Chapter 860: Jinx

"Madam, since you knew this trip was dangerous, why did you still accompany Chief Yan on this shipment?" Ye Yuan asked curiously.

Although running shipments like this was inherently risking one's life, in reality, it wasn't as perilous as others imagined.

As long as you greased the right palms, unless you had truly offended someone gravely, they wouldn't resort to killing.

Especially someone like Yan Jun, a veteran on this route with ample connections and resources—otherwise, it would have been hard to hire the Green Sea Mercenary Corps.

If this trip were truly dangerous, Yan Jun wouldn't have needed to wade into these troubled waters.

No matter how valuable the shipment, it wasn't worth more than life.

Lin Shuang's expression dimmed as she said, "Since we're taking this shipment, there must be a reason. Master Ye, please don't ask."

Ye Yuan said, "I see. I was being presumptuous."

Since Yan Jun was taking this shipment and even bringing his family, it must be more important than their lives.

"Master Ye, Lin Shuang begs you. If we encounter danger, could you take Ling'er and leave first? Rest assured, even if we die, my husband and I will carve a path for you and Ling'er." Lin Shuang said resolutely.

Ye Yuan smiled and said, "Perhaps you worry too much. This trip might not be that dangerous. But since you've said so, I will follow your instructions."

A congenital Wood Spirit Body was an extremely rare spiritual constitution.

Even Ye Yuan felt a desire to nurture such talent.

Lin Shuang was overjoyed and said, "Then I entrust Ling'er to you, Master Ye!"

After Lin Shuang left, Ye Yuan's expression also darkened.

The atmosphere among the group was somewhat strange, and Ye Yuan had long sensed it.

More importantly, Ye Yuan's perception was far keener than an ordinary person's. In fact, ever since entering the Chaotic Demon Sea region, he had sensed someone watching them.

It was inevitable for a large caravan to attract attention in the Chaotic Demon Sea, but the strength of the watchers seemed unusually high.

"Thud!"

"Thud!"

Two consecutive sounds of falling came from outside, followed by a commotion.

Ye Yuan frowned and stepped down from the carriage.

Not far away, two bodies lay on the ground. Liu Yusheng and Yan Jun wore grim expressions.

"Master Ye is here! Let Master Ye take a look. Their deaths are so strange—no wounds at all. How did they die?" someone said hastily upon seeing Ye Yuan approach.

Yan Jun also hurried forward and greeted Ye Yuan, saying, "Master Ye, these two brothers were healthy and fine. They were walking normally just now, and then they were gone. How could this be?"

Ye Yuan said nothing. He stepped forward and examined the two bodies, then sighed, "They were struck by someone's hidden attack long ago. It just took effect now."

These two were members of the Green Sea Mercenary Corps, so Ye Yuan naturally hadn't examined everyone.

Yan Jun's expression changed as he said, "This... these two brothers ate and slept with us. When could they have been ambushed?"

Most of the journey had been through the wilderness, and everyone had stayed together. To silently ambush these two—how formidable must that person be?

Liu Yusheng frowned and said, 'These two brothers were sent out for a while yesterday. Could it be... that they were murdered during that time?'

This kind of delivery trip was not much different from marching to war. Sending two people out to scout the road and see if there was any news was perfectly normal.

But unexpectedly, this trip cost them their lives.

'These two brothers were not weak; both were martial artists at the Heavenly Awakening Realm. If they were ambushed, how could they have had no reaction at all?' Yan Jun said with a dark expression.

'There are only two possibilities! One is that they were poisoned without realizing it, and the second is that the person who ambushed them was far stronger than them!'

As he spoke, Liu Yusheng looked at Ye Yuan, clearly seeking his opinion.

Ye Yuan was the only alchemist in the caravan, so naturally he had the most say.

But Ye Yuan shook his head and said, 'Neither!'

Seeing the confusion of the others, Ye Yuan crouched down, gently pressed a few spots on one of the corpses, then suddenly exerted force with his palm, and a small black thing burrowed out from the skin.

Seeing this, everyone was startled.

At this moment, how could they not realize that the fatal cause was this small black thing!

After the small black bug emerged from the skin, it transformed into a streak of light with a 'whoosh' and tried to escape.

'Where do you think you're going!' Liu Yusheng, prepared for this, suddenly struck out with a burst of energy, hitting the bug squarely.

Liu Yusheng reached out and caught the bug in his hand.

Looking closely, the bug was only the size of a soybean, seemingly unremarkable, yet it had claimed two lives.

'What kind of ghost bug is this, so deadly?' Liu Yusheng said with a grim face.

'This bug is called the Heart-Eating Worm. It is raised on the vital blood of martial artists. It can burrow into the body through the skin, travel through the meridians straight to the heart, lodge itself in the heart, and devour the heart's vital blood. Throughout this process, the victim only feels a slight sting like a mosquito bite, making it extremely hard to detect. If one is careless, they will fall into its trap,' Ye Yuan said.

Everyone's expression changed upon hearing this. This little bug was utterly impossible to guard against!

Even if a martial artist remained vigilant, they couldn't stay focused all day long.

If they relaxed even a little, wouldn't they die inexplicably?

'This little bug is really that deadly?'

Ye Yuan nodded and said, 'Even more deadly than you imagine! Captain Liu, you'd better throw it away. That strike of yours probably wasn't enough to kill it! It's currently in a state of suspended animation. When you let your guard down, it might just take a bite out of you.'

Liu Yusheng's face changed abruptly, and he nearly jumped up, instinctively throwing away the Heart-Eating Worm in his hand.

At that moment, a flash of cold light, and Ye Yuan directly drew his sword and cleaved the Heart-Eating Worm in two.

This time, it was dead beyond any doubt.

'I didn't use my full strength just now, but I did use thirty to forty percent of my power. This little bug still didn't die?' Liu Yusheng said with lingering fear.

Ye Yuan said, 'I told you, it's more formidable than you imagine! The most terrifying thing about the Heart-Eating Worm is not killing without a trace, but... a swarm of Heart-Eating Worms!'

Everyone drew in a cold breath. From Ye Yuan's words, it seemed things were not as simple as they thought!

'The Heart-Eating Worm not only devours vital blood but also has great immunity to Yuan power attacks. That's why Captain Liu's move just now couldn't kill it. One or two might not feel like much, but when there are many, that's when it truly becomes impossible to guard against,' Ye Yuan said.

As if to confirm Ye Yuan's words, everyone suddenly heard a buzzing sound.

Then, swarms of small black bugs converged on the caravan from all directions.