52: The troublemaker? Blood Child?

Time passes quickly in the mountains; in the blink of an eye, three days passed.

During these three days, besides hunting Yao Beasts with Liao Yuan's squad, Jiang Yan spent the rest of his time immersed in the slaughterhouse.

Liao Yuan's warning to Tian Lan was very effective; during these three days, she not only refrained from picking a fight with Jiang Yan but also set a life-and-death battle with him for three months later.

According to Tian Lan, killing Jiang Yan now would only make her a laughingstock, so she would give Jiang Yan a three-month cultivation period; as soon as the time was up, she would kill him immediately.

Initially, Liao Yuan wanted to kill Tian Lan on Jiang Yan's behalf, but Jiang Yan's repeated interventions left Liao Yuan with no choice but to let the two set a three-month deadline.

Although Liao Yuan was happy for Jiang Yan's Breakthrough to the first level of qi-blood, he felt some regret whenever he thought about Jiang Yan having to face Tian Lan in three months.

Night, the encampment.

Liao Yuan's squad's mission was complete; they were returning to the Blood Cloud Sect tonight.

"Junior Brother, be careful these next few days. It's best to go with Squad One or Two; don't look for these makeshift teams anymore," Liao Yuan urged.

"Don't worry, Third Senior Brother, I'll take care of myself," Jiang Yan thanked him.

Liao Yuan patted Jiang Yan's shoulder. "Alright. When I get back, I'll tell Revered Master about this and have him lend you a defensive Magic Treasure."

"Third Senior Brother, do you have that little confidence in me?" Jiang Yan asked.

"Tian Lan is at the fourth level of qi-blood, and you're at the first. How do you expect me to have confidence in you?" Liao Yuan said bluntly.

Jiang Yan smiled and shook his head, saying with a rogue-like air, "The outcome isn't settled yet. It's uncertain who will win or lose between her and me. Perhaps I'll be the dark horse."

Liao Yuan was amused by Jiang Yan's words. "Fine, then this Senior Brother will wait for you, the dark horse, to return to the Sect."

"This Junior Brother respectfully sees off Third Senior Brother." Jiang Yan cupped his hands in a salute.

Liao Yuan's expression turned solemn as he returned the salute to Jiang Yan.

Just as Jiang Yan was returning to his tent, Qin Tai came running over in a hurry.

"Senior Brother Su, no, this is bad! Our tent has been taken over!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yan's expression was one of surprise; he felt that something sounded off about those words.

Someone actually wanted to seize their shabby tent?

'This person either has a problem with their brain or is seriously ill!'

After complaining inwardly, Jiang Yan smiled and comforted Qin Tai. "It's fine, they're just two shabby tents. We'll just find another spot."

"Huh?" Qin Tai was completely dazed. "Senior Brother Su, you're not planning to take it back?"

Jiang Yan said somewhat speechlessly, "Why would I fight over two shabby tents? Am I going to keep them for the rest of my life?"

"True." Qin Tai scratched his head. "But I just can't swallow this insult."

"No wonder you get bullied; you're too straightforward." Jiang Yan patted Qin Tai's shoulder with a look of pity. "Sometimes there's no need to fight for pride. Before you do anything, you have to consider if it's worth it. This is the Blood Cloud Sect, not some proper, righteous immortal Sect."

"If you're unhappy, go take it back yourself. If you get them, both tents are yours, and you can sleep in whichever one you want."

Although Jiang Yan's words sounded a bit cowardly, they were effective, instantly deflating Qin Tai.

"Then which shabby tent are we staying in tonight?" Qin Tai asked.

"They're all about the same. We'll just find any place to make do." Jiang Yan patted Qin Tai's shoulder as they walked toward the tent area.

Jiang Yan didn't dislike someone like Qin Tai; he just felt the guy wasn't suited for such a sinister Sect.

If Qin Tai were in the Qingyun Sect, with that level of awareness, he'd definitely have the Aptitude of an Outer Sect Disciple.

Just as the two found two random tents and intended to make do for the night, the Disciples who had previously seized their tent approached.

"Hey, you two cowards, get out of there! Your grandfathers are requisitioning this tent."

Jiang Yan's brow furrowed slightly. He had thought seizing a shabby tent was just a coincidence, but looking at it now, this was clearly targeted.

Jiang Yan stepped out of the tent and cupped his hands in a salute. "May I ask, Senior Brother, what is the meaning of this?"

"Heh, you're asking me what's the meaning?" The Disciple laughed triumphantly and pointed to several laughing companions behind him. "No special meaning. We just got bored staying in the Sect and wanted to come over and bully you second-batch new Disciples."

"To be honest, Junior Brother, I arrived more than two months earlier than you. Among this year's batch of Disciples, I, Yan Hao, am your boss. From now on, any resources you receive must be handed over."

Hearing that they were from the previous batch of Disciples, Jiang Yan's expression became somewhat amused. He felt that this person had delivered himself to his doorstep; it really had nothing to do with him.

"May I ask, Senior Brother Yan, you didn't come here just for the two of us, did you?" Jiang Yan asked tentatively.

"That's right!" Yan Hao said arrogantly. "Out of the seven in your batch, I've already killed two, and the remaining three have become my servants."

"It seems Senior Brother Yan Hao's cultivation is quite impressive," Jiang Yan praised with some emotion, but his tone suddenly shifted in the next moment. "I just wonder if those people will be happy after you die, Senior Brother Yan Hao."

"You're looking for death!" Yan Hao was furious, drawing a long saber and pointing it straight at Jiang Yan. "I'm telling you, the Blood Son of this year's batch is destined to be me."

Jiang Yan didn't know what a Blood Son was, but seeing Yan Hao hacking at him with a saber, he picked up a broken pole from the side and thrust it forward.

Puchi!

Blood splattered. Yan Hao's eyes widened as the pole, two fingers thick, forcefully pierced through his chest.

"You... aren't you... just... a new recruit..."

Listening to Yan Hao's intermittent words, Jiang Yan clicked his tongue. "Tsk tsk tsk, what a pity. With this level of skill, you call yourself a Blood Son? I am a new recruit, but I never said I was an ordinary Disciple."

"You... you tricked... me."

Yan Hao's eyes widened, staring deathly at Jiang Yan, before he slowly collapsed.

[Killed level one qi-blood Cultivator Yan Hao. Gained Experience: 900. Gained life span: 23 years. Gained life span: 82 years.]

[Current Experience: 27.87%]

[Plundered 0.1 essence from Yan Hao.]

[Plundered Yan Hao's Spell: Spirit Blood Rain (Elementary).]

[Plundered Yan Hao's Elementary Martial Skill: Blood Drinking Saber Technique.]

"Truly weak yet loves to cause trouble." Jiang Yan looked disgusted, then turned his gaze toward the lackeys Yan Hao had brought. "What about you guys?"

As soon as Jiang Yan looked at the group of Disciples, they acted as if they had been electrocuted and immediately knelt down.

Thud...

The synchronized movement left Jiang Yan dumbfounded.

'Good grief, they've clearly practiced this.'

"We pay our respects to the Blood Son," the Disciples hurriedly bowed.

Jiang Yan was bewildered. What Blood Son? He hadn't even done anything yet!

This bowing wouldn't have mattered, but other Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters stepped out of their tents and looked toward the tent area.

"Oh? This year's little ones have chosen a Blood Son so quickly?"

"It's not that fast. After all, the Blood Son of our batch was chosen within a month of entering."

"It seems there's going to be another good show this year."

"Don't talk nonsense. If our Blood Son finds out, you'll be waiting for death."

As the discussions drifted over from the encampment area, Jiang Yan seemed to understand something, yet there were still many things he didn't comprehend.

"Get up, throw this dead dog's corpse away, and then all of you get back to the Sect to Cultivate. Don't loiter in front of me," Jiang Yan waved his hand dismissively.

He really didn't want to be targeted by a bunch of people right now. If it were one or two, he could play along, but if it were a crowd, his strength would definitely be exposed.

"Yes, we shall respectfully obey the Blood Son's decree," the new Disciples kowtowed.

Instantly, Jiang Yan's scalp tingled. Who trained these people? This is way too abnormal.

Fortunately, they all left, which made Jiang Yan feel much better.

"Senior Brother Su, you're now like this." Qin Tai poked his head out and gave a thumbs-up.

"Do you know what a Blood Son is?" Jiang Yan asked.

Qin Tai shook his head; asking him this question was pointless.

Jiang Yan felt helpless. Looking at the bloodstains left by Yan Hao on the ground, he decisively chose to switch tents.

After Jiang Yan and Qin Tai ducked into two other tents at random, the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the encampment area finally dispersed.

After the crowd dispersed, Tian Lan was still squinting her eyes, looking toward Jiang Yan's direction.

"Interesting. It's a good thing our bet came first; otherwise, I'd have to wait another year before daring to challenge you."

As for whether Tian Lan would kill him or not, Jiang Yan didn't take it to heart at all. Right now, he just wanted to return to the Sect early to figure out exactly what kind of position a Blood Son was.

However, seeing how the Senior Brothers and Senior Sisters in the encampment area all seemed afraid of the Blood Son, he felt that this title was likely quite significant.

'The Blood Cloud Sect's system is truly interesting. Forget not having an Inner or Outer Sect, they even came up with something like a Blood Son. Is there a Blood Ancestor or a Blood Father above that?'

With these stray thoughts, he soon drifted off to sleep.