Chapter 426: Waiting for What

"Why have you come here at this hour?"

The withered, ugly-faced small figure showed clear puzzlement at Ah Xiu's sudden arrival, and the others in the stone chamber all turned to look at her as one.

"The plan has changed. We need to act immediately."

Ah Xiu swept her eyes over the assembled clan members, then without waiting for the small figure to press her further, recounted what had happened at the guesthouse and the current standoff between the blind man and the Yellow Spring Tribe's experts, "This is a rare opportunity for us. With that blind man causing this much chaos, it's bound to pull the Yellow Spring Tribe's attention away. We can use this chance to retrieve the item."

"Are you certain that some random blind man from who knows where killed a Yellow Spring guardian in just two strikes?"

The small figure's expression shifted with uncertainty. Seeing Ah Xiu give a firm nod, he turned to a hooded elder and said, "Fifth Elder, this is your decision to make."

At those words, the elder, whose face was impossible to make out, fixed his gaze on Ah Xiu, a faint glimmer surfacing in his eyes hidden within the shadow of his hood.

Ah Xiu remained perfectly composed and pressed her case, "Fifth Uncle, we need to act quickly. If that blind man kills Young Master Jinchuan, his father the Rakshasa Holy Lord will inevitably step in personally. Once that happens, the blind man won't last much longer."

At the mention of the Rakshasa Holy Lord's name, everyone in the chamber, the elder included, grew visibly grave.

The Yellow Spring Tribe was one of the six great powers of the Western Desert, with a fearsome reputation, and the Five Holy Lords of the Yellow Spring Tribe in particular could rightly be called among the very top tier of martial experts throughout the entire Western Desert.

It was precisely because of the Five Holy Lords that the Yellow Spring Tribe had secured its standing across the whole Western Desert, and not one of the Yellow Spring Holy Lords could be compared to a mere guardian.

"Plans never keep up with circumstance. Since an opportunity like this has presented itself, we cannot afford to let it pass."

The Fifth Elder rose with a thoughtful expression, looked at Ah Xiu, and said, "Ah Xiu, if this succeeds, your contribution will be remembered as great indeed."

"Fifth Uncle flatters me. This concerns our clan's great cause of revival. It is only what I should be doing."

Ah Xiu waved a hand. The Fifth Elder hesitated no further and called the assembled members of the chamber to follow him deeper into the hidden passage.

Their group had spent a long time planning for this very opportunity, and had already dug a secret tunnel leading deep into the Yellow Spring Tribe's territory in advance.

Now they simply needed to pass through that tunnel to bypass the layers of heavy guard around the perimeter and enter the heart of the Yellow Spring Tribe directly.

Seeing the Fifth Elder lead the group forward, the ugly-faced small figure and Ah Xiu followed close behind at once.

"You were originally planning to use that guesthouse group as guides, weren't you? Now that the plan's changed, isn't that just doing them a favor for free?"

The small figure asked as he moved swiftly through the tunnel alongside Ah Xiu.

At those words, Ah Xiu's eyelid twitched faintly, "Those people aren't fools. After they learned how formidable the Yellow Spring Tribe is, they already retreated to their rooms."

"Besides, the original reason for bringing them along was just an extra layer of security. If we don't need them, all the better. And given their level of strength, they probably wouldn't have been much help against the Yellow Spring Tribe anyway."

The small figure gave a slight nod. Earlier, they had taken interest in Li Musheng's ability to kill without a trace. If they could successfully retrieve the item today and escape unscathed, they would naturally have no need for him at all.

And if their attempt failed today, they would inevitably face brutal retaliation from the Yellow Spring Tribe. As for relying on Li Musheng's group to escape that danger, to be honest, he held no real hope of that.

...

While Ah Xiu and the others were infiltrating the Yellow Spring Tribe, the blind man had unhurriedly pursued Young Master Jinchuan and his group all the way to an alley just two streets from the Yellow Spring Tribe's territory.

The Yellow Spring Tribe was built upon the Crescent Moon Lake within the Yellow Spring Market, crossed by waterways and cool with moisture, the surrounding scenery vastly different from the rest of the Yellow Spring Market.

Here, amid the desert, lush green trees provided shade, and the buildings were far more lavish, surpassing even the residences of nobility and dignitaries in the imperial capitals.

The streets here were noticeably quieter than the rest of the Yellow Spring Market, with Yellow Spring Tribe guards posted at every nearby intersection, making it impossible for ordinary commoners or merchants to enter.

By the time the blind man's pursuit had brought Young Master Jinchuan's group close to the Yellow Spring Tribe, only four Heaven-Human experts of the Yellow Spring Tribe remained at his side.

And by this point, these dignified Heaven-Human martial experts had long since lost their nerve completely, with no thought left at all of standing against the blind man. All they wanted was to flee for their lives in a panic.

They had even considered abandoning Young Master Jinchuan, the very source of all this calamity, but in the end none of them dared.

If they truly did that, facing the Rakshasa Holy Lord's wrath would still mean certain death, and an even more horrific one at that.

But as long as they could bring Young Master Jinchuan back safely to the Yellow Spring Tribe, there would still be a chance of survival, a possibility of saving their own lives.

"You..."

Another Yellow Spring expert suddenly showed an expression of pure terror, looking up at the blind man, who had driven his bamboo staff straight into the man's chest.

Of the four remaining Heaven-Human experts, only three were left now.

At the sight, the three remaining experts, faces deathly pale, glanced back once, then burned through every last reserve of their true qi at once, gripping Young Master Jinchuan and shooting through the air toward an imposing gate visible in the distance.

"You can't kill me."

Young Master Jinchuan, watching the gate of the Yellow Spring Tribe grow closer, suddenly turned back to look at the blind man, nearly gritting his teeth as he shouted the words.

The entire chase, the terrifying pressure and the ever-present, gnawing killing intent that could end his life at any moment had nearly suffocated him.

Since the day he was born, he had only ever been the one to kill at will. He had never faced a threat like this, and at this moment he wanted nothing more than to tear the man apart limb by limb.

But faced with Young Master Jinchuan's shout, the blind man simply gripped the bamboo staff and followed steadily behind, replying evenly, "Are you sure?"

At this point, the three Heaven-Human experts, seeing the Yellow Spring Tribe's gate now directly ahead, called back urgently, "We've been running this whole way waiting for the Yellow Spring Tribe's experts to step in. If you withdraw now, you might still have a chance to escape with your life."

By now they were no more than a single breath's distance from the gate, and the blind man, in that span of time, still had the opportunity to claim one more life.

Their words were meant to intimidate the blind man, since they themselves had no idea which of the three he might target next.

And with the Yellow Spring Tribe so close now, their will to live had reached its absolute peak. Naturally, not one of them wanted to be the one to die.

At those words, the blind man remained as composed as ever and said, "You're running because you're waiting for help. I'm killing you slowly because I'm also waiting for something."