CHAPTER 234: NANTIAN YIJIAN'S SERIOUS AND NOT-SO-SERIOUS SIDE

Jun Laoye traced lines on the ground, comparing the fall time from the backyard of the Scripture Hall with that of the boulder. "I remember the ancestor saying the cliff we fell from was nearly ten thousand zhang high[1]. It took us almost five minutes to descend, even while accelerating constantly."

By his calculation, the chasm into which the boulder fell must be at least a hundred thousand zhang deep.

"A hundred thousand zhang?" Lu Chen's gaze swept across the east and west sides of the gorge, his brows knitting tightly. "What worries me is that the entire ravine could be that deep."

Standing beside Nantian Wan'er, Nantian Yijian shook his head. "Uh... I don't understand... not at all..."

Unable to follow Lu Chen and Jun Laoye's discussion, he turned his attention to the towering piles of skeletal remains. A gap among the bones caught his eye, and a mischievous smile curved his lips. "Wan'er, what do you think would happen if I dropped a small stone into this mountain of bones? Where would it end up?"

Nantian Wan'er froze for a moment before replying softly, "There are large gaps between the bones. The stone could reach the bottom. Are you planning something?"

"No, I just want to try something for fun."

He stepped to the cliff edge, casually picking up a small stone and tossing it into the pile. He watched with amusement as it twisted and turned through the hollow labyrinth. "It's falling..."

Mesmerized, he reached for another stone, only for Wind Dragon to stop him. "Nantian brat... stop."

He summoned a small vortex, snatching the stone away. "Blood Soul Beasts have already started appearing below. With all these bones here, there could be even more. Throwing stones might stir them up. What if this is their nest?"

His eyes glowed blue as he warned. "If a horde bursts out, even with me and Red Fox acting together, we might not be able to escape."

Intimidated, Nantian Yijian said in a trembling voice, "That's scary... Fine, I'll stop."

Nevertheless, his eyes continued to roam around with curiosity. He approached Lu Chen. "Boss, I've been wondering... why didn't the ancestor warn us about the northern part of the area?"

Focused on the mountain of skeletons, Lu Chen barely registered the question. His attention remained on the fragments of the stone tablet, and he half-heartedly nodded at Nantian Yijian's words.

When he unleashed the Divine Tree's vines earlier, they had reacted excitedly, clearly indicating the target was nearby.

Seeing Lu Chen's gaze fixed on the skeletons, Nantian Yijian followed his line of sight. "Boss, why aren't you saying anything? Is something interesting over there?"

Boredom and curiosity gnawed at him. His eyes returned to the stone he had thrown, watching it weave through the gaps until it disappeared. Glancing back at Lu Chen, he clicked his tongue. "Boss, what are you staring at? You've been like this the whole time."

Perhaps slightly annoyed, Lu Chen finally retracted his vines. "We mentioned there's a hidden stash here. We've reached the location, and I was just trying to pinpoint it."

Nantian Yijian's eyes lit up. "A hidden stash? Where? Boss, you should've mentioned that earlier! I could've helped!"

He quacked like a duck in excitement. "I knew this place was special! There has to be something good here, otherwise why would we have stopped?"

Turning toward the mountain of skeletons, Lu Chen cautioned Nantian Yijian, "Don't get too excited. I know it's here, but I haven't located the exact spot. And with the commotion earlier, someone may have noticed us."

Nantian Yijian's shoulders drooped. "Ah... then we'd better hurry before someone else finds it."

But soon, he perked up again. "Boss, I don't think anyone's coming. Back at the boundary line, there were still traces of exploring cultivators, but here... there's nothing at all. Do you know what that means? And why didn't the ancestor ever warn us about the north?"

His voice croaked like a honking duck as he flailed his hands frantically, even repeating things he had already said as he tried to convey the whirlwind of thoughts in his head.

Wind Dragon was clearly annoyed. He snapped, "You brat, what nonsense are you spouting now?"

He glared at Nantian Yijian and delivered a heavy kick. "If it's rubbish, you'd better choke on it."

"Go on, Nantian brat. I've got your back," Red Fox said.

By now, her mood had settled. She opened her eyes, swished her tail lazily, and cast Wind Dragon a disdainful glance. Arguing with him was her only amusement. Nothing lifted her spirits like a few barbed words.

"You..." Wind Dragon glared at Red Fox but dared not act against her. He turned his attention back to Nantian Yijian. "Brat, if you don't make yourself clear, I'll personally send you to the Storm Domain."

"I-I-I... what did I do wrong this time?" Nantian Yijian stammered, collapsing onto the ground under Wind Dragon's pressure. "I just... had an idea, that's all. Why are you two reacting so strongly?"

Seeing Wind Dragon's fierce expression, he slowly scooted backward, terrified of being dragged to the so-called Storm Domain. "I-I-I... did I really mess up again?"

His foot slipped, almost sending him tumbling. He twisted around, only to find there was no way back. Wind Dragon's face bore a mocking smile, and Nantian Yijian's panic deepened.

Wind Dragon stopped in front of him, sending two wind blades spiraling to block both sides. "Boy, let's see how far you can run. Speak. What's on your mind?"

Nantian Yijian panicked, subtly channeling his Wish Power to disperse the blades. But the moment his energy touched them, the wind blades absorbed and nullified it. "N-no, no... Lord Wind Dragon, I-I really don't have anything. Please, just let me go."

Noticing Nantian Yijian's small trick, Wind Dragon sneered. "How long have you been cultivating Wish Power to think you can counter my wind blades that easily? You're far from it."

He stepped forward and, with a cold shout, extended his dragon whiskers, wrapping them around Nantian Yijian and yanking him away from the cliff.

Struggling against the whiskers, Nantian Yijian fought desperately. "I-I-I... Lord Wind Dragon, please let me go!"

But as a beast who had once reached the Earth Core Realm, Wind Dragon's whiskers were like formidable enchanted weapons. The more Nantian Yijian struggled, the tighter they coiled, until he was bound like a sticky rice dumpling.

With his hands trapped in the dragon whiskers, Nantian Yijian was completely immobilized. He screamed with all his might, pleading with both Wind Dragon and Lu Chen."Lord Wind Dragon! Boss!"

Lu Chen shook his head with amusement. He subtly nodded to Wind Dragon. "Wind Dragon, let him go."

Wind Dragon cursed and laughed, then threw Nantian Yijian heavily to the ground.

Nantian Yijian dropped heavily to the ground, grimacing in pain. "Lord Wind Dragon! Why were you so harsh? It hurts so much! Don't you know my frail body—"

However, when he looked up and saw Wind Dragon's enormous face looming over him, the words caught in his throat. Too afraid to say another word, he swallowed them back.

Wind Dragon looked at his pitiful expression, snorted, and muttered, "Brat... when will you toughen up like Little Lu?"

At that, Nantian Yijian froze mid-motion and collapsed onto the ground with a thud, lying quietly as he watched a flock of black birds fly overhead.

Wind Dragon was curious about what trick Nantian Yijian might try next when he suddenly heard him mutter, "I wish I could... but I'm just a country bumpkin, a commoner. I have neither boss's talent nor Little Jun's family background. If I hadn't met boss that day, I'd probably be dead by now."

Turning his gaze toward the mountain of skeletons, Nantian Yijian spoke with overwhelming despair. "Maybe I'm no different from those skeletons... At least they were all determined cultivators when they were alive..."

Taken aback by Nantian Yijian's sudden seriousness, Wind Dragon froze. He had expected the boy to be cheeky and playful, but never imagined he would be this earnest.

1. Editor's note: I don't know why Chinese authors need to overcompensate with sizes like this. 35 kilometers cliff...for the Americans, that's 21 miles. Basically, falling from the stratosphere. At least, he calculated the time needed relatively well ☜