Chapter 297: Chapter 284: Where’s the Fat Guy?

"No, don’t kill me!" Zhang Cheng, who had been playing dead, started to wail. "You can’t do this! You’ve already taken everything, so why do you still have to kill me... People can’t be like this!"

Everyone from Qingfeng Stronghold recognized Zhang Cheng, and the crowd of captives trussed up nearby knew him even better.

Though he was young, he wielded absolute power in Illusion Mist City, making people both hate and fear him.

No one could have ever imagined a day like this, where he would be sprawled on the ground like a helpless young bride about to be passed around, wailing and screaming, a wretched mess of tears and snot.

The entire plaza was packed with people, but no one said a word. Only Zhang Cheng’s wails, so full of grievance they could make it snow in June, echoed endlessly...

The scene was so bizarre it felt surreal to everyone watching...

"Shut your mouth. You’re so noisy!" Shen Lang said with a helpless shake of his head. "How can you be so unreasonable? You brought a mob up here to slaughter everyone in the stronghold. If you had succeeded, I doubt many of these people would have survived, right?"

His words caused the people of Qingfeng Stronghold to erupt.

The swords and sabers in their hands trembled, and it seemed someone might lose control at any moment and cleave Zhang Cheng in two.

Seeing this, Zhang Cheng instantly shut his mouth, not daring to move a muscle.

Shen Lang added, "You can’t just decide to kill people whenever you feel like it, and then get all upset when someone stabs you a couple of times..."

’Damn it, who would be willing to get stabbed a couple of times?’ Zhang Cheng almost blurted out.

"Then give me a reason not to stab you a couple of times," Shen Lang said, his face a mask of saintly compassion.

Zhang Cheng’s heart leaped with joy, and he immediately shouted, "I’ve wronged the brothers of Qingfeng Stronghold! I’ve wronged Eldest Master Lan! I’m willing to atone with a vast amount of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures! As long as you spare my life, any amount of Spirit Stones is fine! I’m begging you, let me go! I’m a disciple of the White Rainbow Sect! Please, for the sake of the White Rainbow Sect, spare me!"

Yun Jingchu and the other two disciples turned their heads away slightly. They felt utterly ashamed and thought it was a complete waste to have come here to back him up.

’What the hell is this guy? A total coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong. When he was on top, he’d wipe out smaller powers whenever he pleased. Now that he’s hit a brick wall, he’s on his knees, crying for his parents and begging for his life. He’s completely disgraced the White Rainbow Sect.’

As the three disciples and the surrounding crowd despised Zhang Cheng more and more, they began to develop an indescribable feeling toward Shen Lang.

One moment, Zhang Cheng was shouting his protests; the next, he was weeping profusely, volunteering to hand over vast quantities of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and Spirit Stones...

What followed was quite simple.

In front of the large crowd, Shen Lang had Zhang Cheng sign two contracts.

The first contract was for the people of Qingfeng Stronghold, to prevent Zhang Cheng from becoming enraged by the humiliation and returning with men to flatten the stronghold. It effectively bound his hands.

The second contract could be considered an IOU, or perhaps a ransom agreement.

However, this ransom agreement was a bit too outrageous—so much so that the people of Qingfeng Stronghold actually felt embarrassed and quite bad for Zhang Cheng.

This wasn’t a ransom for a person; it was a ransom for a priceless treasure. Not even buying a woman’s freedom from a brothel was this exorbitant.

With Nalan Ziyun gesturing menacingly with her giant Bone Saber, Shen Lang calculated the price starting from each individual finger, even including Lord Zhang Cheng’s "handsome" face, his strong nose, and his thick, dark hair, all of which were sold back to the man himself.

If not for the fact that he had too much hair and counting it strand by strand would be too tedious, Shen Lang would never have resorted to selling it as a package deal.

You could tell as much from his grumbling tone.

As a result, even though the three from the White Rainbow Sect were fully clothed, they felt as if they were standing naked in a frozen wasteland, shivering from a cold that chilled them to the bone.

The members of the three factions, including the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, were completely dumbstruck, each of them biting their tongues hard, thinking they must have fallen into an Illusion Realm.

The people of Qingfeng Stronghold fidgeted awkwardly, their faces full of apology, as if they weren’t the ones who had just been attacked and nearly wiped out, but rather as if they were the ones who had broken into someone’s home to violate their wife and daughter.

The only calm ones, besides Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun, were the two motionless Bone Demons standing guard.

In the past, Zhang Cheng had always been arrogant and domineering, mainly because, apart from relying on his father’s status, he had never faced a real crisis.

After being "schooled" like this by Shen Lang, the guy’s mind was in complete chaos. All he wanted was to agree to everything and leave this wretched place immediately.

When your life is in someone else’s hands, to be toyed with as they please, even a man like Zhang Cheng, who cherished wealth as much as life itself, would start to see money as nothing but dirt. After all, what’s the use of a mountain of gold if you’re dead? Someone else will just sleep with your wife and spend your money. Nothing is more important than saving your own skin.

In this regard, while Zhang Cheng might have seemed like an idiot, he was actually extremely shrewd.

’Otherwise, if I piss off Shen Lang and he decides to chop off my hands before starting the negotiations, I’ll be in real trouble...’

As the two contracts flared with a blinding light and a strand of radiance sank into both Shen Lang’s and Zhang Cheng’s bodies, Shen Lang let out a hearty laugh. He helped Zhang Cheng to his feet and slung an arm around his shoulder as if they were long-lost friends, acting incredibly chummy.

Then, he turned amicably to Nalan Ziyun and said, "Ah, these other people look so sleazy. They can’t compare to these four senior brothers from the White Rainbow Sect. Plus, they’re dressed so shabbily they probably don’t have any money. Let’s just kill them all. I can’t even be bothered to talk to them."

Zhang Cheng and his three companions stumbled, nearly falling to the ground.

They didn’t fall, but Lan Feng and his men all dropped to their knees...

Instantly, the sounds of wailing and cries for mercy thundered across Qingfeng Stronghold, deafening all who heard them.

When Zhang Xiaoshan, Wang Dazhu, and the others rushed over in a panic, they saw Lan Feng and his men scrambling to pull out their Spirit Stones and Elixir Pills to hand over to the people of Qingfeng Stronghold, all while surrounding the Chieftain and begging for their lives...

They thought their wounds were so severe that they were causing them to hallucinate.

And just like that, the life-or-death crisis of Qingfeng Stronghold took a dramatic turn. Atop the mountain, the members of the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps and the other two factions wailed in despair, while the people of Qingfeng Stronghold were overcome with joy. It was Heaven and Hell, all in one place.

While the second-in-command of Qingfeng Stronghold, escorted by Bone One and Bone Two, took a group of men with promissory notes from Lan Feng and the others to collect the enormous debts from the Lone Wolf Mercenary Corps, Langya Mountain, and Lianyun Stronghold, Shen Lang and Nalan Ziyun were already on their way to Celestial City Peak, located behind the stronghold.

Qingfeng Stronghold was not Shen Lang’s target; the Thousand-leaf Dew was.

Although the people of Qingfeng Stronghold tried their best to dissuade him, telling him it wasn’t the right time for the Thousand-leaf Dew to appear and that this month’s offering to the Seventh Level Demon Beast, the Fire Raccoon Beast, was not yet due, Shen Lang insisted on going to take a look.

A Seventh Level Demon Beast was equivalent to a Martial Artist at the Xuanwu Realm Third Heaven. While formidable, it couldn’t pose much of a threat to the current Shen Lang.

But the timing was indeed wrong; going now would be pointless. On the gravel path, Nalan Ziyun followed behind him, her mind buzzing with questions. "What exactly are you planning? They weren’t lying, you know. I’ve been in Qingfeng Stronghold for a long time, and I know for a fact you won’t get any Thousand-leaf Dew if you go to Celestial City Peak now. Besides, the stronghold already gave you the small half-vial they had in stock. Isn’t that enough for you?"

"Do you remember that fat guy I brought with me to Qingfeng Stronghold?" Shen Lang asked out of the blue.

Nalan Ziyun was taken aback. "Oh, that fat guy’s name is Chen Tianci. I heard he’s been at the stronghold for over two years, so he’s considered an old-timer. He keeps a low profile but seems pretty sharp. What about him?"

Before Shen Lang could answer, Nalan Ziyun added with a puzzled frown, "That’s right, you brought him with you when you showed up. How come I haven’t seen a trace of him since? Where the hell did he disappear to?"

Shen Lang glanced ahead. Sunlight pierced through the dense woods, dappling the ground. It was already noon.

"It’s just a theory..." Shen Lang said. "But I’ve discovered that fat guy is anything but simple. Almost no one in Qingfeng Stronghold is his match, and that includes you, the Chieftain. The fact that he’s stayed hidden here for over two years... well, it makes one wonder."

Nalan Ziyun was astounded. "Impossible! That kid’s cultivation is only at the Qi Martial Realm, and he’s always getting bullied by the others. He acts so timid and afraid of trouble. How could he be that powerful without me ever noticing a thing?"

"Concealing Aura, hiding one’s cultivation... there are many Cultivation Techniques and Magical Treasures that can achieve that. It’s not that unusual. How much do you know about the Barbarian Race?" Shen Lang said as they walked.

"The Barbarian Race? They’re said to be an incredibly powerful race. Their appearance is similar to the Human Race, but they’re much taller and possess immense strength, with an average height of three meters. They live in the Northern Wilderness. Long ago, it’s said that the strongest of the Barbarian Race were on par with any other race, beings capable of fighting dragons with their bare bodies... Holy crap, you’re not suggesting that fat guy is one of them, are you? What part of him resembles a member of the Barbarian Race?"

Shen Lang shook his head. "You can’t tell from his appearance alone, but his bone structure is unique. I can’t think of any race other than the Barbarian Race that has bones like his. The Innate, savage power within them isn’t something that comes from a Cultivation Technique or elixirs. Only the Northern Wilderness Barbarian Clan has a trait like that."

"The Barbarian Race is extremely small in number. Because of their immense power, they were feared and ostracized by other races, relegated to a corner of the Northern Wilderness. It’s been many years since they’ve even been seen in the Northern Wilderness. Like many other unique races, they have all but faded from the history of the Star Continent."

He continued, "The Star Continent is vast, and the distance between the Northern Wilderness and the Western Wilderness is unimaginable. For a member of the Barbarian Race to hide his identity, use a Secret Technique to alter his bone structure, cross such a vast distance to the Western Wilderness, and then hide in a bandit’s den for over two years... that says a lot."

"Are you saying he came for the Thousand-leaf Dew?" Nalan Ziyun asked, still not quite understanding. "The Thousand-leaf Dew is precious, but not so precious that it would warrant this. If it were, little Qingfeng Stronghold would have been wiped out long ago. It doesn’t seem reasonable for a member of the Barbarian Race to go to such lengths."

"What about the Thousand-leaf Fruit?" Shen Lang asked lightly. "The legendary fruit that is said to bloom and bear fruit only once every five hundred years."

"Hah! How is that possible? No one has ever even seen such a thing! Legend says that the entire process, from the Thousand-leaf Fruit’s flower blooming to the fruit appearing, takes less than ten minutes. After that, the fruit falls and melts back into the earth. Besides, not every five-hundred-year-old Demon Companion Grass can even bear fruit. Waiting for one to do so... you’d have better luck waiting for an iron tree to blossom."