Chapter 53

Chapter 53: Greed

Seeing the other party’s tone shift, Zhao Qi immediately stepped aside while Yang Lingrui also stood up, alert.

"What do you mean, Senior?"

"I highly covet that Resurrection Grass of yours. If you hand it over to me, we can part ways right here. How does that sound?"

As Zheng Huaming spoke, his aura became evident, clearly hinting at a threat.

"I see. I’ve been wondering why a senior with such deep cultivation would travel with us two. Now it all makes sense."

Yang Lingrui sneered, “You have great patience, Senior, waiting until we left Fengling before showing your true colors.”

Zheng Huaming shrugged nonchalantly. To him, Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi were merely pawns he could easily manipulate.

He had just been waiting until now to avoid raising suspicions with the Li Family.

"I advise you both to know your place, lest you lose your opportunity and your lives here."

"Know our place?"

Yang Lingrui expressed his disdain, "At this point, Senior, there’s no need for such pretenses. You probably never intended for us to live from the start!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zheng Huaming’s expression darkened.

Having been seen through, he decided to drop the act.

"Fine, then you can die!"

Zheng Huaming threw a punch at Yang Lingrui.

In his mind, one punch would surely end Yang Lingrui’s life.

Boom!

But the next moment, his punch was unexpectedly blocked by the fierce wind swirling around him.

Zheng Huaming was instantly shocked.

"How is this possible! How could he block my attack!"

"No, that’s not right; this aura… this kid is not a third-level cultivator; he is Fourth Level!"

In the instant of their confrontation, Zhao Qi had already plunged into the forest, running for his life.

He remembered Old Yu’s advice: since he couldn’t help in a fight, he should escape at the first sign of danger.

"Damn it!"

Zheng Huaming wanted to intercept Zhao Qi but was blocked by two gusts of wind.

"Senior, don’t be so hasty; why not talk with me a bit more!"

Once the mask was off, Yang Lingrui didn’t intend to hold back, launching every attack toward Zheng Huaming’s vital points.

Zheng Huaming shattered several currents of wind in quick succession, but his arms were left painfully vibrating.

Yang Lingrui’s strength made him realize the seriousness of the situation, so he quickly took out the bell from his pocket.

He had already studied this item; using it wouldn’t harm flesh but would strike directly at the spirit.

For Gathering Qi cultivators without a true essence shield, it was particularly hard to defend against.

Seeing the object, Yang Lingrui frowned and controlled the wind blades in an attempt to swat it away.

Unfortunately, Zheng Huaming acted even faster.

Dingling—

The sound of the bell rang out, and an invisible sound wave pierced through Yang Lingrui’s body, heading straight for his sea of consciousness.

Suddenly, a strong pain shot through Yang Lingrui’s mind, causing his facial muscles to twitch.

In an instant, his spiritual power began to falter, struggling to maintain the protective wind around him.

Seeing the effect take hold, Zheng Huaming laughed arrogantly.

"Hahahaha! Yang Lingrui, I must admit, you are quite gifted, but it’s a pity that today I have the upper hand!"

With that, he prepared to counterattack.

However, as he advanced, he was astonished to discover that Yang Lingrui’s expression had returned to normal.

The three wind blades that had just slowed down surged back with renewed strength, rushing at him fiercely.

Zheng Huaming was completely stunned, hurriedly defending against Yang Lingrui’s assault.

He couldn’t understand how Yang Lingrui had managed to fend off the bell’s mental attack.

"This is a spiritual treasure from the mid-stage of Gathering Qi! Even a sixth-level cultivator couldn’t shake off its effects so quickly! Does he have some kind of protective treasure?"

Zheng Huaming’s thinking wasn’t too far off. Although Yang Lingrui had no treasure, the consciousness left by Chen Yang in his sea of consciousness was protecting him.

And that awareness was from the late-stage of Gathering Qi.

At that moment, Yang Lingrui himself was also confused.

He had just felt a force dispersing in his sea of consciousness, driving away the bell’s sound wave, and he returned to his usual state.

"Hah!"

The two individuals clashed again, battling back and forth for nearly half an hour.

Under the relentless bombardment of Yang Lingrui’s wind blades, Zheng Huaming finally couldn’t keep up and received a hit.

His body swayed, filled with disbelief.

How could he, with many years of cultivation at the Fourth Level, be outmatched by a junior?

Moreover, after such a long fight, Yang Lingrui’s onslaught showed no sign of slowing.

"Does his spiritual power never run out?"

Zheng Huaming couldn’t figure it out, and he had no time to contemplate further, as Yang Lingrui’s long-prepared killing move was about to land.

From the moment they began to fight, Yang Lingrui had been quietly gathering a wind spear, waiting for the right moment.

And now, with Zheng Huaming tiring, an opening appeared.

"Break!"

The wind spear howled as it shot toward Zheng Huaming’s head.

He stretched out his hands to brace himself, but the wind spear was immensely powerful, drilling blood holes through both of his palms.

Crack!

The wind spear cut through the air, taking with it half of Zheng Huaming’s face.

"Puha…"

Zheng Huaming spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"Wait, please…"

Puchaa!

Yang Lingrui was always decisive when it came to killing, not giving Zheng Huaming a chance to speak as he stepped forward and severed his head.

Then, he quickly searched Zheng Huaming’s body and found his storage bag.

Next, he sliced Zheng Huaming’s body into several pieces, throwing them around the forest, knowing that by morning, the wild beasts would have eaten them clean.

At dawn, he found the hiding Zhao Qi in the cave of a bear.

The two individuals did not delay any further and traveled day and night to return home.

Five days later, as Chen Yang was meditating, he sensed the auras of Yang Lingrui and Zhao Qi from a distance.

He realized that the consciousness he had left in Yang Lingrui’s sea of consciousness had been triggered, and he suspected something had happened on their journey.

When the two children returned safely, Old Yu and Yang Lingqing both breathed a sigh of relief.

After resting for a while, they recounted everything that had happened during their trip in great detail.

Yang Lingrui took the lead in telling the story, while Zhao Qi supplemented with additional details.

When they mentioned that Li Cheng had a sister, both Old Yu and Yang Lingqing couldn’t help but chuckle.

Upon hearing that they had located a complete talisman inheritance, the two clapped and cheered.

Then, when they learned of Zheng Huaming’s greed and his intent to kill for treasure, they felt a wave of worry wash over them.

"You two have worked hard on this journey. Zhao Qi, your efforts in finding the complete talisman inheritance are invaluable; this inheritance is crucial for the Yang Family’s development."

After speaking, Yang Lingqing handed him the bell from the mid-stage of Gathering Qi and Zheng Huaming’s storage bag.

"The markings on these two items have been removed by Old Yu, so they are yours from now on."

Zhao Qi, aware of the bell’s value, quickly stood up and said, "Sister Lingqing, such hefty rewards are too much for me."

Yang Lingqing waved her hand, insisting on giving the two items to him.

"The Yang Family has always been strict about rewards and punishments; it was so under the Elder and is still the same now."

Old Yu also encouraged him with a smile, "Zhao Qi, just accept it with peace of mind."

Seeing their insistence, Zhao Qi stopped refusing and accepted the two items, sincerely thanking them before returning to his residence.

The bell and the storage bag were not heavy, but when he held them, they felt weighty in his hands.

To him, this was not just a reward; it was a trust, a recognition of him, Zhao Qi.

This deeply moved him.