Yuan Haoran left Long Jingyi in his tent after eating and walked into the dark forest around the camping ground slowly as he contemplated his new life. It felt strange to eat and enjoy food like a normal person. In his former life, even the smell of spices would give him nausea due to disease.
In the necropolis, he had survived on Breatharian pills provided by old Guo, and on occasion, the raw fruits and vegetables growing in the area around the necropolis. Unfortunately, the death aura in the city made the food taste strange, so he mostly relied on pills.
Now that he was outside, he could experience things he missed due to illness in his past life and confinement in the city of the dead.
If only, he was not alone...
He felt the weight of sadness settle on his shoulders as he thought about all the other losses he experienced. His past life had dealt him a bad hand, and he had been able to rise to the top through his sweat and blood, even though he became a demon as a result.
Unfortunately, he had still failed in the one thing he wanted to do.
But there was hope.
He would not always be alone.
The problem was that the Hero System would probably not give him the information he wanted easily because it was the only thing, he truly wanted in exchange for doing the missions. It would probably be easier to take matters into his own hands.
He took a deep breath to stabilise his churning emotions.
Yuan Haoran stopped as he reached a clearing in the middle of the forest. With his cloak and hood, he was an intimidating figure that looked nefarious to an observer. He looked like a grim reaper, especially with his scarlet eyes in the darkness.
"Come out." He spoke into the night air.
In the deep shadows, Fu Da shook in her boots as she hid behind a tree. Her heart was beating fast and loud, and her breath came out in short and shallow pants. She willed herself to calm down to avoid being discovered.
When she followed Yuan Haoran after he left Senior Long's tent, she had a different idea in mind. She wanted to casually join him for an evening walk after supper and get to know him. She thought it would be easy to just kind of bump into him or call out to him.
But she forgot how intimidating he was.
The figure she followed had a dark and oppressive energy that made it impossible for her to catch up with him due to fear. She did not know if she was imagining it, but it looked like he had an aura of blood around him.
But again, it was dark, and the cloak could have been playing a trick on him.
Fu Da wondered if Wan Xiu was right about the spell that Yuan Haoran was using. She was sure he was the perfect man when she saw him sitting casually with Senior Long. He was not only handsome; he was also unique in his demeanour.
Now that the cloak was back on, he looked like a genuine devil cultivator: a true demon. She did not want to get involved with him in the darkness of night. It did not mean she was giving up on him. She just needed to regroup.
"Do not waste my time." Yuan Haoran said coldly into the night.
Fu Da took a calming breath and wondered if she should just reveal herself before Yuan Haoran got angrier. But she was just so afraid. She moved quietly and looked from around the huge tree concealing her. Yuan Haoran was just standing.
He did not look that terrifying.
Maybe, she could just face him directly.
She put her foot forward, ready to walk to him.
However, before she could go forward, she saw someone else appear from the forest. Immediately, she hid again. She did not want to get involved in something dangerous at night if it was not necessary. She would meet Yuan Haoran again in the light of day.
With that thought, she stealthily left the forest and returned to the camping ground.
At the same time, another person who was also watching Yuan Haoran also left the scene. Unlike Fu Da, there was a significant level of hostility emanating from him. However, he had no intention of attacking Yuan Haoran.
He was just interested in knowing his identity. For now.
Yuan Haoran knew that two people were following him, but he did not care. He was not someone who would mind sneaky little rats without guts. If the pests became problematic, he could just swat them to a pulp without lifting a finger.
However, when he sensed another person with a somewhat familiar energy in his vicinity, he decided to see exactly what this person was up to. As the two rats scurried away, his target walked to him with a determined expression on his face.
"What do you want?" Yuan Haoran asked.
The man stood in front of Yuan Haoran before getting down to one knee with his head lowered and a fist over his chest.
"I owe you my life." He declared without preamble.
Yuan Haoran had not forgotten the young prince who was killed by his brother and fiancée. However, he never expected the man to survive and come to find him. The probability of his survival was quite low, even with his blood.
But it looked like he had not judged wrongly. This young prince was someone who could claw his way from hell. As an immigrant in a new world, he could use someone who had knowledge, power, and the drive to survive.
It was even more beneficial if this someone was indebted to him.
"You do." Yuan Haoran's lips stretched into a dark smile. "How are you going to repay me, young prince?"
Huo Delan winced when he heard the nickname because it reminded him of the reason his brothers and even most of his sisters hated him. He was not the youngest, but his Imperial Father nicknamed him 'Little Prince' when he was born.
More importantly, he was bestowed a title on the hundredth-day celebration. His siblings had to wait until they were older and showed promise before receiving official recognition. Even when his cultivation was damaged, his father continued to favour him.
"My name is Huo Delan." He could not help correcting his saviour. "I will repay you in any way you wish."
Yuan Haoran thought the young man was quite interesting. "Are you sure? Do you not wish to qualify it by saying that you will not do anything immoral or illegal?"
"If you wish for me to do anything immoral or illegal, I am sure you have a reason for it." Huo Delan replied.
"And how long do you plan to repay this debt of life?" Yuan Haoran asked.
"You can determine when I have paid off the debt." Huo Delan was firm in his decision.
"You are either foolish or calculating." Yuan Haoran narrowed his eyes as he looked at the young prince. "Stand up."
Huo Delan stood up like a good student before Yuan Haoran. If his family members saw him, they would think he was stupid and careless to pledge allegiance to this man. However, he had a path in mind that had begun again when the man saved him.
His meridians were damaged by a strange illness when he was about eight years old, limiting his cultivation potential. He suspected that one of his stepmothers or stepsiblings was responsible, but too many people in the palace hated him to find the real culprits.
The sickness made his meridians like a sieve that kept leaking the spiritual energy he gathered during cultivation. He always thought that he was doomed to be trash for the rest of his life, being stepped on by his siblings.
But after he woke up in that field of thunder, he discovered that he was full of spiritual energy, and his meridians were stronger than ever. Without hesitation, he came to look for the man who had given him a second lease on life.
"It is time to test your resolve." Yuan Haoran continued. "I do not keep useless things, even if they are free."
Huo Delan was a little dissatisfied at being looked down on, but he knew he had to prove himself. His determination to show his value soared.
Yuan Haoran flicked his wrist and a small snake crawled from his sleeves. It hissed and stuck out a forked tongue and slithered along his hand. The man lifted it to his head and whispered a few words inaudibly to it.
"The Shademantle team have a patient in a tent. Place my little friend in her bed without being discovered." Yuan Haoran stretched his hand allowing the Cobalt-bellied Mamba to crawl to Huo Delan's hand.
"I will not fail you." Huo Delan bowed before disappearing into the night.