Chapter 2826 — In High Spirits
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
So Zhang Naipao sat cross-legged on the ground and cultivated, while Mo Ba stood guard at his side, and the two Dark Night Palace disciples took up positions at the entrance to the safe zone, waiting for more trial-goers to deliver themselves into their hands.
Sure enough, before long, voices came drifting in from outside once again.
Had Wei Zhao been there, he would have recognized the newcomers at once: Li Ciba and Zhao Qilei of the Divine Fist Hall! The two had run into each other on the way to the safe zone. Though they had been teleported to different spots, their general direction had been much the same, and so, without any prior arrangement, they had fallen in together as they pressed on toward the safe zone.
Both were elated to see the safe zone marked on their maps. After all, they had each obtained a trial spirit herb and made it here without mishap—cause for real celebration, especially for Zhao Qilei, who at the outset had never imagined he could successfully claim a trial spirit herb, let alone find his way to the safe zone.
All of it left him feeling profoundly fortunate.
"We're finally here, Brother Li. I wonder whether the others have made it?" Zhao Qilei said with a touch of emotion as he arrived at the safe zone.
"True enough, who knows? Let's go and have a look first," Li Ciba said.
With that, the two walked into the safe zone—but the moment they saw the two Dark Night Palace disciples standing guard at the entrance, they visibly froze!
"What's this you're doing...?" Li Ciba recognized the two Dark Night Palace disciples, so he asked in some puzzlement.
"You've come here to rest, have you?" Dark Night Palace Disciple A barked, borrowing the tiger's ferocity to bully them. "We are subordinates of Brother Pao, Zhang Naipao. There's no problem with resting here, but you must hand over your trial spirit herbs! Of course, if you don't have any trial spirit herbs, then get lost!"
Li Ciba had been irked by the Dark Night Palace disciples' arrogant manner, but when he heard them say they were Zhang Naipao's subordinates, his expression clearly stiffened. Zhang Naipao was here?
He and Zhao Qilei looked up and peered inside, and sure enough, there was Zhang Naipao sitting on the ground in cultivation, with his subordinate Mo Ba standing beside him—and not far away, a corpse! Wasn't that Young Hero Yang of Flame Mountain?
Li Ciba was of course no stranger to him. The corners of his mouth twitched twice. It seemed Young Hero Yang had also fallen for Zhang Naipao's tricks, clashed with him here, and been finished off by him!
Zhao Qilei was weak in cultivation, and with Wei Zhao absent, he naturally deferred to Li Ciba. He looked up at Li Ciba, at a loss as to what to do. Zhao Qilei had been rather cheerful before; all the way to the safe zone, he had thought he could finally relax a little—but who would have guessed they would run into Zhang Naipao here?
And Li Ciba felt the same. This was what they meant by foes meeting with eyes inflamed. His fellow disciple had been crippled by Zhang Naipao and carried back to the sect before he could even take part in the trial—but Wei Zhao was not at his side now. Li Ciba had no patron and no pillar of support, and he was no fool. To force a confrontation with Zhang Naipao at this moment would bring him no benefit whatsoever. After a moment's hesitation, he said: "Fine. We will hand our trial spirit herbs over to Brother Pao. We will rest here."
"Hmph, at least you know what's good for you!" Dark Night Palace Disciple A broke into laughter and, with immense self-satisfaction, confiscated the trial spirit herbs from Li Ciba and Zhao Qilei and handed them to Zhang Naipao.