The two young men each held a Storage Bag in their hands, their expressions quite excited. However, they didn't seem inclined to give up on taking action. One of them, driven by greed, said, "Hand over the other two Storage Bags in your hand! Otherwise, we'll kill you!"
"Kid, be sensible. Hand them over. Don't force us to make a move. You should know that if we kill you here, no one will ever know."
"Hunyuan Gate was, after all, a prestigious major sect in the Ancient Era. When did you start resorting to this kind of murder-and-plunder business?"
Gu Qingfeng toyed with his white-jade folding fan, squinting as he stared at the two men opposite him. "Human greed is insatiable. Some things you can swallow, but others are simply too big for you to digest."
"Enough nonsense! Will you hand them over or not? If not, we'll kill you!"
"Then kill me."
The two men looked toward the Elder guarding the entrance. The Elder gave a slight nod. Without further hesitation, the two instantly made their move. Although their Cultivation Level wasn't at the Dao Venerable stage where they had cultivated a Nascent Soul, they were still Real Persons who had formed Golden Cores. When they struck, it was like thunder.
However.
Right at that moment, a figure flashed past, appearing before Gu Qingfeng. A multicolored radiance blossomed. With a *bang*, the two men were sent flying sideways, crashing hard against the opposite wall.
Exquisite features.
Crimson-red hair.
It was Ouyang Ye.
The two men slammed against the wall were shocked when they saw Ouyang Ye, as was the Elder guarding the entrance.
"Senior Feng, you are, after all, an Elder of Hunyuan Gate and a renowned Dao Venerable in the Great Northwest frontier. How can you tacitly allow your disciples to rob others of their possessions?"
The Elder addressed as Senior Feng had an ashen face, forcing a thin, insincere smile as he retorted, "Young Lady Ouyang, don't make baseless accusations. When have we ever robbed anyone of their possessions?"
"I saw everything you just did. According to the old rules, unclaimed items within an unclaimed Cave Dwelling can be contested freely, but that only applies to truly unclaimed items. If someone obtains them first, for others to then take action is simply despicable!"
Ouyang Ye said indignantly, "Moreover, he already gave you two Storage Bags just now, and you still wouldn't let him go? Shame on Hunyuan Gate for still calling itself a prestigious major sect!"
"You!"
Ouyang Ye's words left Senior Feng unable to refute.
He was a senior, so he naturally knew of these so-called old rules.
He also clearly understood that robbing someone of spiritual treasures they had already obtained in an unclaimed Cave Dwelling was a disgraceful act. If word got out, it wouldn't just tarnish their reputation; they would be scorned by all.
It was precisely because he had considered this earlier that he hadn't made a move himself.
He had originally thought they could kill this Rogue Cultivator without anyone knowing. He never expected Ouyang Ye would appear halfway through.
Ouyang Ye's Cultivation Level was only at the Golden Core stage, but everyone knew she could commune with the Great Nature. Because of this, a year ago, she had forced four Dao Venerables to admit defeat. This made him wary.
Seeing the ugly affair exposed, this Senior Feng of Hunyuan Gate dared not stay any longer. With a cold snort and a flick of his sleeve, he quickly left with his two disciples.
To the side, Gu Qingfeng was still toying with his folding fan, a smile hanging on his face. He wasn't the least bit surprised by Ouyang Ye's arrival, because he had long known this little girl's divine sense had been fixed on this place. He had also been certain that, given Ouyang Ye's temperament, she would definitely stand up for him.
This girl really hadn't changed a bit.
"What's the matter with you?"
Ouyang Ye looked at Gu Qingfeng, her exquisite features showing clear displeasure as she scolded, "Didn't I give you a Rainbow Crystal outside and tell you to leave? Why did you come in again?"
"Idle hands are the devil's workshop."
Gu Qingfeng said nonchalantly, "Saw you all coming in, got an itch myself. Never seen one before, wanted to come in and take a look."
Ouyang Ye wondered if she had misheard. She laughed incredulously, "'Idle hands are the devil's workshop'? And 'come in and take a look'? Do you have any idea you almost lost your life just now?"
"But you were here."
"It's a good thing I intervened in time, otherwise you'd be dead now! Dead!"
"People don't die that easily."
"'Don't die that easily'? I'd like to ask, with your mere Golden Core Cultivation Level, where do you get such confidence from?"
"What? Do I look like I lack confidence?"
"Confidence? Pah! If you had any confidence, why did you give them two Storage Bags just now?"
Remembering the Storage Bags, Ouyang Ye seemed to recall something. "Oh no, those two Storage Bags of yours are still in their hands. I'll go help you get them back..."
"Forget it. They're just two Storage Bags. Consider them a gift. Everyone's just trying to get by."
Gu Qingfeng didn't care about Storage Bags. He had no interest in whatever spiritual treasures might be inside.
The Storage Bags he had tossed to the three from Hunyuan Gate earlier were also given out of respect for the faces of several of Hunyuan Gate's Ancestors from back in the day.
Actually, to be honest.
Gu Qingfeng wasn't particularly averse to this kind of murder-and-plunder business. He didn't find it distasteful, nor did it put him in a bad mood.
Not only that, he rather understood it.
After all, he himself had started out by doing this very kind of murder-and-plunder business, so naturally, he didn't find it repulsive.
However, his words sounded like something entirely different to Ouyang Ye's ears.
What did he mean, 'just two Storage Bags'? And 'consider them a gift'?
Ouyang Ye blinked her large eyes, scrutinizing Gu Qingfeng up and down. "You, this guy, have nothing to your name, yet your tone is quite grand. Do you have any idea that in ancient Cave Dwellings, the most valuable things often aren't the source treasures, but those inconspicuous Storage Bags? They might contain rare treasures!"
"Treasures or not, I'm not short on money."
"Not short on money? Then give me those two Storage Bags! Give them to me..."
Before she could finish, Gu Qingfeng tossed the two Storage Bags over. "Was just wondering where to toss them. Since you want them, here you go."
"You... I..."
Ouyang Ye looked at the two Storage Bags in her hand, then at Gu Qingfeng, momentarily bewildered. She had never encountered such a situation or such a person before.
Rogue Cultivators.
Most were cast-offs from sects.
They were also the lowest-level cultivators in this world—without power or influence, no backing, no resources, possessing nothing. Their lives were a hand-to-mouth existence, never knowing where their next meal would come from.
Yet.
Here was such a Rogue Cultivator, casually tossing away two Storage Bags that might contain treasures as if they were trash, and giving them to her.
This made it impossible for Ouyang Ye to believe.
Wait, was this guy really a Rogue Cultivator?
From the first moment she saw him, Ouyang Ye had doubted he was a Rogue Cultivator. Now, he seemed even less like one.
Rogue Cultivators simply weren't like him.
And this guy just said he wasn't short on money?
Were there Rogue Cultivators in this world who weren't short on money?
The answer was definite: absolutely not. This question was like asking if there were poor people in this world who didn't lack money. What poor person didn't lack money? Those who didn't lack money weren't called poor; they were called rich.