The Fist Is the Only Truth

Yellow Sand!

Nothing but Yellow Sand!

Yao Yan traveled through the desert with Ling Er, wandering aimlessly beneath the Setting Sun. His expression gradually numbed, and the thoughts he had once entertained faded beneath the sun's scorching heat. Compared to those distant plans, what he needed to consider most right now was how to cross this desert, find a human city, and determine his current location.

Everything else could wait.

He walked step by step into the distance, leaving a trail of footprints in the sand that the wind quickly erased.

After a while.

Yao Yan lay in the shadow of a rock, admiring the lingering glow of the setting sun as he pondered a problem. There was not much water in his Storage Ring. If he continued wandering lost in this desert, he might very well die of thirst.

At the thought, the corner of his mouth twitched. He no longer felt that his luck was particularly good.

Even being thrown into some barren mountain or old forest would have been far better than ending up in this desert.

Rest for the night, then pick a direction and make a full-speed dash tomorrow... Yao Yan closed his eyes and made his decision.

"Ying, ying~"

Ling Er lay weakly in Yao Yan's arms, her pair of large ears drooping as she stuck out her tongue and let out two feeble cries, indicating that she was terribly thirsty and about to dry up.

Yao Yan pinched the back of her neck and lifted her up. Looking into her Watery Eyes, he said speechlessly, "You've nearly drunk all the water. Save some, or we'll both die here."

He could not understand why a Strange Fire would get thirsty in a desert, much less look as though it was about to die.

Ridiculous.

Ling Er gave a weak cry, indicating that she truly could not hold on much longer.

Her acting was first-rate.

Yao Yan rolled his eyes and ignored the little fellow, placing her back in his arms. Then he tilted his head back and considered whether, if he truly died in this desert, he could abandon his physical body and become a Soul Body like Yao Lao, hide inside the Storage Ring, and have Ling Er carry it out of here.

With the body of a Strange Fire Spirit, there was no way this little fellow could perish here.

While Yao Yan was lost in wild thoughts, a group suddenly appeared in his field of vision in the distance.

They seemed to be escorting a batch of Snake-People Slaves.

"Move it!!"

"Faster!!"

"What are you dawdling for? Want to be dried into jerky? Move your asses!!"

The Mercenaries guarding the snake-people along the way kept cracking their whips, glaring viciously at the snake-people bound by Iron Chains as they continuously urged and berated them. The Hot and Dry desert weather had not only made them irritable, but had also nearly stripped away all their patience.

They could not wait to return to their outpost and take several huge gulps of icy Spring Water.

In this desert, water was clearly more enticing than anything else.

Suddenly, one of the snake-people stumbled and fell to the ground, seemingly without the strength to get back up. In a soft, moving voice tinged with pleading, she said, "Can you... give me some water?"

"Water? You want water too?! My mouth's dry as hell! Get up if you don't want to die!!"

The bandit guarding her had no interest whatsoever in admiring the beauty of the snake-person before him. He did not even have the thought of doing so. He went up and kicked her, urging, "Get the hell up if you don't want to die, or I'll whip you to death!!"

His mouth was so dry that he had no thoughts left for anything else. He only wanted to hurry back to camp and drink some water.

As for a beautiful Snake-Woman?

He was practically drying to death. Who had the interest to care about that?

At some point, a burly figure had appeared beside him. He reached out and grabbed the Subordinate who was about to raise his whip, glaring at him coldly as he warned in a deep voice, "Don't damage her face. She's worth much more than you are!"

"Boss, I was just in a hurry. Got it!"

The Subordinate gave a dry laugh and answered.

"There won't be a next time!"

The Burly Big Boss snorted coldly, then flung the Subordinate aside. His gaze turned heated as he looked at the snake-person lying on the ground, his Adam's Apple bobbing. Setting everything else aside, this snake-person they had caught by chance was truly breathtakingly beautiful. After catching snake-people for so many years, this was the first time he had found such an exquisite beauty from the Snake-People Tribe.

Whether it was her figure, her face, or her bearing, she could be called flawless.

A snake-person of this caliber would definitely fetch a Sky-high Price in a Big City. Perhaps he would never have to worry about money again.

However, the Big Boss was Sobered Up enough to know that doing this was a bit like Courting Death.

You needed to live long enough to spend the money you made.

Compared to selling her himself, handing this beautiful snake-person over to the outpost's leader was clearly the wiser choice.

Little people had little people's ways of surviving.

He was no exception.

What a pity... the Big Boss sighed inwardly. If he had not known that Second-hand goods were worthless, he really would have wanted to enjoy her first.

Just then, a faint Cry for Help suddenly sounded beside his ear, growing clearer and clearer.

"Hey, brothers, over here! Over here!"

Looking over, they saw a Handsome Youth in ragged clothing waving both hands at them with a face full of delight. He ran toward them as he waved, looking as though he had spotted family he had not seen in years. This abrupt scene left everyone slightly stunned.

Very soon, the Handsome Youth ran up before them, allowing the traffickers to see his face clearly. One after another, they revealed looks of astonishment.

What a beautiful young man!

Even though his clothes were covered in bloodstains, they could not hide his perfect Facial Features. His long, thick black hair danced loosely in the wind, while a cute and dazed Little Fox lay on his shoulder. He did not look like someone who had spent years in this place at all.

The Burly Big Boss sized Yao Yan up and asked, "Kid, did you run into trouble?"

"Most likely. His clothes are torn to shreds. Maybe some Sand Bandits robbed him, haha."

"Coming to the Tagor Desert to seek adventure with a pet? Kid, are you some young master from a clan? You're pretty as hell."

"Could be. His skin's as tender as a woman's!"

Once their leader spoke, everyone turned their eyes to Yao Yan and began voicing their opinions. Even the snake-people they were escorting started sizing Yao Yan up, because his appearance was simply far too unusual here, utterly out of place in this land.

Tagor Desert?

Yao Yan's gaze flickered. He had heard a very familiar term. Then his eyes fell upon the snake-people wearing Shackles, and he formed a few guesses. However, his gaze soon settled on a beautiful woman from the Snake-People Tribe—the very one who had been berated earlier.

Through his Soul Power, Yao Yan could sense a powerful force within her body. It was merely sealed by a strand of Space Energy.

Having just experienced a Space Storm, he was now extremely sensitive to Space Energy.

The Big Boss naturally noticed Yao Yan's gaze and said teasingly, "Kid, never seen a beauty from the Snake-People Tribe before? If you've got money, I can sell you one... but do you have any?"

The beautiful snake-person lying on the ground seemed to sense Yao Yan's gaze. She lightly bit her lip and Lowered her head weakly, looking somewhat at a loss.

"I have money. But who among you can make the decision? I also want to buy some water, food, and a map of this area."

Yao Yan withdrew his gaze, looked at the group of Mercenaries, and asked. Though he disliked human trafficking, the Dou Qi Continent had its own Rules. He would not bully a group of Mercenaries who risked their lives in the desert to capture snake-people simply because he was strong.

Every place had its own Rules. These snake-people had nothing to do with him, and he was not about to indulge in misplaced kindness.

Still, he was interested in buying this somewhat special beautiful snake-person.

"?!"

The leading Burly Big Boss was stunned for a moment. Then he turned to his brothers and laughed mockingly. "Brothers, did you hear what this kid said? He actually wants to do business with me? Hahaha!"

The Subordinates around him immediately burst into laughter, each staring at Yao Yan with amusement. Their group was not much more civilized than Sand Bandits.

Especially in a godforsaken place like this desert, who would bother doing honest business?

The smile on the Big Boss's face gradually vanished. Staring at Yao Yan, he said coldly, "Kid, I only do business that costs nothing. Blame your bad luck for delivering yourself right to my doorstep!"

As he spoke, he drew the saber from his waist and pointed it at Yao Yan. At the same time, the Dou Qi of a Da Dou Shi erupted from his body, swirling around him and condensing into a yellow suit of Dou Qi Armor, making his presence even more imposing and formidable.

"Will you put on the Shackles yourself and come with me, or do you want me to put them on you?"

Yao Yan fell silent at his words. After a moment, he asked helplessly, "...Do you people usually have no regard for Rules when you do things?"

"Rules? The blade in my hand is the rule!"

The Big Boss gave a savage grin. Then he swung his saber, intending to teach Yao Yan a lesson and let him know what Rules were. Yet just as the blade neared Yao Yan, the latter suddenly raised one hand. His five fingers closed around the incoming edge with perfect precision.

At this moment, Ling Er had already tucked herself back into Yao Yan's arms. Her adorable little head poked out, her eyes sparkling as she watched the scene.

The Big Boss's Pupils contracted. Before he could react, Yao Yan's fist had already drifted lightly toward his chest. It seemed utterly powerless, yet the instant it made contact, it crushed the sturdy Dou Qi Armor around him. Then it pressed tightly against his heart.

Crack!

As the sound of breaking bones rang out, his chest caved in directly. His entire body flew back seven or eight meters before falling stiffly to the ground. Large amounts of black blood spilled from his mouth, and all signs of life vanished.

The scene fell silent at once.

The next moment, a man built similarly to the Big Boss charged at Yao Yan with his eyes splitting in fury. "Damn you! You dare kill my big brother!"

One slap.

The charging man was sent flying more than ten meters before crashing heavily to the ground. His head had twisted one hundred and eighty degrees, and he died with his eyes wide open.

This scene made the remaining Mercenary traffickers swallow hard as they stared in terror at the seemingly harmless Handsome Youth before them. Those had been two Da Dou Shi! And they had been slapped to death just like that!

Yao Yan shook his head and murmured softly, "As expected, fists are more useful!"

He was actually a very reasonable person. Unfortunately, the people of this world did not like to reason.

The fist was the only truth.