Right behind her came a fierce tiger, completely golden, with two tusks like scimitars!

The tiger exuded an intense aura, clearly not something to be trifled with.

After Liu Ruyan emerged from the cave, she did not flee but instead returned to her previous stance on the rock, turning back with indifference to stare at the tiger.

"Detestable human! How dare you steal my meat Lingzhi, you will pay for this." The tiger spoke in human tongue, highly cultivated. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

Meat Lingzhi?

Chen Yang paused; he had seen this thing in the Herbal King’s Manual.

It’s a celestial treasure to aid cultivation, beyond the scope of ordinary herbs, something very mystical, a celestial treasure!

He had already sensed from the herbal fragrance that it couldn’t be something low-level inside.

Ah, so it’s a celestial treasure. No wonder Liu Ruyan ventured deep into the mountains several times.

Turns out it was for such a precious item.

"Little brother, it’s your turn to perform next. Three hundred Spirit Stones aren’t that easy to earn." Liu Ruyan suddenly gave a devilish smile and said with a playful tone.

"You mean, you want me to join you in dealing with it?" Chen Yang countered.

"Of course."

Liu Ruyan answered confidently.

She thought having given three hundred Spirit Stones, Chen Yang would surely assist her in the fight; otherwise, Spirit Stones aren’t that easy to obtain, right?

"Sorry, I can’t lend a hand." However, Chen Yang calmly refused.

Upon hearing the refusal, Liu Ruyan’s smile froze, and she turned back, bewildered, looking at Chen Yang, "Little brother, what do you mean? You accepted my Spirit Stones, are you going back on your word?"

"No, you misunderstood. I’ve always been someone who abides by the rules and never breaks a promise! You paid me to guide you into the mountains, not to help solve your trouble." Chen Yang answered with justification.

Liu Ruyan was momentarily stunned.

She was willing to pay a high price solely to have Chen Yang make a move.

She saw through Chen Yang’s formidable strength, an excellent ally.

Otherwise, who would pay such a high price just for a guide?

"Little brother, are you playing word games with me? Naturally, hiring you meant you would also lend a hand." Liu Ruyan said.

"I have no leisure to play games with you. I’m just speaking the truth; you never mentioned requiring my help in the fight." Chen Yang spread his hands, explaining helplessly.

"You..." Liu Ruyan was at a loss for words. From a strict standpoint, Chen Yang indeed never agreed, nor did she state it explicitly.

"What will it take for you to lend a hand?" Liu Ruyan knew arguing was pointless and decided to compromise.

"The demand isn’t high, three hundred Spirit Stones." Chen Yang straightforwardly stated a price.

Upon hearing the three hundred Spirit Stones, Liu Ruyan frowned.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t afford it, but she felt extorted.

And indeed, that was the case.

Chen Yang intended to take advantage.

Yet the exploitation wasn’t excessive; it remained within "reasonable" bounds.

Liu Ruyan obtained the meat Lingzhi, a celestial treasure that immensely aids cultivation, not something ordinary.

Demanding three hundred Spirit Stones isn’t unreasonable.

If it were some greedy individual, they might ask for at least a thousand Spirit Stones or half of the meat Lingzhi.

Comparatively, Chen Yang was relatively "reasonable."

"You..."

Liu Ruyan pointed at Chen Yang, her emotions in turmoil.

Roar!!

Just as she was about to reason with Chen Yang, the direction of the rock echoed a huge tiger roar again.

Liu Ruyan glanced over to see the fierce tiger with scimitar-like tusks closing in on them.

"Raising the price! Even without your help, I can handle this guy." Liu Ruyan, though infuriated, realized now wasn’t the time to reason with Chen Yang, so she turned around immediately to face the tiger.

The tiger, incredibly fierce, possessed a mighty power, with a peak Gathering Spirit combat ability.

Its tusks added significant threat to Liu Ruyan.

However, Liu Ruyan’s combat prowess was notable; from afar, Chen Yang estimated her strength was at least at the late Gathering Spirit stage.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the capacity to contend with the fierce tiger.

Roar!!!

Whish Whish Whish!!

The tiger roared continuously, its claws furiously attacking, seeking to tear Liu Ruyan apart.

Liu Ruyan relied on her nimble body and extreme speed to dodge while using silver needles to retaliate.

The two battled at the cave entrance for a long time.

Although Liu Ruyan didn’t dominate, she didn’t show a clear disadvantage either; her Spiritual Energy was abundant, seemingly having cultivated an advanced cultivation technique.

Dark Spiritual Energy emerged on her body, and each attack yielded considerable power.

"Damn human, today I’ll kill you."

Following a round of combat, the tiger grew furious, roaring while ferociously launching attacks on Liu Ruyan.

Meanwhile, Chen Yang observed from the side.

"Could it be, she isn’t related to the Five Poisons Cult?"

Chen Yang squinted, closely observing Liu Ruyan.

Initially, he suspected Liu Ruyan might be connected to the Five Poisons Cult because the Leader of the Five Poisons Cult he encountered last night shared many similarities with her.

Yet, after watching her fight with the tiger, he noticed her Spiritual Energy wasn’t as malevolent as the Leader of the Five Poisons Cult.

She didn’t use any cultivation techniques or poison methods from the Five Poisons Cult.

From these observations, Liu Ruyan seemed unrelated to the Leader of the Five Poisons Cult; it was merely coincidental that both wielded silver needles as weapons.