Wife Gone

The little girl was about seven or eight years old, petite and frail.

Her short hair was light purple, and her coarse clothes were torn in many places, stained with dark reddish blood. She looked thoroughly bedraggled.

Sheng Cai'er!

Ye Tian instantly recognized the little girl's identity.

"Brother Tian, it's not a wild beast. It's a little girl."

Long Haochen immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Without saying anything, Ye Tian quickly walked over to Sheng Cai'er. Before he even got close, he could sense the icy aura around her that kept strangers at bay.

The sudden appearance startled Sheng Cai'er.

"Are you all right?" Ye Tian asked softly.

After staring at him for a moment, Sheng Cai'er gently shook her head. She reluctantly stretched out a hand and wrote a line on the ground: "I can't speak. Bad people are chasing me from behind. Big brother, big sister, please save me."

"Big sister?!"

Long Haochen cried out in confusion.

But when Sheng Cai'er looked at him, he seemed to realize something. His face reddened slightly as he explained, "I'm not a big sister. I'm a boy too!"

"Is this really the time to talk about that? Hurry up and go!"

Ye Tian grumbled helplessly, then bent down and picked Sheng Cai'er up in his arms.

However, before the three of them could run very far, several sharp whistling sounds tore through the air behind them.

"Too late!"

Smelling the increasingly strong stench of blood, Ye Tian could only set the girl in his arms down, grip his wooden sword, and turn to face behind him.

Sheng Cai'er quickly wrote on the ground, "They came for me. You should run!"

"We can't outrun them." Ye Tian shook his head, his expression grave.

As soon as he finished speaking, a group of black-clothed figures appeared before them.

They were all abnormally tall and gave off a pungent odor. Their exposed faces were covered in black fur, and their yellow eyes gleamed with ferocity, making them look especially vicious.

"That little brat can sure run. Too bad we still caught up to her."

"Enough nonsense. Kill them."

Two Wolf Demons instantly lunged at Ye Tian and the others.

"Haochen, protect yourself!"

Ye Tian had no time to say more. He could only shout a warning as he raised his sword and slashed at one of the Wolf Demons.

The wooden sword cut across it, leaving a bloody mark.

They aren't as strong as I imagined.

In that brief exchange, Ye Tian roughly gauged the Wolf Demon's strength. Like him, it was still at the first rank, and their levels were even fairly similar.

"Damn human, die!"

Pain flared through its arm, instantly enraging the Wolf Demon. It opened its blood-filled jaws and bit down at Ye Tian.

Ye Tian remained calm. He crouched and dodged, then viciously swept his wooden sword at the Wolf Demon.

Another bloody mark appeared, and the force of the blow sent it tumbling to the ground.

Naturally, Ye Tian would not miss such a good opportunity. Gripping the hilt with both hands, he leaped up and swung the wooden sword with all his might toward the Wolf Demon's forehead.

"Pfft!"

The sharp wooden sword pierced its eye socket and violently shredded its brain.

The Wolf Demon struggled for a moment before its body went completely limp.

Meanwhile, Long Haochen was struggling to evade the other Wolf Demon. His clothes bore numerous torn claw marks, leaving him in an utterly miserable state.

If I don't act now, he's done for!

Ye Tian silently grumbled to himself.

He remembered that someone from the Assassin Temple was protecting Sheng Cai'er. If that person still refused to show himself, then this pack of Wolf Demons would wipe them all out today.

"That's enough. Stay where you are!"

At that moment, an icy voice rang out from the forest.

A crystalline flash streaked past like lightning. Before anyone could see what had happened, the remaining Wolf Demons had already collapsed to the ground.

A whistling sound followed, and a white-robed figure appeared in their sight.

"Whew!" Ye Tian immediately let out a breath of relief.

Fortunately, he had deliberately followed them. Otherwise, if Long Haochen had faced this situation alone and some butterfly effect got him killed by accident, there would be nowhere to cry about it.

If the bound target died, who knew what would happen?

"Haochen, are you all right?"

Long Haochen shook his head, but he accidentally tugged at his injuries and grimaced in pain.

"It's time for us to return."

The White-robed Man suddenly spoke. His voice carried no emotion, yet those simple words held a chill like frost seeping into the bones.

Sheng Cai'er, however, was like a cat with its fur standing on end. With a flick of her hand, a dagger appeared, and she charged forward with all her strength.

Unlike her earlier frailty, she now resembled a fierce little tiger.

Yet there was ultimately an insurmountable gap between her and the White-robed Man. In a single breath, he subdued her and held her under control.

"Let her go!"

Long Haochen roared, gripping his wooden sword as he prepared to rush forward and save her.

"Calm down!" Ye Tian hurriedly reached out and pulled him back.

"Brother Tian?!" Long Haochen looked at him in confusion.

Ye Tian gently shook his head, then cupped his hands toward the White-robed Man. "Senior, you're from the Assassin Temple, aren't you?"

The White-robed Man merely glanced at him indifferently, with no intention of responding. Instead, his figure flashed, and he vanished from sight.

Ye Tian sensed that something was wrong. Before he could move, the back of his head suddenly went heavy, and his consciousness instantly sank into darkness.

Long Haochen fell to the ground beside him shortly afterward.

Seeing this, Sheng Cai'er, who was still being held, began struggling fiercely. Her body radiated scorching heat, and dark red light gradually enveloped her.

The White-robed Man was startled and quickly spoke up. "Calm down. I didn't hurt them. I only knocked them unconscious."

His words carried obvious helplessness.

Only then did Sheng Cai'er stop struggling. She looked up at the White-robed Man and began making hand gestures.

"All right. Since they didn't abandon you, I can agree to your request. But afterward, you must come back with me."

Sheng Cai'er's eyes flickered, but she still nodded.

The White-robed Man immediately sighed in relief and set Sheng Cai'er down.

A ball of white light lit up from his chest. Faintly, a furnace could be seen within it, filled with burning blue flames.

The White-robed Man lightly brushed his hand across the flames. Two wisps of fire fell separately onto Ye Tian and Long Haochen, then sank back into their bodies moments later.

After doing all this, the White-robed Man let out a long breath, and a trace of weariness appeared between his brows.

"All right. I used the power of the Spirit Furnace to clear their Twelve Meridians and burn away their impurities. Their potential has risen by at least one level, but how far they can go in the future depends on their own fortunes."

"I've done what I promised you. You should come back with me now."

Sheng Cai'er said nothing. She simply walked over to Ye Tian and placed the Blue Ring on the middle finger of his left hand.

"Cai'er, you..."

The White-robed Man cried out softly, his brows immediately furrowing.

But when he saw the stubborn look in the girl's eyes, he ultimately said nothing. With a helpless sigh, he took her hand, leaped into the air, and disappeared into the depths of the forest.

Only Ye Tian and Long Haochen remained lying on the ground, the ring on his finger faintly gleaming.