Chapter Twenty: Gao Jian’s Gang

"That's right, I am a poison master! However, to craft poison, I need poisonous herbs," the man in black robes mused for a moment before speaking again. "A few days ago, I found a herb on this island called 'Ghost's Despair.' The poison I can make from it is also named 'Ghost's Despair.' Would you be interested in that, young man?"

"How potent is this 'Ghost's Despair' poison?" Ye Mo asked.

"The deadly poison I make requires only a single dose to paralyze a full-grown bull in the span of an incense stick. Without the antidote, death soon follows," the black-robed warrior replied, the corners of his mouth curling in pride as he spoke of the poison's effects.

"Excellent! I'll trade you ten spiritwood spears for ten portions of 'Ghost's Despair' and five portions of the antidote," Ye Mo nodded in agreement.

He remained cautious. Within his cave camp, he could currently craft spiritwood spears and spiritwood shields—an all-in-one offensive and defensive armament. Yet he only bartered the spears with the poison master, never mentioning the shields. For a warrior with a spiritwood shield, a spiritwood spear was hardly a threat.

"Very well. I'll need some time to prepare the poison. We'll trade tomorrow," the man in black robes agreed readily, unaware of Ye Mo’s ulterior motives.

They settled on a time and place for the exchange. Ye Mo said no more and slipped quietly into the jungle.

As Ye Mo’s figure vanished, the black-robed warrior’s gaze grew deep and pensive.

"Boss Lin, you’re just going to let him go?" the burly, black-faced man asked anxiously, clearly confused. In his mind, with so many warriors on their side, they could simply take the Azure Edge Sword by force—why bother with any trade, let alone let Ye Mo leave unharmed?

"That warrior’s blood and vitality are impressive—he’s clearly in the late stage of martial cultivation. And with the Azure Edge Sword in hand, he’s not easy prey!" a young man in blue shook his head with a resigned sigh, addressing the burly man: "Had you acted rashly just now, I doubt you’d still be standing here talking."

The other warriors in the camp looked on in astonishment, not quite believing the young man’s words. Their eyes turned to the black-robed leader, waiting for an explanation.

"Ah Feng is right! His physical cultivation isn’t inferior to mine, and he wields a fine weapon. We’re unarmed—no matter how many we are, we’d gain nothing from a direct confrontation. Since he’s willing to trade, let’s get the spiritwood spears first. Once we have them, it’s not too late to take his Azure Edge Sword by force… Hmph!" the black-robed warrior said in a low voice.

This statement left the group of warriors thoroughly shocked.

"Boss Lin is only a step away from the late martial stage. How could that boy’s cultivation surpass his?" "Then he must at least be at the peak of the mid-stage, or even in the late stage himself!" "No wonder he’s so fearless!"

The warriors were all astonished.

With this potent poison, the strength of my cave camp will at least double! They’re definitely eyeing my Azure Edge Sword, Ye Mo thought, having seen through the group’s intentions. But with his spiritwood shield in hand, the situation made him want to laugh.

He was curious to see their faces when, after trading for the spears with poison, they discovered in the heat of action that he bore a spiritwood shield.

Continuing through the jungle, Ye Mo sought out the camps of other warrior groups. This afternoon, his goal was to map out as best he could the locations, numbers, and strengths of the other survivor groups on this island, so he could be prepared.

Half an hour later, Ye Mo was surprised to find another warrior camp.

He crept close and observed from a distance. This camp was simple but housed more than ten warriors, with a white-clad swordsman at their center.

This camp is large, well-manned, and has weapons. But their fences are crude, not made of sturdy spiritwood. They might hold off wild beasts, but they couldn’t withstand a single blow from a lesser demon crab, Ye Mo noted as he watched.

The group of warriors gathered, apparently deep in discussion.

"I don’t want to spend another day on this damned island! It’s unfit for human life—can’t even get a bite of meat, just wild fruits every day until I’m sick of them! We need to find a way off this place!" a rugged, middle-aged man complained.

"If we want off the island, we’ll have to build a boat and sail out! But will what we build survive the waves…?" a younger warrior shook his head, his voice lacking confidence, as if recalling something that had left him unsettled.

"How could our boat compare to the sea merchants’ giant ships? Those were the finest vessels built by Donglai’s best shipwrights, yet the storm tore them to splinters! A little boat we build would be wrecked by the first small wave," a short warrior said scornfully, clearly dismissing the idea.

"If we don’t build a boat, we’re just waiting to die here. Sooner or later, we’ll starve! Only by building our own and venturing out to sea can we hope to reach the legendary Immortal Village. Besides, I’ve been feeling a strong sense of foreboding lately—as if some great danger is about to descend," the white-clad swordsman said grimly, ignoring the short man’s words and supporting the idea to build a boat.

A young woman in yellow leaned lightly against the white-clad swordsman’s side. The two were clearly lovers.

"Brother Jian, Xiao Dao isn’t entirely wrong. How could our makeshift boat compare to those sea ships? Instead of braving the sea in a flimsy boat, maybe we should wait and see if another large ship passes by the island," one of the warriors suggested.

"Who knows if any will ever pass this way? I came to the East Sea in search of immortals—I won’t leave things to fate or be trapped to death on this island. Even if I die, I’ll die on the road searching for the Immortal Village. We will build a boat. When it’s ready, those who want to come with me can leave—those who don’t can stay," the swordsman declared resolutely.

"Since Brother Jian insists, we have no choice but to build the boat," the group acquiesced.

They were all warriors from Yan State in the Nine Provinces. The white-clad swordsman was renowned among the young swordsmen of Yan—his name was Gao Jian, highly respected. He had reached the late martial stage at eighteen and now, at twenty-six, was already at the ninth level of body refinement—one of the top young warriors in Yan.

The yellow-clad woman at his side was Huang Yi, also a late-stage warrior at the eighth level of body refinement. Both were heirs of martial families in Yan, childhood sweethearts. Together, their twin swords could even defeat multiple late-stage experts.

They had made their name wandering the martial world of Yan, gathering a following of adventurers, often robbing the rich to help the poor—until the authorities forced them to flee. After hearing tales of the Immortal Village at sea, they were drawn by curiosity to the East Sea to seek it.

The warriors discussed how to build the ship and of what size.

They’re planning to build a ship and leave the island! I should make arrangements for that myself. But they seem unaware of the tidal surges at the end of the month, when many sea monsters come ashore, Ye Mo thought, having deduced as much from their conversation.

This group looks much like the wandering warriors from Wu State. That white-clad swordsman seems formidable—I can sense a pressure from him. Three are late-stage experts, the rest are mid- and early-stage. This group is much stronger than mine! Ye Mo felt a pang of concern for his own weaker group.

After listening for a while, he realized this group lacked nothing in weapons and had nothing worth trading for, so he prepared to leave.

Suddenly, the short warrior detected a faint sound from the grass, turned, and sneered toward Ye Mo’s hiding place. "Brother, you might as well come out. You’ve been eavesdropping long enough," he called.

Ye Mo was momentarily taken aback, but seeing the short warrior’s gaze fixed on his spot, he stood up awkwardly and laughed. "Ha, just out looking for food! Happened to pass by, I’ll be on my way now!"

"Eavesdropping on us and you think you can just walk away?" the short man snorted, moving as if to seize him.

"Xiao Dao, stop! This young man looks ordinary—a commoner rather than a villain," the white-clad swordsman said, glancing at Ye Mo and noting he was alone. He called off the short man and addressed Ye Mo: "I am Gao Jian of Yan State. Since you’re just passing by, there’s no need for blades. No use making an enemy without reason."

The short warrior could only relent.

"Young man, are you alone on the island? Why not join our group for safety? Once the boat is built, you can leave with us," the yellow-clad woman asked with concern.

"I already have a group, but thank you for your kindness," Ye Mo replied warmly, declining politely.

As he turned to go, he remembered the coming tides and looked back to warn them, "By the way, at the end of each month, the East Sea has strong tidal surges—sea beasts often come ashore with the tide. You’d best use sturdy spiritwood to build your fences and reinforce the camp. Ordinary wood won’t keep out these creatures."

"Hahaha! Is this lad warning us now?"

"Better worry about yourself! With over ten warriors here, whatever sea beast comes, we’ll cut it down—no need for you to fret!" the others burst out laughing.

Ye Mo shook his head—he’d warned them out of goodwill, whether they listened or not was their business. Perhaps, because they’d camped at the center of the island, they’d never encountered fierce sea beasts.

Ignoring their laughter, he walked deeper into the jungle, continuing his search for other warrior camps.