Can Telling the Truth Buy Me My Life?

At dawn, a horse-drawn carriage slowly travels through a desolate wilderness where few people are around.

Looking around, one is surrounded by dense forests.

"Tap tap, tap tap, tap tap--"

The sound of horses' hooves pounded the ground incessantly, the rhythm steady and clear.

Inside the carriage, Xia Yang remained unconscious, lying on one side of the seat cushion.

As time passed, Xia Yang's eyelids twitched slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.

A blinding ray of sunlight shone directly into his eyes, and Xia Yang immediately raised his hand to shield them.

After a while, once his eyes had adjusted to the light, Xia Yang lowered his arm and began to look around at his surroundings.

At first glance, he realized that he was in a moving carriage, with the constant sound of horses' hooves and wheels in his ears.

At first glance, Xia Yang noticed a burly man dressed in black sitting opposite him, resting with his eyes closed.

Beside the man was a belt-shaped Storage Soul Tool and a wooden box.

Xia Yang looked at the Storage Soul Tool and the wooden box, and felt that they looked very familiar.

He immediately reached for his waist—and sure enough, his storage belt was gone.

Therefore, the belt on the other side must belong to me.

So, that wooden box is also his/hers.

The wooden box also contained the Spirit Bone that Xia Yang had obtained from Qian Xunji.

"You're awake?"

A voice suddenly rang out.

Xia Yang looked up and saw the man opposite him slowly open his eyes, gazing at him gently.

"Where am I? Who are you? Did you save me?"

Xia Yang kept asking questions.

"Hehe, no need to rush, we have plenty of time to chat."

The man smiled slightly and continued, "My name is Tang Xiao, and I come from the Clear Sky Sect."

"This is a horse-drawn carriage; we are on our way to the Clear Sky Sect."

"I rescued you from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan sect."

"Tang Xiao? One of the Twin Stars of the Clear Sky Sect?"

Xia Yang gasped and carefully examined the other person.

Over the years, the reputations of the Tang brothers, Tang Xiao and Tang Hao, from the Clear Sky Sect have become increasingly similar, and Xia Yang had long heard of them.

However, he had been focused on cultivation and had never seen their portraits.

But upon closer inspection, the person before him did indeed match the description he had heard.

He was tall and strong, with a head of black hair that reached his shoulders and a few stubble on his face.

"It was Mr. Tang who saved me."

"My name is Xia Yang, and I am an ordinary Soul Master from the Spirit Hall."

"Thank Your Excellency the bleeding and bandaging my wound earlier."

"However, Mr. Tang, please let me off here. There's no need to take me to the Clear Sky Sect. I have somewhere else to go."

Xia Yang smiled as he probed, trying to persuade Tang Xiao to let him leave.

"Hehe, Mister Xia is joking."

Tang Xiao chuckled softly.

"What kind of gentleman am I?"

Xia Yang shook his head.

"Haha, Mister Xia, I heard your conversation with that Meng Shan last night, as well as your conversation with that person from the Blue Lightning Tyrant Dragon Clan Sect."

After Tang Xiao finished speaking, he waited with a smile for Xia Yang's response.

Hearing this, Xia Yang's heart sank.

However, Xia Yang still mustered his spirits and said, "Mr. Tang, the most valuable thing I possess is that three-thousand-year-old Spirit Bone. I am willing to give it to Your Excellency to repay your life-saving grace."

"Furthermore, I also know the secret of the Spirit Hall's massive acquisition of Whale Rubber, and I can tell you everything."

"Could you exchange this information for my life, to tell the truth?"

"Hahaha, sir, you jest. When did I ever say I wanted your life?"

"I simply wish to invite you to be a guest of our Clear Sky Sect."

"However, since you are willing to reveal the secrets of the Spirit Bone and Whale Rubber, I will not refuse."

As he spoke, Tang Xiao put away the wooden box containing the three-thousand-year-old Right Arm Bone beside him, and then handed the storage belt back to Xia Yang.

Xia Yang took the belt and fastened it back around his waist.

Watching his Spirit Bone being taken away by Tang Xiao, he couldn't help but sigh in his heart, but on the surface he dared not show the slightest dissatisfaction.

"Mister Xia, please speak."

Tang Xiao pressed for more information.

"The reason the Spirit Hall is buying up large quantities of Whale Rubber is because they've discovered a new effect on it, which is..."

Xia Yang then explained the effects of Whale Rubber and its benefits to Soul Master.

"So, Whale Rubber can enhance Soul Master's physical attributes, thereby enabling them to absorb Soul Master Spirit Ring beyond their level?"

Tang Xiao stroked his beard and said with a solemn expression.

He never expected that he would learn such astonishing news on his way back to the sect after this training trip.

The effects of Whale Rubber are undoubtedly an extremely valuable resource, both for individual Soul Master and for major powers.

"Mr. Tang, now you know the true effects of Whale Rubber, but it's actually a bit too late."

Xia Yang suddenly spoke.

"What do you mean by that?"

Tang Xiao asked, puzzled.

"In recent years, the Spirit Hall has been aggressively acquiring Whale Rubber across the entire Douluo Continent. I estimate that they now control 80-90% of the Whale Rubber on the market."

"If you want to obtain high-grade Whale Rubber, you'll probably have to go to the sea yourself to hunt Spirit Beast."

"And Whale Soul Beast are always social creatures, so you can imagine how difficult it is to hunt a high-age Whale Soul Beast in the ocean."

Xia Yang explained.

"I see."

"However, it's better to know than not to know."

Tang Xiao said.

"Then, Mr. Tang, may I leave now?"

Xia Yang asked.

"Haha, Mister Xia, didn't I just say that I simply wanted to invite you to be a guest at our Clear Sky Sect?"

Tang Xiao laughed.

"You're not keeping your word."

Xia Yang suppressed his anger, knowing full well that he was now at the mercy of others and could not act impulsively.

"Please rest assured, sir, I have no ill intentions. I am merely inviting you to be my guest."

"I guarantee, with the honor of the Clear Sky Sect, that I will ensure Mister Xia's personal safety."

Tang Xiao said earnestly.

"Can you really guarantee my safety?"

Xia Yang confirmed again.

"Absolutely true."

Tang Xiao a solemn reply.

"Alright then, I'll go with you to the Clear Sky Sect."

At this point, Xia Yang had no other choice.

However, he breathed a sigh of relief and lay back down on the cushion behind him.

"By the way, Mister Xia, you said you're from the Spirit Hall, so why were you chased by your own people from the Spirit Hall yesterday?"

Tang Xiao asked curiously.

"Stop calling me 'sir,' just call me Xia Yang."

"What happened yesterday... heh, who doesn't have a few enemies?"

Xia Yang was unwilling to talk much about yesterday's events and deliberately changed the subject.

Then, Xia Yang added, "Oh, right, I need to send a letter home so they won't be implicated because of me."

After saying that, Xia Yang immediately sat up and took out a pen and ink from his Storage Soul Tool.

He wrote down everything about his relationship with Bibi Dong, as well as how Qian Xunji had interfered.

Afterwards, Xia Yang recounted the circumstances of being chased the previous night.