Chapter 28: Gu Yan Is Taken Away

Liang Zi frowned at Dong Hao Hu’s behavior, feeling discontent with him for the first time. Ke Yan and Liu Haoran, too, were disappointed in Dong Hao Hu. In fact, Liu Haoran hoped Liang Zi and Dong Hao Hu would fall out with each other; if Dong Hao Hu were dealt with, there’d be one less person to share the spoils.

Noticing Liang Zi’s expression, Dong Hao Hu realized he had made a mistake. He forced a smile and said, “I was just joking, really! Liang Zi, you have to believe me.”

Sensing the tension, Ke Yan turned to Liu Haoran and said, “Hurry up, pour out everything from the spatial ring so we can see what’s inside.”

Liu Haoran glanced at Liang Zi and Dong Hao Hu, then gave Ke Yan a gentle smile before upending the spatial ring’s contents.

With a clatter, a mountain of items appeared out of thin air, filling the cave. In the revival space, Gu Feng gazed at the pile—gold coins made up the majority, their allure irresistible for someone as poor as he was. There were also many weapons and pieces of equipment, several martial arts manuals, some healing pills, medicinal herbs, and all manner of strange objects.

The system gave Gu Feng a quick estimate: if all of these were converted into gold coins, their value would exceed one hundred million.

Staring at the pile, Gu Feng’s soul was filled with envy. All of it should have been his.

The four—Liang Zi and her companions—were equally stunned, never expecting a bandit at the Spirit Master level to be this wealthy. This hoard could rival the treasuries of their own families.

Naturally, all four were filled with greed. Liang Zi and Dong Hao Hu stood together, wary of Ke Yan and Liu Haoran, who were equally vigilant in return.

Liang Zi and Ke Yan exchanged glances. Though close as sisters, the wealth before them was too great a temptation. If any one of them obtained it, their family’s power would soon surpass the others.

A few luminous pearls lit the dark cave. Gu Yan looked up at the treasure, utterly dumbfounded. From childhood, she’d never even touched a gold coin; faced with such riches, how could she not be stunned?

Gulp.

Gu Yan couldn’t help but swallow. The tiny sound was unusually clear in the tense silence, drawing four wary gazes her way.

When the four saw Gu Yan’s face, they were all taken aback by her beauty.

Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran, both grown men, stared at Gu Yan, their eyes burning with desire. Such a lovely girl—if one could take her as a wife, what happiness that would be.

Ke Yan and Liang Zi noticed the men’s looks and, with angry frowns, spoke in unison to their respective partners, “Pretty, isn’t she? Want to take her home?”

Dong Hao Hu was lost in pleasant daydreams. When Liang Zi spoke, he blurted out, “Sure!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it, especially seeing Liang Zi’s face darken. He hastily tried to explain, “Liang Zi, let me explain—dividing the loot is more important right now! We can talk about this later.”

Liang Zi, about to explode, held her anger in check at the mention of the loot, turning instead to Liu Haoran and Ke Yan, who seemed to be hoping for a quarrel. She ignored Dong Hao Hu.

Liu Haoran, disappointed they hadn’t fallen out, felt Ke Yan’s unfriendly gaze and sighed, “Ke Yan, let’s split the loot before we discuss anything else.”

“How do we divide it?” all four asked in unison.

Of them, Liang Zi was the sharpest, and the others turned to her for guidance.

Liang Zi stepped forward, “The spatial ring itself counts as part of the treasure, so…”

After more than three hours of negotiation, the four finally finished dividing up the loot, worth over one hundred million gold coins. None had any objections to the arrangement. Once done, all four turned their gaze to Gu Yan, who had witnessed their division of spoils.

Seeing their eyes on her, Gu Yan shrank back in fear, edging closer to the cave wall.

Liang Zi, with a kind heart, approached and reached out her hand. “Little sister, your brother has gone after the bandits and won’t be back soon. We’re leaving, but it could be dangerous for you to stay here alone. Why not come home with me?”

Seeing Liang Zi’s gentle, beautiful face, Gu Yan instinctively trusted her and was tempted by the offer. But remembering her brother was supposed to come for her, she worried he wouldn’t find her if she left. Though fearful, she shook her head and declined.

Liang Zi understood Gu Yan’s reasoning. She also knew that Gu Yan’s brother was not coming back; if she stayed, she would likely fall prey to wild beasts.

Thinking it over, Liang Zi lied, “Little sister, how about this? Come with us. We’ll leave my family’s address here, and when your brother returns, he’ll see it and know to fetch you from my home. How about that?”

Gu Yan looked into Liang Zi’s sincere eyes. Alone, she was truly frightened, and Liang Zi’s suggestion seemed reasonable. She nodded, took Liang Zi’s hand, and was pulled to her feet.

Now standing, her whole figure visible—though only about five foot six—Gu Yan was well-developed and strikingly beautiful. Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran were both stunned by her beauty.

Ke Yan and Liang Zi were also amazed. Though young, the girl was as lovely as a fairy. Both women glanced at their partners.

Sensing their looks, Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran quickly averted their gazes, pretending to be fascinated by the stone wall.

Gu Yan, understanding their reactions, blushed deeply and introduced herself shyly, “My name is Gu Yan.”

“Little sister, I’m Liang Zi. You can call me Sister Zi.”

“And I’m Ke Yan. Just call me Sister Yan.”

“Little sister—” Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran tried to introduce themselves at the same time, but Liang Zi and Ke Yan cut them off. “We’ve finished up here. Let’s go!” Each gave her man a glare.

Ke Yan took Gu Yan’s other hand, and with Liang Zi helping her mark the address, the three of them headed for the cave’s mouth, ignoring the sulking Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran.

As Gu Yan left, she kept looking back, reluctant to go—mainly afraid her brother wouldn’t find her.

Dong Hao Hu and Liu Haoran, seeing her extraordinary beauty each time she turned, felt their desires stir, wanting to possess her.

In the revival space, Gu Feng watched them take Gu Yan away. He couldn’t help but worry—especially about Dong Hao Hu, whom he did not trust, and as for Liu Haoran, he didn’t seem any better.

Gu Feng memorized the address they left behind, then checked the time before his revival: six hours and twenty-nine minutes.

As Ke Yan and Liang Zi led Gu Yan toward the cave’s entrance, they worried she might see the bloodshed outside and planned to cover her eyes as they left.

Suddenly, a wolf’s howl rang out—piercing and thunderous.

Then, dozens of wolves howled in unison.

Hearing the pack’s calls, all five of them turned pale with alarm.