Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

“Who are these Spiritual Pract.i.tioners whom Ouyang Sen hired? Do you have someone in mind?” Ye Jiuge asked.

 If they could ascertain the Sorcerer's ident.i.ty, it would be easier to strike.

 “Ouyang Sen hired three Spiritual Pract.i.tioners. The first is Hu Lin, a Mid-level Water Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioner. He's very talkative and easily swayed when a decision must be made.

 “The second is Jiang Shengjie, a Mid-level Wood Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioner. He looks honest and doesn't talk much.

 “The last is Xia Chenfeng, a High-level Earth Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioner. Ever since we set off, he has been constantly asking to change routes. I think he might have realized that something is amiss.

 Among the three, Xia Chenfeng is the most suspicious, but we have no proof at this point.”

 While following Ouyang Sen, he had been secretly observing the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners.

 On the surface, the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners seemed normal enough. But his gut told him otherwise.

 “We will know when they are captured,” Ye Jiuge declared.

 If given enough time to observe the group, she was confident about drawing the Sorcerer out.

 “Alright. I will lead them here now.” Ye Yu jumped down the tree and quickly returned to Ouyang Sen.

 “How was it? Did you manage to find a place?” Ouyang Sen pretended to be tired.

 In fact, he was exhausted.

 Alchemists were well respected in the Canglan Continent by both Spiritual Pract.i.tioners and Sorcerers alike.

 Usually, he was engrossed in Pill Production and rarely ventured out. The shock and fear he'd experienced this time had taken a toll on him. Furthermore, after running for so long, he was physically and mentally drained.

 “I found a concealed cave ahead that's suitable for the night,” Ye Yu replied calmly.

 Without waiting for the rest to react, Ouyang Sen gave the green light immediately: “Let's check it out!”

 Ye Yu led the group to the cave entrance and was about to enter when Xia Chenfeng stopped in his tracks. He turned to Ye Yu suspiciously. “Brother Feng, have you investigated the cave?”‘

 “I went in for a while. There's nothing suspicious.” Ye Yu shook his head and continued, “Even if a beast were inside, with five Spiritual Pract.i.tioners, we should certainly be able to defeat it.”

 “Brother Feng's right. If we can't deal with one beast, then we shouldn't even think about getting through this forest.” Ouyang Sen showed his unhappiness.

 He had spent a large sum of money to hire the guards, but they kept hesitating out of fear for their lives. No employer would be happy with their overcautious performance.

 “I only feel like we should be more prudent. If Brother Feng insists, then pretend like I never said anything.” Xia Chenfeng's face clammed up.

 “Let's head in!” Ye Yu lighted a torch and led the way in.

 Ouyang Sen and the rest followed him.

 Xia Chenfeng scanned the cave carefully.

 Although the interior was empty, there were quite a few holes at the top. Xia Chenfeng immediately voiced his unhappiness. “Brother Feng, do you know where these mouths lead?”

 “They are merely empty caves. If Brother Xia is afraid, you can seal them up.” Ye Yu swept an area clean and gestured for Ouyang Sen to take a seat.

 Ouyang Sen sat right by Ye Yu, then looked up at Xia Chenfeng. “Xia Chenfeng, aren't you an Earth Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioner? Sealing a few cave mouths shouldn't be that difficult for you!”

 Hu Lin and Jiang Shengjie took a seat as well. Both looked reluctant to leave.

 Xia Chenfeng was left with no choice. He could only channel his Earth Spiritual Power to form three pale-yellow walls to seal the cave mouths.

 He felt a little tired after sealing the holes but did not want to sit with the rest. Finding a quiet corner, he sat and took out some rations and water and started to eat.

 Hu Lin offered his water container with enthusiasm, “Alchemist Ouyang, here, have some water.”

 “No, thank you. I have my own,” Ouyang Sen retrieved his water container from his waist, politely rejecting Hu Lin.

 Before setting off, he had been warned by Ye Yu that the disguised Sorcerer might conceal himself as one of the three Spiritual Pract.i.tioners. He was also told not to have too much contact with them or consume anything offered to him.

 Hu Lin's expression did not change after being rejected. He still maintained his smile and tried to continue conversing with Ouyang Sen. “Alchemist Ouyang, have you thought of where you'll go after leaving Medicine Refinery City?”

 “After being away for so long, it's time I returned home,” Ouyang Sen said without faltering.

 He'd only requested that the Spiritual Pract.i.tioners protect him as far as the Capital. From there, he would handle the rest of the journey himself.

 “Sigh! You've been down on your luck, Alchemist Ouyang. You experienced such a horrible incident after coming all the way here to partic.i.p.ate in the tournament. If the Sorcerers had not wreaked havoc, it would have been easy for you to win,” Hu Lin flattered.

 “Sigh, I was lucky to escape with my life intact. I won't dare dream about the tournament now,” Ouyang Sen laughed bitterly.

 “Don't be afraid, Alchemist Ouyang. You are perfectly safe with us protecting you.” Hu Lin slapped a hand across his frail-looking chest.

 He was small in stature—a weak Water Elemental Spiritual Pract.i.tioner who had not been doing well in his career.

 When Ouyang Sen had issued his request, Hu Lin had jumped at the chance to make his acquaintance with a Level Two Alchemist. He'd wanted to rely on Ouyang Sen to look after him.

 Xia Chenfeng held his water container in his hand and scoffed. His eyes revealed an open disdain for Hu Lin.

 “Xia! I have been tolerating you for a very long time now. Alchemist Ouyang hired you as a guard, not to be a Master. What kind of att.i.tude is this? Brother Feng has found us such a good place to rest, yet you are griping at everything. What exactly did you expect?” Hu Lin hollered at Xia Chenfeng in dissatisfaction.

 “Feng did not even protest, so who are you to talk?” Xia Chenfeng put down his water container and laughed coldly.

 “You!” Hu Lin trembled in anger. But Xia Chenfeng's ability was higher. If they fought, he would be on the losing end.

 Hu Lin looked at Ye Yu for help, but Ye Yu kept his eyes closed. It was apparent that he was going to stay out of the matter.

 “Coward!” Hu Lin screamed at Ye Yu in his heart. He tried pulling Jiang Shengjie into the situation. “Don't be so taciturn, Brother Jiang. Otherwise, you won't even know when someone is trying to pick a fight with you.”

 Jiang Shengjie only replied to him with a small smile and continued gathering firewood.

 Soon, he had pieced together the foundation of a fire pit.

 Deep in the mountains, the nights were chilly and wet. The later it got, the colder it became. With a fire pit, they could not only keep warm but could also scare away wild beasts. So, everyone was happy to see him building a fire pit.

 Seeing that no one could be bothered with him, Hu Lin felt that it was pointless to continue and kept his mouth shut.

 Although Ye Yu had closed his eyes, he was listening in on their conversation on high alert.

 He had initially suspected that Xia Chenfeng was the Sorcerer.

 But, with Hu Lin sowing discord like that, he felt a little unsure about his guess.

 Soon, Jiang Shengjie finished building the fire pit.

 He took out flintstones from his bag, hit the stones together, and successfully started the fire.

 The moment the warm fire pit was lit, a pungent stench and smoke drifted to their noses and the surrounding area.

 Ye Yu's eyes shot open, but he found that his body had lost its strength, and he was unable to move.