Chapter 50: Chasing

A majestic tiger lurked in the forest. Before it, two figures stood frozen in fear.

As the pale-faced man stood bewildered, he heard Lu Ye say, "King Tiger, please calm your wrath. I understand the rules and will abide by them. Please spare my life!"

With these words, he unfastened his storage bag from his waist, feigned a display of spiritual energy, and tossed it to the ground. He then discarded his long sword as well.

The tiger regarded him, then let out a soft snort. "Since you know the rules," it rumbled, "I can spare your life."

"Thank you, King!"

The tiger then turned its gaze to the pale-faced cultivator. "And you, young man?" it growled. "Do you wish to die, or to live?"

"To live!" the pale-faced cultivator blurted out, wincing visibly. Mimicking Lu Ye, he unfastened his storage bag from his waist, opened its protective seal, and dropped it to the ground.

He had previously heard rumors in the market about a monster beast in Qingyun Mountain that could speak human tongue. Many cultivators had encountered it; however, the beast typically didn't harm lives, only showing interest in spirit pills and spirit stones. Provided a cultivator paid a price, they could escape its clutches.

He hadn't anticipated that merely by pursuing Lu Ye into the mountains, he would stumble upon this very beast. What abysmal luck!

Satisfied with their compliance, the tiger added, "Don't try any tricks. If I discover you haven't opened your protective seals, hmph!" The implied threat was unmistakable.

"They're open!" Lu Ye and the pale-faced cultivator declared in unison. Furthermore, Lu Ye pointed at the latter. "King," he accused, "he hasn't discarded his weapon yet. He might be planning to harm you!"

The pale-faced cultivator froze, cursing Lu Ye viciously in his mind.

The tiger, too, seemed momentarily surprised, but quickly turned its head to face the pale-faced cultivator, a low, threatening growl rumbling in its throat.

Clang...

The pale-faced cultivator decisively cast aside his long saber, his heart aching as if bleeding. He knew this long saber was a spiritual artifact, albeit of a low rank. For a low-level cultivator, possessing a spiritual artifact versus not having one was a completely different matter; it could enhance his strength by a full ten percent!

However, self-preservation was paramount. Enraging such a beast would surely lead to a terrible end. Compared to his own life, material possessions were trivial.

"King," Lu Ye spoke up, "if there are no further commands, we shall take our leave."

"Scram," the tiger roared dismissively.

Both Lu Ye and the pale-faced cultivator slowly retreated, careful not to turn their backs to the tiger—a natural reaction, as anyone facing a threat would remain vigilant.

However, after retreating several yards, the pale-faced cultivator was astonished to see Lu Ye suddenly surge forward, snatching up the long sword he had thrown. He then lunged at the cultivator with lightning speed, intent on killing.

The pale-faced cultivator was aghast, utterly unprepared for such an outrageous move from Lu Ye. With the massive tiger still present, shouldn't survival be their primary concern? Where did Lu Ye get such audacity?

He had no time to ponder. Almost the instant Lu Ye moved, he too lunged forward, reaching his weapon in a few strides. He snatched it up, channeling spiritual energy into the long saber, causing a faint glow to ripple along its blade.

A strong gust of wind hit his face. The pale-faced cultivator had no time to think as his long saber met the incoming attack.

With a clang, the pale-faced cultivator, who had not yet fully risen, was instantly overpowered and driven to his knees.

With one attacker acting on premeditation and the other reacting in haste, Lu Ye clearly gained the upper hand.

The pale-faced cultivator snapped his head up, meeting Lu Ye's steady, indifferent gaze. In that instant, a chilling realization dawned on him.

Before he could process his thoughts, Lu Ye had already raised his sword and thrust it forward.

The pale-faced cultivator frantically channeled spiritual energy to protect himself, simultaneously swinging his saber at Lu Ye. To his shock, his protective spiritual energy offered no defense whatsoever; the long sword pierced directly through his chest, emerging from his back.

Lu Ye delivered another kick, sending the pale-faced man sprawling, the long sword pulling a gush of blood from his chest as it dislodged.

In a flash, the outcome of their battle was decided. Unsure if his opponent was dead, Lu Ye didn't advance recklessly. Instead, he retrieved an offensive spiritual talisman from his storage bag, holding it ready for any contingency.

Should the man attempt to rise, he would instantly activate the talisman.

However, observing the pale-faced man, his body twitched violently a few times on the ground before falling still. It seemed his sword strike had indeed found a vital point.

Such were the perilous duels between cultivators, where life and death were often decided in mere moments.

Blood stained the ground red, and a pungent, metallic smell permeated the air. Lu Ye took several deep, ragged breaths, steadying his pounding heart.

A point of red light suddenly darted from the pale-faced cultivator's corpse and settled onto the back of Lu Ye's hand.

"What happened...?" Yi Yi's figure appeared atop the tiger's head, looking at Lu Ye with a bewildered expression.

Earlier, Lu Ye had suddenly rushed over, hastily telling her, "Help me with a robbery."

Immediately afterwards, the pale-faced cultivator had pursued him. Yi Yi then understood Lu Ye's predicament and readily collaborated with the tiger to stage a ruse. After all, they were adept at such schemes, and there was the added bonus of seizing valuable items. Why not?

But... wasn't it supposed to be a robbery?

Why did someone end up dead?

Yi Yi slowly grasped the situation: she and the tiger were meant to be the robbers, but Lu Ye had intended to kill all along, merely leveraging their presence.

"You tricked me?" Yi Yi glared angrily at Lu Ye.

Lu Ye shot her a glance and critiqued, "Your performance was too over-the-top!"

"What?" Yi Yi asked, utterly bewildered.

Lu Ye was about to speak again when a faint sound suddenly reached them from nearby. He hesitated only for an instant before bursting forward, his voice calling back, "Your secret is out! There are others nearby. If you don't want to die, hurry up and follow me!"

Yi Yi wanted to weep but had no tears, feeling as though she had been trapped on a pirate ship with no escape. She exchanged a look with the tiger, then gritted her teeth. "Chase!" she commanded.

The tiger roared and bolted forward on all fours.

In the jungle, the alluring female cultivator ran for her life, her face etched with panic and despair. She felt she had made a colossal mistake.

Yet, could she truly be blamed? She merely desired a better life, to no longer curry favor with disgusting patrons. All were rogue cultivators; why should she endure others' whims day and night? If this current endeavor had gone smoothly, her future would have been significantly more comfortable.

But she had never imagined that the person she had hired would fail.

Having left the Heavenly Mechanism Merchant Alliance, she had meticulously followed the secret marks left by her contact, tracking them all the way here. She had anticipated an easy division of spoils, but instead, she witnessed Lu Ye, the rogue cultivator, killing the man she had sought out. In her panic, she had inadvertently exposed her own presence and was now being pursued.

She didn't want to die! She was still young, with many good years ahead. How could she possibly perish in a place like this?

However, the sounds of her pursuers grew ever closer. She knew her escape was likely doomed.