When the golden child returned to Wuxin Peak, it was already ten days later. For someone who rarely got the chance to go out and have a truly grand adventure, being forcibly dragged back midway filled the golden child with rage that nearly reached the heavens. He secretly vowed that once he was back, he would make Ye Chu spend some quality time in the snake cave to vent his pent-up fury.
However, upon learning that he had been summoned back because Ye Chu had pulled out the long sword, the golden child’s expression turned strange. He circled Ye Chu, sizing him up from left and right. He no longer mentioned settling scores with Ye Chu. Instead, he patted Ye Chu on the shoulder and said with deep sympathy, “My condolences!”
“Get lost!” Ye Chu ignored the golden child completely. By now his body had recovered about seventy to eighty percent. He was holding the long sword and had just thrust it back into the high platform.
The golden child watched Ye Chu insert the sword back into its place, chuckled slyly, and said nothing. But then he quickly remembered something and asked eagerly, “Ye Chu, when you caused such chaos in Yongfeng, why didn’t you wait for me? By the way, did you bring back all of Yongfeng’s gold ingots?”
Ye Chu looked at the golden child with contempt and said, “Apart from gold ingots, can’t you have any other ambitions?”
The golden child thought for a moment, nodded, and said, “Of course! Gold bowls, gold chopsticks, gold ingots, gold bars, and so on are all acceptable…”
Ye Chu did not want to talk to this madman anymore. He looked at the long sword now back in its original position, then at the golden child, and smiled. “The sword has been returned. At most, you can say I borrowed it earlier. At worst, I will pay you interest for the loan. Do not keep clinging to it.”
The golden child shrugged and said, “None of my business. Ou Yi and I are not involved in this. You can explain it to eldest senior brother and the old madman yourself.”
With that, the golden child walked away smugly!
…
Not long after the golden child returned to Wuxin Peak, Xi Xi came to call Bai Xuan, Ye Chu, and everyone else to head to the Wuxin Cave.
The Wuxin Cave was located at the very centre of Wuxin Peak. It was a mysterious place where colourful flowers bloomed all year round, creating an extremely beautiful scene. Yet despite its beauty, Ye Chu and the others rarely entered it.
The last time Ye Chu had stepped inside was when the old madman first brought him to Wuxin Peak. The old madman had made him drink the stalactite milk that dripped from the cave. After that, Ye Chu had never returned.
According to what Ou Yi and the golden child had told him, they too had only entered it once, on their first day at Wuxin Peak. Ou Yi had once said that only those who had entered the Wuxin Cave could be considered true core members of Wuxin Peak.
Ou Yi had also told him the legend of the Wuxin Cave. It was said to be the place where the woman loved by a supreme being had lived after she became a nun. That supreme being had once wept bitterly here, leaving behind traces of his essence.
Of course, Ye Chu did not know whether the legend was true or not. But what made him happy was that this time the old madman had specifically invited Bai Xuan and Yao Yao to enter the Wuxin Cave together. This showed that the old madman had finally accepted the two women as members of Wuxin Peak.
When Ye Chu and Bai Xuan brought Yao Yao into the Wuxin Cave, a fragrant aroma immediately greeted them. As the three walked in, they saw the old madman, the golden child, Ou Yi, and eldest senior brother Shui Gu. Shui Gu was sitting beside the old madman. His eyelids were half-open and half-closed, as though he was extremely sleepy. From time to time he let out huge yawns, making people worry that he might fall asleep in the next instant.
Shui Gu was notoriously drowsy. Ye Chu had once seen him nodding off at the peak summit. He had stood there dozing, then fallen straight from the top and smashed into the ground, creating a crater. At the time, Ye Chu had thought the guy would surely wake up from such a fall. But he had been completely wrong. Shui Gu had slept perfectly soundly inside the crater, completely unaffected. When he finally woke up, it was a full month later.
The first words Shui Gu said upon waking were, “Why am I here? Wasn’t I at the peak summit?”
After that, Ye Chu, the golden child, and the others were completely convinced. Who else could be so outrageously tough? Of course, falling from such a height without a single injury also made the golden child and the others realise just how terrifying Shui Gu truly was.
“Shui Gu!” the old madman called out. “What do you think of her?”
Shui Gu’s nearly closed eyes finally opened. He glanced at Bai Xuan, then nodded. “Mm! Quite pretty. Not bad. Although Ye Chu is a bit of a scoundrel and a bastard, he still has decent taste!”
The old madman stared at his eldest disciple and let out a light breath, trying hard not to lose his temper. Among his disciples, only Xi Xi was somewhat obedient. The rest were practically climbing on his neck and defecating.
The old madman felt that the reason they had not yet defecated on his neck was not because they did not dare. It was simply because the difficulty was too high. If one day he fell into a deep sleep like Shui Gu, he would probably wake up to several piles of excrement and urine on his head.
“Open your eyes properly!” The old madman was starting to lose patience. His beard began to turn black.
Seeing that the old madman’s avant-garde and fashionable outfit was about to turn black, Shui Gu hurriedly opened his eyes wide. He sat up straight with full alertness, his gaze turning serious as it settled on Bai Xuan and Yao Yao.
“What do you think?” the old madman asked again.
Ye Chu frowned. He thought the old madman’s mind had gone off again. Was this not supposed to be about the sword? Why had it suddenly shifted to Bai Xuan? It seemed like he had suddenly taken an interest in her.
“Interesting!” Shui Gu suddenly commented. He looked at the old madman and said, “What do you mean by this?”
This exchange made the golden child and Ou Yi exchange glances as well. They had no idea what riddle these two madmen were speaking in.
“You noticed it too?” The old madman nodded. He suddenly turned to Bai Xuan and said, “I had been wondering why the general’s tomb could be broken by Ye Chu and the others. Only now do I truly understand. It turns out someone from that lineage took the item away.”
“Hm?” Ye Chu was stunned. He could not help thinking of Bai Bao and asked curiously, “What item are you talking about?”
The old madman did not answer Ye Chu. Instead he said to Bai Xuan, “Since you have come to Wuxin Peak, it must be fate. Very well. From now on, you will stay at Wuxin Peak.”
With that, the old madman waved his hand. The distant dripping stalactite milk condensed into drops and shot into the mouths of Bai Xuan and Yao Yao. Both felt a warm current flow through their bodies.
“This stalactite milk has been infused with the essence of Wuxin Peak. Although it cannot greatly increase one’s strength, strengthening the body and improving health is no problem. Of course, it has some other effects as well,” the old madman said to Bai Xuan.
The old madman felt astonished. He had originally thought no one could open the general’s tomb anymore. Yet someone from that lineage had appeared and taken the item away. That item was useless to others, but for her lineage it was of great importance. Moreover, the general’s tomb had been unbreakable precisely because of that item. Otherwise, it would never have been Ye Chu and the others who succeeded.
“Xi Xi! Take Bai Xuan and the others away!” The old madman gestured for Xi Xi to leave.
Watching Bai Xuan and Xi Xi depart, Ye Chu’s heart skipped a beat. He knew very well what was about to happen. Looking at the group staring at him with half-smiles, Ye Chu could not help shivering and said, “Um… I have already put the sword back…”