Chapter 114: The Bartender

The ticket clerk stopped cracking melon seeds, retreated silently to the side, and dared not utter another word.

"I need to go inside and take a look, but this lady won't let me pass. Why don't you say a word?"

Bai Yaoheng was currently racking his brains to curry favor with Lin Qiqing, wishing he could hand over all his assets to her, yet here he was, blocking her own junior fellow apprentice at his gate. He couldn't believe he had done something so incredibly stupid!

"What are you saying? She is not our staff member. This area was specially cleared today just to welcome Director Ye!"

As he spoke, Bai Yaoheng didn't forget to glare at the ticket clerk; this person had almost ruined his plans!

"No need to call me Director Ye. I am the head of the Security Department, so just call me Department Head Ye. I have things to attend to, so I'll be heading in now."

Ye Fei strode away. The clerk standing there turned pale, fearing that her job would not survive the day.

Bai Yaoheng finally breathed a sigh of relief. This junior fellow apprentice was quite easy to talk to. He had thought of many ways to please him along the way, but Ye Fei didn't seem to mind at all.

"Alright, get back to work. Ye Fei didn't make things difficult for you, so be more observant in the future." The clerk felt like thanking Ye Fei's ancestors for eight generations.

Ye Fei pursued his target deep into the abandoned scenic area. The further he went, the more severe the backlash of the malevolent energy became. He held his breath with all his might; there must be something in this place teeming with malevolent energy, much like how spiritual energy adheres to antiques.

Stepping into the abandoned area, he saw that the original mountain facilities were long rusted. Why would there be such malevolent energy here?

He stepped forward cautiously, his internal spiritual energy beginning to condense on his skin, forming a stubborn protective layer. Fortunately, he had the blessing of his spiritual energy; otherwise, he would be dead or severely injured by now. To an ordinary person, such malevolent energy would be catastrophic.

Faint, unusual sounds caught his attention. Following them, he found an inconspicuous cave on the north side of the mountain, which appeared to have been newly excavated. Ye Fei had previously investigated the layout of the scenic area and knew no such cave existed. It seemed the source of the energy was inside. He released a sliver of spiritual energy to detect the specific location.

The energy drifted into the cave. Half an hour passed, but there was no response. That wasn't right. Spiritual energy usually returned within three minutes; it must have been devoured by the surrounding malevolent aura. Just how immense was this energy?

Ye Fei swallowed hard—things were getting dicey!

Since he had reached this point, he had no choice but to push forward. He turned on his phone’s flashlight, but just as he started to walk in, he bumped into someone.

"The bartender?"

Ye Fei looked up. The bartender smiled, looking completely harmless, yet the malevolent energy radiating from his body was clearly visible even under the light.

"You're quite the tracker. For the sake of our little connection, get lost, and I'll spare your life." The words sounded jarring coming from the bartender.

Ye Fei straightened up, brushed the dust off his clothes, and retorted bluntly, "Your threats have zero impact. Would you like me to teach you how to do it properly?"

The bartender’s rage flared instantly. Was this guy brain-dead?

"Your spiritual energy is far more conspicuous than my malevolent aura, but you should know that when the two clash, you are no match for me!" As he spoke, the bartender condensed the dark energy in his hands. He was surrounded by black mist, like a ghost crawling out of hell.

Now was not the time for a head-on collision. Ye Fei’s spiritual energy could overcome the bartender's aura, but it would inevitably be eroded and damaged in the process. His spiritual energy was not easily cultivated; if it were ruined here, he would lose everything. He didn't want a losing deal, so he looked for a foolproof plan.

"I know I'm not your match. I want to shift from using spiritual energy to carrying malevolent energy."

The bartender’s pupils dilated in shock. Had this guy been kicked in the head by a donkey? Ye Fei’s spiritual energy level was higher than his own aura; why would he abandon his current power to start from scratch?

"Are you out of your mind?" The bartender pushed Ye Fei away, bewildered. He thought Ye Fei had been hunting him down, but after all this, the guy just wanted to be his apprentice!

The bartender walked toward the cave entrance in silence, not wanting to look at Ye Fei again. Ye Fei hurried after him, pleading, "Just say something. I want to learn from you."

The bartender stopped abruptly and sneered, "Are you crazy? Your current cultivation is above mine. If you want me to consider taking you on, you'd better cripple your own spiritual energy right here in front of me to show your sincerity."

*Damn, this guy really saw through my intentions.* Ye Fei regretted it internally; if it weren't to find out where this guy's energy came from, he would never have put up with this humiliation.

Ye Fei stood still and struck his own vital points hard with both hands. He suddenly turned pale, his breathing becoming ragged. The bartender knew he had destroyed his own cultivation, but why would he go to such lengths for a thankless task?

"How's that? Can you teach me now?"

The bartender frowned. What exactly was this guy’s goal?

"No, unless you tell me: what deep grudge do you hold? Why destroy your own cultivation? Why insist on starting from scratch?"

Ye Fei suddenly welled up with tears, crying miserably, "Because my master was killed by my junior uncle! He practices spiritual energy, so I must do the opposite. Even if I can't kill him, I want to cut his cultivation in half."

The bartender began to believe him. He shrugged and said, "Fine. I can only tell you that malevolent energy comes from between heaven and earth. If you want to master it, find its source first!"

The source? Ye Fei sneered internally. The source was clearly in the cave, but he needed to be sure.

"But how do I find it? Where does your energy come from?"

The bartender pointed to the cave. "Inside. My energy comes from an antique."

He wondered what kind of antique could carry such immense malevolent energy. Ye Fei looked at him with a naive expression, acting eager. "Can you show me? I've never seen energy attached to an object. Even if I saw it, I wouldn't recognize it."

The bartender sighed. He wondered if he had met a fool today. He took a small ring from his pocket and gave it a light turn. Instantly, black smoke began to permeate the surroundings!

*So that was it.* It was the same principle as the energy around Old Zhou. Once malevolent energy erodes the human body, it is unsolvable unless treated with that same energy.