157: Chapter 157: A Significant Gain

Ye Yun's lips were warm and soft, carrying an overbearing dominance that brooked no refusal.

He gently took her lips into his, slowly grinding against them.

Wen Yulan's mind went blank; her hands unconsciously gripped his lapels, her knuckles turning white.

But she did not push him away.

She closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly as her body gradually relaxed.

A moment later, she responded to his kiss clumsily, her hands slowly wrapping around his neck.

Their lips and teeth met, and their breaths intertwined.

After an unknown amount of time, Ye Yun finally released her.

The two rested their foreheads against each other, their breathing somewhat hurried.

Wen Yulan's cheeks were flushed, her eyes were hazy, and her lips were slightly red and swollen from the kiss.

Her entire being radiated a charm and sexiness she had never shown before.

Panting, she didn't dare to look at him and buried her face in the crook of his neck.

Ye Yun wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his chin on the top of her head, his voice deep and gentle.

“Thank you this time. If it weren't for you, I might have really died there.”

Wen Yulan shook her head, her voice muffled.

“You've saved me so many times; me saving you once is only right.”

She paused, then added in a small voice.

“Besides, I didn't really do much.”

Ye Yun smiled and didn't expose her modesty.

He simply pulled her a bit tighter, closed his eyes, and felt the warm, soft body in his arms.

Wen Yulan lay against his chest, listening to his powerful heartbeat, her cheeks reddening again.

But she didn't struggle, nor did she push him away.

She just leaned quietly in his arms, her lips unconsciously curling into a faint smile.

Inside the cave, it was quiet and warm.

...

About half an hour later.

The two of them had tidied up and walked out of the cave, heading back along the path they had come.

Sunlight filtered through the branches and leaves, spreading mottled light and shadows across the ground.

Ye Yun walked in front with steady steps and high spirits; one could not tell at all that just a day ago, he was lying in a pool of blood on the verge of death.

His cultivation at the Great Martial Master Ninth Level filled his body with power, making even his breathing exceptionally smooth.

Wen Yulan followed at his side, stealing glances at him from time to time, her cheeks slightly flushed and her eyes hiding an inseparable tenderness.

She was wearing another outer robe Ye Yun had given her, which was still oversized.

But it was much better than the previous one that had several holes in it.

One after the other, they passed through the dense forest, crossed the stream, and returned to that valley.

The corpse of the Iron-backed Azure Bear still lay where it fell, already beginning to rot and emitting a strong, foul stench.

A few low-tier Yao Beasts were gnawing on its carcass, but they fled in all directions when they saw people approaching.

Ye Yun didn't give the bear a second look; his gaze fell on the ground not far away.

The middle-aged man's corpse still lay there, his grey robes soaked in blood that had coagulated into a dark red.

His eyes were wide open, having died with grievances unaddressed.

The wound on his chest pierced by the burning snow sword was no longer bleeding, and ants were crawling all over it.

Seeing the corpse, Wen Yulan subconsciously leaned closer to Ye Yun, her small hand quietly grabbing the corner of his clothes.

Ye Yun didn't mind and walked straight to the middle-aged man's side, squatting down.

With a sweep of his gaze, he saw the dull grey Storage Ring on the other man's finger.

The ring was very inconspicuous and made of ordinary material; if one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice it at all.

Ye Yun reached out and removed the ring.

He used the corner of the middle-aged man's robe to wipe off the blood and examined it in his hand for a moment.

“A Storage Ring—it seems this trip wasn't in vain.”

Wen Yulan leaned in, looking curiously at the ring in his hand.

“What would be inside?”

A smile curled on Ye Yun's lips.

“We'll know once we look.”

He bit his fingertip and dripped a drop of blood onto the ring.

The blood seeped into the ring, and a faint halo of light flickered on the surface before dissipating.

Ye Yun's consciousness probed the interior of the ring, and a flash of pleasant surprise crossed his eyes.

The space inside the Storage Ring wasn't large, about the size of a room, but there were quite a lot of things inside.

The most prominent was a pile of neatly stacked low-grade mysterious stones.

There were at least four or five hundred of them, emitting rich fluctuations of Mystic Power.

Beside them were ten Medium Grade xuan stones with deeper color and purer texture.

The value of each one was equivalent to a hundred low-grade mysterious stones.

Ye Yun probed with his consciousness, did a count, and his smile deepened.

“Four hundred and sixty low-grade mysterious stones and ten Medium Grade xuan stones.”

Wen Yulan's eyes widened, and her mouth opened slightly.

“So many? Even if I did missions for a whole year in the Qingfeng Sword Sect, I couldn't save up this much.”

Ye Yun smiled and continued browsing.

Besides the xuan stones, there were several yellowed Martial Skill Secret Manuals in the ring; he took them out and flipped through them casually.

One was the 'Earth-Rending Palm', Yellow Grade High Tier. The palm technique was fierce, but it didn't suit his style.

One was the 'Roaming Dragon Steps', Yellow Grade Mid Tier. The footwork was quite exquisite, but it was much worse than his Flowing Cloud Steps.

There was also a 'Blazing Saber Technique', Mystic Grade Low Tier, which required a saber-type weapon; he used a sword, so he couldn't use it either.

Ye Yun shook his head and tossed the Martial Skills back into the ring.

“None of these are useful. I'll just turn them into the Sect for Contribution Points later.”

Wen Yulan nodded, but her eyes remained fixed on the ring, full of curiosity.

Ye Yun continued searching, his consciousness sweeping through the depths of the ring, when he suddenly touched two hard objects.

His heart stirred, and he took those two things out.

Two black spheres the size of pigeon eggs, their surfaces engraved with fine lightning patterns, with faint arcs of electricity jumping about.

Thunderstorm Pearls.

Ye Yun's pupils constricted slightly, and a flash of joy crossed his eyes.

He had personally experienced the power of this thing.

One could blast his flesh open, and three together had almost taken his life.

He hadn't expected this middle-aged man to have two left in his ring without using them all.

“What is this?” Wen Yulan asked curiously, reaching out to touch one.

Ye Yun quickly blocked her hand.

“Don't touch them. These are Thunderstorm Pearls; an explosion can heavily injure a Great Martial Master Ninth Level.”

Wen Yulan's expression changed, and she quickly withdrew her hand, looking at the two spheres with lingering fear.

Ye Yun carefully stowed the two Thunderstorm Pearls into his Storage Pouch.

“These are good for saving one's life; they can be of great use at a critical moment.”

He continued looking through the ring; the rest were just miscellaneous items.

A few bottles of healing Medicinal Pills, a set of spare clothes, and an identity token from the Luoxue Sect.

However, it was a Deacon's token.

Ye Yun picked up the token and flipped it over to see a name engraved on it.

“Zhao Hong.”

He muttered to himself, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

“As expected, someone from the Luoxue Sect.”

Wen Yulan leaned over to take a look, her brow furrowing slightly.

“Do you know him?”

Ye Yun shook his head.

“I don't. But I know who sent him.”

He said no more, put the token back into the ring, and stood up.

Wen Yulan looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitating, and ultimately didn't press further.

Ye Yun looked down at the middle-aged man's corpse on the ground.

Then he looked at the rotting corpse of the Iron-backed Azure Bear nearby, his brow furrowing slightly.

“We can't leave the bodies here. If they're discovered, it will cause trouble.”