CHAPTER 4: A DRASTIC CHANGE IN ATTITUDE

Not long after Chen Ze and Hu Zi returned to their room, Yang Hong and Li San came back as well.

Yang Hong was holding a large bundle of steamed buns, and with his strength, he naturally managed to grab more than enough food.

As was customary, even if Yang Hong was already full, he would usually try to snatch more food from others. But today, he was acting unusually. With a broad smile on his face, he handed two steamed buns to Chen Ze.

"Chen Ze, I owe you all an apology for the past. This place is far too dangerous, so from now on, let’s live in peace and look out for each other. What do you think?"

Chen Ze was stunned, unable to believe that these words were coming from Yang Hong. He stared at the buns being handed to him but didn’t reach out to take them.

"Big brother, if they don’t listen, just beat them up! Why go to such lengths to be polite? You just tell me what to do, and I’ll take care of it." Li San flashed a sycophantic smile and glared at Chen Ze and Hu Zi with malice.

"Don’t be rude." Yang Hong turned around with a stern look that silenced Li San, then turned back with a friendly smile. "That’s not the right way to put it. We’re living under the same roof, and that’s already a kind of fate.

Even when we become immortals in the future, we’ll still need someone to lean on. What do you think, Chen Ze?"

Chen Ze hesitated before accepting the buns and replied softly, "Alright, we’ll look out for each other from now on."

"If anyone bullies you, come to me and I’ll help you out." Yang Hong said, laughing heartily as he patted Chen Ze’s shoulder.

Li San’s eyes were filled with confusion, but when he met Yang Hong’s gaze, he seemed to understand and didn’t ask any further questions.

Chen Ze handed a bun to Hu Zi and slowly began eating. His expression was calm, but his mind was racing, trying to figure out Yang Hong’s sudden change in behavior.

After a short while, Yang Hong suddenly clutched his stomach and loudly complained of a stomach ache, pulling Li San out with him to use the bathroom.

Chen Ze waited for a moment before standing up and heading towards the door. His hand just touched the door latch when he stopped, bending down to examine something. When he saw a leaf wedged in the door crack, he immediately stepped back to his original position.

Hu Zi asked, "What’s wrong? Do you have a stomach ache too?"

"No, it’s nothing. It suddenly stopped hurting," Chen Ze shook his head.

Despite Yang Hong’s friendly attitude today, Chen Ze didn’t believe that such a drastic change in someone’s behavior could happen in such a short time. There must be something fishy going on.

He had planned to sneak out and eavesdrop, but when he noticed the leaf, he understood that Yang Hong had already taken precautions. If he opened the door and stepped out, the leaf would fall, and Yang Hong would definitely notice.

But this also confirmed that Yang Hong was up to something, and Chen Ze needed to be cautious.

Thinking this, Chen Ze leaned over to Hu Zi and whispered, "From now on, we’ll take turns keeping watch at night. I’ll guard the first half of the night, you take the second half. I’ll wake you if anything happens, so keep quiet and don’t wake them."

"Okay," Hu Zi nodded, though he seemed only half-understanding.

Half an hour later, Yang Hong returned with a warm and friendly smile, and Li San followed suit.

Yang Hong spread out some smooth stones he had gathered, saying, "I just picked up some stones and ground them outside, sorry it took so long. It’s getting late, so let’s play a game of stone chess."

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"I don’t know how to play," Chen Ze shook his head, silently mocking Yang Hong.

It had taken half an hour to go to the bathroom, and now Yang Hong was making excuses—it was definitely suspicious.

"No worries, I’ll teach you." Yang Hong drew some lines on the ground and arranged the stones. "It’s very simple, you’ll learn it right away. Li San, show Hu Zi how to play."

Chen Ze couldn’t refuse Yang Hong’s eager expression and reluctantly agreed to play. He quickly grasped the rules and started playing with some skill.

Even though Hu Zi didn’t know much about the game, Li San showed remarkable patience, guiding Hu Zi step by step.

Such a harmonious scene—who would have thought that just days ago, these two were beating them up?

They played until it was dark, and then everyone went to rest.

Chen Ze closed his eyes to rest, but his ears stayed sharp, listening carefully to the dripping sound of the leaking pot, silently counting the hours.

From the events of the day, Chen Ze realized that their lives here were worth little. Yang Hong was definitely plotting something. If both of them fell asleep, and Yang Hong suddenly attacked, they wouldn’t have time to react.

Chen Ze touched the copper coin in his hand and felt a sense of calm return. After circulating his energy, he hadn’t felt any significant changes in his body, but as he focused, he began to notice something different.

His senses were sharper than before. The dripping sound from the leaking pot seemed louder than usual, as if it were coming closer to him.

But the pot hadn’t moved. This had to be the effect of his cultivation. His strength also seemed to have increased a little.

Even though it was just his first experience with cultivation, he could already feel the subtlety of spiritual energy. If he could become an immortal, perhaps the future would be different.

But before becoming an immortal, he had to remain vigilant and be cautious of any potential danger.

With Qin Shan being unconcerned about everything and Yang Hong scheming something nearby, he couldn’t afford to make a single mistake.

At the start of the third watch, Chen Ze gently shook Hu Zi, but Hu Zi was sleeping too soundly. Chen Ze didn’t dare to make any noise, so he kept shaking him.

After a long time, Hu Zi finally woke up.

"What’s wrong…"

Chen Ze quickly covered Hu Zi’s mouth, making sure Yang Hong and Li San’s breathing hadn’t changed. Then, he whispered, "Do you remember what I told you yesterday?"

Hu Zi’s eyes lit up as he whispered back, "I remember now. You go back to sleep, I’ll keep watch."

Chen Ze covered himself with the blanket and soon fell asleep. After keeping watch for so long, he was already on the verge of exhaustion. If Hu Zi hadn’t woken up, he might have collapsed.

For the next few days, they continued to complete the cultivation exercises as per Qin Shan’s requirements. During this time, dozens of young men had died due to mistakes in their practices.

Fear began to spread among the group, and many people were having second thoughts, but no one dared to voice their concerns because of Qin Shan’s power.

One evening, as the sun began to set, Chen Ze and Hu Zi were squatting on the floor playing a game of stone chess.

"Chen Ze, I’m so tired. Why can’t we sleep now?" Hu Zi rubbed his aching eyes, unable to stop complaining.

Chen Ze sighed softly and reassured him, "Just hang on a little longer, it’ll be over in a few days."

It was their tenth day at the Magic Extreme Sect. Yang Hong’s attitude towards them had grown increasingly friendly.

If Chen Ze hadn’t been sure from the start that Yang Hong wasn’t trustworthy, he might have believed that Yang Hong genuinely wanted to get along with him.

He never let his guard down and took turns keeping watch with Hu Zi every night. If not for the spiritual energy from the emerald-green round pill, the two of them might not have made it this far.

Even so, their spirits were wearing thin, and when Yang Hong asked how they were doing, Chen Ze could only make excuses about missing home and struggling to sleep at night.

While Hu Zi continued with the game, Chen Ze noticed the sound of footsteps approaching. He quickly gestured for Hu Zi to be quiet and picked up a stone to feign deep thought.

The door creaked open, and Yang Hong squatted beside Chen Ze, pointing at an empty space on the chessboard.

"Move here, and you’ll win. You’re getting good at this, Chen Ze. Keep playing, and you’ll surpass me in no time."

Chen Ze feigned realization, made his move, and turned to Yang Hong.

"How about another round?"

"Ah, not today. I’m not in the mood," Yang Hong sighed deeply, pulling out two pears from his pocket and wiping them on his clothes before handing one to Chen Ze. "I found a pear tree outside, wanted to share them with you."

Chen Ze carefully wiped his sleeve before taking the pear, noticing Yang Hong also took a bite. He then passed one to Hu Zi.

Yang Hong looked downcast, not saying much, and ate his pear with occasional sighs. Even Li San, who was usually chatty, stayed silent and just sighed along with him.

Chen Ze asked, "What’s wrong?"

He wasn’t the type to meddle in other people’s business, but he understood that Yang Hong had been playing this game for days, lulling him into a false sense of security, all for this moment.

Yang Hong’s expression said it all—he was waiting for Chen Ze to ask.

If he didn’t, the whole scene would fall apart.

He had been on edge day and night, keeping his guard up with Hu Zi, but now it was time to see what Yang Hong really wanted.

Yang Hong sighed again, leaned in close to Chen Ze, glanced around, and lowered his voice to an almost inaudible whisper.

"Chen Ze, do you want to go home?"