Chapter 174

174. Chapter 171: I Refuse to Walk the Same Path as You

Just as everyone prepared to move out, another figure rushed over.

Ding Huan saw the approaching figure from afar and thought grimly: trouble.

"Senior Qu," the Li elder of Zi Xia Valley had already called out.

Ding Huan could only curse his bad luck—if they'd left sooner, this Qu fellow would never have stopped here; he'd have charged straight into the opposite forest.

Li's call had just saved this Wang Ba's worthless life.

"Senior Li, Senior Gu…" the Qu elder of Shuang Hun Sect snapped out of his daze and immediately halted.

Ding Huan internally sneered at this bastard—Li of Zi Xia Valley had brought at least five or six disciples, but this guy came alone.

If not for one disciple who'd escaped with Zi Xia Valley's group, Shuang Hun Sect would've been wiped out entirely.

With several elders about to chat, everyone had no choice but to wait.

"Senior Gu, do you know what's going on?"

After his initial panic, the Qu elder of Shuang Hun Sect had calmed down.

Gu Youchang sighed:

"I suspect we've encountered a high-grade Han Ba. We thought we were on the main path, but until now we were deep in the mountains. This place is the true main path."

Liu Yinzhu of Zi Xia Valley had only just realized this problem herself; she marveled that surviving this was sheer luck.

Qu Yueshan of Shuang Hun Sect still hadn't fully grasped it—only when Gu Youchang mentioned they'd been in the mountains and were now back on the path did he truly understand.

He glanced around, exhaled in relief, then suddenly said:

"So it was the illusionary poison of the Han Ba… how close…"

As he spoke, he seemed to recall something and immediately strode up to Ding Huan, barking:

"You're just a lowly cook—you knew we were lost in the mountains, yet you didn't warn us. What's your intent?"

Ding Huan stared blankly at the fool before him—is this guy brain-dead?

"Are you insane? Are you the elder or am I? I'm just a cook—do you expect me to remind you? Lao Liu, step back."

Ding Huan wouldn't tolerate this bastard—he stepped back several paces.

If this guy dared to attack, he'd flee straight into the forest with Lao Liu.

And he was certain neither Gu Youchang nor Liu Yinzhu would let this guy lay a hand on him.

If those two stayed silent, he'd put as much distance between himself and them as possible.

"You're asking for death…" Qu Yueshan, enraged, moved to strike Ding Huan.

Gu Youchang's face turned icy:

"Qu Yueshan, the people I invited for Yanyue Sect are not your to touch. Do you think Shuang Hun Sect is so powerful you'd dare declare war on us?"

Qu Yueshan froze, then stared at Gu Youchang in confusion.

He was just a cook—among Dao cultivators, even a newly admitted disciple could kill a cook at will, let alone an elder like himself.

"Senior Gu, what do you mean?" Qu Yueshan, bound by precedent and his own assumptions, had intended to teach Ding Huan a lesson.

Only now, halted by Gu's rebuke, did he sense this cook was no ordinary cook.

That didn't make sense—wasn't Ding Huan introduced as just a regular cook?

Liu Yinzhu frowned and said:

"We're standing here talking thanks to Ding Daoyou's great merit. Senior Qu, your words went too far."

Qiong Zhishi, unwilling to let a mere cook cause a rift between Yanyue Sect and Shuang Hun Sect, stepped forward to interrupt:

"Just a small misunderstanding—let's keep moving. This place still feels unsettling."

Ding Huan glanced at Qiong Zhishi—another Bai Yanlang. He'd given him a Ning Xing Bamboo, yet this man showed not a shred of loyalty—this only strengthened his resolve to reclaim the Ning Xing Bamboo.

"Ding Daoyou, shall we press on?"

Qiong Zhishi wanted to please both sides—he'd soothed Senior Qu, yet still deliberately asked Ding Huan, even though everyone knew they should leave now.

Qu Yueshan's gaze swept over Ding Huan—he swore that once they left Dahe Gorge, the first thing he'd kill would be this ant of a cook.

Ding Huan bowed to Gu and Liu:

"Senior Elders, I don't wish to walk with Senior Qu. I'm just a cook—if he's in a bad mood, I'm not even worth one slap."

Qu Yueshan's unhidden killing intent had been obvious to Ding Huan from the start.

He sneered inwardly—this Wang Ba wanted him to lead them out, yet still planned to kill him? Dream on.

Since leaving Si Xiang Star Continent, he'd been begging for survival—there was no choice, he needed others to guide him to a higher civilization.

Now they wanted him to lead them? Fine. But now they're waiting to kill him? Ding Huan isn't that low.

Fight? He'd charge into the forest immediately. Walk with Qu Yueshan? He wouldn't risk it.

When Ding Huan spoke, both Liu and Gu stared at him in shock.

To say something so reckless—could this really be just a cook?

Qu Yueshan's face turned livid—if not for Senior Gu, he'd have slapped Ding Huan dead already. No, he couldn't let this lowly cook die so easily.

Even Qiong Zhishi's expression darkened.

Ding Huan had earned merit, but for a cook to threaten a sect elder—wasn't this beyond impudent? It was a mortal daring to defy the Immortal.

When he saw Gu Youchang's calm face, he froze—then quickly discarded his own thoughts.

Whether Ding Huan was a cook or not, whether his status was low or not—if Gu Youchang stood by him, Qiong Zhishi had no right to speak.

Seeing Gu and Liu remain silent, Qu Yueshan felt stifled.

Was he, a senior elder of a sect, now forced to bow to a cook's whim?

But remembering the Han Ba, he swallowed his rage.

If Ding Huan wouldn't move, neither would he.

This old bastard's skin is really thick.

Ding Huan could only say to Elder Gu:

"Elder Gu, let's set out."

"Alright." Elder Gu didn't hesitate, ordering everyone to rise and depart.

Seeing everyone set out, Elder Qu also followed.

After walking less than half an hour, Ding Huan stopped.

Ding Huan was leading the way; when he stopped, everyone had to stop.

"Elder Qu, which way are you taking?" Ding Huan asked Qu Yueshan of the Double Soul Sect bluntly.

Qu Yueshan snorted:

"What? Is this road your family's? Only you can walk it, and I can't? I'm taking this main path—don't you dare complain?"

Ding Huan extended his hand:

"Then if that's how it is, Elder Qu, please go ahead. We'll take another route."

Everyone stared at Ding Huan in confusion—another route? There's only one path here! Are you planning to go into the mountains?

Just earlier, they'd encountered the Cold Ghoul poisoned by illusions precisely because they'd accidentally left the main path and entered the mountains.

If Ding Huan knew someone thought that, he'd just laugh.

If walking the main path kept you safe from the Cold Ghoul's illusion poison, how did everyone end up in the mountains before?

"A mere cook dares to act so self-important."

Qu Yueshan snorted and marched forward on his own.

No matter how angry he was or how thick his skin, Ding Huan the cook had slapped his face— if he swallowed this insult, word would spread and he'd never show his face in public again.

Seeing Qu Yueshan leave, Ding Huan truly veered off the path and entered the mountains.

"Ding Daoist, Elder Qu has pride too. We should just walk slower—he won't follow us."

Elder Liu Liu Yinzhu of the Purple Cloud Valley couldn't help speaking up.

Ding Huan smiled:

"Elder Liu, what I said earlier was just temper talking. If Elder Qu really wants to walk with us, I won't say a word. I'm nothing but a child before you two elders—occasionally letting off steam, don't take it to heart."

◆￠o

My sixth sense tells me to go this way—I don't know why. I've always followed my intuition, and it's rarely led me wrong."

At this moment, both Elder Qiong and Han Weicheng and others had largely recovered from the illusion poison and could still tell the main path from the mountains apart.

Seeing Ding Huan enter the mountains again—as if deliberately provoking Elder Qu—they hesitated.

"Ding Daoist, am I still under the illusion poison? Are we still on the main path?" Elder Qiong couldn't help asking.

Ding Huan despised this man—he'd taken Ding Huan's things, yet because Ding Huan was just a cook, he sided with the elder from another sect.

Though he despised him inwardly, Ding Huan outwardly hesitated and said:

"I don't know. I just feel we should go this way—I can't guarantee it's right. Each of you choose for yourselves. I think such decisions must be made personally.

After all, I'm only a cook, a mortal with ordinary eyes. If I make a mistake, I can't bear the responsibility."

Everyone knew Ding Huan was entering the mountains likely out of spite toward Elder Qu—but such a joke was dangerous.

This kind of joke could cost lives.

Elder Qiong decided not to follow Ding Huan into the mountains—what nonsense, you're a cook quarreling with an elder? You die, you die; no one else wants to die with you.

As Ding Huan said, Ding Huan was merely a mortal cook—his life was worthless.

"I'll go with Ding Daoist."

Elder Liu Liu Yinzhu of the Purple Cloud Valley said without hesitation.

This left Elder Qiong baffled—how could Elder Liu Liu Yinzhu of the Purple Cloud Valley plan to follow Ding Huan into the mountains?

Han Weicheng didn't want to enter the mountains again; seeing that Elder Liu Liu Yinzhu of the Purple Cloud Valley had endorsed Ding Huan, he hesitated.

"Elder Gu, which way will you take?" Han Weicheng couldn't help asking Gu Youchang.

Gu Youchang laughed heartily:

"I'll naturally follow Ding Daoist, so I don't need to declare—I'll go wherever Ding Daoist goes."

"Then I'll follow Ding Daoist too."

Han Weicheng immediately changed his mind.

The first mishap was unexpected; if he suffered another because of this, he'd deserve it.

Seeing Ding Huan had already turned into the mountains, Elder Qiong hesitated, then followed.

He couldn't be the only one walking the main path while everyone else went into the mountains—if the main path were safe, they wouldn't have been lured into the mountains before.

"Hmph, putting on a show." Far away, Qu Yueshan's spiritual sense swept over Ding Huan leading others into the mountains, and he sneered.

Ding Huan thought he could fool him with such petty tricks? Would Qu Yueshan be foolish enough to follow Ding Huan into the mountains just because he entered them?