The Pastoral Life of a Cultivation Master

Chapter 3242 The Heart of Hatred
As soon as Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan disappeared at the end of the fiery passage, Ouyang Ding suddenly raised his head. His swollen cheeks were still throbbing with pain, and his eyes, which had been filled with fear, were now churning with almost insane resentment as he stared intently in the direction the two had gone.

His gaze was like a poisoned dagger, as if he wanted to pierce and tear their backs apart. Every muscle in his body was tense, his teeth were clenched so tightly that they were grinding, and even his breathing was heavy with hostility. The humiliation of being slapped in public had fueled his hatred.

"A-Ding, are you alright?" Ouyang Jun stood beside him, his tone complex and hard to describe, and gently patted his shoulder.

That slap just now wasn't just a blow to Ouyang Ding and another clansman; it was a blow to the dignity of the entire Ouyang team.

Being publicly humiliated by members of one's own family in front of martial artists from other families is a humiliating experience that can almost crush a person.

How could he not want to resist? To rush up and fight Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan to the death? But he knew better than anyone that Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan were at the peak of the tenth level of the Acquired Realm, only one step away from the Innate Realm, while he and Ouyang Ding had only recently entered the ninth level of the Acquired Realm, not even at the peak of the ninth level. The gap between them was like an insurmountable chasm.

Let alone resisting, even if the two of them joined forces, they probably couldn't withstand a single move from Chen Mo. So, no matter how frustrated and angry they felt, they could only endure it. This feeling of helplessness was even more unbearable than being slapped.

"I must avenge this humiliation!" Ouyang Ding abruptly shook off Ouyang Jun's hand, his voice low and hoarse, the suppressed emotion only fueling his anger.
His hands were clenched into fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and the flesh between his fingers even dug into his palms. Fine blood seeped from between his fingers and dripped onto the ground, but he was completely unaware of it. He only felt that the blood in his body was boiling, and there was only one thought in his mind: to kill Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan!
Seeing Ouyang Ding's seemingly insane state, Ouyang Jun swallowed back the words of advice that were on the tip of his tongue.

He was also a martial artist, so he naturally understood what it felt like to be humiliated in public, and it couldn't be smoothed over with just a "just bear with it" attitude.

At this moment, any attempt at persuasion would only be seen as cowardice by Ouyang Ding, further provoking him. Therefore, Ouyang Jun could only shake his head inwardly, a hint of helplessness flashing in his eyes. He knew that this grudge would probably never be avenged in this lifetime, and Ouyang Ding's harsh words at this moment were ultimately just futile self-consolation.

Little did Ouyang Jun know that Ouyang Ding had already come up with some ideas.

The eerie space they found themselves in was fraught with danger, filled with deadly shadows, yet it presented an excellent opportunity for revenge.

In addition, there are two innate masters, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing, present. These two are powerful and surpass all acquired martial artists. If we can make use of these two innate masters and use them to get rid of Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan, it may not be an impossible thing.

A calculating glint flashed in Ouyang Ding's eyes, but he knew he couldn't rush things. He could only wait patiently for the perfect opportunity, a chance to use someone else to do his dirty work, to avenge himself, and to escape unscathed.

He slowly took a deep breath, trying to suppress the anger in his heart. The blood on his fingertips gradually congealed, but his clenched fists remained tight, and the hatred that ran deep into his bones did not diminish in the slightest.

“Let’s go. The fire passage over there is almost finished. We can’t linger here.” Ouyang Jun reached out and tugged at Ouyang Ding’s arm again, his tone becoming serious. His gaze swept over the faint flames at the edge of the campsite. “Look, the flames at the campsite are getting weaker and weaker. If those shadowy figures take the opportunity to rush in, the two of us won’t be able to stop them at all. Then, we won’t even have a chance to get revenge.”

Following Ouyang Jun's gaze, Ouyang Ding saw that the flames at the edge of the campsite had long since lost their initial intensity. The wall of fire, which was once half a person's height, was now reduced to flames less than the height of a hand. He knew that Ouyang Jun was telling the truth; the most important thing right now was to survive. Only by surviving could he possibly have any chance of revenge.

So he slowly nodded, suppressing the resentment in his heart, and followed Ouyang Jun toward the already constructed fire tunnel.

Behind them followed a dejected figure, the Ouyang family martial artist who had attacked Ouyang Ruoxi with Ouyang Ding and had also been slapped by Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan.

His name was Ouyang Hua. At this moment, his face was deathly pale, his cheeks were swollen, and there was still blood on the corner of his mouth. He looked absent-minded, with empty eyes, as if he had lost his soul.

Ever since he was slapped, he had been in a daze, his mind replaying the scene of being humiliated in public. The humiliation and resentment in his heart were intertwined, almost driving him crazy.

He also wanted revenge and wanted Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan to pay the price, but he was not only weaker than Ouyang Ding, but also far less intelligent. After thinking for a long time, he couldn't come up with any feasible solution. He could only follow behind Ouyang Ding like a puppet. When Ouyang Ding took a step, he mechanically followed. When Ouyang Ding stopped, he stopped too, without paying much attention to the surrounding noise.

In his heart, all that remained were frantic curses and vicious prayers. He secretly hoped that Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan would be surrounded by those shadowy figures, torn to pieces, and die a miserable death, so as to alleviate the humiliation in his heart.

Unbeknownst to anyone, at the edge of the campsite, where the faint glow of the flames met the boundless darkness, shadowy figures were darting about rapidly.

The shadowy figures moved nimbly, like ghosts, darting back and forth in the darkness, emitting low, fierce roars. Their eyes, glowing with an eerie green light, were fixed on every warrior in the camp.

They waited patiently for the flames to weaken, then swarmed forward and tore these unarmed warriors (relative to themselves) to shreds.

Just as these shadowy figures were about to make their move, the timber that Chen Mo and Ouyang Nan had brought back had already been ignited by the other martial artists and neatly laid out on both sides of the fire channel.

A raging fire instantly erupted, its flames shooting into the sky and dispelling the darkness around the passage, creating a temporary safety barrier. Although the passage, only a few dozen meters long, was not short, and the firewood would only burn for a limited time, it provided a safe passage for everyone, at least for the time being.

Once the fire tunnel was connected to the original fire at the campsite, the group didn't dare to delay and immediately hurried along the tunnel towards where Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing were.

There, Qian Ying and Zhou Zixing, two innate masters, along with other martial artists at the tenth level of acquired realm, were dismantling the surrounding wooden buildings. They needed to carry the dismantled wood back to the campsite, add it to the fire to keep the flames burning, and block the shadowy figures from launching sneak attacks.