Setting Fire

Having made his choice among the three options, Xiao Ming wasted no time. Soul Power surged from between his brows and spread out before him in preparation.

He silently recited in his mind, "Choose six hundred thousand gold coins."

At once, piles of gold coins resembling small mountains appeared out of thin air before Xiao Ming. Beneath the faint moonlight, they radiated a dazzling brilliance, and for a brief instant, the dim room seemed as bright as day.

Fortunately, Xiao Ming had prepared in advance. Using Soul Power to support them, he began stuffing the coins into his Na Ring the instant they appeared. Thanks to his previous experience, he easily stored every last coin before him, his movements practiced and smooth.

The yellow glow in the room lasted only an instant before vanishing.

Xiao Ming's room was on the second floor of the Inn, and outside the rear window lay several small courtyards belonging to the Inn.

At that moment, a burly man dressed in a tight yellow outfit rubbed his eyes, then raised his head to glance at the window of Xiao Ming's room. A puzzled expression appeared on his face.

"Did I see it wrong? That shouldn't be... just now, I clearly..."

"Ding Lao'er, why are you standing around here muttering to yourself? Didn't Big Brother tell you to notify Scarface and the others that it was time to make their move? Aren't you afraid someone will spot you lingering in this courtyard? Let me tell you, if you alarm these fat sheep, Big Brother definitely won't let you off easily. In a fit of rage, he might even capture you and sell you along with them. I'm telling you, the ones trading with us this time are from the Blood Sect. They love strong, sturdy men like you. Don't let them suck you dry, hahaha."

A thin figure silently emerged from the northern side of the courtyard.

Hearing those words, Ding Lao'er dismissed the thoughts in his mind and turned back with an annoyed expression.

Staring at the thin figure, he said mockingly, "You're one to talk. You're speaking so loudly, as if you're afraid nobody will hear you. When the time comes, let's see whether Big Brother captures you or me."

"Capture me?" In response to Ding Lao'er's retort, the thin man revealed a sinister smile as though he had heard a joke.

Seeing that look on his face, Ding Lao'er frowned. Losing interest, he could not be bothered to say more to someone who constantly clashed with him.

If this fellow had not been somewhat useful, and if the boss had not stopped him, he would have beaten this guy to death long ago.

Ding Lao'er thought to himself. After snorting coldly, he left with his hands clasped behind his back and headed toward the Inn's main hall.

The thin man remained where he was for a while. He had only deliberately picked a fight just now.

The two had never gotten along. Whenever he found an opportunity, he liked making Ding Lao'er uncomfortable, even though the other man was stronger than him.

That was one of life's pleasures for him. Besides, it was not as though he had never killed someone of a higher realm before. In the Black Corner Region, people of higher realms being overturned by those beneath them was a daily occurrence. In any case, he was not the least bit afraid of Ding Lao'er.

What a pity. If only he could truly sell this fellow to the Blood Sect. He really wanted to see what this ox-like brute would look like after being reduced to skin and bones.

But he also knew that was impossible. Most of the people in the Inn had been drugged with Muscle-softening Powder. This medicine was colorless and odorless, making it difficult to detect. It could leave even a Dou Shi weak all over and unable to muster Dou Qi. Even if they discovered his group's scheme, they would not be able to escape.

Wanting Ding Lao'er to be punished over this was nothing more than a fool's dream.

That was also why he had not bothered lowering his voice just now and had spoken with such little restraint.

The thin man shook his head regretfully, then became excited again.

"There are quite a few fat sheep this time. Together with those people from the daytime, the money I've saved should be enough. Then I can go to... hehehe."

His voice grew softer and softer toward the end. Finally, he gave a lewd chuckle before entering the Inn's main hall as well.

At the second-floor window.

Xiao Ming stood beside the window and listened through the crack, hearing every word of their conversation without missing a single one.

"So this was the matter mentioned in the Life Simulation. It seems my guess during the day was indeed correct. This is a Black Inn. Luckily, I didn't eat any of this place's food or touch their tableware. Otherwise, I would have had to waste a Detoxification Pill."

Xiao Ming thought calmly. A Black Inn appearing in the Black Corner Region was nothing surprising. It was already fortunate if two out of ten Inns conducted honest business.

"However, in the Simulator, I discovered their movements with five hours left until dawn. By then, they had already been acting for some time. Judging from what they just said, they may make their move at any moment. I absolutely cannot wait until then, or most of the people in the Inn may already be dealt with."

It should be mentioned that using the Simulator to simulate a life was extremely fast. Although a string of text would form in his mind during the process, Xiao Ming only needed an instant to understand all of its contents.

Making his choice and then putting away the drawn gold coins had likely taken no more than five seconds in total.

In other words, not much time had passed since midnight. This meant the Inn still had nearly an hour before the time when he had originally discovered their actions, enough time to deal with those guests.

If he allowed their plan to proceed smoothly, the Inn's guests might truly be wiped out in one sweep, leaving Xiao Ming alone to face them.

Xiao Ming did not care whether these guests lived or died, nor whether they would be sold to the Blood Sect.

It was not that he was cold-blooded. Rather, there were very few good people who could survive in the Black Corner Region. Why should he feel pity for such villains?

However, these people could still be put to use. Even if the Xiao Ming in the Simulator had successfully taken down this group of human traffickers, that did not mean he would not fail now.

To be safe, it was better to let those guests take the lead.

"This is for your own good too, isn't it? At least you won't die without knowing why, like in the Simulator."

At that thought, a smile slowly appeared on Xiao Ming's previously calm face.

He raised his right hand, and a bewitchingly blooming pink flame emerged from the tip of his pale index finger.

This was the Peach Blossom Flame Xiao Ming had obtained through the Simulator, a Beast Flame produced within the rare Fifth Tier wood-attributed Magical Beast, the Kui Wood Beast.

His teacher, Elder Huo, had also found him a Beast Flame: the Blue Crystal Flame of a Sixth Tier Azure Crystal Python.

Compared to the Azure Crystal Flame of that Sixth Tier Azure Crystal Python, the two were roughly of the same grade.

Xiao Ming had once let Ling absorb both flames one after the other. At the time, he had expected his strength to improve greatly.

Unexpectedly, after Ling absorbed the flames, it did not feed much energy back into his Qi Cyclone.

Xiao Ming believed Ling had used that energy to nourish itself.

This was because when he later tried attacking with Ling, it was no longer as weak as before. It could melt a rock in an instant, and its power could no longer be compared to what it had once been.

Ling's spirituality had visibly increased compared to before.

After Ling devoured the two Beast Flames, Xiao Ming could also formally draw upon the energy within Ling to fight enemies.

Moreover, the second method of cultivating the Spirit Nourishing Technique was itself an Earth Tier Cultivation Method. The Dou Qi stored within his body was enough that even if several Da Dou Shi of the same level besieged him, he would not have to fear running out of Dou Qi.

Xiao Ming summoned the Peach Blossom Flame rather than the Azure Crystal Flame because, between the two, the Peach Blossom Flame was much gentler and had been easier to subdue.

Naturally, in terms of temperature and destructive power, it was still inferior to the Azure Crystal Flame.

But it was perfect for setting the Inn ablaze.

It could gently wake everyone up while also preventing the fire from growing too fierce and accidentally harming his "allies."

With a sweep of Xiao Ming's arm, the pink flame lightly streaked through the air before landing on the door directly across from his room.

In an instant, the pink flames spread and began expanding.

Seeing this, Xiao Ming nodded in satisfaction.

He returned to the bed, picked up the black robe hanging at its head and draped it over himself. Dou Qi flowed within his body, and with a flicker, he vanished from the room.