The Martial Saint Started from Scavenging

Behind the tree, Lin Qingxue heard Hei Fengsha's words and trembled with fear, her face turning deathly pale instantly.

She instinctively grabbed Ye Sheng's arm, her nails digging deep into his skin with tension.

Ye Sheng's expression also became extremely solemn.

Sure enough, the bandits caught up again, and it seemed that the middle-aged man leading them was no ordinary person!

Ye Sheng, relying on his talent of [Qi and Blood Perception], discovered that the middle-aged man's Qi and Blood power was as vigorous as a furnace, far stronger than the Blood Wolves and the bandit leader he had killed before combined.

The opponent was actually a martial artist at the peak of the Bone Forging Realm! And he was only one step away from opening his meridians, igniting his blood, and stepping into the Meridian Opening Realm!

Given Ye Sheng's current condition, let alone fighting, he wouldn't even have a chance to escape if he were discovered by the other party.

The middle-aged man was none other than the previous leader of Black Wind Stronghold, the father of the bandit chief, named Black Wind Demon.

"What to do... what to do..." Lin Qingxue's voice was choked with sobs, and her body trembled like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.

"Shut up!"

Ye Sheng gave a low shout, his voice not loud, but his icy will was like a bucket of cold water, instantly extinguishing Lin Qingxue's panic.

She abruptly covered her mouth, daring not to make another sound, and stared intently at Ye Sheng with eyes filled with fear.

Ye Sheng ignored her, his mind racing as he considered a way to escape.

A direct confrontation is a dead end.

Escape? The mount the other side was riding looked extremely fast, and they outnumbered each other. If they were discovered, they would all die.

We must find a way to distract them.

At this moment, Ye Sheng's gaze quickly swept across the surrounding environment.

This is a steep hillside, densely wooded, with scattered rocks and a very complex terrain.

Not far from the large tree where they were hiding, there was a deep ditch eroded by rainwater, dark and its destination unknown.

Got it!

Ye Sheng instantly made up his mind.

He took out the Blood Pact Merchant Guild's bounty notice from his pocket, picked up a stone from the ground, and tied the two together with vines.

Then, he chose a direction, put all his strength into it, and threw the stone out with all his might.

The stone traced an arc in the air and landed silently in a dense thicket about a hundred meters away from the bandits, making a soft rustling sound.

The sound was not loud, but it was enough to attract attention.

"Who's there!"

One of the bandits, who had very sharp ears, immediately shouted alertly and raised his torch.

All the bandits' eyes instantly turned to that thicket of bushes.

"Let's go take a look!"

Black Wind Demon frowned and gave the order in a deep voice.

The two bandits immediately picked up their knives and cautiously walked towards the thicket.

Ye Sheng and Lin Qingxue stood behind the tree, not daring to even breathe loudly.

The two bandits walked to the bushes, used their knives to part the branches, and quickly found the stone with the parchment tied to it.

"My lord! There's something here!" A bandit picked up a stone and ran back to Black Wind Demon as if presenting it as a treasure.

Black Wind Demon took the stone, unwrapped the parchment, and looked at it by the firelight. His expression immediately changed.

"A bounty from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild?"

Several underlings also came over to take a look, and when they saw the words "reward of five hundred taels of silver" on it, they couldn't help but gasp.

"Boss, what... what's going on? Could that kid really be from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild?" a one-eyed bandit asked in surprise and doubt.

"fart!"

Black Wind Fiend crumpled the bounty poster into a ball and cursed, "People from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild? Using a broken woodcutter's knife? Getting themselves half-dead? This kid is clearly just putting on a show to scare us!"

Although he said that, he was actually a little doubtful.

The Blood Pact Merchant Guild's reputation was too great for him to ignore.

"Then...should we still chase after them?" the one-eyed bandit asked.

"Chase them! Why don't you chase them!"

A glint of greed and ruthlessness flashed in Hei Feng Sha's eyes.

"Who cares if he's from the Blood Pact Merchant Guild or not! Anyone who dares to kill my son will die! Besides, I suspect he's not even a member of the guild; he might actually be a wanted criminal. Someone the Blood Pact Merchant Guild has a 500-tael bounty on must be carrying treasure! Catching him would probably be more profitable than robbing ten caravans!"

"The old master is wise!"

Upon hearing that there was good news, the bandits perked up again.

"He must be somewhere nearby, he hasn't gone far!"

Black Wind Demon pointed in the direction the stone had fallen and ordered, "They must have run that way! Chase after them! A reward of one hundred taels of silver will be given for finding them!"

"yes!"

With a shout, the bandits surged forward like a tide, torches in hand, and frantically chased after the direction in which Ye Sheng had thrown the stones.

Black Wind Demon patted the giant wolf beneath him and followed behind the group, quickly disappearing into the depths of the mountains and forests.

Ye Sheng finally breathed a sigh of relief only after the firelight had completely disappeared from sight.

"Walk!"

Without the slightest hesitation, he pulled up the still somewhat dazed Lin Qingxue and ran quickly in the opposite direction from the bandits.

"They...they were just fooled like that?" Lin Qingxue was still incredulous.

"They weren't deceived; they were blinded by their own greed."

Ye Sheng said coldly, "Faced with the temptation of a five hundred taels of reward, they would rather believe what they want to believe."

Lin Qingxue nodded as if she understood, and looking at Ye Sheng's cold profile, her awe for him grew even stronger.

This young man is not only incredibly strong, but also possesses an extraordinary mind, always able to exploit human weaknesses and turn danger into safety.

The two ran through the mountains for another half an hour or so, making sure they had completely shaken off their pursuers, before daring to stop and rest.

"We should be safe for now."

Ye Sheng leaned against a tree, panting heavily.

The ordeal he just went through made his already weakened body even worse.

He felt like his lungs were about to explode, and he was seeing stars.

"Are you alright?" Lin Qingxue handed over a water pouch, her face full of worry.

"He won't die."

Ye Sheng took the water pouch, took a sip, then took out the remaining Qi Gathering Pill from his pocket and swallowed it without hesitation.

He must recover his strength as soon as possible, otherwise, he may not be so lucky when the next crisis comes.

Lin Qingxue watched him swallow the pill, then hesitated to speak.

She really wanted to ask where he got that wanted poster he had just thrown out.

But remembering their previous agreement, she swallowed her words.

"How far are we from leaving Black Wind Ridge?" Ye Sheng asked as he sat cross-legged, refining the medicinal power.

Lin Qingxue took out an extremely detailed map from her bosom, examined it by the moonlight, and replied, "It's not far. After crossing that 'One Line Sky' ahead, we'll be almost at the edge of Black Wind Ridge. If all goes well, we should be able to reach Qingyun City before dark tomorrow."

"A narrow passage?"

Upon hearing this name, Ye Sheng frowned.

He was all too familiar with this place name; it was the very place where he had previously plotted to wipe out the Blood Pact Assassins and Hu Ba, among others.

"What's wrong? Is there a problem with this place?" Lin Qingxue noticed the change in his expression.

"It's nothing," Ye Sheng shook his head, not saying anything more.

He just had a bad feeling. Black Wind Demon wasn't stupid; he would soon realize he'd been tricked.

He'll definitely turn back then.

The narrow passage is the only way to reach Qingyun City.

He is very likely to set up an ambush there, just like Blood Wolf did before, waiting for people to walk right into his trap.

It seems there's still a tough battle ahead.

Ye Sheng stopped thinking about it, closed his eyes, and focused on refining the medicinal power.

He must restore his strength as much as possible before reaching the First Line of Heaven.

Silent all night.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Ye Sheng opened his eyes.

After a night of meditation and taking a Qi-gathering pill, his internal energy recovered to about 50%, and his complexion improved.

"Let's go."

He woke Lin Qingxue, who was still in a light sleep, and the two continued on their journey.

The further we went, the more rugged and treacherous the mountain path became.

Around noon, they finally arrived at the entrance to the narrow passage again.

Looking at the familiar, massive crack before him, which seemed to have been cleaved open by a giant axe, Ye Sheng's expression became extremely solemn.

He didn't go in immediately, but stopped at the entrance.

"Why did you stop?" Lin Qingxue asked.

"There's an ambush ahead," Ye Sheng said coldly.

With his talent of [Qi and Blood Perception], he sensed that dozens of powerful Qi and Blood forces were hidden within the canyon.

One of them was very familiar; it was the same middle-aged man from last night, filled with a violent killing intent.

It's Black Wind Demon! He really did set up an ambush here!

"Huh? Then... what should we do? Take a detour?" Lin Qingxue immediately became nervous.

There's no way around it.

Ye Sheng shook his head and pointed to the map, saying, "This is the only way. Taking a detour would add at least three to five days to our journey, which we can't afford."

"Then...then shall we charge in?"

"Charging in would be suicide."

Ye Sheng looked at the deep canyon, a hint of madness and determination flashing in his eyes.

It seems that we have no other choice but to use that method.

He turned to Lin Qingxue and said, "You wait for me here, don't go anywhere. Remember, no matter what sound you hear, don't come out."

After saying that, he took Ye Kai off his back and handed her to Lin Qingxue.

"Keep an eye on him for me."

Then, alone, he took a deep breath and walked into the narrow canyon that resembled the mouth of a giant beast.