'Feigning an attack in the open while secretly moving treasures!' Su Yan realized the situation instantly. His eyes flashed. Pang Tianfeng had robbed the Small Mountain Association's mountain to the east, drawing all attention there. If these materials were his, it meant he was orchestrating a diversion to work here.
"Elder Song said Pang Tianfeng is an expert at poison and can refine medicine. His rapid cultivation progress must be due to both inheritance and resources." Su Yan understood the gravity of the situation but suddenly smiled: "These herbs must be fated to be mine. Since you used the cave I discovered, don't blame me for collecting the rent."
Su Yan wasted no time. This batch of herbs was enough to sustain his cultivation for a significant period. Time was short, as Pang Tianfeng could return at any moment. Su Yan first took the black medicinal furnace. He then tore apart the wooden boxes and wrappers, packing only the herbs into his Bug Realm space. The space, already containing many items, quickly filled up.
'Discard!' Any item that wasn't valuable had to be thrown out now, as he couldn't risk returning later. He only kept the most valuable, aged herbs.
"Why are there so many toxic herbs?" Su Yan'sHerbology skill was high, and he quickly identified many of the herbs as highly poisonous. These couldn't have come entirely from the Hundred Herb Hall or the Small Mountain Association. Their herb businesses dealt mostly with tonic or healing medicines. Even if they had poisons, the ratio wouldn't be this high. This was clearly Pang Tianfeng's private stash.
"With so many poisonous herbs, he couldn't consume them all—what was Pang Tianfeng planning? Hmm? What is this?" As he collected the last of the herbs, a small, rectangular box caught Su Yan's eye. The box, about two palms long, looked entirely out of place among the wooden crates. It was hidden behind the other boxes, covered by a layer of vines. If Su Yan hadn't been meticulous, he would have missed it.
'A valuable item!' Su Yan's eyes gleamed. He reached for it but immediately paused, remembering Pang Tianfeng was an expert in poison. He ordered the Dark Water Centipede to approach and open the wooden box.
A cloud of pale green smoke immediately poured out. Sizzle! The surrounding vines instantly withered and rotted. Even the Dark Water Centipede, despite its high resistance to poison, had its carapace pitted and corroded. Su Yan's expression tightened. He was prepared! He didn't even care about destroying the nearby herbs.
'Wait. That means whatever is inside must be even more valuable.' Su Yan looked closer. After the poisonous mist dissipated, a scroll, apparently made from Desolate Beast hide, was revealed.
The Dark Water Centipede went forward to investigate. Finding no poison, Su Yan reached out and took the small wooden box.
He opened it, and a powerful aura of a Green-Scaled Poison Dragon surged out, shocking his mind. He quickly steadied himself, suppressing his surprise. Looking closely, he saw a lifelike drawing of a majestic, poison-cloud-shrouded, Green-Scaled Poison Dragon.
The image, infused with concentrated spiritual essence and martial will, felt just like the True Intent—like Master Bai's White Ape True Intent.
Su Yan was startled: "Something is wrong with this drawing. It feels just like Master Bai's White Ape True Intent. Is it related to Primary Art?"
With that thought, he immediately scanned the text below. Sure enough, it was a cultivation method capable of refining True Intent, and the drawing of the Green-Scaled Poison Dragon was the core visualization—the Visualization Diagram.
"The Poison Dragon Golden Body Art. This must be Pang Tianfeng's treasure, and perhaps his great fortune." Su Yan was overjoyed but forced himself to remain calm.
This was no place to linger. With such an item in his hands, Pang Tianfeng would risk his life to retrieve it. Su Yan was no match for him yet. Moreover, if the news leaked, he would be guilty of "possessing a treasure where one's status is innocent".
Su Yan's heart tightened. He filled his space with the remaining herbs and rushed out of the cave. He piled brushwood, rotten logs, and weeds over the entrance and the ravine.
"Setting fire to the mountain guarantees prison time, but I have no choice. Not setting a fire would make it too easy to track me and tell everyone I was here."
The best way to escape suspicion was to muddy the waters. But discreetly spreading news in the market or reporting anonymously to the yamen was too slow. The gap in time would allow Pang Tianfeng to return and discover the theft. Furthermore, those methods risked exposing himself. It was better to use a pillar of smoke to signal an anomaly and draw everyone's attention here.
Su Yan retrieved the kerosene he kept in his Bug Realm for torches and poured it over the dry wood and weeds. He lit the torch, and the flame surged skyward. Thick smoke poured out as the fire burned the less-dry vines and weeds.
"I need to add something else." Su Yan quickly added the daggers belonging to Huang Sanhu and Huang Ba into the raging fire. The style of these daggers was not typical for mountain-men but for martial artists. Even if it didn't completely mislead investigators, it would add to the confusion.
Su Yan finished his work and immediately rushed down the mountain in a different direction, carefully covering his tracks, ensuring no one could easily follow.
Less than half an hour after Su Yan left, thick smoke poured into the sky, visible for several kilometers.
"Damn it!" A figure plunged into the woods, rushing toward the ravine. The man was tall and muscular, his arms like pillars, his shoulders like iron towers. Pang Tianfeng's chiseled face was twisted in an expression of furious, sinister determination. His muscles were taut; his skin faintly covered in green scales. He charged straight into the fire.
The intense heat seared him. Even with his tough skin, the fire was painful, forcing him to sweat heavily as his body temperature rose. Pang Tianfeng knew he couldn't last long and rushed into the cave. Due to the fire, the cave was already scorching. Pang Tianfeng instantly felt his skin could no longer endure the heat. The interior was a mess. Wooden boxes were charred, and the scattered herbs were reduced to ashes. The specialized wooden box was open and empty—not even dust remained.
"You damned thieves! I will kill you all!" A roar of rage surged from his throat. The heat and flame were overwhelming. Pang Tianfeng gritted his teeth and burst out of the cave, his skin raw and red, his face blackened and miserable. He had set a diversion, but the treasure was stolen before he could return.
As large raindrops began to fall, stirred up by the rising heat and smoke, extinguishing the fire, two dagger remnants caught his eye.
"A knife-wielder!?"
"Pang Tianfeng, where do you think you're going!" Figures rushed through the trees. Xu Guan, the Chief Constable, charged forward, his knuckle guards ready, pointing at Pang Tianfeng.