Chapter Forty-One: Taking Action

"It's useless to discuss this now. Besides, how could you possibly know what our master was thinking at the time? I warn you one last time: if you don't hand it over willingly, you won't even have a grave to your name." The leader of the men in black advanced toward him as he spoke, the others following suit, tightening the encirclement.

"Hah! Do you really take me for a child? Stay back, all of you, or I'll destroy it right here," the Earth Mole retorted, unfazed. He grabbed the bundle from his back and held it out threateningly. The four men in black paused in surprise at his action, but suddenly, the leader whipped around to stare at the massive boulder where Li Xingyu and the others were hiding, his eyes filled with wariness. After a moment's thought, he shouted, "Who's hiding back there? Come out!"

It turned out that when the Earth Mole threatened to destroy the item, Chen Jingrou, inexperienced and young, gasped softly, having realized what was at stake—despite Li Xingyu quickly covering her mouth, the leader still heard her. When they realized they'd been discovered, her senior brother didn't hesitate. He led the disciples out, and after Li Xingyu released her, Chen Jingrou blushed and glanced at him before following. Since they had all revealed themselves, Li Xingyu saw no reason to remain hidden. Moreover, he was curious about the item the Earth Mole had stolen. He looked at his right hand, still scented faintly of Chen Jingrou's fragrance and marked by her rosy lips, then stepped out as well.

Both the leader of the black-clad men and the Earth Mole clearly recognized Chen Jingrou’s senior brother. The leader addressed him, "So it’s Protector Cheng of the Carefree Sect. Why are you here?"

"What a joke. Are we not allowed here? One of you stole from our sect, and another is trying to seize that very item. As the rightful owners, are we not entitled to be here?" Since they’d been recognized, Cheng saw no need for courtesy or concealment. However, he didn’t know this man in black, while the other had recognized him at once—this surprised him slightly.

"Your item? I think the members of the Carefree Sect are shameless, one after another. Do you think I don’t know how you acquired it? Besides, treasures of heaven and earth belong to the capable. If you could do it, why can’t we?" The leader was clearly well-versed in how the Carefree Sect had obtained the item. In fact, if he weren't, his group couldn’t have known where the sect kept it and stolen it before word even spread.

Cheng was momentarily speechless at the retort. At this, the Earth Mole burst out laughing. "Vice Envoy Pang, you are forthright indeed. True, the rules of the martial world have always been like this. I got hold of this item by chance, and what’s happening now was inevitable. I can only blame myself for hesitating when I saw its value, too greedy to leave it behind immediately. Honestly, I no longer wish to keep it. Protector Cheng, it’s yours." With that, he suddenly hurled the bundle toward Protector Cheng, who stood behind the men in black. The move was so unexpected that everyone froze for a second. Seizing the chance, the Earth Mole leapt out of the encirclement and fled at full speed.

Li Xingyu couldn’t help but admire the Earth Mole’s decisiveness and cunning in crisis. He didn't doubt that the bundle was real; the men in black surely had confirmed that what they wanted was inside, or they wouldn’t have hesitated at the threat to destroy it. Although curious, Li Xingyu had no desire to become everyone’s target, so he remained calm and made no attempt to snatch the bundle as it sailed through the air.

Among the others, Protector Cheng and Vice Envoy Pang were the first to react, both leaping for the airborne bundle. It was already nearly above Cheng’s head, so his hand reached it first, filling him with joy—until a throwing knife from Pang flew at the bundle, not at any person. Just as Cheng’s hand grasped it, the knife struck, sending the bundle flying backward, pinning it high into a tree with a dull thud.

Seeing the prize snatched away, Protector Cheng, fuming with rage, switched from a claw to a palm strike and attacked the man in black. The leader calmly met his blow. With a muffled crash, both men staggered back. Vice Envoy Pang took only one step to steady himself, while Cheng retreated three steps, a trickle of blood at his lips—clearly, the opponent’s cultivation exceeded his, and it seemed the man in black had already converted half his energy into true essence. He was already at the threshold of innate mastery.

At this point, aside from Li Xingyu and Chen Jingrou standing by the boulder, the remaining six were locked in battle, except for one man in black, who stood near them, watching closely to prevent anyone from seizing the bundle in the tree while his companions were occupied.

Vice Envoy Pang quickly surveyed the scene. His two men were holding their own against the three disciples of the Carefree Sect and would soon gain the upper hand. He glanced at Chen Jingrou and the young man beside her, guarded by his subordinate. Seeing that Chen Jingrou’s skills were ordinary and Li Xingyu seemed an even weaker civilian—having concealed all his aura—he felt uneasy but had no time to dwell on it. He turned his focus to the injured Protector Cheng, intending to finish him off before retrieving the bundle, reasoning that the newcomers were likely just bystanders; after all, no one would bring the sect leader’s beloved daughter if they came for the treasure.

With Vice Envoy Pang’s renewed assault, Protector Cheng was forced to meet him head-on, grimly aware that Li Xingyu alone could deal with these adversaries. Yet why should he expect a stranger to intervene? Moreover, if Li Xingyu did act and coveted the treasure himself, what then? For now, he hesitated to ask for help.

Chen Jingrou, however, could not wait. Seeing Li Xingyu calmly standing aside, she anxiously urged him on, but he showed no intention of intervening. If they were in danger for another reason, he might have acted, but since they were fighting over a treasure, he felt no obligation to help—unless there was something in it for him or their lives were truly at risk.

Perhaps he had underestimated the enemy. Protector Cheng, weakened by his earlier clash, was struck in the chest by the man in black after only ten exchanges and sent flying into a tree. He spat a mouthful of blood and collapsed, unable to fight further. Chen Jingrou could bear it no longer and rushed forward, only to be blocked by the remaining man in black. Of the three Carefree Sect disciples, only two could still fight, and they were barely holding on.

Vice Envoy Pang, though fighting, kept close track of the battlefield. Seeing that Protector Cheng was out of the fight, he dashed toward the tree where the bundle hung.

The Carefree Sect was on the verge of total defeat, and Vice Envoy Pang was about to seize the bundle. Li Xingyu, though not particularly interested in the bundle—believing it was probably a famed sword, secret manual, or at best, a cultivation technique of little value to him—paused. He recalled that these men were likely members of the Phoenix Martial Group and suspected a grand conspiracy. Instinctively, he decided to intervene.

Li Xingyu’s sudden move caught Vice Envoy Pang completely off guard. As he leaped for the bundle, he heard a piercing sound behind him, accompanied by a surge of true essence—a sensation he was intimately familiar with, since part of his own energy had already been transformed. Could this be a master of the innate realm? The thought flashed through his mind, but suspended in midair, he had no way to dodge. He gathered all his strength into his hand and, trusting his instincts, struck behind him with all his might.

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