"Weiwei, will they be in danger?"
"Grandma, don't worry. They're really strong! They killed those demon beasts in one hit!"
"Yes, they're all good people. I hope good people always stay safe..."
Only an old woman and a little girl remained in the shabby house.
The old woman fell silent, thinking for a moment.
"Weiwei, that big brother of yours is a good boy too. If Grandma really can't hold on anymore, stay with him. Even if he tries to send you away, you mustn't leave. Do you understand?"
The old woman's voice turned stern.
For her granddaughter's sake, she could only be a little selfish.
Yang Tian was straightforward and looked rather dim, but he had a kind heart.
If Weiwei clung to him stubbornly enough, it would surely work.
Then her granddaughter would never have to worry about food or clothing, and she could pass away in peace.
"Yes, Grandma. You'll be all right too!"
Weiwei nodded. She seemed to think highly of Yang Tian too, though she seemed to prefer Li Xin, who had patted her head.
Li Xin was prettier!
Yang Tian was nice too, but he was still more ordinary compared to Li Xin.
The three had left Weiwei's home.
"Yang Tian, have you killed demon beasts before? You were so calm, and you seemed to know every beast's weak points!"
Walking on Yang Tian's left, Li Xin asked him.
If her guess was right, Yang Tian must have killed demon beasts before.
Lin Jialu walked on Li Xin's left as well, listening curiously.
"I have!"
"A demon beast's weak points are usually softer places, like its eyes and belly."
"Stab your weapon through its eye and churn up its brain. Wait a moment, and once it stops struggling, it's dead. Or stab through its belly and destroy its heart directly. That can kill it in one strike too!"
Yang Tian nodded and explained bluntly.
His words were so direct that Lin Jialu could picture the bloody scene.
"Really... impressive!" Li Xin had originally wanted to call Yang Tian a freak, but changed her wording.
She was thoroughly convinced.
Beside her, Lin Jialu felt the same. She had never expected Yang Tian to be so... formidable!
Perhaps spending more time together had helped the two of them learn much more about Yang Tian.
Lin Jialu also understood why Li Xin had called Yang Tian a blockhead back then.
Talking as they walked, they soon reached the foot of the Purple Star Mountain Range.
They were here again, but this time, they would not be facing only the level-two demon beasts on the outskirts.
Inside lurked vicious level-three and even level-four demon beasts.
Those demon beasts were comparable to second- and third-tier professionals!
"All right, prepare for combat. Li Xin, take the front and divide their attention. I'll stay beside Lin Jialu. Lin Jialu, you handle damage!"
"Don't worry. Unless a demon beast kills me, you won't die before I do!"
After giving these simple instructions, Yang Tian made his promise.
Li Xin nodded in understanding.
Lin Jialu nodded too. Having a knight like him around seemed to give her a strong sense of security.
Looking into Yang Tian's confident eyes, she felt her heartbeat quicken, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks.
Perhaps this was what they meant when they said every young girl dreamed of love!
Lin Jialu had absolutely no interest in Li Xin, who dressed as a man.
But looking at Yang Tian, who was shorter and younger than she was, she experienced that sense of security for the first time.
He'll protect me until he dies...
Those words seemed to etch themselves deep into the young girl's memory.
"What are you spacing out for? Let's go!" Unaware of Lin Jialu's budding feelings, Li Xin nudged her shoulder and went ahead.
The three quietly entered the Purple Star Mountain Range, keeping themselves concealed.
Lin Jialu kept a moderate distance from Yang Tian. Though her attribute was ice, she could still feel the warmth coming from him.
Soon, they encountered two demon beasts that resembled lizards.
These demon beasts were called Carnivorous Dragons. Despite being called dragons, they were not true dragons, and they reproduced extremely quickly.
They were powerful carnivorous demon beasts that could eat almost anything weaker than themselves.
If there was truly no food available, they would even eat others of their own kind.
"Move!"
At Yang Tian's command, Li Xin attacked. With a thrust, she drove her sword straight through the Carnivorous Dragon's eye, just as Yang Tian had described, and twisted it several times.
The Carnivorous Dragon struggled violently before Li Xin easily finished it off.
The other was enveloped in a sudden surge of freezing air and turned into an ice sculpture.
Li Xin brought her sword down, splitting the ice and killing the frozen Carnivorous Dragon.
They had obtained another two magic crystals in an instant.
The first time was unfamiliar; the second came naturally.
Working together again, the three seemed to have developed some coordination.
Having often ventured into Mount Odin, Yang Tian easily found a medicinal herb.
Bone-nourishing grass was a medicinal herb that helped bones recover.
A single plant cost several gold coins outside, because the presence of demon beasts made harvesting it extremely difficult.
Soon, they had gathered several kinds of medicinal herbs with similar effects. There were no particularly high-grade herbs on the outskirts.
"These should be enough!"
Yang Tian murmured to himself.
There were a dozen or so medicinal herbs. If they returned in a month, this might be enough for Weiwei's grandmother until then.
The three were about to head back!
Suddenly, a demon beast drawn by the scent of blood lunged toward Yang Tian.
They had killed level-three demon beasts before, but what if this one was level four?
"Watch out!"
Although Yang Tian did not have great mental power, his perception was keen and his soul comparatively strong, allowing him to notice something was wrong first.
He tackled Lin Jialu to the ground, then shouted a warning to Li Xin.
The demon beast struck too swiftly, like an experienced hunter going for a one-hit kill.
There was no time to unleash a skill.
Yang Tian quickly pulled Lin Jialu to her feet, while Li Xin faced one close call after another.
This level-four demon beast was a Demon-Patterned Tiger. Terrifying black markings covered its body, and the character for "king" on its forehead proclaimed its status.
When tigers hunted, they crept close before suddenly attacking.
A halo and a light barrier were cast on Li Xin, easing the pressure on her.
Lin Jialu raised her magic staff and quickly froze the Demon-Patterned Tiger as well.
However, this demon beast had already reached level four, making it equivalent to a third-tier professional.
Lin Jialu and Li Xin were both still in their second-tier professions. How could they be its match?
Pure White Blade! Electric Thrust!
Yang Tian attacked as well, but the Demon-Patterned Tiger's fur was extremely sleek and offered considerable protection, blocking most of his attacks.
Its weak points were its eyes and belly.
Targeting its eyes had to be the right choice, because eyes were always the weakest area.
Li Xin unleashed a thrust, then joined Yang Tian in battling the level-four Demon-Patterned Tiger.
A level-four beast was far harder to deal with than a level-three one, with improvements in every aspect of its abilities.
"Lin Jialu, hurry! Put everything you have into freezing its paws!"
After wearing it down for a while, Yang Tian shouted.
Lin Jialu, who had been keeping some distance from Yang Tian, nodded and cast a second-tier spell.
Ice encased all four of the tiger's limbs.
However, Yang Tian still took a solid hit from that Ice Fist. His light barrier shattered, and he was hurled several meters away!
His Fine Iron Sword, meanwhile, had plunged into the Demon-Patterned Tiger's head.
The Demon-Patterned Tiger struggled!
Finally, it collapsed unwillingly!
Having killed a level-four demon beast, all three caught their breath.
Then a voice rang out.
"Good, very good! I never thought I'd get to pick up a level-four magic crystal!"
Thank you, Perfected Person Chengyang, for the tip, monthly tickets, and recommendation votes. Thank you!
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