The enchanting woman stared at Ye Xuan with hatred, not saying a word. Ye Xuan shot her a cold glance, then turned to look at the three men not far away, saying, "I'm just passing by. I have no interest in meddling in your affairs."
With that, he returned to the campfire by the carriage.
Heroically saving a beauty? Ye Xuan was no fool. In this world, where would there be so many beauties waiting for someone to save them?
While traveling, one had to be wary. If he wasn't careful, he might end up dead without even his bones remaining.
Moreover, he wasn't going to involve himself in others' business without knowing the full story. Besides, the enchanting woman had tried to use him earlier, disregarding his situation or safety—this proved that she wasn't a good person either.
Seeing Ye Xuan step back, the three men exchanged glances. The middle-aged man cupped his hands toward Ye Xuan, then turned to look at the woman lying on the ground. "Qin Shang, hand over the item, and I'll give you a quick death!"
The woman, named Qin Shang, backed against a tree and sneered, "Mo Cun, if I were you, I'd turn around and run for my life right now."
The middle-aged man's eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you mean?"
Clip-clop, clip-clop...
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats echoed from not far away.
Seeing this, the middle-aged man's expression changed drastically. "You called for reinforcements!"
Qin Shang sneered. "What do you think?"
The middle-aged man stared at Qin Shang for a moment, then said, "Fine, my Mo family will remember this!" With that, he and his companions turned and disappeared into the night.
Now only Ye Xuan and Qin Shang were left in the clearing.
Qin Shang looked at Ye Xuan, wiped the blood from her lips, and walked over to him. "What, you're not planning on running away?"
Ye Xuan shook his head. He couldn't run, nor did he have the option to run—his sister was still with him.
Qin Shang sized Ye Xuan up. "You seem strong, but judging by your clothes, you're probably not some noble. You know, if you'd helped me earlier, you would've gained a valuable favor. Do you know what that would mean for someone like you?"
Ye Xuan glanced at her. "Perhaps just a debt."
Qin Shang sneered. "A debt? Well, now it's a grudge!"
At that moment, the carriage curtain was lifted, and Ye Ling emerged, wrapped in a thick blanket.
Ye Xuan immediately put down the stick he'd been using to stoke the fire, then walked over to Ye Ling, speaking gently. "Did we wake you?"
Ye Ling nodded slightly and glanced at Qin Shang, asking softly, "Brother, is everything okay?"
Ye Xuan smiled. "Everything's fine."
Just as Ye Xuan spoke, more than ten men on horseback rode up behind Qin Shang. The leader dismounted and approached Qin Shang, asking, "Miss, are you alright?"
Qin Shang turned and slapped the man hard across the face. "Alright? You think I'm alright? Why didn't you come sooner?"
The man quickly dropped to one knee. "I apologize for arriving late, Miss. Please forgive me."
Qin Shang snorted coldly. "I'll deal with you later." She then turned her gaze to Ye Xuan and his sister. "Now, let's settle our little issue."
Ye Xuan thought for a moment, then said, "My sister and I are just passing through. We want no trouble."
Qin Shang stepped closer, her beautiful face twisting into a sneer. "No trouble? Sure, kneel down and kowtow to me a hundred times, and I'll let you and your sister go. How about it?"
Ye Xuan frowned. "Just because I didn't let you use me? Pardon me, but I don't believe I owe you anything. Why should I help you?"
Qin Shang stood right in front of him, her smile turning even more malicious. "I want you to understand the consequences of not helping me earlier. You—"
Before she could finish, Ye Xuan suddenly sprang into action. Before she could react, Ye Xuan's hand struck her cheek hard.
Smack!
The loud slap echoed through the dark night.
Qin Shang was knocked to the ground, her face stunned. She couldn't believe it—how could this man dare attack her under these circumstances?
The men around her quickly rushed forward, but they stopped just as quickly, for Ye Xuan's foot was now pressed firmly against Qin Shang's stomach.
Ye Xuan stared down at her coldly. "Some people just don't understand words, do they?"
With that, he leaned down and slapped her across the face again.
Smack!
Qin Shang's once-beautiful face swelled instantly.
"Outrageous!" The leader of the men shouted angrily, "Do you know who she is? She is Miss Qin of the Qin family from Luo City!"
Luo City.
Ye Xuan knew of it—it wasn't far from Qing City.
Ye Xuan glanced at the man. "If I were you, I'd be apologizing and begging for forgiveness right now."
Talking tough? Anyone could do that. Often, those who talked the toughest were the weakest. The weaker someone was, the more fiercely they talked.
"I-I'm sorry!" Qin Shang, lying beneath his foot, suddenly spoke, her voice trembling. "Young Master, I apologize for not recognizing your strength earlier. Please, spare me. My Qin family will reward you greatly."
Ye Xuan looked down at her. Her face no longer showed arrogance—only pitiful weakness. Yet her hands were clenched tightly.
Ye Xuan smiled slightly, then stomped hard on her throat.
Crack!
The sound of bones breaking filled the air. Qin Shang's eyes widened in shock, disbelief, and regret.
Seeing Ye Xuan kill Qin Shang, the men stood there in stunned silence.
Ye Xuan removed his foot, then returned to Ye Ling's side. He gently ruffled her hair. "She wasn't begging for forgiveness. She just wanted to get away temporarily and then take revenge."
He wasn't someone who liked to explain himself, but he didn't want his sister to see him as cold and heartless.
Ye Ling shook her head and hugged his arm tightly. "No matter if you're right or wrong, I'll always stand by your side."
Warmth flowed through Ye Xuan's heart. He turned to the men still standing there. "Well? Aren't you going to fight?"
These men were all below the fourth level, which meant they were no threat to him.
The leader stared at Ye Xuan. "Who are you?"
Ye Xuan spoke calmly, "I'm Ye, from Qing City."
The leader's expression changed. "Qing City... a Ye... you're from the Ye family!"
Ye Xuan's face darkened. "I'm not with the Ye family, really!"
But how could the leader believe that? He motioned for his men to take Qin Shang's body, but just as they moved, Ye Xuan walked over, kicked the black pouch from Qin Shang's waist into his hand.
Seeing this, the leader's face turned even darker.
The man glared at Ye Xuan, then said, "The Qin family will remember this, Ye family!"
With that, the group left, taking Qin Shang's body with them.
They didn't dare attack—Qin Shang had been in the Air Mastery Realm, yet she was defeated in one move. Even if Ye Xuan's success was partly due to surprise, strength still mattered.
Once the group had left, Ye Xuan opened the black pouch, his expression changing instantly.
Spirit stones!
Inside the pouch were sixteen spirit stones!
Spirit stones, containing the world's essence energy, were of great help to cultivators. Spirit stones were divided into lower-grade, upper-grade, top-grade, jade-grade, celestial-grade, and divine-grade.
In Qing City, even lower-grade spirit stones were rare. The pouch he held was full of upper-grade stones, and there was even a top-grade stone among them!
One lower-grade spirit stone could be traded for at least a hundred gold pieces—enough for an average family to live comfortably for ten years.
And now, he had sixteen upper-grade spirit stones.
Even the Ye family didn't have this many upper-grade stones.
Jackpot!
Ye Xuan put the pouch away, his expression growing serious. He had no idea where Qin Shang had obtained so many upper-grade spirit stones, but it was clear neither the Qin family nor the group that had chased her would let them go easily.
The lifeblood of noble families might be their gold mines, but to truly thrive and rise above other low-level clans, spirit stones were essential. Only spirit stones could cultivate more powerful warriors.
With these stones, a family could produce several Air Mastery cultivators, or even a Void Master.
Realizing this, Ye Xuan quickly extinguished the campfire, then drove the carriage onward.
As Ye Xuan had predicted, about half an hour after he'd left, a middle-aged man and an elderly man appeared at the clearing where Ye Xuan had camped.
The middle-aged man was none other than Qin Ba, the head of the Qin family—a Void Master! The old man behind him was also a Void Master!
Qin Ba surveyed the area, then said in a low voice, "I've heard that the Ye family in Qing City produced a Chosen One named Ye Lang, who even triggered a heavenly omen. Could it be him?"
Although Qing City and Luo City were close, there was still some distance between them. The Qin family wasn't a major power, so they lacked good intelligence—they still didn't know about the current situation with the Ye family in Qing City.
The old man behind Qin Ba said, "Whether it is Ye Lang or not, it's definitely someone from the Ye family. This matter is connected to the Ye family for sure."
Qin Ba nodded, his tone cold. "I'll make a trip to Qing City to demand an explanation from the Ye family. As for that person, he shouldn't be far. Qin Yue, follow and track him down. If it's Ye Lang, don't underestimate him."
The old man named Qin Yue nodded, his toes lightly tapping the ground as he disappeared into the darkness like a spirit monkey.
Qin Ba clenched his right hand, his face grim. "Well played, Ye family, well played indeed."
With that, he turned and vanished from sight.
In the dark of night, Ye Xuan drove the carriage onward, relying on the faint moonlight to see the road ahead.
"Brother, why did that woman want to harm us?"
"Because she thought we were easy targets."
"So if people think you're easy to bully, they'll bully you?"
"A lot of people are like that. In this world, if you're not ruthless, you can't stand."
"Brother, have you killed many people before?"
"Yes. And I'll probably kill more in the future."
"Why?"
"Because I have a bad temper, and I don't take kindly to being provoked. If someone messes with me, I want to kill them."
"..."