"During this time, please help me take care of Xiaoyu," Yang Lei said to Dongfang Xiaoyu. He planned to go to Yan Mountain to level up, leaving him no time to protect Xiaoyu. If she stayed in the royal manor alone, she would definitely be bullied. As his most trusted person, Yang Lei couldn't bear to see her suffer.
"No! Young Master, are you abandoning me?" Upon hearing she was being sent away, Xiaoyu panicked.
"Of course not, Xiaoyu. How could I bear to part with you? You've always been so good to me. But I have something important to do, and I'm worried they might harm you while I'm away. That's why I'm asking Sister Xiaoyu to look after you. Do you want me to worry about you while I'm gone?"
"Young Master, I'll listen to you," Xiaoyu said, relieved to know she wasn't being abandoned.
"Sister Xiaoyu," Yang Lei turned to Dongfang Xiaoyu.
"I don't mind taking care of her, but what exactly are you planning to do? Are you going to fight them? You can't possibly win against them," Dongfang Xiaoyu asked seriously. She knew Yang Lei had been unable to cultivate. If he opposed Yang Tian and the others, it would be suicide.
"I'm not going to fight them yet. That's why I need to leave and train," Yang Lei replied.
Dongfang Xiaoyu was shocked. "Leave and train? Why not come with me to Xuanji Sect instead?"
"Sister Xiaoyu, I have my own plans. I will grow stronger. In six months, I will make everyone astonished. Those who looked down on me, those who hurt me—I will make them pay a hundredfold," Yang Lei said with determination.
"Xiao Lei," Dongfang Xiaoyu murmured.
"Young Master," Xiaoyu said worriedly.
"No more discussion. Xiaoyu, you will leave with Sister Xiaoyu today," Yang Lei said as he took out two items: a jade hairpin and 500 silver taels. He handed them to Xiaoyu. "Xiaoyu, keep these. This hairpin belonged to my mother. Once you accept it, you are mine. When I become strong enough, I will come to Xuanji Sect to take you back. Remember to listen to Sister Xiaoyu. If possible, train hard with her."
Xiaoyu blushed and felt sweetness in her heart. Though she was reluctant, she shook her head. "Young Master, I can't accept this hairpin. I am just a servant..."
"You are not just a servant. To me, you are a good girl. You've served me without complaint all this time. You deserve this," Yang Lei insisted.
Dongfang Xiaoyu felt a strange discomfort in her heart.
"Xiaoyu, just accept it. It's his sincerity," she said.
Xiaoyu finally accepted the hairpin, resolving to work hard so she could protect and serve Young Master in the future.
Seeing Xiaoyu accept the gift, Yang Lei turned to Dongfang Xiaoyu. "Sister Xiaoyu, please take care of Xiaoyu for me. One year from now, I will surprise you."
"I don't need any reward," Dongfang Xiaoyu replied, holding Xiaoyu's hand. "I will take good care of her. But promise me you won't act recklessly. If anything happens, bring this jade pendant to Xuanji Sect and find me." She took off a pendant from her waist and handed it to Yang Lei. The cool touch of the jade and the engraved words "Dongfang Xiaoyu" showed it was not an ordinary item.
"Alright, Sister Xiaoyu. I'm leaving now," Yang Lei said, turning away without hesitation.
"Take care. Don't overestimate yourself."
"Miss Dongfang, Young Master… he will be fine, right?" Xiaoyu asked while looking at Yang Lei's back.
"He will succeed. He will amaze us all," Dongfang Xiaoyu said with an unreadable expression.
After leaving Drunken Immortal Tavern, Yang Lei did not return to the Weiwu Royal Manor. He knew it was dangerous. The disappearance of Yang Xiong would definitely raise suspicions, and he would be the primary suspect. Although he could cultivate now, he was only at Qi Refining Level 2, not even a full-fledged martial artist. Facing them would be suicide.
So, Yang Lei made the rational choice to head straight for Yan Mountain.
Of course, he couldn't go empty-handed. He needed to prepare supplies: medicine, food, weapons, and more.
After giving Xiaoyu 500 taels, he had 500 left. By the time he finished shopping, all of it was gone. But at least he was prepared.
With everything ready, Yang Lei stepped into Yan Mountain.
Yan Mountain was located in the western part of Qianyuan Kingdom, not too far from the capital, but still a considerable distance away. It took Yang Lei half a day to walk to the outskirts.
Half an hour into the mountain, Yang Lei spotted his first target—a Flame Mouse.
Flame Mice were first-level magical beasts with fire attributes and could attack using "Flame Arrow."
Kill!
To level up, he had to kill Flame Mice without hesitation.
Locking onto his target, Yang Lei gripped his steel dagger and lunged.
One hit, instant kill.
The system notification sounded:
"Ding! Congratulations, you have slain a Level 1 Flame Mouse. EXP +15, Qi Power +5, obtained Flame Mouse Meat."
"D*mn it, that's so little! Not even a good drop," Yang Lei muttered in frustration. But he knew his current strength was limited. Aside from Flame Mice, he wasn't capable of hunting stronger magical beasts.
"I'll kill! Kill! Kill!"
This area was full of Flame Mice, so Yang Lei began a massacre.
Three days later, after slaughtering over a thousand Flame Mice—including a Flame Mouse King—Yang Lei finally reached Level 8.
Flame Mice rarely dropped anything valuable, but the best loot he got was a Flame Ring.
"Ding! Congratulations, Player Yang Lei has reached Level 8. Would you like to view your stats?"
"View."
Player: Yang LeiLevel: 8Root Bone: 5HP: 200Qi Power: 5000Points: 200Free Attribute Points: 0Techniques: Xuan Yuan Art (First Layer)Skills: NoneEquipment: Steel Dagger, Flame Ring
Then, a surprise system notification popped up:
"Ding! Due to killing 1000 Flame Mice, you have obtained the title 'Flame Mouse Slayer.' Reward: Spatial Ring!"
This made Yang Lei ecstatic. A Spatial Ring!
Although the system provided an inventory, it was too small to hold much. He had to discard a lot of Flame Mouse meat, even though it was delicious and kept hunger at bay.
Spatial Ring: 3 cubic meters of storage, can store items but not living creatures.
Spatial rings were rare treasures. Yang Lei knew that in Chongwu Continent, such an item could be sold for an astronomical price—at least 10,000 gold taels—and it was still priceless due to its rarity.