Three Points, No More
An Bulang climbed out of the crater, dusted himself off, and looked around curiously with bright eyes, like a newborn baby fascinated by everything in the world.
He saw Ji Hongxue in her red robes. She looked somewhat ordinary, but still pleasant enough to the eye.
Then he looked at Tyrant Tiger, whom his handsome landing had accidentally sent flying. The man's face was full of bulging flesh, ugly beyond compare.
"Did I... seem to have interrupted you?" An Bulang asked nervously, glancing at the corpses around him.
The scene was somewhat bloody. An Bulang had not expected to encounter something so exciting the moment he arrived in the mortal world.
"Run! It's dangerous here!" Ji Hongxue cried urgently.
She had quite a favorable impression of this delicate-looking youth, especially those dark, bright eyes of his. They were like the purest gems in the world, making her unable to resist looking at him a few more times.
Such a beautiful youth absolutely could not be allowed to die here for nothing!
"Heh heh, you saw me, Tyrant Tiger, kill someone, and you still want to leave here alive?"
Tyrant Tiger climbed up from the ground, lifting his bloodstained Mysterious Iron Greatsword. His expression was grim as he stared fixedly at An Bulang, pulling his lips into a cruel smile. "I don't know who you are, but you were unlucky enough to see me. Go be buried here with this lot."
This White-robed Youth who had suddenly appeared was merely at the third level of the Mystic Body Realm. Even if he had some background, it could not have been much.
Tyrant Tiger had killed plenty of people in high positions of power. Why would he care about the life of some cultivator of unknown origin?
"Are you sure you want to kill me?" An Bulang blinked his beautiful eyes and asked with interest.
He had still been a little unclear about the situation, but now he could at least determine which side was good and which was evil.
"What are you still standing there like an idiot for? Run!" Seeing An Bulang still foolishly standing where he was, even provoking Tyrant Tiger, Ji Hongxue became so angry that her injured body churned with blood and qi, and she spat out another mouthful of blood.
An Bulang was even more moved at the sight. Though this big sister was not particularly beautiful, her heart was quite good. She had actually gotten so angry for his safety that she vomited blood. For that alone, he could not stand by with folded arms.
"Hahaha... This dumb brat must be so scared by the sight of me that he can't even move his legs, right?" Tyrant Tiger sneered viciously when he saw An Bulang frozen in place. "Don't worry. I'll smash your head apart with one strike. It won't hurt at all."
Tyrant Tiger stamped his foot, launching himself like a cannonball. The Mysterious Iron Greatsword in his hand tore through the air and smashed viciously toward An Bulang's head, its force even whipping up a gale around them.
Ji Hongxue could not even bear to watch. Such a delicate, beautiful youth was about to have his head smashed away on the spot. The scene was simply too cruel.
However, when the greatsword was only a foot away from An Bulang, An Bulang moved. He used his hand as a blade and struck directly against the sword's edge.
Tyrant Tiger's first thought was that his opponent had gone mad. He actually dared to catch a blade barehanded?
As a Heaven-grade assassin, when had he ever suffered such contempt? He immediately roared, unleashing the might of the eighth level of the Mystic Body Realm as he smashed down with even greater force!
"Shattering Moon." An Bulang's hand became coated in pure white moonlight, and he lightly slapped the imposing Mysterious Iron Greatsword.
Bang...
A crisp sound rang out.
Under Tyrant Tiger's stunned gaze, his invincible greatsword was actually cleaved into two by An Bulang's hand.
The terrifying rebound force split the web between his thumb and forefinger.
"Star Plucking." An Bulang's hand did not stop. Fast as lightning, he caught the broken blade between his fingers, then spun and flung it outward.
The flying broken blade was as swift as a meteor, so fast that Tyrant Tiger had no time to dodge!
"Pfft..."
A head flew into the sky.
The look of terror and disbelief had only just appeared on Tyrant Tiger's face when his vital aura was completely extinguished.
Clean and decisive—a single strike kill!
The world fell silent.
Only the Woman in Red stood there with her eyes wide open, staring blankly.
What had just happened?
An eighth-level Mystic Body Realm expert had been instantly killed by a minor cultivator at the third level of the Mystic Body Realm?
Was she hallucinating, or had the world gone mad?
An Bulang walked over to Ji Hongxue and helped the still-shocked woman to her feet. His hand rested against her slender, soft little waist, and a stream of power entered her body.
Only then did Ji Hongxue come back to her senses. Her precious body was actually being touched so intimately by a strange youth. Just as she was about to bristle in fury, she suddenly felt a warm sensation in her lower abdomen, incomparably comfortable. The tearing pain Tyrant Tiger had beaten into her had now vanished without a trace.
"Th-this... what an incredible healing technique..." Ji Hongxue's tense, delicate body relaxed for no reason. Her eyes shone as she looked at the youth before her in astonishment.
"Of course. This is a technique I created myself," An Bulang said proudly.
"You created it yourself?" Ji Hongxue was even more shocked, then became somewhat doubtful.
She had never heard of a Mystic Body Realm cultivator being able to create their own techniques.
Yet with this technique alone, An Bulang had already thoroughly conquered Ji Hongxue.
After all, as an expert at the sixth level of the Mystic Body Realm, she simply could not use spiritual energy to carry out such effective healing.
Before long, Ji Hongxue's injuries had fully healed.
"I am Ji Hongxue, the Third Princess of the Azure Kingdom. Once I return to the royal palace, I will certainly repay you properly for saving my life, Fellow Daoist." Ji Hongxue gave An Bulang an elegant bow, her expression filled with gratitude.
"My name is An Bulang. Forget about repaying me—it was merely a lift of the hand." An Bulang waved dismissively.
Ji Hongxue blinked her limpid eyes.
An Bulang?
What a strange name.
Still, hearing that she was a princess had caused no real fluctuation in his eyes. He was probably an immortal cultivation disciple with a profound background, wasn't he?
"Fellow Daoist An Bulang, I, Ji Hongxue, absolutely must repay this favor," Ji Hongxue said seriously.
"If that's the case." An Bulang held out his hand.
"Hm?" Ji Hongxue looked bewildered.
"I, An Bulang, want money!" An Bulang said excitedly.
Ji Hongxue: "..."
Who would have thought you were such a straightforward person!
An embarrassed expression appeared on Ji Hongxue's pretty face. "I... I'm not carrying any valuables right now. How about you wait until I return to the royal palace, and then I'll give you the money?"
"You don't have a storage ring?" An Bulang asked.
"A storage ring?" Ji Hongxue took a deep breath and said, "You mean those legendary spatial storage artifacts? How could I possibly possess something so precious? The entire royal family only has one, and it belongs to my royal father!"
An Bulang looked at the woman in shock, hesitating as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself.
Ji Hongxue noticed that he was looking at her with a very strange gaze.
That gaze was unfamiliar, yet also familiar.
That was it. It was the same gaze she had worn when she left the palace as a child and saw how the farmers ate and lived. Back then, she had found it difficult to imagine that the farmers' lives could be so arduous, so poor, so deep in water and scorching fire...
Ji Hongxue had never imagined that she would now be the one looked at with that same gaze.
"I just don't have a storage ring. Is that really necessary?" Ji Hongxue's eyes reddened as she felt somewhat struck down.
"No, that's not it. I absolutely didn't mean to look down on you." Seeing this, An Bulang hurriedly spoke against his heart. "You're so noble and beautiful, I'm already too envious of you. I just hadn't recovered from the shock yet."
Ji Hongxue finally felt a little better after hearing that. An Bulang's assessment was fairly objective.
A thought arose in the woman's heart, and she smiled sweetly. "You say I'm noble and beautiful. Then how many points do you think I deserve in your heart?"
"Three points," An Bulang blurted out.
Ji Hongxue felt her chest tighten. "Out of ten, you gave me three points? And you still say you're not bullying me?!"
"No." An Bulang shook his head. "It's out of a hundred."
Ji Hongxue: "???"