The little girl looked at him with suspicion and caution. However, since Xu Yang had just saved them, she didn't feel as hostile toward him as she did toward Zhou Che.
"No, my mom is waiting for me at home. We have to go back, or she'll be worried," the little girl said, ready to leave.
"Trying to leave? Not a chance. None of you are leaving today," a loud, arrogant voice interrupted.
Xu Yang turned around in annoyance and saw an old man walking toward him through the crowd.
This old man was wearing a light blue robe and holding an alchemy furnace.
Although he was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, he seemed to be an alchemist, which made him far more prestigious than a regular cultivator at this level.
The old man walked up to Xu Yang, sizing him up before smiling and saying, "You're just a Qi Refining cultivator, and yet you dare cause trouble at my Yaoshan Manor? Are you seeking death?"
Xu Yang was already tired of people like him. Not wanting to waste time, he asked directly, "What do you want? Are you here to cause trouble or for something else?"
Xu Yang had no interest in arguing with people like this. Right now, he just wanted to take the siblings and leave, so he could properly train them.
However, the old man's words irritated him.
"Hasn't your master taught you how to respect your elders?" the old man said coldly.
Xu Yang looked at the old man in disbelief. What did he just say?
Respect elders? This man was only in the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he was lecturing Xu Yang—who had lived for over a hundred thousand years—on respecting elders?
Xu Yang chuckled. After their brief exchange, he had already figured out that the old man was here to cause trouble.
Since that was the case, Xu Yang saw no need to be polite.
"Get lost!" Xu Yang shouted, sending a punch straight at the old man.
The punch was incredibly fast. Before the old man could react, Xu Yang's fist struck him squarely.
Blood spurted from the old man, and he was immediately sent flying.
Xu Yang clapped his hands, not even glancing back at the old man. He turned to the siblings and said, "You said your mom is waiting for you. Can you tell me more?"
The little girl wiped away her tears and spoke, "My mom is sick, she can't get out of bed, and there's no food left at home. We had no choice but to come out."
"Is that so?" Xu Yang nodded, indicating he understood.
"Alright, can you take me to your home? I can help cure your mother," Xu Yang said with a smile.
"Is that true?" The little girl looked up at Xu Yang, her face brightening with hope.
"I'm not lying," Xu Yang reassured her.
"Let's go, take me to your home," he said.
The little girl nodded, about to lead Xu Yang when suddenly, someone appeared in front of him.
"Trying to leave!? After killing my Yaoshan Manor's people, you think you can just leave…"
Boom!
Before the man could finish his sentence, Xu Yang punched him directly.
The man turned into a mist of blood, dissipating into the air.
"From now on, don't court death. I don't want to kill you, but if you insist on throwing yourself at me, I'll have no choice," Xu Yang said indifferently.
The onlookers were stunned, their faces filled with disbelief as they watched Xu Yang.
The man who had just appeared was the leader of Yaoshan Manor, a cultivator at the Golden Core stage.
Yet, a Golden Core cultivator had been instantly killed by Xu Yang.
The others were left speechless, feeling confused and stunned.
"Damn, what level of cultivation does he have?"
"Wasn't that the leader of Yaoshan Manor? He's a Golden Core cultivator."
"So what? He was still instantly killed by that mysterious person."
…
While everyone was discussing Xu Yang, he had already arrived at the little girl's home.
It was a very dilapidated wooden house, small and severely decayed, as though it could collapse at any moment.
Once inside, Xu Yang saw an elderly woman lying in bed. Her face was gray, and a foul odor emanated from her body.
"Poisoned," Xu Yang muttered to himself after a quick glance.
Poison was no problem for Xu Yang. He could easily prepare an antidote in no time.
However, in his eyes, this was a waste of time.
"Qing'er... who is this..." the elderly woman asked, coughing as she looked at Xu Yang, her eyes filled with suspicion.
"This is my savior," Liu Qing said, then told the woman about what had happened at Medicine Mountain Manor.
After hearing this, the elderly woman gave Liu Qing a reproachful look and said, "I told you not to go to those places. You didn't listen. Now you see? If it weren't for Young Master Xu, you wouldn't have come back today."
Liu Qing lowered her head, fiddling with her fingers, and said, "I wanted to be an alchemist. Why can't we become alchemists?"
Liu Qing's eyes were full of envy.
"Alchemist? That's not something just anyone can do. Why are you still thinking about it?" the elderly woman replied.
The little girl lowered her head in silence.
Xu Yang, feeling somewhat awkward as he was being ignored by the two of them, spoke up.
"Your daughter is very suited to becoming an alchemist. Not only that, your son is also very talented in this regard. I'm here today to take him as my disciple and teach him the art of alchemy."
The elderly woman, still skeptical, looked at Xu Yang. However, after hearing that Xu Yang had just killed a man with a single punch, her attitude toward him became respectful.
"Really? My daughter is rather foolish from a young age..." the elderly woman started to say, but Xu Yang interrupted her.
"I'm serious. Don't say anything else," Xu Yang said firmly.
He then walked up to the elderly woman's bed, placed a hand on her shoulder, and sent a stream of spiritual energy into her body.
Pfft…
In just a second, the elderly woman spat out a mouthful of black, foul-smelling blood.
"Mom! What's wrong with you?" The little girl ran up anxiously to check on her.
"Stay calm. I've cleared the poison. She can get up and move around now," Xu Yang said.
With that, the poison was expelled, and the accumulated toxins from the elderly woman's life were now gone.