Death… and me

Meng Luo went flying upstream along with the seven honored guests in an overt manner. He had a smile on his face since he felt cheerful in his heart. [My Meng Clan will certainly be blessed if I can become friends with this Young Master Ye…]

"I don't know why Brother Ye has come to the Middle Three Heavens." Meng Luo asked while hurrying along the roadside. Then, he immediately laughed out loud and said, "I'm obviously not trying to probe for information about your noble clan. Anyway, my capability is meager at best. So, it would be useless even if I were to ask about the top secrets of your clan, right?"

"That is natural!" Tan Tan grinned, "I understand that you don't have that kind of capability!"

Meng Luo felt as if he had eaten a housefly. [I was only trying to be modest. And, you straightaway labeled me as useless!]

"So, there's no harm in telling you!" Tan Tan said in a thorny way.

"Second Young Master!" Chu Yang used the voice of an old man, and hurriedly reminded him.

"Shut up!" Tan Tan turned his head. He then said this with extreme fierceness, "I can handle my matters. You don't need to poke your nose into them. You're here to guard me. So, just do your job."

"But…" Dong Wu Shang interrupted at the right moment.

"'But' my ass!" Tan Tan showed no trace of politeness. He pointed his finger at him, "Just take a look around. Do you think that these puny people can obstruct Ye Clan's important mission? All of them look like weaklings. None of them seem to be powerful. So, I don't understand what you guys are afraid of."

Meng Luo's face turned dark. He cursed Tan Tan's ancestors of eight generations in his heart. [You motherfu*ker! Mocking people outrightly damages them more than slapping them in the face. Fu*k you motherfu*ker. You can't insult someone like that even if your Ye Clan is very flamboyant and cocky. This boy lacks manners.]

"Hey… you tell me; wasn't I right about what I just said?" Tan Tan tilted his head, and asked Meng Luo.

[This fellow insulted me. And, now he's asking if what he said was right… How can someone be this shameless?]

"You're right… Our clan can't be compared with your Ye Clan." Meng Luo's face had turned black. He had clenched his teeth so tight that they almost shattered. But, he had no other choice than to relax his teeth, swallow his anger, and agree with him.

"Right? Right? You see… they admit that they are weaklings. They admit that they aren't powerful!" Tan Tan was immensely proud of himself. He then looked towards Chu Yang in an insufferably arrogant manner, "What do you have to say now?"

Chu Yang opened his mouth, but then he closed it. He only sighed.

Meng Luo nearly vomited blood. He repeatedly cursed Tan Tan in his heart. [Fu*k your ancestors of eighteen generations! Your ancestors' souls won't rest in peace. Everyone in your clan will be eunuchs for generations…]

He had cursed the Ye Clan a lot in his heart. However, he didn't know that this aggravating 'Second Young Master Ye' before his eyes didn't have any relation with the Ye Clan.

"We've come here to look for a ten-thousand years old vestige," There was no limit to Tan Tan's bragging. He was being incomparably arrogant. In fact, he was behaving like the spoiled second child of a rich family. Moreover, it seemed as if he would open his mouth, and reveal the whole truth. "This vestige is extraordinary…"

Chu Yang and the others repeatedly coughed.

However, Tan Tan hadn't finished his sentence before he was interrupted. So, he angrily spat saliva and yelled, "You're extremely annoying. You don't even let me finish my sentence. Why the fu*k are you coughing? The map of the hidden treasure is with me! I will fu*king go by myself the next time I want to go somewhere. I won't bring you guys with me. You people have no use other than disappointing me!"

Meng Luo clenched his teeth secretly. [I guarantee that a chap like you wouldn't be able to survive for even half-a-day if he were to go alone…]

[But, this guy has the map of a hidden treasure with him? Moreover, it is of a ten-thousand-year-old vestige?]

[Crap! That vestige must be extraordinary. Otherwise, why would the extremely wealthy Ye Clan send their own men down here to explore it?]

"There are a lot of… vestiges in the Middle Three Heavens," Meng Luo said with a helpless attitude, and chuckled.

"What shit are you spewing out? Is that your mouth? Or a butthole? It's like you're shitting from your mouth! Fu*k you motherfu*ker!" Tan Tan angrily cussed at Meng Luo. He simply kept on abusing Meng Luo, and Meng Luo kept holding himself back. However, he couldn't endure it anymore, and was on the verge of becoming hostile. But then, Tan Tan resumed bragging while panting, "Can the vestiges that you have discovered be compared with a ten-thousand-year-old hidden treasure of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master? Huh?!"

Tan Tan suddenly shut up in the middle of speaking, and pretended as if he had leaked some secret out by mistake. In fact, he even had a look of annoyance on his face at the moment.

[Hidden treasure of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master?] Meng Luo seethed with excitement. He nearly faced upwards and cheered. [Holy fu*k! I can get a lot of profit if I put some effort into this matter… How would it not be a big gain?]

[As for this cussing… I will act as if I hadn't heard it. This doesn't bother me as long as I'm in a happy mood.]

Meng Luo was happy despite being so brutally insulted. Perhaps, no one else could bear it except for Meng Luo.

"Don't worry Brother Ye. You are like a brother to me. So, I obviously won't leak out your secret! In fact, I will provide you all the help. It's just to show my devotion as a friend." Meng Luo straightforwardly said, "I have no other motives."

"You're a good person… Ha ha. I find you pleasing to the eyes. You didn't get angry even though I called your mouth a butthole. You just fu*king don't get angry. You're a good man. Very, very, very good. This is called self-control. Yeah, this is self-control." Tan Tan became very happy. And, he patted on the Meng Luo's shoulder as if Meng Luo was an obedient puppy.

The experts of the Meng Clan were walking behind them. But, they couldn't prevent themselves from exposing colors of humiliation in their eyes. [Our Young Clan Lord is being humiliated like this. What respect are we all left with?]

The corner of Meng Luo's mouth twitched. He tried to suppress the anger in his heart, but he became angrier instead. [Would you not get angry if I called your mouth a butthole? Fu*k you, motherfu*ker! Self-control my ass! I would've shown you my 'self-control' if you weren't Ye Clan's Second Master. I would've kicked your ass!]

[Wait for me to obtain the hidden treasure of the Nine Tribulations Sword Master. Then, I won't mind killing you, you bastard. No, I won't kill you. I'll make you beg for death… but, I won't kill you!]

"It's so good that you're so obedient. I'll give you a portion of the hidden treasure after I obtain it." Tan Tan said in an extremely generous manner. He had stroked Meng Luo's hair with his hand as he made this empty promise. In fact, he had beamed with smiles when he had patted his head in a pacifying manner.

"Thank you very much, Brother Ye!" Meng Luo filled with exultation.

"Good, you're very obedient. He-he-he. Little Meng, you keep working diligently. And, I'm telling you that I'll take you to the top of the Nine Heavens if you feel comfortable when I pat you," Tan Tan squinted as he cherished Meng Luo's gratefulness and flattering even though he had given the man a bounced cheque.

"Brother Ye, you're… a good person…" Meng Luo heard the words 'I'll take you to the top of the Nine Heavens', and immediately started to day-dream. In fact, he nearly somersaulted due to the pleasant surprise, and took a fall. He had even started to stutter. He felt as if he was on top of the world. He felt as light as air… as if he was floating amidst the clouds and mists.

[Rushing up to the Upper Three Heavens is the ambition of all the clans in the Middle Three Heavens! But, going up there and gaining a foothold is as difficult as ascending to the heavens. One would simply vanish in a puff of smoke if one tries to go up there without a foundation.]

[But, I don't even need to mention what would happen if one is backed by the ruling Ye Clan of the Upper Three Heavens. However, these great clans that have been established there for ten-thousand years wouldn't accept any outsider that easily. Can it be that I have run into great luck today? Wouldn't my ultimate desire be fulfilled if I can take my clan, and rush to the Upper Three Heavens?]

[Wouldn't it be easy for my clan to go to the Upper Three Heavens after I reach there?]

"Meng Luo promises to serve the Young Clan Lord faithfully!" Meng Luo hastily made a solemn vow. The rim of Meng Luo's eyes became moist as he said this. [This is the type of lucky encounter that one can wish for but can't find…]

He had first called him 'Young Master Ye'. Then, he had pulled the relation a bit closer, and had started calling him 'Brother Ye'. Now, Meng Luo had started calling him 'Young Clan Lord' after he had heard his offer. This meant that he had acknowledged himself as Tan Tan's subordinate. In fact, he had secured this position very firmly.

Perhaps, he would've still been analyzing over his decision to follow Young Master Ye if he had received this offer in the past. But, it was evident that the Meng Clan didn't have any foothold in the Middle Three Heavens at present. Perhaps, he would only manage a narrow escape if he were to take the risk out of desperation, and cause chaos in the Middle Three Heavens by taking advantage of Ao Xie Yun. Moreover, it would only be a temporary solution since his clan might get abandoned by the other clans upon achieving their goal…

[I've become the target of public criticism after King of Hell Chu exposed my evil technique. And, the Meng Clan's evil technique would still be a big source of gossip even if Ou Clan, Tian Clan, and the other clans gain firm footholds. Moreover, it isn't necessary that these clans have good intentions towards us… They might purge us to quell the anger and indignation of the public, and win over their hearts when the time comes…]

[After all, it's not like those guys are saints.] Meng Luo thought till here. He obviously hated King of Hell Chu to the core.

[Wouldn't it be better to follow the Ye Clan, and get a firm foothold of my own? After all, it's something that I might never be able to do on my own.]

"Hm, obedient." Tan Tan praised him. Then, he touched his head and said, "Yang-itchy, uh-huh. How about we allow this guy to follow us?"

Chu Yang frowned and said with a sigh, "Second Master… this guy's heart seems unpredictable…"

"I knew that you wouldn't allow! However, the more you prohibit it — the more I feel like taking him to the top of the Nine Heavens!" Tan Tan fiercely clenched his teeth. He then fiercely exhaled air from his nostrils like a bull, "Take a look at you guys… you don't do a thing. You only look after me, and do nothing else. But, look at this Meng kid — he doesn't hit back even if I hit him. He doesn't answer back even if I cuss at him. He's fun to be around. So, I have made up my mind…"

A smile of relief bloomed on Meng Luo's face. He made a solemn vow and guaranteed, "Senior, rest assured. Meng Luo will spare no effort to assist the Young Clan Lord! I'll be struck by lightning if I prove to be disloyal!"

Chu Yang, Gu Du Xing, and Dong Wu Shang knitted their brows at the same time.

[What does this guy want to do? We must arrive at the middle reaches of the river as soon as possible. We need to begin quickly. Why is he still carelessly and baselessly boasting?]

"Well, Meng Meng, uh-huh…" Tan Tan threw a coquettish wink at Meng Luo. Meng Luo immediately shivered. He said in his heart, [Could it be that this Second Master swings that way? What if he makes me accompany him into the bed…? Should I comply if that's the case?]

[I've toyed with many people for several years. But, would I have to get 'toyed with' now?]

He was constantly having conflicting thoughts in his mind. He was worrying about his gains and losses. So, he couldn't help but speak somewhat firmly, "Young Clan Lord… if you want to ask something… please say."

"Well, we've finished the matter here a while ago. And, we're headed to the Ao Clan now. Um, I have heard that there is clan named Ao Clan in your Middle Three Heavens? Apparently, it is great~~~ eh?" Tan Tan pointed his nose to the sky and said. He had twisted the word 'great' while saying it to show his disdain.

"Ao Clan?" Meng Luo stared blankly, "Yes. There is such a clan here." He felt apprehensive in his heart. [Why did he suddenly mention the Ao Clan?]

"Well, that's good. I thought that the rumors were false." Tan Tan nodded in a relaxed manner, "First, we will catch the direct descendent of the Ao Clan; someone who carries their pure bloodline. And, this matter will be considered partially done then."

…