threatened their village.
Cold Moon also looked at Ye Tian with a puzzled expression. While she wasn't as impulsive as Wine Kid, she was still unaware of the details.
Seeing this, Ye Tian could only explain helplessly while omitting any mention of the Blood Exchange and Marrow Transformation Technique.
Due to insufficient preparation, Ye Tian's explanation led to Wine Kid's skepticism.
"Yun'er can take down that Fourth Master; that means Huanggang Ridge isn't all that impressive!"
"Are you looking down on me?" Yun'er joked.
"No, no," Wine Kid shook his head and waved his hands awkwardly. "What I mean is that you're already very impressive, but we still have two even stronger ones."
His comment reminded Cold Moon that according to Ye Tian's earlier statement, that so-called Fourth Master must at least be at the level of a Sixth-Stage Martial Artist yet still fell to Yun'er; wasn't she only classified as a Second-Stage Martial Artist?
Ye Tian noticed Cold Moon's confusion and quickly changed the subject: "Does anyone have any provisions left? After fighting all night, I'm both tired and hungry."
The provisions had long been discarded, so everyone shook their heads. Of course, the so-called "everyone" was just Wine Kid and Duan Liu. Cold Moon still wore a puzzled expression, while Yun'er was also contemplating how to change the subject.
"Wait!" Ye Tian suddenly exclaimed, startling everyone.
The others looked at him in surprise, waiting for him to continue.
"The people sent by Huanggang Ridge yesterday were not all eliminated; two of them must have escaped!"
As soon as he said this, the group was indeed drawn to the topic, because if someone had escaped, it was very likely that their reinforcements were already on the way.
"Why do you say that?" Cold Moon asked with a frown.
Ye Tian first looked up at the sky, then tried hard to recall and analyze the situation before explaining to everyone.
The two people he mentioned included Scarred Man Dong Yuankang, whom he had previously spared, and another robust man who was on par with Dong Yuan Kui and held a torch for Fourth Master.
This strong man was more powerful than Dong Yuankang, but based on his disappearance, he did not seem too threatening; he must have hidden away when things turned dire. What truly worried Ye Tian was Dong Yuankang, who had vanished after their conversation. If he rushed back to Huanggang Ridge for help, it wouldn’t take long for reinforcements to arrive!
"Follow me."
After Ye Tian finished speaking, Cold Moon said this to him and then floated back into the cave.
Ye Tian was puzzled but followed her nonetheless. After walking over twenty paces inside the cave, Cold Moon stopped and said, "Is that strong man you mentioned him?"
Following Cold Moon's point direction, Ye Tian saw a body lying on the ground. The person was robust and well-proportioned; it was indeed the other man who had held the torch earlier. However, at this moment, he had been cut in half.
After confirming his identity, Ye Tian looked at Cold Moon in shock and took a while to withdraw his gaze.
Cold Moon shrugged helplessly and cast a sidelong glance at Azure Moon Autumn Light Sword. She did not want to commit such a cruel act of slaughter, but having become accustomed to using an ordinary longsword made it difficult for her to control the Celestial Soldier's Sword when it transformed into sword energy.
"After hundreds of years, there is still one person I truly worry about," Ye Tian said, retracting his astonished gaze.
"What do you think we should do?" Cold Moon asked.
"Quickly retreat, the faster the better," Ye Tian replied with a serious tone.
Cold Moon frowned slightly, not quite understanding why Ye Tian was suddenly acting this way.
Ye Tian did not elaborate further and simply said, "Trust me," before gracefully leaping out of the cave.
"Alright." Cold Moon, eager to test her newfound strength, wanted to give it a try. However, since Ye Tian insisted, she had no choice but to reluctantly agree and followed him out.
As soon as they exited the cave, Ye Tian noticed that Duan Liu was missing. He quickly called over Yun'er to inquire. After asking, he learned that Duan Liu had gone nearby to look for wild fruits to stave off hunger.
"Sigh..."
Ye Tian sighed again. It was frustrating that such a considerate person would end up liking that morally questionable woman, Luo Shanshan.
"Which way did he go?" Ye Tian asked after his sigh.
Yun'er pointed westward, which was the direction they needed to return. Ye Tian nodded and signaled everyone to set off.
"Aren't we waiting for him?" Wine Kid asked in astonishment.
The others ignored him and set off directly. Wine Kid helplessly followed, feeling quite confused.
Not long after they started walking, Ye Tian sensed a presence moving ahead about a hundred zhang away. Focusing his perception, he determined it was around the strength of a Four-Stage Martial Artist; it must be Duan Liu without a doubt.
"I'll go find him; you all can continue straight ahead," Ye Tian indicated towards the front. After everyone nodded, Ye Tian swiftly moved in the direction where Duan Liu was located.
About the time it takes to brew a cup of tea later, Ye Tian found Duan Liu, who was currently using his clothes to carry a full load of wild fruits. Afraid that moving too quickly would cause the fruits to fall, Duan Liu did not use Skyward Martial Arts.
Seeing this, Ye Tian sighed lightly again and then cursed Luo Shanshan in his heart. Although he despised speaking ill of others behind their backs, at this moment, he found it quite satisfying.
When Duan Liu saw Ye Tian, he was delighted because someone was there to help him share the "load."
The two of them carried dozens of wild fruits and quickened their Footsteps, finally catching up with the others after about a stick of incense's time.
Everyone sat down to eat. The wild fruits were delicious; one bite filled the mouth with juice. Although they were not very practical for filling the stomach, they did provide a fair amount of energy.
After eating, everyone set off again and finally returned to the nearby town before dark. Exhausted, they were not interested in wandering around and directly sought out the inn where they had eaten last time.
The business at the inn was still not great, but the service remained warm and welcoming.
"How many guests are there? Are you here for a meal or to stay overnight?"
The one who approached them was still that waiter who seemed very afraid of bandits...
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