"What... why are you following me?"
"What do you think? You’re quite vigilant, kid. You waited until the crowd dispersed and were the last to leave the auction house. But you probably didn’t know that I’ve been tailing you the moment you stepped out. What, planning to travel overnight back to your family? You’re not going back—unless you obediently hand over your resources to me. Otherwise..."
Ye Xuan didn’t open his eyes; he merely shook his head slightly. He had already guessed who the two speakers were. If he wasn’t mistaken, it was the youth from seat 1887 and the middle-aged man from seat 1886 at the auction.
Ye Xuan stood up and stretched lazily, but he made no move to rescue the youth. In this world, countless people were killed every single day. Could he possibly save them all?
Ye Xuan was no longer the naive, kind-hearted person he once was. The world was a harsh, practical place where very few would draw their blades to help a stranger in the face of injustice. After all, your speed at drawing your blade might not even be faster than your opponent’s! In this world, without strength, one should absolutely never try to be a hero. Otherwise, there was a risk of having one’s entire family wiped out.
"Still running? Kid, I originally intended to spare your life, but you’re bringing this upon yourself!"
In the distance, the man grew furious. A muffled BOOM echoed, sending dust flying into the air.
From within the dust cloud, the youth, covered in dirt, scrambled to his feet and continued running for his life. His original escape route had led away from Ye Xuan, but the massive shockwave from the man’s attack had blasted him right toward Ye Xuan’s position. Right now, the youth only knew to run for his life, regardless of the direction. Flee! He had to flee. He was absolutely unwilling to hand over his hard-earned resources to this middle-aged man.
"Oh? You actually dodged it." The middle-aged man sneered coldly and continued his pursuit. He was like a cat playing with a mouse, completely unhurried. Since this was the wilderness with no one else around, he raised his hand again and fired off a Spiritual Energy Wave.
BOOM!
The youth managed to dodge the Spiritual Energy Wave once again, but the immense impact launched his body directly through the air, sending him flying fifty meters. Perhaps it was the will of heaven, but his body landed right in front of Ye Xuan.
The youth tried to get up but vomited a mouthful of fresh blood, which was mixed with fragments of his internal organs.
"It’s you... save me... please save me..."
Upon seeing Ye Xuan, he reached out a hand and pleaded for help. He recognized him; Ye Xuan was the young man who had sat next to him at the auction. Even though this was only his second time seeing Ye Xuan, the latter had become his final straw of hope. He didn’t know if Ye Xuan was a match for the middle-aged man, but he truly didn’t want to die! The youth understood better than anyone that even if he handed over his resources, it would still be a dead end. Since the other party was here to rob him, they definitely wouldn’t leave any witnesses alive.
"Hmm?" At this moment, the middle-aged man also spotted Ye Xuan. Although he was extremely surprised to encounter someone here, he still issued a cold threat. "Are you going to help him? I advise you not to invite trouble upon yourself, or you will die."
With that, the middle-aged man walked over to the youth. His fist radiated light as he seemingly prepared to deliver the final blow. But just as his fist was about to fall, Ye Xuan spoke up.
"If you do that, the blood will splash on me."
The middle-aged man was briefly stunned before he sneered coldly, "If you don’t want blood splashed on you, then get lost, otherwise I’ll kill you too!"
Saying so, he aimed his fist at the youth’s head. If this punch landed, it would definitely blow the youth’s head wide open!
Ye Xuan merely sighed and murmured, "There are always some people in this world who have eyes but fail to see."
BOOM!
A muffled thud echoed, followed by the youth’s scream.
"Ah! No!"
The youth had squeezed his eyes shut, his face filled with despair. But then, he was stunned. He was actually still capable of thought? He had clearly seen the man’s fist coming down. He slowly opened his eyes, only to see that the man’s head had been completely shattered. The man’s body swayed unsteadily before finally collapsing to the ground.
As if realizing something, he looked at Ye Xuan. "Benefactor, did you save me?"
Ye Xuan said indifferently, "I didn’t save you. He was killed simply because he angered me. As a person, the thing I dislike the most is being threatened, and I especially despise being told to get lost."
The youth’s pupils shrank, but he endured his injuries and kowtowed to Ye Xuan. "No matter what, you saved my life. I, Xu Shaoqiang, am no ungrateful wretch. Benefactor, please accept my bow."
Ye Xuan spoke again, "I said, I wasn’t saving you. You don’t need to do this."
Hearing this, the youth said nothing more. He took out a stalk of Spirit Medicine, and only after recovering slightly from his injuries did he speak again.
"Since I was young, my father taught me to repay a drop of kindness with a fountain of gratitude. I know that Benefactor’s cultivation is formidable, and there isn’t much I can do to help you. But Benefactor, please accept this Scroll. I found it in an ancient ruin. I don’t know what it does, but I hope it will be of use to you."
With that, Xu Shaoqiang left an ancient Scroll on the ground and limped away into the wilderness, step by step. Before leaving, he took one last look at the totem on Ye Xuan’s chest. He memorized this Dragon Totem. In the future, if he ever encountered a Cultivator with this Dragon Totem on their chest, he would help them however he could.
"This kid..." Ye Xuan frowned, but he ultimately picked up the Scroll.
The texture of this Scroll was highly unusual. Ye Xuan couldn’t tell what material it was made of. Unrolling it, he saw a painting. There were mountains, rivers, and sunlight. It looked just like a Human Immortal Realm.
"Master... this painting feels so familiar. Can you let me out to take a look?" Blood Princess’s voice suddenly echoed from within the Demon Subduing Scripture.
"Hmm?" Her words caused Ye Xuan to frown slightly. However, he still let Blood Princess out.
Without another word, Blood Princess took the Scroll.
"Such a familiar feeling... it really feels so familiar." She stroked the mountains and rivers in the painting, her expression unexpectedly complex.
Ye Xuan kept his brow furrowed and asked, "Blood Princess, are you sure?"
"I’m sure. I just feel an indescribable sensation."
Ye Xuan didn’t speak, but he was inwardly shocked. It was common knowledge that a Spirit Corpse possessed no memories, yet Blood Princess actually found this Scroll familiar. He wondered if this Scroll was an item from her time among the living, or if she had painted it in her previous life.
With a shift in thought, Ye Xuan suddenly drew an Earth-tier weapon. His body erupted with golden light as he thrust his sword directly at the painting.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The painting felt incredibly soft to the touch, but when the sword struck it, it felt like hitting thousand-year refined steel, even sparking with fire. The material of this Scroll was far tougher than he had imagined. An Earth-tier weapon couldn’t leave a single mark on it. Material like this could indeed endure the passage of countless ages. He pondered if it truly was a relic from Blood Princess’s past life. However, even if it was, he wondered how she could feel a sense of familiarity since she wasn’t supposed to have any memories.
"Blood Princess, can you remember anything?" Ye Xuan asked.
Blood Princess shook her head. "I... I can’t. I just feel that it’s familiar, that’s all."
"It’s a good thing you still don’t have your memories after all."
Ye Xuan breathed a sigh of relief. If Blood Princess had her memories, it would be a disaster. In her past life, she had undoubtedly been an incredibly formidable figure. Not only had he subdued her now, but he also frequently locked her in a dark room. The mere thought of her regaining her past memories was terrifying.