CHAPTER 40: 40

’You must be kidding me.’ How could Yang Ze follow her after going through so much? The so-called trial had already cost him an entire minor realm. God knows what kind of awful place she was going to take him next.

"NO." This time, Yang Ze gave her a direct refusal.

"Why, what happened?" Cang Yue tilted her head in confusion. Shouldn’t this guy be ecstatic because she brought him to this place? After all, without her, he wouldn’t have been able to participate in the trial, let alone receive any reward.

"Nothing... I just don’t feel well." Were it any other person, Yang Ze would have told them about the trials and the things he faced. But he didn’t trust the woman beside him. Not to mention that just a few days ago, she wanted to kill him and even made him perform such heinous acts on Lin Yue. And now... now she was suddenly acting all chummy and friendly.

Yang Ze wouldn’t believe she had a change of heart even if someone beat him to death.

"Is it because of the trial?" Cang Yue spoke with some hesitation. Often, people who took part in the trials needed some time to recuperate. She didn’t expect the same to be true for him.

"..." Yang Ze just nodded in response.

"I see." Cang Yue didn’t ask anything else. She just told him to rest and left the cave, heading out to god knows where.

Yang Ze quietly gazed at her back. He was thinking about planning an escape. But upon remembering how she promised him freedom, he relaxed and just focused on regaining his strength.

He didn’t know how long he rested for, but it was the sound of Cang Yue’s rapid footsteps that woke him up.

"What the..." Looking at Cang Yue, who was coming towards him with a grim expression, Yang Ze almost wanted to run away. But upon seeing her eyebrows frown in worry, he stopped. He wanted to see what new game this woman was playing.

"Let’s go." Cang Yue didn’t waste any words with him. Grabbing his wrist, she pulled him towards her before rushing out of the cave.

"...." Yang Ze didn’t even have time to react as he felt his surroundings blur before he found himself standing inside the tent.

"What’s going on?" Feeling the strength of her grip on his wrist, which was only getting stronger, Yang Ze couldn’t help but ask. What was so urgent that they had to rush out in such a hurry?

Were it any other time, Cang Yue wouldn’t have answered his question. But the news she just received was so explosive that she couldn’t keep it a secret. She, too, needed someone to talk to.

"Things have taken a turn for the worse." Speaking in a grim tone, Cang Yue began to walk slowly while pulling Yang Ze behind her.

"The Yan Kingdom launched an ambush. Every single person who was near the Stonegate city to explore the ruins has been slaughtered.

"Hiss." The moment she finished speaking, Yang Ze drew in a cold breath. Just a few days ago, he too was there and at that moment was surprised by the number of people who were gathered there to explore the ruins. But now...

"Is it true?" He couldn’t help but ask again as a chill ran down his spine. Even though he knew this was a dangerous world, he now had a new understanding of it. A sudden, seemingly out of the blue attack on people who were only there for exploration. Just what kind of hate, or grudge, was there to be so ruthless?

"Hmm." Cang Yue just nodded in response before adding further, "The situation is tense now, and everyone is advised not to travel alone."

"Then... we?" Yang Ze had a bad feeling in his heart, and sure enough, Cang Yue’s next response confirmed it.

"We are heading back to the sect." As if remembering something, she spoke further, "Don’t worry. I will not restrict your freedom. Once this is over and the situation is under control, you can leave."

"Of course, if you want to leave now, I will not stop you."

Yang Ze thought for a moment before gritting his teeth and deciding to follow her. He didn’t know if she was telling the truth or not, but the current him had no other option. If what she said was true and he recklessly roamed around, his outcome wouldn’t be pretty.

At least in the Duality sect, he wouldn’t have to worry about dying suddenly.

"Good." Seeing him just follow her in silence, Cang Yue nodded in relief. She was truly worried that the man would choose to leave. In that case, she could only knock him unconscious. After all, she couldn’t leave the lover of Lin Wan here to die.

Yang Ze, who was unaware of her true thoughts, couldn’t help but ask more questions.

"Do you know why this sudden attack?" This was what he wanted to know.

The Stonegate City was under the jurisdiction of the Qin Kingdom, which was protected by the Duality Sect. For the Yan Kingdom to launch such an attack in another kingdom... It was an act of war.

"Why else? They were just jealous after they heard about the Ruins." With a snort, Cang Yue continued, "Every ruin brings countless opportunities and a leap in strength. How could the Yan Kingdom just watch in silence as the Qin Kingdom gets strong? It was bound to happen sooner or later.

"Wait..." Yang Ze suddenly thought about something. "Aren’t the ruins here?"

He, along with Lin Yue and Xiao Ruolan, came to infiltrate the Duality sect exactly because of those ruins. They were hoping that the Duality sect would focus all its energy on the ruins, letting the three of them infiltrate easily.

It was only after coming to this place with Cang Yue did he knew that the real ruins were here instead.

"Yes, they are." Cang Yue replied in a soft tone.

"Then those people..." Yang Ze asked again while swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

"Oh! It was just a rumour. There aren’t any ruins near Stonegate City."

The moment she finished speaking, Yang Ze’s eyes narrowed into slits as his breathing hastened. Even though he was expecting such an answer, he was still shocked by how casually Cang Yue said it.

"Doesn’t it mean all those people died for nothing?" The Duality sect knew about the location of the ruins; perhaps, they were the ones who spread the rumours about those ruins in the first place. And now that their rumours have caused the death of so many people, Yang Ze couldn’t help but take in a deep breath.

"They died for their greed." Cang Yue replied in a flat tone without batting an eyelid. "Everyone who came there already knew the risks. They knew that their life were in danger. They only have themselves to blame."

The more Yang Ze listened to her cold voice, the more horrified he became.

As a person from the modern earth, where the biggest sin was murdering another person, it was hard for him to fathom such a blunt concept. Who didn’t have greed? Who didn’t want to get strong? Who wasn’t looking for an opportunity?

But it doesn’t mean that they all deserve to die.

What kind of thinking was this? And for Cang Yue to speak it like she was discussing dinner, he couldn’t help but clench his fists as he felt a burst of anger. But it wasn’t directed towards her. Instead, it was at himself... In this world, where the cheapest thing was another person’s life, he was so shaken by the news of those people’s deaths. If he wanted to survive in this world, he needed to get used to it.

He was no saint and certainly had no intention of being one. He just needs to mould himself in this twisted worldview, so in the future, he wouldn’t do something stupid for the sake of ’Justice’.

Taking a deep breath, he silently reminded himself of it while walking behind Cang Yue.

"So, what are we going to do now?" Now that the Yan Kingdom have made their move, it was impossible for the Qin Kingdom not to retaliate. In the future, a full-blown war was not out of the question.

"We are gonna head back to the sect first. I am afraid the Royal family have already decided to take action against the Yan Kingdom."

"If worst comes to worst, even the Duality sect would have to jump into the conflict."

Gritting her teeth, Cang Yue just let out a heavy sigh. "I am afraid things have become much complicated now."

After that, the two of them didn’t talk too much. It was mostly Yang Ze asking some basic questions while Cang Yue answered them.

As Yang Ze listened to her, he had some basic understanding of the conflict between the two kingdoms.

He knew that the continent he was in was known as the Azure Dragon Continent, and it was divided into numerous small kingdoms and territories.

The kingdom where he opened his eyes was the Yan Kingdom, and the kingdom where he was right now was the Qin Kingdom.

Both of these kingdoms had conflicting interests since the very beginning. Before, these two kingdoms were known by different names and ruled by different Imperial families. Countless years have passed... Imperial families changed, Kingdom names changed, and the sect behind them too changed, but what didn’t change was the constant conflicts between the two.

Many times, the previous Imperial families waged war against each other, hoping to conquer the other and unify the two kingdoms, but their dreams never came true.

And now the situation was escalating to another war.

"What a mess." Yang Ze couldn’t help but complain in a low voice. "Everything has to happen after my arrival."

He couldn’t help but clench his teeth in anger. First, he was caught by Lin Wan, then by Lin Yue, then by the Duality sect and just when he thought he was going to be a free man, he was caught in another conflict.

For a moment, he couldn’t help but wonder if he was being targeted by the so-called heaven’s will due to his transmigration.

It didn’t take too long before the two of them reached the entrance of the Duality Sect. However, unlike before when the entrance was empty, this time, two guards were standing there.

Upon seeing Cang Yue, they just bowed in respect, not daring to look at her further.

"You will stay in the same house for a few days. Once things calm down, I will personally escort you out of the sect." Looking at his dejected face, Cang Yue consoled him in a soft voice. As for how true her words were, Yang Ze didn’t have a clue.

And just when he was about to ask her a few more things, he was interrupted by a sudden burst of footsteps as a woman made her way towards them.

"It’s her..." How could Yang Ze forget this woman? This seemingly ordinary woman was the one who tore Lin Yue and Xiao Ruolan’s clothes before parading them naked like dogs.

"Zhao Lin? What are you doing here?" Raising an eyebrow, Cang Yue was about to reprimand her for acting in such a way, but before she could open her mouth, Zhao Lin, in front of her, spoke in a hurried tone.

"Saintess... It’s a disaster." Taking in a deep breath, she tried to calm herself, but to no avail.

"Calm down." Stepping forward, Cang Yue patted her on the shoulder as the other party slowly regulated their breathing before speaking in a grim tone.

"Saintess... The members of our sect have been getting ambushed by the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect. Three teams have already been wiped out." With a worried expression, she spoke further.

"Also, there is the matter of those intruders."

"What about them?" Cang Yue’s eyes turned sharp.

"Someone came for them... I don’t remember her name, but she was the mother of one of them. It’s just that..."

"Go on." Cang Yue’s face was turning increasingly grim.

"It’s just that we mistook her for a member of the Heavenly Sword Sect and accidentally attacked her."

"HUH!? YOU WHAT?" Cang Yue almost flew in rage. How could these people be so stupid?

"Where is she?" Controlling her anger, Cang Yue asked while gritting her teeth.

"She was rescued by the members of the Heavenly Sword Sect."

*BOOOM

The moment she finished speaking, Cang Yue waved her hand, and with that, the figure of that woman flew back like a cannonball, directly hitting the trees, shattering almost ten of them before stopping and slumping down... Her life and death were completely unknown.

*Gulp

Looking at the woman’s pitiful fate, Yang Ze swallowed a mouthful of saliva. He knew this woman was dangerous and unpredictable, but he didn’t expect her to directly attack even her fellow sect members.

Cang Yue didn’t even look at him before taking a step and disappearing from there, leaving behind the figure of Yang Ze, who was still thinking whether to head back to his room or help that woman who was lying there.

But after thinking about it, he gritted his teeth and just headed to his room. He didn’t want to be a stone-hearted man with no emotions, but this was neither the time nor the place to help a complete stranger. Much less when the person in question was someone who enjoyed others’ pain and humiliation.

-----------

On the other side, it didn’t take Cang Yue too long to reach her house, and the moment she entered, she was greeted by three pairs of murderous eyes.

"Snort." Looking at the three women who wanted to tear her flesh and drink her blood, Cang Yue let out a cold snort. "Have you forgotten your place already?"

Listening to her blatant insult, both Lin Yue and Xiao Ruolan gritted their teeth in anger, but neither of them took any action against her. Even though the two of them were released from the chains and those threads binding their nipples, they were still no match for the Saintess of the Duality Sect.

On the contrary, it was Lin Wan who spoke while suppressing her anger.

"Didn’t you say they would be free once someone came from their family?" Just now she received the news that Lin Meilin, mother of Lin Yue, have arrived in person to take back her daughter, but the moment she showed up, she was attacked by the members of the Duality sect. If not for the timely help from the Heavenly Sword Sect, she would have died.

For Lin Wan, she was like a mother. She taught her, loved her and even gave her a home. How could she stay calm after hearing about the attack on her?

"And?" Cang Yue let out a sneer. "What do you want me to do? Ask for your forgiveness?"

"YOU..." Lin Wan almost flew in rage; she wasn’t expecting an apology from her, but rather an explanation and even possibly help.

"What?" The more Cang Yue looked at her, the angrier she got.

"Did you lose yourself in the so-called made-up family so much that you have already forgotten about your only blood relative sister?"

"YUE’ER!" The moment Cang Yue spoke, Lin Wan finally snapped. In rage, she stepped forward before stepping in front of Cang Yue and giving her a tight slap.

"....."

"....."

Silence engulfed the room, echoing the sound of the slap. The two women looked at the scene in front of them in disbelief, unable to process what they had just heard.