Chapter 27: Added to the Blacklist

Gu Yan curled up in the corner of the cave wall, trembling with fear as she felt some people leave while others stayed. The trauma from being humiliated by thugs and bandits had left a dark shadow over her heart, making her terrified of anyone other than her brother.

Liang Zi and Ke Yan watched Dong Haohu and Liu Haoran pursue their quarry deeper into the cave, unconcerned for their safety; a level six warrior and a peak level five warrior were more than enough to handle Xue Zhulin, who was only at the initial stage of level six.

Only after the two men disappeared into the darkness did Liang Zi and Ke Yan turn their attention to Gu Yan, who was visibly tense and afraid, her body still trembling. They observed her for a while, and soon confirmed that Gu Yan was just an ordinary girl.

Liang Zi gazed at her gently and called out, “Little sister, don’t be afraid. We’re not bad people.”

Ke Yan looked at Gu Yan with curiosity.

Gu Yan clung to her head, curled up against the wall, not daring to look at them. The darkness of the cave was so deep that even if she wanted to, she could barely make out their shapes.

Liang Zi approached quietly, squatted beside her, and reached out to take Gu Yan’s hand, saying softly, “Little sister, don’t be afraid.”

The moment her hand was grasped, Gu Yan’s body convulsed with instinctive fear, and she was about to struggle.

Liang Zi quickly released her and said, “Little sister, it’s pitch black in here. Who knows if there are poisonous snakes, centipedes, or other venomous creatures lurking about? It’s very dangerous to stay here. Why don’t I take you outside?”

Hearing this, Gu Yan glanced furtively around. Surrounded by darkness, her heart filled with unease; she felt even more panicked.

Liang Zi and Ke Yan waited patiently.

Summoning her courage, Gu Yan said, “I’m waiting for my brother.”

Ke Yan asked in confusion, “Your brother? Was it your brother who brought you here?”

Gu Yan sensed that these two didn’t seem like bad people—if they had meant her harm, they would have acted by now. Emboldened, she choked out through her tears, “My brother and I were fleeing from bandits. We escaped to this place, and he told me to hide in this cave while he went out to deal with the bandits.”

At this, Ke Yan and Liang Zi exchanged glances, both seeing shock in each other’s eyes.

Recalling the deafening explosion they’d heard earlier, they knew in their hearts that the brother Gu Yan was waiting for had most likely perished alongside the bandits.

It was this mutual destruction that astonished them even more. They were certain that only spirit wielders could unleash such devastating power in self-destruction.

They longed to know just how old Gu Yan’s brother was, to possess the strength of a spirit wielder. If he was older, it might be understandable, but if he was around their age—what a monstrous talent must he be?

Liang Zi took a deep breath and asked, “Little sister, how old is your brother?”

Gu Yan, thinking that they might have seen her brother, replied, “My brother only just turned sixteen.”

“What?” Liang Zi and Ke Yan exclaimed in unison. Sixteen? Even if he had self-destructed, to take a spirit wielder with him at that age, he must have at least reached the threshold of spirit wielding himself. A sixteen-year-old on the verge of becoming a spirit wielder was beyond their imagination.

Yet, the thought that such a genius had perished with the bandits made them sigh with regret. A genius who falls young is no longer a genius.

After their shock subsided, Gu Yan mustered her courage to ask, “Have you seen my brother? He’s rather thin, a little handsome, and his nose…”

Listening to her describe her brother, her voice filled with longing and affection, Liang Zi and Ke Yan could not bear to break her heart. Liang Zi lied gently, “We haven’t seen your brother. Perhaps he’s still chasing the bandits?”

Remembering her brother’s promise to return for her in twelve hours, Gu Yan guessed he must have gone back to Qianfeng Territory to hunt down the bandits. She recalled him saying that his current self was just an avatar, and even if he died, it didn’t matter. Only then did she feel a sense of relief.

Meanwhile, Gu Feng, watching from the resurrection space, saw that the two women bore no ill intent towards Gu Yan and finally relaxed. In fact, he hoped they would take Gu Yan with them—out here in the wilderness, anything could happen.

Just then, footsteps echoed from the depths of the cave.

Hearing the approaching footsteps, Ke Yan and Liang Zi breathed a sigh of relief and looked toward the cave’s interior. Seeing Dong Haohu and Liu Haoran emerge, chatting and laughing, confirmed their success.

Ke Yan hurried to Liu Haoran, seized his hand, and asked, “Haoran, how did it go?”

Liu Haoran replied with full confidence, “It was effortless.”

Liang Zi turned to Dong Haohu. “Haohu, did you kill Xue Zhulin?”

Liang Zi was a little uneasy. Xue Zhulin was the eldest son of the Xue family in Senyuan Town, ranked third among the five local geniuses, herself included. If he truly died, the Xue family would go mad with grief and rage.

Dong Haohu sneered, “We didn’t kill him, but Haoran crippled his cultivation. Whether he lives or dies now is up to fate.”

Ke Yan shrugged off Liang Zi’s concern. “Sister Liang Zi, don’t worry. Xue Zhulin was greedy and tried to keep all the treasures in the spirit wielder’s space ring for himself. He deserved what he got.”

Ke Yan’s thoughts turned to the space ring, and she looked at Liu Haoran with excitement. “Haoran, what about the space ring? Hurry, open it and let’s see what treasures are inside! I’m telling you, this space ring belonged to the bandits of Qianfeng Territory. They’ve been looting for years—there must be all kinds of good things inside.”

Hearing this, Dong Haohu tightened his grip on his weapon. Standing behind Liu Haoran, he estimated that if he launched a surprise attack, he had an eighty percent chance of gravely injuring or even killing him.

Dong Haohu glanced at Liang Zi, wanting to gauge her intentions.

Kind-hearted as she was, Liang Zi, feeling his gaze, subtly shook her head.

Neither of them realized that Liu Haoran had noticed everything—and had deliberately left an opening for Dong Haohu.

Dong Haohu wanted to monopolize the space ring, but so did Liu Haoran. In fact, on their way out, Liu Haoran had been tempted more than once. With his strength as a level six warrior, he could easily kill Dong Haohu if given the chance. But with Liang Zi, who was just as strong, waiting outside, he held back.

Killing Dong Haohu would be easy; killing Liang Zi would be much harder. More importantly, Liang Zi and Ke Yan were close friends, and Ke Yan would never support him in harming Liang Zi. So, for now, he restrained himself.

Ke Yan was no fool—she understood all too well the undercurrents in the group. Since nothing had happened, there was no need to lay bare the truth.

Liang Zi and Ke Yan exchanged a glance, then joined hands and said to Dong Haohu and Liu Haoran, “Take out the contents of the space ring. Let’s divide the spoils fairly, so there’s no bad blood between us.”

Liu Haoran made no objection.

Dong Haohu then looked at Gu Yan. “Wait, what about this girl?” he said, pointing at her and making a throat-slitting gesture.

This gesture, seen by Gu Feng in the resurrection space, earned Dong Haohu an immediate place on Gu Feng’s blacklist.