"Damn you!!"
The moment the gaunt soul master snatched the storage soul tool from Yu Xiaogang, his eyes flared with anger. Inside, there wasn't a scrap of food—only books. His expression twisted with rage as he lashed out, striking Yu Xiaogang across the face with a backhanded slap.
This scrawny scholar had the nerve to bring a storage soul tool into the City of Slaughter without packing any food inside. Just useless books that wouldn't even make decent toilet paper! He felt utterly cheated.
The slap left Yu Xiaogang reeling, his head spinning and his face stinging from the blow. But he forced himself to remain composed. He knew he couldn't afford to provoke these men. Even his disciple, Tang San, had been overpowered by them—how could he, a non-combatant, hope to stand up against them?
Despite their frustration over the lack of food, the gang still kept the storage soul tool, adding it to their haul. But next on their list was something even more sinister—blood.
The five men of the Evil Five had long grown accustomed to life in the City of Slaughter, a place where morality and decency held no sway. Upon spotting fresh newcomers like Tang San and Yu Xiaogang, they saw an opportunity not just for loot, but for survival.
In the City of Slaughter, blood was as valuable as gold. To remain in the outer district without being dragged into the hellish inner city, residents had to pay a price: two cups of blood each month, known as the "Bloody Mary" fee. This payment allowed them to avoid the deadly fights of the inner district's Hell Arena, but it came at a cost—both to their bodies and their sanity.
For most soul masters, donating blood in such quantities was no small feat. Even the strongest could find themselves weakened by the demand. So, predators like the Evil Five often turned to draining newcomers to fulfill their quota, extracting blood from those less powerful than themselves. It was the brutal law of the City of Slaughter: the strong preyed upon the weak.
And Tang San and Yu Xiaogang? They were easy prey.
After taking everything of value from Tang San's storage soul tool, the gang wasted no time. They pulled out several water skins, drained them, and readied their blades to draw fresh blood. The cruel smiles on their faces betrayed their excitement at the thought of securing their blood quotas with minimal effort.
But Yu Xiaogang couldn't bear to watch. Tang San was already battered and bruised from the fight. If they bled him too, there was a chance he might not survive. Summoning the last of his courage, Yu Xiaogang shouted, "Wait!"
The leader of the gang, the gaunt spear-wielder, turned his cold, murderous gaze upon Yu Xiaogang. "You looking to die, pretty boy?"
Yu Xiaogang's legs nearly gave out beneath him, but he forced a weak smile and replied, "Gentlemen, my disciple's already in a terrible state. If you bleed him now, I'm afraid he won't make it. Perhaps… if you must take blood, take mine instead. I'm older—there's more you can take."
Yu Xiaogang's voice trembled as he spoke, but he hoped his words would buy Tang San some time, a chance to recover. Deep down, he knew he couldn't defend his disciple physically, but this was the least he could do to shield him.
The members of the Evil Five exchanged glances, weighing Yu Xiaogang's offer. They needed to gather enough blood to fulfill their monthly quota—five pounds in total. Even for seasoned thugs like them, donating their blood would leave them weakened and vulnerable.
Tang San's injuries made him a risky target; extracting too much from him could kill him outright, and the City of Slaughter's laws were clear: kill someone in the outer district, and the enforcers would come for your head.
As the gang considered their options, the blood wolf spirit user suddenly eyed Yu Xiaogang with a different kind of hunger. The clean, neat appearance of the scholar, coupled with his delicate features, stirred something dark inside him.
In a place like the City of Slaughter, a place devoid of any sense of decency, those desires took on a desperate edge. The blood wolf user hadn't known the touch of a woman in years, and this refined-looking man seemed like a suitable outlet for his frustrations.
With a leer, he turned to his companions and whispered a few words. They glanced between Yu Xiaogang and each other, then slowly broke into wicked grins. The air grew thick with a sinister tension.
"Sure, pretty boy," the blood wolf spirit user sneered, turning back to Yu Xiaogang. "We'll let your disciple off easy. But in exchange… you're gonna keep us entertained."
Yu Xiaogang felt a chill run down his spine as the gang's intentions became clear. He backed away, his face growing pale with terror, but the circle of men around him closed in tighter. Their eyes gleamed with a vile, twisted hunger.