Chapter 188 Ambushed

After finishing their meal, Lin Le and the others returned to their respective rooms to rest.

Early the next morning, before the sky was fully light, Lin Le heard the sound of a car engine starting in the courtyard below. Looking out the window, he saw that the members of the Zhenwu Sect had already boarded their vehicles and were setting off.

Judging by the direction they were heading, they were also moving deeper into the mountain forests, appearing to be searching for something as well.

Not only that, Lin Le intentionally heightened his hearing to carefully eavesdrop on the conversation of those people downstairs. From the mouth of a man named Hong Hai, he vaguely caught the word "herb." Because the distance was a bit too great, he could not hear it very clearly.

Yet, this alone gave Lin Le an ominous feeling. Could these members of the Zhenwu Sect be here for the Ancestral Medicine Spirit Herb just like them?

Although the people of the Earth Nine Pavilion had guaranteed that the rubbing they bought was the only one in existence, it was hard to guarantee that those tomb raiders wouldn't have other plans after obtaining the rubbing.

If these members of the Zhenwu Sect really had come for the spirit herb as well, things could become rather troublesome.

Daring not to delay, Lin Le immediately woke Ji Xiaorui and Liang Qiuyang, and they set off at once.

"What? Master, you're saying the people from the Zhenwu Sect are also here for the spirit herb?" Ji Xiaorui asked in surprise along the way.

"How is that possible? Didn't the people from the Earth Nine Pavilion guarantee that the rubbing was one of a kind?" Liang Qiuyang was also somewhat skeptical.

"The problem probably doesn't lie with the Earth Nine Pavilion, but with those tomb raiders. I'm afraid they sold the exact same rubbing to both us and the Zhenwu Sect," Lin Le said.

In fact, Lin Le could more or less guess the thoughts of those tomb raiders by now.

They must have figured that no one could say for sure whether the spirit herb on the rubbing actually existed or not. Even if they sold the rubbing to two different parties, these two parties would arrive one after the other, find nothing, and leave directly without realizing the other had been here. That way, nobody would uncover their trick, and they could make a double profit. This indeed fit the crafty nature of those underworld operators.

Who could have expected, however, that Lin Le's group and the Zhenwu Sect would arrive at the same time and even stay at the same inn, thus exposing the tomb raiders' scheme?

"Master, what should we do now?" Ji Xiaorui asked.

"We do nothing special. Since both we and the Zhenwu Sect have the rubbing, it goes to whoever has the ability to get it! Whoever has the skills will obtain it!" Lin Le said indifferently.

Liang Qiuyang had been somewhat worried initially. After all, the opposing party was the Zhenwu Sect, which not only bore the reputation of a prominent inner-sect martial arts faction in China but also backed the Zhenwu Corporation. Should they think twice before making enemies with such people? However, after witnessing several events, Liang Qiuyang had developed great confidence in Lin Le's strength. Even if the opponents were from the Zhenwu Sect, they might not necessarily match Mr. Lin.

Besides, they had spent a hundred million to acquire that rubbing. If they were to give up just like that, wouldn't it be a huge loss?

Ji Xiaorui didn't overthink things the way Liang Qiuyang did. As long as Lin Le gave the word, she didn't hesitate for a moment, directly pressing down on the accelerator and speeding ahead.

"Mr. Lin, I noticed that the name the Ancestral Medicine gave to this spirit herb back then was 'Undying.' I wonder if there is any special meaning behind it?" Liang Qiuyang asked.

"Undying?" Hearing this name, Lin Le was rather surprised.

Generally speaking, many medicinal herbs were named after their respective characteristics, but what kind of properties did the spirit herb they were looking for possess that prompted the Ancestral Medicine to give it the name "Undying"?

These questions probably could only be answered once they found it.

After driving forward for several dozen kilometers, the extremely rugged mountain road finally came to an absolute end. With no other choice, Lin Le and his group had to get out of the vehicles and start advancing into the mountain forests on foot.

They hadn't walked very far when they suddenly spotted a dozen black off-road vehicles parked at the edge of the forest—these were precisely the vehicles belonging to the Zhenwu Sect.

"Master, it seems you really guessed right. These people from the Zhenwu Sect are indeed here for the spirit herb!" Ji Xiaorui said excitedly.

"Never mind them. They search their way, and we'll search ours."

With that, Lin Le led Ji Xiaorui and Liang Qiuyang straight into the mountain forest.

Not long after they set off, as they reached a sunken valley, Lin Le suddenly stopped in his tracks, his brows furrowing slightly.

"An ambush!" Lin Le said in a low voice.

As soon as his voice fell, a commotion came from above the valley, and in the blink of an eye, dozens of figures suddenly appeared there.

They turned out to be the people from the Zhenwu Sect.

"It's actually you!" Hong Hai instantly recognized that these were the very people who had fought with him over a table at the agritainment lodge yesterday.

"Who are you people, and why are you following us?!" Huo Ying also looked at Lin Le and the others with a vigilant expression.

"Following you?" Lin Le chuckled softly. "Where does that come from?"

"Exactly! This Mang Mountain doesn't belong to your family. You can walk here, so why can't we?" Ji Xiaorui retorted unceremoniously.

"Sharp-tongued!" Huo Ying snapped coldly. "Mang Mountain is so vast, yet you've followed right behind us the whole way. If this isn't tracking us, what is?"

"Young Sect Master, stop wasting breath on them! Let me teach them a good lesson so they learn not to be so mouthy!" Hong Hai had wanted to fight Lin Le yesterday, and now, seizing this opportunity, he prepared to strike.

"Stand down!" Huo Ying uttered a sharp command, his expression cold and stern.

Though young, Huo Ying possessed the dignity of a sect master, tolerating no reckless behavior from his subordinates.

Hong Hai seemed quite in awe of Huo Ying. Rebuked by that single command, he hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.

Afterward, Huo Ying looked at Lin Le and the others, saying coldly, "Whatever your purpose is, this is the end of the line!"

Huo Ying's tone brooked no question.

"I'm afraid things won't go as you wish, because our purpose... is the same..." As he spoke, Lin Le unfolded the rubbing right in front of Huo Ying.

"Hah?! This..." Seeing the familiar rubbing, Huo Ying could not help but furrow his brows.

"It seems we've both been deceived by those tomb raiders. They made two copies of the rubbing and sold them to each of us separately," Lin Le said helplessly.

"Those damned bastards!" Huo Ying cursed angrily.

"Now you should know we weren't following you," Ji Xiaorui said petulantly.

Huo Ying's face shifted between shades of dark and light, the emotions in his eyes flickering rapidly.

Finally, Huo Ying spoke in a chilling voice, "I'm sorry, but we must obtain this spirit herb. You two had better turn back!"

"What? Are you being unreasonable? You tell us to go back, so we have to go back?" Ji Xiaorui shouted indignantly.

"Hong Hai, escort them out!" Huo Ying's face darkened as he spoke coldly.

"Rustle, rustle, rustle!" A series of sounds erupted as the members of the Zhenwu Sect produced firearms, aiming them downward at Lin Le and his companions from their superior vantage point.

From this angle, Lin Le and the others were completely surrounded.

Both Ji Xiaorui and Liang Qiuyang were startled. After all, such a predicament was extremely disadvantageous to them; a single moment of carelessness could turn them into sieges of bullet holes.

"Well? Do you still want to talk reason with us now?" Hong Hai said with a smug expression.

"If you don't want to die, get the hell back right now! You're still far from being qualified to contend with our Zhenwu Sect for anything..."

Before Hong Hai could finish his sentence, Lin Le lightly tapped his toes and his entire body instantly leaped up like a flying missile.

Before the Zhenwu Sect members could react, Lin Le's figure had already vaulted five or six meters high to the top of the valley.

With a dull thud, before Hong Hai could react, he took Lin Le's knee directly to the chest, sending him flying backward through the air.

As soon as the rest of the Zhenwu Sect members came to their senses, they hurriedly moved to pivot their firearms toward Lin Le.

However, before they could pull the triggers, with a soft "swish," the Wudao Dharmic Sword was drawn from Lin Le's hand, coming to rest directly against the neck of Young Sect Master Huo Ying.

"When it comes to being unreasonable, you're still far behind me..." Lin Le said with a faint smile at the corner of his mouth.