Chapter 71: It Is You Who Cannot Complete the Mission

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: It Is You Who Cannot Complete the Mission

Hearing this, everyone nodded in a daze. It was just as Yi Xiaoyao said; if they hadn’t stayed behind to fight alongside him, they almost certainly wouldn’t have survived.

As a result, a sliver of gratitude grew in their hearts.

At the same time, a deep, lingering fear crept into their hearts like a shadow. How they had treated Yi Xiaoyao before was an undeniable fact.

Only Ye Ping was free from such worries. She walked up to Yi Xiaoyao, her breath coming in short bursts, and thanked him sincerely, "Yi Xiaoyao, thank you."

"It was nothing." Yi Xiaoyao crouched down and said to her, "Now that all the enemies are dealt with, let’s find the keys. Once we have them, we can head back."

Ye Ping nodded in agreement and also squatted down to search the bodies for keys.

When Lin Chuang and the others saw this, they exchanged a look before scrambling to claim bodies and begin their own search.

The eight of them knew perfectly well that Yi Xiaoyao and Ye Ping were guaranteed to get keys, and no one could take them away. That meant only six of the eight of them would be able to get a key.

No one wanted to be one of the two left without a key, so the eight of them started bickering as they competed for the bodies.

Suddenly, a voice that sent a chill down their spines rang out.

"When did I ever say you were qualified to take the keys?"

Hearing the eight of them squabbling, Yi Xiaoyao looked over, his expression cold.

Instantly, all eight of them froze. They stared blankly at Yi Xiaoyao, their eyes filled with fear.

"Yi Xiaoyao, you might not know this, but each person only needs one key to complete the mission. Any more than that are useless."

"That’s right. We stayed behind to fight with you, after all. To say we aren’t qualified... that’s a bit much, isn’t it?"

"You should always leave some leeway. We’ve gotten to know each other, after all. You can’t be this cruel."

Every word they spoke was laced with caution, terrified of saying the wrong thing and angering Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao slowly stood up. Hearing them try to appease him, he let out a sneer.

"When you were trying to rob me of my key earlier, why didn’t you talk about leaving some leeway then?"

"The ’benefit’ you got from staying to fight was getting to keep your lives. And besides, I killed all the enemies. If I say you’re not qualified, then you’re not qualified."

"Of course I know it’s useless for one person to have multiple keys. But what I do with them is my business, not yours."

With every word Yi Xiaoyao spoke, the expressions of Lin Chuang and the others grew uglier. Yet none of the eight dared to reach for a key again.

Seeing this, Ye Ping smiled to herself, not feeling the slightest bit of pity for the eight of them.

After all, they had targeted her as well. Watching Yi Xiaoyao’s actions was incredibly satisfying.

Yi Xiaoyao smirked. He had made this decision long ago, back when Lin Chuang and the others proclaimed that he would never complete the mission.

Soon, all twenty bodies had been searched. Ye Ping handed all the keys she had found to Yi Xiaoyao.

Yi Xiaoyao tossed one key to Ye Ping, kept one for himself, and then turned his gaze to Lin Chuang and the others.

"In the beginning, the eight of you said I couldn’t complete the mission. Well, let me tell you now: I’m not the one who’s going to fail. You are."

With that said, the six keys in Yi Xiaoyao’s hand were instantly obliterated by his Sword Qi.

Seeing this, the faces of the eight cultivators instantly turned deathly pale, but not one of them dared to utter a word.

Yi Xiaoyao smiled faintly. ’In this world, strength is everything. Only the one with the strongest fist has the right to speak.’

...

「By the time the group returned to the tavern, the sky was already beginning to lighten.」

When the tavern’s Shopkeeper saw Yi Xiaoyao and his daughter, Ye Ping, return safely, his face immediately lit up with joy.

In the Shopkeeper’s opinion, the two of them had likely failed the mission. ’Just getting back safely is a blessing in itself.’

’After all, I saw the attitude of Lin Chuang and his group when they left. Based on my years of experience, I figured not only would Yi Xiaoyao fail to get a key, but my own daughter, Ye Ping, would get dragged down with him.’

As Yi Xiaoyao entered the tavern, Lin Chuang and the others trailed in behind him, their faces grim.

"Since everyone’s here, you can turn in the mission," Shopkeeper Ye said.

"Shopkeeper Ye, I am forfeiting this mission and will accept the penalty." Lin Chuang presented his Jade Token to have the Star Points deducted.

Shopkeeper Ye was stunned. Before he could voice his confusion, the seven people behind Lin Chuang also stepped forward to forfeit the mission and accept their punishment.

After watching Lin Chuang’s group of eight hurry away, Shopkeeper Ye frowned and turned to Yi Xiaoyao and Ye Ping.

"Did you fail the mission?"

Seeing eight people forfeit the mission in a row, it was the only conclusion he could draw.

Yi Xiaoyao smiled, presenting a key. "The mission was a success. I’m here to complete it."

When Shopkeeper Ye saw Yi Xiaoyao produce the key, a look of utter bewilderment crossed his face. His mind reeled with countless questions.

’Eight cultivators at the fourth realm of Foundation Establishment failed the mission, yet a kid at the Second Realm completed it? This outcome is just too bizarre.’

Before Shopkeeper Ye could speak, Yi Xiaoyao suddenly said, "Shopkeeper Ye, I’m afraid I’ll have to impose on you for a few days. Would it be possible to arrange a secluded place for my Cultivation?"

’After the trial of this mission, I feel like I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. If I can seize this opportunity to cultivate, I might be able to advance my Cultivation.’

"Of course you can! You can stay in my Cultivation Chamber!" Ye Ping chimed in before he could answer.

Yi Xiaoyao smiled faintly and nodded. "Then my thanks to you, Miss Ye."

Ye Ping bit her lip, a faint blush on her cheeks. "I’ll take you there now."

Shopkeeper Ye stared, dumbfounded, as his daughter pulled Yi Xiaoyao away into the inner rooms. It was a long moment before he snapped out of his daze.

’What’s gotten into Ping’Er? She normally doesn’t even let *me* into her Cultivation Chamber, yet today she’s inviting this kid to stay there?’

’A sliver of worry appeared in Shopkeeper Ye’s heart. He knew his daughter well. He was the one who had to use rejecting the Lin Family’s marriage proposal as leverage just to get Ye Ping to agree to protect Yi Xiaoyao.’

’And he knew how reluctant she had been. The contrast between then and her attitude now was just too stark.’

’Don’t tell me... did that kid do something to my daughter? Or slip her some kind of love potion!’

After mulling it over for a long while, Shopkeeper Ye felt increasingly uneasy. He slammed his hand on the table and turned to go after them.

"Father, where are you rushing off to? Young Master Yi is cultivating, don’t go and disturb him."

Ye Ping emerged from the inner rooms, running right into Shopkeeper Ye.

"Daughter, you tell me! What did that kid do to you? Even if he belongs to Elder Linjie, I’ll still teach him a lesson for you!"

Shopkeeper Ye demanded furiously.

Ye Ping rolled her eyes at her father and proceeded to tell him everything that had happened.

"What!"

After hearing the entire account, the look of utter disbelief on Shopkeeper Ye’s face did not fade for a long, long time.

...