Ye Qingchen and his four companions were startled and looked up ahead. A team of five had appeared in their line of sight, and unlike the disheveled appearance of Ye Qingchen’s group, this new team seemed to be in much better condition. Ye Qingchen’s pupils suddenly constricted. He recognized an acquaintance among them—Liu Wenzhuang!
"My name is Zhuo Bufan, and I’m the captain of our team," the young man at the front, who carried himself with an extraordinary air, said with a light chuckle. "Your strength doesn’t seem very impressive! It’s quite surprising that all five of you managed to make it here alive."
"My name is Wang Qiang, and I’m the captain of our team as well." Wang Qiang looked at them, his eyes flickering as a thought occurred to him. "Those corpses outside, were they from your team?"
Zhuo Bufan nodded. "Yes. They died at the hands of those monsters outside while covering our escape. I will kill those monsters sooner or later and avenge my fallen brothers!"
Then, as if recalling something, Zhuo Bufan asked, "To have made it here, your team must have an Outer Sect Disciple, right?"
Wang Qiang looked bewildered. "How did you know?"
Zhuo Bufan was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. "I thought you had an epiphany like we did, but it turns out you just stumbled here by sheer luck."
Wang Qiang grew even more confused. "An epiphany? What do you mean?"
Zhuo Bufan just smiled and shook his head. "Never mind. Since you’re here, it must be fate. It won’t hurt to tell you."
With that, Zhuo Bufan gestured to a woman in red robes behind him. "Hong Ye, you tell them."
"Yes, Captain!"
Hong Ye stepped forward and faced Wang Qiang and his group. "Through careful investigation and analysis, we discovered that while the Secret Realm is vast, this is the only location that truly matters. The place that hides the realm’s real treasures is right here. Everyone assumes Outer Sect Disciples are forbidden from this place. But they don’t realize that you can only find the Secret Realm’s greatest treasures with an Outer Sect Disciple! Which one in your team is the Outer Sect Disciple?"
The fatty pointed at Ye Qingchen, but before he could speak, Liu Wenzhuang, who stood behind Hong Ye, also pointed at Ye Qingchen. His gaze turned cold as he spoke first. "It’s him!"
Only then did Hong Ye notice Ye Qingchen. Her eyes lit up in recognition. "So it’s you! The genius Outer Sect Disciple!"
She had personally witnessed the life-or-death battle between Ye Qingchen and Liu Wenqiang, so she recognized him at a glance.
"So we’re all old acquaintances! This must be fate!" The old Daoist’s eyes immediately lit up, his face showing a greedy expression. "Are there really treasures here?"
Their very purpose for entering the Secret Realm was to find treasure, so they were instantly excited by Hong Ye’s words.
Hong Ye nodded. "We’ve already surveyed the area. Not only are there treasures, but there are quite a few of them! More than enough for all of us to share."
A wary expression appeared on Wang Qiang’s face. "Why are you sharing these secrets with us?"
No one offers kindness for no reason; they’re either a villain or a thief! I refuse to believe they’d be so selfless and altruistic.
"Because we need to work together to obtain the treasures," Zhuo Bufan said with a sincere smile. "We must be honest with you to earn your trust so our cooperation can succeed."
"Cooperate? How?" Wang Qiang asked, looking at Zhuo Bufan with suspicion.
I can’t shake the feeling that a sinister plot is hidden behind his seemingly sincere smile.
Zhuo Bufan smiled. "As we explored ahead, we found the path obstructed by a poisonous fog. We need to concoct a Clear Mist Powder to disperse it and move forward. Although our teammate Chen Hui is an Apprentice Alchemist, even the most skillful housewife can’t cook without rice. Fortunately, we discovered some Green Leaf Grass, an ingredient for the Clear Mist Powder, at the very edge of the poisonous fog."
"However, there seems to be a special restriction there. We Inner Sect Disciples are unable to set foot inside until the poisonous fog is cleared. Only Outer Sect Disciples can brave the fog to enter and gather the Green Leaf Grass."
"And while we have an Outer Sect Disciple on our team, the amount Liu Wenzhuang can gather alone is simply not enough for us."
"Therefore, we would like to borrow the Outer Sect Disciple from your team, Ye Qingchen!"
"Of course, you can rest assured about the reward. For any treasures we find after passing through the poisonous fog, we’ll split them seventy-thirty. You take thirty percent, and we take seventy."
Before Zhuo Bufan even finished speaking, the old Daoist agreed without hesitation. "Alright, we agree!"
After all, Ye Qingchen is the one venturing into the poisonous fog, not me, so of course I’ll agree. Besides, their team is much stronger than ours. Giving us thirty percent is already very generous!
"Old man, shut your mouth!" Hong Yan glared at the old Daoist with irritation.
He isn’t Ye Qingchen, so what right does he have to make decisions on his behalf?
Wang Qiang frowned. "I’m sorry, but I can’t let a member of my team risk his life just for some potential gain."
They want Ye Qingchen to enter a poisonous fog that even their team dares not venture into. What’s the difference between that and sending him to his death?
Thus, Wang Qiang refused Zhuo Bufan’s proposal without hesitation.
Zhuo Bufan laughed heartily. "Junior Brother Wang Qiang, you’re overthinking it. We wouldn’t let our own teammate, Liu Wenzhuang, take such a risk either. In fact, the poison at the very edge of the fog is extremely diluted. Inhaling a small amount for a short time isn’t life-threatening, and the poison can be completely expelled from the body with a little effort."
"If it weren’t for the restriction, I would have gone in myself to gather the Green Leaf Grass. Why would I need to send my teammates in?"
Wang Qiang gave Zhuo Bufan a look. "Sorry, we still need to discuss this."
"Fine! Take your time to discuss it. There’s no rush," Zhuo Bufan said with a gentle smile, nodding.
Wang Qiang turned his gaze to Ye Qingchen. "Ye Qingchen, what do you think?"
Ye Qingchen pondered for a moment before replying, "Senior Brother Wang Qiang, I need to see this poisonous fog they’re talking about first."
"Alright."
Ye Qingchen stepped forward. After walking a short distance, he saw an area shrouded in what looked like a dense fog. Unlike ordinary white mist, this fog was permeated with a faint yellow haze, a clear sign of poison. However, the yellow gas at the outermost edge was sparse, and the poison was extremely weak.
After observing for a moment, Ye Qingchen made up his mind. He returned to his group and nodded at Wang Qiang. "Senior Brother Wang Qiang, I can go in and gather the Green Leaf Grass. It won’t be a problem. We can cooperate with them."
"That’s good to hear!"
Wang Qiang nodded, walked up to Zhuo Bufan, and said, "We’ve discussed it, and we agree to cooperate. However, we need to change the split. For everything we find after passing through the fog, it won’t be seventy-thirty. We’ll split it fifty-fifty."
"Fifty-fifty?!"
The four people behind Zhuo Bufan stared wide-eyed at Wang Qiang. Even the smile on Zhuo Bufan’s face stiffened.