A stick of incense passed in silence.
Tang Yin suddenly stood up. Xiao Wu asked in confusion, "Tang Yin, what's wrong?"
Tang Yin replied calmly, "They've finished fighting. We can go take a look now."
Xiao Wu blinked, a cute yet slightly mischievous smile spreading across her pretty face. "Now I finally know why you were dragging your feet and refusing to leave. You were waiting for them to fight until both sides were badly hurt, so you could swoop in and profit!"
Tang Yin neither admitted nor denied it.
When the two returned to the campsite, they found everyone already sprawled on the ground, suffering injuries of varying severity. Some had even been killed.
Chen Feng was by far the most miserable.
The Soul Bone was no longer with him, either.
"Help... help me..."
One man saw Tang Yin return, and hope for survival flickered in his eyes. He hurriedly begged for help.
Tang Yin merely glanced at him. He didn't rush to help, but instead walked straight to the man surnamed Li from earlier. The other man was clutching the Torso Soul Bone that had come from the Battle Tiger with all his might.
"Tang Yin, should we save them?" Xiao Wu looked around, her willow brows knitting with pity.
After all, these people had helped Tang Yin obtain his second Soul Ring.
Tang Yin was hesitating too, but he was leaning more toward leaving them be, so he remained silent.
"Damn it..." Seeing that Tang Yin wasn't going to help, the man who had called out earlier cursed under his breath, a trace of resentment and hatred appearing in his eyes.
At that, Xiao Wu felt a rush of displeasure. She snorted and turned away.
Tang Yin had now reached the man surnamed Li. He bent down to take the Soul Bone.
The man surnamed Li was still alive. He glared at Tang Yin, clutching the Soul Bone and refusing to let go.
"Your injuries are too severe. Without treatment, you'll be dead in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea." Tang Yin gazed quietly at the man surnamed Li, his tone flat. At that moment, he showed a ruthlessness he had never displayed before.
Even Xiao Wu, standing nearby, found Tang Yin a little unfamiliar.
"Save me, and the Soul Bone is yours!"
The man surnamed Li gritted his teeth as he spoke.
"I think you've misunderstood something. Even if I don't save you, the Soul Bone is still mine. I could have waited until every one of you had breathed your last before coming out." Tang Yin spoke indifferently.
"Save me!" The man surnamed Li still refused to give up hope of survival.
"I won't!"
At last, Tang Yin uttered those two merciless words. Then he snatched the Soul Bone away and put it into his Storage Soul Tool.
"You... Pfft!"
The man surnamed Li's eyes bulged. He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, his head lolling to the side as he breathed his last.
Xiao Wu's pupils contracted slightly at the sight.
This was also Tang Yin's first time facing four people at such close range. He endured his discomfort, looked around, and glanced at the others. In the short time it had taken, they had all stopped breathing too.
"Xiao Wu, are you all right?" Tang Yin asked.
"Tang Yin, you..." Xiao Wu blinked her bright, limpid eyes at him, wanting to speak but stopping herself.
After a brief silence, Tang Yin said, "Xiao Wu, do you think I've suddenly changed? That I'm not the same as before? That I'm heartless and cold-blooded?"
Xiao Wu lowered her gaze, unsure how to answer.
"People change, but I'm still me." Tang Yin took a deep breath and patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder, then began searching the man surnamed Li for anything valuable. Naturally, he searched Chen Feng and the others too.
"Tang Yin, what are you doing now?" Xiao Wu was still trying to understand his sudden change. Seeing what he was doing, she froze again.
"I'm checking whether they have anything valuable on them, or any Gold Soul Coins. They're already dead, so these things are no use to them anymore." Tang Yin explained.
Xiao Wu's cherry-red lips fell open in an instant.
She stared blankly at Tang Yin as he rummaged through one corpse after another.
Before long, Tang Yin returned with several weapons, more than three hundred Gold Soul Coins, and several hundred Silver Soul Coins and Copper Soul Coins.
Not only that, but Tang Yin had also dealt with the Battle Tiger and put it into his Storage Soul Tool.
"Now we really can leave."
After stowing everything in his Storage Soul Tool, Tang Yin waved a hand in front of Xiao Wu.
"Things like this may happen again in the future. This is the cruelty of this world."
"Xiao Wu, you need to understand that."
Tang Yin patted Xiao Wu on the shoulder and sighed. Then he took her hand and led her toward the exit of the Soul Hunting Forest.
Xiao Wu pondered the whole way.
Tang Yin knew she was still thinking about what had just happened, so he continued, "Xiao Wu, the most we could say about our relationship with them was that it was a business deal. We'd only known them for a few days—we weren't even friends. So even though we didn't help them, you don't need to feel guilty."
"I'm not thinking about them. I'm thinking about you," Xiao Wu murmured.
Tang Yin paused, slightly taken aback. "Me?"
Xiao Wu looked up at Tang Yin. "I was wondering whether, if we ever got a Soul Bone in the future, we might end up in the same situation as they were just now."
Tang Yin stopped, staring at Xiao Wu in astonishment. Then his surprise turned to a smile. "We won't end up like that."
"Why not?" Xiao Wu asked.
Tang Yin smiled. "Because you're my best friend. I'll humor you and let you have your way."
A light gradually appeared in Xiao Wu's eyes, and a radiant smile blossomed across her pretty face.
"Tang Yin, are you planning to absorb that Soul Bone?" Xiao Wu asked.
"I'm not planning to absorb it. I'll sell it once we reach a big city. Then we'll have enough money to use." Tang Yin smiled.
Xiao Wu carefully considered what Tang Yin had said, then keenly picked out one word: "We?"
"Of course! Sooner or later, we'll leave Notting Academy and Nuoding City and head for a bigger city and a better Soul Master Academy! We'll still be together then!" Tang Yin smiled.
Xiao Wu's eyes lit up at his words.
The two made their way back to the exit. Then they hired a carriage for the trip back.
The next day, at Notting Junior Soul Master Academy.
Tang Yin got off the carriage first, then thoughtfully helped Xiao Wu down.
"We're finally back! That carriage ride nearly split my butt in two!" Xiao Wu stretched her slender waist, her face bright with a radiant smile.
Tang Yin heard her and shook his head with a laugh.
Not long after the two entered the academy, they ran into Yu Xiaogang.
Ever since Tang Yin had refused Yu Xiaogang's invitation to take him on as a disciple when he first enrolled, he had rarely interacted with Yu Xiaogang.
Even when they met, they exchanged no more than a nod and addressed him as "Grandmaster."
They weren't close at all.
Now that they had met again, Tang Yin greeted him as he always did. "Grandmaster."
Xiao Wu followed suit. "Grandmaster."
Yu Xiaogang glanced at Tang Yin and Xiao Wu, gave them a faint nod, then walked past them.
Xiao Wu looked back at Yu Xiaogang and pursed her lips. Only after they had gone some distance did she mutter, "That Grandmaster always has a stiff look on his face. Even when we greet him, he doesn't respond. I don't want to deal with him."
Tang Yin shook his head. "Don't mind him."