The burly man weighed it in his hand, then put it away with a chuckle. "Kid, this isn't enough either. We know exactly how much money you have. Heh heh..."
The thugs behind him wore greedy expressions, forcing A Nan to hand over all the gold and silver jewelry, gems, and coins in his pockets, threatening to chop him into pieces otherwise.
Terrified, A Nan struggled desperately, crying out and begging for mercy.
But the men showed no restraint, raining blows on him with their clubs.
Just then, a languid voice rang out.
"Stop."
Everyone turned to look. A handsome young man stood at the mouth of the alley with his hands behind his back, as though he had been waiting for quite some time.
The young man was exceptionally handsome, and the faint air of indifference, aloof pride, and coldness between his brows inspired fear.
"Who are you? How dare you stick your nose into this?" demanded a yellow-haired thug.
"I'm not here to meddle. I'm here to kill!"
"Huh?"
The young man darted forward at incredible speed, reaching the thugs in the blink of an eye. With a flick of his wrist, several throwing darts shot through the air.
Squelch...
Blood sprayed, and five or six men collapsed, screaming.
These thugs had actually been defeated so easily.
Meanwhile, A Nan stared with his eyes wide, utterly stunned.
What kind of martial art was that?
A Nan got a clear look at the throwing darts the young man had used.
The darts were bluish-purple, with a strange energy rippling over them.
A Nan's heart began pounding violently.
"You... who are you?" The burly man stumbled back two steps in fear, his face deathly pale and his eyes filled with terror.
The young man's tone was calm, as though he were stating the simplest fact imaginable. "I'm Yi Chen. Perhaps you've never heard of me, but that doesn't matter."
The instant those words fell, the young man vanished into an afterimage and appeared before the burly man, driving a fist into his chest.
Crack!
The sound of snapping ribs rang out. The burly man cried out in pain as his entire body flew several meters backward, smashing through a wall before landing in a corner, coughing up blood without stopping.
"Ah!"
The remaining thugs screamed and took to their heels, only for a gust of wind to sweep past and leave them unconscious on the ground.
Within a minute, eight or nine men had been dealt with. It was quite a spectacle.
Then the young man walked toward A Nan.
A Nan endured the searing pain and struggled to his feet, saying fearfully, "Hero, I really don't have any money! Please don't kill me! I'm begging you..."
Yi Chen crouched down, reached out a slender, pale hand, and touched A Nan's forehead. "Hmm, it seems you haven't been scared witless..."
With that, he took a medicinal pill from inside his robe and handed it to A Nan. "Take this. Your constitution is unusual, so it may help you recover faster."
A Nan hurriedly shook his head. "No, no, no! Hero, you're trying to kill me to silence me, aren't you? You can't!"
"Take it."
Yi Chen looked at him with a smile.
A Nan hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth, swallowed the pill, and sat cross-legged.
The pill slid down his throat, dissolving into cool strands of Soul Power that coursed throughout his body.
The intense pain gradually eased, and even his damaged internal organs seemed to be slowly repairing themselves.
Yi Chen smiled in satisfaction. "This pill will keep you alive for three months. During those three months, don't engage in any strenuous activity. If you have the misfortune to die, not even your bones will remain."
A Nan froze at his words. "My sister... how are my sister's injuries?"
Yi Chen shook his head and sighed. "Your sister's condition is rather serious. Even with my exceptional medical skills, I'm powerless..."
"Are... are you an alchemist?" A Nan asked excitedly. "Please save my sister..."
Yi Chen nodded. "I can try, but I'll need your cooperation for a while..."
"Cooperation? What do I have to do?"
Yi Chen smiled. "Come with me."
A Nan looked at him in confusion, unsure what he meant.
"I happened to notice you and your sister and discovered that your bloodline and constitutions were very unusual, so I came over quietly."
Leading A Nan through turn after turn, Yi Chen arrived at a secluded, peaceful residence.
It was a detached villa.
Some expensive flowers and plants grew outside the villa.
Lights shone in the villa's main hall. Yi Chen pushed open the door and motioned for A Nan to enter.
The room was filled with equipment. Yi Chen walked over and fiddled with it for a long while before saying, "Wait a few minutes. I'll hunt a magical beast and bring back a Soul Ring!"
A Nan was beside himself with joy. "Thank you, hero! Thank you so much!"
Yi Chen smiled and soon ventured into the vast sea.
As he drifted on the sea, a sea beast set its sights on him before he could find the particular prey he sought!
A huge, monstrous fish leaped out of the water, opening its jaws wide to bite Yi Chen.
Yi Chen planted a foot on the monstrous fish's head and used the momentum to spring upward.
His tremendous force drove the monstrous fish underwater. Yi Chen leaped, seized its tail, and hauled it up.
Yi Chen clamped a hand around the monstrous fish's neck, lifted it, and examined it closely. Then he frowned and muttered to himself, "This monstrous fish is far too hideous! A magical beast this ugly doesn't suit my tastes at all. But... never mind. I'll just use it as a weapon. As long as I can fish something up, that's enough."
With a wave of Yi Chen's hand, the monstrous fish was thrown into the sea.
Its flesh began to evaporate, slowly turning black before softening.
Yi Chen took a deep breath, formed seals with both hands, and chanted an incantation in a low voice before pointing a finger.
At once, thick green smoke rose from the monstrous fish's body, forming a green tornado over the sea.
The tornado whirled, growing thicker and thicker until it was as wide as a bucket. It lasted nearly a hundred seconds before slowly dispersing.
Then a burst of emerald-green flame suddenly erupted on the seabed, rapidly spreading into a roaring blaze.
Yi Chen smiled in satisfaction. With a flick of his hand, a sharp dagger appeared in his grasp out of thin air.
He had picked up this dagger in the mountain woods. It was of low quality, made from nothing more than ordinary steel, but under his control, it could slice through iron like mud, making it exceptionally sharp.
Yi Chen gripped the dagger tightly and stabbed it hard into the beach.
With a soft thunk, the dagger pierced the hard sand and stone, leaving a shallow hole.
"Very sharp..."
Yi Chen gazed at the dagger appreciatively, his heart filled with delight.
"What a pity I can't refine it into a sword. Otherwise, this dagger would certainly fetch a good price!"
Yi Chen sighed, then glanced around and spotted several trees.
These trees were all a little over a meter tall, with lush foliage and straight trunks. They were clearly material for making handicrafts.
Yi Chen tore off several branches, discarded the dagger, then hugged a tree trunk and slammed it hard against the beach...
Thud, thud, thud...
Chunks of sand and stone kept falling along the shore.
A Nan watched Yi Chen in shock.
After smashing more than a dozen trees to pieces, Yi Chen finally stopped, too exhausted to catch his breath.