Intelligent people talk less and listen more. Zen smiled knowingly as he listened to Roger.
Sun had no idea what they were talking about. He wanted to ask, but he didn't think it would be
appropriate to interrupt their conversation. So he kept silent.
"After I return to Cloud Sect, I will stay secluded and cultivate myself. If you want to see me, Zen, come
to the Daylily Peak," said Roger.
The Daylily Peak ranked fourth among the thirty-three peaks at Cloud Sect. Due to its leading position,
most children of the Meng Clan studied there.
"So you are a disciple of the Daylily Peak. When I return to Cloud Sect, I will visit you," replied Zen.
Zen didn't think it was necessary to follow noble clans. In his opinion, a man had to strike out for
himself if he wanted to get ahead. He didn't think it was suitable to rely on other people's power.
Having spent some time with the young master of the Meng Clan, Zen found that he would like to be
friends with Roger.
After saying goodbye, Roger and Sun embarked the giant flying chariot to return to Cloud Sect.
On the way back from the main camp, Martin didn't speak a word.
Martin was grateful for Roger and Zen's help as they had risked their lives to save his.
But he was in a bad mood because of the death of his subordinates. As a battle-hardened soldier in the
Imperial Army, Martin had seen many soldiers come and go. Over time, he had become accustomed to
death. He had never been this sad, not even when he had seen his biological brother die on the
battlefield.
But this time, things were different. He knew that Randall had deliberately framed the soldiers of the
Green Haze Group.
With growing resentment, he vowed that he would avenge their deaths.
"Let's grab a few drinks!" Zen invited Martin. He knew that Martin needed to vent.
At the tavern, Martin gulped down more than a dozen jars of wine. As long as they did not want to get
drunk, people who were at Martin's cultivation level were able to stay sober.
"I'm so sorry, Martin. You may not know that this happened because of me. I killed your brothers," Zen
raised his cup of wine and apologized.
Martin had not figured out why Randall wanted to harm him. After hearing Zen's apology, Martin asked
with wonder, "It's obvious that Randall wanted to hurt me. Why are you apologizing?"
"Actually, they didn't want to harm the Green Haze Group. Their real target was me. Some people want
me to die. They instructed Randall to change the marching route to place the Green Haze Group near
the queen blade locust," explained Zen. His voice conveyed the regret he was feeling.
Zen was remorseful that the Green Haze Group lost nearly half its soldiers because of him.
Martin clenched his fists when he finally realized why Randall who had no enmity with him had harmed
the Green Haze Group unexpectedly. He glared at Zen for a while, then gradually calmed down and
said with a sigh, "Zen, don't feel guilty. Even if what you say is true, Randall is still the villain. Not you!
He violated the rules of the military and changed the marching route slyly. Of course, I'm going to hold
him responsible."
"We must get revenge! It's one of the reasons I decided to stay here. On the one hand, I will earn
points by killing the blade locusts, while on the other hand, I will be able to find a chance to get even,"
Zen said before gulping down his cup of wine.
"Do you have any ideas, Zen?" Martin's eyes twinkled with hope.
Although Martin hated Randall, it was impossible for him to fight Randall alone for many reasons. First,
Randall was his immediate superior, and he had no evidence of Randall's crime. Second, Randall was
at the fourth grade of the nature refining level. Therefore, Martin was no match for a man with such
power.
Zen replied with a smile, "There must be a way. It's best if we wait for an opportunity. I know the
tenacity of these people. They won't give up as long as I'm here. They are digging their graves. I'll kill
them all!"
Martin felt a chill travel through him when he saw Zen's determination.
Roger was not like Zen. Because Roger was born in a noble clan, he had to consider many alternatives
and weigh their merits and consequences.
Zen was a civilian without any significant background. And so, he could do things without having to
consider interests.
Though they had been together for a few days, Zen understood who was worthy for him to make
friends with.
Zen swore to fight those behind the conspiracy despite the risks. He would do this for Martin, Tank, and
all the other victims.
Over the next five days, Martin reorganized the Green Haze Group and resumed their task of hunting
blade locusts.
As per the regulations of the Imperial Army, soldiers were required to hand in half of the crystal cores of
blade locusts hunted by them. But, it was up to Martin to decide the quantity of crystal cores that the
Green Haze Group had collected. So Martin donated nearly ninety percent of their crystal cores to Zen
as gratitude.
Martin and his soldiers were well experienced at hunting blade locusts. Zen contributed to their efforts
as well by using his broken flying knife. It was because of Zen that the whole hunting process was
smoother and more fruitful.
During these five days, Zen had acquired quite an abundant harvest.
Along with his previous collection, Zen had accumulated about four thousand crystal cores of common
blade locusts and more than two hundred cores of their officers. He earned the equivalent of five
hundred points in total.
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