Looking back now, Yi Yi and Da Hu never showed any intention of killing Lu Ye from the beginning. It was Lu Ye who initiated the fight.
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In fact, the reason they came to find Lu Ye was because he had intruded into Da Hu's territory and killed too many fierce beasts.
They probably wanted to drive Lu Ye away and, at the same time, get some benefits from him.
If Lu Ye were a slightly more sensible cultivator, their plan would have likely succeeded.
However, things did not go as expected. Now, they ended up losing more than they gained, trapped in the cave, with no way to advance or retreat.
For Lu Ye, he didn't necessarily want to fight Da Hu to the death. Although killing a tiger and eating its meat would greatly benefit him, if the cost was too high, the fight wouldn't be worth it.
He had already used a Fire Snake Talisman and was injured in the chest, so he naturally needed some compensation from them.
A few storage bags wouldn't satisfy Lu Ye. These things were locked, and who knew what was inside. Besides, low-level cultivators' storage bags usually didn't contain much of value. Not everyone was as wealthy as he was.
"These storage bags can be opened at the Qingyun Market; there must be good things inside," Yi Yi said urgently.
"Qingyun Market?" Lu Ye frowned.
"It's a market where independent cultivators gather, only fifty miles away from here. I can take you there."
"No need!" The reason he stayed in this forest was because his cultivation was too low. In his plan, he wouldn't leave here easily until he reached the Spirit Stream Realm.
Lu Ye's stubbornness gave Yi Yi a headache. She pleaded, "Can't you just let us go? We already know we were wrong."
Lu Ye said coolly, "You must pay the price for your mistakes. My patience is limited, so don't waste my time!"
Yi Yi bared her small white teeth, "If we really fight, you won't have it easy either. I don't believe..."
"Is that so?" Lu Ye raised his hand and took out another set of spirit talismans.
Yi Yi immediately cowered, looking at the talismans, she shrank her neck, realizing she had truly met her match. With so many spirit talismans, the person in front of her must be an important disciple of a major sect. A few low-level cultivators' storage bags wouldn't impress him.
She seemed to have made a decision, sighed, and said, "There's one more thing. I'll go get it for you."
Da Hu seemed to understand her plan and immediately turned to growl at her. Yi Yi forced a smile and patted Da Hu's head, "Wait for me here. I'll be back as soon as possible. Don't conflict with him before I return."
Da Hu growled again, and Yi Yi put on a stern face, "Listen to me!"
Da Hu lowered his head.
Yi Yi patted his head again, turned, and disappeared into the rock wall, leaving Lu Ye and Da Hu to continue their standoff.
However, the exchange between Yi Yi and Da Hu made Lu Ye realize that this beast was intelligent. It made sense; if it weren't, how could Yi Yi have cooperated with it to scare low-level cultivators?
Time passed, and Lu Ye's expression gradually became serious. The Da Hu trapped in the cave was becoming increasingly restless, pacing back and forth and occasionally looking up at Lu Ye.
Lu Ye sensed danger, making him even more vigilant.
This time, Yi Yi took a long time, about an hour, before she suddenly reappeared. However, her state was clearly off; her body had become somewhat translucent, giving her a very weak appearance.
Lu Ye frowned, unsure if the woman was faking it or really injured, but his attention was quickly drawn to the object in Yi Yi's hand.
It was a bright red fruit, about the size of a baby's fist. As soon as Yi Yi brought it in, a peculiar fragrance filled the cave.
"What is this?" he asked, not knowing what the fruit was, but instinctively feeling it was a good thing.
Yi Yi, weakly, said, "Barrier-breaking Fruit."
"What does it do?" Lu Ye asked again.
Yi Yi was puzzled; logically, an important disciple from a major sect like Lu Ye should have heard of the Barrier-breaking Fruit. This fruit was a valuable treasure for any Spirit Stream Realm cultivator. However, she was in poor condition and didn't have the energy to waste words, so she explained, "It's used to break through the barriers of spirit acupoints."
Lu Ye's eyes lit up. He didn't know where Yi Yi found this fruit, but if what she said was true, it would be extremely useful to him. He nodded at Yi Yi, "Throw... give it to me!"
Yi Yi shook her head, "I can give you the fruit, but you must take a Heavenly Oath, invoking the Heavenly Secrets, promising not to harm us after you get the fruit."
Even in her weakened state, Yi Yi didn't forget their current situation. If Lu Ye still intended to harm them after getting the fruit, a spirit and a tiger wouldn't be able to leave this place alive.
Lu Ye didn't know what a Heavenly Oath was, but he had heard the phrase "invoking the Heavenly Secrets" before.
Understanding Yi Yi's meaning, he nodded, "Alright!"
After a moment's thought, Lu Ye said, "Lu Ye of Bingzhou, I invoke the Heavenly Secrets. If Yi Yi gives me the Barrier-breaking Fruit and does not provoke or harm me, I will not make things difficult for Yi Yi and Hu Po!"
He thought it was just a simple oath, but to his surprise, after he finished speaking, an invisible and mysterious force descended from the sky, striking the battlefield mark on his hand.
The force did him no harm but gave him a strange feeling: if he broke his word, he would face dire consequences.
This realization made Lu Ye's heart tremble. He suddenly understood that in this world, oaths were not to be taken lightly, especially Heavenly Oaths witnessed by the Heavenly Secrets.
After Lu Ye took the Heavenly Oath, Yi Yi sighed in relief, floated to Lu Ye, and handed him the Barrier-breaking Fruit.
"Are you injured?" Lu Ye asked, holding the fruit and looking at Yi Yi.
"Um." Yi Yi nodded and turned to call Hu Po, "Hu Po, let's go."
The massive Hu Po walked out step by step, and Lu Ye, holding a spirit talisman, retreated from the cave.
A moment later, Hu Po walked out of the cave, and Yi Yi dove into Hu Po's body, disappearing. Da Hu turned and roared at Lu Ye, then leaped into the forest and vanished.
Watching the direction Da Hu disappeared, Lu Ye pondered for a moment, slowly shaking his head. The events of the past half-day were bizarre, but the outcome was not bad.
Looking at the Barrier-breaking Fruit in his hand, Lu Ye's expression became excited. If this fruit truly had the effects Yi Yi described, then achieving the Spirit Stream Realm was just around the corner!