A chilling gaze traversed the dimly lit chamber, ultimately settling upon the vacant-eyed girl at the center of the vast room.
The newcomer gently waved his tattered sword, carelessly flinging the blood that clung to it onto the carpet below.
"Oh? Who might you be?" Upon witnessing the gruesome scene, the middle-aged count's eyes narrowed dangerously as he slowly rose to his feet. "Why have you slain so many of my subordinates? Do we have a history of enmity?"
The final words dripped with cold cruelty, leaving no doubt that the count's demeanor toward this sudden intruder, a merciless emperor of the underworld, was one of utter disdain.
Hearing their master's words, the thugs who had long followed him immediately grasped his intent. With a swift motion, they surrounded the indifferent cloaked figure, their sharp blades glinting ominously in the brilliant light.
In their eyes burned a singular ferocity; at Joseph's command, they would unhesitatingly reduce the man before them to mere fragments.
Yet, the man remained unmoved, standing resolutely as the thugs encircled him, showing no reaction whatsoever. Even the sword in his hand did not tremble. He merely shifted his cold gaze to Joseph's face and declared indifferently, "I have come to take her."
With his sword pointed at the vacant-eyed girl within the room, Xiao Mu Yu coldly proclaimed her ownership.
Noticing the man's gesture, the girl, who had appeared as lifeless as a marionette with severed strings, involuntarily trembled, her once hollow eyes beginning to ripple with a flicker of awareness.
Casting a cold glance at the girl, who seemed to have rekindled a glimmer of hope, the middle-aged noble remarked with icy sarcasm, "You are quite confident, aren't you? To dare venture into the Night Star alone, do you truly believe in your own strength?"
"Ah, while my strength may not be formidable, it is sufficient to deal with you for the time being." His tone remained devoid of emotion as the cloaked man stepped forward indifferently.
With a sickening sound, blood erupted as the bodies of the thugs were sent crashing against the walls and ceiling by an unseen force, as if they were mere ruptured water pipes.
Instantly, vibrant blossoms of crimson bloomed upon the once opulent ceiling and carpet, blood splattering in all directions.
The long sword pointed toward the ground, and no one could discern how this indifferent cloaked figure had struck; all the robust thugs, each possessing at least the strength of third-tier warriors, lay dead.
"Oh? It seems your strength is indeed impressive," Joseph remarked with a hint of astonishment, observing the aftermath yet showing no concern for the deaths of his subordinates. The underground emperor of Tianxin City could not help but smirk cruelly. "However, it is still not enough."
Silently, a cold-faced man materialized behind Xiao Mu Yu, an invisible aura of murderous intent halting the advance of the Beast Lord.
With a similarly expressionless countenance, the newcomer's gaze contained an indifference born of familiarity with life and death; when such a cold stare fell upon a person, it sent a shiver down their spine.
For when that gaze fixated upon someone, it signified its owner contemplating from which angle to strike, in order to draw the least blood while seizing the most vitality.
The assassin's gaze.
"…" With his back turned to the assassin, Xiao Mu Yu's eyes grew even colder.
(Ah, how foolish… I underestimated the presence of an eighth-tier powerhouse in this remote little city, and a stealthy assassin at that. Well then, human boy, what will you do? Heh heh… This is troublesome; assassins are inherently difficult to deal with, and you are in for a rough time! Hahaha…)
"…" The indifferent gaze remained fixed on the sneering middle-aged noble as Xiao Mu Yu coldly replied, "An assassin should lurk in the shadows; the unseen assassin is the most formidable of all, and your subordinate, upon revealing himself, has already… lost."
Proclaiming his victory with a detached demeanor, Xiao Mu Yu sheathed his sword.
With a swift motion, the cold assassin appeared beside Joseph, yet a trickle of blood stained his lowered waist.
It was only at this moment that the middle-aged noble widened his curious eyes in shock, astonished that one could so effortlessly defeat an eighth-tier assassin, especially without anyone being able to discern the manner of his attack.
The assassin's ability to evade that lethal strike was entirely due to the instincts honed through years of navigating the treacherous line between life and death.
"Tut tut… indeed impressive; I did not expect another strong contender to emerge on the continent," Joseph remarked with a mockingly applauding tone. "However, unless you are a saint-tier powerhouse, do not expect to easily seize anything from me."
As his words fell, the assassin beside him gradually faded into the air, leaving behind a faint, almost imperceptible aura of menace that lingered.
(Oh dear… human boy, you have faltered; what will you do next? Heh heh… You missed your chance to eliminate this assassin in one blow, and now it will be exceedingly difficult to provoke a flaw in him… So, will you concede?)
"…" Raising his head with indifference, Xiao Mu Yu coldly addressed the middle-aged noble, "Conditions."
"Hmm?" The noble, somewhat puzzled, inquired, "What conditions?"
"The condition for handing over this woman," Xiao Mu Yu explained without the slightest change in expression. "Everything possesses its own value, and this woman is no exception. Therefore, state your terms, and I shall offer a reward of equal worth, after which I will take her with me."
Chuckling in surprise, the middle-aged noble clapped his hands in amusement. "Ha ha… you are quite astute! Now, as for my condition… let me think. Honestly, I have yet to encounter a beauty like Yaya. If you wish to take her, you must find me a woman of equal quality. How about this: go and bring me the most beautiful songstress in the city, and I shall release this little girl. What do you say?"
"You mean to say, kidnap Freya?" Xiao Mu Yu asked indifferently.
"Exactly, kidnap Freya," the middle-aged noble laughed heartily.
"Kidnap me? How could that be?" The blue-haired girl exclaimed in astonishment. "Who would want to kidnap me?"
"Heh heh… I merely suggest that it is a possibility," the golden-haired youth named Ezreal replied with a sunny smile. "Sister Freya, you are so beautiful and sing so well; countless men on the continent would want to kidnap you to make you their wife."
"Are you out of your mind?" the blue-haired girl said, somewhat exasperated. "Is it amusing to make such jokes? It seems you've learned some bad habits during your years of wandering."
"Where's the bad in that?" Ezreal retorted. "I'm merely speaking the truth."
"With you here to protect me, who would dare to kidnap me?" Freya said, playfully raising a finger as pure as a young shoot. "Or have your adventures in the Shurima Desert made you lose your confidence? Oh dear, where has that self-assured young man gone?"
"Right here in front of you, Sister Freya," Ezreal replied with a grin.
"Hmph… I can't see it at all," the girl huffed, hands on her hips, ultimately unable to suppress a smile. "But you are still as enthusiastic as ever; arriving in Tianxin City and already saving someone bitten by a rabid dog. Truly, you are the most outstanding youth in Valoran."
"Uh… heh heh… it's nothing really," Ezreal said, scratching his head in embarrassment. "If anyone capable were in my place, I believe they would have acted just the same, right? But I seem to recall this isn't the first case of bites that has occurred recently, is it?"
"Indeed," the sentimental girl replied, her mood dimming slightly. "I don't know what's going on, but there have been dozens of rabies cases in Tianxin City lately, resulting in many injuries."
"Uh… doesn't the government do anything about it? Such matters are not trivial," Ezreal asked, puzzled.
"Ah… there's not much that can be done; it's not like this is an infectious disease that can be easily controlled," the blue-haired girl sighed.
The boy silently touched a pendant adorning his right hand, seemingly sensing something.