Chapter 12

"These herbs should last me for quite a few days!"

Ye Mo was very satisfied with the results of his morning herb-gathering and planned to raid a few more bird nests and pick some wild fruits before returning to the cave to reinforce the defenses of his temporary camp.

In the dense jungle of the isolated island, a young martial artist in fine clothing and two attendant martial artists were wandering aimlessly, searching for various herbs in the jungle.

"Little Marquis, how long will it take for us to return to the State of Zheng after we fled to the Eastern Sea?"

A lean attendant martial artist, searching for herbs in the jungle, complained.

"The ruler of the State of Zheng is old and has no heir. He intends to establish a new crown prince from among the descendants of the various marquises of Zheng. I, the Little Marquis, competed with other marquises for the position of crown prince, but unfortunately, I lost the struggle and had to flee. However, I will not give up. I will find a fairy village in the Eastern Sea, become a cultivator, and eventually return to the State of Zheng to deal with those who dared to oppose me."

The young martial artist in fine clothing said with a cold and stern expression.

"Little Marquis, we will do our utmost to assist you!"

Another bearded attendant martial artist said loudly.

"By the way, I sent Chang Rong to find herbs yesterday, and he hasn't returned yet. I wonder where he has gone!"

The young martial artist, who called himself the Little Marquis, said with a deep frown.

"The island is several miles in circumference, and the herbs are not easy to find. Chang probably got lost while gathering herbs. He should return today."

The bearded man quickly said.

As the three of them were walking and talking, they suddenly encountered Ye Mo, who had just finished gathering herbs from a cliff.

"Kid, are you also a martial artist who escaped from the shipwreck to this island? You seem to have gathered quite a few herbs! Leave the herbs you have. In return for helping me gather herbs, I, the Marquis, can take you in."

The young martial artist in fine clothing was taken aback but soon laughed heartily.

"Who are you?"

Ye Mo was taken aback by the three martial artists and quietly gripped the hilt of his green saber.

Judging by the attire and demeanor of the young martial artist in fine clothing, he seemed to be from a noble family. The other two attendants, a bearded man and a lean man, were both strong and appeared to be quite powerful.

Another group trying to rob herbs. Yesterday, Mo Ling encountered a black-clothed martial artist, and today, it's these three martial artists. One against three, not an easy fight.

"You don't recognize me? Could there be anyone on that ship with a higher status than me, the Little Marquis of Zheng, Zheng Yiqing!"

The young martial artist in fine clothing sneered.

"Little Marquis of Zheng? Never heard of him."

Ye Mo looked at the three martial artists coldly.

"There were over a thousand martial artists on that ship, and they were in different cabins. Our Little Marquis was in the top luxury cabin. This kid is a commoner, so it's normal that he doesn't recognize the Little Marquis!"

The lean man laughed.

"Our Little Marquis is in need of a capable herb gatherer. If you gather herbs for me every day to strengthen my body, I will soon break through to the late stage of the Martial Artist realm. In the future, when I find a fairy village and become a cultivator, I will return to the State of Zheng with the might of a fairy and inherit the throne. You will all be my meritorious subjects."

The young martial artist in fine clothing said coldly and proudly.

"Kid, did you hear that! Hand over all the herbs you have and serve as the Little Marquis's herb gatherer. If the Little Marquis is happy, he might even take you as an attendant! If you refuse, the wolf-tooth club in my hand doesn't recognize anyone!"

The bearded man, carrying a wooden wolf-tooth club on his shoulder, said loudly.

"Ha! We're all here to seek immortals in the Eastern Sea. What are you so proud of? I'm from the State of Wu. What right does a marquis from the State of Zheng have to order me around? If you want herbs, go gather them yourself!"

Ye Mo felt disgusted, coldly snorted, and turned to leave.

"Rubbish, daring to ignore me, the Little Marquis! Stop him and beat him up!"

Zheng Yiqing was furious and shouted at his two attendants.

"Yes!"

"Defying the Little Marquis, you deserve to die!"

The two attendant martial artists immediately roared and pounced on Ye Mo.

The bearded martial artist took large strides, raising his wolf-tooth club to strike Ye Mo.

The lean martial artist, with his hands shaped like eagle claws, pounced on Ye Mo, his claws moving unpredictably, and the gloves on his hands glinting with cold light.

"Kid, you had a chance, but you dared to defy the Little Marquis. You're courting death!"

Zheng Yiqing sneered, not moving to help. As the Little Marquis, he never liked to get his hands dirty. With two attendants, he didn't need to act himself.

Ye Mo instantly drew his green saber.

"Hungry Wolf Pounces on Tiger!"

"Eagle Claw Seizes Rabbit!"

In an instant, the bearded man and the lean man were within ten feet of Ye Mo, and they simultaneously attacked with full force.

"Second Form of the Wave-Cutting Technique, Vortex Slash!!"

Ye Mo roared, twisting his waist, and the green saber spun in a slashing motion. A vortex of sword light burst out, attacking in all directions. The second form of the Wave-Cutting Technique was a move for fighting multiple enemies.

"Ha, you dare to show off such a low-level technique like the Wave-Cutting Technique in front of us brothers!"

The lean man laughed, spreading his clawed gloves to grab the green saber, trying to disarm Ye Mo.

"Swish!"

The cold light burst out, cutting perfectly through the lean man's clawed gloves. The green saber vibrated slightly, shattering the gloves and slicing into the gaps.

"Thud!"

Blood splattered!

The lean man was horrified, screaming in pain as his wrist was severed. He clutched his severed right hand and rolled on the ground in agony.

Immediately after, the green saber sliced through the bearded man's heavy wolf-tooth club, which was brought down with great force, cutting it in half and sending it flying.

"How is this possible! The Wave-Cutting Technique is a low-level technique. How can it be so powerful! My second brother's Eagle Claw Technique is at the peak of perfection, a first-class skill, and few can match him among martial artists of the same rank. Could it be that this kid has cultivated the lowest-level Wave-Cutting Technique to the highest level of 'Perfection'?"

The bearded man was utterly shocked, holding the broken half of his wolf-tooth club and retreating several steps.

This was too incredible. The kid in front of him was only about seventeen or eighteen years old. How could he have cultivated a technique to such a high level?

"What's going on?! That move was clearly at the 'Perfection' level, something only top-tier experts can achieve. How could a mere commoner martial artist cultivate it?"

Zheng Yiqing was startled. He also realized this and was both shocked and angry.

Such terrifying sword skills were beyond even his capabilities.

At that moment, a golden young demon crab suddenly appeared in the jungle. It seemed to be looking for food and was surprised to see the martial artists fighting.

"Little Marquis, what is that?!"

The bearded man, still in shock, suddenly saw the large young demon crab and cried out in alarm.

Zheng Yiqing turned and saw the demon crab, his face turning pale. "Not good, it's a demon crab, with the strength of a Qi Practitioner. Don't tangle with it; let's get out of here quickly!"

After saying that, Zheng Yiqing glared at Ye Mo with hatred and fled in another direction.

The bearded man looked at the fleeing Little Marquis, then at his injured companion on the ground. Finally, he picked up his companion and rushed in the direction Zheng Yiqing had fled.

"Daring to rob me, I will avenge this today! A gentleman avenges in ten years, but a petty person avenges from morning to night. I will not tolerate this."

Ye Mo was about to chase after them but saw the young demon crab and had to abandon the idea, fleeing into the jungle, feeling very angry.

He quickly changed direction in the jungle.

The young demon crab recognized Ye Mo as its enemy and became agitated, quickly crawling to chase him.

Ye Mo did not want to fight the young demon crab head-on and ran through the dense jungle.

After a while, after a frantic escape, he finally managed to shake off the young demon crab.

The young demon crab had too many legs, which were easily caught by the dense underbrush, making it unable to move through the narrow spaces as quickly as Ye Mo.

Ye Mo secretly rejoiced, realizing that his body, after being tempered by the Red Blood Vine last night, had significantly improved in strength and speed. "I still have several inches of Red Blood Vine, and I just found the Seven-Leaf Lotus today. The combination of these two seventh-rank body-tempering herbs should have an even more significant effect!"