Chapter 411: One Kneel

"You don't need to waste your breath trying to distract me with these words," Yun Che said coldly, pressing his foot down harder on the person. "And put away the powder in your hand. The illusory poison of a Dream Butterfly is useless against me!"

The "maiden's" pupils instantly constricted for a moment, and a storm raged in his heart. The man before him had eyes like a pair of ice mirrors. Facing them, he felt an unnerving sense of exposure for the first time in his life. The words he had just spoken about "being hunted by an Overlord" were indeed meant to distract Yun Che, and there was indeed a pinch of poison powder clutched between his right fingers.

Yet, all of it had been seen through by Yun Che! Especially the illusory poison of the Dream Butterfly, which was tasteless and formless; he had held it between his fingers without the slightest leakage... yet Yun Che had called it out instantly!

"Who exactly... are you?" the "maiden" retorted. "You're clearly not from the Divine Phoenix Sect, yet you can use Phoenix Flame... You must really be from the Azure Cloud Continent... But how could the Azure Cloud Continent produce someone like you...?"

Yun Che's gaze remained piercingly cold, simply staring at him. The person beneath his foot knew he had no right to ask questions, but he forced out a breath and said, "My disguises have never been seen through before... Can you tell me, how exactly did you see through me?"

"Your ability to conceal your tracks and aura, and your mimicry, are far beyond me," Yun Che said indifferently. "But when it comes to disguises, you're slightly inferior to me. Whether someone is disguised or not, I can tell with a single glance if they come within ten meters of me... Not only do I know you're disguised, but I also know it's a triple disguise. Even if you peel off this current face, the one beneath it, and the one beneath that, still won't be your true face... It seems you're either so ugly you're afraid to be seen, or you dare not show your true appearance to anyone because you're in hiding..."

"Of course, it's the latter!" the "maiden" exclaimed, yelling at the top of his lungs. "Look at the woman I'm impersonating... so delicate and charming, you should know that even if I'm not devastatingly handsome, I'm at least dashing and extraordinary! How could I possibly be associated with 'ugly'! You're ugly... your whole family is ugly!"

"Hmph!" Yun Che sneered, abruptly lifting his foot from the person's body. He then turned around and said, "You can go."

The "maiden"... or rather, the man, sprang up from the ground with a swift movement, staring at Yun Che's back. He still wore an expression of disbelief. He had personally witnessed how ruthless Yun Che could be at the Falling Flame Merchant Guild, and he had expected to suffer greatly once he fell into his hands. He never thought Yun Che would just... let him go?

"You... you're just letting me go?" he asked, wide-eyed. "Aren't you going to ask who I am? Don't you want to know why I followed you? You're just... just letting me go?"

"Because you're not an evil person," Yun Che replied without turning his head.

"...How do you know I'm not evil?"

"Hmph, I've seen too many evil people in my life, so I only need a glance to tell," Yun Che said, narrowing his eyes. "Furthermore, when you were at the inn, you used a tranquilizing incense, not a poisonous one. Even when I had you under my foot just now, what you were trying to sprinkle was merely an illusory incense. Besides, there wasn't a hint of murderous intent in your gaze... Otherwise, do you think you'd still be alive?"

The man opened his mouth but didn't seize the opportunity to escape. He was confident that if he were truly free, ten Yun Ches wouldn't be able to catch him if he wanted to flee. Instead, he took a step forward and asked, bewildered, "Aren't you going to ask why I approached you?"

"I already know."

"You... you know?"

Yun Che turned around and looked at him, stating, "You're trying to steal the Phoenix Blossom from me!"

Yun Che's statement was a certainty, not a question.

"You... how did you know?" The man's eyes widened instantly.

"Smell, in many cases, is harder to conceal than aura. Volcanic Gallbladder, Phoenix-tail Banana, Scorched Blood Fire Ginseng, Purple Yin Garan, Dragon Lingzhi, Thousand-worm Violet Vine, Cloud Dew Flower... these are the herbs I smelled on you. Although you tried hard to eliminate these scents, you had contact with these herbs within the last twelve hours. No matter how well you try to cover it up, there will be tiny residual smells, enough for me to discern."

The man stood stunned and rigid, as if petrified... Every single herb name Yun Che mentioned was perfectly accurate, not one missing, not one extra.

"If these herbs were stored in a spatial ring, no scent would escape. Clearly, you personally handled and prepared these herbs. When combined, their effect is to forcefully extend a life. To make this forced life extension last longer, a large amount of Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal is also needed... However, this process of forced life extension comes with immense pain. To suppress this pain without conflicting with the effects of other herbs, only the Phoenix Blossom, which can block pain meridians throughout the body, will work."

The man was speechless.

"You also started following me right after I obtained the Phoenix Blossom," Yun Che said lightly. "Since you approached me to save someone, and you never had any murderous intent towards me, I have no reason to continue bothering you. Those few kicks were enough... Go on, and don't even think about stealing anything from me again."

After saying this, Yun Che turned and walked away.

It wasn't until Yun Che had walked a dozen paces that the man, as if waking from a dream, shot forward. With a "whoosh," he appeared in front of Yun Che so fast that Yun Che didn't even see a blur. "Wait... little brother... oh no! Big brother, I, an ignorant fool, have offended a master like you repeatedly, but... but the Phoenix Blossom is simply too important to me. Please, I beg you to transfer the Phoenix Blossom in your hand to me..."

He had initially believed that with his abilities, stealing the Phoenix Blossom from anyone who acquired it would be effortless. He never expected to encounter a peerless monster like Yun Che. At this point, he knew it was impossible to steal the Phoenix Blossom from him. Moreover, Yun Che had magnanimously let him go, so he felt ashamed to resort to tricks again. Yet, that Phoenix Blossom was something he absolutely had to obtain, even if it cost him his life. Since stealing was not an option, all he could do was... beg.

"Don't worry, I would never ask you to transfer it for free," he said with utmost sincerity. "You bought that Phoenix Blossom from the Falling Flame Merchant Guild for one thousand Purple Profound Coins... I'll offer three thousand... No! Five thousand... No! Ten thousand... I'll buy it for ten thousand Purple Profound Coins!"

He shouted out an incredibly exorbitant price, then fumbled to pull out a shimmering purple Profound Coin card, looking at Yun Che with an expression of desperate pleading.

Yun Che was unmoved, slowly shaking his head. "At any other time, I could transfer this Phoenix Blossom. But right now, I urgently need it to increase my strength. Otherwise, in half a month, I might lose my life in this Divine Phoenix City. Therefore, no matter how much money you offer, I won't transfer it to you."

Having said that, Yun Che prepared to leave directly.

"Big brother!"

The man rushed up and clutched Yun Che's clothes, his hands trembling slightly. "The Phoenix Blossom you have is the last one that can be found this year. Please, you must transfer it to me. If ten thousand Purple Profound Coins aren't enough... name your price, and as long as I can produce it, I won't even bat an eye!"

Yun Che decisively shook his head. "I've already said, it's not about money. This Phoenix Blossom also concerns my own fate. I will not give it to anyone else, no matter what. Go look elsewhere; perhaps you might find another one."

"If I could find it elsewhere, I would have gone already," the man said, his face etched with deep pleading. "Big brother, your insight is divine; you even know exactly which herbs I've touched. Then you must also know the immense pain that accompanies using these herbs with Purple Vein Heavenly Crystal to forcefully extend life. Her lifespan is, at most, less than a year. My greatest wish now is to quietly spend this last year with her. How can I bear to let her endure that soul-piercing pain during her final days...? I've gone through immense hardships and only found half a Phoenix Blossom, but that half has been partly used, and its medicinal power has significantly dissipated, making its effect minimal. Now, the only hope is the one in your hands... Please, I beg you, transfer it to me. I swear to the heavens, I will repay you generously in the future."

Yun Che glanced at him sideways but still shook his head. "Your various abilities show that you are a true master thief, but clearly, your heart isn't bad, and every word you say is sincere. However, you and the person you want to save have nothing to do with me. I am not so benevolent as to use something that concerns my own life and safety to save a stranger... Give up, and don't follow me anymore!"

Yun Che flicked his hand, and with a Star God Shattered Shadow, he instantly appeared ten meters away.

"Thud!!"

The sound of knees hitting the ground heavily echoed behind Yun Che. Yun Che's steps halted abruptly. He turned around, his brows tightly furrowed. "You..."

The man was on his knees, his face filled with profound pleading, tears glistening in his eyes. "Big brother, I have never begged anyone in my life, nor have I ever knelt to anyone... Even when my own parents were alive, I never had the chance to kneel to them even once... I beg you... please have great compassion... she truly... only has less than a year left... I implore you... even if you make me work like a beast of burden..."

Yun Che's heart was deeply stirred... Although it was his first time meeting this man, Yun Che knew what his tears and kneeling meant for someone who moved like a ghost, whom even seven Overlords couldn't apprehend...

It was his entire pride and dignity...

Indeed, this was likely the first time he had ever knelt in his life; otherwise, his knees wouldn't be trembling so violently. His gaze was helpless, and if Yun Che refused him again, that helplessness would completely turn into despair...

That look was strikingly similar to his own when he cried out to the heavens, holding Ling'er's lifeless body years ago...

"Sigh..." Yun Che sighed inwardly. In the end, he didn't move any further. He walked over and asked, "Who is this person you want to save?"

"...She's my wife." Seeing Yun Che walk back, a ray of hope lit up in his eyes. "Big brother, I beg you, as long as you're willing to give me the Phoenix Blossom, I'll agree to any condition."

"Tell me, what illness does your wife have?" Yun Che asked.

"She's not ill," the man replied, shaking his head with a pained expression. "Five years ago, our family was ambushed by enemies. My parents were both killed, and they sacrificed their lives so my wife and I could escape. But my wife was severely wounded at the time and afflicted with a strange, incurable cold poison. These past few years, I've done everything I can to extend her life, but this extension cannot last forever. This year is the absolute limit..."

"Ambushed?" Yun Che looked slightly surprised. "You're an expert in stealth and ambush. Your parents must have been far stronger than you. How could it have come to such a pass? Five years ago, your strength shouldn't have been too far from what it is now, right?"

A struggle flickered across the man's face, and then, finally, he slowly revealed, "It was the Sun Moon Divine Hall..."

Yun Che was stunned.

"Our family has been thieves for generations, taking pleasure in robbing the rich to help the poor. One of my ancestors once infiltrated the Sun Moon Divine Hall and stole an Overlord's Blade from them. For hundreds of years, the Sun Moon Divine Hall has been searching for us. Later, they somehow found one of our hidden locations, and that's when disaster struck..."

"I understand. Get up," Yun Che said, helping him to his feet. A special family of generational thieves, whose ancestor had even infiltrated a sacred place like the Sun Moon Divine Hall, walked out with an Overlord's Blade, no less. Such a family must have an extremely renowned reputation on the Profound Sky Continent.

"Take me to see your wife," Yun Che said earnestly. "I believe you wouldn't feel at ease being too far from her. She should be here in Divine Phoenix City, right?"

"Huh?" The man was startled.

"I have some medical knowledge; I might be able to heal your wife's injuries and poison. And don't worry, I won't reveal your or your wife's whereabouts in the slightest, nor will I even look at what you truly look like," Yun Che said calmly.

The man opened his mouth, stammering, "This... but... but..."

"No buts," Yun Che interrupted him. "Since you care about her so much, you can only choose to trust me. Even if the greatest divine physician in the world told you she's incurable, you must still believe someone who claims to have a chance of healing her! Because if you miss me... you might miss her life!"

"Alright!"

Yun Che's last sentence shattered all the man's doubts. He had nothing left to consider and nodded vigorously. "You can discern what herbs I've touched instantly; I believe your medical skills must be extraordinary! I also believe you won't harm us, and you have no reason to... If you can truly heal her, my life is yours!"