Misgivings

Although Wutan City was said to have three great overlords, it was actually divided into the open side and the hidden side.

As the hidden overlord, the Ouba Family operated brothels, gambling houses, and other such establishments, engaging in businesses that could not bear the light of day. Though their reach was limited, they held an absolute monopoly, with no one competing against them.

Meanwhile, the Jia Lie Family and the Xiao Family, the overlords on the open side, had long been at odds. Each saw the other as a thorn in its side and desperately sought to seize more resources from the other.

After listening for a short while, Hun Ruoruo gradually lost interest.

It was all much the same. They intended to use a first-grade Alchemist's Rejuvenation Powder to draw in mercenaries, thereby suppressing the Xiao Family's surrounding industries and seeking to establish a monopoly.

And the reason, naturally, was Jia Lie Ao's strange sudden death.

After Jia Lie Bu learned of his son's mysterious death, he was grief-stricken, but also became somewhat paranoid. Not only had he secretly slaughtered all the Guards who had accompanied his son at the time, he had even come to resent Hun Ruoruo and Xiao Yan, who had been present, treating them as targets for revenge.

And yet, by sheer coincidence, he had actually guessed the true culprit correctly.

"What bad luck. I only killed a minor lackey, yet it caused so much trouble." Hun Ruoruo's expression was cold, and irritation churned within her.

After pondering for a while longer, the girl could not be bothered to stay any longer and simply got up to leave.

A mere small family in Wutan City was naturally not worth Hun Ruoruo's concern.

What truly irritated her was the impact this incident had brought upon Xiao Yan.

Although she seemed to have done her utmost to help Xiao Yan during this time, in truth, she had only skimmed the surface. Aside from enhancing the effects of the Foundation Building Spiritual Liquid and teaching him a low-grade Soul Dou Technique, she had done little else.

Hun Ruoruo knew very well that, with her resources and methods, she had countless ways to make Xiao Yan's strength soar in a single leap. Yet whether doing so would affect his future experiences was something she had no way of knowing.

What was happening now was a fine test. Merely one Soul Dou Technique had caused the Jia Lie Family to advance its plans to encroach upon the Xiao Family by nearly a year. If there were any other changes in the future...

She could not guarantee that she would be able to stabilize the situation every time.

"I can't refuse to help, but if I help, I have to worry about how much is appropriate. How ridiculous."

Slowly exhaling a breath of stale air, the girl's eyes darkened slightly as she walked at an unhurried pace through the streets of Wutan City.

Then, she headed straight out of the city.

The plains outside Wutan City were quite vast. There were usually few people around, but once night fell, many visiting mercenaries and travelers would set up camp here to rest for the night.

After crossing the plains and reaching the deepest part of the small forest, one would arrive at the cottage Hun Ruoruo had set up for herself. Though it was a long journey, it was secluded and safe, so she did not need to worry about the fluctuations from her cultivation being detected by those annoying flies from the Ancient Clan.

The bright summer sunlight was not quite so scorching beneath the forest's shade. A few fragmented rays pierced through layers of green leaves, seeming to turn the soil beneath the girl into the base of a kaleidoscope.

A few birdcalls drifted over. Whether stirred by the breeze or bumped by birds, the branches and leaves rustled softly.

The scenery was beautiful, but her steps were hurried.

"Home at last—hm?"

Upon reaching the depths of the forest, Hun Ruoruo removed her disguise and furrowed her brows as she looked toward the wooden cottage.

A black-haired youth stood watch before the door, crouched down with his body curled into a ball.

He seemed to have been waiting for a long time. There was considerable impatience in his expression, and he would occasionally grumble at the ring in his hand to ease the boredom of waiting, making him look rather comical.

However, Hun Ruoruo was in no mood to tease him at the moment.

"Xiao Yan. How did he know where I lived?" Hun Ruoruo's expression darkened somewhat as she inwardly grumbled that his timing was truly too coincidental.

Earlier, lost in thought, she had not used her Soul Force to sense her surroundings and thus had not noticed Xiao Yan's presence right away.

Xiao Yan had clearly noticed Hun Ruoruo's arrival as well. He waved at her, then hurried over in large strides.

"Ruoruo, you really do live here."

Hun Ruoruo concealed the gloom in her eyes and replied evenly, "Third Young Master, I didn't expect you to have such refined leisure. You even managed to find a place this remote."

Sensing her neither warm nor cold attitude, Xiao Yan felt puzzled for a moment.

He did not dwell on it and casually laughed it off. "Didn't you mention it once before? I usually have no way to contact you, so I thought I'd try my luck."

"Mention it once?" Hun Ruoruo's gaze sharpened slightly.

Xiao Yan scratched his head and said, "Yeah, when we were cultivating earlier. You said you lived somewhere deep in the mountains and forests. There seems to be only this patch of forest outside Wutan City, so I decided to try my luck."

Hun Ruoruo clicked her tongue almost imperceptibly and asked impatiently, "So why did you come looking for me? If it's about cultivation, wait until we have time later. I have things to do today."

With that, regardless of how long Xiao Yan had waited outside, she moved to return to the room on her own.

"Hey, hey, it's naturally not about cultivation."

Seeing this, Xiao Yan hurriedly stepped forward to block her path. His expression anxious, he said, "Do you remember Jia Lie Ao, the one who was killed before?"

"I don't."

"Uh, that overbearing Young Master who was struck by Soul Piercing Strike and had his soul utterly destroyed."

"Why would I remember a dead man? He was of no importance."

"...Ruoruo, Jia Lie Ao himself may have been unimportant, but I spoke with my father earlier and noticed something unusual."

Xiao Yan paused, his expression grave. "Afterward, I went to ask around at the Marketplace and finally learned that the Jia Lie Family had somehow invited a first-grade Alchemist to support them. They've already begun selling a new type of healing spiritual liquid. With the Xiao Family's current foundation, we can hold on for now, but if this continues, I'm afraid all of our customers will be taken by them!"

The appeal of an Alchemist was far beyond that of an ordinary profession. After experiencing the wondrous effects of the Foundation Building Spiritual Liquid these past days, Xiao Yan had become incomparably certain of this.

Therefore, with only his meager strength, helping the Xiao Family out of this predicament was absolutely nothing but a fool's dream. There was not the slightest possibility of it.

If the Xiao Family was to escape this crisis, the only people Xiao Yan could rely on were the exceedingly mysterious Miss Ruoruo and his own Teacher.

Hun Ruoruo showed no surprise at all and said blandly, "He's only a first-grade Alchemist. Can't you just ask Old Man Yao to refine some medicine for you? I'm not an Alchemist. I only know how to kill people."

"I'd like to." Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. "Teacher said that after losing his body, his Soul Force was like water without a source. It recovered incredibly slowly, so he shouldn't be burdened with such trivial matters..."

"Oh?"

Hun Ruoruo raised her head. Her gaze turned icy as a soul-shaking Purple Light suddenly emerged. An incomparably strange and chilling aura swept forth, making Xiao Yan feel as though a thousand-pound boulder had suddenly pressed down upon his chest, suffocating him to the point that he could barely breathe.

"So what you mean is that I should be the one handling such tedious little matters?"