Chapter 249 - 277: Jin Yunfeng! Blood Nether Thieves! Black Emperor’s Palace
"Why bring that up?"
"Do you think I’m the kind of person who expects a reward for a good deed?"
Jin Yunfeng gave a wry smile.
He pulled his arm from the young woman’s grasp and strode forward.
"Let’s go! We should pay a visit to the master of Ning Village first. The night is fraught with danger; we can’t involve outsiders."
...
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!
Accompanied by a series of low knocks, Jin Yunfeng lowered his voice, but it still came out with a noticeable depth:
"Is the master of Ning Village here? We are passing travelers. A storm is coming, and we’d like to ask for shelter for the night."
Jin Yunfeng stood outside the gate, feeling a little strange.
’Why does this Ning Village smell like stewing meat so late at night?’
The group behind him saw the coffins arranged in the courtyard. Smelling the aroma of meat mixed with the stench of corpses, their faces paled as various thoughts came to mind, and they began to gag.
A few even gripped the hilts of their swords on the spot.
"Who is it? In the middle of the night!"
A rather old voice came from within Ning Village.
The old Daoist, a robe draped over his shoulders, opened the door with a yawn. He was taken aback when he saw the travel-worn group standing outside.
As the most remote province, Desolate Province was rather lawless. Bandits ran rampant in the wilds, Demon Beasts attacking people was a common occurrence, and there were even some evil beings who frequently emerged to harm others.
Therefore, he rarely saw groups traveling at night.
And he had certainly never seen a group where everyone clearly had a Cultivation base.
"Old sir!"
Jin Yunfeng, standing at the head of the group, clasped his fist in his hand and said, "A storm is coming. Could you allow us inside for a cup of water?"
Beside him, the young woman named Qing’Er sensibly took out a few taels of silver and offered them.
’Where did these rich folks come from? Ten taels of silver right off the bat?’
The old Daoist glanced over the group, surprised.
Except for the burly man in the lead, all of them were neatly dressed, with fine swords and blades, and were all skilled Martial Dao practitioners with decent Cultivation.
Ten taels of silver for a night’s lodging was an excellent deal in the eyes of an ordinary person.
However...
A hesitant look appeared on the old Daoist’s face.
’He wasn’t the one who could make decisions for Ning Village.’
After hesitating for a moment, the old Daoist was about to refuse when he heard a dog bark from the courtyard.
His expression immediately relaxed, and he reached out to take the silver.
"You all must be weary from your journey. Please, come in and rest. It’s just that Ning Village is small and doesn’t have many rooms, so I’m afraid you’ll have to squeeze in together."
"That’s no problem!"
Jin Yunfeng smiled. "It’s good enough to have found a place to stay. How could we dare ask for more?"
These words seemed to be for the old Daoist, but they were actually meant for the people behind him.
He was used to roughing it; even sleeping on a grave for a night was no big deal to him. But these children of officials were different, so it was better to give them a heads-up.
"Don’t worry, Brother Jin. We’re not spoiled either."
Lin Qing’Er’s eyes flickered, and she quickly agreed.
The others nodded in agreement.
Seeing that no one objected, the old Daoist opened the gate wide. He only closed it after everyone had entered.
Ning Village wasn’t small.
After all, it was a place for storing coffins and choosing auspicious days for burial. It was inevitable that they would encounter storms. While there weren’t many rooms, the area itself was quite large.
If they squeezed, it could probably hold over a hundred corpses.
After entering Ning Village, the stench of corpses faded, but the aroma of stewing meat grew stronger.
Jin Yunfeng glanced around. He saw no one else besides a Silver-White Dog Demon gnawing on a bone.
So, he cupped his fist to the old Daoist and said:
"Old sir, we’ve been traveling all day and are quite hungry. Do you have anything to eat?"
"We’ll pay."
He had a large appetite and hadn’t had anything to eat or drink all day. The smell of meat made his stomach rumble.
As for the coffins and corpses in the courtyard?
He couldn’t care less about them.
He could eat with gusto even if he were face-to-face with a corpse.
"My apologies, guests, but we really don’t have any."
The old Daoist shook his head.
’The three of them and the dog barely had enough for themselves.’
’If he gave it to these people, there wouldn’t be a scrap of bone left by tomorrow!’
’What would they eat then?’
"That can be arranged,"
Jin Yunfeng chuckled. Believing the old man was just holding out for money, he took some silver from his robes and tossed it in his palm.
The old Daoist’s face twitched. He spread his hands and said:
"We really don’t have any!"
"That’s enough."
As the two were speaking, a calm voice came from inside the house. "All who come are guests. It’s just a bit of food. Go ahead and give it to them."
"Yes..."
Hearing this, the old Daoist’s face twitched again.
This place was several hundred li from Jin Yun City. A round trip was nearly a thousand li. Even with his Dao Talismans, it would take a considerable amount of time.
Besides, his Dao Talismans were quite precious, not something that could be bought with a few silver taels.
But he could only grumble internally. Not daring to speak his mind, he simply acknowledged the order and turned to the kitchen to prepare.
"Why don’t you all come in and sit down?"
The candlelight flickered inside the house as Su Bai spoke again.
"Thank you!"
Jin Yunfeng’s eyes shifted slightly. Without standing on ceremony, he strode inside.
Lin Qing’Er followed him in.
The rest of the group had wanted to enter as well, but seeing that the space inside was small, they gave up on the idea.
Entering the room, Jin Yunfeng subconsciously sized it up.
It was a simple room: a wooden table, two long benches, a pot of tea, and a young man in a white robe.
He sent out his Divine Thoughts and sensed a woman with a blade in a nearby room, cultivating with her eyes closed.
Retracting his Divine Thoughts, he focused his gaze back on the young man.
’What profound Cultivation!’
The next moment, Jin Yunfeng’s expression grew solemn, his Heart Spirit trembling!
The white-robed young man before him sat ramrod straight, his body erect. His skin seemed to shimmer with a golden glow, and he radiated a boundless, brilliant Life Force, like a scorching sun.
At the same time, although he couldn’t see through the man’s Cultivation, an ethereal and profound aura emanated from him, indicating an incredibly terrifying level of Cultivation.
’He was definitely no ordinary person.’
Lin Qing’Er, having no Cultivation, did not feel this.
But the young man’s clothes were simple, and his face seemed illusory, hard to see clearly. His eyes, however, were frighteningly bright, making her feel uneasy.
"Please, have a seat."
Su Bai gestured lightly with his hand.
The two of them then sat down.
Not long after, the old Daoist came in carrying dishes of food. After setting them down, he turned and left.
"Are you the master of Ning Village?"
Jin Yunfeng probed indirectly, not yet revealing his true purpose.
"You could say that."
Su Bai nodded slightly, giving a perfunctory reply.
After the two chatted for a while, Jin Yunfeng no longer hid his intentions and began to speak slowly.
"Brother Su Bai! To be honest, I have come here on other important business. This matter is extremely dangerous. I wish to borrow your Ning Village, but I’m afraid of getting you involved..."
He explained the whole story of his journey from beginning to end. Then he paused, took a large silver note from Qing’Er, and continued:
"This is a silver note for one thousand taels. Please consider it a small token of gratitude. I ask that Brother Su Bai accept it and leave quickly with the old sir and that diligent female cultivator..."
Before Jin Yunfeng could finish speaking, a silver serpent of lightning flashed across the dark night sky!
The rolling roar of thunder followed. Amidst the howling night wind, they could already feel the moisture in the air.
The heavy rain was about to begin.
Su Bai lifted his teacup for a sip and looked out the window. Lightning serpents danced wildly in the night sky, thunder boomed all around, and raindrops had begun to fall from the heavens.
At this moment, thunder cracked from the highest heavens, and the Ten Thousand Spirits retreated in fear.
The fireflies above the Ten-Mile Burial Mound and the Yin Sha Qi, invisible to the naked eye, seemed to have been swept clean away.
"This rain is rather coincidental..."
Jin Yunfeng gave a bitter laugh, then stood up, his eyes shining brightly as he spoke.
"There’s no sense in a guest forcing his host to leave in the rain. At worst, it’s just a fight. I, for one, would like to see just what’s so special about these renowned Blood Nether Thieves!"
"Brother Jin, I’ll go with you!"
Qing’Er also stood up.
Jin Yunfeng clasped his fist, preparing to leave.
Just then, Su Bai set down his teacup and said slowly, "Brother Jin has the air of a true hero. I am impressed."
"And as for those Blood Nether Thieves you mentioned, I believe they’ve already arrived."
"Hmm?"
Jin Yunfeng’s expression changed instantly.
He flashed out of the house in an instant.
THUD!
Just then, a knock suddenly sounded on the gate.
THUD!
THUD THUD—
It wasn’t so much knocking as it was pounding!
After a few more sounds, the wooden main gate of Ning Village exploded inward!
A young man in a blood-red robe, drenched in rain, stumbled inside.
Everyone stared intently. The robe on the man wasn’t red at all; it was clearly a Black Robe, dyed crimson with fresh blood!
In the pouring rain, the thick stench of blood spread instantly.
Everyone’s expression tensed.
They all drew their swords and blades.
In an instant, the ringing of steel filled the air!
Qing’Er suddenly cried out, "Stop! That’s Xu Yun! Brother Xu!"
"What? Xu Yun!"
Everyone’s expression changed.
This Xu Yun was an adopted son of the Lin Family and a mole they had planted inside the Blood Nether Thieves. The only reason they knew the Blood Nether Thieves’ route was because he had tipped them off.
"Brother Xu, what happened to you?"
Qing’Er rushed forward, her face paling in alarm.
"How is my father?"
SPURT!
Amidst the mud, Xu Yun spat out a large mouthful of dark red blood and shouted, "Run!"
"They’re... right behind me!"
Thump thump thump...
Just moments later, the frantic sound of horse hooves echoed from outside Ning Village!
A troop of terrifying Blood Thieves clad in Blood Armor galloped forth, respectfully bearing a Black Emperor’s Palace.
"Trying to run?"
"It’s too late."
As they neared Ning Village, a low, cold voice emanated from within the Black Emperor’s Palace.
BOOM!
In an instant, a terrifying wave of Evil Qi surged madly from the Emperor’s Hall, like a waterfall crashing down from the sky.
It slammed into everyone’s Heart Spirit!