Chapter Twelve: Young Lord Zheng

“These herbs should last me for quite a few days,” Ye Mo thought with satisfaction, pleased with the results of his morning foraging. He planned to raid a few more bird nests, pick some wild fruits, then return to the cave and continue reinforcing the defenses of his temporary camp.

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Deep within the dense jungle of the deserted island, a young martial artist dressed in fine garments and his two attendants wandered aimlessly, searching for various medicinal herbs.

“My young lord, how long do you think it will take before we can return to Zheng State after fleeing to this Eastern Sea?” one of the attendants, a wiry man, grumbled as he scoured the undergrowth for herbs.

“The ruler of Zheng is old and childless, seeking to establish a new heir from among the sons of the noble houses. I was vying for that position with the other lords, but unfortunately, I lost the struggle and had to flee. But I will never give in. Here in the Eastern Sea, I will find the Immortal Village, become a cultivator, and one day return to Zheng to settle accounts with all those who dared stand against me,” the young lord declared with a cold, furious expression.

“Young lord, we will give you our utmost support!” the burly attendant with a thick beard declared loudly.

“By the way, yesterday I sent Chang Rong to gather herbs, but I haven’t seen him since. Where could that fool have wandered off to?” the young noble, who called himself the young lord, said with a dark look.

“This island must be dozens of miles across, and herbs aren’t easy to come by. Perhaps Brother Chang lost his way while foraging. I expect he’ll return today,” the bearded man replied hastily.

As the three walked and conversed, they suddenly ran into Ye Mo, who had just finished gathering herbs from the cliffside.

“You there! Did you also escape to this island from the shipwreck? Looks like you’ve collected quite a haul of herbs. Leave them here. Since you’ve helped gather them for me, I’ll even let you join us,” the young noble said, first startled, then laughing heartily.

“Who are you?” Ye Mo asked, eyeing the three warily, his hand slipping to the hilt of his Azure Blade.

From the noble’s attire and bearing, he was clearly from a distinguished family. The other two looked like retainers—a bearded giant and a wiry fellow—both muscular, and clearly not weak.

Another bunch after my herbs, Ye Mo thought, recalling how Mo Ling had encountered a black-clad martial artist just yesterday. Now it was his turn to deal with three at once—not an easy task.

“You really don’t know who I am? Could there be anyone on that ship of higher station than Young Lord Zheng Yiqing of Zheng?” the noble sneered.

“Young Lord Zheng? Never heard of you,” Ye Mo replied coldly, glaring at the trio.

“There were over a thousand martial artists on that ship, all in different cabins. Our young lord was in the luxury suite at the top, while this kid’s a commoner—he’d have been down in steerage. No wonder he doesn’t recognize the young lord!” the wiry attendant chuckled.

“Our young lord needs a capable herbalist. If you gather herbs for me every day to temper my body, my breakthrough to the late martial stage is imminent. Once I find the Immortal Village and master cultivation, returning triumphant to Zheng, you’ll all be honored as my meritorious followers,” the noble boasted arrogantly.

“You heard him! Hand over those herbs and serve as the young lord’s gatherer. If he’s pleased, he might even take you on as a retainer! But refuse, and my mace here won’t spare you,” bellowed the burly, bearded retainer, hefting a wooden spiked club.

“Bah! We all came to the Eastern Sea seeking immortality—what’s there to be arrogant about? I’m from Wu, and you—just a Zheng noble—have no right to order me around! If you want herbs, pick them yourself!” Ye Mo sneered with contempt, then turned to leave.

“Insolence! How dare you ignore me! Grab him and give him a beating!” Zheng Yiqing roared at his two retainers.

“Yes, my lord!”

“How dare you defy the young lord? Die!” The two retainers let out a fierce howl and lunged at Ye Mo.

The bearded giant charged, swinging his spiked club at Ye Mo. The wiry man’s hands became like eagle talons, his clawed gloves flashing with cold light as he slashed at Ye Mo.

“Boy, I gave you a chance, but now you’ve chosen death!” Zheng Yiqing sneered, making no move to join the fray himself. As a young lord, he never liked to dirty his own hands when he had attendants for that.

Ye Mo’s Azure Blade flashed from its sheath in an instant.

“Hungry Wolf Pounces on the Tiger!”

“Eagle Talons Snatch the Hare!”

In the blink of an eye, the two retainers were within ten feet, launching their attacks at Ye Mo.

“Sundering Wave Technique, Second Stance: Whirlpool Slash!”

Ye Mo gave a sharp cry, twisting his waist and unleashing a spinning slash with his sword. A whirlpool of sword energy exploded outwards, striking indiscriminately in all directions—a technique made for facing multiple foes.

“Haha! You dare use a crude technique like Sundering Wave against us?” the wiry man laughed, reaching out with his claw to snatch Ye Mo’s blade.

A sharp gleam shot out, slicing with uncanny precision into the wiry man’s clawed glove. The Azure Blade vibrated with a strange, high-pitched resonance, shattering the glove and sliding into the gap between its plates.

Blood sprayed in all directions.

The wiry man howled in agony and terror, his wrist severed. He collapsed, clutching his bleeding stump, writhing in pain on the jungle floor.

Next, the Azure Blade crashed into the descending spiked club. The heavy weapon snapped in two and flew from the bearded giant’s grip.

“How can this be? Sundering Wave is the lowest martial skill—how could it be this powerful? My brother’s Eagle Claw technique is honed to perfection, nearly peerless among those of our level. Has this boy mastered the lowest Sundering Wave Technique to the pinnacle?” The bearded retainer was thunderstruck, retreating several steps with the broken handle of his club.

It was unbelievable. The youth before him was barely seventeen or eighteen—how could he have brought his skills to such a sublime realm?

“What’s going on? That was clearly the pinnacle level—only top experts can achieve that. How did a mere commoner manage it?” Zheng Yiqing was both shocked and furious. Even he could not match such terrifying swordsmanship.

At that moment, a golden juvenile demon crab suddenly emerged from the jungle, searching for food. Its eyes widened in surprise at the sight of martial artists fighting.

“Young lord, look—!” the bearded retainer cried, spotting the enormous demon crab.

Zheng Yiqing turned and his face blanched. “No, it’s a demon crab—its strength rivals that of a Foundation Stage cultivator. Don’t get tangled with it—let’s go!” he shouted, throwing a resentful glance at Ye Mo before fleeing into the jungle.

The bearded retainer glanced at the escaping young lord, then at his fallen companion. At last, he hoisted his wounded comrade onto his back and raced after Zheng Yiqing.

“Try to rob me, will you? I’ll make you pay for this one day! The gentleman bides his time for ten years to take revenge; the villain pays it back every day—I will not swallow this insult,” Ye Mo fumed, wanting to chase after them but, seeing the demon crab appear, he had no choice but to abandon the idea and dash into the jungle, burning with anger.

He darted through the undergrowth, constantly changing direction.

The juvenile demon crab recognized Ye Mo as its nemesis at once, grew agitated, and scuttled after him at speed.

Not wanting a head-on fight, Ye Mo threaded his way through the dense jungle, running for his life. Eventually, after a frantic escape, he finally left the demon crab far behind.

With so many legs, the demon crab was constantly snagged by the thick shrubs and unable to squeeze through narrow gaps, so it could not keep up with Ye Mo’s pace.

Ye Mo breathed a sigh of relief and realized that, thanks to last night’s tempering with the Bloodred Vine, his stamina and speed had improved considerably. “I still have several inches of Bloodred Vine left, and with the Seven-Leaf Lotus I just found, combining these two seventh-tier tempering herbs should yield even more dramatic results!”