Chapter 14: Elder of the Changchun Gate

Ye Tianlong frowned deeply. “What? Gone? I’ll go look for her.”

Bǎi Tōngmíng immediately stepped forward. “I’ll go with you, Big Brother! Where could a little girl go out here in the middle of nowhere?”

Ye Tianlong considered for a moment. “This area isn’t safe. Once we find her, we need to leave immediately. Let’s split up to cover more ground faster. I’ll take the right side, you take the left.”

“Okay, Big Brother! Whatever you say!”

The forest was dense, canopy thick, blocking out most of the sunlight. The light filtering through was dim, shadows dancing ominously among the trees.

Suddenly, Ye Tianlong spotted it – a dark, mysterious cave entrance ahead. Flickering firelight danced within its depths, and the faint, acrid smell of something burning drifted towards him on the breeze.

This place…

An image flashed in his mind – the hollow-eyed little girl’s words about a cave, a furnace… This must be the place where they refined those horrific pills.

He crept closer, senses on high alert.

Hsssssss.

Ye Tianlong froze, eyes darting downwards. His heart leaped. A Flower-patterned Silver Ring Snake, its scales shimmering even in the dim light, was coiled right near his feet! It swayed slightly, tongue flickering, its beady crimson eyes fixed intently on Ye Tianlong’s wrist. Its body tensed like a drawn bow… WHOOSH! It struck out, fangs bared, aiming straight for his hand!

Ye Tianlong was faster. A blur of motion! The Wood Stone Sword flashed! Shnk! It pierced cleanly through the snake’s head! Blood splattered onto the leaf litter!

Hsssss! Hsssssssss! Suddenly, more hissing sounds erupted from the surrounding shadows! More snakes!

This wasn’t just one snake – it was a nest! A swarm erupted!

A dozen, maybe two dozen, Silver Ring Snakes poured out from the darkness, launching themselves at Ye Tianlong from all directions! Their sheer numbers, the deadly speed – it was enough to make anyone’s blood run cold!

Ye Tianlong closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, taking a deep, calming breath.

Sword out!

He spun in place, the Wood Stone Sword a whirling vortex of deadly wood around him! Sword Qi exploded outwards in a 360-degree wave! FWOOSH! For a moment, the air was filled with a macabre rain of blood and snake chunks! Severed snake bodies thumped onto the ground, twitching grotesquely!

“This place is seriously weird… That cave definitely holds secrets!” Ye Tianlong muttered, unnerved despite his victory.

He continued cautiously towards the cave entrance. With every step closer, the feeling of unease, of something deeply wrong, grew heavier in his gut.

Inside, the cave was surprisingly organized, though grim. Various shelves held medicinal herbs, stacks of firewood, and other miscellaneous items.

In the exact center stood a large, brass refining furnace. A fire roared fiercely beneath it, the orange-red flames licking hungrily at the furnace’s base. The air was thick now, not just with the smell of burning wood, but… underneath it… a faint, sickeningly sweet smell… like roasting meat.

Ye Tianlong’s eyes narrowed, scanning the furnace. His gaze caught on something sticking out from a compartment near the bottom… a shred of pink cloth. Like from a child’s sleeve.

Refining pills from people? Refining pills… from PEOPLE!

The horrific realization slammed into him! Bile rose in his throat, and he staggered back, nearly vomiting!

His back bumped into something hard. He turned – and knocked over a large cauldron! It tipped, spilling its gruesome contents onto the cave floor: a heap of bleached human bones, glistening white, mixed with pools of thick, strange rendered fat/oil (油脂)!

Rendering bones for oil?! They didn’t even leave the bones alone!

A white-hot fury exploded within Ye Tianlong! What kind of inhuman monsters did this?!

He raised the Wood Stone Sword, roaring in rage! Swish! Swish! Two powerful waves of Sword Qi lashed out! CRASH! The brass refining furnace shattered into pieces! A blackened, unrecognizable lump of charred flesh rolled out, emitting a foul, burnt smell. Herbs, wood, shelves – everything was blasted apart, debris flying everywhere! Deep gouges scarred the cave walls where the Sword Qi struck!

CLANG!

One of the Sword Qi strikes hit something unexpectedly hard within the wall, emitting a sharp metallic ringing sound!

Ye Tianlong paused, surprised. He approached the spot, running his hand over the stone wall. He felt a slight seam… a hidden compartment!

He carefully pulled it open. Inside, nestled on a small velvet cushion, lay a copper waist token, roughly rectangular (standard 4×6 ratio size). An image of a refining furnace was intricately carved onto its surface. Below the furnace, a line of small characters read: Changchun Gate (长春门) Elder (长老) – Chen Chunfang (陈春放).

Just as Ye Tianlong picked up the copper token, a sudden, intense wave of foreboding washed over him! Danger!

Acting purely on instinct, he quickly pocketed the token, grabbed a nearby torch, and tossed it onto the remaining firewood and spilled oil!

Flames erupted instantly! Thick black smoke began pouring out of the cave mouth!

“WHO DID THIS?!” A furious roar echoed through the forest! Immense pressure slammed down, suffocating, making it hard to breathe!

Ye Tianlong instantly dove into the dense bushes near the cave entrance, holding his breath, focusing his senses! A black blur flashed past his hiding spot! The Strange Old Man – Chen Chunfang – dressed now in fine black silk robes, his face mottled, white beard bristling with rage, appeared instantly at the mouth of the burning cave!

Pffft! Chen Chunfang looked ready to explode with fury! His True Qi surged outwards violently! Trees shook, birds burst frantically from the canopy! Grandmaster Realm, Third Layer! The pressure confirmed Lao Mu’s minimum estimate.

Chen Chunfang let out a savage snarl. “Damn it all! Who has the audacity?! First, burning down my subordinates’ stockade, and now… now burning my refining cave!”

He thrust a palm forward! BOOM! The palm strike was incredibly fierce, powerful, like a contained hurricane surging into the cave!

The raging fire within was instantly extinguished! Smoke billowed outwards!

Chen Chunfang charged into the cave. A moment later, another enraged bellow echoed out! “AAAAARGH! WHO TOOK MY ELDER TOKEN?!”

BANG! BANG! BANG! Several more muffled explosions rocked the cave as Chen Chunfang vented his fury! The ground trembled! Rocks rained down from the cave ceiling, blocking the entrance!

“I’LL KILL YOU—AAAAH!” Another furious roar!

KABOOM! The rockfall blocking the entrance exploded outwards, pulverized into tiny, high-velocity fragments that shot out like meteorites!

Ye Tianlong watched from his hiding place, stunned. This old man… his methods were monstrous, but his power was undeniable! This opponent… was absolutely not someone he could defeat right now!

There’s always a higher mountain, always someone stronger. Ye Tianlong had thought reaching Body Refining Eighth Layer, grasping the second layer of Tian Wai Yi Jian… he’d thought it might be enough to at least put up a fight. But the gap… it was still enormous! He was still too weak!

Gritting his teeth, Ye Tianlong swore fiercely to himself, I will get stronger! Strong enough to crush scum like him!

Suddenly, Chen Chunfang let out that chilling, grating cackle again. “Hahaha! Brat! You actually dared to provoke my Changchun Gate?! Then prepare yourself to be refined into a pill! Heheheh! I will remember this grudge! I, Chen Chunfang, swear upon my cultivation… I will hunt you down and grind your bones into dust!”

With that vow echoing through the forest, Chen Chunfang’s figure blurred and vanished! But the oppressive weight of his aura lingered long after he was gone!

Only when Ye Tianlong was absolutely certain it was safe did he emerge from the bushes, immediately sprinting back towards the rendezvous point.

***

Back at the hidden cave.

“Big Brother! You’re finally back!” Bǎi Tōngmíng greeted him with relief. “I found the kid! Turns out she was just hiding in some bushes nearby! Scared stiff, poor thing. Gave me quite a search, though! Luckily I…” Bǎi Tōngmíng’s cheerful chatter trailed off as he saw Ye Tianlong’s face.

“Big Brother?” he asked, concern replacing his relief. “Your face… it’s so grim. What happened?”

“Brother, what’s wrong?” Ye Qing asked worriedly.

Ye Tianlong shook his head, forcing calmness into his voice. “I ran into that pill refiner. His cultivation… it’s extremely high. We can’t stay here any longer. We need to get these children to Baisha City, then leave this region immediately!”

“Right,” Bǎi Tōngmíng and Ye Qing nodded solemnly.

***

Baisha City.

(Implied action: They safely delivered the Blue-eyed Children to presumably safe contacts or authorities within the city.)

Ye Tianlong, Ye Qing, and Bǎi Tōngmíng rode out of Baisha City in their carriage, leaving the dusty plateau city behind them as they continued their journey. A plume of sand trailed behind the carriage wheels.

Bǎi Tōngmíng voiced his confusion. “Big Brother, why exactly did you take this escort job to Kunlun in the Sand Sea region anyway? Kunlun is incredibly far from here. The journey… it’ll be tough, eating in the wind, sleeping in the dew… not just laborious, but dangerous too.”

Ye Tianlong replied calmly, “Escorts travel north and south, east and west. That’s just the job. The payment for this delivery… it’s something I need. So I took the job. Doesn’t matter where it leads. Although…”

“Although what, Big Brother?” Bǎi Tōngmíng prompted.

Ye Tianlong paused, thinking. “This delivery… it feels strange. I suspect things won’t be peaceful for us once we reach the Kunlun region.”

Hearing this, Bǎi Tōngmíng didn’t hesitate for a second. He slapped his chest confidently. “Big Brother! Doesn’t matter where we go or what trouble we face! I’m sticking with you!”

Meanwhile, back in the ruined forest.

***

Chen Chunfang stood before the shattered entrance of his refining cave, radiating pure fury. “Silver Ring Snake Pills! White Bone Oil! Longevity Pills! All my precious spiritual materials… destroyed! Ruined! I HATE YOU! Everything… ruined!” He turned, his voice ice-cold, to the shadows flickering around him. “Find him! Find the one who did this! Bring him to me! I will personally tear him limb from limb and scatter his ashes to the winds!”

“Yes, Elder!” Dozens of shadowy figures replied in unison, their forms barely visible. They melted back into the trees.

Not long after…

One shadowy figure reappeared before Chen Chunfang, kneeling respectfully. “Reporting to Elder. We have searched this entire mountain range. No sign of the target. However… we did find traces of a temporary encampment in a nearby cave.”

Chen Chunfang roared in frustration! “AAARGH! He got away again! What use are any of you?! Find out where he fled! Find him! If you don’t bring him back to me… you’ll bring me your own heads instead!”

He lashed out with his palm! WHAM! The shadowy figure kneeling before him was sent flying backward, crashing lifelessly to the ground, chest caved in, blood pouring from eyes, ears, nose, and mouth – internal organs utterly pulverized.

“Yes, Elder!” the remaining shadowy figures responded, their voices betraying no emotion despite the display of lethal anger. They vanished once more.

***

Kunlun Region. Qingnong Town

Bǎi Tōngmíng leaned close to Ye Tianlong as they walked through the small, dusty town, whispering nervously, “Big Brother… I keep feeling like someone’s watching us.”

Ye Tianlong nodded grimly, his eyes subtly scanning their surroundings. “I feel it too. Been watching us ever since we entered Qingnong Town. Stay alert. You protect Xiao Qing. I’ll go… have a chat… with our observer.”