Ten ters in front of him was a shabby stall, yet the items on display were attracting the entire crowd. Nurous rcenaries and young masters scoured through the wares for sale. Managing all these custors was a young man nad Fang Wei. Cou Ling was nowhere in sight at first, but as he approached the stall, he noticed her lying on the ground behind it, observing the commotion but not assisting in selling anything.
Grinning widely, Yan Xiaobao moved behind the stall. "How can you let poor Fang Wei handle all these custors on his own? Don’t you think he might be swallowed up by those terrifying rcenaries?" he laughed, his voice drifting into Cou Ling’s ears. A flush of red swept across her cheeks as she imdiately sat up, glaring at Yan Xiaobao angrily.
"You cheap b****rd," she muttered as she looked at the young man she hadn’t seen in half a year. "Even though I often et with the Ma family, I still hoped to see you from ti to ti," she said. "I an, I decided to help you, but when I visited your mansion, I was turned away because they said they were too busy training."
Seeing Cou Ling’s confusion, Yan Xiaobao looked puzzled. "I never heard about you coming to visit . If I had known a beauty like you took the ti to see , I’d have dropped whatever I was doing imdiately!" he said with an apologetic smile. "Though I’ve been busy training to polish my skills. I need all the strength I can muster to survive in that terrifying tomb," he continued. "I’m only a King. Without enough skill, I’ll never gain any treasures. More importantly, I might just end up dead," he said with a shrug.
The two sat silently on the ground, watching as the flustered Fang Wei sold item after item. An hour of silence passed between them, and the young man managed to sell nearly half of the items they had brought.
"Close the shop now," Cou Ling ordered, and Fang Wei nearly started crying in relief. He apologized to the remaining custors before wrapping up all the leftover armor and weapons in oilcloth and storing them in a storage stone.
Even the entire stall could be stored inside one of the stones. Once the stall vanished, Fang Wei let out another sigh of relief. Then he rushed to Cou Ling’s side and handed her a golden mory Stone—a stone containing all the gold coins they had earned that day.
Although they had only earned about two or three spirit coins, for Cou Ling, this was still an incredible haul for just one day. Beaming at Yan Xiaobao, she said enthusiastically, "I suppose you haven’t had dinner yet. Why don’t you eat with us? I’ve prepared so at before we leave Muchuan City."
The direct invitation had Yan Xiaobao agreeing quickly. Especially after hearing how she had frequently visited him before but was turned away without eting him. Feeling guilty, he offered an awkward smile, yet he was also relieved that the spiritual blacksmith before him hadn’t beco so discouraged as to deem him unworthy of her support anymore.
Seeing that Yan Xiaobao had agreed so readily, Cou Ling felt a surge of joy. She quickly started a fire and took out so at. Since Cou Ling no longer ate Magic Beast at, the at was venison. Watching Yan Xiaobao, she rembered the shivers she couldn’t stop when she had once eaten wolf at.
The at grilling over the fire slled delicious, various herbal seasonings having been rubbed into it before cooking. A small pot of vegetables boiled nearby, and Fan Wei and Fang Wei relaxed calmly by the fire with Yan Xiaobao.
As more stalls selling weapons and items closed for the night, food stalls began bustling, catering to cultivators and rcenaries who preferred buying food to cooking after a long day. Insults flew whenever soone thought they were being cut in line or accidentally bumped into another.
Unlike in the cities, there were no guards here to break up scuffles, so of which escalated into full-blown brawls, dragging even bystanders into the chaos. Most fights, however, served as pure entertainnt, with people placing bets on them.
Turning his head, Yan Xiaobao watched everything with an indifferent smile on his face. His icy blue eyes observed the surrounding happenings, ensuring no fights erupted too close.
As they moved so distance away from their stall, the trio was finally left alone. They managed to enjoy their al amidst pleasant conversation and the calm weather. Watching the fights and the growing rowdiness, Yan Xiaobao decided to head toward the blacksmith area. Though they were here to sell items, if they got caught in the crossfire of many ongoing battles, they’d be in a terrible straight path. Neither blacksmith was a strong cultivator and lacked the ability to defend themselves on this journey.
Once everyone reached the tomb, all rchants and craftsn would return to Muchuan City, but until then, they were easy prey. Glancing around, Yan Xiaobao frowned slightly as he saw a group of threatening-looking cultivators moving from one group of rcenaries to another. As they moved, rchants handed them coins. Why this was happening, Yan Xiaobao didn’t know.
"Oh, we’ll find out soon enough," he thought as he watched the group approach. Seeing Yan Xiaobao looking at sothing, Cou Ling turned her attention in the sa direction. Her brows furrowed upon seeing what was happening, and her hand instinctively clutched the golden mory Stone, promptly storing it in a storage stone.
Though a hint of worry crossed her mind, she glanced at Yan Xiaobao’s calm deanor and felt her anxiety diminish. He had once handled six King-level experts simultaneously. Even though a group of four was advancing toward them, Cou Ling trusted that as long as Yan Xiaobao was by her side, he wouldn’t let anyone harm her.
Before long, the group of experts appeared in front of Yan Xiaobao, Cou Ling, and the young Fang Wei. Their smiles brightened imdiately upon seeing Cou Ling, but their joy dimd slightly when they noticed Hui Yue calmly sitting by her side.
"We are from the Bloody Vulture family," one of the n said with a smile directed at Cou Ling. "We’re here to help rchants and craftsn stay safe. For the modest fee of 500 gold coins, we’ll ensure your safety. No one will threaten you on your journey. We’ll even escort you back to Muchuan City, so you won’t have anything to worry about," he said politely. If it weren’t for the sanctimonious expressions worn by other rchants, Yan Xiaobao might have thought this was a decent deal.
"No, thanks," he said nonchalantly, cutting off whatever Cou Ling was about to say. Turning his attention back to Cou Ling, he resud their conversation.
The woman was taken aback. But as Yan Xiaobao took the lead, she eventually followed, albeit her responses were sowhat scattered as she continued to ignore the cultivators.
A vein throbbed visibly on the forehead of the man who had just spoken, his face turning red with rage. His eyes burned with fury, and he stepped forward, only to be stopped by one of his companions.
This newcor was much smaller than the angry man. His body appeared frail, yet his aura revealed him to be a King-level expert like the others. Unlike his three companions, a smile still lingered on his lips, and his sharp eyes seed to constantly assess everything around him, calculating his next move based on what he gleaned. It was clear he wasn’t as easily provoked as the others.
"Young man, I don’t think you fully understand what’s going on here," the frail-looking man said with a sly smile that was impossible to miss. Lifting his gaze, his eyes fell on the face of the slender man. The mont their eyes t, the other man’s spine tingled, and he involuntarily took a step back, his forced smile faltering into tension, his gaze growing serious.
Yan Xiaobao didn’t do anything. He neither unleashed killing intent nor displayed any form of power, yet this scruffy man still felt uneasy and recoiled. Staring at the young man before him, he was filled with an overwhelming sense of danger.
The initial feeling was paralyzing, but this was a man hardened by battles where his life was on the line. Having faced death countless tis, he wasn’t the type to retreat at the slightest hint of danger anymore.
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers