VIP Chapter 099: The Ancient Forest

Stepping out the door, Ye Xiaoxuan immediately saw a massive fire blazing at the east end of the village, the cries and shouts blending into a chaotic chorus. Looking toward the flames, he realized it was the Chen family’s ancestral hall engulfed in the inferno!

It seemed that when one commits too many evil deeds, even Heaven can no longer tolerate it! Despite the heavy rain, the fire raged fiercely. Chen Jiantang and Zhang Cuizhi clutched Chen Tianhao and an iron box, standing drenched in the downpour, helplessly watching their home being devoured by flames, wailing and screaming in despair.

This family’s misfortune in terms of relationships was truly remarkable. Although many villagers had gathered to watch the spectacle, few lent a hand to help extinguish the fire.

In truth, Ye Xiaoxuan felt a certain grim satisfaction. Though this schadenfreude was somewhat shameless, he refused to deny it. Still, these were his fellow villagers, and seeing their pitiful state, he set aside past grievances. Grabbing a bucket from a bystander, he rushed forward.

But such firefighting was futile. If this heavy rain couldn’t douse the blaze, it must have been fueled by gasoline or some other accelerant. How deep must the hatred run?

Suddenly, a figure, muddy from head to toe, lunged forward and pulled Ye Xiaoxuan aside, crying out, “Boss, please save my brother!”

Tilting his head curiously, Ye Xiaoxuan recognized the voice—it was Chen Tianfeng. Wiping the rain from his face, he asked, “Save who? Is Ergou inside?”

Chen Tianfeng shook his head, “It’s my brother, Chen Tianlei! About four or five assassins are chasing him!”

Ye Xiaoxuan was stunned, then realization dawned. His suspicions were correct—the purple bracelet was indeed stolen by Chen Tianlei, and even hiding in the village, the assassins had tracked him down!

“Where did they go?” Ye Xiaoxuan shouted to Chen Tianfeng.

Pointing north, Chen Tianfeng said, “Towards the ancient wood forest! They’re all running in that direction!”

Ye Xiaoxuan hesitated about whether to head west, but Chen Tianfeng grasped his arm tearfully, pleading, “Boss, please, save my brother! He’s my uncle’s only son!”

Chen Jiantang noticed Chen Tianfeng’s movement and scolded him, “You good-for-nothing! I told you to find Old Yang the shepherd for help, but you didn’t budge. What good is begging? What help can a useless man provide? Even my son is better than him!”

Ye Xiaoxuan flung down his iron bucket, turned to Chen Jiantang, and said sharply, “People like you deserve to be burned to ashes inside that fire. Only then would Heaven be just! No wonder no one likes you—can’t you see that yourself?”

Watching Ye Xiaoxuan disappear into the night, Chen Tianfeng shouted angrily at Chen Jiantang, “Second Uncle, stop targeting my boss from now on! There are things you don’t understand. My boss’s abilities are far beyond what you imagine. He’s right—you really should reflect on yourself!”

The older generation held a deep affection for the ancient wood forest. In the days before electricity, in times of scarcity and hardship, the ancient wood forest selflessly provided the village with everything needed to survive.

An abundance of dry firewood and seemingly inexhaustible wild mushrooms nourished generations of villagers in Luwei. Sadly, since Chen Jiantang became village party secretary, driven by greed, the forest was ravaged, shrinking to less than a quarter of its original size.

Later, fearing that the water from Great Immortal Lake would soften the farmland soil, they had to replant seedlings, but the forest never regained its former vitality.

Ye Xiaoxuan had spent a third of his childhood in the ancient wood forest. Watching towering ancient trees replaced by saplings, then young trees as thick as arms, he was intimately familiar with every corner of the forest except the old northern woods.

Standing at the forest edge, Ye Xiaoxuan examined footprints in the mud along the dirt path. The puddles were shallow, indicating someone had just passed through.

Just as he prepared to enter the woods, a cacophony of footsteps sounded behind him. Turning, he saw dozens of figures emerging from the rain-darkened night, each armed with hoes and shovels, their murderous intent palpable.

Their leader ran up to Ye Xiaoxuan, wiping rain from his face. “Boss, we’re here to help you!”

Ye Xiaoxuan frowned. “Tietou, what are you doing here? Go back! The enemy has guns, no matter how many of us come, we’ll be slaughtered! It’s not worth risking our lives for Chen Tianlei!”

This was the difference between thugs and heroes. Sometimes thugs would act bravely, but only if the cause was worth dying for—and if their sacrifice would be effective.

Ye Xiaoxuan refused to blindly risk his life for a hopeless cause; that would be foolishness, not bravery.

Tietou scratched his head, hesitating but unwilling to disobey. He reached behind, grabbed someone by the collar, and dragged him forward. “You stay with the boss!”

The man was Hao Liuzhi, face drawn in grief. “Didn’t Xuanzi say it? They have guns. Going is a suicide mission…”

Ye Xiaoxuan grabbed his wrist. “I’m looking for you! We need your Clairaudience. Otherwise, I wouldn’t even know where they are. Hurry, come with me into the forest. If we wait any longer, Chen Tianlei’s done for. I don’t want him to die so soon—there are things I need to ask him!”

Hao Liuzhi was pulled along reluctantly, muttering, “Am I not an elder of the alliance? Even new recruits outrank me. I always get sent on suicide missions… Hey, where’s one-armed? Didn’t he come with you?”

Suddenly, a figure leaped from behind a tree, laughing heartily. “Brother, I’ve been waiting here a long time!”

Both Ye Xiaoxuan and Hao Liuzhi were startled.

Hao Liuzhi scolded, “You lunatic! Standing under a tree in the rain and thunder—aren’t you afraid of being struck by lightning?”

The dense woods provided a natural canopy. The deeper they went, the more they felt separated from the outside world.

Squatting, Hao Liuzhi raised his right hand from the ground and said to Ye Xiaoxuan, “Three hundred meters northeast, I hear someone running fast. But the area isn’t broad—they seem lost!”

Ye Xiaoxuan and Ye Dajun exchanged smiles. This was the fate of outsiders in the ancient wood forest—they had no idea which way to go and just circled around.

Besides, this was a replanted forest after heavy logging, with trees only a decade or so old. The original ancient trees would have prevented these intruders from venturing even thirty meters in, let alone three hundred.

Ye Xiaoxuan tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Northeast three hundred meters—that’s close to the poplar grove. Not good. They’re running to their deaths.”

Ye Dajun’s eyes widened. “Why?”

Ye Xiaoxuan said urgently, “There are many aconite plants near the poplar grove. When it rains or floods, they release poisonous gases. Remember two years ago, how Old Geng’s calves died? That was aconite poisoning.”

Ye Dajun and Hao Liuzhi’s faces darkened as they nodded. “Right! We need to get there quickly and stop them!”