Chapter 196: Dongfang Wen

"So you mean he will definitely come back?" Linghu Shang asked Yanshan Hai.

"Yes. There must be some clue. Zhang Huayu obviously thinks the same way; otherwise he wouldn't have sent the West Depot Eighteen Riders to wait for us in the bamboo grove, employing this 'catching a turtle in a jar' maneuver!" As Yanshan Hai said, he grew more and more convinced of his idea.

"Makes sense..." Linghu Shang knew Yanshan Hai's reasoning ability far surpassed that of ordinary people, nine times out of ten.

At that moment, a slight movement occurred in the distant ruins, like a small pebble falling. Even such a tiny movement was caught.

Yanshan Hai and Linghu Shang, being experts of the Fourth Heaven, would not miss any stirring of wind or grass.

Yanshan Hai leapt forward directly, bent down, and slapped a huge rock with one palm; the rock shattered instantly! He saw a person hiding in a deep pit beneath the rock, trembling and shivering.

"Come out!"

That person was grabbed out by Yanshan Hai with his hand. He was covered in rags, smeared with dust, his eyes empty and lifeless, his facial expression tense, even fearful. He half-crouched on the ruins, daring neither to stand straight nor to squat fully.

"Who are you? Why are you hiding there, timid and shrinking?" Yanshan Hai asked that person.

That person dared not speak, merely shaking his head repeatedly, appearing somewhat deranged.

"What's wrong with you?" Yanshan Hai wanted to get closer, but the person was frightened and fell backward, then sat down on the ground.

"He must have suffered some kind of stimulation, right?" Linghu Shang pointed at the person and asked Yanshan Hai.

"Something's fishy." Yanshan Hai approached the person, pulled him up, glanced at his clothing, then said to Linghu Shang, "I understand..."

"How so?"

"He is a member of the Dongfang Clan, and his clothes are still stained with the Dongfang Clan's fresh blood." Having said that, Yanshan Hai pulled the person's sleeve to show Linghu Shang.

Linghu Shang took out a piece of dried food from his pack and handed it to the person.

The person, like a savage, grabbed the dried food and began to wolf it down. He finished it quickly, then looked at Linghu Shang with expectant eyes.

Linghu Shang gave him three more pieces of dried food.

Soon he finished those as well.

"Can you speak now? What's your name?" Linghu Shang asked tentatively and softly.

"I... I am called... Dongfang... Wen..." The person stammered, finally managing to say his name.

"Dongfang Wen, Dongfang... it seems he is indeed a member of the Dongfang Clan." As if seeing hope, Yanshan Hai looked at Dongfang Wen with eager eyes, wanting to find some clues from him.

"Dongfang Wen, hello... we are outsiders, just arrived here." Linghu Shang had originally intended to deceive Dongfang Wen.

But Dongfang Wen said, "I... I have seen you... you..." As he spoke, he began gesturing; the meaning was clear—he meant fighting. It seemed he had witnessed the battle between Yanshan Hai and Linghu Shang and Dongfang Wuji, which had greatly shocked him.

"Hahaha!" Linghu Shang embarrassedly scratched his head; at his age, having lied and been exposed, he naturally couldn't save face.

"You've seen us... but we are not the bad guys you imagine..." Yanshan Hai also felt embarrassed; he tried to explain to Dongfang Wen that he wasn't a bad person, after all he had fought Dongfang Wuji, who is Dongfang Wen's ancestor, so one can imagine the relationship.

Who would have thought Dongfang Wen would say, "I know you're not bad people..."

"How so?"

"Because my ancestor was a bad person..." Dongfang Wen, not very old, didn't know if it was from fear, causing him to speak softly.

"Hahaha! How can you say that?" Yanshan Hai knew his goal was almost achieved; he only needed to proceed step by step: "Can you tell us? If you have any difficulties, speak up; perhaps we can help."

"My ancestor, he drank the blood of our clansmen." Dongfang Wen's sentence left Yanshan Hai and Linghu Shang stunned.

Yanshan Hai had originally been able to imagine Dongfang Wuji doing such a thing, but hearing it firsthand still shocked him.

"How could this happen?"

"I saw it with my own eyes. The clansmen were all slaughtered; I was lucky to escape." Dongfang Wen said, then burst into tears: "Wuu wuu wuu... Two great heroes, I don't want to die! Save me! Save me!"

Dongfang Wen immediately turned his body, about to kneel before Yanshan Hai and Linghu Shang.

Yanshan Hai hurriedly stopped Dongfang Wen, soothing him: "Don't get agitated; perhaps we can help!"

"Really?"

"But you must tell us where he is now."

"He is in the prison." Dongfang Wen replied, "He is in the Dongfang Clan's prison."

"Can you take us to see it?" Yanshan Hai asked again.

Dongfang Wen quickly shook his head, his body trembling again: "All the way... all the way north... along this road... I... I won't go... I won't go... my ancestor will suck... suck dry... my blood... blood..."

"Alright, then we'll go. Heading north, right?" Yanshan Hai said to Dongfang Wen, then after speaking he pulled Dongfang Wen up, trying to encourage him: "With us here, you needn't worry. Here is a bundle of dried food enough for seven or eight days, plus some silver; hurry and leave this place, the Dongfang Clan no longer exists."

"This..." Dongfang Wen, seeing Yanshan Hai give him all his remaining dried food, felt deeply moved and said to them, "You must be careful! Your ancestor's strength is too great!"

"Don't worry, hurry up and take these things with you! The farther you go, the better!" Yanshan Hai said.

Dongfang Wen bowed deeply to Yanshan Hai and Linghu Shang, then left without looking back; how could he miss the chance to escape death here?

"Alas, what a pitiful person!" Watching Dongfang Wen's receding back, Yanshan Hai sighed.

"At least he's still alive; other clansmen are even more pitiful. Only hatred for Dongfang Jie and Dongfang Wuji remains—they are so extreme, so excessive, they could even lay hands on their own closest kin." Linghu Shang also sighed.

"How about it? Are we ready?" Yanshan Hai turned and asked Linghu Shang.

"What preparation, what lack of preparation?"

"Dongfang Wuji could even lay hands on his own clansmen, let alone us two outsiders, enemies."

"Heh... I just hope he doesn't suck our blood!" Linghu Shang laughed.