"This is the Speed Clan?"
"Are you sure you brought us to the right place?"
Gu Ping'an turned an inquiring gaze toward She Long beside him.
She Long had said he knew where the Speed Clan lived, so he had led the way.
Yet he had brought them to the outskirts of a remote little village.
It looked much like Holy Soul Village.
A few people heading out to work cast wary glances at them.
"My lord, this is the place.
According to Spirit Hall's investigation records, they chose this location because the cost of living was low.
There are no powerful Soul Masters nearby to trouble them, either. Any Soul Master with a little strength would never come to somewhere this remote."
"So it all boils down to being poor!" Gu Ping'an looked ahead, both astonished and speechless.
He had known the Speed Clan was poor.
The original story had said as much.
They struggled to get by and needed assistance from the other three clans.
But he had never imagined that proper Soul Masters could be this impoverished.
"Why are they so poor?"
Gu Ping'an asked as soon as the thought struck him, turning toward She Long.
A former Spirit Hall elder ought to know something.
Dugu Bo, Xiao Wu, and Dugu Yan all turned toward She Long.
Soul Masters as poor as the Speed Clan were like scorpion droppings in the Soul Master World-one of a kind.
"She Long, go bring out the Speed Clan's chief."
"Yes, my lord!"
She Long strode into the center of the dilapidated village and released his Soul Rings. The pressure of a Titled Douluo surged outward like a tide, spreading in every direction. Wherever it passed, plants bowed low and birds and beasts fell silent.
The peaceful village suddenly erupted into commotion.
It was like a huge rock thrown into a lake, stirring countless ripples.
Searching house by house would be too much trouble.
Once a Titled Douluo's pressure was released, Bai He of the Speed Clan would naturally come out himself.
Gu Ping'an walked closer with Dugu Bo, Dugu Yan, and Xiao Wu.
Those resting indoors and those working nearby all turned toward the village center.
The Soul Masters among them gathered into groups of their own accord and hurried over.
Before long, a tall, thin, white-haired old man arrived with a group of Soul Masters dressed like ordinary villagers.
"Your Excellency, may I ask what brings you to our Speed Clan?"
The old man stepped out of the crowd and respectfully cupped his hands toward She Long.
"My lord, this is Bai He, chief of the Speed Clan." She Long did not look at Bai He. Instead, he lowered his head slightly and turned respectfully toward Gu Ping'an.
My lord?
Bai He's pupils contracted, and his gaze shifted to Gu Ping'an.
"You?"
Gu Ping'an had not disguised his appearance. Bai He had simply failed to notice him earlier because She Long had commanded all his attention.
Now that he saw him, he immediately recognized the person the Breaking Clan had put out a bounty for years ago.
"You recognize me, sir? Would you like to send word to the Breaking Clan?" Gu Ping'an stepped forward and looked up at Bai He.
"You must be joking, young man!" Bai He gave an awkward smile, his gaze sweeping discreetly over Xiao Wu, Dugu Yan, and Dugu Bo.
He passed over Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan, focusing instead on Dugu Bo and She Long.
She Long's nine Soul Rings had already proven that he was a Titled Douluo.
Judging by where Dugu Bo stood, he too was a powerhouse no weaker than She Long.
Two Titled Douluos.
Bai He's heart slowly sank into the depths.
He was the strongest member of the Speed Clan, yet he was merely a rank eighty-one Agility Attack Soul Douluo.
Two Titled Douluos were enough to wipe out the Speed Clan.
"Sir, we have something to discuss with you. Do you intend to have us talk right here?"
Gu Ping'an spread his hands and glanced at the Speed Clan members gathered around them.
Bai He hesitated before addressing Gu Ping'an and the others. "Please follow me."
With so many people around, loose tongues were inevitable. If someone said something that angered these visitors, the Speed Clan would cease to exist today.
Gu Ping'an and his companions followed Bai He into the courtyard of a slightly larger house.
"Grandpa, who are they?"
Hearing the commotion, a little girl in plain clothes ran out of the house. Despite her simple attire, she looked utterly adorable.
"Sir, this must be your granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang?"
Gu Ping'an bent slightly and gently pinched Bai Chenxiang's cheek.
Since she had not yet awakened her Martial Soul or absorbed any Soul Rings, Bai Chenxiang had the ordinary height and appearance of a five-year-old child.
"Boy, keep your hands off my granddaughter."
Bai He's face filled with fury, and he moved to approach Gu Ping'an.
"Don't move!" She Long stepped between them, pressing his Titled Douluo aura down on Bai He.
Bai He froze in place, his face ashen.
"Old man, what are you pretending for? You clearly don't love your granddaughter, so why put on this act of doting on her?"
Gu Ping'an turned a disdainful look toward Bai He, who stood rigidly to one side.
In the original story, he had handed Bai Chenxiang over to Tang San and his companions, whose manipulative psychological abuse had forced her to give herself to that fat fellow, Ma Hongjun.
Had he not known what sort of people Dai Mubai and Ma Hongjun were?
He had known. They spent every day wallowing in brothels.
How could anyone who became their teammate be a decent person?
Wasn't sending Bai Chenxiang to them like sending a lamb into a tiger's jaws?
That passage had disgusted him when he read it.
"You're lying! Grandpa loves me!"
Bai Chenxiang's eyes reddened with anger, and she tried to push Gu Ping'an with her little hands.
Bai He said nothing, watching She Long warily as he blocked his path.
Gu Ping'an bent down and gripped Bai Chenxiang's shoulders with both hands, a nasty smile curling at his lips.
"Believe it or not, I can make your grandpa sell you to me."
Sell me? As the thought crossed her mind, little pearls of tears began to bead on Bai Chenxiang's young cheeks.
"Enough!"
Bai He's shout cut off the exchange between Gu Ping'an and Bai Chenxiang.
"Boy, what exactly do you want?"
"What do I want?" Gu Ping'an straightened and turned thoughtfully toward Bai He.
"How about we make a deal?"
"I hear you have a Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng. How about I trade the lives of everyone in the Speed Clan for it?"
At his words, Dugu Bo and She Long moved in concert, blocking Bai He from the front and rear.
Dugu Bo no longer held back, either. Nine Soul Rings rose from beneath his feet, and the full pressure of a Titled Douluo bore down on Bai He.
Sensing the two terrifying auras locking tightly onto him from both sides, Bai He's fingers curled uncontrollably at his sides, then relaxed, trembling incessantly. His face turned blue, then red, then white.
His gaze fell involuntarily on Gu Ping'an.
Were those even human words?
He was trading the Speed Clan's lives for something that already belonged to the Speed Clan.
A deathly silence settled over the scene.
It was as though a storm was about to break. If Bai He uttered a single word of refusal, this village would be erased on the spot.
"Have you thought it through? Everyone in the Speed Clan's lives for the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng." Seemingly oblivious to the tension, Gu Ping'an walked up beside Bai He.
"Boy, coming this close... aren't you afraid?"
Bai He turned to stare at the approaching Gu Ping'an, his eyes bloodshot, looking ready to devour someone whole.
He had brought two Titled Douluos to force Bai He's hand like this. Was he truly not afraid Bai He would drag him down to death together?
"Why not give it a try?" Gu Ping'an spread his hands indifferently.
The only two people Bai He might have been able to seize, Xiao Wu and Dugu Yan, had already dragged Bai Chenxiang behind Dugu Bo as she tried to approach.
The moment Bai He moved, Dugu Bo and She Long could smash him to pieces.
Die together? Did he even have what it took?
"Boy..." Bai He panted like an ox. Under the pressure of the two Titled Douluos, his aura churned beyond his control.
Unwilling?
Gu Ping'an sighed inwardly and quietly applied Spacetime Isolation to himself.
"I... accept the trade."
"..."
Accept?
Amid his speechlessness, a trace of disdain surfaced in Gu Ping'an.
He had put on such a desperate act that I thought he intended to shatter jade and stone alike!
"In that case, bring out the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng!" Gu Ping'an said.
"Wait... here..."
The two words sounded as though Bai He had chewed them to pieces before spitting them out. Trembling all over, he walked into the house.
Gu Ping'an tilted his head slightly and shot She Long a look.
She Long nodded faintly and followed Bai He inside.
Before long, the two emerged from the house.
Holding an exquisite box in both hands, Bai He reluctantly offered it to Gu Ping'an, his eyes bloodshot.
"I'll take it!"
She Long stepped forward and took it from Bai He first. He opened it and inspected its contents, only handing it to Gu Ping'an after confirming there was no danger.
Gu Ping'an accepted it. After confirming that it was the Crystal Blood Dragon Ginseng from the original story, a treasure comparable to aromatic silk beauty, he immediately put it away.
When he looked at Bai He again, the old man seemed utterly dejected.
"Sir, I have a Meditation Method that can increase cultivation speed by roughly thirty percent. Do you need it?
You can have it in exchange for just one Bai Chenxiang."
A thin booklet appeared in Gu Ping'an's hand.
Dugu Bo, Dugu Bo, and Xiao Wu briefly glanced at the booklet. It did not even have a title.
They then turned back toward Bai He, curious about his choice.
Only She Long kept his gaze fixed on the booklet, unable to look away for a long time.
"Thirty percent faster?" A faint, veiled sneer appeared on Bai He's face.
"Boy, with two Titled Douluos following you, I'm convinced your background is extraordinary. But claiming you have a Meditation Method that increases cultivation speed by thirty percent-aren't you afraid that boast will burst?"
Faced with Bai He's mockery, Gu Ping'an gave a calm smile.
"Sir, I can swear on my Martial Soul that this Meditation Method truly increases cultivation speed by thirty percent compared with ordinary Meditation Methods.
Of course, if someone lacks talent, they will still get stuck when they reach a bottleneck.
But that hardly means it isn't a supreme treasure!"
"Think about it. If two people both have rank-five innate Soul Power, by the time one cultivates to rank fifteen or sixteen, the person using this Meditation Method might already have reached rank twenty. Gain a step early, and you stay a step ahead all the way.
How much would you say it's worth? Is it worth one Bai Chenxiang?"
Before you continue