Chapter 118: Discovery
"This cave is quite deep. There's no telling what's inside. If we go in, we're asking to be ambushed—by cultivators or demon beasts." Angus rubbed his chin.
"Ambush or not, we're going in. You three take turns scouting ahead. We'll cover you from behind." Vera stepped forward and gave the order.
"That—well, Senior Brother Angus, you're the strongest. You go first. Or Junior Brother Leo—you survived alone in the Bloody Battlefield for over twenty days. You must have some skills. You go first." Solon balked at Vera's command, immediately trying to pass the job to Angus or Leo.
"Enough stalling. You're going." Vera, clearly displeased with Solon's shirking, pointed at him and produced a small red flying ring—a magic artifact. She slammed it against the cave wall beside him, sending rock fragments flying. Solon flinched and scurried into the cave.
Leo chuckled inwardly. Sometimes it takes a bully to handle a coward. Seeing Vera's ring still hovering, her gaze shifting to him and Angus, Leo exchanged a resigned look with Angus before ducking into the cave.
"Ahh!" Solon scrambled back out moments later, as if he'd seen a ghost.
Leo and the others tensed, weapons ready. Vera and Quiver stepped forward. "What's wrong?"
"Up ahead... corpses. Lots of them." Solon's face was pale.
"Corpses? That's what scared you?" Vera shot him a glare.
Solon's face twitched. "Go see for yourself."
Vera pushed ahead, then went white. Leo moved up beside her and felt his stomach turn. Three bodies had been hacked into pieces on the ground. Five more, in Star Palace robes, were pinned to the wall with golden spears. Their eyes and organs had been gouged out. Empty, bloody sockets stared out from twisted, grotesque faces.
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Quiver gagged, holding back her disgust. "The Evil Valley disciples did this. Only they are this cruel."
"Senior Sister Vera, maybe we should turn back?" Solon's voice trembled.
"We finally found traces of Purple Ginseng here. I'm not turning back." Vera's voice was firm. "The blood isn't dry—the fight didn't end long ago. There are many of us. What is there to fear? Keep moving."
"Many of us died here too," Angus muttered.
Despite their grumbling, Angus and Solon kept moving under Vera's orders. Leo walked silently beside them. Vera put on a brave face for the team, but her clenched hands, trembling slightly, betrayed her unease. Leo observed quietly. Vera had a magic artifact—she was strong. And Quiver's archers could form a deadly formation. But these women hadn't seen real bloodshed. If something happened, he'd have to step in. If Vera panicked and made a bad call, the consequences could be severe. In this cave, the archers couldn't fight at full strength. If things went wrong, the whole team could be wiped out.
"Senior Sister Vera and the others are from Spirit Jade Peak. We're just stragglers who stumbled our way back here. Cannon fodder." Solon grumbled, glancing around nervously.
"The archers use bows—they're not built for close combat. Of course they stay back. Sure, Senior Sister Vera had that in mind, but the arrangement makes sense. If you weren't so mouthy, Leo and I wouldn't be stuck up here." Angus snorted.
"Mouthy? I've seen you sneaking looks at Senior Sisters Vera and Quiver. Both of them. Quite the appetite." Solon shot back.
"You're full of it!" Angus snapped.
"Quiet." Leo's voice cut through. He heard something ahead.
At the cave's bend, daylight appeared—but with it came an unnatural chill. Movement at the cave mouth. The three crept forward.
Beyond the cave, a clearing opened up. About fifty meters away lay a frozen pond, shrouded in mist. The chill came from there.
"Purple Ginseng!" Beyond the pond, over a dozen plants. One, unusually large, was seven or eight hundred years old. A few were seedlings, only a year or two old—useless for Foundation Establishment Pills. Purple Ginseng was notoriously hard to transplant; only a few places in Moonwatch produced it. That's why Foundation Establishment Pills were so scarce.
Leo's eyes flickered. He could transplant the young ones into his boundary space. But the fact that these plants remained untouched meant something was off.
"Why haven't you gone in?" Vera caught up, spotting the Purple Ginseng. Joy flickered across her face, then confusion at Leo and the others' hesitation.
"Senior Sister Vera, you grew up in Spirit Jade Peak. You don't know how dangerous this world can be." Solon smiled weakly. "The more tempting the prize, the greater the risk. I've survived this long not by luck, but by being careful."
"Careful? That's just an excuse for cowardice." A round-faced archer behind Vera sneered.
"Those dead cultivators back there—someone killed them. Another sect's team, probably. And not a small one." Leo spoke quietly. "If they were here, they must have seen the Purple Ginseng. Why didn't they take it? There's something dangerous here that they couldn't handle. And if they couldn't have it, they'd make sure no one else did. They're watching. Not from the pond. Somewhere behind us."
The Purple Ginseng was tempting, but not worth dying for.