Supernatural Insight Eyes
Chapter 280 - 0279 The purpose of the South Demon

Chapter 280: 0279 The purpose of the South Demon

In the vast mountains, a silhouette dashed swiftly, passing through the thick jungle and out of the mountain wilds.

It was Ye Qiu who, with only three days left until the martial arts competition, had chosen to return to the Goddess Villa for a visit. He planned to meet with the other Dragon Group members at the competition.

He had not expected to stay so long at the secret base of the Dragon Group. He figured that Shen Mengchen would probably blow her top again, considering how he had completely failed his duties as a bodyguard.

Ye Qiu chided himself.

However, at the Dragon Group’s base, he had gained much. Whether it was the training under high-gravity pressure or Mei Huiling’s guidance, it was all priceless wealth to Ye Qiu. Although it did not enable him to break through to the peak of the later stage in one fell swoop, he had now touched upon the threshold.

Young in age, yet just a hair’s breadth away from the peak of the True Qi stage in the later phase, he was already no weaker than those renowned figures in the martial arts world.

Ye Qiu did not return to the Goddess Villa immediately but instead went to Huo Qian.

The two were not at all estranged. Ye Qiu directly inquired about news concerning Ye Zi.

Huo Qian had been keeping someone on Ye Zi’s trail ever since her whereabouts were discovered. However, when Ye Qiu brought it up this time, Huo Qian awkwardly scratched his head.

"What happened?" Seeing that Huo Qian was hesitant to speak, Ye Qiu asked with suspicion.

"Actually... it’s nothing serious, just that the person I sent to surveil and gather information was spotted by Ye Zi," replied Huo Qian.

Ye Qiu smiled and said, "It seems that the girl has improved a lot in strength, but it doesn’t matter. Did you continue to observe her in secret afterward?"

Huo Qian grimaced and said, "I naturally took care of the task Ye Big Brother entrusted to me. This time, the people I sent learned to be smart. They used binoculars for observation and haven’t been detected yet."

Ye Qiu understood why Huo Qian had such a troubled expression. It was likely not easy to find someone who could secretly observe Ye Zi without being noticed. Ordinary people, not to mention, were prone to give themselves away. As for martial artists, Huo Qian, no matter how formidable, couldn’t ask the really skilled ones for favors, nor could he find them. He could only spend a lot of money to hire some fringe figures.

Ye Qiu nodded, "Thanks."

Huo Qian rolled his eyes, "You can spare the thanks. My old man told me to learn more from you. Next time you see him, just put in a good word for me."

"No problem," Ye Qiu agreed readily and then asked, "Give me the location of Ye Zi."

"You’re going to find her?" Huo Qian asked in surprise.

Ye Qiu nodded and said, "Originally, she was taken away by a strange man. Later, I found out that this man is known in the jianghu as the Southern Demon, a very powerful person. Now that I have news of Ye Zi, I naturally have to snatch her back from him."

Hearing this, Huo Qian finally understood the situation. Curious, he asked, "Ye Big Brother, your relationship with Ye Zi is... siblings? Or lovers?"

Ye Qiu felt uncomfortable under Huo Qian’s gossiping gaze and said helplessly, "I’ve always treated her like a little sister."

"If she’s your sister, then she’s my sister too. I’ll go with you," Huo Qian said, his eyes shining with excitement.

These days, perhaps influenced by watching boxing every day, Huo Qian somewhat aspired to the act of fighting, dreaming of one day being able to spar with someone.

"You don’t need to follow me for such a trivial matter, I can handle it on my own, don’t worry," Ye Qiu patted Huo Qian’s shoulder.

...

Southern Prefecture Martial Arts Hall.

Two figures interweaved in the courtyard, one light and agile, a short sword blossoming in hand, flashing out in an instant, carving a deep mark on a stone railing with a glint of golden firelight.

The woman sheathed her sword, and in the brief glimpse of an astonished eye, had already swung her short sword four times.

The burly man opposite dodged the first two strikes but had his arm slashed by the last two, stepping back slightly.

"Stop."

A voice rang out, and the exchange between the two came to an immediate halt.

"Well done, quite a feat for a woman but no less capable than a man. Brother Du, you’ve chosen a fine disciple!"

The speaker was none other than the owner of the Southern Prefecture Martial Arts Hall, Dongfang Yang, and the man who had his arm slashed was one of his many disciples.

There was not the slightest ripple on Du Ying’s face, as if Ye Zi’s victory over his opponent had been within his expectations all along.

Ye Zi sheathed her sword and stood behind Du Ying with an air of frosty detachment, not saying a word, giving off an aura that kept others at a distance.

Seeing the indifferent expressions of master and disciple, Dongfang Yang gave an awkward smile without any blame. He fully understood that it was just Du Ying’s nature. After chuckling, Dongfang Yang acted as if nothing had happened and said, "Brother Du, the grand martial arts meeting of the north and south is about to begin. Although your disciple is skilled, it will be quite difficult for her to achieve good results at the meeting."

Du Ying replied indifferently, "There’s no need for you to worry about that. I came here to see you, an old friend, and secondly, to seek a treasure of heaven and earth for my disciple."

"What kind of treasure are you looking for? Do tell," Dongfang Yang inquired.

"Dragon Beard Grass."

Dongfang Yang’s expression shifted subtly as he said, "Brother Du, it seems you’ve come to see me secondarily, primarily for the Dragon Beard Grass. Sorry, but I’m afraid you’ve come to the wrong place. There’s no such thing in my martial arts hall."

Seemingly expecting Dongfang Yang’s response, Du Ying huffed, "Seven years ago, Brother Dongfang, you obtained a plant of Dragon Beard Grass. It’s impossible for me not to believe it’s gone."

Dongfang Yang maintained a calm demeanor and replied, "You’re right; seven years ago, I did have Dragon Beard Grass. But at that time, I used it up as a catalyst for a medicine. It’s been gone for a long time now."

"Dragon Beard Grass is Yin in nature. Brother Dongfang, if you had consumed a little, it would have been fine but consuming an entire plant, did you really want to end your lineage?" Du Ying asked with a smile.

He was well aware of the effects of Dragon Beard Grass and did not believe that Dongfang Yang would eat an entire plant; otherwise, Dongfang Yang wouldn’t just be androgynous.

Dongfang Yang looked slightly uncomfortable as he said, "It’s been so many years, Brother Du, and yet your temperament hasn’t changed a bit, unpredictable in actions and still speaking with a barbed tongue,"

"If I were still the same as I used to be, I wouldn’t be talking so much to you now, but would directly..." Du Ying went on to explain, which was rare for him.

Dongfang Yang’s expression changed, almost forgetting, Du Ying also held the moniker of Southern Demon. What defines a demon? Someone unpredictable, constantly changing, or an aspect reaching certain extremes, only then can one be called a demon.

And Southern Demon Du Ying was just that in the southern martial arts world, the most unfathomable and mysterious person, coupled with Du Ying’s mix of righteousness and wickedness, at times ruthless, at times merciful, making it very difficult to see through his thoughts, thereby earning him the name Southern Demon.

This title, even within the whole martial arts community, was widely renowned. Everyone knew that the most elusive person in the south was Du Ying.

Now, with the grand martial arts meeting of the north and south imminent, it attracted many great masters, one of whom was the Southern Demon Du Ying!