During the days that followed, Liu Yuan kept making his way toward the place where the Death God's inheritance lay.
His heart was consumed by hatred, and he had nowhere to vent his anger.
All he wanted was to grow stronger as quickly as possible, then make everyone who had bullied him pay.
Better yet, when the time came, he would capture Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the others one by one, then bury them alive just as they had done to him. He would let them experience how utterly despairing that pain could be.
Driven by such intense hatred, Liu Yuan raced toward his destination.
But along the way, he happened to pass the village where he had once lived.
Liu Yuan was overjoyed.
Yu Xiaogang and the others had framed him, and the villagers had been powerless to help. They must all be blaming themselves now, right?
Knowing them, Liu Yuan was sure they felt terribly guilty. They might even do something rash.
So he wanted to go into the village and let them know he was safe.
But as he walked along, Liu Yuan happened to spot Yu Xiaogang and Tang San's group in the distance.
They hadn't entered the village, but they were still active in the surrounding area.
Liu Yuan had no choice but to abandon the idea of returning to reassure everyone.
"I have to get out of here as soon as possible."
"Staying here is too dangerous. If Yu Xiaogang and the others catch me, I'll have gained nothing."
"I'll come back once I'm stronger."
Liu Yuan sighed, bowed toward the village from afar, then turned and left.
Meanwhile, Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the others happened to pass by the village entrance and were attacked by one of the villagers.
It was a boy of about ten.
The boy had been very close to Liu Yuan. They had been the best of childhood friends.
So when he spotted Yu Xiaogang and the others near the village entrance, he flew into a rage and rushed at them, intending to attack them from behind.
But he was only an ordinary child. His sneak attack stood no chance against a group of Soul Masters.
Tang San quickly knocked him to the ground with a punch, and blood streamed from his nose.
Tang San, Yu Xiaogang, and the others looked at the boy with nothing but disdain.
"Isn't this the little good-for-nothing from that village?"
"What? We killed Liu Yuan, and you're unhappy about it? You even dare attack us?"
"We could crush you as easily as an ant, you know?"
Yu Xiaogang sneered and kicked the boy in the chest, looking utterly pleased with himself.
The boy gritted his teeth in fury, wishing he could peel the skin from Yu Xiaogang's body and tear out his tendons.
"Hmph. He'll only cause trouble if we let him live. Xiao San, kill him."
Yu Xiaogang's expression turned cold.
He was ruthless, and his usual approach was to eliminate every last trace of a threat.
The boy in front of him was nothing but a good-for-nothing in his eyes, but even a dog would bite if you cornered it.
Rather than leave a potential threat around, he might as well kill him.
It was only one insignificant life, after all.
"Fine!"
Tang San was about to make his move.
He was ruthless too. To him, killing was as easy as eating or drinking.
So he was about to poison the boy.
"Forget it. He's just a child. There's no need."
Thankfully, Zhu Zhuqing spoke up at that critical moment.
She spoke to Tang San coldly, her expression clearly displeased.
"Fine. I'll let him off for Zhu Zhuqing's sake."
Yu Xiaogang finally relented.
He soon led the group away.
But as he left, Yu Xiaogang wore a smug look.
"Everyone who opposes me dies. You got lucky this time, but you won't be so lucky next time."
Tang San thought of Liu Yuan, whom he had already killed, and sneered as well.
"So what if he had talent? He didn't know how to read the situation. What a fool!"
Their figures soon disappeared.
The boy lying on the ground began to cry. He wept bitterly. "Liu Yuan, will we all get to see each other again in the next life?"
Of course, Liu Yuan knew nothing about what had happened outside Soul Village.
Ever since leaving Soul Village that day, he had been racing toward the Death God's inheritance.
However, the place where the Death God's inheritance lay was extremely far away.
The area where he had lived before was already an isolated mountain region. Though he had traveled a great distance during these days of nonstop travel, he still hadn't reached the inheritance site.
Instead, he had worn himself out.
The journey was long, and he had no money with him. He could have resorted to stealing, but his principles told him he couldn't do that.
So when he finally reached Spirit City, Liu Yuan, utterly exhausted, collapsed.
He fell right in the middle of the street, but there weren't many kindhearted people around.
Just then, the new pope of Spirit Hall, Bibi Dong, was passing by. When she saw what had happened, she asked the two Titled Douluo at her side, "Gui Mei, Yue Guan, why did that child up ahead suddenly collapse?"
Ghost Douluo and Chrysanthemum Douluo followed Bibi Dong's gaze and soon spotted Liu Yuan lying on the ground.
They took one look at him and made a rough guess. "He doesn't look like a local. His clothes are caked in dust, and his hair is a filthy mess, as if he hasn't washed it in ages. He's probably from somewhere else, or perhaps someone's been hunting him."
Bibi Dong couldn't help sighing. "How pitiful."
She stepped forward and infused Liu Yuan with a thread of Soul Power. His hazy consciousness soon cleared.
He looked up and immediately recognized Bibi Dong. As a transmigrator, there was no way he wouldn't know who she was.
"Eat."
After waking Liu Yuan, Bibi Dong simply took some dry food and a waterskin from her Soul Tool and placed them in front of him.
Then she gave Liu Yuan a Silver Soul Coin.
"Keep this with you. You might need it someday."
Without waiting for Liu Yuan to thank her, Bibi Dong turned and walked away without looking back.
Her figure soon disappeared from Liu Yuan's sight along with Gui Mei and Yue Guan.
But Liu Yuan was left in a daze.
He looked at the food, water, and money Bibi Dong had given him, then thought of how Yu Xiaogang, Tang San, and the others had treated him.
He had experienced it all firsthand.
Those so-called "good people" had pushed him into the abyss, trying to make sure he never recovered.
Yet that so-called "evil person" had come to his aid when he was in danger.
So Liu Yuan really wanted to ask aloud:
In the original history of the Douluo Continent, which of those so-called "good people" were actually evil? Or were those so-called "evil people" the truly evil ones?
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