Chapter 103 A Road Full of Unrest
Ye Liuyun walked very slowly on the way back to Heaven Dou City from Notting City.
They arrived like a whirlwind, but returned hesitantly.
He stroked the storage soul tool that Dugu Bo had given him to hold immortal herbs, and even through the fabric, he could still feel the refreshing spiritual energy emanating from it.
The immortal herb in his hand was a heaven-defying treasure capable of evolving the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda, and it was also his bargaining chip to open the door to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
He could have stormed into the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect and used the immortal herb to negotiate with Ning Fengzhi.
Even though he was once a soul beast in human form, now that the aura of immortal herbs is concealed, even a Title Douluo would find it difficult to detect his true form.
Moreover, faced with the temptation of martial soul evolution, Ning Fengzhi would never refuse to marry Ning Rongrong to him.
But as soon as this thought popped into his head, he extinguished it.
"Mean."
He chuckled to himself under his breath.
If you go directly to Ning Rongrong and pursue her, Tang Hao is near Shrek Academy.
That's really troublesome.
As night fell, thick, inky clouds tore through the sky, and a fierce wind whipped up a torrential downpour.
Ye Liuyun slipped into a dilapidated, abandoned temple with crumbling walls.
He brushed the raindrops off his shoulders, found a clean spot next to the headless statue, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.
Not long after, three figures rushed into the temple gate, cursing loudly.
"Damn it, what bad luck! We just fought our way out of the Star Dou Forest and ran into this awful weather."
The leading Soul Master wrung out the water from his clothes, glanced at Ye Liuyun beside the statue, and seeing that he was just a lone young man, he didn't take him seriously at all. He led his companions to sit down on the other side of the statue and began to check their wounds.
Ye Liuyun glanced at the faces of the three people to see if there were any scratches extending from the corners of their eyes to their chins. Finding none, he closed his eyes and ignored them.
Inside and outside the dilapidated temple, only the sound of rain could be heard.
Suddenly, a series of footsteps broke through the puddle, and a dozen or so Soul Masters dressed in matching blue and white outfits filed in.
"Go in and rest for a while, and continue your journey when the rain stops."
The man leading the group had a resolute, square face. His name was Lin Qiang, and he looked to be in his early fifties. He was strong and muscular, and he frowned as soon as he entered the room.
Although the temple was quite spacious, it was already occupied by two groups of people.
He looked them over; to his left was a young man with an extraordinary air; to his right were three adults brimming with vigor.
A young man named Ah Hu, standing behind Lin Qiang, stepped forward to curry favor with the team leader and pointed at Ye Liuyun, shouting:
"Hey, you kid!"
"Give up your spot and squat by the door!"
Ye Liuyun merely raised his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the dilapidated wooden door that offered no protection from the wind and rain.
He glanced at everyone's faces and felt a slight disappointment.
Then, already in a terrible mood, he uttered only one word.
"Get lost."
Ah Hu was furious, and the soul rings under his feet seemed to be emerging.
"What did you say?"
Lin Qiang suddenly reached out and grabbed Ah Hu's wrist with astonishing force.
"Stop!"
He didn't look at Ye Liuyun, but instead turned his head and slightly clasped his hands in a fist salute to the three adult soul masters on his right. His tone was polite, but it carried an undeniable pressure:
"Gentlemen, there are many of us, could you please move over and make room for us?"
Although the three men looked troubled, they were inwardly puzzled:
Why can't that one person make room?
But when he saw the dozen or so men opposite him, especially the leader Lin Qiang who had a calm demeanor, he could only shrink back and make room for them.
For a moment, a strange balance was formed inside the dilapidated temple: Ye Liuyun occupied a corner on the left, while a dozen or so people were crammed on the right, separated by a deep chasm.
Ah Hu, looking unwilling, leaned close to Lin Qiang's ear and whispered:
"Team leader, I don't understand. That kid is all alone, and there are so many of us. Why should we let him take the good seats and instead let him take those three people's?"
Lin Qiang glanced at him sideways and lowered his voice to scold him:
"When you're out and about, be more observant! Didn't you see the panic and wariness in those three people's eyes when we came in? That's the reaction of the weak."
He glanced at Ye Liuyun, who seemed lost in meditation, and lowered his voice even further:
"But look at that young man, he didn't even budge an inch from beginning to end. When he saw that we outnumbered him, he just told us to get lost. Anyone who dares to travel alone in the middle of nowhere and doesn't take us seriously at all… is either a madman or has something to be proud of."
Ah Hu still pouted somewhat defiantly, his right hand instinctively tightening its grip on the short sword at his waist.
As a member of the prestigious "Prosperous Era Chamber of Commerce" in the Heaven Dou Empire, he has every reason to be proud.
The goods being transported by this caravan are extraordinary treasures, enough to drive any Soul Master mad.
To ensure everything went smoothly, the caravan not only deployed several Soul Kings and Soul Emperors, but also had Lin Qiang, a true Soul Saint, personally overseeing the operation.
In the world of Soul Masters, such a lineup, apart from a few top sects and the Imperial Regular Army, can practically do whatever they want.
He lowered his voice and muttered to Lin Qiang with dissatisfaction:
"Boss, we're from the Prosperous Chamber of Commerce, and you're a Soul Saint! That kid is at most under twenty. Even if he started cultivating from the womb, he couldn't possibly reach the Soul Saint realm, right? With so many brothers here, why should we put up with a brat's attitude?"
As Lin Qiang listened to Ah Hu's complaints, a hint of exasperation flashed in his eyes.
This child, whom he adopted and raised since childhood, is now nearly thirty years old, but under his protection, he has become somewhat arrogant and ignorant of his own limitations.
He turned around, grabbed Ah Hu's shoulder, and his grip was so strong that Ah Hu couldn't help but shrink back.
"I'm not afraid of him, I'm afraid of his 'confidence'."
Lin Qiang squinted, his gaze sweeping through the flickering campfire, and stealthily glanced at Ye Liuyun's calm face. He covered his mouth and muttered something under his breath.
"Ah Hu, remember this: the most terrifying people in this world are not those whose strength is written all over their faces, but those whose true nature you cannot fathom."
"Look at those three people."
Lin Qiang gestured with his lip, pointing to the rogue cultivators huddled up in a ball on the right.
"When they saw us, their eyes darted away, and their breathing quickened. They remained silent, clearly afraid."
He then pointed at Ye Liuyun, his tone becoming unusually serious:
"But look at him. From the moment we walked in until now, his breathing hasn't been off by the slightest bit. That 'get lost' wasn't just to scare us; it was something he genuinely felt."
Lin Qiang released his grip and showed Ah Hu his thick, calloused hands:
"These are all experiences I've gained from years of struggling and surviving."
"You need to learn to read 'momentum'. Distinguish between what 'confidence' means and what 'bluffing' means; this is the key to saving your life."
Lin Qiang patted Ah Hu's chest earnestly.
"From now on, whether it's a life-or-death battle or a conversation with someone, judging people by their appearance will lead to your demise without you even knowing how you died!"
Ah Hu was somewhat frightened by his boss's life-saving words, and the anger in his heart was gradually extinguished by the cold air of the rainy night.
He glanced at Ye Liuyun on his left again, only to find that the other person was still sitting there with his eyes closed, oblivious to his surroundings. People like them couldn't affect him at all.
The Soul Masters of the Prosperous Era Chamber of Commerce began packing their bags.
A burly man pulled out several packets of specially made beef jerky wrapped tightly in oil paper from his pocket. These were supplies made from the meat of century-old soul beasts.
One of the Soul Masters in the group, who possessed the Fire Martial Soul, extended his right hand, and a faint yet intense flame rose from his palm. He then placed the beef jerky over the fire and roasted it back and forth.
The grease was forced out by the flames, sizzling and releasing a rich aroma of meat that instantly filled the cold, dilapidated temple, filling everyone's nostrils.
The three Soul Masters on the right straightened up abruptly, staring at the greasy jerky, their Adam's apples bobbing violently.
One of them couldn't stand it any longer, so he mustered up his courage and squeezed over, rubbing his hands together and chuckling awkwardly:
"Gentlemen, I see you have quite a lot to eat. Could you share a few pieces with us to tide us over?"
Lin Qiang lifted his eyelids, a fierce glint flashing in his Soul Saint-level eyes. He glanced at him sideways and coldly uttered a single word:
"Get lost."
The man was so frightened that he shuddered and quickly shrank back into the shadows, not daring to utter another sound.
Lin Qiang withdrew his gaze, tore a clean square cloth from his bag, wrapped a generous portion of beef jerky, handed it to Ah Hu, and instructed in a low voice:
"Send this to that young man over there and tell him that he offended me earlier and wants to apologize."
Although Ah Hu was still resentful, he dared not disobey the team leader. He could only grab the cloth bag, move it to the left, bend down to put it down, and squeeze out a dry sentence:
"Sorry about earlier, here you go."
Ye Liuyun, who had been resting with his eyes closed, nodded slightly in response to the words.
But he didn't reach out to touch the bag of meat. Although he was a bit greedy, he wasn't so stupid as to eat something given to him by a stranger in this dilapidated temple in the middle of nowhere.
He just sat there quietly, as if the aroma of meat didn't exist at all.
Seeing that he hadn't made a move for a long time, Ah Hu's anger flared up again. He turned around and walked back to the group, muttering to himself:
"Not recognizing a kind heart."
Lin Qiang glared at Ah Hu, and his opinion of Ye Liuyun rose even higher.
"Shut up, eat your food."
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[end of the chapter]