"Stop!" An elderly voice exploded by my ear. I abruptly halted, the tip of my sword a mere inch from Wang Qiang. Still terrified, Wang Qiang collapsed limply to the ground, greedily gasping for fresh air. I turned toward the source of the sound to see an old man in coarse hemp clothing with gray hair standing at the edge of the mist. His cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp light, clearly revealing him to be an unfathomable expert.
"Old... Old Zhang..." Seeing who had arrived, Wang Qiang clutched at him like a drowning man grasping a straw. Scrambling to his feet, he pointed at me and cried out at the top of his lungs, "This brat destroyed the spirit herb garden array formation and shows no respect for his elders! You must seek justice for us, sir!"
I watched Wang Qiang's clumsy performance with a cold sneer in my heart. Old Zhang was the keeper of this spirit herb garden; while he usually put on a kind and amiable facade, behind the scenes he had embezzled goodness knows how many spirit herbs.
Ignoring Wang Qiang, Old Zhang fixed his gaze on me. A flash of surprise crossed his cloudy eyes before returning to calm, and he said slowly, "Young man, it is best to spare others when you can. You have broken my maze array formation, so you should stop while you are ahead."
I withdrew my long sword back into its sheath and replied with a cold tone, "Stop while I'm ahead? If I didn't have some skills, I'd probably be dead by now, wouldn't I? For Old Zhang to put it so lightly is rather too convenient, isn't it?"
"You..." Clearly not expecting me to be so discourteous, Old Zhang's expression darkened unpleasantly.
Seeing that even Old Zhang seemed unable to deal with me, Wang Qiang grew even more terrified inside. But remembering that I was merely a rogue cultivator while Old Zhang was backed by a Rogue Cultivator Organization, his courage returned. He pointed at me and shouted arrogantly, "Lu Chen, don't be so arrogant! The Wang family will not let today's matter rest!"
I chuckled softly, my gaze sweeping over Wang Qiang and the others. These people were nothing more than bullies who feared the strong and preyed on the weak; if they weren't relying on superior numbers, how would they ever dare to act so presumptuously toward me?
Caring little to humor them further, I turned and walked deeper into the spirit herb garden.
"Stop! What do you think you're doing?" Wang Qiang yelled, but Old Zhang intercepted him.
Staring at my retreating back, Old Zhang's cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he said meaningfully, "Young man, biting off more than you can chew..."
Paying no heed to the clamor behind me, I walked straight into the depths of the spirit herb garden. A dense wave of spiritual qi rushed toward me, and various colorful spirit grasses swayed gracefully in the breeze, emitting an alluring luster. This place was simply a treasure trove; no wonder Wang Qiang's gang wanted to seize it and appropriate resources that originally belonged to all rogue cultivators.
"Stop! What are you trying to do?" Wang Qiang's voice came from behind, shrill and grating like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. I turned a deaf ear and continued walking forward.
"Young man, the spirit herb garden is no place for you to trespass!" Old Zhang's voice sounded once more, carrying a hint of warning. I stopped in my tracks, turned to look at him, and hooked the corner of my mouth into a cold sneer. "Old Zhang, I recall this spirit herb garden doesn't belong to you privately, does it? Why shouldn't I be here?"
"You..." Choked by my retort, Old Zhang turned a shade of green and white. Seeing me talk back to Old Zhang, Wang Qiang regained his vigor and pointed at me, clamoring, "Lu Chen, stop putting on an act here! This is no place for you to run wild! If you know what's good for you, get lost right now, or else—"
"Or else what?" I cut him off, my gaze sweeping coldly over him and the others standing behind him. "Do you mongrels really think you can stop me?" My tone carried unvarnished contempt. These people were merely relying on their numbers; if it truly came down to blows, I had nothing to fear.
Seeing my hardline attitude, Old Zhang weighed his options inwardly. He knew I was no pushover, and my earlier method of breaking the array had startled him; if he really pushed me too far, he feared he wouldn't come out ahead either.
Noticing the hesitation on Old Zhang's face, an idea struck me. I retrieved a middle-grade spirit crystal from my storage pouch, casually tossed it to him, and said indifferently, "Old Zhang, I am only taking one thing and will take no more. Consider this bit of spirit crystal my token of respect to you."
Catching the spirit crystal and feeling the pure spiritual qi radiating from it, Old Zhang's cloudy eyes instantly lit up. Looking at me, he squeezed a smile onto his withered face and softened his tone considerably. "Young man, since that is the case, you may go on in. But remember: do not be too greedy, and above all, do not damage the spirit herbs."
I smiled faintly without a word, turned, and continued walking deeper into the spirit herb garden, leaving Wang Qiang and the others standing frozen in place and exchanging blank looks.
"Old Zhang, how could you..." Watching my back, Wang Qiang anxiously wanted to say something, but a single glance from Old Zhang stopped him in his tracks.
Gazing at my departing figure, Old Zhang's cloudy eyes flashed with a sharp glint as he muttered to himself, "Interesting, truly interesting..." Seemingly forgetting the existence of Wang Qiang and the others entirely, he turned and walked toward the other side of the spirit herb garden with an intriguing smile playing at the corners of his mouth.
I followed the winding path deep inside, the dense spiritual qi putting me in a relaxed and happy mood. Various rare spirit herbs and medicinal plants came into view, exuding an alluring radiance. Suppressing my inner excitement, I carefully identified the age and medicinal properties of each spirit grass, searching for the target I needed...
I strolled through the depths of the spirit herb garden as all manner of exotic flowers and rare plants contended in beauty, filling the air with a refreshing fragrance. True to its reputation as a treasured land of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance, this spirit herb garden not only possessed abundant spiritual qi, but also a wealth of rare spirit grasses. Suppressing my inner excitement, I searched carefully for the target I required.
"A ten-year-old purple-leaf ginseng, which can be used to refine foundation-nurturing pills. Right as I'm about to break through, I can keep it ready." I carefully dug up a purple-leaf ginseng with thick roots and stored it inside a jade box.
Not far away, a few fire-red glossy ganoderma emitted a scorching heat. My eyes lit up. "It actually is a blazing flame ganoderma! This is one of the primary ingredients for refining Foundation Establishment pills!" Carefully stowing the three blazing flame ganoderma away, I felt a secret surge of joy.
Wang Qiang and the others could only watch helplessly as I stowed precious spirit herbs one by one into my pouch, utterly unable to do anything about it. They could only pace back and forth on the outskirts of the spirit herb garden, their faces brimming with jealousy and resentment.
"Brother Qiang, are we really just going to watch this brat act so arrogantly right under our noses?" a sharp-cheeked, monkey-faced man beside Wang Qiang asked in a low voice.
A hint of viciousness flashed in Wang Qiang's eyes, and he sneered, "Hmph, of course I won't let him off easy! Go on, quietly damage some of the spirit herbs for me, and then pin the blame on Lu Chen!"
"Brilliant, Brother Qiang!" Catching on instantly, the sharp-cheeked man sneered craftily and slipped into the spirit herb garden.
As I was concentrating on harvesting a seven-leaf golden lotus, a sudden sense of warning arose in my heart. I jerked my head around to see several precious spirit herbs not far away broken by human hands, their spiritual energy rapidly draining away as they withered before my eyes.
"Who is it?!" I roared furiously, my gaze sweeping the surroundings like lightning.
"Haha, Lu Chen, your day has come!" Wang Qiang's voice came from afar, brimming with triumph and mockery. "You actually dared to ruin the spirit herb garden! Today I'm going to teach you a proper lesson on behalf of the Rogue Cultivator Alliance!"
I sneered inwardly. Wang Qiang's acting skills were truly atrocious; unfortunately, his little trick was far from enough in my eyes. Putting on a look of panic and alarm, I argued loudly, "It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"
"Hmph, you've been caught red-handed, and you still want to deny it?" Leading a menacing crowd of followers, Wang Qiang strode over with a face full of triumphant smiles, as if he had already foreseen my utter ruin.
Looking at Wang Qiang's petty, gloating expression, I curved the corners of my mouth into a cold arc. Slowly, I pulled an array disc from my bosom and gently placed it on the ground...
"Want to frame me? Then I'll play along with you properly!" I sneered inwardly, a flash of cold light gleaming in my eyes.