Aside from some trees on its rear slope, Old Ox Back was now bare on its other three sides. And so, the cave was completely exposed.

After all, the cave was quite large. Perched on the side of Old Ox Back’s cliff face, it was rather conspicuous.

However...

Normally, even if someone saw it, they wouldn’t try to go there.

The terrain was so steep—who would bother heading over there for no reason?

But as luck would have it, these men were here right now, looking for him specifically.

And just as one of them happened to mention something like ’just find some random cave to hide in,’ another man spotted the cave on the cliff face.

Instantly, the three of them froze, all staring at the cave.

Qin Fang’s heart sank instantly.

Inside that cave were the Treasure Plant, the mysterious liquid, the Giant Bee... Not a single one of those things could be exposed to the light of day.

Precious treasures!

And now, the cave had been discovered.

What made Qin Fang’s brow furrow even tighter was that one of them was muttering, "That guy... he couldn’t be hiding in that cave, could he? The terrain here is treacherous... That cave actually looks like a pretty good place to take shelter."

Qin Fang watched with a deep frown, not making a move just yet.

The three men stared for a long time before one of them finally said, "Screw it. I’m done looking. I’m gonna find a spot to rest for a bit. When we get back, we’ll just tell Master we found a suspicious cave... Whether he finds anything or not, we can let him come see for himself."

One of them decided to just slack off and sat down on a relatively flat piece of ground.

He decided he would simply use this mountainside cave to make his report to their master.

After a moment’s thought, the other two also sat down beside him, giving up the search as well.

They started to chat idly.

But they showed no intention of going up to take a look.

From a distance, Qin Fang’s face darkened...

Damn it!

’Could my luck be this bad?’

’A few slackers just happened to stumble upon the jackpot by sheer accident?’

Qin Fang’s brow was knitted tightly as he stared at the three men.

There was no other way. He would have to silence all three of them.

He thought to himself.

The three men, however, were lost in their idle, sighing chatter.

And the topic they mentioned most, naturally, was the cataclysm from that day!

"Yue Zhenyuan... He’s definitely a supreme Great Power of our Great Yu! So terrifying. A single palm strike, and it’s a cataclysm... Heh, I saw it clearly. Master’s face went completely pale. Even afterward, he would often just stare blankly at the sky..."

"Who wouldn’t be dumbfounded by that? I was in a daze for days myself... especially after seeing the state of the Chujiang River..."

"Can a person really become that powerful?"

"Is that even a person anymore? It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him a God, would it?"

"Too terrifying..."

They sighed one after another, their eyes filled with yearning and aspiration.

...After knowing a person could reach such heights of power, what Martial Artist wouldn’t yearn for it?

"If only I had that kind of strength..."

"In your dreams... If I had just one-tenth... no, one-hundredth, or even one-thousandth of that Great Power Yue Zhenyuan’s strength, I’d be completely satisfied!"

A single palm strike that was a cataclysm.

Even one-thousandth of that power would be enough for them to run rampant throughout True Martial, and even the entire Prefecture City.

They sighed again and again. As they chatted, the topic slowly shifted to the Treasure Fish.

"That Treasure Fish was extraordinary too... That guy Xu Ran reached Anjin in just two short months... Truly astonishing."

They had mentioned Xu Ran.

The second person known to have eaten a Treasure Fish.

Qin Fang, who was sneaking closer, paused for a moment, a look of realization dawning on his face.

’...That’s right. It was rumored before that Xu Ran had joined the True Martial Boxing Hall.’

’It seems he was quite astounding.’

’Reaching Anjin in just two short months?’

’...As expected. I knew this Treasure Fish was something special!’

It had increased his strength—an Anjin Martial Artist’s strength—by three thousand jin, and during this time he could clearly feel that there was still latent power remaining. His Physique was also improving.

’How could an Ordinary Person who ate it only be elevated to Mingjin?’

Still, Xu Ran reaching Anjin was somewhat of a surprise to him.

’Two months... That’s much faster than me!’

"Truly astonishing... If he hadn’t died, it probably wouldn’t have been long before he became another Huajin."

The next man’s words, however, made Qin Fang’s heart leap in shock.

’...Xu Ran is dead?’

’No, he’d already reached Anjin. How could he have died?’

’So many people from the True Martial Boxing Hall survived. These three are clearly only at the Mingjin level, yet they made it through.’

’An outstanding disciple with exceptional talent, who reached Anjin in two months... How could he die?’

’...Could it have been the work of that Mysterious Power?’

He subconsciously stopped and continued to listen.

"Talk about bad luck. He was just practicing his skills, and he ends up losing his footing and falling off a cliff. They didn’t even find a body..."

"Sigh, Master was frantic. He went down the cliff to search himself, but still couldn’t find him... I heard the body was washed away by the river at the bottom of the cliff. Master even injured his heart-meridian over it, coughed up blood several times, and needed a few months to recover... He almost dropped a Realm."

"Sigh. Master personally recruited Xu Ran when he first joined, and Xu Ran lived up to expectations, reaching Anjin in two months... Master was treating him as a Closed-door Disciple. If things had gone as expected, he would have inherited the mantle. To die so young... it’s only natural that Master is heartbroken."

Two of the men were lamenting, their words filled with pity for Xu Ran.

But the one who had discovered the cave sneered, "As they say, extreme fortune breeds disaster, and what goes up must come down... That’s Xu Ran for you! He was just an ordinary fisherman who struck it rich by accident and ate a Treasure Fish. But when your virtue doesn’t match your station, disaster is sure to follow!"

"He died because his fate was bleak and his blessings were thin! And here you are, feeling sorry for him? After he became an Anjin, did he even remember that we were his senior brothers? ...How much respect did he ever show you?"

Hearing this, the other two were stunned for a moment, then shook their heads in unison with bitter smiles.

Ever since Xu Ran had joined, he had been doted on by their master. Reaching Anjin in two months, it was indeed inevitable that he would become a bit arrogant and conceited...

"Forget it, forget it. It’s about time we headed back anyway. This whole business has been getting on my nerves."

Searching aimlessly in the wilderness for one person every day for more than ten days—anyone would be resentful.

The other two said no more and got to their feet.

Qin Fang, however, narrowed his eyes...

’Xu Ran fell off a cliff and died?’

’His master was so heartbroken he coughed up blood several times and almost dropped a Realm?’

’...Why does that sound so strange?’

’Are Huajin Martial Artists that fragile?’

’Or was their bond really that strong?’

But he quickly shook his head, not intending to figure it out.

The three men were about to leave.

But he had no intention of letting them go.

(I went to bed too late yesterday and woke up late. But don’t worry, I’ll definitely crank out 20,000 characters today! It’s double monthly ticket time, so please vote and subscribe! Average subscriptions have hit 600, which is three or four times higher than when the novel was first monetized... You guys are amazing! Let’s try to get to 800 soon and see if we can get a recommendation spot or something... I’ll work hard on writing, and I’ll leave the rest to you all!)