Chapter 206: Captive Audience

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Of the disciples who betrayed the Eternal Flame Clan in the Dead Plains, there were three notable ones who never returned and whose deaths were never confirmed. Shi Qingxia is one of them. The other two are Ye Zheyu and Yong Zhunyi. Since Shi Qingxia is in the Storm Dragon Empire, it is safe to assume the other two are as well. Liu Jin realized that immediately.

And yet, somehow, Liu Jin was completely unprepared for running into them as soon as he stepped out of the Black Woods.

“I appear to have miscalculated.”

“Yes,” replies the man currently tying him up. “You most certainly did, Qing Jin.”

Unlike most cultivators, Ye Zheyu is quite chubby. A more rude soul would call him fat. Either way, it shouldn’t be possible for a cultivator as strong as him to have so much excess body fat. His Qi should naturally be keeping his body in shape. Since it isn’t, his appearance must be the result of some sort of personal preference or his style of cultivation.

Perhaps if Liu Jin had fought him instead of surrendering immediately, he would know for sure.

“Make sure to tie him well,” Ye Zheyu’s companion says. “This one seems to be quite resourceful. We do not want to give him any openings.”

Though his words are meant for Ye Zheyu, the man’s eyes never leave Liu Jin. He is tall and quite pale, almost as if his skin was made of marble and his hair of ashes. The more Liu Jin thinks about it, the more apt the description seems. The man in front of him looks like a statue painstakingly crafted by a master artisan. There are no flaws. No imperfections. Even the way he breathes feels inexplicably elegant.

This is Yong Zhunyi, the top disciple of the Eternal Flame Clan sent to the Crimson Cloud Tournament.

He is the reason why Liu Jin immediately surrendered. Even though he was tired after escaping Shi Qingxia, Liu Jin would have still tried to escape had it just been Ye Zheyu he was up against.

However, as soon as he met Yong Zhunyi’s eyes, Liu Jin understood escape was impossible.

“I did not expect you to overcome Qingxia,” Yong Zhunyi tells him while Brother Ye keeps tying him up with a long silk cord. “Did you kill her?”

Ye Zheyu’s grip on him tightens, making Liu Jin flinch. The anger in the stocky man’s Qi at the thought of Shi Qingxia’s death is almost palpable. By contrast, Yong is completely calm. Liu Jin senses no anger from him at all. His Qi is like the surface of a clear spring.

And yet…

Liu Jin feels the wrong answer will kill him.

“Sister Shi is alive,” Liu Jin says. “I lacked the means to overcome her, so I used my Qi to stimulate the flesh bud inside her.”

“And in doing so, overcame her,” Yong says, rubbing his chin while humming in thought. He does not sound surprised about Liu Jin knowing of the flesh buds. “It sounds like you did something quite painful to her, but it should not be beyond her ability to overcome. I assume the reason you have not tried to do the same to Brother Ye despite him being in contact with you right now is because you are wary of me. Is that not so?”

As soon as Yong mentions the possibility, Ye Zheyu pauses for a full second, looking at Liu Jin with wary eyes before resuming his task.

“I believe you would kill me if I tried, yes,” Liu Jin says, not once looking away from Yong’s eyes.

There are no openings for him to exploit reflected there. The person in front of him is neither looking down on him nor clouded by anger.

Yong Zhunyi is a cultivator at the very top of the Earth Realm that is looking right at him.

“You need not fear. I would not kill you,” Brother Yong says. “We need you alive for interrogation, so I would just cut off your arm.”

Liu Jin completely believes him.

“Will you be the one interrogating me?” Liu Jin asks. “Or will you take me to Duke Lai?”

“Neither,” Brother Yong says. “We will keep heading east.”

Liu Jin blinks. If they keep traveling east, they will soon reach the border. Have they been hiding in the border territories all this time? Or have they made their lair in General He’s lands?

No matter. It means he still has a chance.

“I should not need to say this, but those ropes are beyond your ability to break,” Brother Yong tells him, pointing at the silk cord Brother Ye has tied around his arms and torso. “Do not try. I will cut off your arm if you do.”

Yong keeps bringing up his possible dismemberment without making it sound like a threat or a promise. He says it with such absolute certainty that it cannot be taken as anything other than inevitable.

“For similar reasons, do not try reaching for your spatial pouch,” Yong adds. “I have allowed you to keep it only because I do not know what security measures might activate if someone other than you touches it. Do not mistake that for carelessness. Understood?”

Liu Jin nods.

“Good. Let us go then.”

“Wait,” Ye Zheyu says just as Yong turns away. “Are we not going back for Sister Shi?”

Yong looks back and shakes his head. “That would take too much time. Sister Shi is not dead, and even in a weakened condition, nothing in the forest represents a threat to her. She will have to catch up to us.”

Ye does not say anything right away. Still, he ultimately nods and follows Yong, tugging on the rope to make Liu Jin follow.

“I do not trust you enough to carry you,” Ye Zheyu tells him, “so you’ll have to keep up with our pace.”

“Lead the way, senior,” Liu Jin says.

~~~

Though Yong Zhunyi and Ye Zheyu moderate their pace to allow Liu Jin to keep up with them, the trip to the border takes surprisingly little time. Even running with his hands tied behind his back does not hinder Liu Jin much. His body balance has always been excellent.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Part of it is due to Nine-Headed Snake God’s Inheritance, but Liu Jin prefers not to think about that too much.

The only time they have to take a detour is when they come close to a town, one of the last outposts before truly stepping into the border territories. The place is nowhere near as large as Stone River City but still much bigger than Black Stone Village. It has quite a few soldiers from General Dan’s army that could complicate things for Yong Zhunyi and Ye Zheyu. All Liu Jin needs to do to call their attention is to raise his Qi.

He does not.

Even from this far away, he can tell no one in the town is a match for them. Trying to call for help would be sentencing all the men there to death and himself to a missing limb. No, he’d rather avoid all that. Instead, Liu Jin waits until they’re away from the town and closer to the border to say what has been on his mind for a while.

“You are taking me to General He’s lands,” Liu Jin says. There is no doubt about that in his mind now. “Is that where their base of operations here is?”

There is no need for him to specify who he is referring to.

“You can think that if you wish to,” Brother Ye tells him after a while, not bothering to turn or slow down.

However, Liu Jin is not done yet.

“The renewed offensive from General He’s lands. It is to create bodies. More material for them,” Liu Jin says, narrowing his eyes. “Is that it?”

“Oh?” Yong glances back at him and smiles. “You truly are someone who cannot be underestimated.”

“I can remove the flesh buds from you.”

Neither Yong Zhunyi nor Ye Zheyu reacts to his words, but Liu Jin knows he has their attention.