The five were overjoyed beyond expectation. They’d assumed that even if they found Xietian, they’d surely be met with a cold face and mocking words, and had come steeling themselves and clinging to hope — never imagining it would go this smoothly. Red Leaf Iron Wall hurriedly said, “Then our thanks in advance, Brother Xietian. This is also our Pact Master’s wish, and in all of Huaxia, only you, Brother Xietian, can do it… Our Pact Master hopes you’ll take a few of us through the Abyss trial… Of course, the compensation will absolutely satisfy you.”
So long as one formed a party and entered the trial map, even if only one person ultimately passed, everyone who took part could pass at the same time. This rule had its fair side and its unfair side, and because of it, there was no telling how many people were now trying to find Xietian to have him help them through the Abyss trial. That way, their starting point would be far higher than an ordinary person’s, and their fame would shake the world besides. Every trial could be entered repeatedly, though the rewards would only be granted once.
If all five Red Leaf Pact members passed the Abyss trial, then not only would they possess attributes well beyond ordinary players — the Red Leaf Pact’s name would also ring across Huaxia within a day, perhaps across the whole world, and the boost to their power base’s growth would be incalculable.
Ye Tianxie knit his brows, a gesture that set the Red Leaf Pact members on edge — but then his brows smoothed out again, and he said, “I can!”
The five were so excited they nearly dropped to their knees. Before they could even give thanks, Ye Tianxie went on, unhurried: “However, all the equipment dropped in the trial must go to me.”
“Fine! That’s no problem at all. We only want the proof of passing the trial; we absolutely won’t touch a single coin of anything else.” Red Leaf Iron Wall nodded without pause. Far from displeasing him, Ye Tianxie’s words made him feel all the more reassured.
“Also, you’ve surely seen for yourselves how great the Abyss trial’s difficulty is. Every gate of the trial will be a long war of attrition, and I’ll need sufficient supplies… Let’s say 1,000 gold worth. Get it to me within the hour.”
“A… a thousand gold?” The Red Leaf Pact members drew a collective cold breath. That was nearly the price of a full set of Level 10 Bronze gear. A thousand gold of supplies… Your sister — are you planning to eat potions for every meal?!
Still, compared with scraping together that 100 gold back then, gathering 1,000 gold now wasn’t all that much harder. As players’ levels rose, the gold and silver in their hands had slowly grown more plentiful, and 1,000 gold was no longer an astronomical figure… Red Leaf Iron Wall hesitated for only a second before nodding firmly. “All right! Brother Xietian, please wait a moment; we’ll be back in the shortest time possible… Let’s move.”
The five Red Leaf Pact members hurried off. Ye Tianxie watched their retreating backs and let out a groan, his face full of helplessness. When people insisted on delivering money to him, there really wasn’t much he could do about it.
“Boss, that Xietian extorted us last time — we spent everything we had scraping together 100 gold. Could he be about to do it again…?” the Red Leaf Pact’s Apprentice Priest muttered in Red Leaf Iron Wall’s ear.
Red Leaf Iron Wall shook his head calmly. “Relax, he won’t this time. Haven’t you noticed his attitude toward us is clearly different from before? Hmph! Because his name has spread far and wide now — the whole world knows it, and he couldn’t hide even if he wanted to. Would a man in his position still dare provoke our Red Leaf Pact? He may have passed the Abyss trial alone, but however strong he is, can he be stronger than our entire Red Leaf Pact? If I were him, even ten times stronger, I’d make the same choice he has — honestly smooth over the earlier conflict, then do us a favor to bring us closer. Hmph, I’m not the least bit surprised by his reaction… Still dare extort us? Only if he were a fool with a death wish.”
“…Mm, you make a lot of sense, boss.” The woebegone Apprentice Archer nodded firmly.
“Enough talk. Split up and go collect gold at once. Don’t worry about how much it costs — a thousand Huaxia yuan per gold coin is a perfectly acceptable trade!”
“Right!!”
Forty minutes later, the same spot. A drowsy Ye Tianxie finally spotted the five Red Leaf Pact members approaching from a long way off. In the meantime, Ye Tianxie had gone into the pharmacy once again and bombarded Yuan Que for half the day, only slipping away when he’d pushed the old man into raising that cold-gleaming Demon Serpent.
“Brother Xietian, we’ve prepared everything you asked for. Shall we set off now?” Red Leaf Iron Wall traded the 1,000 gold he’d gathered into Ye Tianxie’s hands without hesitation, plainly unworried that he might go back on his word.
With 1,000 gold in hand, Ye Tianxie gave them a few extra glances… Had I known there was this much grease left to squeeze out of them, I should have asked for more earlier. Ye Tianxie nodded in satisfaction and said, “I happen to be short on money right now. You friends are truly generous — my thanks… Well then, farewell.”
Ye Tianxie waved a hand and turned to leave.
Red Leaf Iron Wall froze for a moment, then hurried forward and shouted, “Xietian, what do you mean by this…? Didn’t you agree to take us through the Abyss trial?!”
“Oh?” Ye Tianxie stopped, turned his head to glance at them, and said with a face full of puzzlement, “Did I say that? By the way, what are your names again?”
The looks on the five Red Leaf Pact members’ faces were a sight to behold — as if all five had swallowed a lump of dung at the same time… and couldn’t spit it out. They knew they’d been swindled again: gold scraped together at enormous cost, fighting for their lives just as before, had once again gone down the drain at the hands of the very same man, earning them nothing but a humiliation that nearly burst their hearts.
Red Leaf Iron Wall’s chest heaved violently. Gritting his teeth and holding his temper down hard, he said, “Xietian… it seems you’re set on making an enemy of our Red Leaf Pact…”
“Red Leaf Pact? Heh…” Ye Tianxie turned around, his eyes narrowing to a thin slit. “Fine. I’ll remember that name. Your generosity will stay with me all my life — the next time I’m short on money, you’ll be the first ones I think of… For now, you’ve outlived your usefulness, so you can get lost… Or…” Ye Tianxie began to smile darkly. “Do you want to fight again?”
No sooner had the word “fight” left his mouth than the Apprentice Archer — the one Ye Tianxie had tormented twice over, body and soul — turned tail and bolted, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye.
Red Leaf Iron Wall took a step back, glared hard at Ye Tianxie, and said in a low voice, “Let’s go!”
Having suffered the same loss at the hands of the same man twice running, Red Leaf Iron Wall hated Ye Tianxie to the bone — and couldn’t help an urge to slap his own mouth… Back then, it was precisely because he’d carelessly discovered Fierce Wolf Valley, and carelessly grouped Ye Tianxie into the party only to kick him out… One offense had led to a whole chain of tragedies.
Watching the five Red Leaf Pact members depart in utter disgrace, Ye Tianxie gave a mocking laugh and said in a low voice, “If you’re smart, don’t show up in front of me again.”
(End of Chapter 54)