Chapter 391-400

Chapter 391: Resolution
nd so, Ye Chong and Ye Luo headed to the street and picked two
lucky
guests for the inquiry. No human being was harmed during the process yet unfortunately no answer was obtained either, while the villagers’ replies formed a perfect tie, that the group of outsiders was never again heard after they had vanished into the water.

They have to be in the water,
thought Ye Chong as he immediately deployed Moon King and sank right to the bottom of the ocean. He found Cornerstone. Right, there was one hope and he walked around it. Cornerstone was intact, the gates were sealed tight, no visible damage from the outside. He could not open the door because obviously the overwhelming pressure would swallow and crush everything inside.
He decided to give a knock, then several knocks, at every corner of the sunken stone. There was no response from the family inside sadly. Ye Chong’s hope sank hard as the stone, as probably they had abandoned the ship a long time ago.
But, where else could they go? Where else?
Ye Chong was puzzled.
Unlike the average population on planets of the 5 major galaxies, Dankwood was a little neighborhood with merely a handful of residents. That sounded like hope to most people, but not to Ye Chong. Difficulties were there, it still felt like a needle in the haystack since he did not have a single clue.

Where are you…?
whispered Ye Chong.
…(Meanwhile at Ye family)…

You mean that nonsensical being belongs to our family?


If you could use more head than your body, you would have seen the obvious, brother.


Excuse me, maybe because I invested more useful strength than pointless thoughts unlike somebody…

It was chaotic. The seniors were debating… well, almost quarreling, and the juniors were watching with their curiosity on what had made the calm and monosyllabic seniors beat their tongues hard. It had been quite some time since the family got rather lively, all thanks to that one report from Ye Luo.
To summarize, Ye Luo’s report had basically illustrated two issues, one was the outcome of Ye Chong’s bloodline verification, and the other being the association between the Xi Feng tribe and the Abductor.
The evil Abductor being related to the religious tribe should have been the main focus of the discussion… but Ye Chong’s infamous entry seemed to have monopolized the discussion board.

For the last time, no. No way he can be the descendant of our family. As clearly the record shows, there is nothing that indicates Ye Chong being part of ours. In the past fifty
 years! We never had any pair of descendants leaving our home since then. So it is impossible for him to be part of our family, we cannot let someone in when he has a dubious identity. It is clearly a potential threat and I am not allowing a threat to walk into our house,
said Ye Juxing, the second authority after the leader.
His complexion was fair, a shaved face with features of a gentleman, looking possibly feeble in a highly active family but no one would look him down. He was an expert and certainly the one able to take the second throne of the family would have a few tricks under his sleeves. He was a known fighter back in his youth, who stood a great possibility of surpassing the top fighter Ye Luo in his days. Fate was cruel nevertheless, as he withdrew himself on a broken heart, a sad end to his relationship during which he requested to take over the administration of the family instead.
His days ended when Ye Luo had suddenly disappeared one day. And after that the head of the family, on several occasions, had requested him to resume his brawling days but he refused persistently. Ye Yin the current legend in the field, was technically an apprentice of his. He had been watching Ye Yin for ages.
Ye Juxing was a stern teacher, an unbiased one too, thus the respects from the relatives and trust from the leader himself. He had been in charge of the mating administration of the family for the past few years, hence his statement ran steadily true like an iron fist.

I do not agree to your proposal,
stated Ye Guangxing, with a grim expression that looked odd on his puffy face when he used to smile all day. He was one of the only few non-combat members in the family for strange diseases wasted his body since he was young. He could not join the usual training but he was one great administrator too. And he worked hard for the position today.
Ye Guangxing’s sharp eyes glanced at the other members around, as silence permitted,
The family has been suffering a lower and lower fertility rate for the last few years, and it would only be a matter of time before the family dies out itself.

The members were convinced as fear tinted their eyes. They knew the fact well but they were helpless at it. They had attempted different possible solutions but the fertility rate had only gotten worse.

Yes, Juxing you are right at this. I had taken a look at our record. Judging from the instances, I am dead sure that this fellow is not someone from our family, the catch is, Ye Luo’s report, which had illustrated that the person had demonstrated all the typical characteristics of our kind. On paper he is not our family but in reality he seems to own even the purest bloodline of our kind. So, is it possible for us to make a wild guess that, the existence of this child could be the key to preserve the purity of our bloodline even when we are connecting to the others?

That was a daring statement.

Moreover, what can this little boy do even if he had stepped into our house when we would be watching his every move at every single second?

The room was noisy out of sudden, people were exchanging their ideas, while Ye Guangxing took his seat relaxingly.
The outcome of the discussion was clear. Everyone agreed that Ye Chong should be joining the family. No objection, no second discussion.

I wonder how this Ye Chong guy looks…


Beats me. I did hear several stories of him being quite a strong pilot. I am more curious of what model the head would bestow him.


Is he really that great?


Well you could try him when he gets here.

The corridors were filled with similar discussions ever since then. Ye Yin had to turn away from such discussion every single time. He was not being sensitive but there was one topic that felt discomforting. People started to wonder whether Ye Chong or Ye Yin would be the top fighter of the family. Ye Chong had become a myth, and like all myths, his strength got
mythicized
too.
Whenever the crowd had left, Ye Juxing and Ye Guangxing would give a quick look at each other and smile briefly. Then they left. It happened so instantly that no one really noticed this little exchange between them.
…(Meanwhile back to Ye Chong)…
So Ye Chong heard from Ye Luo, tale of a great martial arts practitioner somewhere here. The practitioner was so great that Ye Luo felt the urge and must to drag Ye Chong all the way there. Ye Chong was not interested in street fights when his heart was all over Rui Bing’s whereabouts. But well, it was not like he had any idea on the search so he just joined Ye Luo in the end.
To the Abyss.

So where is this expert you told me about?
asked Ye Chong, as they wandered in the city.

I’m looking for him, don’t you see?
replied Ye Luo with an irresponsible shrug.

So practically you have zero idea on his location, right?
The rhetorical question struck the discussion.

Hah!
Laughed Ye Luo shamelessly,
As I’ve said, I heard
 it, I only knew him from the word of mouth.


Heard? So your information contains a considerable amount of uncertainty, which I would suggest to give up. Also, I would not be joining any of your search plans without a certain level of intelligible certainty.
Ye Chong sounded like Mu…

Oh Chong, please don’t do this to me.


Ye. Call me Ye. How many times I have to correct you on this again?


Everyone on the street has that name. I can simply name a number of Ye’s I know. Chong sounds way better in my humble opinion.

And the exchange went on, as they walk the street.
Guang Wei was strolling the street mindlessly. It felt like a miracle that he survived the alchemy war back then but it also felt like a debacle. He thought he had found compatriots yet it turned out to be a disappointment.
Sigh…
If it was not the impact of the war he would thought he must have a dream.
The silver pendant! The Silver Strand Pendant the branch had lost for years! That mysterious alchemist must be the hermit of his branch!
But sigh…
Sighing was the only thing he could do.

Call me Ye so no one gets hurt, especially you.


Please Chong, be my guest.

The argument caught his attention. He was pondering something and he was disrupted. He was enraged and decided to take a look at the noisy two. He wondered what was so important that these two men must quarrel at the street, he was going to shout but that chest of one man gave him a shudder.
His mind was blank. His stance was stoned.

I am not doing a pointless kill.


Did you chicken?

They walked away.

Hold it right there you two!
Guang Wei realized something.
The two Ye’s carried on arguing as they never expected anyone recognizing them. But Guang Wei continued shouting and sprinted towards them.
Pant… Pant…
Nobody moves.
He spread his arms and blocked their way. It was an exercise too overwhelming for an alchemist like Guang Wei, he thought he would lose his breath in front of these two looking confused. His face was red and his eyes were glaring huge at Ye Chong.
Ye Chong and Ye Luo exchanged glances in bewilderment.
Thup.
Sob… Sob… Guang Wei grabbed Ye Chong by his legs.
Ye Chong backed off, Ye Chong backed off slowly, that Guang Wei lost balance and hit the ground by his chin. His face was covered in mud, his lips bled slightly.
He got up promptly and kneeled down, words were choked by his tears,
Oh, are you my seniors! You must be my seniors, all these years I’ve been looking for you, and I have finally found you… Could you imagine into what demise our branch had fallen?
The misery, the emotion was overflowing, that he cried out loud.

Uhh… Chong, do you know him?
Ye Luo asked with awkwardness as he rose his index finger at the worshipping Guang Wei.

Nope,
Ye Chong gave a firm reply.

Then what in the Dankwood he’s…


I dunno.

Chapter 392: The Smoke Branch
Hey, big guy. Hold your melodrama. Let’s talk, don’t act like a lassie,
reminded Ye Luo kindly since Ye Chong did not seem to buy Guang Wei’s tears.
Ye Chong followed the stares of Guang Wei and realized that he had been eyeing the pendant round his neck. His fingers stroke the chain calmly,
Black Smoke Ring! Was that the Black Smoke Ring?
And Guang Wei went into another screaming session upon seeing the black jade ring on Ye Chong’s hand.
At that point Guang Wei was fairly convinced that this man would be the descendant of the long-lost smoke branch, the senior that he thought he would never meet for the rest of his life, since the Silver Strand Pendant would represent the connection to the branch, while Black Smoke Ring would highlight the superiority in the branch.
He must be the leader of the smoke branch!
Oh my alchemy, finally! I’ve found companion! A group! A community! Guang Wei felt it was the happiest day of his life. Was he dreaming? To verify that he gave a bite on his arm.
Yeooouch! He shrieked. The immense pain had convinced his reality.
It is real! I am not dreaming!
And Ye Luo’s look on Guang Wei seemed sympathetic for some reason…
Ye Chong removed the pendant from his neck and held it in front of Guang Wei,
Do you recognize this?


Yes, my lord!
nodded Guang Wei vigorously and gave a dramatic kneel-down-of-worship as he sincerely greeted.
Greetings to the supreme leader of the smoke branch!
Ye Luo seemed to hear the ground shattering from the worship.

I am not the leader,
shook Ye Chong, while being in an bewilderment as he never expected how these accessories would have such association to the smoke branch.

You are
 the leader!
insisted Guang Wei, as he worshipped.
Your apprentice might be witless but not foolish enough to not recognize these signs of your great leadership,
his voice grew emotional towards the end.
Ye Luo gave a thug on Ye Chong’s sleeves, signing him to take notice of the surrounding crowd.

Well, follow me then.
The flat voice felt as if godsend to Guang Wei.
Ye Luo did not manage to show Ye Chong that legendary figure in his tale, but at least they had toured the city enough to pick a quiet spot immediately.

Take it.
Ye Chong passed the pendant to Guang Wei, who was in total confusion. Ye Luo too did not foresee Ye Chong handing such a luxury to a stranger.
Yes, the Silver Strand Pendant was precious for its material, literally precious, astronomically priced, especially when it was a known token of a certain ancient branch.

You must be the apprentice then,
said Ye Chong flatly.
And Guang Wei nodded quickly.

I am not of the smoke branch, and these accessories came to me on merely coincidence. I’ll give you the pendant. Not the ring, however, since I still have business to do with it.

Ye Chong pondered a moment and carried on,
The ownership of these two items is rather complicated to be clarified, but for the ring I’ll use 5 alchemy recipes in compensation.
Stated Ye Chong firmly. The Black Smoke was very useful to him, that he did not intend to let it go simply.
And there Guang Wei was, all confused again. All these years he had been a nobody and suddenly one earth-wrecking instance crashed into his life.
Ye Chong gave a glance at Guang Wei, assuming the silence as acceptance, as he picked up a stick from the ground, writing recipes on the sand.
There were a gazillion recipes in Lunatic Guan’s chip, so it was not hard to fork out a few recipes on spot.
So Ye Chong randomly picked 5 recipes, though none of them belonged to the smoke branch, they were mostly comparable to even the legendary Redsand Dehydrator created by the smoke branch.

Alright.
Said Ye Chong, his back straightened, the stick to the ground,
You can have these formula.
One last glance at the perplexed man, then he turned away, with Ye Luo hurriedly followed on one gesture.

H-how could you! Every formula of smoke branch is stored in this pendant!
Somehow a shocking fact was squeezed out of the confused man’s lips, that he regretted it immediately after. He felt he must be the most foolish apprentice in the entire world.
Ye Chong gave a long stare at Guang Wei, whose face was drained by then. He had just remembered that this monosyllabic man was the notorious alchemist of destruction, that it would merely take the alchemist a drop of flask to kill him.
The hell I said? Why must I be so foolish?
He closed his eyes, gulping frantically, bidding a hectic farewell to everybody he knew in his mind.
But the supposed pain did not arrive.

Here’s some Redsand, and 2 hallucinogens. Take them,
the voice rang coldly.
He opened his eyes to see the three flasks on the ground. The two men, the leader had disappeared…

Well, well, well. Never knew you are such a kind person, tsk, tsk, tsk,
teased Ye Luo, though he seemed very impressed of Ye Chong’s kindness, since not everyone would be able to give away such precious on a whim.
Ye Chong continued walking.
Ironically, little he knew that, the kindness he bestowed had changed the entire alchemy field on Dankwood. In 10 years or so, the smoke branch had ascended as the strongest branch on Dankwood, and Guang Wei held tremendous gratitude towards this mysterious alchemist, that he despised the heartless Fei Lidu and spent the rest of his life pressuring the Incense branch.
…(Inside the spaceship at somewhere else)…
The cluster of stars seemed gorgeous on the current course, as Ye Yin stood before the opened window. His face was stern, cold as if ice-crafted. One might assume the Ye family to be as physically unattractive as Ye Chong but that was not the case. Ye Yin was much more handsome than Ye Chong, taller than Ye Chong, fitter than Ye Chong too. He exuded a more unfriendly sense than Ye Chong, that he felt like an ice statue on top of the iceberg.
His long hair rested on his shoulders. His eyebrows were fine. His nose was well-proportioned that he looked like the typical handsome man of the fairytale. His partially-closed eyes were long and sharp at glances. His resting lips were as if part of the frozen.
People would walk by cautiously, as feared they would trigger an avalanche.
Ye Yin was assigned as the leader of the operation this time. Yes, the operation to bring Ye Chong home. He was well-aware that it would never be a friendly home-welcoming operation, it would feel more like a retrieval of something the family owned from the beginning. Well the authority stated to bring Ye Chong home alive. They did not show concern on how the said person would get to home.

Whacha thinkin?
A sweet voice rang by his ears. Jenny Ye was probably the only person who would not fear of Ye Yin’s coldness since they grew up together. They had been friends since childhood. And as a matter of fact, only three figures of the Ye family could do something to Ye Yin the iced – the leader, Ye Juxing and as you would have probably guessed, Jenny.
Ye Yin’s gaze softened upon resting on the face he recognized.
Jenny was not an absolute beauty. She would probably be considered as slightly above the average in the lawn of the three aristocrats. She was very popular in the family nevertheless, because of her gentle nature and a heart of gold.
You would have thought Ye Yin and Jenny Ye would make a perfect couple, sadly, that was not the case as long as the marriage rules enforced, not even Ye Yin the great could be the exception.
But nobody would want to hit on Jenny because of their known relationship. And Jenny worked hard to improve herself in order to remain by Ye Yin’s side. She was also a pilot after all, a great one too, even though she lacked actual practice. Fortunately, the leader and Ye Juxing were loving enough to frequently arrange missions for both of them.

This is like the… fifth mission we are together?
asked Ye Yin softly.
Well the iced man had just spoken with the gentlest voice of the XY population, it would be a jaw-dropping moment if there was spectator.

Yup!
Jenny smiled sweetly. Her smile somehow melted the heart of Ye Yin.
It was silence afterwards as both of them stood next to each other, looking at the stars.

We have arrived at the free space zone, sir!
One pilot rushed in to report, as realizing he had probably spoiled the moment.

Mhm.
The heart was frozen again, as he responded flatly,
Inform the rest to inspect all units before departure.
He did not turn as he spoke.

Yes sir!

And Jenny seemed to be fairly captivated by the firm linings on Ye Yin’s physique.
… (Meanwhile back to Ye Chong)…
Ziingggggg…
The dimensional keystone of Moon King vibrated.
Ye Chong held his steps.

What’s wrong?
asked Ye Luo.
Ye Chong lifted his right hand, revealing the dark glossy bracelet. That was the keystone of Moon King. A fine craft, with pieces of leaves over the curve, that one could even see the patterns on the leaves. An elegant design. Ye Luo did not appreciate the beauty however,
No man would wear that!
Ye Luo used to have it in front of his chest but well Ye Chong still preferred it over his wrist. That was what the design was for after all.

It’s vibrating…


What? That means there’s message from the family. Let me see that.
Ye Luo was curious,
Why there’s a message now? Was it because of the Abductor?
He did report the family on the incident of the Abductor and well, Ye Chong too…

It should be about something,
he said. Well, the case of the Abductor was more action-worthy than Ye Chong, that was what he thought though.
Chapter 393: Ye Luo’s Proposition
oth of them sneaked out of Abyss City right away.
The message was that effective on grabbing both of their attention.
The message was rather brief yet it was a full-fledged alert, that caused almost-strained expression on Ye Luo’s face, while Ye Chong looked only a little sterner than usual nonetheless.

How? Just how?
asked Ye Luo as he depressingly looked at Ye Chong. Te message basically requested Ye Luo’s assistance in
escorting
the lost descendant. And he was not stupid and was fully aware of the underlying meaning.
Ye Luo could not figure however, Ye Chong being the top priority to the family.
Ye Chong frowned, especially after discerning that one name on the list – Ye Yin, the top fighter of Ye family, being the leader of the operation this time. Such a brilliant timing he thought, that he was all alone in free space zone and would be fighting against a massive army of well-trained pilots.
Ye Chong’s gaze was frigid. He was not one who liked one’s fate to be manipulated by people and not in such manner, most importantly. He had been resistant in becoming part of the filthy aristocrats like Ye family. Who cares if he might be related to the family from any perspective, he would not join them, he would never be joining them.
And Ye Chong got very much irritated. An unknown rage brewed inside him!
The reasons why Ye Chong had been working hard improving himself were, first to seek survival, second to dominate his own life, those were his limits, the ultimate goal of his life, but there must be somebody or some group in his way!
How could he not be mad?
As time passed Ye Chong had changed. There was development in his strength, as well as in his personality. That competitiveness started to appear in his soul, that he would never let somebody to take charge of his life!
Ye Chong did not thrash the place out of rage. Instead, he grew more rational, even crueler, to figure out a way to guard his losing freedom.
Ye Luo smiled bitterly at the angered beast, wondering why the leader of his family would take such extreme measure in capturing it. Was Ye Chong really this important that an expedition had to be formed to get him back? He doubted it, he truly suspected it but he was convinced by his father’s sense, well, since this operation would never initiate without his father’s permission.
And thanks to this sudden operation, he was on the fence.
Ye Chong turned to Ye Luo and remained silent, his cold gaze was expecting a clarification of some sort from the unofficial representative of Ye family.

Don’t look at me,
shrugged Ye Luo,
I am too busy for this. I had given you my Moon King, and I saw nothing. Yup, saw nothing on the bracelet at all.
Ye Luo carried on mischievously,
Hah! Ye Yin is a pain in my eyes. Chong, please, be my guest, teach him a lesson. Also, you would probably be stuck behind the walls once you get ‘invited’ back to your home. You won’t be smiling if you are staying in the lawn everyday.

Ye Chong felt relieved for some reason.
Practically, Ye Luo could do him no harm on this. If Ye Luo would choose the family over Ye Chong and pick a fight with him, Ye Luo was about the same standard as Ye Chong. Ye Chong knew it well after the few brief matches they had together in the last few days. Moreover, Ye Chong had a mech, so it would not be hard to eliminate Ye Luo if things went wrong.
However he refused to fight Ye Luo, for some reason, probably because Ye Luo was the person who gave him Moon King. Thought Ye Chong as he picked an excuse to rationalize his perception.

Oh, right, almost forgot,
Ye Luo remembered something,
The Moon King is installed with an automatic identification device. We got to tweak that, in a way they would not find you out immediately. Well, though I think they haven’t know the fact that you own the Moon King now. The device allows Moon King to identify the other mechs from my home, the fun part is, you can easily obtain their information as long as they are of a lower rank than Moon King. Hah! If that happens, just be the catfish. They surely would not notice. It would be an impeccable camouflage, well, except if you encounter Ye Yin. I can’t help you on that. Good luck with him if you did meet him by all means. Oh, one last thing, most importantly, assuming you ever get caught, don’t tell them that you got these information from me!
Said Ye Luo gleefully, with grace on his childish face. It was a smile of unstoppable freedom.
Ye Chong felt something warm in his heart, but he said nothing.

With their speed, they should be arriving Dankwood in no time. So you should leave as soon as possible,
pondered Ye Luo with his head tilted.

Leave Dankwood?
asked Ye Chong.

Yup,
Ye Luo nodded as he formed a proposition for Ye Chong.
Dankwood is not a big planet to begin with. It would only be a matter of time till they get to you. But if you sneaked your way out of Dankwood, they would not be able to track you straight away.


How do I leave? Do I board Moon King?
Ye Luo’s proposition made perfect sense, Ye Chong then further inquired with interest.

Don’t think about Moon King. You can’t do a space-jump with that. Well, I did hear Xue Lai’s Brahmara has the specs to perform a good space-jump. But well, we need to have a Plan B, a more plausible plan. Hmmm…,
Ye Luo reminisced the records,
Hm, there are two spaceships on Dankwood, one at Han family, another at the Renlo tribe.

Ye Chong gave a nod, Huang Baiyi did mention similar things before.

Well for Han family, you could forget about them. We did help them out twice this time, but they aren’t the kind who would return the favor on situation like this. No doubt they might accept our request for help, but you would be right out of the bag if that happens.
He lifted his head and gave a straight gaze at Ye Chong, shrugged again,
Don’t think that those magical make-ups of yours could help. Yes, you could use those makeover fantasy to deceive most people, except for Ye Yin. I can 100% guarantee on that, you won’t be able to hide your way out of Ye Yin’s grip. He’s just downright horrid.

Ye Yin huh? The top fighter of Ye family had such ability? It gave Ye Chong extra horror the fact that this man could win over Ye Luo’s
compliment
.

So you are left with the Renlos. Fortunately their defense isn’t as strong as the Han’s. You have Moon King, it should not be a problem to sneak in. I am not sure if they are on the move at the moment. Just go back to Han family if they doesn’t click for you,
proposed Ye Luo, gleefully again on his next elaboration,
… since I know where both families parked their rides.

…
Moon King hovered silently in the dark sky.
Ye Chong observed the hologram projection carefully inside his cabin. Ye Luo left right after he had guided Ye Chong the way there. He did not intend to join Ye Chong’s big runaway apparently
Ye Luo, before leaving for good, had a glance at the residence of the Renlos,
Chong, you have my Moon King. Please, by all means, do hold them longer,
he mumbled.
You will never like Ye family. I’ll be happier too the longer you hold, hehehehe…

Then he became calm, with fingers rubbing his chin,
Should I leave as well? I had seen enough experts on this planet, I should leave too, hah, mhm, I’ll go Han family.

He smiled and ran away promptly.
The Renlo actually had quite a formidable defense, that it would be a chore to infiltrate without a mech. But Ye Chong had Moon King, so it would be a pice of cake.
He watched and memorized the layout of the area completely.
A sudden leap, a sudden sink, like a phantom Ye Chong traveled inside Moon King. He made his way into the spaceship without alarming the guards.
The spaceship was probably the most ancient model Ye Chong had ever seen, that he seriously doubted if the model was a pioneer model from the early era of interstellar travels.
The circuits could be seen everywhere. They were fully exposed on every tile. Well, it felt like an antique Ye Chong was in, since such circuit-formation technique had already joined Trash Planet decades ago. The current leading technique had was much more matured since it allowed an integration of the circuit networks inside the body. Other than this, the ship was wholly made out of metals. Ye Chong could not identify any material that was light and durable.
He ventured deeper into the ship to be welcomed by a shroud of metallic smell. There was no processor, a kind of giant device with dense electronic circuits was found instead.
Ye Chong had no time to act all fascinated by the primitiveness of this spaceship, as he had already perceived footsteps approaching him!

Like dude, how many times had we conducted an operation in these 6 months? I am getting crazy soon!
a young voice ranted.

Shh, don’t spit it so loud. If the manager heard this, you are very much done-for.

They seemed to be pushing something towards Ye Chong, since Ye Chong heard the wheels rolling on the floor.

I don’t care if the manager heard this!
But the young voice seemed to have softened drastically. This manager was seemingly someone they should not cross.
Like seriously, we used to go on an operation once or twice a year at most! And look what we are doing now! All the operations nonstop for 6 bloody months! I had forgotten how my house looks now!


I must agree it has gotten a bit too frequent recently. Our brothers had gotten tired. And I too, felt truly worn out by this.

The voices had gotten closer and Ye Chong quickly took a look at the place, he got to find an escape path as soon as possible. And he spotted a door not far from him. He then tiptoed into the door with his back lowered.
It looked like a storage, with all sort of boxes there. A joyful sight to Ye Chong, the storage would be a perfect place for hiding! Without hesitation he picked a corner and curved into the box.
It was a good timing as the two persons got into the storage right after he hid himself. Through the gap, Ye Chong could see them sending the similar metallic case into the storage.

We must tell the manager.


You tell it then, you are the senior here.


Nah, the junior does the work for junior.


What do you mean…?
The voice trailed off as they left the room.
The metallic door was shut tight.
Perfect…
Ye Chong rested at the corner after ensuring his safety, as he began recollecting his thoughts.
But something happened that his thoughts got disrupted.
His body began shivering helplessly.
Was it me or the room got much colder than before?
Chapter 394: Falling Sick
mn! The room was actually a freezer. He was inside an actual freezer! Ye Chong quickly rummaged through the boxes in the room, and found them all to be filled with food.
The temperature was dropping fast. Ye Chong felt like he was in the dead of winter.
No! If he did not leave this place soon, his body will quickly lose warmth. Having a strong body did not mean he was immortal. Ye Chong had studied biology before, and knew that if he stayed put, he would not be able to hold on for long. The cells in his body would die from losing too much heat.
He walked towards the metal door carefully, and listened for any sounds outside. No one was outside. It seemed that the situation was not too severe yet.
He pushed the door with his hand, but the metal door did not even budge.
Ye Chong felt his heart turn colder, and not because of freezer. The door was locked from outside! Ye Chong tried pushing harder, but the door did not move at all.
It looked like he would need his dagger. Ye Chong took out his dagger and operated on the metal door. The dagger’s edge was very sharp, and cutting his way out should not be too difficult.
Just as the dagger’s sharp edge touched the metal door, Ye Chong abruptly stopped. His mind was racing!
Using brute force to make his way out would not be too difficult, but it would leave tracks. This was a food storage room, which meant that the crew would definitely visit the place some time during their journey. They would notice the damage he caused and be alarmed, possibly even conducting a full search on the entire starship.
Ye Chong had intended to leave Dankwood planet undetected. If he forced his way out, that would be definitely achieved. If he left any tracks, the Ye Family’s absurdly powerful intel would definitely allow them to find him easily.
After a long moment’s thought, Ye Chong returned his dagger to its sheath. After all, he could always use it later when the situation demanded it.
This was a freezer storage room for food. The crew would come here to get more food when the time comes. He could wait for a better opportunity to escape, instead of forcing his way out.
With this decision in mind, Ye Chong calmed down and returned to his corner to sit down, with the wooden spear by his side. The alchemy materials and raw ingredients in the wooden box were already mostly exhausted from recent battles. After giving some to Guang Wei, there was also not much medicine left. In the end, Ye Chong bundled everything into a pouch he bought in Abyss City, together with the reward that Han Yue had given him.
When Ye Luo saw him producing so much money from the box, the man was stunned. Han Yue had rewarded Ye Chong with a huge sum that even someone as wealthy as Ye Luo felt envious about it. Ye Luo had teased Han Yue for being unfair by paying Ye Chong so much and paying nothing to him, despite both of them helping Han Yue.
There were 30 small green metallic rods, all thick as a thumb, with their surface etched with some intricate patterns. Aside from the emerald colored exterior, Ye Chong did not find anything particularly valuable about these metallic rods. He had never seen this kind of metal before, but he had no devices at hand to analyze them.
Ye Luo called them tilia crystal rods, and each of them represented a huge sum of money. As for how much they were really worth, Ye Chong had no idea. The tilia crystal rods were made of very hard material, it was no wonder they were a form of high value currency. When Ye Chong took out half of the tilia crystal rods and offered them to Ye Luo, he grinned and declined them.
If only Mu and Shang were here, then he could just pass all these things to them for safekeeping, and not worry about them himself.
Now that he thought about it, Mu and Shang were the only mech Ye Chong had seen that could store objects in the alternate dimension.
As Ye Chong sat down, feeling more composed, he began to think.
Once he escaped, he would once again be separated from Rui Bing and the rest. Reuniting with them would not be so easy anymore. He felt a sense of loss, but there was nothing he could do about it. Ye Luo was right. Staying on Dankwood planet was too dangerous for him. Besides, he could not find out anything about their current situation and whereabouts, and it was almost impossible for him to sought them out.
On the other hand, if he could really find them, it was not necessarily a good thing. Against a strong force like Ye Yin, Rui Bing and the rest would constantly be in danger, and he would also be more restricted in his options. It was after considering all these that Ye Chong finally decided to leave Dankwood planet.
In any case, he should prioritize on surviving first, so that he may live to meet with the rest in the future. Ye Chong made his plans with cold calculations, unaffected by his emotions.
Fate was unpredictable. Comrades who were with him today might be forever out of reach the day after. Ye Chong was not a sentimental kind of guy, but he could not help but sigh. Usually, such emotions were impossible to find in him, since he was already used to being strong and alone. However, he was still human, and a young 20-over-year-old one at that.
Ye Chong sighed quietly, and thought of Mu and Shang. Abruptly, he was struck with a deep feeling of longing for Mu and Shang!

Mu, Shang, where are you?
The young man’s weak mutterings resonated clearly in the cold freezer.
Ye Chong was falling sick! He was sure of it. This was already the 15th hour in the freezer! His patience had led him towards this quandary.
He had been to many planets, but none of them as cold as this freezer. In the Five Galaxies, any decent clothing would have thermostats, and people rarely fell sick because of the weather. Now, Ye Chong was only wearing clothing made of plain plant fibre, given to him by the Mayor back in Emerald City. Dankwood planet did not have seasons, but was comfortably warm throughout the year, so Ye Chong did not wear thick clothing.
Instead, Ye Chong had chosen light clothing for convenience.
As for temperature, Ye Chong was not quite familiar with the idea of it. He only knew that it was very, very cold right now! If no one visited soon, he would decide to force his way out.
He may not be a doctor, but he was quite sensitive of the condition of his body. He could feel his himself growing weaker, and his stamina was depleting very quickly.
If this continued, his situation would become very dangerous!
Ye Chong had always taken his health seriously. Back on the trash planet, he lacked medical supplies, so falling sick was risky business. Moreover, since Ye Chong’s body was always robust, he seldom fell sick.
Even so, he had never spent so much time at such a low temperature. His emotional troubles did not help him too. All of these factors finally led to him falling sick!
Cold! His entire body was cold! Ye Chong shuddered. His situation was at an absolute worst. His body was weak, and he could no longer remain clear headed. Ye Chong’s strong body did not help him against the extreme cold.
Just when Ye Chong was about to force his way out, he heard footsteps from outside.
Ye Chong could feel his body weakening, but his mind was still working. He quickly hid back into his corner. He could feel his movements slowing down, but could only smile wryly at himself.
Ching! That was the sound of a mechanical door unlocking, and the door opened.
A man stepped inside, and shuddered as he entered the freezer, muttering,
So cold! Who turned down the temperature so much?
He shook his head and headed towards one of the metallic boxes in the corner. He opened the lid and bent over to rummage over its contents.
The man had his back towards Ye Chong.
How could Ye Chong miss this hard won opportunity? Despite his clouding mind and shaking body, Ye Chong’s rationale told him that this was not an opportunity to be missed!
Ye Chong bent down to pick up his wooden spear, and tried his best to control his numbing legs as he tiptoed past the man and escaped from the dmn freezer.
As he exited the freezer, the sudden rise in temperature nearly made Ye Chong stumble.
His vision was becoming blurry, and Ye Chong could feel his mind slipping. His body was weak, and he could not find his usual strength. He believed that even an average nobody could kill him easily right this moment.
His legs were so tired he could barely move them!
He must find a safe place quickly! Even with his condition, Ye Chong’s mind still retained a small degree of consciousness!
With his blurring eyesight, Ye Chong felt like he was flying!
If anyone saw Ye Chong right now, they would be very much surprised. Ye Chong was not moving as slow as he felt. On the contrary, he was still agile, and would even react evasively when he heard any sound around him.
However, Ye Chong was not aware of this.
He was focused on only one thing – finding a safe place!
He was now operating entirely on autopilot, and his evasive measures were only the result of his long honed battle instinct!
Ye Chong saw a door through his darkening vision, and made his way through the door without hesitation. He could feel himself almost at his limit!
Ye Chong tried to open his eyes to study the room he was in, but his eyes would not respond to his beckoning. No matter how he tried, his vision was gradually slipping away.
Darkness! Total darkness! Ye Chong found his vision completely engulfed by darkness.
Ye Chong did not know how he managed to hide himself in this darkness, but as he felt his whole body enveloped in this darkness, he finally felt relieved! He lost his final moments of consciousness, and blacked out with the wooden spear still firmly in his grip.
Chapter 395: Wei You’s Kindness
ei You finished everyone’s final checkups, ensuring that every crew member was fit for duty, and signed her name on their medical reports. After her long hours of work, she was exhausted. However, this was part of her job. With her job finished, she passed on instructions to the nurses working under her and returned to her room.
She was the medical officer in charge onboard this starship, and was responsible for the health of all crew members.
As the medical officer in charge, she had her own private cabin, unlike the nurses who worked under her. They had to bunk together, with a few of them in each cabin.
She opened the door and headed for her bed. The ship was about to depart, and she missed her own soft bed at home.
Suddenly, she saw a stick, a black colored one, extending out from under her bed.
She could not help but frowned. Who’s idea of a joke was this? What a bunch of morons! She felt a little angry.
Space travels were long and dull, and crew members often felt the stress from their journeys, which could lead to psychological issues. Besides, this starship was mostly run by strong and healthy men. This was probably the work of some sex deprived bstard.
Wei You humphed coldly. She had her standards, and could not care for such vulgar men.

Come out, or I’ll report you to the Captain!
Wei You yelled. The captain was interested in her, so the rest of the crew would usually stay clear of her. While she did not reciprocate his interest, it was still a useful form of protection.
No reply came from under her bed.

Are you looking forward to the brig?
Wei You said this more coldly, her eyes reflecting her determination.
Still, there was no reply.
Wei You groaned. Could this man really be that bold? Or was there no one underneath her bed at all?
Wei You bent down to look.

Ah!
She could not help but gasp.
There was a man lying underneath her bed!
Just then, the ship’s broadcast system came to live.
Attention all crew members, attention all crew members, this starship will depart in five minutes.

The man was unconscious. Wei You could tell from her professional experience that he was ill! The countdown for departure had already begun, and she can no longer send this man out of the ship.
Wei Yuan’s fear was much diminished when she learned that this man was only a patient. As a professional and excellent medical officer, she immediately calmed down when it came to matters of her specialty.
Wei You pulled the man out from under her bed, and it was not as difficult as she had expected. The man was lighter than she thought. With such a thin body, he must be physically fragile, it was no wonder that he fell sick! Wei You drew this natural conclusion.

Who’s this?
Wei You looked at his face and frowned again. How did he get onboard? The ship’s security was tight, she recalled. Besides, her ship was docked right in the center of the Tribe’s territory. Outsiders would never be able to reach this place, much less board the ship.
However, Wei You did not worry about it further. She was only a medical officer, and her duty was to tend to her patients. She performed all the routine checkups on the man with ease.

So he caught a cold?
Wei You nearly laughed out loud after finishing the checkup. Illnesses like this were usually found only in older people. For the average healthy person, it was nearly impossible to catch a cold. Even for women, people seldom fell sick because of the weather.
This man must be really weak! Most people in the free space zone had to undergo combat training since young, and developed strong bodies later in life.
Right now, she was no longer on guard against this man lying on the floor. She was a medical officer, but she had undergone combat training herself, and did well in it compared to other medical officers. She could probably deal with this weakling in no time.
As she administered suitable medication for this weak man, Wei You began to study her unconscious patient.
The man was very thin that she suspected chronic malnutrition. His looks were average, nothing eye-catching about him. However, Wei You found it bizarre that the man, even unconscious, was holding tightly onto a wooden stick.
Oh, not a wooden stick,
Wei Yuan noted to herself as she found the stick to be a spear.
A combat expert? Could he be a combat expert? However, this weakling combat expert was probably no use at all! Wei You shook her head, laughing at the thought. Her moist, red lips curved up into a thin smile.
With his weak condition, he would probably need a few days to wake up. Wei You pondered to herself.

Mu … Shang …
The man muttered incoherently. His soft voice broke Wei You’s thoughts, and she reached to feel for his forehead. Once again, she frowned. The man had a high fever!
What a stupidly weak man! Wei You looked at the man on the floor helplessly with some condescension, but dutifully administered the necessary medication for him .
The sudden vibration under her feet told her that the ship was already airborne.

What should I do with you?
Wei You rested her smooth chin on her fair skinned arms as she studied the unconscious man lying on the floor.
Should she hand him over to the Captain? This seemed to be the best solution. However, she did not feel like seeing the Captain. She felt disconcerted every time his fervent eyes met hers.

I should help him recover first,
Wei You told herself. The man seemed so weak. So long as she was cautious, there should be no danger to her.
The man on the floor uttered the occasional incoherent word or two, his forehead still burning unnaturally hot.
Ye Chong’s illness was more serious than Wei You had expected. All this while, Ye Chong had been operating under extreme stress, as he always kept his guard up high. Ever since he left the trash planet, he had been living in this condition.
No matter how strong or cold of a person he was, he was only human!
Despite his strong physique, this sudden illness triggered by freezing temperatures had snowballed into a serious condition. The seemingly benign cause of illness had led to a chain reaction, and Ye Chong’s mental endurance finally yielded to the pressure.
It was now the fifth day!
The man’s fever had subsided, but he was still unconscious. If Wei You was not certain of the cause of the man’s illness, she might just begin to doubt her own abilities.
The man’s physical condition was deplorable! Even someone who was born weak should have awaken by now. How could this person still be unconscious?
She felt grateful for the fact that none of the crew members were this weak, or she would have to stay as close to that person as possible to monitor his lifestyle. A man like him would be nothing more than a waste of space!
Just then, a knock came from the door.
Wei You jolted in surprise, and quickly stuffed the man back underneath her bed. She wondered what the story was with this man, who still held on tightly to his wooden spear in his unconscious state. Wei You had tried to relieve him of his weapon, but no matter how she tried, she could not get the spear out of his hands.

Cursed wooden stick!
Wei Yu cursed the weapon, which was difficult to hide one way or another. Sweat began to form on her forehead. If anyone found out that she was hiding away someone in her cabin …
And if they found that person was a man …
Wei You suddenly realized that not reporting her findings to the Captain immediately back then was a terrible mistake, placing her in a very difficult position.
The knock came again.
She looked back at her bed, saw nothing was amiss, and sighed in relief.
Looking into the mirror, she breathed in deeply for a few times, calming herself down, and assumed her no-nonsense face.
Wei You opened the door.
As expected, it was the Captain.

Can I help you?
Wei You asked coldly.
The Captain was young, at only 29 years old. Usually, an important position like this would not be given to such a young person. However, this young man had stood out among the other candidates with overwhelming superiority, and had finally gotten the job. The other candidates had all accepted his success without apprehension.
His name was Ren Zeri. Not only was he one of the famous elites of the younger generation in the Renlo Tribe, he was also clear headed and unconventional in his methods, with a wide variety of tricks up his sleeves. Witnessing his handsome presence, Wei You felt an illogical sense of aversion. She knew that the Captain was the dream lover of the nurses on this starship. Every day, past his working hours, the Captain would be surrounded by women for company.
Ren Zeri always had an unreadable smile on his face, with mesmerizing eyes like the stars in the night sky. This was the pair of eyes that many ladies described as
electrifying
. This was the pair of eyes that Wei You always felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding every time she looked into them.
Perhaps this was why she could not accept his advances.
Ren Zeri leaned against the door, used to Wei You’s coldness. He smiled sweetly as he said,
It’s my break now, and my schedule’s empty, so I thought of asking our excellent medical officer out for a drink. What do you think?
He then leaned in conspiratorially and whispered,
Mo said that he has some Aoyuzu Fragrantica. It’s a rare opportunity, let’s go have a try!

Aoyuzu Fragrantica … Wei You could no help but felt her resolution weaken. As a doctor, she knew that Aoyuzu Fragrantica tasted exquisite, and had cosmetic benefits as well. However, it was a high class luxury item produced in small amounts, and almost impossible to find in the open market.
Every woman has a deep yearning for beauty, and Wei You was no exception.
However, the image of that unconscious man in her room came to mind unrestrained, and Aoyuzu Fragrantica did not seem so attractive anymore.
Just as she was about to decline his invitation, Ren Zeri’s expression changed to one of bafflement, tilting his head as though he was listening to something.
She felt her heart skip a beat!
Chapter 396: Coldness Underneath His Disguise
Who’s in there?
Ren Zeri asked in a low voice.

What are you talking about?
Wei You spoke with forced calmness, but was betrayed by the panic shown in her eyes.
Ren Zeri forced his way through the door. He heard it clearly, the sound of another person’s breathing in the cabin. As an elite of the Renlo Tribe’s younger generation, he was confident of his hearing.
He saw no one else in the cabin, but Wei You’s panicked expression told him that there must be something amiss.
He stood at ready and focused on listening. Immediately, he heard a soft sound of breathing from underneath the bed.

Humph!
He exclaimed coldly. To think that someone else would dare to aim for his target! He felt a rising anger in him. Ren Zeri’s interest in Wei You was not announced in public, but mostly everyone on the starship knew about it. That was why no one dared to make their advances on Wei You.
How dare he!

Don’t hide now! Come out!
Ren Zeri said to the person underneath the bed. His expression was grim, and his eyes were now chilling instead of mesmerizing.
How dare you! Ren Zeri felt his fury rising even more. What angered him most was the fact that Wei You had chosen to protect this man. He had always treated her well, but she never cared for him, and now she was protecting another man! How could he not see red?
No reply came from underneath the bed.
Ren Zeri ridiculed him further,
What’s the matter? Getting cowardly are you? I’d like to see how it is who’d dare to steal my woman!

Wei You, who was panicking as she watched from the side, now blushed at his words and cried,
Please mind your words!

Ren Zeri ignored her protest and fixed his eyes at the bed.
There was still no response from underneath the bed.
Ren Zeri could stand no longer and bent down to look underneath.
A man, as expected! Ren Zeri nearly went berserk. Wei You had hidden a man in her cabin! The sight pained him deeply. Reality had delivered a huge blow to Ren Zeri’s ego. That was why he did not notice that the man was actually unconscious.
Ren Zeri dragged Ye Chong carelessly out from underneath the bed.

What are you doing?
Seeing Ren Zeri’s rough treatment of her patient, Wei You could not help but protest loudly.
Ren Zeri noticed then that the man was not actually a crew member, and he was in an unconscious state.

Huh?
He gasped, and asked lowly,
Who is this?


I don’t know.
Wei You hated Ren Zeri a lot, but considering he was Captain, she still answered truthfully.

You don’t know?
Ren Zeri returned the question mockingly.
Then why are you hiding him under your bed?

Wei You did not know herself.
I don’t know how he got onto the ship. He’s caught a cold, and is currently unconscious.


Haha! Knocked out because of a cold?
Ren Zeri was first stunned by her words, then laughed at them.
Why are you hiding a useless weakling like him under your bed like he’s someone precious?
Inhabitants of the free space zone were all strong and healthy, and would never catch a cold like that.
Wei You agreed with his assessment of the man’s weak condition, but Ren Zeri’s words grated on her still, and she humphed coldly and looked away.
Ren Zeri continued mocking,
What a piece of trash. Without your help, how could he have boarded this ship? I didn’t think that our respectable medical officer, Wei You, would fall in love with such a useless man! Tsk tsk, what a surprise!

Ren Zeri’s degrading words about her patient and his assumption of her patient’s relationship with her angered Wei You.
Please mind your manners. My taste in men is none of your business.

Wei You feel threatened by her Captain’s craziness. She decided then that upon completing their current mission, she would make a formal request to leave this ship.
Ren Zeri laughed as he anger peaked.
Haha, none of my business, none of my business indeed!
He stopped laughing abruptly and switched into a nastier tone as he said,
My dear medical officer, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten that anyone who did not board this ship by proper procedure can be killed outright by crew member! And you, hehe, have hidden away an illegal stowaway, and assisted a terrorist in boarding this ship. Oh, right, this useless trash can’t be considered a terrorist.


You …
Wei You’s face paled. She would never be able to clear her name. The consequences of the charges against her were severe. Once Ren Zeri reported this to the ones upstairs, she would face a terrible fate.

Well?
Ren Zeri raised his brows and walked to Wei You. He lifted her beautiful but unnaturally pale face and said,
Am I right? It’s not just you, but your parents and your siblings will all be involved. They will face strict interrogations, and have a bleak future ahead of them. They will never rise in their ranks again. They will be treated with disgust and ridicule by the masses. All of this, just because of you, my beautiful medical officer!

Shedding his everyday disguise, Ren Zeri’s words came through cruelly and without emotion. His every word hammered down onto Wei You’s heart. Her face grew paler as she listened to his grand speech.
With his fingers tracing her smooth chin, Ren Zeri saw the fear growing in the woman’s eyes and felt a rush of ecstasy!
His long hunt for his prey was finally over. Coldness and madness flashed in his eyes!
He knew that this woman would never escape from him again. From now onwards, she would always be his! He laughed madly inside at the thought.
However, he was not going to let her off so easily.

You must realize your situation fully now. That’s right, why keep a useless trash like him? You have your family and your bright future to think about! A trash like him is of no value to you, so just kill him! It doesn’t matter how you do it. As long as you kill him, it will be like nothing ever happened!

Ren Zeri stoked her smooth chin, his gentle voice radiating cruelty.

No …
Wei You declined out of instinct. She was a doctor, trained to save lives. Killing someone, and an unconscious patient at that, was impossible for her.
He felt Wei You’s vulnerable body quivering as she struggled helplessly. Ren Zeri smiled a thin, cold smile.

Don’t worry, it’s but an easy matter. He’s unconscious now. When you kill him, he won’t feel a thing! Besides, as long as you kill him, I won’t tell on you, and you’ll be free.
Ren Zeri’s words were full of persuasion.
Wei You trembled even more. Ren Zeri did not speak as he savored the results of his efforts.
Wei You closed her eyes, losing her last bit of hope.

Kill him!
Ren Zeri uttered these two words slowly but clearly, and Wei You shuddered.
Wham!
A muffled sound came without warning. Ren Zeri felt a sharp pain on his side, and his body was flying backwards in the next moment like he was hit by a hammer. He crashed loudly on the wall behind him, and slumped to the floor.
Wei You only felt the hand lifting her chin slid away through her closed eyes.
She opened her eyes wide and saw another pair of cold eyes.
Ignoring Wei You’s surprise, Ye Chong shook his limbs, testing them. After staying down for so long, it was only natural for him to feel unnatural to movement.
He heard the conversation between the two clearly, and could make out the situation they were all in.

You saved me?
Ye Chong asked, his voice hoarse.
Wei You dumbly stared at Ye Chong , entirely caught off guard.
No quick answer was going to come from Wei You, so Ye Chong directed his attention towards the man who had tried to persuade her to kill him.
He had attacked with the blunt end of his wooden spear, but it was a heavy blow. The man would not survive without a broken bone or three.
Ye Chong walked to Ren Zeri, who was now lying in an unconscious heap against the wall. Ye Chong’s attacks always ended in some form of injury or death. He did not intend to kill Ren Zeri yet, so he did not go all out. However, it was enough to seriously injure the man, for he did not have Ye Chong’s strong physique.

Ah!
Wei You gasped, awake from her daze. Ye Chong frowned as he looked to her, and Wei You quickly covered her mouth.
Her bright eyes were not filled with surprise and curiosity, mixed with lesser bits of fear and loss.
To think that a weakling like him could be so strong! It was unthinkable!
Ye Chong trained his eyes away. The woman was his savior, after all, and he would at least be courteous to her. He looked back at Ren Zeri and began to search him.
Wei You watched as the man searched Ren Zeri and removed all of his belongings. She suspected that this seemingly fragile man was actually a thief by trade.
Poor Ren Zeri. He had nothing on him now except for his underpants.
Just below his chest, a part of his body collapsed inwards, where his rib cage suffered some broken bones. By Wei You’s professional assessment, Ren Zeri had at least three broken ribs, and they were probably reduced to numerous fragments.
Ye Chong’s blow had nearly killed Ren Zeri.
Chapter 397: The Power of Useless Trash
ei You looked at Ren Zeri, and could not help but felt pity and sympathy for him.
However, it was obvious that Ye Chong did not share her sentiment. This was the bstard who had coerced the woman to kill him. Still, Ye Chong did not want to kill him, since it would be more troublesome. He reached for the collapsed part of Ren Zeri’s body and poked.
Wei You’s face twitched at his action.
Ren Zeri felt it immediately and cried out in pain.

If you don’t want to die, please stay quiet.
Ye Chong’s voice was as cold as a winter breeze, which made Ren Zeri understood his situation immediately.
He looked at the seemingly fragile young man before him in fear, his face drained of blood. The pain in his side told him exactly how strong this young man was! Funnily, he had thought the man was but a useless piece of trash!
He decided to do exactly as told and shut up. He did not want to die, and from the cold look in the other party’s eyes, he knew that the man would have no qualms in killing him.
Who was this young man? Was he from the the Tribe? He had never heard of such a strong person in the Tribe! Ren Zeri was not quite as strong as Ye Chong, but he could at least read his opponent’s ability well.

Are you the captain of this starship?
Ye Chong asked.
Ren Zeri nodded quickly and said,
Yes!
He knew which way the wind blowed, and that his life was in the hands of this man. They were not an even match at all. This man was so strong that it was almost unimaginable. In this closed space in the starship, the man could obliterate every single crew member onboard single handedly.
He was certain that the man was not out of his mind. From the look in his eyes, the young man had an extraordinary calmness in him. People like these are terrifying. They could always analyze their surroundings, taking into account all the factors at play, and would seldom make mistakes out of being emotional. The truth was, this kind of coolness was something Ren Zeri had always strived for. Unfortunately, he realized that he was light years away from this young man in this regard.
If this young man killed everyone onboard, he would only condemn himself to being trapped in outer space all by himself. Ren Zeri believed that the man was definitely aware of this.
Hence, what he had to do now was to cooperate. Only then would he be able to increase his chances of survival, even though it was still ultimately out of his hands.

What’s your flight destination?
The question was important, and at the top of Ye Chong’s priority list.

Planet Guang Hua,
Ren Zeri answered honestly.

Guang Hua?
Ye Chong frowned in contemplation. The name was familiar, but not one he could put a finger on immediately.
Good thing his memory was excellent, and he quickly remembered where he had heard of it. On the chip Lunatic Guan had given him, Lunatic Guan had asked him to visit her home village once he finished his syllabus. Lunatic Guan’s home village, May’s Night Ridge was in a city called Line Shaft on Guang Hua planet. This Guang Hua planet that Ren Zeri was talking about might be the same planet as the one Lunatic Guan was referring to.

Is there a city called Line Shaft on Guang Hua?
Ye Chong asked Ren Zeri.

Line Shaft?
Ren Zeri looked puzzled. He shook his head and said,
I’m not sure. We always docked at Guang Hua for a very short time. If you’re going to any place on Guang Hua planet, I can find you a guide once we’ve arrived on that planet.

Wei You currently looked Ren Zeri and found it hard to believe what she was seeing. It was like a dream to her. This cool and rational Ren Zeri was completely different from the one moments earlier. The cruel and mad Ren Zeri had vanished without a trace.

How many days until then?
Ye Chong asked again.
Ren Zeri heard the young man’s voice relax, and he knew that his life was spared for the moment. He replied respectfully,
Our flight will take another 20 days.

Ye Chong began to do his own calculations. Just then, Ren Zeri asked,
Please, may I have my wounds treated?

Ye Chong could not help but look at him in a new light, and nodded in assent.
Ren Zeri turned to Wei You and spoke earnestly,
Doctor Wei You, sorry for the trouble!

For some reason, Wei You was deeply unsettled by this Ren Zeri. The young Captain’s expression had always been cold and emotionless, but somehow Wei You found this polite version of Ren Zeri a lot more dangerous.
Ye Chong took a glance a Wei You and spoke to Ren Zeri plainly,
Don’t have any funny ideas of your own, or I will kill you.
Ye Chong spoke without intonation, but one could discern the chilling threat behind his words.

Please don’t worry, I would not dare to risk my life!
At this moment, Ren Zeri was still able to manage a natural laugh, but this pulled on the muscles in his side, and his face contorted in response.
Wei You approached Ren Zeri cautiously. Too many things had happened today. She was only a medical officer, unused to situations like this, and now her mind was all over the place. No longer was she in her professional calmness. Now, she was just like a shocked little girl.
Ren Zeri smiled gently and said,
Doctor Wei You, please don’t be scared. I will not harm you, and besides, I can’t really harm you the way I am now!

With that, Wei You made her final few steps towards her new patient.
Everything on Ren Zeri was removed by Ye Chong. It was a precaution, and to prevent Ren Zeri from communicating with anyone else.
Perhaps it was due to her professional side taking over, but Wei You quickly recovered from her fright and began to inspect Ren Zeri’s wounds.
What horrifying strength! As Wei You studied his injuries, she was very much surprised. It was hard to tell from external symptoms that the injury was caused by a stick. Perhaps even a hammer could not do so much damage!
Three of the ribs were broken. The center one was nearly reduced to dust, while the other two were also broken at a few places. Wei You believed that the other bones in the vicinity probably suffered a few cracks as well, but that would have to be verified with professional equipment.
Fortunately, Wei You’s cabin was stocked with plenty of medicine, and Wei You herself was gentle in her treatment. Nevertheless, Ren Zeri was still white as a sheet from the pain, sweating profusely and groaning occasionally.
Soon, Wei You completed the treatment. By then, Ren Zeri was at the edge of collapsing, but he still maintained his composure.
As soon as she finished with her work, Wei You hid behind Ye Chong instinctively. This brought Ye Chong’s train of thought.

How long was I out for?


Five days,
Wei You replied in reflex.
Ye Chong looked straight at Wei You and asked,
You saved me?
This was the second time he asked this question.

Yes.
Wei You’s quiet answer was almost imperceptible.
Ye Chong turned back to Ren Zeri.
The Captain was in pain, but he was focused entirely on Ye Chong. He was surprised by the killing intent he saw in the man’s eyes. Was he going to kill him?
However, his sharp mind informed him quickly of the reason for Ye Chong’s killing intent.
From their conversation earlier, Ye Chong could tell that the woman had saved his life, and killing Ren Zeri would save her a lot of trouble in future. However, that would also leave a trace of his presence in the ship. The Renlo Tribe would never figure out who he was, but if the Ye Family found out about this incident, they would.
This was something Ye Chong was trying to avoid.
Understanding Ye Chong’s concern, Ren Zeri quickly made a vow,
Don’t worry, I will never threaten Ms Wei You again, I swear this in the name of my grandmother!

Wei You felt a huge weight lifted from her chest. In the free space zone, swearing in the name of one’s grandmother was something inviolable, and no one would go against their word in this case.
Ye Chong, however, did not believe in words. He believed in power. He would use his own methods to deal with this problem.
He remembered a trick Shang had taught him back on Blue Ocean. Perhaps he could try it out now. Unlike his previous experience, however, Shang had already learned all about the opponent back then.

Where does your family live? How many are there? What are their names? …
Ye Chong’s series of questions made Ren Zeri pale even further. He understood what Ye Chong was trying to do, but dared not utter a lie. Whenever he looked into the man’s cold eyes, his heart would squirm.
Ye Chong asked for every single detail. Since he was not exactly experienced in interrogation, he could only ask based on his experience. Ren Zeri spilled the beans, giving everything he knew about all his relatives, including their names, addresses and whatever tiny details he could think of.
After double checking his information for completeness, Ye Chong faced the two people around him and repeated every single piece of information that Ren Zeri had given him, word for word. Ren Zeri could no longer keep his calm, looking at Ye Chong like he was seeing the Devil himself.

I will crosscheck all of them.
Ye Chong’s flat announcement shattered the last ray of hope in Ren Zeri. He was now so infinitely grateful for not lying earlier. Many of the crew members on this ship could attest to the authenticity of the information he provided, and that was why he did not dare to lie. On the other hand, there was also Wei You right there, who knew much about him.
Now, he had completely given up on exacting revenge on Wei You.
Chapter 398: Predicament
0 days of flight was not too lengthy. For someone as used to space travel as Ye Chong, it was like a walk in the park. However, the ship was too technologically outdated and he was uncomfortable with the design. He stayed in Wei You’s cabin every single day. The rest of the crew were oblivious to the presence of a powerful combat expert on the ship. Of course, that was due to Ren Zeri’s cooperation.
Ren Zeri’s working hours dropped to its minimum, and the crew members watched him visit Wei You’s cabin very often.
It looked like the relationship between their Captain and Wei You was developing rapidly! Of course, this development was celebrated by some, and mourned by others. However, many of them were curious – how did their diligent Captain come to neglect his work out of love? That was not his style at all!
Nonetheless, no one was particularly unhappy with it. They had travelled this route many times, and it was a safe route. Their work was easy, and aside from avoiding the occasional asteroid in their path, there was not much to worry about during the flight.
Ren Zeri did all he was asked of, and did not make any funny moves. Everyday, when he looked into the terrible, emotionless eyes of that young man, any thoughts of betrayal would vanish without a trace. In the face of absolute power, he had no room for negotiation.
A strong person like him would be terrifying to deal with, especially now when they were face to face. He could not make out this young man. He had never heard of anyone like him. All the strong personalities that he recalled were not compatible with the young man. So young, but so strong – could only be the Congregation elite, Luo Shi, who fit the description. He had seen Luo Shi before, and this young man was nothing like him.
Nonetheless, all of this was not important. What was important was his own pitiful life.
The starship finally docked at Guang Hua, and all the crew members cheered with joy. As they finished unloading all the goods on their ship, they finally earned the three days of free time to themselves. The crew members all left the ship in good spirits, ready to put their time to good and proper use.
Ren Zeri, Wei You and Ye Chong were the last to disembark the ship.

Do you have any requests?
Ye Chong looked at Wei You and asked calmly,
As long as it is within my powers, I will do it to repay your deed of saving my life.

Wei You replied with respect,
I do not ask for much, I just hope that my family can be safe.
After all these days, she knew just how strong this seemingly fragile young man was!

Oh, that’s not too much to ask!
Ye Chong looked to Ren Zeri, and the latter barely suppressed a shudder.

Eat this.
Ye Chong produced a red pill from his pouch. He was not sure if his earlier threats would work. He was too inexperienced in this matter, and felt the need to take precautions.
Ren Zeri took the pill with trembling hands. He knew he had no choice in the matter as he swallowed it in one gulp.

Come over here,
Ye Chong waved to Wei You and said.
Wei You quickly stepped forward to Ye Chong’s side, and Ye Chong whispered for a while by her ear.
Ren Zeri could feel his heart palpitate like mad. Of course he knew that the red pill was no candy, and he could already guess what was coming for him.
As expected, Ye Chong said to him,
The pill you took just now is a slow acting poison. It’s not lethal, but you’ll need to take regular medication to control its symptoms. I’ve told her the formula for the medicine. She will prescribe it to you every half a year. I’m counting on you two the next time I return to Dankwood planet. If anything happens to her, your entire Tribe will face my wrath.

Ren Zeri’s face twitched, and quickly agreed to his terms.
Ye Chong’s final sentence was a clear threat. However, only he himself knew that it was pure gibberish. When would he return to Dankwood planet? Possibly never! No one understood better than him the wandering lifestyle that he was soon to embark on! However, for the sake of scaring Ren Zeri, he lied anyway. He believed that, with this degree of threatening, it would be highly unlikely for Ren Zeri to harm Wei You.
Wei You was also satisfied with the current arrangement.
He was a goner now for the rest of his life! Ren Zeri’s face was ashen, but there was nothing he could do!

Farewell, both of you!
Ye Chong disappeared like a ghost, further impressing the fear into Ren Zeri.
Ye Chong did not enter the nearest city, but instead flew Moon King for a few hundred kilometers before he settled down near another city.
In the middle of the night, Moon King landed silently on a clearing about 80 kilometers away from the nearest city. The holographic screen told Ye Chong that there was no one within 30 kilometers of him, so Ye Chong was not worried about being noticed.
He decided to enter the city the next day.
Out in the darkness of night, as he sat alone in the grassy plains, Ye Chong felt a deep sense of loneliness. He laughed out bitterly. Loneliness was something he had gotten used to. Despite the fact, he still felt strange every time he was alone.
He quickly suppressed this bout of emotions. He was used to employing the rational side of his mind to handle his sadness most of the time.
Could his episode of sickness caused him to grow weaker in the head?
Ye Chong laughed mocking at himself, and dismissed the thought. It was better to deal with more practical matters now. However, he soon found that he could not plan anything ahead, since he had no useful information at all.
Be it his aim to finding Mu and Shang, or searching for Rui Bing, he had no idea where to start with them. He did not even know how to return to the He Yue Galaxy, much less the Five Galaxies.
He should focus on surviving! That was the only aim that he could work on and plan ahead for now, and something he should definitely do first. He did not understand why the Ye Family would treat him like this, but he would not allow anyone to control his fate, not even the Ye Family, despite the fact that he was probably very closely related to the Ye Family!
He and he alone would determine his own fate!
Ye Chong analyzed his situation carefully. While the future was very much unclear, Ye Chong knew exactly what he must do now.
It was simple! He must prepare for any possible encounters with the Ye Family troops and fight for his own fate!
On the other hand, Ye Chong would never expect that the Ye Family was facing the same predicament. In fact, it was not just the Ye Family, but all the Three Aristocratic Families were having a tough time cracking their heads.
In the study of the Ye Family Patriarch, a few of the most important members of the Family were gathered. Ye Juxing, Ye Guangxing were there too, and the atmosphere was grim.

I believe you all understand our current situation. There’s no need for pleasantries now. The reason everyone is gathered here is to discuss the matter of allocating more manpower to Black Cove,
Ye Family’s reigning Patriarch looked around him and cut to the chase.
Ever since setting up Black Cove, the Ye Family had never sent out any large scale combat support to the place. Not only the Ye Family, but the other two Aristocratic Families had also followed this unspoken rule.
Deploying large scale combat support to the Five Galaxies in recent times was unprecedented. More importantly, it would affect the Ye Family’s long term battle strategy and the Family’s very future. Hence, the Patriarch had treated this decision with great care.

Has Black Cove not uncovered anything about the matter?
One of them asked.
The Patriarch shook his head.
No. They have suffered heavy losses in this matter, without the results to show for it. The Five Galaxies have always been an important military base of operations, and we will not lose it.
The Patriarch’s words set the foundation of their future plans – they must not give up on their resources in the Five Galaxies!
No one seemed to object to his words. The importance of the Five Galaxies as a strategic military base had been established a long time ago, an idea that was impressed deeply upon everyone present.
All of them kept silent, for no one knew how to quite handle their current predicament.
Reallocation of combat personnel was not as easy as it seemed. After so many years of fine tuning, an acceptable balance of powers was achieved not only in the He Yue Galaxy, but on every planet, and in almost every city.
Any relocation of combat personnel would affect the local power balance greatly. Moreover, the other aristocratic families led by the Shi Family had been more aggressive recently. Disrupting the power balance now would have imaginable but undesirable consequences.
The He Yue Galaxy would enter a new age of chaos!
For the Three Aristocratic Families, stability was of utmost importance. Chaos in the He Yue Galaxy would not benefit them in any way. On the contrary, their powers would be greatly diminished due to the chaos, and that was something they must avoid at all costs.

What if, Ye Yin is ordered to return?
One of them suggested.
Ye Juxing shook his head and explained,
Ye Yin’s return will not help much with the situation. What we need now is a sizable military force. Currently, we have only 15 thousand mech pilots available.

Everyone except for the Patriarch and Ye Guangxing inhaled in surprise. 15 thousand mech pilots was a strong military presence, but it seemed that the Patriarch believed that it was not enough.
Had the situation in the Five Galaxies reached the point where such drastic measures were necessary?
Chapter 399: Wok-firing
e Chong was not aware of the disaster that befell the Three Aristocratic Families, but even if he was, he would have probably dismissed them immediately. He was not good enough of a strategist to take advantage of the situation, unlike Shang.
Just then, he had rescued an honest looking Flora Adept. This Flora Adept was in his thirties, and his was entirely covered with mud. He was trying to pick a barleygrass plant when he slipped and fell into a swamp. Ye Chong heard his anxious cries for help as he was nearby, and helped him out of it.
Flora Adepts were people who specialized in gathering plants in the wild. According to Lunatic Guan’s chip, the occupation had as many specialization branches as the alchemy field in the Five Galaxies.
Ye Chong never imagined that he would meet a Flora Adept himself.
Zhao Ying was very grateful for his help.
Thank you very much, Sir. I would’ve died if not for your help.
He rubbed his hands together, but found them to be covered in mud. Zhao Ying blushed and quieted down for a while before bracing himself and said,
Perhaps you’d like to visit my place?

Zhao Ying’s house was small and simple. His wife was not exactly beautiful, but she was warm and friendly. When she found out that Ye Chong had saved her husband’s life, she was even more welcoming. His daughter was only about 7 years old, and obviously a shy girl. She hid behind her father’s figure, her head poking out carefully as she studied the stranger with her tiny, curious eyes.
Linrose tea and marinated plum meat – the Zhao couple offered their best dishes to Ye Chong.
A honest couple and a shy but curious child – this absolutely normal family made Ye Chong feel a long forgotten warmth. He remembered his Papa, he remembered Mu and Shang, and he remembered Grandpa Qian. Those who knew him would notice how the cold, hard lines on his face softened a little.
After their meal, Zhao Ying chatted with Ye Chong, but it was apparent that the latter was not used to conversations of this nature. Zhao Ying did most of the talking while Ye Chong listened. Now that the honest, good natured Zhao Ying met a person who was even more rigid and quiet than him, he spoke a lot more than he did that day than the past ten days in total.
From Zhao Ying’s stories, Ye Chong found that the life of a Flora Adept was difficult. He could feel the emotions that filled Zhao Ying’s plain and awkward descriptions.
Zhao Ying went to gather pants every day, while his wife would process the plants that he collected roughly. Their main source of income was through selling these roughly processed raw materials. The couple had never learned real alchemy, and were only amateurs. Hence, they often forced by customers to sell their things below market price. The two of them worked hard every day, with just enough to feed their own daughter.

Ying, come over here, what should I do with this barleygrass?
Zhao Ying’s wife asked.
Zhao Ying remembered his lucky reward today, that he had found a barleygrass. However, he sat down in dejection and said,
Never mind that, I don’t know what to do with it too. Let’s just sell it tomorrow. Just do your usual work, I’ll accompany the good sir for a while and join you later.

Zhao Ying turned to Ye Chong and said with pained regret,
Sigh, we’ll sell it cheap tomorrow. I don’t know if it’s still of value.

Ye Chong understood him. Barleygrass must be dried within five hours of picking it, or its value will be reduced by half at least.

Let’s go have a look,
Ye Chong said lightly, and stood up himself.
Zhao Ying was caught off guard, and felt anxious.
Let’s just sit here, it’s too messy inside.

However, Ye Chong was already on his way inside before he could finish speaking. Zhao Ying could only follow him inside.
It was full of smoke inside, and it was an unpleasant smell. This was the result of many types of plants being dried together. Ye Chong could not help but frowned. From his professional perspective, this was very unsafe.
He saw a few simple and primitive drying tools. Zhao Ying’s wife was sweating all over as she worked on the plants heaped on the side.
The fire was not controlled well, and her methods were wrong, and the order drying was also mixed up.
Ye Chong could not help but shook his head in his mind. No wonder their dried plants could not be sold at a good price. Alchemy materials prepared like this could only be considered as low class items.
Zhao Ying’s wife was surprised to see Ye Chong inside with her. She quickly stood up, wiping her hands on her apron and she said with embarrassment,
How did you get in here? It’s too messy in here!

Just then, Zhao Ying arrived as well.
Ye Chong said nothing, but went straight to the drying tools. Zhao Ying and couple looked at him in surprise as he poured everything in the drying wok into the waste tank, and reached out with one hand.

Get me the barleygrass.

Here in the room full of smoke, a young man worked in concentration with the drying wok. Beside him, a man and wife watched him with their respectful eyes opened wide, for fear of missing a single detail.

Use a small fire. Apply equal force in both hands, and don’t use water. The order of wok-firing is from bottom to top, from the roots to the shoots. The roots should turn a burnt yellow, and the stem into a light purple. The leaves should be brushed and cleaned with water for three times every round, and the leaves should be thoroughly dried before starting each round.
When the final product was presented before the Zhao couple, Zhao Ying could not help but shudder. By the looks of this dried barleygrass, it would definitely sell at a good price!
The honest Zhao Ying did not spend much time dwelling on how much the barleygrass could sell, but instead focused on remembering every detail that Ye Chong had described earlier. He knew that with this skill, they would never have to live so poorly anymore!
Seeing Zhao Ying’s thoughtful expression, Ye Chong could see that his message was received in the way he intended.
Bang! Zhao Ying pulled his wife with him as they kneeled and knocked their foreheads on the ground heavily for three times with grateful expressions. This honest man could only repay the young man for giving their lives a chance with the simplest of ways.

Not bad, not bad at all. It’s dried well, this barleygrass looks excellent. I say, Zhao Ying, this does not look like a work of your quality.
The customer, Old Zhang raised his head and took a glance at Zhao Ying, then at Ye Chong beside him. He knew better than anyone of Zhao Ying’s skills. The latter’s processed materials were only bought by few people in the city.
Zhao Ying chuckled good naturedly and said nothing. Old Zhang noted his reaction, and smiled.
Alright, the Gods probably remembered your hard life and rewarded you with blessings. For this barleygrass, I’ll offer you 50 altwhite silvers, what do you think?

Zhao Ying nodded vigorously. That sum would be enough to last the family for awhile. Seeing Zhao Ying’s gratefulness, Old Zhang could not help but smiled as he produced 50 altwhite silvers. However, Old Zhang was focused more on the silent, expressionless young man who was with Zhao Ying.
Zhao Ying accepted the 50 altwhite silvers carefully, kept them in a bag with even more care and kept the bag close to him.

Gramps, do you know how to go to Line Shaft City?
Zhao Ying asked Old Zhang. It was for Ye Chong.

Line Shaft City?
Old Zhang eyes went to the silent Ye Chong and replied evenly,
Why? Zhao Ying, do you want to go to Line Shaft City? It’s very far away.


No, no,
Zhao Ying answered honestly, shaking his head.
It’s my friend here who wants to go, but he doesn’t know the way. I thought of asking you, since you’re more knowledgeable, and must surely know about it.

Old Zhang explained with a nostalgic low voice,
I’ve been to Line Shaft City when I was young, but the place is very far away, and I can’t tell you the specific directions off the top of my head.


Then do you have a map?
Ye Chong asked. With a map, his journey to Line Shaft City would be greatly simplified. With Moon King’s speed, he can go there whenever he wanted. The return trip would probably take less than an hour.

A map?
Old Zhang looked at the young man, surprised. He shook his head and said,
No. These days, who wouldn’t keep their maps away like it’s a secret treasure?

Zhao Ying panicked as he heard the man’s reply, but Ye Chong remained calm.

The young man sure can keep himself composed,
Old Zhang thought to himself. He continued,
However, there’s a trade company from my group heading to Line Shaft City soon. I can ask for you if they’d be willing to bring you with them.
Old Zhang was familiar with making these arrangements. Trade companies had security escorts, and there was strength in numbers. Many would ask to tag along for their journeys.
After some thought, Ye Chong replied,
I’ll be very much grateful, Gramps.

Old Zhang went to his group, and soon ushered Ye Chong and Zhao Ying to join him. He led them to a middle aged man.
To Zhao Ying, the middle aged man was the image of authority. With his magnificent clothing, it was no doubt that he was a man of status. To Ye Chong, however, the man’s face had an unhealthy pallor. His skin looked loose, like the kind of person who looked stronger than he really was. His clothing was too eye catching, and unsuited for physical exertions.

This is Caravan Leader Yu,
Old Zhang introduced the man to the two.
The middle aged man had two mustaches that curled slightly upwards at the edges of his mouth. He had high cheekbones, and his eyes looked sunken. He stood there and yawned twice throughout.

Who’s going to Line Shaft City?
Caravan Leader Yu asked lazily.

Me.
A short and slightly chilly answer reverberated in the air. Caravan Leader Yu immediately jolted awake. He began to study Ye Chong, his narrowed eyes revealing a certain sharpness in the man.
Oh, young man, what business do you have at Line Shaft City?

Chapter 400: Adepts in the Dark
Looking for someone,
replied Ye Chong concisely, as usual.

I see,
responded Caravan Leader Yu, with his eyes squinted as he observed Ye Chong’s flimsy body,
Alright,
said a young man looking for someone in Line Shaft City, he must be either an apperentice in search of a teacher or a young businessman in search of fortunes.
Leader Yu had visited the city frequently enough to learn the fact that it would take tremendous effort to remain standing inside the city. Well, what kind of place L.Shaft City was, you asked? It was the true city of alchemy and about 30% of the alchemist population would prefer squeezing themselves in this tiny city.
Well, the boy sure sounded persistent in his search. He must be looking for an actual somebody in this city. Maybe! Maybe if I get him along, I’ll be able to learn somebody great in this city.
Leader Yu knew the underlying value of this better than anybody else. The chances might look slim but it would be a fair deal with little to none investment.
The wise merchant had caught the flipping coin, as he made up his mind.

The merchant team is leaving in 3 days,
smiled Leader Yu,
You would need to make your way here early 3 days later though. I need to do some arrangements after all.


Arrangement?
Ye Chong was finding the term odd.
See, a greenhorn, as expected. Thought Leader Yu, his expression remained the same, as he began explaining patiently,
The journey there is long and tiring. For everyone’s safety and an easier time maintaining the course, we would need to arrange everyone into different teams.


I see.

Ye Chong then spent the next two days at Zhao Ying’s place. Ye Chong was growing fond of this modest man, that he eventually taught a few cultivation methods of sprouts in the end. The cultivation of sprouts was the primary technique an alchemist was ought to master. But well, different branch would have different techniques regarding cultivation, especially when a certain kind of sprout was involved.
Regarding baking, it had way higher demand on factors like the control of heat and tossing of woks. The materials produced by the Bakers were very welcomed by the alchemists. So an advanced Baker would be a highly respectable figure, since they created the flow of fortune with their baking. Their products were sold at a much higher price in the market too.
Whatever Ye Chong had learned might be incomparable to those advanced techniques by standard Bakers, but his skills were still effective even though complicated, including the methodology of his baking. He knew some baking but these techniques would not suffice a standard license, anyway it would suffice for Zhao Ying’s family living.

You all should be getting home,
said Ye Chong calmly as he stopped by the merchant’s place.
Zhao Ying, in accompaniment of his wife and the little girl, sent Ye Chong to the place. With a heavy heart he said,
Take care…

Zhao Ying’s wife then handed Ye Chong some food,
You are a good man, my lord!
Said she appreciatively,
God will watch over kind men like you! I had prayed with my girl yesterday, you would have a safe journey ahead!

Ye Chong gave a nod, took the food with him and turned to join the merchants.
He was not the kind who would be chattering on a farewell.
The merchant’s place was very busy.

Are you all set? Bear in mind that the journey is very long ahead, and you would be very sorry if you are unprepared. Take more of those medium sacks. Don’t forget to place the silicas in every sack!
Shouted the leader with his hands on his waists.
Leader Yu was looking drunk two days ago but he looked great today.
Oh?
And he saw Ye Chong,
If it wasn’t that bright young man that day, are you all set?
Said he passionately, like welcoming a friend.

All done,
nodded Ye Chong.
That was when a large crowd flooded into the place. Taken a few steps back, Ye Chong shifted himself away from the scene intuitively.
The caravan leader was not a slow person too, as he reacted as soon as Ye Chong, though he took a brief sprint towards the group instead. His wrinkles held a raised smile on his face,
Holy Merchy, what have brought my fellow VIPs here? Please, be my guest, do join us.
The snobbish caravan leader had been all sincere and humble, his back remained low ever since.
The leading person of the group was an elderly who looked gentle with his fair white beard in his seventies. Somehow he exuded a sense of solemn superiority even by just standing there. The servants had their backs lowered, anticipating a new order from the lord. Of course, he was a known figure, who would not know the owner of this city himself?
Except Ye Chong maybe, as his eyes rested upon the followers, instead of the wise old man.
The few followers, somehow sensed Ye Chong’s gaze, moved their sight onto Ye Chong.
Those were sharp eyes!
Ye Chong’s pupils shrunk drastically! His right foot hit the front, putting himself in a battle stance.
All was part of Ye Chong’s self-defense mechanism upon his survival instinct.
It had been quite some time since he felt such intensity off someone, not even Ye Luo could make him this alert.

There were 5 of them, 5 adepts in the dark. Ye Chong squinted his eyes, his heart raced, upon realizing how there were 5 hidden beasts waiting to devour humanity through the threatening gazes of theirs.

Right when Ye Chong went into his stance, the 5 followers also moved and positioned themselves!
Their eyes focused upon Ye Chong. The one at the front overreacted slightly as his body was fully straightened towards Ye Chong, almost sending fists.
There was one middle-aged man standing right next to the 5 adepts. He was wearing a green apparel, having a goatee, and was apparently astonished by the sudden change in atmosphere.
The actions were taken at microlevel, soundlessly, that no one had noticed the brewing storm.
Ye Chong’s mind ran wild but he took no hostile action at the moment.
Who were these five adepts? Ye Chong could sense their hostility that was almost as close as those from the Sanctuary. They would be pure horror at a place without mech like this. And Ye Chong could recognize the goatee man being an alchemist, an adept too.
Ye Chong stood still, and he did not want to stir up anything. Ye Chong could already imagine himself deploying Moon King if he were to fight these 5 men at once. There would be no way this would turn out to be a mere street fight – it would be a war.
Ye Chong’s decision was fair, as the followers withdrew their hostility, though their eyes remained sharp.
It was a quick fight in the dark, through gazes.

Hah! Yu, my old pal, your business seems well!
said the lord on top of his lungs, as he gave a friendly chuckle.

It is all thanks to your brilliant leadership, my lord,
caravan Leader Yu was shocked by the sudden compliment as he spoke,
As you can see, the place is very organized, if it was not your generosity, little merchants like us wouldn’t be able to survive.

If there would be a perfect time to butter up the authority, it would be now.

You’re so modest, pal,
the lord laughed,
Your business has expanded great enough, I’ve already heard of it before this.
And his tone changed,
Brother, I’m here for a request this time.


Look at what you’ve said. Keep those courtesy, how would I ever reject your request my lord? If you want anything, just send men to inform us, you don’t even have to take the trouble to come all the way by yourself. All merchants would give their fullest to help the lord!
His smile was twitching however…
Dang please don’t tell me he’s here for money…

It’s simple really. These few friends of mine would like to pay Line Shaft City a visit and I just so happened to know that your merchant group is heading to the city as well, so I thought of bringing them here, see if you could make some arrangement.


Hah! My lord, again, it’s only a small request, you don’t have to be so formal. As long as you made the order, we would achieve it by hook or by crook. In this case, yes, certainly yes, no problem!
Leader Yu was probably thanking god that it was a simple request, as he quickly nodded at it. His eyes wandered upon the few followers and his experience told him that these were some figures that he should try fawning on, especially when they came under the accompaniment of the lord himself.
The lord gave few nods satisfyingly and whispered the followers.
Then he left under the escort of his guardsmen.
Yup, those 6 persons whom Ye Chong took alert of remained.
The leader welcomed the 6 new members with great hospitality. They were cold towards his passion however, that Leader Yu assumed they must be some great figures who had experienced worldliness.
Before Ye Chong noticed, he got assigned to the same team as the 6 new rascals.