Chapter 121: If You Don’t Mind

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: If You Don’t Mind

"Twenty pillars of light. That means sixty slots have been secured in the central area alone. We’re still ahead in the number of slots we control."

In the courtyard, Yang Haichen carefully scanned his surroundings. He knew his senior brothers and sisters had all secretly discovered the pillars, but the sheer number still exceeded his expectations.

’If my speculation is correct, there are only forty pillars of light in the central area. Even excluding the one from the Fire Wolf Gang, my senior brothers and sisters have already secured nineteen of them.’

Perhaps it was due to the Spiritual Cuisine trade, but neither Thunder Mountain nor Qingxu Hall had interfered with Purple Cloud Valley’s activation of the pillars.

As for the other families, it was even less likely they would interfere. Purple Cloud Valley would most likely be able to secure even more pillars going forward.

From this perspective, Purple Cloud Valley was definitely far in the lead. The problem was, Qingxu Hall and Thunder Mountain would surely not remain idle.

"Who knows? The future struggle most likely won’t involve us."

Ren Xunchun shook his head. If he hadn’t been poisoned and had become a Meridian Passage Realm Cultivator as planned, he naturally would have contributed to the ensuing struggle. But now, he just wanted to focus on dispelling the poison until the trial was over.

"That’s true. There will be more and more people in the Meridian Passage Realm from now on. We’ll just be side characters."

Yang Haichen wasn’t lying. In Purple Cloud Valley alone, he knew of seven or eight people attempting to break through to the Meridian Passage Realm, to say nothing of Thunder Mountain or Qingxu Hall. Moreover, the Noble Families weren’t without disciples who had stepped onto the Peak Path. Of the three hundred pillars in the outer area, nearly a hundred had been claimed by Noble Family Disciples.

This was enough to demonstrate their strength. However, none of that had anything to do with them. Simply surviving the trial would be a victory in itself.

"Speaking of which, Junior Brother Liu certainly is patient with solitude. Aside from preparing Spiritual Cuisine, he pretty much stays in his room all day."

Ren Xunchun glanced back at Liu Chen’s room. He didn’t know what Liu Chen was doing in there, but that level of self-discipline was something he himself lacked. If it weren’t for his current poor condition, he would have been out searching the central area for the remaining pillars just like the other Purple Cloud Valley disciples.

"Ever since Junior Brother Liu joined Purple Bamboo Peak, he’s only left the back mountain once, and that was to become an Honored Guest Elder for the Ye Family."

Yang Haichen nodded. Even when he was at his most diligent, he would only cultivate for four or five hours a day.

"The Ye Family is said to be in conflict with the Nangong Family..."

Ren Xunchun trailed off, stunned. Recalling what had happened to the Nangong Family in Fire Dragon Valley, he gave Yang Haichen an inquisitive look.

Yang Haichen, understanding what Ren Xunchun wanted to ask, shook his head. ’There’s no proof, but the activation of two of the pillars wasn’t part of the information shared within Purple Cloud Valley. So far, Junior Brother Liu is the only disciple from the sect who hasn’t shared information about a pillar.’

’The idea of trading Spiritual Cuisine for pillars... Junior Brother Liu might have already tried that in the outer area. And if he could trade for a pillar, there were probably Meridian Passage Realm Loose Cultivators who would be willing to trade for the lives of Nangong Family members, too.’

"It’s a real shame about the Nangong Family," Ren Xunchun said, changing the subject. "If Nangong Ye is killed by the Eldest Prince, Yu Haoyong, then their entire younger generation will be wiped out."

If the speculation was correct, the activation of the final two pillars in the outer area would force all the cultivators there into the central area. When that happened, Nangong Ye would inevitably come face-to-face with Yu Haoyong, and a battle between them would be unavoidable.

"Nangong Ye is part of Qingxu Hall. I doubt it will come to that."

Yang Haichen shook his head. While Qingxu Hall’s rules were different from Purple Cloud Valley’s—you didn’t have to leave your family to become an Inner Sect Disciple—if one of their Inner Sect Disciples was killed so casually, it would make it difficult for Qingxu Hall to recruit in the future.

"True. Given the Black Feather Dynasty’s desire for change, there’s no benefit in making a mortal enemy of Qingxu Hall."

Ren Xunchun nodded and returned to his room to continue suppressing the poison in his body. Yang Haichen went back to his own room and resumed his cultivation as well.

Around noon, Jackal came looking for him again. This time, Yang Haichen didn’t immediately accept the Storage Ring he offered. Instead, he stood at the mouth of the alley, quietly studying the man.

"Fellow Daoist Yang, if you have something on your mind, just say it."

Jackal was a bit baffled by the stare. This time felt different. He had promised his men in the Fire Wolf Gang that he would secure a future for them; that promise was the very reason he could continuously mobilize the gang’s resources to trade for Spiritual Cuisine.

"Chief Hu, what is your ultimate goal? You should know that even we can’t ensure the entire Fire Wolf Gang leaves Fire Dragon Valley unscathed. Can you really guarantee that no one in your gang has offended the Three Immortal Sects?"

Yang Haichen couldn’t help but ask. From the looks of it, Jackal himself hadn’t offended the Three Immortal Sects.

But since the Fire Wolf Gang had been in Fire Dragon Valley for so long, it couldn’t possibly be composed entirely of Loose Cultivators like Jackal. If that were the case, the gang could have simply left when the Three Immortal Sects were purging Fire Dragon Valley.

"Fellow Daoist Yang is right. I can’t guarantee that. When the trial ends, more than seventy percent of the Fire Wolf Gang’s members will be hunted down by the Three Immortal Sects and the various Noble Families. I just want to find a path to survival for myself and for my brothers who are clean."

Jackal couldn’t help but sigh. Even though he was the chief of the Fire Wolf Gang, he knew from the very beginning that he couldn’t possibly save the entire gang. But the brothers who weren’t here as fugitives who had offended someone were innocent. ’All they ever wanted was to acquire more cultivation resources. What’s wrong with that?’

"If that’s the case, then this is simple. You should know that Purple Cloud Valley’s Inner Sect Disciples have slots for servants. If you don’t mind, you can become my servant. Then you’ll naturally be able to leave Fire Dragon Valley unharmed.

And with the status of a Purple Cloud Valley servant, you won’t have to worry about the truly innocent cultivators in Fire Dragon Valley being falsely accused. Everyone knows I help Junior Brother Liu sell Spiritual Cuisine, and you would become a part of that."

Yang Haichen nodded. This was an idea he’d had for a long time. The servant slots were created by Purple Cloud Valley to free Inner Sect Disciples from trivial matters. In the future, back at Purple Cloud Valley, he could delegate tasks like purchasing ingredients or acquiring other miscellaneous items to a servant.

He had already discussed it with his father last time. One servant slot would be reserved for the Yang Family, ensuring a line of communication between him and his family. The remaining one could easily be given to Chief Hu. His Meridian Passage Realm Beginner cultivation was one thing, but his ability to lead the Fire Wolf Gang for nearly a decade was a testament to his talent.

Fire Dragon Valley was, at its core, a chaotic place. Without some real ability, he would have been replaced by his own men long ago.

"This subordinate, Jackal, pays his respects, Young Master."

Without any hesitation, Jackal knelt directly before Yang Haichen. With a single sentence, the young man had solved his biggest headache. With this new status, all voices of dissent within the Fire Wolf Gang would vanish.

’I can now wield the butcher’s blade and purge the malignant tumors from the Fire Wolf Gang.’