Chapter 26 – The Consequence of Greed

When Zhou Feibai said those words, there was not a trace of romance in his eyes, but a sense of judgment and certainty.

The bluntness of his statement made Lynn Naya frown because she knew deep down that this attitude was born out of condescension and disdain.

Whether he was aware of it or not, Zhou Feibai had already divided their social classes in his heart.

“So, in your mind, only cultivators are worthy of your friendship. Then I was indeed presumptuous. If I had known you looked down on mortals like me, I would not have said a single word to you.” With that, Lynn Naya turned and left. She had already decided to cut all ties with him.

Our paths are different. We will not walk together.

As she got water and watered the plants, Lynn Naya was still bothered by it. The feeling lingered even when she ate her lunch.

Her expression was noticed by the girl who came for her food. “You seem unhappy.” she said.

For the past six months, the girl in the red robe had been coming to eat with her every day. The two had gone from ignoring each other to occasionally chatting.

Since she had broken through to the third layer of Qi Condensation, Lynn Naya could tell that the girl was a mortal with no cultivation. The only reason she could appear in the herb forest was because of a spirit artifact on her.

No cultivation meant she was not much of a threat. In front of the girl, Lynn Naya was sometimes less reserved.

“I’m not unhappy. I’m reflecting.” Lynn Naya replied.

Initially, she became their messenger because she had learned about the cold-water body tempering from Zhou Feibai. It was a transaction of equal value, but later, she was moved by Zhou Yuan’s good intentions and empathy for her concern, so she continued to have contact with Zhou Feibai.

But at the end of the day, she wasn’t friends with Zhou Feibai because of his character. It had always been a trade, a transaction. It was her own empathy that kicked in when she found out he was being bullied.

But did he really need her empathy? No, he didn’t.

“And did you figure it out?” the girl asked.

“I think so.” Emotions can be uncontrollable, but my conscience is clear. That’s enough.

“So… shall we eat?”

“Let’s eat!”

With her thoughts straightened out, the food tasted much better.

That evening, Lynn Naya returned to the shantytown and found Zhou Yuan. She told her that Zhou Feibai’s cultivation had improved, so he would no longer come to the cold pond. She told her she would no longer be able to be their messenger.

Zhou Yuan was disappointed, but Lynn Naya still received clothes from her. She never stopped making them for her.

Since Zhou Yuan was so kind to her, Lynn Naya reciprocated. Knowing that Zhou Yuan was about to give birth, she went to the administrative hall to exchange for some medicinal pills just in case she ran into an accident.

But not long after she did, the mortal area was almost wiped out.

If you looked at this disaster from the last three to five years, it would seem sudden. But from the perspective of humanity’s gradual decline, it was inevitable.

In a world where the strong were respected, the weak were destined to be bullied and trampled. If they kept a low profile, they would be fine, but once they lit a fire, they would attract the attention of the surrounding powers, and a bloodbath would inevitably ensue.

The source of this incident began one evening, when Lynn Naya caught a peculiar fragrance in the air.

The scent was unlike anything she had ever smelled before. Just a single breath of it made her mind sharpen and her distracting thoughts vanish.

When she tried to take in another breath, however, a streak of light flashed across the mortal area and disappeared into the forest. Along with the figure who vanished, the strange fragrance also faded.

What kind of treasure would be paraded around in the open instead of being tucked safely into a storage bag?

If she herself had obtained something valuable, she would have hidden it at once. Which meant the cultivator who had just flown past was either deliberately flaunting it… or the treasure couldn’t be stored in a bag at all.

The first possibility was merely arrogance. But if it was the second…

Lynn Naya’s heart skipped a beat, and a foreboding chill spread in her chest.

Any item that couldn’t be sealed away would keep leaking its aura—in this case, the intoxicating fragrance. Such a thing was no different from holding up a beacon in the dark. It would inflame the greed of cultivators, and even worse, it could attract the gaze of the fiends and monsters lurking outside the safe zone.

If this had been in the past, it might only have triggered fights among people—clear causes, clear grudges. But now, with evil beings swarming just beyond the soul mist, who could say how many eyes had already been drawn by that streak of light?

The sun was setting, and darkness was about to fall. So far, she hadn’t seen anything cross the mist, but if there was ever a last chance to prepare, this was it.

Whether she was being too cautious or not, Lynn Naya quickly watered the plants and returned to the shantytown. She called Xue Yong and Scarface Qing to her house.

“I can’t explain everything right now, so please just listen to me. Sister Xue, you go and prepare food and water, at least three to five days’ worth for all of us. Scarface Qing, you go to the administrative hall and exchange all our contribution points for medicinal pills. Get as many life-saving and healing pills as you can. Brother Xue, you go and find some tools to dig a hole. We’re going to dig an underground shelter. It needs to be at least ten meters deep. The deeper, the better.”

“I know you have questions, but don’t ask them yet. I’ll tell you when it’s safe.” She could have done it herself, but she couldn’t reveal her true strength. After all, on the surface, she was just a “martial arts master.”

Lynn Naya had always been reliable. This time, when she told them to do these things, the others looked at each other and didn’t say anything. They immediately started working.

The tools were easy to find. In a little while, Xue Yong came back with three stone shovels. “Won’t we hit water at ten meters deep?”

“No, they dug a well fifteen meters deep before and didn’t see a drop of water.” Lynn Naya said. She knew there were no better tools, so she made do with what she had and told Xue Yong to take the dirt out.

She and Xue Yong worked below while the two children helped pull the dirt up. Zhou Yuan, seeing this, offered to help Xue Yong’s wife so she could help them.

An hour later, when Scarface Qing returned, he saw that the tunnel was already half a meter deep.

“That fast?” he said, his eyes wide.

“You’re underestimating me, and the space isn’t big anyway. As long as it can breathe, it’s fine,” Lynn Naya said. “Less talk, more work. Get down here and help.”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

The pile of dirt in the middle of the courtyard grew higher and higher. Because Lynn Naya controlled her speed, they only reached the ten-meter mark at midnight. The deeper they went, the more difficult it was to move the dirt. Fortunately, with more people, the work went faster.

When dawn approached, a space of about twenty square meters was dug out at a depth of about fifteen meters. They could all fit inside if they squeezed together.

As soon as the space was finished, Lynn Naya transferred the pregnant woman and the children down first, followed by the food, water, and medicine. She only brought one oil lamp for emergencies.

Before moving down, Lynn Naya even dug up her jujube tree, determined to share its fate, come life or death.

After she finished her preparations, the sky began to brighten.

Lynn Naya was about to go up to check on the situation, but just as she was about to climb out, she sensed something falling from the sky in her direction. She immediately let go of the rope and went back down.

The ground shook violently as she re-entered the hole. Loose soil fell, covering Lynn Naya in dirt. She brushed the dirt off her head and sat down quietly, using her spiritual energy to support the space to prevent it from collapsing.

Another loud thud and a crisp bird’s cry came from outside. At the same time, large fireballs fell from the sky. The heat seeped down, but because the hole was so deep, it wasn’t obvious.

Even so, everyone in the underground space was terrified, and they gritted their teeth, as the noises brought back bad memories.

“What in the world is going on?” Zhou Yuan could no longer hold back her curiosity and asked.

“I’m not sure either.” Because her spiritual senses were limited, Lynn Naya could only sense what was happening around her house.

Her house was on fire from the fireballs that had fallen from the sky. Her bed and bedding were all gone. People were running by in a panic, crying for help, but no one could save them.

Is the Dao Palace not doing anything, or are they unable to do anything?

As she was thinking, the ground shook violently again. Something was hitting the ground above them with great force. If Lynn Naya wasn’t supporting the space with her spiritual energy, it would have already collapsed.

While Lynn Naya was gritting her teeth and holding on, her eyes caught something strange.

Right above her, a Dao Palace disciple was lying on the ground. His body was so distorted from the impact that he was beyond dead.

It was a Dao Palace disciple’s storage bag, and from the aura he gave off before he died, his cultivation was definitely higher than hers.

Should I go get it?

Lynn Naya’s heart beat wildly. Without hesitation, she activated her Breath-Concealing Technique and quickly climbed up the rope. Before she even got out, she smelled a sickening, burnt odor.

She used her spiritual sense to make sure no one was looking, then used the remaining earth walls as cover and rushed to the body. She took his storage bag and kicked the body into a nearby burning house. After she was done, she quickly returned to the underground space.

I’ll avenge you one day. Consider these as my reward. If you have any descendants, I will take care of them.Lynn Nayasilently promised.

Just as she was about to go back down, Lynn Naya glanced up at the sky.

Seven or eight huge beasts were circling the sky, shooting spells at the Dao Palace on Mount Yu. The outside of the DaoPalace, which was usually shrouded in mist, was now covered by a white, bell-shaped shield. But the shield was already full of cracks and looked like it would break at any moment.

Outside the shield, dozens of cultivators in Daoist robes were fighting the beasts, but their efforts were useless. In the short time Lynn Naya was out there, she saw another cultivator get struck down through the shield by a beast.

Are these the beasts? They’re so strong. I wonder if the Dao Palace can hold on.

Thinking of this, Lynn Naya couldn’t help but curse the person who stole the treasure. Fine, everyone has their own fated opportunities—but if you can’t shoulder the consequences and even drag others down with you, then don’t be so damn greedy!