Chapter 75: Chapter 75: You’re Not Qualified Enough

Atop White Bone Cliff, the wind wailed.

Gao Yuanfeng stopped before a cave entrance concealed by withered leaves. He straightened his robes, bowed toward the dark opening, and spoke. His voice was exceptionally clear on the silent cliff.

"Gao Yuanfeng of the Gao Family, requesting an audience with Master Shanxin."

The voice echoed off the rock walls. A moment later, the withered leaves at the entrance were blasted away by an unseen Force, revealing the pitch-black maw of the cave.

A voice, calm yet hollow, drifted out:

"Donor Gao, please enter."

Gao Yuanfeng took a deep breath, suppressed the tremor in his heart, and stepped into the cave.

The cave’s interior was dim. Faint light filtering through cracks in the rock barely outlined the jagged, grotesque stone formations. A bone-chilling cold permeated the air—a cold tinged with an unsettling, sinister quality that sent a shiver down the spine.

Even though this wasn’t his first visit, Gao Yuanfeng couldn’t help but feel his guard go up. This was precisely why the Gao Family referred to the man as the "Demon Monk" behind his back.

He followed the familiar path deeper into the cave, his footsteps unnervingly loud in the silence.

After about a hundred paces, the tunnel opened into a large cavern. Gao Yuanfeng looked toward the center and saw a figure in ancient, worn-out monastic robes sitting cross-legged on a stone dais.

His face was serene and his frame gaunt. His eyes were closed, yet an unrelenting, vicious aura clung to him.

What was most startling, however, was the stone dais itself. It was set in the middle of a blood pool some ten feet in diameter. The stench of gore was so thick it was almost tangible, nauseating to behold.

"Greetings, Master." Gao Yuanfeng lowered his gaze and bowed, his voice echoing through the vast cavern.

Shanxin slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sweeping over him with indifference.

"Why have you come so soon?"

By custom, the Gao Family only delivered Spirit Medicine every half month. He had just left yesterday and returned today; something had to be wrong. ’Alarm bells rang in Shanxin’s mind. Could the Golden Spring Temple have found this place?’

Gao Yuanfeng didn’t hesitate. With a THUD, he fell to his knees, his forehead striking the cold stone floor.

"I have come to beg you, Master, to take action and avenge the annihilation of my Gao Family!"

"Annihilation?"

Shanxin’s brow twitched. "The Gao Family has been wiped out?"

He was somewhat familiar with the Gao Family’s strength: three Martial Masters at the Marrow Transformation Realm, supported by several dozen Foundation Establishment Martial Masters. While that might not mean much in the greater region, here in the Changshan County Region, they were a force to be reckoned with.

He had chosen to cooperate with the Gao Family precisely because of their local influence.

’Could it really be people from the Golden Spring Temple?’

Seeing the look in Shanxin’s eyes shift, Gao Yuanfeng hurriedly explained:

"Reporting, Master. The perpetrators are officials from the Changshan County Government Office. Their leader is a man named Chen Sheng, the new Grand Commander of the Military Preparation Camp."

He then paused, guiding the conversation toward their shared interests.

"The feud between my Gao Family and him... is somewhat related to you, Master."

He was trying to link Chen Sheng to Shanxin.

This wasn’t an empty accusation. Chen Sheng’s father, Chen Xingzhou, had been silenced by the Gao Family precisely because he had discovered Shanxin’s existence. In a way, Chen Sheng’s blood feud with the Gao Family was undeniably tied to Shanxin.

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Shanxin relaxed slightly. ’As long as the Golden Spring Temple isn’t directly involved, things haven’t hit rock bottom.’ But then he sneered.

"What? Are you trying to drag me into this mess?"

The faint, vicious aura around him began to thicken, making it hard for the kneeling Gao Yuanfeng to breathe.

"I wouldn’t dare!"

Gao Yuanfeng buried his head lower. "But now I am all alone. You, Master, are the only one I can turn to. I beg you, for the past six months, the Gao Clan has been subservient, diligently seeking out Spirit Medicine and tying up loose ends for you.

"Avenge my family’s blood debt, and I will be your dog. I will follow your every command, walk through fire and water, and never hesitate!"

Gao Yuanfeng’s voice was earnest, laced with the last vestiges of hope in his despair.

However, Shanxin’s expression remained as cold as ice, his eyes showing not the slightest flicker of emotion.

"There are no feelings between me and your Gao Family. It was a partnership of mutual benefit, nothing more. Your family’s feud is your own karma. Do not disturb my cultivation."

His words were decisive, completely shutting down Gao Yuanfeng’s emotional appeal.

His relationship with the Gao Family had always been one of mutual exploitation. They provided him with healing Spirit Medicine and the Martial Artist Essence Blood he needed for his cultivation. In return, he gave them Golden Jade Ointment and empty promises of Innate Opportunities.

Provoking the Government Office—even one as minor as the Changshan Government Office—for a Gao Family that was no longer useful seemed utterly foolish to him.

Gao Yuanfeng’s expression remained unchanged, as if he had already anticipated that Shanxin would not be easily swayed by words alone.

He slowly straightened up and carefully produced a black wooden box from his sleeve. The box was antique, its surface carved with simple patterns. He raised it over his head with both hands, then gently opened the lid.

Instantly, a strange medicinal fragrance mixed with a faint sanguine scent wafted out, slightly diluting the cavern’s overpowering stench of blood.

Inside, nestled on a soft satin lining, was a pitch-black ointment that shimmered with a jade-like luster. Beside it lay a strangely shaped herb, blood-red in color, its leaves curled like tiny snakes.

"Master, inside the box are the Black Jade Healing Ointment you requested, and a fifty-year-old Red Snake Blood Grass."

Gao Yuanfeng’s voice trembled almost imperceptibly.

"I offer these two items as payment. I only ask that you act once to kill Chen Sheng!"

Shanxin’s gaze was drawn to the box, a flash of avarice in his eyes.

He moved, becoming a blur. In the next instant, he stood silently before Gao Yuanfeng, looking down at the two treasures in the box.

After a moment of careful inspection, he confirmed their authenticity and let out an inscrutable chuckle.

"Heh... you do know the rules. You understand that when asking for a favor, one must come prepared."

His voice turned frigid, laced with chilling killing intent. "But if I were to kill you right now, wouldn’t these two items become mine anyway? Why go through all this trouble?"

Gao Yuanfeng’s heart sank. ’This Demon Monk is so fickle, utterly faithless.’

But he struggled to maintain a respectful expression. "Master should know, though my Gao Family has suffered a great catastrophe, some of our members were away on business and escaped the slaughter. They know I came to White Bone Cliff to see you today. If I should meet an unfortunate end here and fail to return on time... I’m afraid your presence here will no longer be a secret."

This was the first layer of his plan: deterrence.

He had to make Shanxin understand that killing him to tie up loose ends would create even bigger problems.

Otherwise, he had no leverage to persuade him.

"Are you threatening me?"

The ferocity in Shanxin’s calm eyes flared. The Innate True Qi he had kept contained suddenly erupted from his body, rolling out like a tangible wave.

The next moment, a withered but terrifyingly strong hand clamped around Gao Yuanfeng’s throat like an iron pincer, lifting him effortlessly off the ground.

"You think... you have the right?"

Shanxin’s voice was a hoarse growl.

’I could kill Gao Yuanfeng, take his treasures, and flee. Even if my location was leaked, it wouldn’t matter. By the time anyone from the Golden Spring Temple got the news and arrived, I’d be long gone from the Changshan County Region.’

It was a risk he was willing to take.

Gao Yuanfeng’s face turned crimson as he was choked, his breath and blood stagnating. Yet he endured the suffocating agony, forcing out a raspy laugh and words through clenched teeth.

"I... of course... have no right... to threaten... an Innate Powerhouse... It’s just... Master... perhaps... you don’t... know..."

He gasped for air, each word seeming to take enormous effort.

"For the past... six months... every... single Spirit Medicine... we gave you... was secretly... sprinkled... with a specially concocted... ’Aromaless Incense.’ The scent... is non-toxic... and colorless... undetectable by normal means... but it clings... to the body... for three months... without fading..."

At these words, Shanxin’s expression changed drastically. The hand on Gao Yuanfeng’s throat instinctively loosened its grip.

Gao Yuanfeng seized the chance to gulp in air and continued speaking.

"If you... are certain... you can withstand... three months... of relentless pursuit from the masters of the Golden Spring Upper Sect... then... please... go ahead and kill me... In that case... the Gao Family... will admit defeat."

Gao Yuanfeng had dared to come and ask Shanxin for help because he had come prepared.

In truth, from the moment the Gao Family learned Shanxin’s true identity, the core members knew the dangers of striking a deal with a tiger.

Given the Demon Monk’s cruel and unpredictable nature, it was highly probable that he would slaughter the entire Gao Family after he recovered, just to keep his secret. Therefore, they had to have a countermeasure in place.

Shanxin’s expression flickered between anger and uncertainty. He casually slammed Gao Yuanfeng against the cave wall.

He quickly lifted his arm, sniffing it carefully. Then he circulated his True Qi to scan his own body. A flicker of suspicion crossed his face. Even with the keen perception of the Innate Realm, he couldn’t detect anything unusual.

"How dare you try to bluff me!"

he roared, but the alarm in his eyes betrayed his uncertainty.

"COUGH! COUGH! COUGH..."

Gao Yuanfeng clutched his chest, coughing violently as a trickle of blood escaped his lips. But he grinned, a smile filled with both pain and a grim satisfaction.

He didn’t offer an explanation. Instead, he put his index and middle fingers in his mouth and let out a sharp, peculiar whistle.

The whistle echoed through the cave.

A few breaths later, a piercing cry echoed from outside. A white shadow shot into the cave like a bolt of lightning. It circled above Shanxin’s head, screeching urgently, its sharp eyes locked onto him.

"This is a special breed of white falcon, painstakingly trained by the Gao Family to identify the ’Aromaless Incense’."

Gao Yuanfeng panted, leaning against the wall. "It usually circles near White Bone Cliff and has long grown familiar with your aura. It can track you precisely within a ten-li radius. Our family members on the outside have three more just like it."

"It seems... I’ve underestimated you."

Shanxin’s gaze flickered. He had always been arrogant about his superior Cultivation and had never considered the Gao Family a threat. He never imagined they possessed such cunning countermeasures.

"One must be cautious when dealing with you, Master."

Gao Yuanfeng wiped the blood from his mouth and gave a bitter smile.

Shanxin stared at him, his mind racing. ’If I kill him and take the treasures, and this Aromaless Incense is real... if it truly doesn’t fade for three months, the risk is too great.’

And if the Gao Family was this confident, the scent was probably impossible for him to remove.

"Since you know my identity, you should also be aware that if my whereabouts are leaked and the Golden Spring Temple comes investigating, what’s left of your Gao Family will be implicated and exterminated!"

But a look of utter resolve flashed in Gao Yuanfeng’s eyes.

"Over three hundred members of the Gao Family were brutally murdered! Not even the women and children were spared! I cannot rest in peace until this debt is paid!"

He stared intently at Shanxin. "As long as you kill Chen Sheng, I will bear all the consequences. You can blame it all on me. You can even kill me afterward to silence me. I will have no complaints.

Furthermore, the Gao Family has located the Blood Spirit Jade Marrow you’ve been searching for. Once the deed is done, I will present it to you!"

The words "Blood Spirit Jade Marrow" made Shanxin’s eyes flicker.

This item was crucial to him, far more valuable than the two treasures in the box.

The cave fell silent.

Shanxin weighed his options. The hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by an icy resolve.

"Since you’re willing to pay the price, I will help the Gao Family this once."

Then, he slowly approached Gao Yuanfeng, enunciating each word.

"But if you have deceived me in any way... I will hunt down every last one of your surviving Gao Family members and slaughter them, ensuring your Gao Clan’s bloodline is extinguished for good."

A look of relief flashed in Gao Yuanfeng’s eyes. He bowed deeply.

"I will remember."

He had exhausted every ounce of his cunning to convince this Demon Monk. He no longer cared if the monk would turn on him later.

As long as Chen Sheng died and the Gao Family’s blood debt was paid, he was willing to be silenced by the Demon Monk afterward!