No Difference

After leaving the Odin Sub-temple, Ye Tian's steps were especially light.

"Haoyue City?"

The thought of leaving Odin Town for a more prosperous city and seeing a broader world filled Ye Tian with anticipation.

Though he could grow stronger by staying in Odin Town and doing nothing, that would truly be no different from muddling through life and waiting to die.

To become a true powerhouse, one needed not only great strength, but also sufficient experience and unshakable conviction.

"Then I'll go see it for myself in advance. I can't stay cooped up in Odin Town forever, can I?"

After all, not everyone had the patience to become the Sword God of Ten-Mile Slope.

But before heading to Haoyue City, he still needed to discuss it with his mother.

Ye Tian gathered his thoughts and hurried home.

"Please move aside, or I'll call for help!"

Halfway there, a familiar voice suddenly reached his ears.

It was clearly a woman's voice, cool and gentle, yet laced with anger.

"Don't be so cold. We're not bad people. We just want to be friends with Madam Bai and perhaps offer you some help in your daily life."

"That's right, that's right. We're very warmhearted people. Of course, we can't put in all that effort for nothing. We only need Madam to give us a little something in return."

"Madam Bai must have it hard raising a child alone. You wouldn't want your child to get bullied, would you?"

"..."

Three middle-aged men who looked like thugs spoke frivolously as they closed in with malicious intent.

A lewd glint flashed through one man's eyes. Taking advantage of Bai Yue's inattention, he reached out to grab her.

"Don't touch me!"

Bai Yue was shocked and furious. Her pretty face went pale as she desperately backed away.

"Ah!" She seemed to step on something, and her body tilted as she fell toward the ground.

As her view slowly turned toward the sky, Bai Yue instinctively closed her eyes.

Yet the pain she had expected never came. Instead, she fell into a warm embrace.

"Aunt Bai Yue, are you all right?"

The familiar crisp voice made Bai Yue open her eyes instinctively.

"Xiao Tian!"

When she saw Ye Tian's gentle smile, Bai Yue could not help feeling wronged.

Looking at that breathtakingly beautiful face so close to him, a surge of anger rose in Ye Tian's chest.

"It's all right now, Aunt Bai Yue. Leave the rest to me!"

Ye Tian slowly helped Bai Yue to her feet before stepping toward the three middle-aged men who looked like thugs.

"Xiao Tian..."

Bai Yue wanted to say something, but as she looked at Ye Tian's not particularly broad back, a sense of security suddenly rose in her heart for some reason.

Ye Tian slowly drew the wooden sword from his back and stopped.

His gaze at the three men was icy.

"Apologize!"

"Where the hell did this little brat come from? Get lost!"

However, the three thugs did not take him seriously at all. Instead, their faces were full of mockery.

Seeing this, Ye Tian did not waste any more words. He charged forward in a single stride, raised the wooden sword high, and brought it down at one man's shoulder.

"Ah!"

With a scream, one of them was slashed to the ground.

A level-one Attendant Knight possessed the strength of a normal adult, while Ye Tian now had a full sixty-five points of External Spiritual Power. Beating up a few ordinary people who were not even Knight Attendants was as easy as playing around.

"Damn little bastard, die!"

Seeing their companion cut down, the other two men twisted their faces viciously.

With evil thoughts emboldening them, they pulled daggers from their waists and lunged at Ye Tian.

"Xiao Tian, be careful!"

Seeing this, Bai Yue hurriedly called out a warning from behind him.

Ye Tian tightened his grip on the wooden sword. His eyes grew colder, and even a trace of killing intent appeared within them.

He sidestepped the incoming dagger, and his wooden sword shot out like lightning, wrapped in a faint layer of white light.

With a wet stab, one man's abdomen was instantly pierced through.

Blood dripped onto the ground.

"Ah!"

A piercing scream rang out at once.

Such ruthless methods naturally terrified the last man. His legs could not stop trembling, and even the dagger in his hand could not give him any sense of security.

Without hesitation, he turned and tried to flee.

But then he heard the sound of something slicing through the air behind him. Pain exploded in his calf, and he immediately fell to the ground.

"I was wrong! I'll apologize! I'll never dare do it again!"

Seeing Ye Tian gradually approach, the middle-aged thug hurriedly begged for mercy.

Ye Tian shook his head and sneered. "You only know that you're about to die."

"Aren't you a knight? You're supposed to protect humans! You can't kill me!"

"Sorry, but to me, you're no different from demons. Besides, I want to become a Punishment Knight. Scum like you are on my kill list too!"

Ye Tian swept his sword sideways, cutting open all three of their throats in succession.

Blood sprayed forth, scattering everywhere.

After doing all that, Ye Tian flicked the blood from his wooden sword, his expression showing no discomfort whatsoever.

He had already seen blood yesterday. These human scum were no different from the Wolf Demon he had encountered yesterday, so killing them placed no psychological burden on him.

However, the bloody scene still gave Bai Yue quite a fright.

"Xiao Tian, wasn't that a little too much...?"

Ye Tian smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. These guys probably haven't been harassing you for the first time, Aunt Bai Yue. Since they refused to change, they brought this upon themselves."

"Even taking a step back, they were the ones who tried to kill me first. It was self-defense, so I wouldn't be afraid even if this reached the Knight Holy Temple."

"Besides, even if I let them go today, they might seek revenge in secret later. I don't want to regret a moment of softness for the rest of my life!"

With things put that way, Bai Yue said no more.

After all, Ye Tian had saved her. Naturally, she could not fail to appreciate it.

"Then what should we do now?"

"Just leave it alone. I'll tell Instructor Balza about this, and he'll handle it fairly!"

Only after hearing Ye Tian's words did Bai Yue breathe a sigh of relief.

"Don't worry, Aunt Bai Yue. I'll take you home first!"

"No, I still need to go to work... Ah, hiss!"

Bai Yue waved her hand and was about to take a step when she suddenly cried out in pain.

Looking down, she saw that her fair, delicate ankle was already red and swollen.

Bai Yue had always been frail and delicate. How could she withstand such intense movement just now?

"Aunt Bai Yue, you've sprained your ankle. Don't go to the Laundry Room today. Go home and rest first!"

Ye Tian's voice was gentle, yet it carried an undeniable firmness.

"This... all right!"

After hesitating again and again, Bai Yue could only agree helplessly.

"Get on. I'll take you home first, Aunt Bai Yue!"

Ye Tian tied the wooden sword at his waist, turned around, and slowly crouched down.

"That won't be necessary, Xiao Tian. I can make it back myself. Look... mmph!"

Just as she tried to prove it, she aggravated the sprain and cried out in pain again.

Ye Tian did not waste any words. He pulled Bai Yue's arms around his neck, held her thighs at his waist with both hands, and slowly stood up.

"Ah!" Bai Yue was startled and instinctively wrapped her arms tightly around Ye Tian's neck.

This brought them even closer together, and Ye Tian could distinctly feel her curvaceous figure.

"Hold on tight, Aunt Bai Yue."

Ye Tian took a deep breath and carried Bai Yue forward with steady steps.