Warning: Depictions of heavy violence, gore, strong language and cruelty. Reader’s discretion is advised.
As Luo Xue looked on, she noticed that there was no spot on the boy’s body left untouched. Unhealed gashes covered his entire back, stretching from his neck all the way down to his lower spine. Blood poured out from his wounds, staining the tattered pants he wore.
Didn’t he run away? How did he get caught?
Luo Xue frowned. Sensing traces of her mental force lingering in the air nearby, there was no doubt that her ribbon was still on him. She had intended to get it back after everything was over, but she didn’t expect it would come back to her in this manner.
“8000. Will anyone go higher than 8000?” Chu Yuanchen asked, observing the bidders who appeared reluctant to bid anything higher. The price of eight thousand spirit coins was beyond what most people could afford, but he believed that people’s greed knew no bounds. In this place he created, where the wealthiest degenerates gather, he must present an offer so alluring that one would wager their entire fortune.
“Everyone, listen.” Chu Yuanchen's crafty grin grew wider as he squeezed Pei Yufeng’s jaw harder. “As a display of my generosity, I will include this girl, Pei Yufeng, as part of the deal when selling that slave. Don’t think of her as any ordinary girl, but someone whose identity will bring you immense wealth. As the sole daughter of the most well-known trade empire, the Pei family, getting your hands on her will only bring you more benefits. With great wealth within your reach, what is there to lose? For the price of one slave, you get two.”
The room suddenly fell into a deafening silence after hearing his shocking statement. However, it didn’t take long for the audience to grow enthusiastic. Recognising it was as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, they knew the most important aspect was to have ties to the family, whether through legitimate or illicit means. Acquiring wealth would then be as effortless as taking a breath.
“…Going once, going twice, sold to the highest bidder at 18,000 spirit coins!”
Trembling in anger and fear, Pei Yufeng was in disbelief as she processed the fact that she had been sold. “You can’t do this to me!”
“Why can’t I? You’re in my hands now.”
Chu Yuanchen turned his head, staring at her as he blew into her ear, finding pleasure in her disgusted reaction.
Pei Yufeng once again trembled, feeling an even stronger urge to get away from him. To resist him, she sank her teeth into his hand until it bled, forcing him to shove her away. After breaking free, she quickly picked herself up and ran, but her hasty pace caused her to stumble.
Pei Yufeng fell to the ground and glanced back, locking eyes with Chu Yuanchen, whose intense glare sent shivers down her spine. She moved backwards, crawling away from him until she noticed she was on the verge of falling off the stage. Desperate, she frantically looked around for help, but the audience seemed indifferent to her plight.
Chu Yuanchen stood before her, his bleeding hand stretched out, repeating the same deadly action that had claimed the lives of many before her.
Right as Pei Yufeng was about to give up, a sudden realisation struck her — there was still one more person who was trapped in the same dire situation as her. Knowing that Luo Xue might face a similar tragedy, she desperately wanted to warn her, urging her to escape before it was too late. However, as her gaze fell upon the cage, she discovered that there was no one inside.
No one?
Pei Yufeng was left dumbfounded, staring blankly at the empty cage.
Intrigued by her sudden change of expressions, Chu Yuanchen followed the direction of her gaze, only to find nobody in her line of sight. Instantly, he felt something was wrong.
Chu Yuanchen’s first thought was to grab Pei Yufeng, but before he could act, he sensed a surge of killing intent from behind. With no hesitation, he dodged, narrowly avoiding a lethal attack. Turning around, he saw Pei Yufeng in the hands of another girl.
“What a surprise.”
Chu Yuanchen laughed, amused by the sudden change of events. One by one, all the abnormalities he had deliberately overlooked were coming back to his mind, much to his displeasure.
“Young Lady Pei,” Chu Yuanchen glanced at the shivering girl taking cover behind, before turning his attention towards Luo Xue. “Since when did you find someone so capable?”
Pei Yufeng remained silent, unwilling to answer him.
Saddened by her refusal to speak, Chu Yuanchen sighed loudly, but everyone knew he was being dramatic. His gaze towards Pei Yufeng, from the start to the end, had always been indifferent.
“You,” Chu Yuanchen crossed his arms, observing Luo Xue from head to toe. “Come work for me. I’ll pay you double.”
“You talk too much.”
“How unfortunate,” Chu Yuanchen shrugged. “Since we can’t work together, don’t blame me for being ruthless. Men! Kill her!”
In an instant, five men rushed up and launched an attack on Luo Xue. Knowing that she would be at a severe disadvantage in such a fight, she called for her ribbon. But, despite her repeated calls, it stubbornly refused to come back or even stray from the boy’s side. Completely helpless against her ribbon’s surprising behaviour, she threw her red bangle at Pei Yufeng, activating a protective barrier as she confronted those men.
Luo Xue swiftly dodged a dagger aimed at her right while she parried another with her sleeve. Utilising her slender and agile build, she evaded two more punches with ease, performing a graceful mid-air flip. As soon as she touched the ground, a sword was thrust towards her, but she skilfully stopped it by pinching it between her fingers. With a powerful kick, she sent the man flying backward and seized the sword as her own.
The men finally realised Luo Xue’s skill was beyond what ordinary cultivators could do. Without delay, they pounced on her in a coordinated attack, but it was already too late. With a sword in her hand, Luo Xue became even more frightening than they could have ever imagined. Underestimating her in the beginning was their downfall.
Luo Xue waited for them to draw closer before unleashing a powerful swing of her sword. The blade sliced through the air with deadly precision, tearing through flesh and bone with ease. In the blink of an eye, her enemies dropped dead, reduced to a pile of corpses. Their last moments capturing the glint of a blade and the chilling sight of her bloodthirsty smile.
Witnessing the sudden demise of his subordinates, Chu Yuanchen became alert and cautious. No matter how seemingly young his enemy appears to be, it would be foolish to underestimate her now.
“You’re dead, bitch.”
Chu Yuanchen threw his coat aside and pulled out his sharp steel knuckles. Jumping towards her, he targeted her head, intending to incapacitate her in one blow.
Wasting no time, Luo Xue launched a flurry of swift and piercing strikes, but Chu Yuanchen endured it all as he pressed forward despite the painful wounds he sustained. Once he got close, he threw a punch to the left. His fist rapidly headed towards Luo Xue’s fragile neck at full speed.
Luo Xue immediately sidestepped, but her timing was just a fraction too slow. In that narrow distance, wielding a longsword would hinder her movement, so she raised her sword to block.
BANG!
The heavy sound of fist meeting the blade clashed at once. Luo Xue staggered backward, her lips stained with a few drops of blood.
Without giving Luo Xue time to breathe, Chu Yuanchen delivered a barrage of punches, forcing her to retreat. Luo Xue remained steadfast, blocking his attacks while enduring his relentless onslaughts. Once she found an opening, she counterattacked by stabbing at his vital spots, but the man saw through her plan and seized her blade with his bare hand while he used the other to send a punch to her stomach.
Thrown off balance, Luo Xue was sent flying before crashing into a wall. Bits and pieces of debris scattered everywhere. When Luo Xue regained her footing, she felt lightheaded from the impact. No doubt Chu Yuanchen’s combat abilities were drastically improving by the minute, almost as if causing him to bleed, made him stronger and tougher.
Luo Xue narrowed her eyes in displeasure.
Certain of his victory, Chu Yuanchen taunted her. “Come on, just die already, will you?”
Luo Xue kept silent, concealing the murderous rage bursting within her. Wiping the blood off her lips, she dashed forward.
Chu Yuanchen watched Luo Xue advance towards him at lightning speed. With a grin, he suddenly spread his arms out, leaving his defence wide open.
Luo Xue’s eyes briefly showed confusion, but she continued without hesitation.
At the very moment Luo Xue was about to reach him, Chu Yuanchen’s eyes and body suddenly glowed in deep red, spilling forth an incredible amount of power and blood.
“Time’s up. You lose.”
BOOM!
Smoke filled the air around the stage after the explosion, making it difficult for Chu Yuanchen to see clearly. Although he exhausted all his power in this one move to take her down, he was certain that she would be dead.
Unfortunately, the person Chu Yuanchen met wasn’t such a simple person. Had he fought any other Nascent Soul realm cultivator, he might have succeeded.
Once the smoke dispersed, Chu Yuanchen was astonished to see Luo Xue still standing there, alive!
How? Chu Yuanchen’s pale face revealed his utter disbelief.
Luo Xue gasped heavily, her vision blurring. The robes she was wearing were now torn, exposing parts of her bloodied skin. If she had been any slower in shielding herself with her mental force, she would have died. And soon, the mental force she had been conserving would be depleted, breaking apart the domain she had carefully set up.
Chu Yuanchen gritted his teeth in frustration, fear clouding his eyes. He knew his capabilities well and used all his skills to secure his victory, yet he never expected she would be this powerful.
As the fight began, he already had a vague feeling that something was amiss, though it wasn’t until he set off the explosion that he became certain. No voices, no commotions, no movement from the audience as if they were frozen in time. This level of overwhelming control over the area was simply beyond what a powerful cultivator could do. It was a power comparable to that of gods. Even if he was a fool, his instincts warned him that the girl was involved.
The thought of retreating crossed Chu Yuanchen’s mind, but Luo Xue was not about to let him escape. Luo Xue teleported and clutched his neck. Her cold gaze stared at him as if he were a dead man.
Chu Yuanchen’s eyes widened in fear. Teleportation?! Only cultivators at the Nascent Soul realm could teleport. In the end, who is she?
Chu Yuanchen gnashed his teeth. “…Ugh…y-you… bitch… let me go…”
Luo Xue chuckled. “Let you go?”
“T-Then what do you… want? I… I can give you anything!”
A devilish smile spread across Luo Xue’s face. “Give me the slave contract with that boy now.”
Once those words were spoken, everything suddenly made sense.
Chu Yuanchen’s thoughts ran wild. If it was for the sake of that boy, then it made sense why she opposed him.
“F…Fine… Take him.” Chu Yuanchen coughed. “Take the boy!”
Luo Xue loosened her grip on his neck, causing him to fall to the ground. Chu Yuanchen gasped for air while his bloodshot eyes made his appearance look all the more terrifying.
Chu Yuanchen bit his tongue as he removed a small vial of blood from his pendant. He offered it with his two hands, looking every bit respectful.
Just as Luo Xue was about to reach for it, a vicious glint flickered in his eyes. Transforming his docile facade into a fierce one, he grabbed her arm and yanked her downwards, spitting out the blood at close range.
Sadly, the same trick can only be used once. How could Luo Xue allow herself to fall for it the second time?
“You were close,” Luo Xue whispered, leaning into his ears, her words mirroring the chilling call of the grim reaper. “But not close enough.”
Chu Yuanchen’s body trembled, revealing his utter defeat. He had used his last resort.
His mask cracked as Luo Xue pressed her hand firmly against his face. The blood he spat burned her skin and flesh, while the rest travelled back down his throat, burning through his insides.
Chu Yuanchen kept struggling, his nails digging deep into her arm as he desperately tried to break free. However, because she didn’t let go, his head eventually melted away.
In the same manner, his existence was wiped clean.
Luo Xue released him, and his corpse fell to the ground. With her other hand, she took the vial of blood, grasping it tightly. The usual calm expression on her face finally displayed a rare look of relief.
Pei Yufeng’s teary gaze locked onto Luo Xue’s approaching figure, her heart pounding in her chest. Anxiety and fear gripped her, making her body tremble uncontrollably. Despite knowing that Luo Xue had saved her, she couldn’t shake off her fear.
As Luo Xue drew close and extended her hand, Pei Yufeng unconsciously shut her eyes, bracing herself for what might come next. Contrary to her expectations, nothing happened. Instead, when she opened her eyes again, she saw Luo Xue had already slipped her bangle on, deactivated the barrier, and left.
Luo Xue made her way towards the boy hanging on the stake. As she expected, upon arrival, she chuckled at the sight of a familiar green ribbon on the boy’s neck, trying to hide the engravings of purple osmanthus flower on his collarbones, like a possessive lover.
As the only other person who knew what her ribbon was thinking, Luo Xue couldn’t help but to warn her ribbon. “Sisi, stop making trouble.”
Her ribbon reluctantly let go of the boy and sliced his restraints, causing him to fall towards her. Luo Xue caught the boy, holding onto him firmly. Feeling a warm embrace, the boy lifted his head from her shoulder and looked up, exposing a beautiful pair of vivid purple eyes.
As Luo Xue looked straight into his eyes, she could sense a storm of emotions brewing inside him — fear, animosity, rage and longing.
Now, she was sure.
This was the boy she had met in the city earlier on.
…And also someone she had known from a long time ago.
Xie Junmo, it’s you… again.
