Chapter 165: On the Brink of Crisis (4)
Translator: Kelaude Editor: TomYummy
Just then, Yuan Zhengkun also found the name ‘Miao Yi’ to be familiar. After the reminder, he finally recalled. Yet, he was dubious as he shook his head and explained, "That Miao Yi was recommended by Cao Dingfeng. He only had a cultivation at White Lotus First Grade back then. It has only been a few years, how could he have become the Cave Master of East Arrival Cave?"
Sun Jiaojiao voiced out, "That’s not entirely impossible. I remember that he was good friends with the Shi Xiang couple. Since Shi Xiang is here, then there’s a high chance that it’s referring to that Miao Yi."
On hearing that, Meng Yide turned to ask them. "Do you all know this Cave Master of East Arrival Cave? What is his cultivation level?"
Yuan Zhengkun immediately responded, "I once had a subordinate whose name is Miao Yi. But I can’t be sure whether the Cave Master of East Arrival Cave is actually him. If it is really that Miao Yi, contrary to what you might expect, there’s nothing to fear about him. It can only show that Yang Qing had no other subordinates to use. Yang Qing will definitely lose this war!"
After listening to him, Meng Yide was also skeptical if it was the same person. A man who can become the subordinate of Yuan Zhengkun, how high could his cultivation go?
He was only just asking, as for who Miao Yi actually was, he did not feel inclined to care overmuch for now. Regardless of whether he was here or not, it wouldn’t change anything.
The men who had spread out to investigate their surroundings all came back one after another to make their report. They didn’t discover anything unusual which set Meng Yide’s mind at ease.
On Chen Fei’s side, he also hadn’t managed to gather any information. Qian’Er and Xue’Er really did not know where Miao Yi had gone. On the other hand, the escaped Yan Xiu knew.
But the upper echelons had already passed down a gag order, forbidding him to speak of Miao Yi’s whereabouts so as to prevent opportunists from realizing that East Arrival Cave’s defense existed only in name. Thus, Yan Xiu hadn’t informed the two girls as well; he had been afraid that they would become worried if he told them.
Meng Yide didn’t waste his time on the two handmaidens. He probably figured out that these handmaidens really didn’t seem to know where Miao Yi and the others had gone. After they mounted a sneak attack, there was absolutely no preparations being made on this side. These handmaidens barely had the time to collude with each other and fabricate a story. Under duress, it was impossible for everyone to unanimously say that they didn’t know.
If they really did not fear death, they would not have confessed that Qian’Er and Xue’Er were the Cave Master’s handmaidens. This proved that they were seriously in the dark on this matter.
"Yuan Zhengkun, I’ll leave the rest to you."
"I will not disappoint Cave Master Meng’s expectations."
"Remember! Act according to the plan. You must only lose and not win. You must entice the enemies to delve deeply!"
Before Meng Yide took his leave, he warned Yuan Zhengkun again repeatedly. He then assigned Chen Fei and the others to Yuan Zhengkun to help gather together enough troops for one cave. Only then did he lead the others to quickly embark on the journey back, leaving behind Yuan Zhengkun and his group by themselves at East Arrival Cave.
If there were too many people around, he was afraid that he wouldn’t be able to lure Qin Weiwei to engage in pursuit. Leaving behind a small number of men was all for the sake of letting Qin Weiwei underestimate the enemy.
When he left, Meng Yide surveyed his surroundings feeling more or less that he had come here in vain. The reason why Mountain Chieftain Duan Jirui had allocated more than twenty men to him was because he was afraid that he would fail, and wanted him to quickly capture East Arrival Cave with a single stroke, and ensure that East Arrival Cave showed signs of being ravaged.
But who would have expected that it ended without them even managing to kill even a single cultivator after rousing so many men to come. They had only captured some useless handmaidens. If he had known earlier on that all the cultivators in East Arrival Cave had run off, he would have just let Yuan Zhengkun lead his men to attack straightaway. There wouldn’t have been any need for them to go back and forth in vain.
Meng Yide did not seize the handmaidens. It wasn’t like he had never seen a woman before. Thus, he left them at Yuan Zhengkun’s disposal.
Yuan Zhengkun and the others, having been left behind, appeared as though it had been eons since they had last savored the taste of a handmaiden. It was worthwhile to know that these women who were chosen to be handmaidens, were all one in a thousand. They could never be compared to the likes of those common women in brothels.
Everyone’s gazes, every single one of them, lurked about the handmaidens’ slender physiques. Even Yuan Zhengkun couldn't wait to indulge. From the beginning, he had already set his eyes on the most beautiful pair, Qian’Er and Xue’Er.
It was quite apparent that Chen Fei knew what would become of these handmaidens after this. In order to enraged the incoming reinforcements, they had to be butchered. Taking them along was out of the question.
These two were Miao Yi’s handmaidens — Miao Yi’s trusted aides, and also partners that shared his bed. Chen Fei owed Miao Yi a favor after he had saved his only loved one, so under the current circumstance where he still had the ability to help, he naturally wanted to save them and return Miao Yi’s great benevolence from before.
He proceeded to interfere, standing before the terrified Qian’Er and Xue’Er, shielding them as he cupped his hands at Yuan Zhengkun smilingly, "These two used to be my handmaidens. I hope Cave Master Yuan can be so kind as to let them go!"
Although at present, Yuan Zhengkun was no longer a Cave Master, Chen Fei still addressed him as such since, when asking for a favor, one must naturally adopt such mannerisms.
Yuan Zhengkun immediately cursed at his wretched luck since he wasn’t able to take a bite out of the two meats within his grasp.
There was nothing to be done as their master was right here. He couldn’t just snatch his own subordinate’s women away in front of everybody. He hadn’t yet reached the point where his thoughts were completely overcome by lust. Now was the time to attend to important matters, it wasn’t worth causing them to fallout and fail. They were just women! Once he had risen back up again, he needn’t fear that there would be none!
Yuan Zhengkun laughed heartily, "I never imagined Brother Chen to be such a swinger. These two have already gone at it with the East Arrival Cave Master and you’re still interested in reclaiming them?"
Chen Fei laughed bitterly as he shook his head, saying, "I’m the one who let them down when I abandoned them to make my escape before. If anyone is to be blamed, it should be me. Thus, I request Cave Master Yuan to give me this face."
Although he wasn’t a subordinate of Yuan Zhengkun, and was only ordered to listen to Yuan Zhengkun’s commands, he still loosened his stance and addressed himself as a subordinate.
Yuan Zhengkun laughed, "Since Brother Chen has spoken, there’ll naturally be no objections. But Brother Chen, think carefully now that things have changed. We must prioritize the grave matter at hand; if Cave Master Meng caught you bringing two women as you flock around, he might be upset and punish you for it!"
"Thank you, Cave Master Yuan; for reminding me. I will make appropriate arrangements and avoid causing trouble."
"Fine. I have said what needs to be said. You’re on your own." Yuan Zhengkun waved his hands and spared the two young girls.
"Thank you, Cave Master Yuan; for your help!" Chen Fei cupped his hands with thanks.
"The handmaidens will be wasted; war is imminent. It’s better to enjoy first and relax." Yuan Zhengkun turned his head to look at the handmaidens. He set his eyes on two whose looks stood out a little, dismounted his dragon steed, and walked directly towards them. Spreading his arms wide open, he dragged the two handmaidens before him, with one arm lifting each of them. Ignoring the two handmaidens’ struggles, he turned to laugh at Chen Fei, "Brother Chen, don’t neglect the task of scouting out intelligence on the enemy."
"I will live up to your trust." Chen Fei cupped his fists, accepting the order.
Laughing heartily, Yuan Zhengkun turned to depart, lifting the two handmaidens as he went straight for the East Arrival Grand Hall.
The others, upon seeing that the ‘boss’ had made his pick, surmised that the remaining were naturally theirs.
Since the ‘boss’ had already taken the lead, the others were also without scruple. They immediately jumped on the bandwagon, snatching up all the remaining handmaidens. Each of them went off to find their own place to engage in debauchery under broad daylight.
Every single one of the handmaidens being dragged off were wailing in their direction, "Elder Auntie. Little Auntie. Please save us..."
Unable to bear it any longer, Qian’Er and Xue’Er couldn’t help but to step forth. Only to be halted by Chen Fei, who extended his arm. He shook his head faintly at the two of them while transmitting a message to them surreptitiously, "You won’t be able to save them. It was already difficult enough for me to save you both. Don’t drag yourself into this again."
The sounds of clothes being torn, and the blood-curdling screams of women could be faintly heard resounding from the direction of the grand hall.
With their faces all red and swollen from being slapped, tears immediately poured down their cheeks as Qian’Er and Xue’Er wept into a shambled mess. However, they were powerless. They knew what Chen Fei said was right — they wouldn’t be able to save them.
"Men are despicable!" Sun Jiaojiao spat from the sidelines. She had a normal sexual orientation and so held no interest in f*cking a girl. Needless to say, she couldn’t join in on the fun.
Chen Fei turned around to nod at the three scouts that Meng Yide had assigned to him. They still needed to investigate their enemy, so they did not have the leisure to fool around.
The few of them mounted their dragon steeds. From atop his own dragon steed, Chen Fei reached out his hand to drag both Qian’Er and Xue’Er on. Immediately, the four dragon steeds madly galloped away into the distance.
After they left the mountain range where East Arrival Cave was situated, Chen Fei was familiar with the terrain in this area. He sent the other three to lie in wait at the place where the others would likely cross, if they were to arrive from the direction of Mount Calming Sea.
After they left, Chen Fei turned to ask, "I won’t be able to bring you guys along as I rush about. Do any of you know of a suitable place for you to hide?"
Both of them then pointed towards a location, it was the dock that the Great Cave Master Miao had requested his men to build by the coast.
Chen Fei immediately galloped there, eventually arriving at the coast.
After sending the two into the dock within the cliffy reef, he surveyed the enormous space, a little dubious as he asked, "What did Brother Miao build this dock for?"
The two young girls shook their heads, indicating that they weren’t aware of the reason.
Actually, they believed that the reason why the Cave Master had this dock built, was to steer the ship to the island out there to cultivate. But since they were keeping this a secret for the Cave Master, they weren’t willing to reveal it.
The two young girls were still too inexperienced in front of Chen Fei. He could tell that they weren’t telling the truth, but he didn’t attempt to look into it. He only warned, "During this period, it will be a chaotic mess out there. It’s better for the both of you to remain hidden here for a few days. Otherwise, if you get found out by anyone, I won’t be able to show up by your side in time to save you. I can tell that both of you seems to have crossed over the threshold of the cultivation realm. I guess that staying here and defending your own lives shouldn’t pose as much of a problem."
Faces still red and swollen from being slapped, the two girls expressed their gratitude with a strangled cry, "Thank you, Sir Chen; for saving our lives."
"You’re on your own!" Chen Fei did not say anymore; he still had matters to attend to. Saving these two young girls was already considered a side mission. He would not neglect his own overriding matters for these two young girls. After he said that, he turned about and departed. For now, this was all he could do.
They waited for Chen Fei to leave before shifting their gaze around the gloomy dock. The two girls hugged each other, and broke down in bitter tears. "Cave Master… Cave Master… Where are you..."
In their eyes, they still believed that the Cave Master was an extraordinary man. If the Cave Master were at home, then everyone would not have suffered.
The ship here was gone. Both of them reckoned that the Cave Master had gone off to sea again. So they decided to hide here, waiting for the Cave Master’s return...
With his right arm wounded, Yan Xiu carried his axe in one hand as his dragon steed galloped forth madly without stopping. He was rushing to reach Mount Calming Sea in order to report to the Mountain Chieftain.
He didn’t expect to hear the rumbling sounds of hooves up ahead when fleeing halfway down the path. A mass of cavalry were galloping in his direction from afar. Like a bird being startled by the mere twang of a bow, Yan Xiu was shocked out of his wits. He was about to urge his dragon steed to leap into the nearby mountain forest to hide, but a glance of his transcendence vision revealed that the incoming leader was donned in an exceptionally conspicuous silver armor and fluttering white skirt. He was instantly overcome with joy at the turn of events.
The foremost person leading the troops was none other than Qin Weiwei, the Mountain Chieftain of Mount Calming Sea. At this time, Qin Weiwei had already gathered the troops of five caves along the journey; including her own forces, she already had almost seventy men. They looked incredibly intimidating.
Upon seeing the battered and exhausted Yan Xiu coming to a halt on the path, the urgently rushing Qin Weiwei seemed to have noticed that the situation was far from good. She raised her hand and the entire cavalry of about seventy units came to a hurried stop, kicking up dust from the ground.
"Yan Xiu, why are you here?!" Qin Weiwei snapped furiously.
Yan Xiu replied with dejection, "Mountain Chieftain, East Arrival Cave was ambushed and has already been breached. I risked my life to cut my way out and was lucky enough to break free. However, I fear that the handmaidens at East Arrival Cave must be suffering."
This was entirely just as Qin Weiwei expected; hoisting the Serpent Lance in her hand, she bellowed in fury, "MOVE!"
Taking the lead to charge forward, she led the her massive force to urgently make haste in the direction of East Arrival Cave.