Chapter 615 - 613: Annihilation (Part 1)

Inside the large, blue-green tent, Sheng Chuanchua and Ye Yue Taishun were discussing matters. Although the Ye Yue Family and the Shengchuan Family had never gotten along privately, as the Great Elders of their respective families, they maintained a relatively friendly relationship on the surface.

"Lord Shengchuan, Lord Ye Yue."

Just then, a man with a bulbous nose entered the tent and bowed respectfully to the two of them.

"Ah, it’s Lord Arai." Sheng Chuanchua smiled at the man with the bulbous nose. "Please, sit. Is something the matter?"

The man with the bulbous nose was named Arai Kuan. He was not a member of the Ye Yue or Shengchuan Families, but was sent by the Imperial Family to accompany them to Hua Country. Ostensibly, he was there to help with miscellaneous tasks, but in reality, the Imperial Family worried that the two families might have ulterior motives, so Arai Kuan was also tasked with supervising them.

Sheng Chuanchua and Ye Yue Taishun were both well aware of this. Naturally, they treated Arai Kuan with a measure of respect, lest he harbor any ill intentions and return to the Imperial Family with exaggerated reports. After all, even as Yin Yang Master Families, they couldn’t completely defy the Imperial Family.

"Here’s the situation," Arai Kuan said quickly. "We previously discussed with you two lords the idea of finding some strong, able-bodied men from the villages near the mountain to help with the work. I was thinking, now that we’ve confirmed our exact location, should we send someone down the mountain to find people?"

It was because they couldn’t bring a large retinue that they had so few people with them this time. If they relied only on the dozen or so men they had, there was no telling how long the work would take. Staying here too long could attract suspicion if something happened, and that would be troublesome.

"Mm, I think that’s a good idea." Sheng Chuanchua nodded, then looked at Ye Yue Taishun. "Brother Yeyue, what do you think?"

"I have no objections either." Ye Yue Taishun smiled and took out a stack of talismans and a piece of blue-green Jade. He handed them to Arai Kuan and said, "Have the person going down the mountain carry this Jade. As for these talismans, have them bury one under a nearby tree every kilometer. That way, they’ll be able to find their way back with the people and won’t get lost."

Arai Kuan was overjoyed at this. He quickly accepted the items and said with a smile, "Thank you, Lord Ye Yue."

Ye Yue Taishun smiled, stroking the small mustache by his lips. He nodded and said, "It’s because the Spiritual Energy in these Qinling Mountains is so dense. Otherwise, the talismans’ effects would be greatly diminished."

Sheng Chuanchua also nodded. "Speaking of Spiritual Energy, the concentration here in the Qinling Mountains is indeed exceptionally dense. There isn’t a single mountain peak back home with Spiritual Energy this rich. To be honest, I’m quite envious."

Ye Yue Taishun chuckled. "Fortunately, we’ll be staying here for a while longer. We can take this opportunity to cultivate more."

Sheng Chuanchua smiled and nodded in agreement.

’To these Onmyoji, this place is a paradise for cultivation,’ Arai Kuan thought, listening from the side with a pang of envy. ’For an ordinary person like me, at most, I just feel the air is fresh. I can’t sense anything else.’

"Then I’ll send two men down the mountain," Arai Kuan said quickly.

"Go ahead," Sheng Chuanchua nodded. He then added, "Oh, and tell the two men going down to offer higher pay. That will ensure people are willing to come into the mountains. Don’t be stingy in that regard."

"Yes, sir," Arai Kuan replied with a quick nod.

Although Su Qing hadn’t let her vines get close to Sheng Chuanchua and Ye Yue Taishun’s tent, getting them near Arai Kuan was incredibly easy. Very quickly, Su Qing learned of Arai Kuan’s plan to send men down the mountain to recruit villagers.

Su Qing sneered internally. ’These bastards want to harm the locals? I can figure that out with my eyes closed. If any villagers are actually tricked into coming into these mountains, they’ll never leave alive.’

Watching the two men who had received Arai Kuan’s orders leave the campsite gleefully, Su Qing wiggled her fingers slightly, and a few vines silently began to follow them.

"Hehe, we really landed a cushy job today." Once the two men sent by Arai Kuan were far from the camp, one said gleefully to the other, "Hey, let’s talk about our cut of the money."

The other man was also beaming. They’d been given a lot of money this time. Lord Arai had said to give the villagers more to make sure they’d be willing to enter the deep mountains. Heh, he knew these locals had never seen real money. A small amount would be enough to make them follow along eagerly. All they needed to do was make some verbal promises. He glanced at his partner. "We keep two-thirds?"

"Sounds good to me. Maybe even more."

The two men chattered on as they walked, plotting how much they could skim off the top, completely unaware that several vines had already crept up silently behind them.

"Urk—" The men had just finished burying one of Ye Yue Taishun’s talismans under a tree when suddenly, two vines shot out from behind them, wrapping precisely around their necks. They never expected to be ambushed from behind and were completely unprepared. With the vines tightening around their throats, they only managed to let out a faint gurgle before being slammed to the ground. Before they could even struggle, the vines snapped their necks, and they stopped breathing.

After dealing with the two men, Su Qing cleaned up all traces at the scene. She looted their bodies and even dug up the few talismans they had buried along the way before turning her attention back toward the campsite.

Su Qing did a quick, secret count. Excluding the two men who had gone down the mountain, there were twenty-two people left at the site. Seventeen of them were laborers digging pits, and of the remaining five, only Ye Yue Taishun and Sheng Chuanchua were a real threat. The others were negligible.

The only troublesome ones were Ye Yue Taishun and Sheng Chuanchua. Both of them were highly skilled. Su Qing wasn’t sure if her gray mist would be effective against them. If not, she would have no choice but to face them in a direct confrontation.

Su Qing waited quietly for night to fall. As the sky gradually darkened, she took several rice balls out of her storage space. These had been made by Li Wan. Some were filled with pork floss and peas, others with bacon and carrots, and still others with luncheon meat and corn kernels. There were even seafood rice balls, filled with tuna or large shrimp.

Rice balls like these didn’t give off a strong aroma but were still delicious, making them the perfect rations for being in the mountains. Su Qing savored every bite, her mind already wandering to the sea urchins, abalone, and oysters in her storage space. She’d collected all that seafood on her last trip to the ocean and hadn’t had a chance to give it to her family yet. ’When I get back this time,’ she thought, ’I’ll have to get Mom to think up some new delicious recipes.’

’Mmm, I’m really becoming a foodie,’ Su Qing thought to herself.