Chapter Ninety-Six: The Man-Eating Flowers

The sound of something slicing through the air was brief and swift—if not for Jiang Yan’s keen sense of hearing, it would have been completely inaudible. Startled, Jiang Yan turned his head, his eyes widening in shock. The spot where the Liu-named disciple from the Golden Flame Sect had been crouching was now utterly empty. Only the clump of earth dug up by the disciple remained at the root of the clover, and beside the soil, two white flowers swayed slightly, perhaps stirred by the passing wind.

Jiang Yan’s mouth fell open in disbelief. If not for the pile of earth on the ground, he might have thought the Golden Flame disciple had never been there at all.

“Huff…” The Golden Flame disciple who had spoken earlier, seeing Jiang Yan’s astonished expression, flickered forward, appearing before him and glancing toward the clover and the white flowers that had captured Jiang Yan’s stunned gaze.

“Three-leaf…” The disciple instantly covered his mouth, silently cursing his own luck. So many spirit herbs for Foundation Establishment Pills were gathered here—if he could claim them all, combined with the ones already in his Hundred Treasures Pouch, there’d be enough to craft three Foundation Establishment Pills. This young man’s surprise must be at the sight of these spirit herbs—how uncouth, to be so overwhelmed by a few herbs. His heart brimmed with disdain for both Jiang Yan and Tang Wan.

Since he had already started, he might as well finish. The disciple crouched down at once and began digging up the clover from the earth.

“Senior Brother Huang, did you find something?” The other Golden Flame disciples saw Senior Brother Huang vanish behind the mound of earth and called out in inquiry.

Huang did not answer, intent on digging as quickly as possible, hoping to unearth another clover before the others arrived.

“You two brats—this is Golden Flame Sect’s business. Be gone at once.” One of the disciples, noticing Jiang Yan and Tang Wan staring intently at the mound, spoke harshly, his long-standing arrogance as a member of the Golden Flame Sect showing in his voice.

Jiang Yan and Tang Wan exchanged a glance, then turned with perfect understanding, strolling slowly deeper into the valley, their steps light, as though intimidated by the Golden Flame Sect’s might.

“Senior Brother Huang, what are you doing behind the mound? Come out and discuss which way we should go next.” Another disciple stepped forward, heading toward the mound.

Again, a faint, almost inaudible sound sliced through the air. Had Jiang Yan not been listening closely, he would have missed it entirely.

A chill ran through Jiang Yan’s heart. Senior Brother Huang was likely in trouble as well. If the Golden Flame disciples decided to blame him, a mere ninth-level Qi cultivator, he would be no match for these peak cultivators.

He looked up at the nine winding paths ahead, grasped Tang Wan’s hand, and silently repeated to himself: this narrow path leads straight to the valley of the Man-eating Flower King. If those thugs behind came after them, he would lure them onto this road.

“Hey, where’s Senior Brother Huang?” One of the Golden Flame disciples, seeing no one behind the mound, asked in confusion.

Jiang Yan’s heart tightened. Those innocent-looking white flowers were terrifying indeed. In the blink of an eye, two peak-stage Qi cultivators had vanished without a trace, not even a sound escaping them.

He dared not look back, gripping Tang Wan’s hand more tightly and quickening his pace toward the path leading to the Man-eating Flower King’s valley, hoping to disappear down the winding lane before the remaining Golden Flame disciples took notice.

“Junior Brother Song, where are Senior Brothers Huang and Liu?” An older-sounding voice called out to the disciple who had arrived first.

The disciple surnamed Song, eyes shining with excitement, beckoned the remaining two disciples over. “Senior Brother Bai, Junior Brother Yang, come quickly—look what’s here!”

“Three-leaf clover!” Senior Brother Bai exclaimed as he joined Song, his surprise plain at the sight of the spirit herbs.

“Let me see, let me see!” Junior Brother Yang elbowed in for a closer look.

“There should be enough here for the ingredients for three Foundation Establishment Pills. Perfect—one for each of us,” Song said cheerfully to Bai and Yang, ignoring Lu Tiannan, whose eyes glimmered with greed.

“Wait,” Bai suddenly grabbed Song, who was about to gather the herbs. “Hold on, this feels strange. Senior Brothers Liu and Huang vanished right here, and there are clear digging marks next to the clover. Something’s not right.”

Yang slapped his thigh, pointing at the two tall white flowers. “Senior Brother Bai, look! Isn’t that the man-eating flower Elder Xie split open to retrieve the white beast core? It’s a man-eating flower! The two senior brothers must have fallen victim to these two flowers!”

“Man-eating flowers!” In unison, the group took several steps back; even Lu Tiannan at the rear recoiled in fear, his face betraying his terror.

Bai’s handsome face darkened. The missing Senior Brothers Liu and Huang must have spotted the clover and, eager to gather it, ignored the danger above them. The two man-eating flowers had launched a sudden, calculated attack, and the two were silently snatched away.

Song’s face turned pale, and he shot Bai a grateful look. If not for Bai’s vigilance, he would have lost his life just now. He had never even heard of man-eating flowers before. Remembering the gruesome scene when Elder Xie destroyed one, he gazed fearfully at the two white flowers still swaying gently.

“You two—stop right there!” Bai suddenly turned and shouted after Jiang Yan and Tang Wan.

Jiang Yan’s expression changed. Just as he’d feared, trouble had found him. If these Golden Flame disciples discovered the beast core on him, they would never let him go. He hurried his steps, heading deeper down the winding path.

“Those two are suspicious,” Bai said, watching the pair ignore his shout.

“I recognize them,” Lu Tiannan spoke up. “Even masked, I know their clothes.”

Song interrupted impatiently, full of scorn. “Lu Tiannan, just say it! Who are they?”

Lu Tiannan lowered his head, avoiding the others’ eyes, a flash of malice in his gaze as he suppressed his anger. “They’re disciples of Mount Hua—the man should be Jiang Yan, the sect leader, and the girl his junior sister.”

“Jiang Yan of Mount Hua?” Bai’s interest was piqued as he watched their retreating figures. He sneered, “I was just worrying about finding them—if I don’t complete the task our elder brother assigned, there’ll be trouble. But here they are, coming to us. All the better, saves me a trip. Let’s go, catch them, get what we need, and then send them to meet their fate.”