Chapter 34: Lei Yan’s Plan

Lei Yan’s words echoed like a thunderclap in Niu Ben’s mind. Whether they were true or false, he gave it little thought. Even if Lei Yan was deceiving him, he would still agree to his request. The old village chief had nurtured and taught him; to Niu Ben, the old chief was like a grandfather. The old man’s life was more important than his own. So, even if there was the slightest possibility that Lei Yan’s words were true, he would never gamble with the village chief’s life. Besides, a few days ago, four strangers had indeed arrived in the village. They seemed ordinary, but Niu Ben clearly saw the contempt in their eyes toward the villagers.

“Grandpa Chief, you’re right. A man’s ambition lies beyond these fields; he cannot spend his whole life confined within this village. I’m going to pack up and leave soon...” Niu Ben clenched his fists behind the chief as he spoke. The thought of leaving the village where he had grown up, leaving the grandfather who had raised and guided him, made his heart ache as if a bottle of mixed emotions had been overturned. Hot tears flowed uncontrollably down his cheeks.

The old village chief suddenly halted his steps. Without turning around, he lifted his head and gazed at the rising morning sun in the distance. His eyes seemed misty. After a long pause, with a hoarse voice, he slowly said, “Child, your path is still long. Since you’ve decided, do not regret it.” As his words faded, he heard Niu Ben’s sobs behind him. The chief sighed softly. He wanted to tell Niu Ben that men do not shed tears easily, but feeling tears welling at the corner of his own eyes, he swallowed the words and took a step forward.

This farewell might be the last time Niu Ben would see the old village chief. Lei Yan stood quietly behind them, not wanting to disturb the moment. Only when the chief resumed walking did he step forward and lightly pat Niu Ben’s shoulder in comfort. Perhaps sensing Lei Yan’s consolation or having already made up his mind, a flicker of determination crossed Niu Ben’s eyes. He wiped away his tears and followed after the chief.

After a while, Lei Yan followed the old village chief to his small hut. The hut was built on the north side of the village, no longer than six to seven meters and about one and a half meters wide—a truly tiny dwelling. Behind the hut was a courtyard enclosed by several wooden houses. This was likely the only solid structure in the village, and it stood out somewhat, mainly because its walls were covered in moss, giving it a greenish hue.

“This hut is awfully small. After all, he’s the village chief,” Lei Yan remarked as soon as he entered. The cramped space was almost entirely occupied by a wooden bed and a cabinet beside it. There was no room left for a table; even one more person would fill the room completely.

Seeing Lei Yan’s expression, the old chief slightly suppressed the sadness from his impending farewell with Niu Ben and said, “No matter how big the house is, I live alone. A smaller space feels more fulfilling.”

Lei Yan nodded in understanding. Living alone can often feel lonely and empty; a larger room might only amplify that feeling.

Hoping to change the subject, Lei Yan was caught off guard when the atmosphere grew somber again because of the chief’s next words. “By the way, child, I have something to give you.” With that, the chief pulled out an object wrapped in oiled paper from under the bed.

Slowly tearing open the paper, an ancient bronze-hued sword appeared before Lei Yan and Niu Ben’s eyes. The village chief carefully lifted the sword and handed it to Niu Ben.

“Grandpa Chief, this is...” Niu Ben sensed the sword’s preciousness. The old chief had never mentioned it before; only now did he reveal it.

Seeing Niu Ben hesitate, the chief smiled gently. “Child, a sword is meant to be used; only then will it not be forgotten.”

Niu Ben accepted the sword. “Clang!” He drew the blade, and a cold gleam flashed. The temperature in the room seemed to drop instantly under the sword’s influence.

“A fine sword.” Lei Yan couldn’t help but admire it. The sword seemed to possess a spiritual energy.

Holding the sword, Niu Ben examined it lovingly. It was about four feet long, two fingers wide, with a handle a hand and a half in length, fitting perfectly in his grip. The milky white blade bore delicate ripples. When he ran his finger along the blade, a chilling coldness surged through his body, making him shiver involuntarily.

“This sword was left by my master long ago. It is called Frostbite. Child, do not let this precious sword be lost or forgotten,” the village chief said with a smile.

Niu Ben said nothing, only nodded softly.

The old chief looked at him with satisfaction but frowned when his gaze fell on Niu Ben’s clothing. The worn garments were in tatters, yet he always wore them. It was understandable within the village, but surely not appropriate beyond its borders.

“Child, you can’t go out wearing those rags as if you’re still at home. Change into something else.” The chief took a few clean, dry clothes from the cabinet—clothes he had had made for Niu Ben. But Niu Ben was reluctant to part with the ones he wore, as they had been sewn by his mother’s own hands.

Feeling the intense gaze from the chief, Niu Ben reluctantly took the clothes.

“All right, I’ll go prepare some food for you,” the village chief said as he stepped out of the hut.

Niu Ben looked at the sword with delight, seemingly forgetting the warning Yuan He had given him. He waved his right hand, and the clothes vanished into thin air.

“A storage artifact? No... If it were a spiritual artifact, I would have detected it for sure. That’s a demonic artifact.” Lei Yan suddenly recalled the demonic storage artifact on his person. Ghost Poison had told him such vile artifacts required no true energy to activate and were hard for cultivators to detect. He was certain that what Niu Ben had was a demonic artifact.

“So, the treasure map... could it have always been on him?” Lei Yan’s heart stirred uneasily. “No wonder Yuan He was so confident. If Niu Ben hadn’t used the artifact himself, no one else would have ever found it. And thus, the contents of the artifact would remain hidden.”

“Good, good. It seems those others haven’t noticed,” Lei Yan observed. His enhanced senses showed that Li Lie and the others paid no attention to this abnormality.

Suddenly, Niu Ben had a thought. He looked up at Lei Yan, who was staring at him in surprise. Just as Niu Ben opened his mouth to explain, Lei Yan interrupted, “Don’t speak. I know, because I have one too.”

Niu Ben sheathed the sword and sat on the village chief’s bed, his mind swirling with questions. “Who exactly is Lei Yan? What have I been entrusted with? Why was I chosen?”

Seeing Niu Ben’s confused expression, Lei Yan sat beside him and whispered, “Niu Ben, I know you have many questions. But your power is still too low; I can’t teach you the secret communication technique yet. We’re at a disadvantage now.” Then, an idea struck him. Instead of staying passive, why not take a chance? “Niu Ben, tell me, is the item you’re protecting—the ‘Tide Pavilion’—on your person? If yes, stay seated; if not, stand up.”

Niu Ben hesitated briefly, then nodded after looking at Lei Yan.

Seeing Niu Ben’s response, Lei Yan whispered again, “Good. I have a plan. Instead of being controlled by this object, let’s throw it out and let those others fight over it.”

“No, I...” Niu Ben stood up but was immediately silenced by Lei Yan’s whispered command, “Shut up. Do you want to endanger your grandpa chief?”

Lei Yan’s words struck home. Niu Ben slumped back onto the bed, thinking, “Yes, if I act recklessly, I will definitely put the chief in danger.”

“Niu Ben, I think you may have misunderstood me. This time I came to Niu Family Village on Yuan He’s orders to retrieve that item. Your task ended the moment I arrived. Do you understand? The reason I won’t let you reveal it now is because it involves the entire village,” Lei Yan whispered once more.

Niu Ben pondered for a moment and finally nodded. “Mm.”

“We’ll eat first, then leave,” Lei Yan said.

******

“Something’s strange. Very strange. That kid seems to be using secret communication,” Yu Yang suddenly noticed the oddity between Lei Yan and Niu Ben.

“What’s so strange about that? I’ve already figured it out. That kid Niu Ben is definitely his target. It’s damn lucky. Everything seems perfect,” Li Lie grumbled angrily.

“Li Lie, are you really that dumb? I said strange because that kid’s using secret communication. Who is he trying to guard against?” Yu Yang cut to the heart of the matter.

“Damn it. Could that kid have discovered us? Impossible! He’s only at Foundation Establishment stage, no spiritual awareness. How could he detect us?” Li Lie cursed. “No matter. Now that we know his target, I’m going to capture Niu Ben. He’s just an ordinary person; the whereabouts of the treasure map will be easy to extract.”

“Wait,” Flower Fairy immediately stopped him. “What if this is all part of that kid’s plan? He’s only testing whether there are other cultivators nearby before looking for the treasure map. Otherwise, all our efforts would be wasted.”

“Damn it, I hate these mind games the most. They’re gone, yet I have to endure them,” Li Lie complained but had to admit Flower Fairy had a point. If that kid was cautious, he might indeed do this.

“All right, let’s wait a bit longer. They’re about to leave the village anyway. I believe the treasure map will surface soon. Then, those who must die will die,” Flower Fairy said confidently.

“Exactly. Those who must die will die,” Li Lie echoed, glancing at Flower Fairy.