Seeking Compensation (Requesting Materials)

"Ah, it seems you people can't have a proper conversation."

Su Baichen's icy voice was like the cold wind of the twelfth lunar month. He slowly stepped in front of Cao Ying and Caidie, shielding both women behind him as he looked coldly at the three figures in the air.

"Kid, don't think you can act cocky in front of me just because you blocked my attack!" Though he was deeply wary of the white-robed man before him, the dignity of a Snake-People Elder and his side's numerical advantage forced him to suppress his fear. He barked fiercely despite his inner weakness, "There are three Dou Emperors on our side. You think we can't handle you? If you don't want to die, get lost!"

The other two Snake-People Dou Emperors swiftly stepped forward as well, forming a pincer formation. Dou Qi surged around them as they locked onto Su Baichen, attempting to crush him with their pressure.

The combined aura of three Dou Emperors truly could not be underestimated. Even the surrounding air became thick and viscous.

"Sir, don't..." Caidie was frantic. Though she had lost her memories, she could clearly sense the terrifying strength of those three experts from her own tribe. Afraid that Su Baichen would suffer for her sake, she instinctively wanted to stop him, even if it meant agreeing to return with them.

Before she could finish, however, Cao Ying grabbed her wrist. The little girl no longer showed even a trace of her previous grievance or fear. Instead, she looked as relaxed as if she were watching a show. She even stood on tiptoe and patted Caidie's arm, reassuring her in a precocious tone, "Relax, Sister Caidie. Put your heart back where it belongs! My master is incredibly strong—ridiculously strong! Just watch and see how my master teaches them how to be... uh, be Snake-People again!"

"But..." Seeing Cao Ying's absolute confidence, then recalling the girl's face turning deathly pale the instant that attack had come, Caidie could not help asking suspiciously, "Then why did your face turn so pale just now?"

Cao Ying's little face flushed. She craned her neck stubbornly, her gaze wandering as she argued, "Huh! What do you mean, pale? That... that was the sand reflecting light! Yes, the sun was shining on me! How could I, Cao Ying, possibly be scared? Hmph!"

She would never admit that, although she knew her master was powerful, having a Dou Emperor's attack suddenly flying at her face had still frightened her body into reacting on instinct.

Seeing that the two women below showed no fear whatsoever and had instead started "chatting," especially with that little girl acting as though they did not exist, the three Snake-People Dou Emperors were instantly humiliated beyond measure. The leading elder trembled with rage and roared:

"Bastards! You dare look down on us so—"

Before he could utter the final words, a sudden change occurred!

As though space itself had been folded by an invisible force, Su Baichen vanished from where he stood like Gui Mei, without the slightest warning. In the next instant, he appeared before the roaring elder as if he had teleported.

He was so fast that he had surpassed the limits of visual perception. The other two Dou Emperors did not even see how he had moved!

Su Baichen remained expressionless. He merely raised his right hand simply, then... swung it down.

"Slap—!"

A crisp, thunderously loud sound abruptly rang across the silent desert sky.

It was not the roar of colliding energy, but the sound of pure flesh striking flesh—yet it carried a force that made one's teeth ache!

The Snake-People Elder, a five-star Dou Emperor, had not even had time for the fury on his face to turn into shock before his entire body was struck as if by a meteor head-on. His protective Dou Qi shattered instantly like paper.

He could not even release a muffled groan before his body became a blurred afterimage and shot backward at terrifying speed. With a deafening boom, he smashed viciously into the hard sandstone below, embedding himself in a human-shaped crater. Dust billowed everywhere, and he did not move. Whether he was alive or dead was unknown.

Silence!

A deathly silence!

The expressions of the remaining two Snake-People Dou Emperors completely froze. Their eyes widened like bells, and their mouths fell open unconsciously, large enough to fit an egg. Their minds went blank, nearly ceasing to think.

Fast! Too fast! So fast that they had no time to react at all!

Strong! Too strong! So strong that they could not comprehend it! A five-star Dou Emperor was considered top-tier combat power even within their tribe, yet he had... he had been slapped into an unknown state like a fly?

"Sp... space power?!" One of them spoke in a trembling, hoarse voice filled with boundless terror.

Only a Dou Zong expert, one who could wield the power of space with such ease, could ignore distance and move instantaneously like that!

Dou Zong! Those two words struck their hearts like a massive boulder. A chill ran through their entire bodies, and before the absolute gap in strength, all of their fighting spirit and arrogance vanished without a trace!

With great difficulty, like rusted machines, the two slowly twisted their stiff necks and turned their terror-filled gazes toward Su Baichen, who had somehow returned to his original spot as though he had never moved at all.

Yet Su Baichen seemed not to notice their ghost-struck stares.

He was slightly furrowing his brow, looking down seriously at his right palm. He even turned it over and inspected it twice, as though examining something.

"Ah." He let out a soft sigh, his tone carrying a hint of disdain and... self-criticism.

"This guy's skin is pretty thick."

"That huge slap made my hand hurt. I'll have to train my hand strength more when I get back."

"And it's been a long time since I slapped anyone. I'm a little rusty with the angle and force. I almost slapped his neck off, and then it would've been hard to discuss compensation."

As he spoke, he even rolled his wrist symbolically, as if it truly felt a little uncomfortable. Only then did he slowly lift his eyes, his calm, unruffled gaze finally falling upon the two remaining Snake-People Dou Emperors, who were trembling like sieves.

The instant that gaze swept over them, the two Dou Emperor experts who had once commanded respect throughout the Tagor Desert shuddered violently beyond their control. Bead-sized drops of cold sweat poured down their foreheads like waterfalls, instantly soaking their clothes. Their legs went weak, and they nearly collapsed to their knees.

"Se... Senior, please forgive us! We... we did not mean to offend you! We failed to recognize greatness and offended your esteemed presence!" One of them begged incoherently, his teeth chattering.

"P... please show mercy, Senior, and forgive our previous recklessness! We... we are willing to compensate you! Yes! Compensation!" The other hurriedly echoed, his voice on the verge of tears.

At that moment, they wished they could travel back a few minutes and slap themselves dozens of times. Why had they provoked this monster?

Su Baichen remained expressionless. He merely stared silently at the two with his deep eyes, not saying a word.

Sometimes, silence was more oppressive than any words.

Within that deathly silence, the two Snake-People Dou Emperors felt each second stretch on for an entire year.

An invisible pressure weighed upon their souls like a mountain, nearly suffocating them. Their bodies trembled ever more violently, and their cold sweat had already soaked a patch of sand beneath their feet.

They did not dare speak again. They could only lower their heads further and wait for their final judgment.

After what felt like an entire century, Su Baichen finally broke the suffocating atmosphere. His expression was indifferent, his voice calm yet carrying unquestionable authority as he slowly spoke:

"The girl you mentioned just now is my disciple."

"And she," he said, pointing at the still somewhat dazed Caidie beside him, "is my maid."

"You three attacked without distinguishing right from wrong, spoke maliciously, and caused the two of them severe psychological trauma and fright."

His gaze deliberately lingered on Caidie for a moment, and his tone grew heavier. "Especially my maid. She had already suffered a soul injury and lost her memories. Her mind is fragile, and she cannot endure further fright. That attack just now may very well worsen her amnesia or even leave behind permanent psychological trauma."

Caidie blinked. Though she had lost her memories, she felt that her mind seemed... not quite that fragile? Still, seeing Su Baichen's solemn expression, she cooperatively furrowed her brows slightly and revealed just the right amount of "discomfort."

Cao Ying was even quicker. She immediately clutched her chest, scrunching her little face into a ball and putting on the appearance of a child who had suffered enormous grievance and fright.

Su Baichen seemed quite satisfied with the acting skills of the two "victims." He nodded slightly. "Smart enough. As expected of my people."

He then turned back toward the two Snake-People Dou Emperors, whose faces had gone ashen, and slowly summarized:

"So, regarding my disciple's and maid's compensation for emotional distress, fright, damage to reputation, and any potential follow-up treatment costs... let us have a proper discussion about compensation."

His tone was calm, but to the two Snake-People Dou Emperors, it was more terrifying than any thunderous roar.

They knew that if they did not pay a heavy price today, they would never leave this place safely. As for their companion who had been slapped into the ground, whether he lived or died would likely depend on this "Senior's" mood—and on how much "sincerity" they could offer.