Wait, We’re Just Robbing Them?

Ryker and Luo Shuchang ran through the forests east of Yuliang City, heading towards the Red Viper Mountain ranges. Ryker was using his newly learned Profound Wind Walking Technique, while Luo Shuchang was simply running a little quickly, keeping himself at a pace that Ryker could easily match.

"So, where are we going exactly?" Ryker shouted over the wind whistling past them as they ran.

"The Red Viper Mountains. Where you first met Long Meiling," Luo Shuchang answered, though he didn't have to raise his voice.

"And here, let me also teach you this technique to transmit your voice directly to someone."

He once again put two fingers to his forehead, drawing out that pink light, though this time he simply threw it at Ryker's forehead.

Ryker was a little more prepared for it, this time around, bracing his mind for impact as the voice transmission technique was uploaded into his brain.

"Hm, testing, testing, can you hear me?" Ryker said in his normal voice, circulating his qi in accordance to the technique while doing so.

"Yes, loud and clear."

"Awesome! This is just like that trick my dad uses all the time."

Luo Shuchang smiled to himself; his taller counterpart was rather easy to please, it would seem.

"Anyways, there's an opportunity waiting within the Red Viper Mountains that the Great Void Sect will be after. Or, rather, there was, but I've already taken it," Luo Shuchang said mischievously.

"Hm, okay. What are we competing for, then?" Ryker asked.

"We'll be competing with them for the resources they're carrying on them."

"So... We're robbing them?"

"If that's how you want to see it, yes," Luo Shuchang said, a playful smile dancing across his lips.

"But in the cultivation world, there are no rightful owners or anything like that. Only resources to compete for!"

Ryker smiled at that, his short, barking laugh ringing through the forest.

"I like your style, dude. You probably 'compete' with a lot of people, huh?" he said, grinning.

"Only those that I feel can handle the loss. Though, I of course don't look down upon those that are less scrupulous than I," he answered with a calm gaze.

"The road of cultivation is never fair, after all."

The two of them fell into silence for a while from the solemn atmosphere, before Luo Shuchang nodded his head, gesturing up ahead of them.

"We're almost to the mountain range. When we get there, we'll split up and play our respective parts," he said.

"Right," Ryker answered back confidently, though he started scratching his head in confusion a moment later.

"...What were those again? I forgot I didn't ask."

"I'll be searching for their leader, who should be in the early Nascent Soul realm. He'll have an artifact I'd been wanting to get my hands on," Luo Shuchang explained patiently.

"You'll be going deeper into the mountains while causing as much of a ruckus as you can, drawing the rest of their attention. You can keep anything you find on them, as well; just make sure to look for a storage ring."

"Why does it sound like you're using me as bait...?" Ryker asked with a skeptical look, before remembering what Luo Shuchang had told him, earlier.

"Oh, right, you *did* say you were gonna use me as bait!"

He just laughed and shrugged his shoulders, as if that made everything fine.

Luo Shuchang just shook his head and smiled, wondering if there was such a carefree cultivator anywhere else on the continent.

"Just remember to stay on your guard," he warned Ryker, "The enemies you'll be facing will be anywhere from early Golden Core to late Soul Wandering realm, in strength."

"I've been observing you, and your physical power should be able to match theirs. With that new movement technique I taught you, you should have no problem fighting, but it would be better to be cautious."

"Yup, yup, I got it," Ryker said, giving him a thumbs up.

"I get to keep *all* their stuff, though, right?"

Luo Shuchang simply laughed, nodding his head.

"Here we are, then," he said, as they got to the base of the mountain path.

"Best of luck to you, and stay safe! It'd be better to run if you get overwhelmed; I might not be in any condition to help you once I've defeated their leader."

"Got it. You take care of yourself, too, Twin," Ryker said, grinning.

With a mutual nod, the two of them rushed up the mountain along different paths, leaving nothing but a silent breeze in their wake.

--

Deep within the Red Viper Mountains...

"What's taking you all so long to find it?!"

A gray, haggard looking man was shouting at the top of his lungs at his subordinates, who were currently engaged in searching a giant cavern in the side of a cliff.

This cavern was of course the lair of the late Crimson Viper King that Ryker had killed around two weeks earlier. Chen Liwei, the man who was currently screaming his lungs out, was a high-ranking elder of the Great Void Sect, sent over to smooth things out regarding the transferal of power from the Li family.

However, he had made a stop on the trip over the Red Viper Mountains to seek an opportunity here, which a close associate of his had given him information about.

Even better, when he arrived at the spot, he found that the lair seems to have been vacant for the past few weeks, meaning he could snatch the treasure without a fight.

Unfortunately for him, though, Luo Shuchang had already paid a visit and grabbed the Crimson Snake Orb beforehand, leaving nothing but piles of bones and dust in his wake

Chen Liwei was naturally displeased.

"S-sir, there really is nothing there!" the unfortunate woman he was yelling at said, wringing her hands nervously.

"Well, search again! There's no way someone had gotten here before us!" Liwei screamed.

The information he'd gotten indicated that the Crimson Viper King was very secretive, never attacking unless it knew it had an easy victory or that there were no strong experts around.

Experts that have tried to track it in the past have all failed, fruitlessly giving up their search after a few years.

His informant had only lucked upon clues about the whereabouts of the lair when he saw some ancient texts describing the Crimson Viper King's favorite nesting spots, and determined suitable locations within the mountain range based on the reports of some scouts he had sent out.

Chen Liwei decided to go to one of these hard to reach places on a whim, seeing as it was close to the path they would be taking across the mountain, but he hadn't expected that this location would actually be the lair he was looking for!

A giant snakeskin shedding near the entrance confirmed that this was indeed that viper king's lair, and he had excitedly ordered his subordinates to search the cave for the Crimson Snake Orb.

They would turn up empty, however, seeing as someone else had already been here and ransacked the place...

"Sir!"

Another subordinate of his, this one a young man with pockmarks all over his face, came running up to him, getting down on one knee in salute.

"What is it?!" Liwei shouted, already in a foul mood thanks to having his treasure snatched from under him. If there was even more bad news...

"Jiayi was unable to report at the designated time. Based on the sounds of battle I heard in the distance, I believe he may have encountered a high-level expert!" the subordinate reported.

He was one of a pair of scouts that was tasked with eliminating any Yuliang City scouts or even passerbys the group might encounter moving forward. This was to prevent anyone from exposing their existence.

Although the Great Void Sect wasn't afraid of the Zhou royal family, they wouldn't cause trouble and get caught for no good reason.

The fact that one side of their scouting pair was held up was a big issue, since both scouts were mid-level Soul Wandering experts. Even for the royal family, that wasn't the kind of expert you would send out on a whim.

"Just who is it...!" Chen Liwei muttered vexedly under his breath.

"I want the Execution Squad to go take care of this insect that dares to get in our way, now!"

The called upon members all saluted and sped off, spreading out into the forest to surround the interloper.

The remaining Protection Squad all consisted of mid-level Soul Wandering cultivators or above, though there were only a few of them.

"Well?" Chen Liwei said, giving them a dirty look.

"Get back to work!"

With the weaker members gone, it now fell on them to do the dirty work. However, they didn't dare complain in front of this elder with his violent temper, so they begrudgingly went into the cavern and began searching for any trace of the orb.

Liwei went back to scheming in his head, planning out how he'd use the artifact to solidify his position as an Inner Sect Elder before making a push for a council seat.

The benefits it had on awakening one's bloodline will surely cause a few heads to turn; if he could play that to his advantage and tempt a few of the other elders to his side with it...

He smiled just thinking about it, looking forward to the day he occupied a Council Elder position.

"Hey, what's the situation, up there?" he couldn't help but shout, despite knowing only a few minutes had passed since they started.

However, silence was his only answer, and he furrowed his brow as he shouted again.

"Hey! Did you hear me?!"

"I'm afraid they won't be hearing you, anymore."

A voice coming from his side made him turn his head, which almost caused him to miss the needle flying towards his back.

Sensing the attack, he quickly lashed out with his mace, deflecting the needle. However, the spot where the needle struck his weapon started to corrode rapidly, leaving ugly bubbles on the once pristine metal.

"Who are you?! Show yourself!" Liwei shouted, spreading out his spiritual sense to detect the mysterious assailant.

He didn't have to search for long, though, as Luo Shuchang appeared before him shortly after, the long sleeves of his white robe billowing gracefully.

"Not bad," he said, folding his hands behind his back, "You're a touch better than your subordinates, it would seem."

"You...! Do you know who we are?" Chen Liwei yelled out indignantly.

"I actually do, funnily enough," Luo Shuchang replied as he casually drew his sword from his storage space.

"You dare...!"

The two of them started to stare each other down, waiting for the next move...