Super Soldier in the City-Chapter 2076 - 2139: Negotiating with a Tiger for Its Skin
As for what Sang Ye actually wants, Babuda didn’t know either. He was just here for the money, but given the current situation, he couldn’t seek any kind of wealth.
"So you’re saying none of you know what Sang Ye wants, you just followed along?" Xu Shanshan looked at Babuda, who was also injured in multiple places and full of regret, and asked.
Babuda quickly nodded and said, "Yes, I didn’t know. The people who just died didn’t know either. In fact, we’ve asked Sang Ye before and even doubted him, but Sang Ye never said anything. We had no choice; since we were already here, we could only follow him."
"Do you know this stone tablet?" Li Yifei thought for a moment, took the stone tablet from his backpack, and Babuda immediately nodded, saying, "Sang Ye used this stone tablet to gain our trust. He said it was a map, and with this stone tablet, we could safely reach the center of the island and enter the treasure."
"He also said it’s some kind of key. No, the key seems to be something else. When he abandoned us and fled earlier, we called out to him, but he said he couldn’t help us anymore," Babuda added.
Li Yifei smiled slightly and asked, "What else do you know?"
"I... I beg you, don’t leave me here. I... I can help carry your backpack. If you leave me alone here, I’ll die. It’s too terrifying here," Babuda suddenly said with a tense expression.
Unfortunately, Li Yifei didn’t plan to bring him along. Being able to save him from the jaws of a leopard was already rare, so how could he possibly take along a burden? Therefore, Li Yifei shook his head and said, "Impossible. You’re a burden, I won’t take you along. Moreover, you can’t provide me with any help." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞
Xu Shanshan said nothing. The journey had already been hard enough, and taking along a tag-along would make it even harder.
This Babuda might seem like a small expert, but he’s far from it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been forced by those three leopards into such a state. Didn’t Li Yifei solve those three leopards easily? That already speaks volumes.
Babuda instantly became dejected, and even despairing. He sat on the ground, looking complicatedly at Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan.
"Take the food from your comrade’s body and go back. I don’t know if there’s treasure ahead, but I can assert the danger in front won’t be any less. If you continue forward, it’s a dead end," Li Yifei said coldly.
"Alright, thank you both. If I have the opportunity, I will repay you!" Babuda nodded, knowing he couldn’t change Li Yifei’s mind. He picked up the package on the ground and took his knife, then slowly turned away.
Li Yifei glanced at him and then prepared to continue on with Xu Shanshan. But after only a few steps, they heard a thud behind them. Turning around, they saw Babuda suddenly clutch his chest, face full of disbelief, and slowly collapse.
Someone! Li Yifei’s heart was startled, and he immediately drew his sword, looking at the grass on the side. There, a person was slowly lowering his hand; he had just thrown a Flying Dagger, hitting Babuda’s heart and resulting in Babuda’s downfall.
This person was familiar to both Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan; he was the leader of this expedition team, as well as the expert Sang Ye mentioned by Babuda.
The person walked out of the grass with a smile, raising both hands to show he had no weapons.
"Sang Ye?" Li Yifei called out the name while also assessing this person’s strength. From his presence, Li Yifei sensed an eerie atmosphere; though the man was smiling, it made people feel uneasy.
"Yes, it’s me!" Sang Ye lowered his hands. His appearance wasn’t too ragged, and there wasn’t much blood; of course, compared to Li Yifei and Xu Shanshan, he seemed quite ragged, since they were nearly uninjured.
What made Li Yifei cautious was that this person had been hiding in the grass just now, yet neither he nor Xu Shanshan had noticed. This meant either the person was more skilled than him, or he had special means of hiding his presence. Li Yifei leaned towards the latter; after all, he was already an expert, even Murong Yuanqing and others hiding nearby wouldn’t escape his perception. If this person was relying on a higher skill, leading to Li Yifei not detecting him, then Li Yifei would rather leave quickly with Xu Shanshan.
Xu Shanshan also frowned slightly, looking a bit unhappy.
Sang Ye stopped a few meters in front of Li Yifei and, in English, said, "Please allow me to introduce myself, I’m Sang Ye, a Filipino, and the leader of this expedition team."
Li Yifei didn’t respond. Sang Ye smiled and continued, "Yes, I was indeed hiding behind the grass earlier. It’s not that I didn’t want to fight those leopards; I was simply helpless. Oh, don’t blame me for killing him. Although he’s a person you saved, if he really returns alive, the information about this island will be exposed, and my intentions will be known."
Li Yifei raised an eyebrow and said, "Your intentions?"
"Haha, that’s precisely why I came out from the grass. I saw you were extraordinary, an expert, so I wanted to share my secrets with you."
"Go on," Li Yifei sheathed his sword. Though he couldn’t gauge this person completely, his skills wouldn’t be too formidable, so holding the sword as a precaution would seem out of place.
"Very well." Sang Ye nodded, thought for a few seconds, and said, "This island is called the Island of All Beings. I initially didn’t know, but my sect has records stating this was the base of an ancient Huaxia sect. They built this island, which is the Island of All Beings. At the island’s center is a palace, the core of that sect and the most important place. Rumor has it that along with countless fortunes, it houses key sect secrets and treasures, and even mysterious and powerful weapons. These were passed down in my sect; they knew the news hundreds of years ago. Unfortunately, navigation technology wasn’t advanced at the time, and though the sect’s predecessors searched extensively, they couldn’t find it. My generation has also been searching."
"Continue," Li Yifei signaled him to proceed when he paused.
Sang Ye again smiled and said, "Unfortunately, the island is hidden beyond modern technology’s reach. If it had not appeared recently, I wouldn’t have known it. Upon learning of the island’s reappearance, I organized this treasure expedition. I hadn’t deceived them; there indeed is wealth here, and I don’t want it. The treasure they find will be theirs, but unfortunately, we’ve reached this point, and they’ve all died."
"And then?" Li Yifei asked again.
"Uh... then I encountered you. I want to partner with you." Sang Ye stated his purpose.
Partner? Li Yifei laughed lightly and exchanged a glance with Xu Shanshan.
"You’re an expert, with sect heritage, surely you know many things. Partnering with you is undoubtedly dangerous." Li Yifei said.
Sang Ye shook his head and said, "No, no, I can sense you’re an expert, and the lady isn’t weak either. While I... have some knowledge, our partnership would be mutually beneficial. I can take care of myself, not causing you any trouble!"
"What can we gain?" Li Yifei asked again.
Sang Ye pondered for a moment and said, "You’ve asked me. Can we be honest; may I know your purpose here?"
"Haha, you don’t even know our goals, yet you want to partner?"
"It’s my oversight. Well, you take what you want, and I’ll take what I want. As for the wealth inside, I won’t need any." Sang Ye said.
Xu Shanshan said, "What if what you want is also what we want?"
"Uh... then we can compete, the winner takes it." Sang Ye replied.
"Haha!" Li Yifei stifled a laugh, then shook his head, saying, "Forget it, I don’t need this kind of partnership. We came here to get everything we want!"
Li Yifei refused since there was no attraction. He chuckled, knowing he was here to rescue someone, and naturally wanted the legendary treasures too. Unfortunately, wanting something isn’t the same as needing to obtain it. Given the monsters encountered on this island, what dangers could await in the central palace is still unknown. For unknowable things, Li Yifei wouldn’t risk Xu Shanshan and himself.
As more family members joined, as children were born and grew, Li Yifei’s will to fight diminished. Perhaps it’s that the older one gets, the more cautious he becomes. Thinking of the family waiting at home, Li Yifei didn’t want to risk anything or worry them.
This was a question Li Yifei had considered several times recently. If it were his old self, encountering treasures or new things, he might want to experience them, even if he couldn’t obtain them.
Yet ultimately, he persuaded himself not to act recklessly as he wasn’t impulsive anymore.
Xu Shanshan understood Li Yifei’s thoughts, she didn’t try to persuade him and was happy to support his idea.
Sang Ye anticipated Li Yifei’s refusal, but he thought it was a bargaining refusal. Since Li Yifei had ventured this far, he’d encountered many battles and difficulties, so how could he not want the treasures?
Thus, Sang Ye didn’t give up but argued, "Sir, I haven’t deceived you, everything I said is true. For a cultivator, nothing is more appealing than secret manuals. We’re less than half a day’s walk from there, reaching it could grant us treasures. If there are cultivation manuals, I’d transcribe one copy, and we’d each have one. As for other items, we can negotiate them. You are two people, I am one; you’d have no fear of me misbehaving, and honestly, I lack the confidence to defeat either of you."
