So Despicable! . . .
Hidden beneath the overgrowth, there seemed to be more text on the stone stele.
"By the heavens!" Cha Eun Xiao exclaimed, completely astounded by what he was reading.
"Is this some sort of jest? It must be mocking me, without a doubt."
"I've toiled so relentlessly, pushed myself to the brink of exhaustion. My legs ache, and I've expanded a vast territory within my Boundless Space, covering over a hundred acres of farmland. Yet, all that effort has secured only one-thousandth of the countless medicinal treasures within this place?"
The realization left him speechless, and a sense of bewilderment washed over him.
At the same time, the words etched into the stele struck him as peculiar.
He furrowed his brow, approached the stele, cleared away the overgrown grass, and squinted to examine the obscured text. His scrutiny revealed that a multitude of words followed the initially irksome and smug smiley face.
The first line read, 'I know you must be a foolish imbecile!'
"You're a fool! A nincompoop! A blockhead! Your entire clan must be a congregation of witless idiots! You, a dolt, actually concocted such a place brimming with confoundedly absurd medicinal treasures!" Cha Eun Xiao had never anticipated that a person of eminence would pen such defamatory words on the stele, and he vehemently reacted to the first few words with a shouted retort.
However, he was the only one who heard his outburst.
"Abstain from raising your voice. An imbecile with his very own spiritual space, must consider it his most prized possession! Take a look at your asinine expression! I simply can't afford to be courteous with individuals like you. A chosen one by the heavens, eh? A pox upon such a moneyed, blockheaded, imbecilic nincompoop..."
As he listened to these disparaging comments, Cha Eun Xiao gasped, staring wide-eyed. If the speaker were standing before him, he would unquestionably aim a punch at that contemptuous face.
"Where on earth did this imbecile come from?"
"Can you not engage in a civilized discourse?"
The urge to shatter the stele into smithereens welled up within him.
The stream of words continued, 'Don't be indignant, lad. It's not such a colossal matter. Permit me to impart a tale. My superior once possessed his very own space. At that juncture, we weren't as formidable as we are now. Yet, the possession of that spiritual space filled him with a sense of ostentation. People admired him extensively...'
"Are you suggesting you're different? Blast it! I recognize your sort! Deceitful men like you! Beautiful women, lovely ladies, always ensnared by individuals of your ilk... It's fundamentally unjust! I once believed that possessing a spiritual space was phenomenally grand. But when I reached a certain pinnacle in my cultivation, I comprehended that it's a damn pointless space... Something that people could simply dismiss with a flick... And look at you, treating it as though it's the cornerstone of your dignity..."
Cha Eun Xiao scratched his head, the fury in his eyes beginning to subside, despite his continued annoyance.
"Is it possible that the one who wrote this isn't Master Tianji?"
Upon his arrival in this place, the text that had manifested to him was sophisticated and highbrow. However, the words on the stele now bore the semblance of an unrefined ruffian. Clearly, the writer was a ruffian at heart.
The narrator in the text questioned, 'You became the fourth person, yet I didn't. Why do you think that is? Could it be because you always keep everything to yourself?'
A personal response followed, 'But I like enjoying everything for myself as well. Why was I less fortunate than you?'
Cha Eun Xiao felt exasperated, muttering to himself, "To hell with you!"
Subsequently, the written dialogue descended into a cascade of abusive language, originating from the speaker communicating through the stele.
"You worthless piece of trash! Your mind is a cesspool of garbage! This entire layer is under your dominion. Why not attempt to refine it? Collecting the plants individually, do you imagine yourself to be a farmer or something? How did you become the fourth person? The heavens must be blind! I failed to attain the rank of the fourth person, and instead, I married a woman who pummels me as though it's a bloody game. It isn't that I'm just blind; I appear to have no eyeballs..."
Cha Eun Xiao could hardly fathom the audacity of this speaker.
"This must be your just desserts! The heavens do dispense justice! You deserve all the woes you're facing! You scoundrel! Wretch! You..."
Cha Eun Xiao was so infuriated that his hair seemed to stand on end. He pointed vehemently at the stone stele and let out a torrent of shouts and gasps.
Such a situation was unprecedented for him. He found himself vehemently provoked by an individual he had never met in person. It was unmistakable that the person communicating with him through the stele was exceptionally vexing.
The words etched on the stone seemed to reflect that this person was disgruntled about Cha Eun Xiao's position as the fourth individual in this place. In other words, the communicator appeared to be harboring jealousy.
"Mark my words, you son of a... When I lay my eyes on you, I'll thrash you several times over... The fourth individual, huh? I'll pound you into the ground so hard you'll feel like a cur..."
Cha Eun Xiao's temples began to throb as he read these words.
"I, Cha Eun Xiao, swear upon the heavens that, once I discover your identity, I will pummel you every time we cross paths. I'll shadow you, and no matter where you flee, my fists will find you!"
He swore with unwavering resolve.
"Some brainless dolt like you, with a head full of nonsense, could never grasp the intricacies of refining this stele... You despicable wretch. After hurling all these insults at you, why don't you just stop reading this? Have the bravery to cease reading if you can..."
Cha Eun Xiao was seething with anger, and his eyes practically turned azure.
"After being berated in such a manner, why would I stop now? Brave or not, you'll find out when I confront you! Do you think I'll endure all these insults and gain nothing in return?"
"I genuinely can't fathom how anybody could have such a vile mouth!" Cha Eun Xiao muttered, his words laced with curses. "Great figures from days of yore... You're nothing more than a blasted, contemptible imbecile who deserves a taste of knuckles!"
The communicator on the stone continued with, "You idiotic fool, read attentively now... If you wish to refine... you must... and..."
It was a lengthy discourse, but Cha Eun Xiao grasped the essence of it. Nonetheless, what irritated him was that nearly half of the words were nothing but derogatory insults.
The concluding line read, 'If you can't succeed even after I've imparted so much knowledge, forget every insulting word I've employed. What remains will be kind words about you... I won't waste my breath on an individual who's no longer the fourth in line and is brimming with nonsense... I'm a solitary soul... Remember?'
With a sigh of frustration, Cha Eun Xiao exclaimed, "Phew!"
Frustration and fury overwhelmed him. He sat down on the ground and expelled a mouthful of dark blood. Then he shouted at the top of his lungs, "You wretch! Just wait and see! When I find you... I'll... You miserable, vile... whoop..."
He gasped after discharging the blood, his eyes blazing with anger.
However, spewing forth that dark blood allowed him to release roughly seventy percent of the rage festering within his chest.
If the person behind these messages were to appear before him at that moment, Cha Eun Xiao would engage in a decisive, life-or-death confrontation. Even if he were to be defeated, he'd make every effort to deliver a few punishing blows.
It was inconceivable that someone so infuriating could exist in the world.
It was nothing short of despicable!