Volume Three: Rising Fame - Chapter 66: The Deceased

Beneath a bright moon and sparse stars, the young man emerged from the stream and collapsed onto the ground.

Clearly lacking any talent in this area, a normal person would have picked up some skills after a few failures. How could it take until nightfall just to catch enough fish?

“Alright, you can leave now!” Li Yu waved his hand decisively, showing no intention of keeping them.

Wen Xiangxuan exchanged glances with her companions below, then stepped forward. “Sir, may we stay here for the night?”

They had intended to leave, but hadn’t expected that catching a few fish would take until dark. As the evening deepened, their thoughts shifted, and a new idea took hold.

Moving about in the dark was dangerous. One misstep could mean falling into someone else’s trap or walking into an ambush, risking being devoured to the bone.

It was a vicious cycle.

At first, many only struck mercilessly at lone individuals. Later, when groups acted together, and the opposing side had acquaintances, it became awkward to kill everyone. Those spared sometimes banded together for revenge, which led to the harsh rule that any attack must be fatal.

Conflict always meant death. One death entangled many, so better to kill all and settle matters once and for all.

Wen Xiangxuan took a risk in speaking up for two reasons: first, Li Yu didn’t seem bloodthirsty. Since he had taken their points without killing them, he likely wouldn’t kill later; second, living near a powerful figure offered some measure of safety.

After all, it was just a suggestion, not a loss.

“Stay?” Li Yu was taken aback and about to refuse, but then reconsidered. “It’s not impossible, just keep your distance!”

And so they found a spot neither too close nor too far.

“Sister, why are we staying here?” The young fisherman, having recovered, complained.

“Wen Yongsi! Your uncle gave you this name so you’d think more before acting!” Wen Xiangxuan said coldly. “Since Li Yu harbors no intent to kill us, being closer isn’t a bad thing. If trouble comes, and we run to him, he might intervene.”

“Why would he help us… Wait, Li Yu? The Thunder Bloodline of the Qing clan?” Wen Yongsi started to retort, then froze in surprise.

Many from small clans had only heard the name but never seen Li Yu, so it was normal not to recognize him. After all, only one person bore the Thunder Bloodline, and whoever wielded the thunder spirit power was him.

Wen Xiangxuan was somewhat speechless and glanced at the flustered Wen Yongsi, who was likely the heir to the clan chief’s position and had been entrusted by their clan to care for her group.

After a moment, she said calmly, “Think about his age and strength.”

Wen Yongsi pondered and realized that, from what was known, only Li Yu of the Qing clan fit the description.

“As for the other reason, he’s not helping us — it’s about the points!” Wen Xiangxuan said with some frustration. “We’re out of points. If someone attacks and sees Li Yu, won’t he strike back?”

If someone only wanted points, they’d fail against them, but facing Li Yu, he wouldn’t hold back.

Moreover, there were only two of them. Even with great strength, it would be hard to get many points. If they led enemies toward him, he probably wouldn’t complain.

This wasn’t a scheme but an open strategy.

Their enemies struck to kill, Li Yu needed points, and if they escaped to him, those threats likely wouldn’t challenge him.

Though unspoken, Wen Xiangxuan knew that Li Yu agreed to protect them, and they were to lure point-holders to him.

Wen Yongsi glanced toward the firelight. “Comparing ourselves to others is infuriating!”

At night, he dared not light fires carelessly.

…

The flames crackled, flickering shadows across Li Yu’s face.

A dry branch stirred in the fire as Li Yu murmured, “Just as I thought, points don’t disappear—they transfer.”

Cen Yishuang sat nearby, listening to Li Yu’s muttering but not taking it seriously.

After all, their deal was simple: Li Yu just needed to stay beside her during their time in the secret realm. Afterwards, she could regain her freedom.

At this stage, the thunder acupoint Li Yu had infused in her body greatly aided her recovery.

“The crowd is gathering…”

The dry branch, having been in the fire too long, caught flame. Li Yu tossed it in, adding fuel.

Tapping his fingers on a nearby stone, he mused, “The big picture won’t change. No matter how many gather, there’s always a leader. Capture the king to capture the bandits; the main pool of points must be in their hands.”

When people from different clans band together, without a leader, they scatter like sand and will seek other allies when trouble arises. Whoever leads and decides must hold the points.

For instance, among Wen Xiangxuan’s nine, she was the leader and held the most points.

The next day, as Li Yu and his companion prepared to follow the token’s guidance, they saw Wen Xiangxuan and others approaching again—only Wen Xiangxuan stepped forward.

“Young master, are you following the token’s lead?”

Li Yu was surprised to see them again.

“It’s like this,” Wen Xiangxuan hurried to explain before he could refuse, “When the token points the way, threats reportedly close in toward the center of the realm. If you don’t mind, we’d like to scatter ahead to scout the path for you!”

Her followers remained silent, clearly deferring to her judgment.

Li Yu’s interest was piqued.

Though he hadn’t mapped the secret realm’s size, it was clear it was larger than expected.

Even if the token’s direction forced clans to converge toward the center, the vast expanse made finding people as difficult as finding needles in a haystack. Sometimes, missing by a few hundred meters meant passing each other by.

Having these people spread out would speed up intelligence gathering and help him guard against allies of the Blue Star cultivators.

Li Yu thought: whether or not this was definitive, it was almost certain that the Blue Star arrivals were ‘demons.’ He had struck one of them, and the heavy casualties in a clan’s area suggested that dark-robed youth was likely dead.

If these people guarded the front, even if the Blue Star cultivators sought revenge, there would be warning signs.

With that in mind, Li Yu nodded calmly, “Alright.”

“Thank you, young master!” Wen Xiangxuan was delighted.

Her tense heart relaxed somewhat.

Though her group lacked fifth-rank cultivators, their initial team of seven or eight had grown to nearly twenty in the jungle, drawing in clan allies and friends. But when the token began to guide them, one concealed traitor led them into an ambush guarded by two fifth-rank cultivators. Only they escaped.

Their encounter with Li Yu was different. Rather than splitting up, they willingly acted as his vanguard, seeking protection. They had seen the chasm between fifth and peak sixth ranks—an insurmountable gulf.

Besides, Li Yu was alone; if danger arose, they could still flee with some survivors.

Unaware of their cautious maneuvering, Li Yu watched with interest as Wen Xiangxuan shouted orders, dispersing her eight followers to scout ahead.

Four went left, four right, roughly five hundred meters apart.

“Will this find anyone?” Cen Yishuang asked curiously.

“It acts as a deterrent,” Wen Xiangxuan glanced at her but refrained from probing if she was really Qing Xiumin of the Qing clan. “With people spread out, many will avoid them. The spacing isn’t too wide; no clan’s encirclement is that large. This also helps break enemy formations.”

She turned to the young man. “Is this alright, Young Master Li?”

“Fine, no rush to seize points yet,” Li Yu said softly.

Indeed, the Thunder Bloodline of the Qing clan!

Wen Xiangxuan had deliberately addressed him as Li, knowing only Li Yu fit the description. She thought wryly: “Wonder which family lost their Thunder Bloodline—probably fainted in despair!”

Though the details of how Li Yu came to be with the Qing clan were unclear, most clans knew enough and understood he was a fortunate acquisition for them.

Green mountains and clear waters.

The secret realm was lush, with ancient trees draped in unknown vines and myriad exotic flowers and herbs.

“Something’s happening!”

A man howled.

Wen Xiangxuan and Cen Yishuang hurried over; Li Yu followed attentively.

Others kept watch at their posts. The three joined a bearded youth who had just given the alert.

“Cough, cough!”

Surrounded and collapsed, the youth was bloodied, mutilated, limbs broken, yet his eyes suddenly shone. “Save me! Please, save me!”

Cen Yishuang looked to Li Yu, who shook his head slightly.

“What’s going on?” Wen Xiangxuan saw the youth was on his last breath and quickly asked.

Though sure it was over points, details like enemy numbers and strength would help them respond.

“Blizzard Ghost Crystal, Blizzard Ghost Crystal!” The youth spat bright red blood, smiling bitterly. “Mother… I miss you so much. I shouldn’t have stubbornly come to the secret realm…”

His voice faded until he was breathless on one side of his head.

“The points remain…” Wen Xiangxuan reminded.

Not a fight over points?

Li Yu nodded, saying nothing more, his eyes clouded with uncertainty.