In the far distance, a middle-aged man soared through the air, making his way to the next fake village to set up the trial for the sect.
In his mind, he replayed the images of what Fang Hao had done and nodded to himself, feeling satisfied. He put away the scroll he had been holding.
"Sadly, he is not ruthless. The way he looked at her...too young, and his heart is not resolute," he mused, shaking his head.
Continuing on his journey, he planned to pick up the slaves first before giving them the usual speech and bringing them to the designated location.
After a day of traveling through the wilderness, a sudden "crack" pierced the silence, causing the man to pause mid-flight.
"Hmm?" Confused, he looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the sound. Retrieving a pouch from his belongings, he found that it contained 15 broken tokens.
"No way..." the middle-aged man muttered, his eyes widening in shock as he examined the broken tokens. There were supposed to be only 14 of them. Did this mean that the female prisoner had died? And if so, how had it happened? Fang Hao?
"I don't know what happened, or if he changed his mind, but since she is dead and within a timeframe, I have to change the rating..." the man mumbled to himself. He retrieved the scroll featuring Fang Hao's image, awkwardly smiling at the gate.
"So much for that innocent face. What they say is true: never judge a person by appearance," he remarked, shaking his head.
As he inspected the picture, he began correcting the rating, changing the ruthless score from 5 to 10, nodding with satisfaction when he was done.
"Better," the middle-aged man muttered, giving the scroll one more look. The information on the scroll detailed Fang Hao, with an image of him and various ratings:
Yang Jun (real name unknown)
Awareness: 10
Power: 6
Intelligence: 8
Skill Usage: 8
Ruthless: 10
[Information: The person known as 'Yang Jun' entered the village but found something was wrong with the location of the formations twice...]
[Note: Excellent seed, but he lacks offensive power. Good for missions such as...]
Satisfied with the changes, he stored the scroll away and continued to fly to the next location. In a few years, his mission would be complete, and he could return to the sect with all the scrolls for his reward.
Little did he know that his actions had nearly set off a war.
---
Back in the village, Fang Hao lay on the floor, covered in blood. A few minutes had passed since Wenxiu's death.
He twitched lightly, frowning in pain as his eyelids shook with closed eyes. A groan escaped his lips as he attempted to get up, but he was met with intense pain emanating from his hand.
Struggling to his feet, Fang Hao opened his eyes, feeling weak and dizzy. He looked at his hand, which was twisted, bloody, and covered in cuts that still bled profusely.
"Did we get attacked?" He muttered in confusion before shouting, "Wenxiu, are you okay?"
He scanned the room in a panic, taking a step forward, only to hear a "splash" as he stepped into a puddle of something.
Fang Hao's shock and disbelief reached its peak as he looked down and saw the gruesome sight before him. The room was stained with blood, and he followed the blood trail, only to find a female headless body lying motionless.
"Wenxiu?" he uttered in a horrified whisper. He couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. He kneeled down, his hand trembling as he lifted her lifeless corpse, his face contorted with confusion and panic.
"This must be a dream," he muttered desperately, tears welling up in his eyes. "It can't be real, can it?" He continued to clutch the lifeless body, as if hoping that somehow, it would all turn out to be a terrible nightmare.
Fang Hao's anguished cries filled the early morning air, echoing through the small room. Tears streamed down his face as he desperately pleaded with Wenxiu, hoping against hope that this was all just a terrible dream.
''WENXIU, P.. please answer me.please.. tell me its a joke right? Right it most be... WHY? HOW?!!? WHOOOOO!" He cried and screamed, the line between life and death feeling unbearably thin.
The room felt suffocatingly empty without her presence, and the pain of her loss cut through him like a dagger.
"You said you loved me, why did this happen... WHYYYY!!!!" Fang Hao's cries pierced the silence, his anguish echoing through the room. "AAAAAA!" He placed his head on her chest, sobbing uncontrollably, overwhelmed by grief and consumed by a burning rage.
"THE NECKLACE?!!!" Fang Hao looked down at her neck, but it was gone. He muttered, his voice broken, "Did it have a formation I didn't spot? I am useless... They did it, right? She was their prisoner after all... HOW DARE THEY!!!" His anger traveled through him, shaking him to the core.
''BASTARDSSSSSS!! THE SECTTT?!!!!!!!!'' Fang Hao screamed with a crazed look, his voice echoing with rage as he stood up, his body stained with blood.
''They can't be far! I KNOW YOU ARE NEAR!!'' He continued to shout, his eyes wild and crazy. Opening his spatial ring, he retrieved the ordinary sword his older brother had given him.
''YOU WANT TO HIDE...AS IF I WILL LET THAT?!!'' Fang Hao bellowed with seething hatred consuming his mind. His eyes turned a fiery red from tears and overwhelming emotions, a stark contrast to the innocence they once held.
''SWORD, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WORK, BUT PLEASE, I BEG YOU,'' Fang Hao pleaded, looking to the sword with a glimmer of hope, praying it would help him find his target.
''ACTIVATE, SWORD!'' Fang Hao screamed in desperation. He began channeling his spiritual power into the sword, causing it to release a faint, low hum.
The sword started to tremble from the intense energy surging through it.
''FIND THEM!'' Fang Hao commanded the sword, and in response, the blade emitted a small wave of energy.
This energy manifested as sword intent, producing sharp, cutting vibrations in the air. It led Fang Hao's gaze to a masked figure in the far distance, beyond the forest.