The workers had been too scared to continue collecting herbs after encountering danger. So, Ye Tiancheng took it upon himself to patrol the back mountain. For every venomous snake he could hunt, the more workers would be able to gather herbs and manufacture the Longdan Xiegan Wan.
Taking advantage of the dark and windy night, Ye Tiancheng headed to the back mountain again. He preferred to clear out dangers at night, as there were no disturbances, and the quiet night breeze seemed to blow away all of life's troubles.
However, tonight felt unusually unsettled. The moment Ye Tiancheng entered the back mountain, he sensed a powerful spiritual energy, unique to cultivators.
As Ye Tiancheng walked forward, he felt the wind behind him grow erratic. Suddenly, the air pressure shifted, and countless swords flew towards him. Though he couldn't see the attacker's face, Ye Tiancheng could sense that it was a cultivator with profound spiritual power.
Ye Tiancheng dodged frantically, narrowly escaping the barrage of swords. However, whips soon lashed out, their immense force creating small wounds on him even before they made contact with his face.
In this world where strength reigned supreme, Ye Tiancheng understood that the attacker's arrogance stemmed from their superior spiritual power, likely surpassing his own.
In the world of cultivation, capable individuals came in many forms. Most preferred to live in seclusion, occasionally emerging to right wrongs. Others, however, were drawn to the mundane world, sometimes using their cultivation skills to earn a living, meaning they could be hired.
"Brother, we have no enmity, and you have no need to kill me. I see you're quite skilled. Why not reveal yourself so we can get acquainted?"
The attacker offered no response to Ye Tiancheng's provocation, and the next wave of attacks quickly followed.
Innumerable leaves, like hidden weapons, flew at Ye Tiancheng from all directions. Dodging was impossible. Ye Tiancheng could only sit down, adjust his internal energy, and soon unleashed a burst of true qi.
These leaves abruptly stopped at a certain distance from Ye Tiancheng and then fell to the ground like withered leaves in the wind.
"You seem to be a cultivator of good standing, yet you're so timid. Are you afraid to meet me? Do you only dare to act like a turtle hiding in its shell?"
Perhaps Ye Tiancheng's taunts finally worked. The person appeared, clad in black, wearing a black cloak, and a hat that obscured their face.
"Someone paid me to take your life."
"Is that so? I actually pity you. To earn this money, you're risking your own life. But alas, this is the path you've chosen. As an assassin, death is always a possibility, so don't blame me."
"Nonsense! If I couldn't beat you, I'd run. You think you can kill me? You impudent fool, how dare you speak such arrogant words!"
This wasn't the first time Ye Tiancheng had encountered an assassin, but he had never met one so amusing.
"How about this? I know assassins are organized, and when one falls, another takes their place. I can never kill them all. Judging by your cultivation, you seem to be a leader. Shall we make a deal?"
"Do you, a mere prey, have the right to negotiate terms with me?"
"Don't feed me useless talk. If you're afraid to bet with me, I can only assume you're scared, that you believe your skills are inferior to mine."
Ye Tiancheng's taunts worked once more. The assassin instantly agreed to Ye Tiancheng's terms and asked what they were.
"I'll give you three moves. If you can't kill me with these three moves, then none of your fellow disciples will be allowed to hunt me again."
"But that would mean I'd lose a lot of business. After all, many people want to deal with you, and they're willing to pay!"
Ye Tiancheng hurled more insults at the assassin, enraging him. In a fit of anger, the assassin agreed to Ye Tiancheng's proposal.
"Ye, you're very clever. Unfortunately, your cleverness is useless. You're about to die, and you'll die a terrible death. I'll cut off your head and hang it on a tree for everyone to see."
The assassin was quite boastful. Ye Tiancheng ignored him, simply sitting down to balance his mind and body, allowing his true qi to circulate around him.
The assassin exerted great effort for these three moves. However, not only did each move fail to hit Ye Tiancheng, but they were also reflected back, striking the assassin himself.
With a clang, the assassin fell to the ground. Ye Tiancheng approached and saw that the man was conscious but his body could no longer support him. He was clearly left with no fighting capacity.
"Brother, to be honest, your body isn't in good shape. You can't even withstand your own moves. How about this? You seem to be a renowned assassin and have earned a lot of money. Don't be stingy. Come to my apothecary and buy some medicine. It'll guarantee you a strong and healthy body."
The assassin was almost driven mad by Ye Tiancheng. Under Ye Tiancheng's coercion, he agreed that no one from his sect would hunt him again. After agreeing, he fled.
After the assassin left, Ye Tiancheng asked Xiao Pang to investigate. Through the people the assassin had recently contacted, they quickly discovered that the one who had paid a hefty sum to have him killed was none other than his former fiancée, Hou Mingzhu.
Ye Tiancheng truly couldn't be bothered with her anymore. Perhaps his elevated status had made her jealous. Those in the spotlight were always in danger. As the saying goes, "A tall tree catches the wind." This might be the sorrow of being powerful.
Through several days of investigation, Ye Tiancheng also quickly uncovered the relationship between Hou Xiaolin and Hou Mingzhu. This forced Ye Tiancheng to look at Hou Mingzhu with newfound respect. This woman was truly formidable. Hou Mingzhu knew how to attack his weaknesses, a level of cunning and foresight not possessed by ordinary people. She was, in fact, quite capable.
However, Ye Tiancheng had no interest in Hou Mingzhu. The original host of Honglou seemed to be suffering constantly trying to deal with him, yet Ye Tiancheng remained nonchalant, not taking the woman seriously at all.
The next day, while Ye Tiancheng was relaxing in the lounge of the horticultural center, he suddenly heard that Hou Mingzhu had arrived.
Ye Tiancheng had no intention of seeing her. However, he recalled that Hou Mingzhu had been causing a lot of trouble recently. Such a diligent woman was truly inspiring. Therefore, no matter what, he had to acknowledge her efforts, and he found her genuinely admirable. So, Ye Tiancheng instructed a servant to let Hou Mingzhu in.
"Is my esteemed lady here to see if I've been killed by your men? Disappointed to see me alive and kicking, aren't you?"
"I never expected you to defeat a master who charges ten million for a single assassination, Ye Tiancheng. I'm very curious, what kind of cheat code have you activated? You've suddenly become so powerful. The more powerful you become, the more challenging you are to me, and the more I want to take you down!"
"Miss Hou, stop speaking so nobly. You're clearly acting out of unrequited love, which is why you've gone mad. In my eyes, you're just a vicious woman with no bottom line."
It was unlikely Ye Tiancheng would utter anything pleasant. In fact, Hou Mingzhu was accustomed to it. This time, Hou Mingzhu had come to mock Ye Tiancheng to his face.
"Ye Tiancheng, I don't think you need to guard this horticultural center anymore. Look at your workers; the wild vegetables have all withered. And now, there are rumors circulating about the efficacy of the vegetables you grow, all nonsense. They're more like poison; many people have suffered liver and kidney damage after eating them. You only stopped operations because of the problems. How can you not change your ways and still think of cultivating these useless wild vegetables!"
Ye Tiancheng listened with a smile as Hou Mingzhu ranted. After she finished, Ye Tiancheng finally spoke.
"You have the nerve to come here and say this, Hou Mingzhu. Isn't this all because of your schemes? If you hadn't caused all this trouble, why would things have escalated to this point? I can't even open for business now and am losing money every day. This is all your fault."
Ye Tiancheng's words carried a hint of complaint. Hou Mingzhu relished seeing Ye Tiancheng in such a dejected state. It would have been even better if Ye Tiancheng had begged her for help.
"Complaining to me is useless. Find a way to revive yourself. And your so-called Longdan Xiegan Wan, you dare to boast about it so much. Can it bring the dead back to life? If it can, I'll try it at the cemetery."
After saying this, Hou Mingzhu burst into laughter.
"Oh, right. I've already partnered with the Feng family. From now on, it won't just be me against you. I'll be with Feng Huaiyuan, watching firsthand as you, from a commercial entity, gradually decline and eventually perish."
Ye Tiancheng remained as calm as ever, showing no hint of fear.
"What's there to rely on with that old man? I don't take the Feng family seriously at all. Otherwise, with just a flick of my finger, the Feng family would be completely finished."
"We'll see. Things will only get more exciting from here. Since you've chosen to compete in this market, you must bring your full strength. Your lax attitude will only make everything more dismal..."
At this moment, Hou Mingzhu sounded like a nagging old woman, dictating to him and giving him advice. Unfortunately, Ye Tiancheng couldn't bring himself to listen.
"Alright, if you're so eager to be a teacher, you can go give lectures to others. I truly don't need it. I have everything arranged, and Miss Hou Da doesn't need to worry."
Nowadays, seeing Hou Mingzhu made Ye Tiancheng uncomfortable, let alone hearing her voice. This woman always gave Ye Tiancheng an eerie feeling, as if she were constantly plotting to harm him from behind.
"Looking at your fallen state, will anyone really care about you? Even now, I'm standing by your side. I hope you know who your closest person is."
"There's no need. You're the eldest daughter of the Hou family. Why would you bother with a mere farmer like me? I was once qualified to talk with you, but now that I've fallen, I'm nothing. I'm probably not even fit to be your bodyguard, Miss."
"It's good that you know that. Ye Tiancheng, when I begged to marry you, you kept refusing me and were entangled with a village girl. Now that you've fallen, what goes around comes around. If you had treated me better back then, I might have more affection for you now."
Hou Mingzhu was really stretching things. Moreover, the woman Hou Mingzhu mentioned was very important to Ye Tiancheng, and he wouldn't allow anyone to bring her up.
As Hou Mingzhu continued her incessant chatter, a murderous intent appeared on Ye Tiancheng's face. This killing intent was conveyed through his eyes to Hou Mingzhu's heart, making the stale air turn chillingly cold.
"Ye Tiancheng, what do you mean by looking at me like that? You're not thinking of killing me, are you?"