“Brother Yuan is really cautious.” Wu Lu stood still until Yuan Ming took the medicine before speaking.

“I’m afraid you’ll use that beautiful knife again.” Yuan Ming mocked.

“Hehe, Yuan Ming is really humorous. When I attacked you earlier, it was to gain Kun Tu’s trust and find an opportunity to kill him. Now that Kun Tu is dead, there is no reason for us to continue fighting.” Wu Lu smirked and took a step back.

“Hu Huo, Hu Zha, and Kun Tu are all dead. How do we explain this when we return to the sect?” Yuan Ming said slowly.

“Hu Huo, Hu Zha, and the others were not killed by me, and I don’t know who killed them.” Wu Lu smiled and added.

Yuan Ming looked at Wu Lu, and they locked eyes. After a moment, they burst into laughter at the same time.

Both of them attacked their fellow disciples today, so they had each other’s weaknesses. They were like two fleas on a rope, and since there was no unresolved conflict between them, there was no need to continue fighting.

“Wu Lu, you are indeed a friend I have known since the time of being a beast slave.” Yuan Ming looked at Wu Lu and said.

“Naturally, we are now sworn brothers.” Wu Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Although Yuan Ming was seriously injured, the terrifying purple-black vine made him both shocked and fearful. He had a feeling that Yuan Ming had more tricks up his sleeve. The sudden backlash of Kun Tu’s control over the artifact and the invisible knife exceeded his expectations. Now he needed to win over Yuan Ming.

“Now we can discuss how to deal with their belongings.” Kun Tu glanced at Kun Tu’s body not far away and said.

Yuan Ming was about to speak when his speech suddenly paused for a moment, and then he continued, “I want to choose something from Kun Tu’s belongings first, and then we split the rest. Hu Huo’s belongings will all go to me.”

“Fair enough. Let’s do it this way.” Wu Lu said without hesitation.

Yuan Ming nodded, and with a thought, the purple-black vine next to Wu Lu retracted and disappeared.

He walked to Hu Huo’s body not far away, while Wu Lu stood still without moving.

Yuan Ming picked up the crimson triangular flag. This item could release golden flames and had considerable power. Although it was not as good as the Yin Ghost Flag, it was still a remarkable low-grade artifact. Yuan Ming put away the triangular flag and continued searching on Hu Huo’s body. He quickly found a small purple bag.

He had seen this storage artifact of Hu Huo before. It had been infused with spiritual power. The space inside the bag was not large, but it was filled with valuable items. There were seven or eight spiritual materials, five pieces of spiritual stones, a black jade box, and a bone scroll.

These spiritual materials were all precious items from the Ten Thousand Mountains. They would be saved for future opportunities. The five spiritual stones were all red, obviously fire attribute spiritual stones.

He took out the black jade box and carefully opened it. Inside was a fist-sized white solid that looked like stone or jade.

“What is this?” Yuan Ming picked up the white stone and examined it carefully, but unfortunately, he found nothing. It was not recorded in the book of strange stones either. He put the white stone back and stored it in his storage bag.

This item was stored so securely by Hu Huo, so it must be precious. He would find a way to figure it out later.

Yuan Ming took out the last bone scroll and stuck it to his forehead to read its contents. A hint of joy appeared on his face.

The bone scroll recorded a spell called “Swift Wind Art,” which could make the body light and agile, allowing the user to leap like a flying bird. It was a necessary spell for cultivators to travel quickly.

Yuan Ming had been interested in this spell when he was in the Treasure Pavilion, but he couldn’t afford it at the time. Unexpectedly, he obtained it from Hu Huo today.

Yuan Ming didn’t have time to think about it now because Wu Lu was waiting on the side.

He stood up and walked to Kun Tu’s headless body, with Wu Lu following behind. Wu Lu bent down and threw a storage ring directly to Yuan Ming, saying, “If Brother Yuan doesn’t need the Yin Ghost Flag, can you give it to me? I don’t need anything else in the storage ring.”

“Sure.” Yuan Ming reached out and caught the ring, nodding in agreement.

Although the Yin Ghost Flag was a medium-grade artifact with great power, it was not suitable for him to use. He scanned the storage ring with his divine sense and couldn’t help but laugh.

Kun Tu’s wealth was far less abundant than Hu Huo’s. There were only a few spiritual stones and ordinary spiritual materials, as well as a seemingly ordinary fist-sized white jade box. It seemed that Wu Lu was truly a shrewd person among the people from the Southern Region.

But Yuan Ming didn’t mind. It was unexpected wealth after all, and a storage ring alone was worth a lot of money.

He took out the white jade box and held it in his hand. The voice of the silver cat immediately sounded in his mind, “I want this.”

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming put the box back into his storage bag and then threw the Yin Ghost Flag to Wu Lu.

“Thank you, Brother Yuan.” Wu Lu thanked him and put away the Yin Ghost Flag. Then he asked, “May I ask why Brother Yuan killed Hu Zha and Hu Huo?”

“I killed Hu Zha to protect them. I promised Ha Gong to ensure the safety of his wife and child. Hu Zha insisted on killing them and taking their souls, so I had no choice but to kill him. You should know the reason after interrogating Tu Ya and her daughter.” Yuan Ming glanced at Tu Ya and her daughter who were unconscious on the side and said.

“Brother Yuan is righteous.” Wu Lu said with his mouth, but he didn’t believe it in his heart.

Yuan Ming fell silent. When he attacked Hu Zha earlier, he didn’t think much about it due to the urgent situation. Afterward, he found it unbelievable as well.For the sake of two women he had never met, he had killed his fellow disciples. If this were to be exposed, he would immediately face a fatal disaster.

Upon reflection, it was probably because he had promised Ha Gong, and now that he had encountered the situation, he naturally couldn’t ignore it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to get past his own conscience.

He had previously read in a historical record of the sect that in cultivation, besides talent, sometimes one also needed to meditate deeply. If one’s heart was disturbed, it could have a significant impact on future cultivation.

However, this incident served as a wake-up call for him. He needed to consider what he could handle and ensure his own safety first. He should not make promises lightly, and he should not speak too freely.

“As for Hu Huo and the others, I’ve had a grudge against them for a long time,” Yuan Ming thought to himself, saying this out loud.

“I see,” Wu Lu nodded, but from his expression, it was hard to tell how much he believed.

“Why did you kill Kun Tu, Brother Wu Lu?” Yuan Ming asked in return.

“You and I both come from the same background, I believe you should understand why I did what I did. I had to endure humiliation and become his servant, he has humiliated me many times, I’ve always wanted to find an opportunity to strike,” Wu Lu said.

“But Kun Tu is an inner disciple after all, and he is the direct disciple of Elder Meng Shan. Aren’t you afraid that Elder Meng Shan will investigate?” Yuan Ming asked again.

“Brother Yuan Ming, you may not know this, but Elder Meng Shan doesn’t care if Kun Tu dies. I’ve heard that he’s lost quite a few direct disciples before. Being his disciple is the most unfortunate,” Wu Lu laughed.

“I see. Then, Brother Wu Lu, work hard in the future. I wish you to achieve your aspirations and ascend to a high position soon,” Yuan Ming nodded and said, but he felt that Wu Lu probably had more than this goal in mind. However, since the other party didn’t say anything, he didn’t bother to ask more.

“Thank you for your kind words, Brother Yuan,” Wu Lu laughed.

“Brother Wu Lu, Tu Ya and her mother are pitiful. They have lost their husband and father, and they have no relatives or friends. I will take care of them properly and will not reveal today’s events,” Yuan Ming looked at Tu Ya and her mother and said.

“Since Brother Yuan has said so, let’s do as you say,” Wu Lu hesitated for a moment and said.

“Then let’s part here, and I hope we can meet again in the future,” Yuan Ming thanked him and turned to leave.

“What do you mean, Brother Yuan Ming? Aren’t you planning to return to Bi Luo Cave?” Wu Lu was taken aback and then understood.

“Hu Huo and the others died at my hands. Even if I destroy their bodies and leave no trace, it will still be suspicious. With the means of Bi Luo Cave, the truth will be found out sooner or later. It’s safer to leave as soon as possible. Brother Wu Lu, it seems that you don’t plan to leave. I hope you can hide it,” Yuan Ming said.

“Brother Yuan Ming, you don’t need to worry about this. I have a way to make the deaths of Hu Huo, Kun Tu, and the others have nothing to do with us,” Wu Lu hesitated for a moment and said.

“Oh, is there such a method?” Yuan Ming was greatly surprised.

He still had something to ask of Bi Luo Cave. If it was possible to hide it, he didn’t want to leave at this time.

Wu Lu smiled confidently, leaned close to Yuan Ming, and began to whisper.

As Yuan Ming listened, a look of surprise appeared on his face. After a long period of contemplation, he slowly shook his head, seemingly not agreeing with Wu Lu’s words.

“Just do as he says. His cultivation method is not from Bi Luo Cave. He deliberately suppressed his cultivation,” the Silver Cat suddenly transmitted a message.

“Alright, let’s do as you say,” Yuan Ming said.

Wu Lu was overjoyed, cleaned up the battlefield, took the bodies of Hu Huo and Kun Tu, and turned to leave.

After he had walked a short distance, he looked back in the direction where Yuan Ming was, suddenly raised one hand, and a small bird flew out of his sleeve, silently flapping its wings and flying in a certain direction.

……

Half a day later, Yuan Ming stood up, his complexion had basically recovered. He picked up Tu Ya and her mother and headed towards Miao Hua Village. His actions were not affected.

The three of them quickly arrived at the main road outside Miao Hua Village. Yuan Ming activated his magic power, patted Tu Ya and her mother a few times, and each of them received a strand of magic power.

Tu Ya’s body trembled slightly, and she made a murmuring sound.

Yuan Ming was slightly surprised. Tu Ya was just a child, but she woke up faster than her mother.

He raised his hand and pointed at Tu Ya’s forehead. A stream of magic power entered her body and quickly circulated within her.

“Indeed, she has spiritual roots. It seems to be water, gold, and wood. No wonder she reacts so sensitively to my magic power,” Yuan Ming thought to himself.

After his soul had completed its transformation, he began to cultivate the second level of the Death Moon method. His soul was becoming increasingly powerful, and he no longer needed to rely on magical instruments to sense others’ spiritual roots.

“Where is this…” Tu Ya slowly opened her eyes, looking around in confusion, as if she hadn’t fully woken up yet.

At the same time, Tu Ya’s mother also woke up slowly.

Seeing that they were back on the main road and Wu Lu was nowhere to be seen, Tu Ya’s mother was both surprised and delighted.

“Don’t worry, everything is over. You are safe now,” Yuan Ming said.

“Thank you, sir, for your rescue,” Tu Ya’s mother got up and thanked him.

“Since I promised Ha Gong, I naturally have to ensure your safety. Don’t thank me,” Yuan Ming raised his hand, and a force lifted the woman up.

“Sir, after Ha Gong left, we mother and daughter have been relying on each other for survival. We could barely make ends meet, but now our home is destroyed. We are at a loss and don’t know what to do. Could you please show us a way out?” Tu Ya’s mother pleaded with Yuan Ming.

(End of the chapter)