Chapter 16: Oh No, Zhao Yu Is Being Threatened!

"A quarter of an hour is enough."

Zhao Yu kept his head down and ran forward.

Earlier, when he was in the sky, he had observed that the despair wind was sparse. Once he passed through this cluster, it should dissipate, and entering the tunnel meant he wouldn’t have to worry about being blown by the black wind.

Yet, fate is unpredictable.

Zhao Yu ran for quite a while under the protective dome but found the thick black wind still swirling all around him.

What was going on?

When he had been in the sky, the black wind hadn’t seemed so dense.

The firewood knife climbed onto Zhao Yu’s shoulder, worried: “Maybe blocking the black wind angered it? Or perhaps from that height, the wind seemed less dense than it actually was?”

Zhao Yu thought for a moment and changed direction: “I remember there’s a cave nearby. Let’s head there first to take shelter.”

Although he wouldn’t be killed by the wind, the firewood knife was quite useless. If it were to be blown about endlessly, he only had that one friend.

Wait, now there was also an unreliable Iron Stone with him—barely half a companion at best.

He kept running toward where he recalled the cave to be.

As Zhao Yu neared the cave, the dome was almost at its limit.

The firewood knife climbed down from his shoulder and hung itself on his waist.

“There are people inside.”

The voice fell silent, and the firewood knife became motionless, looking like an ordinary tool.

“People? Why have I encountered others so frequently these days? Could it be that fate has cursed us with bandits recently?”

Zhao Yu held the firewood knife in his hand and stepped into the cave.

Deep inside, he saw three people sitting cross-legged facing each other.

One had a scarred face, another a hooked nose, and the third was an elderly man with silver hair.

The three looked at Zhao Yu in surprise... If they remembered correctly, the despair wind was raging just outside the cave.

This guy hadn’t been dragged into the abyss of despair?

Could he be an evil spirit?

The three couldn’t help but grow cautious.

The silver-haired elder decisively took out a compass and began forming hand seals.

The compass needle spun rapidly for a long time before settling.

The elder’s expression turned perplexed and confused.

“What’s going on?” the scarred man and hooked-nose frowned.

The silver-haired elder spoke with complexity: “He’s human.”

How had this man resisted the despair wind?

No one could withstand the despair wind—not even gods. Only malevolent spirits or dead objects could move freely within it without harm.

After some thought, the silver-haired elder asked, “Young brother, are you from around here?”

Zhao Yu replied honestly, “Yes, I’m from nearby.”

The elder looked like an easy target for bullying, but the scarred man and hooked nose appeared quite formidable.

The elder’s eyes flickered slightly: “How did you just resist the despair wind?”

Zhao Yu blinked innocently: “I didn’t. I was hiding nearby and took advantage of a gap to run inside and take cover.”

The parchment shield had been made using the full soul of Ling Xuzi to block the despair wind. Although Ling Xuzi had broken the contract first, it was somewhat unethical.

Being human, Zhao Yu felt too embarrassed to reveal the truth.

“I see,” the elder nodded.

They believed him.

After all, Zhao Yu was human, and only that explanation fit the situation.

The hooked-nose squinted: “According to intelligence, there’s a Bear Tribe nearby. This man should belong to the Bear Tribe.”

“A mortal surviving the despair wind is indeed something to behold—some luck and insight,” the scarred man sneered coldly.

Zhao Yu felt these men were belittling him. After all, that wretched black wind couldn’t kill anyone. What luck did surviving it require?

But since he was a bit sensitive to pain... well, forget it. No point arguing with them. Better to wait for the storm to pass and then hurry home.

He quietly moved to a corner of the cave to rest.

The elder watched Zhao Yu for a moment, revealing a meaningful smile: “He doesn’t even dare to refute us. Seems he’s truly not a hidden expert.”

The hooked-nose and scarred man’s lips curled up: “That’s good. We don’t have to worry about who’s taking risks. Heaven has been kind to us.”

Zhao Yu’s instincts told him these three were ill-intentioned.

Without hesitation, he warned, “I’m not someone you can bully.”

He brandished the firewood knife.

“A mere chopping knife?” The three laughed.

Typical ignorant locals from the Yin Mountains, daring to make threats with a broken chopping knife.

Even if they stood still for hundreds of years, this ant couldn’t harm a single hair on them.

Zhao Yu’s eyes suddenly brightened: “Come on, stand still and let me chop once!”

These cultivators must be crazy—anyone struck by a blade would get hurt.

The scarred man slowly rose: “Fool, I have no time for childish games. Obey me, complete the task I give you and live; fail, and die.”

Zhao Yu muttered softly, “Firewood knife, do you think I can win against them?”

“I don’t know if you can win, but I do know they definitely can’t kill you! Just hit them hard. If they get cut, they’ll die... How dare they underestimate me? Even as a cripple, I’m beyond what these useless fellows can imagine,” the firewood knife’s angry voice echoed in Zhao Yu’s mind.

“Your reassurance is unreliable, but with you saying that, I’m not afraid,” Zhao Yu said, gripping the firewood knife tightly.

Deep down, he was nervous.

After all, there were six hands opposing him.

As the saying goes, two fists can’t beat four hands; two hands against six are hopeless.

If these fellows weren’t clearly malicious, he really wouldn’t want to fight.

The silver-haired elder frowned: “Was he just talking to the firewood knife? Is he insane? Or is the knife the problem?”

The hooked nose’s eyes glinted, then he said confidently, “The firewood knife is no treasure—just a very ordinary chopping knife.”

The elder and scarred man suddenly understood: “Looks like his mind has been rattled.”

The elder then said coldly, “Don’t worry. Though you’re insignificant, we won’t kill you. Just do as we say and we won’t harm you. See this?”

He produced a black stone tablet about three feet tall.

The scarred man added calmly, “Though the despair wind seems terrifying to you, we are highly skilled cultivators and have means to help you resist it, preventing it from harming you.”

Zhao Yu, who was bracing for a fight, froze: “What? This is all you want me to do?”

He had expected some grand task, but it was just this trivial matter?

Although the black wind stung, one or two gusts didn’t bother him.

The three were stunned... What kind of reaction was that? He was supposed to take this object into the despair wind!

That was the despair wind!

Soon, the three realized it was probably because they had promised to help Zhao Yu resist it.