Giving You Benefits (Part 1)

Yin Xuege, lost in thought, was startled and quickly looked up towards the ventilation window.

A half-conscious jailer was weakly groaning as two pale paper figures dragged him forcefully to Yin Xuege's cell door. These paper figures were reinforced with bamboo strips and covered with white paper. It was unclear which rural workshop apprentice had crudely drawn distorted, ferocious faces of a boy and a girl on them.

In short, these were two eerie creations that, appearing on the street at night, would be enough to scare thirty to fifty burly men to death.

The jailer was quite tall and strong, but in the hands of these two light, floating paper figures that hovered three inches off the ground, he trembled uncontrollably. His pants were already soaked, and an indescribable stench of urine and filth emanated from him.

As the two paper figures dragged the jailer to the door, a middle-aged Taoist priest, clad in an apricot-yellow robe with Bagua symbols, smiled and patted the jailer's face with his Qinggang sword. He then swept his horsetail whisk heavily against the cell door. The whisk, made of purple-gold silk, struck the door, immediately scattering a shower of sparks. A faint golden light flickered on the door, and countless dense, dark golden characters and talismans emerged from the light.

"Boundless Heavenly Venerable above, you barbarian, do you know what this humble Taoist is about to do?" the middle-aged Taoist priest asked with a kind smile. "Help this humble Taoist open the cell door, and I will spare your life!"

The terrified jailer, his soul having flown out of his body, fumbled for a long string of keys. He selected the key to Yin Xuege's cell and inserted it into the lock. Then, his hands rapidly moved, writing on the cell door while chanting a convoluted incantation.

"Hmm, you barbarians do possess some mystical abilities!" the middle-aged Taoist priest narrowed his eyes and nodded with a smile. "No wonder my family's affairs cannot proceed without dealing with you red-haired, green-eyed fools."

With a few clanging sounds, Yin Xuege's cell door was opened. The middle-aged Taoist priest waved his long sword, and several misty sword lights shot out, breaking the shackles and fetters on Yin Xuege. He leaped up, clenched his fists at his waist, and looked vigilantly at the middle-aged Taoist priest.

"Alright, little one, I am Jiang Tuochen, and I've come specifically to rescue you. Don't look so ready to fight; I'm saving you purely out of kindness!" Jiang Tuochen smiled brightly, his row of white teeth gleaming under the tunnel lights.

"I don't know you!" Yin Xuege said with a stern face, looking at Jiang Tuochen. However, from the Taoist's name, he had already connected him to Jiang Rusheng, who had abruptly visited the Great Berlin City-State. Elder Jiang Rusheng of the ancient Jiang family from the East had just left, and now this Jiang Tuochen had suddenly infiltrated the blood prison to open Yin Xuege's cell. It would be truly unbelievable if the two had no connection.

There was no such thing as a free lunch in the world; this was repeated countless times by countless stewards at the Children's Hall. Yin Xuege did not believe Jiang Tuochen was acting out of pure kindness by breaking into the blood prison to save him. There must be some benefit for him in this!

But he was just a small disciple; what could he possibly have that Jiang Tuochen would be interested in? Or rather, what could he have that Jiang Rusheng would be interested in?

"Idiot kid!" Wumu's dog-like snout poked out of the ventilation window again, and he howled loudly. "Don't waste time! Someone's here to save you, get out of this hellhole first! Even if they chop you up for pizza filling, it's better than staying in this godforsaken place!"

After roaring at Yin Xuege a few times, Wumu's tone suddenly became extremely fawning. "Respected Eastern Taoist, could you please do me a favor and save me too? I am Wumu, the Silver Wolf Commander, the most promising genius elite of the noble Werewolf Clan's Silver Wolf Family! If you are willing to save me along with him, I can give you half of all my assets!"

Jiang Tuochen smiled and turned his head, glancing at Wumu's comically protruding dog-like snout from the ventilation window. Then, he vigorously shook his horsetail whisk. "Everyone imprisoned here, eliminate them! We cannot let the people of the Great Berlin City-State know that we rescued this child!"

Several young men and women, surrounded by a clear aura, responded in unison. They quickly walked towards Wumu's cell, preparing to strike him down!

Wumu screamed in terror. "Hey, hey, little bat! You can't let them do this! We have a connection, and for you, I've suffered so much! Hey, hey, do you want to know about your mother?"

Yin Xuege's heart stirred slightly. He glanced at Jiang Tuochen, who stood at the cell door, then strode to the door and politely bowed to Jiang Tuochen. "Thank you for your help, but if it's possible, could you also save Lord Wumu?"

A flash of blood-red light flickered in his eyes, and Yin Xuege said coldly, "Of course, Lord Wumu must take some oaths, for example, that he will become my follower? Lord Jiang Tuochen, since you are here to save me, would you be willing to agree to this small condition of mine?"

The young men and women had already reached Wumu's cell door. One of the youths took out a black spherical bead about the size of a fist and prepared to throw it into Wumu's cell. Countless twisted immortal texts and formations were carved onto the bead, and wisps of flame and lightning occasionally spewed from within. A suffocating aura of fiery lightning emanated continuously from the bead.

Wumu let out a desperate scream and began to curse loudly. "Little bat, I can be your follower, but you must also give me some freedom! Ah, damn it, is this a Heavenly Thunder Bead refined by those old monsters from the Eastern Cultivation World? I don't want to taste what this thing is like!"

Jiang Tuochen waved his horsetail whisk, stopping the youth from proceeding. He smiled at Yin Xuege, nodding repeatedly with satisfaction.

"What a clever child, I like clever children! Of course, since I could break into this blood prison specifically to save you, I naturally wouldn't be stingy about agreeing to some of your small conditions! But there is no such thing as giving without reason, little fellow. Can you agree to some of our requests?"

Looking up, Yin Xuege met Jiang Tuochen's eyes directly. "I don't know what I have that you would be interested in!"

"The Sunwalker's potential!" Jiang Tuochen said directly. "You are a Sunwalker, and according to the legends of the Blood Demon clan, or rather the Vampire clan, Sunwalkers possess transcendent potential. What we are interested in is your potential! Our family hopes to have a potential ally in the West in the future."

Gently patting Yin Xuege's shoulder with the lotus-shaped head of his whisk, Jiang Tuochen smiled at Yin Xuege. "Although you are very weak, your potential is here. It wasn't too difficult for us to break in here and save you, so why shouldn't we do it?"

Yin Xuege understood the meaning of Jiang Tuochen and those behind him.

"Although I am very weak now, you are interested in my future? My future self might become very powerful?"

Jiang Tuochen nodded repeatedly with a smile. He looked at Yin Xuege with satisfaction, like a shrewd businessman looking at his investment, his smiling face blooming like a magnificent, vibrant chrysanthemum.

"You have the potential of a Sunwalker. If you don't die prematurely, you will definitely become very powerful in the future. Perhaps you will become an important member of the Western Demon Party Alliance! Why wouldn't we be optimistic about your future? As long as you are willing to swear an oath with your soul, for example, that you will never be an enemy of our Jiang family and are willing to become our permanent ally, then everything is negotiable!"

Narrowing his eyes, the blood-red light in Yin Xuege's pupils flickered rapidly. Although he was just a child, the knowledge passed down in the Children's Hall was not lacking in various contract and negotiation techniques. In ancient times, the Blood Demon clan belonged to the evil dark faction and was skilled in various deception techniques. As a child of the Yin Clan, Yin Xuege's proficiency in this regard was not shallow.

"As long as the Jiang family does not threaten my safety, and as long as the Jiang family does not actively violate our alliance agreement, I am willing to become a permanent ally of the Jiang family! I will not proactively attack or harm any member of the Jiang family unless they attack me first!"

Yin Xuege looked at Jiang Tuochen very sincerely. "I hope you can understand that as a Blood Demon, even an insignificant Blood Demon child, I must ensure my own interests and safety. If the Jiang family treats me fairly and justly, like a true friend, then I will be very happy to become the Jiang family's most loyal ally!"

"Clever little fellow! A very clever, very wise choice!" Jiang Tuochen looked at Yin Xuege with a bit of surprise and even more delight. "I truly envy some of your Blood Demon clan's inheritance methods. Little fellow, you are so young, yet you are far superior to some of the pampered young masters in my Jiang family."

Tucking his whisk into his collar, Jiang Tuochen raised his left hand and gently clapped Yin Xuege's shoulder three times.

"Then, after we get out, we will formally establish our alliance. This soul oath ceremony cannot be too hasty," Jiang Tuochen said, smiling at Yin Xuege, then turned and pointed towards Wumu's cell. "That big dog inside, do you really want to let him out?"

An enraged roar came from the cell. "I am the noble commander of the Silver Wolf Clan, I am the genius Lord Wumu! I am not a dog, you cannot insult my race! Damn Eastern old Taoist, if I were outside, I would definitely gnaw off your head!"

After roaring furiously a few times, Wumu's voice became exceptionally fawning and spineless again. "You truly surprise me, little fellow, you're actually a Sunwalker? Fine, you are worthy of me becoming your follower. As long as you let me out, I can become your follower!"

Before Yin Xuege could speak, Jiang Tuochen impatiently berated him. "Big dog, stop spewing empty words. Offer your Essence Blood, and I will help you and this young brother establish a Soul Master-Servant Contract."

"Hey, old Taoist, this has nothing to do with you!" Wumu shouted in exasperation upon hearing the words 'Essence Blood' and 'Soul Master-Servant Contract.' "This is between me and my dear little brother Yin Xuege, it has nothing to do with you!"

Jiang Tuochen waved his hand and crisply ordered, "Seventh, blow up this ungrateful wretch!"

The youth standing at the cell door shook the Heavenly Thunder Bead in his hand and prepared to throw it into Wumu's cell.

******

Happy weekend, everyone! The weather is really not great!