Tonight is moonless, and the pitch-black night sky is only faintly lit by a few stars.

The lean middle-aged man withdrew his gaze, looked at the black-clad martial artist beside him, and said:

"Xu Chuan, don’t you want to break through to the True Yuan Realm?"

"Of course I do, but..."

The black-clad martial artist furrowed his brow deeply, lowering his gaze.

Luo Feng saved their lives, and doing this is undoubtedly returning kindness with enmity, a fact that truly surprised him.

"Big brother, that young hero Luo is at the late stage of the Spiritual Rotation Realm with the power of his Saber Technique proving he’s no ordinary late-stage Spiritual Rotation Realm martial artist—he’s a young genius. The three of us teaming up wouldn’t be a match for him."

The black-clad martial artist wanted to persuade the lean martial artist using other means, raising his head: "This is too risky, we should give up."

He still didn’t want to harm Luo Feng.

"I haven’t underestimated his strength."

The lean middle-aged man showed a cold smile on his face, "Do you remember the Devouring Yuan Grass we harvested in the Red Dragon Mountain Range three days ago?"

"Devouring Yuan Grass."

The black-clad martial artist was taken aback, his eyes widened: "Are we going to poison him?"

Devouring Yuan Grass is a fourth-tier spiritual medicine, the key material for the fifth-tier healing Spirit Pill Yuan Blood Biqing Pill.

The Yuan Blood Biqing Pill is a fifth-tier advanced spirit pill that saves lives, yet Devouring Yuan Grass is a highly vicious poison.

The juice of this poison is colorless and tasteless, once in a martial artist’s body, it begins to corrode their Yuan Qi, causing their strength to plummet. If the poison isn’t expelled quickly, it can even affect their cultivation.

Upon hearing the lean middle-aged man mention the Devouring Yuan Grass, the black-clad martial artist immediately understood his intent.

The lean martial artist nodded: "Correct. If all goes as planned, Yuan Min should now have added the Devouring Yuan Grass juice into the food."

"Yuan Min agreed to this as well?"

The black-clad martial artist’s eyes widened, Yuan Min was the enchanting woman.

"She was the one who brought it up."

The lean middle-aged man laughed lightly: "Actually, I understand her thoughts. We hunt a level-nine Demon Beast worth only thousands of second-tier Yuan Stones. Buying an advanced spirit pill requires careful calculation, saving from our cultivation resources set forth. If we’re able to acquire the treasures this kid holds, perhaps we wouldn’t have to live so dangerously, running around everywhere."

The black-clad martial artist was silent.

The lean middle-aged man continued: "This kid can kill the Red Poison Giant Scorpion with two slashes; his strength is indeed remarkable. But he is young, lacking experience, and surely won’t suspect a thing. Once he consumes the Devouring Yuan Grass, his strength will drop to three or four-tenths. Even if his skills reach the heavens, he’d be nothing but fish on a cutting board."

Still hesitating, the black-clad martial artist said: "He is our lifesaver. Is it too much to do this?"

"Such feminine kindness!"

The lean martial artist snorted coldly, paused, and then exhaled as he said to the black-clad martial artist: "I know you’re righteous, but such opportunities are rare, and missed if passed by. If you don’t want to act, I won’t force you. This matter is covered by Yuan Min and me. Just don’t interfere when the time comes."

With eyes narrowed, the lean martial artist spoke calmly: "Xu Chuan, we’ve been through life and death for nearly ten years. You’re not going back to snitch on us, are you?"

While speaking, the lean martial artist’s Yuan Qi brewed silently within, ready at any moment to commit murder.

The two knew each other from childhood; considering nearly ten years of friendship, he didn’t want to push things to the limit. But the stakes were high—if the other showed traitorous intent, he wouldn’t be blamed for ruthlessness. He could just say they were ambushed by a Demon Beast when returning, and no one would suspect anything.

The black-clad martial artist gave a bitter smile and said: "Big brother, why would you think such things... Whatever is done, I will follow your lead."

The lean martial artist scrutinized him for a long while, then smilingly approached and patted the black-clad martial artist’s shoulder:

"Good. Just watch from the side when the time comes. No need to intervene. Don’t worry—the wealth gained won’t be missing your share. Let’s go."

Whoosh!

The two figures soared, disappearing into the night in an instant.

They moved swiftly, covering dozens of miles within moments, soon seeing the camp’s location.

Feeling the movement, Luo Feng opened his eyes, looking at the two, "Why did it take so long?"

The lean middle-aged man approached, smiling warmly: "After what happened today, I feared there might be trouble tonight, so I patrolled a hundred miles in radius. The surroundings are safe; it seems we can rest easy tonight."

The black-clad martial artist remained silent, raising his head just in time to meet Luo Feng’s gaze. A flash of panic crossed his eyes; he quickly lowered his head and sat at the side, taking out the long saber from his storage ring and carefully wiping it with a white cloth.

The lean middle-aged man sat beside Luo Feng and sighed: "Xu Chuan and Qin Yun have always been close. Today, Qin Yun met misfortune, leaving him in a bad mood. I hope Young Hero Luo won’t take offense."

Luo Feng’s eyes slightly narrowed; the lean middle-aged man had just returned and when looking towards him bore a trace of murderous intent in his eyes. Although it flashed briefly, Luo Feng caught it.

Luo Feng was confident in his senses, convinced it wasn’t a hallucination. The strange behavior of the black-clad martial artist further confirmed his suspicions.

"These people definitely don’t mean well, but I’m not sure why they’re targeting me. They should know they aren’t a match for me..."

Countless thoughts flashed through Luo Feng’s mind, yet his expression remained calm as always, smiling:

"I don’t mind."

"Giggle, Young Hero Luo is bold and has the air of a true knight."

At this moment, a charming laugh echoed, as the enchanting lady walked closer, lightly covering her red lips with a smile: "A pity I already have someone in mind; otherwise, if I were ten years younger, I’d certainly fancy the young hero."

It must be said, the woman named Yuan Min had quite the allure—her figure ********, a very pretty face. Time hadn’t diminished her vibrance but instead added maturity to her charm, with spring-like eyes and seductive voice; every move exuded countless charms.

And at this moment, Yuan Min, intentionally or not, leaned slightly as she surveyed Luo Feng, allowing the ample whiteness below her neckline to faintly appear before his eyes.

Luo Feng surveyed Yuan Min, his gaze frozen momentarily, awkwardly smiling: "You’re joking."

Seeing this, the lean middle-aged man sitting beside displayed a subtle smile at the corner of his lips—barely noticeable, as Luo Feng’s behavior was clearly that of someone inexperienced with the world.

"Yuan Min, how is the roast meat coming?" the lean martial artist asked.

"Oh, I almost forgot."

Yuan Min patted her chest and removed a piece of roast meat from the nearby fire rack, handing it to Luo Feng, smiling sweetly: "Young Hero Luo, taste my cooking."

Luo Feng accepted the roast meat, its golden hue and tempting color accompanied by the thick aroma wafting to his nose.

Without hesitation, Luo Feng tore off a small piece of roast meat, slowly savoring it in his mouth, and then nodded in praise: "The taste is quite good. Comparable to the roast snow rabbit I had in Azure Sky City."

"Giggle, as long as Young Hero Luo enjoys it."

Yuan Min gave a gentle laugh, her enchanting eyes became hazy; she glanced at the lean middle-aged man beside her. Their gazes met briefly before parting.

As if tasting the roast’s flavor, Luo Feng altered his usual ravenous habits by eating very slowly this time, taking half a quarter-hour to finish the roast.

After finishing, Luo Feng wiped the grease from his mouth, greeted the three, then turned to a wind-sheltered flat ground on the side, sat cross-legged, and began practicing the Divine Dragon Nine Changes, leaving a part of his mind to focus on the surrounding environment.