I'm rich! I'm rich!

Han Shuo knew that Eric must be rapidly closing in behind him with his sword drawn, intending to kill him just as he had killed Dylan, because he could feel a faint murderous presence drawing nearer from behind.

At that moment, Han Shuo concentrated for the first time in his life. He did not know whether it was because of the Demonic Cultivation Art he practiced, but not only had his body become extremely agile, he had also grown much bolder. With his former disposition, his mind would have been filled with nothing but fear, leaving no room for any other thoughts.

At that very moment, the Demonic Essence in Han Shuo's body circulated much faster than usual. As he kept running, he felt as though he had inexhaustible strength throughout his body. Coupled with his intimate familiarity with the terrain, his darting left and veering right actually allowed him to put some distance between himself and Eric.

"Huh!" Eric exclaimed in surprise, seemingly not having expected Han Shuo to run so fast. Seeing that Han Shuo was not only swift but also choosing a tricky route, gradually drawing close to disappearing from view, his expression turned cold. A deep cyan light shone from his longsword as he abruptly flicked several large stones up from the path.

Han Shuo ran farther and farther, finding the run exhilarating. Sensing Eric's presence growing more distant, he felt a spontaneous surge of joy at having escaped death.

Just then, something suddenly whistled through the air. Han Shuo felt several heavy blows strike his legs, and his knees immediately buckled. Still running at full speed, he fell flat on his face, his face meeting the dirt as his entire body sprawled on the ground.

"Sorry, young man!"

Eric called out softly in apology and flicked his longsword. A mass of deep cyan light abruptly flared in midair and churned toward Han Shuo.

His mind was clearer than ever before, and the Demonic Essence in his body circulated furiously. Even his legs, which had just been aching and weak, no longer hurt as much. Faced with the deadly strike, Han Shuo pressed both hands and feet against the ground, pushed hard, and suddenly rolled to his left.

Clang!

The mass of deep cyan light surrounding Eric's longsword struck the spot where Han Shuo had been lying, carving more than a dozen crisscrossing grooves into the hard ground like a chessboard. Each groove was over ten centimeters deep. Had Han Shuo still been there, he would probably have been cut to pieces.

"I really didn't see anything! Don't kill me!" Having dodged the strike, Han Shuo glanced at the altered ground where he had been lying and was immediately scared out of his wits. Speaking with a miserable expression, he hurriedly scrambled to his feet, apparently intending to take off running again.

"You're a skinny young fellow, but I didn't expect you to be so nimble. Unfortunately, you saw something you shouldn't have today. I'm very sorry, but I have to kill you!" Eric shrugged and smiled helplessly.

Then he flicked his longsword, and several nearby stones the size of human heads abruptly flew up and hurtled toward Han Shuo. Startled, Han Shuo dodged left and right in terror. While Han Shuo was ducking and weaving, Eric suddenly appeared soundlessly behind him. With a slight thrust of his longsword, a mass of deep cyan light abruptly entered Han Shuo's body.

In an instant, Han Shuo was sent flying and landed sprawled facedown on the ground again. A piercing pain at his spine penetrated to the marrow. The Demonic Essence in his body surged madly toward his back, tightly enveloping the mass of deep cyan light that had entered him.

"Phew... why does it feel like I've lost a little Battle Aura? How strange. Have I been too tired lately? Yes, that must be it. That kid certainly ran fast. Luckily, he's finally dealt with!"

Han Shuo had been about to keep running when he suddenly heard Eric muttering to himself. What had just happened to his body was exactly like the last time Claude had struck Battle Aura into him, with one slight difference-Eric's deep cyan Battle Aura was more powerful, and Han Shuo's Demonic Essence could not completely envelop it. As a result, his back was now a bloody mess that looked horrifying.

An idea struck Han Shuo. He held his breath and lay there, not daring to move at all. At that moment, however, Little Skeleton seemed to sense his peril and appeared ready to come over to save his master. Han Shuo did not know whether it was because of the excessive pain, but his Mental Power felt more focused and responsive than ever. In a flash, he managed to issue an order for Little Skeleton to stay exactly where he was without moving.

The grave Little Skeleton occupied was some distance from Duke, but if Little Skeleton climbed out and came over, Duke would inevitably notice him. Although Han Shuo did not know Duke's mage rank, his earlier actions alone had told Han Shuo that he was extremely powerful. Naturally, he did not want Little Skeleton to throw his life away.

Eric caught his breath and muttered a few words to himself, then grabbed Han Shuo by the back of his clothes and carried him to the opening of a nearby dilapidated grave. Without checking his condition at all, he confidently tossed Han Shuo straight in, seemingly taking it for granted that Han Shuo was already dead.

It made sense. Han Shuo was merely an ordinary servant. After taking a blow from an Advanced Swordsman, he was naturally certain to die. What unexpected outcome could there possibly be?

After throwing Han Shuo into the grave, Eric did not linger. He headed straight back the way he had come, and before long, the area fell completely still.

Han Shuo's back hurt terribly. He mentally cursed Eric, Duke, and their entire families, but still did not dare climb out of the grave immediately. Only after nearly an hour had passed did he endure the pain in his back and slowly climb out.

Reaching back with difficulty, Han Shuo felt something sticky on his back. Looking at the blood on his hand, he silently committed this grudge to memory, intending to repay each of them if he had the chance. Grimacing, he carefully made his way back to the previous spot, moving furtively all the way for fear that the two men were still there.

Only after returning to the original spot did Han Shuo discover that even Dylan's body had disappeared. It looked as though they had casually tossed it into one of the nearby graves. He summoned Little Skeleton out of his grave and left with him, cursing under his breath. Inwardly lamenting his bad luck, he decided it would be best to come here less often to practice over the next few days.

Upon reaching a certain spot, Han Shuo suddenly stopped and looked at the ground beneath his feet. He suddenly remembered that Dylan had fallen here while fleeing earlier and buried a gray pouch beneath his feet. Duke and Eric had seemed to keep searching Dylan's body for something. Could it have been the pouch Dylan had just buried?

Grimacing, Han Shuo crouched down and carefully scraped aside the loose soil, pulling out the gray pouch. It felt heavy in his hand, and when he shook it, it gave a clear jingling sound. Both its design and quality were far better than his own. Tugging at the drawstring, Han Shuo reached inside and pulled out several silver and copper coins.

"I'm rich! I'm rich!" Han Shuo knew that silver and copper coins were this world's money. In all his years as a servant, Brian had never received so much as a single copper coin. Looking at the silver and copper coins in his palm, Han Shuo could not stop roaring with laughter. Even the pain in his back seemed to hurt less.

Clatter!

He emptied everything from the pouch. A palm-sized dark green Jade Box appeared on the ground. It felt heavy and cool in his hand, and had a recess that seemed to be a keyhole. Beside the dark green Jade Box, there was indeed a green key.

However, these were clearly not what held Han Shuo's attention. His eyes shone as he stared at the money before him, grinning foolishly and muttering, "I'm rich! I'm rich!"

Three gold coins, twelve silver coins, and fifty-six copper coins-that was the amount of money in the pouch. One gold coin exchanged for a hundred silver coins, and one silver coin exchanged for a hundred copper coins. Even with his improved meals, the bread, milk, and fried eggs Han Shuo ate each day cost less than ten copper coins altogether. If spent on food, this money would be enough to feed him for a year or two.

When the slave trader had sold Brian to Babylon Magic Academy, he had fetched only five gold coins. This money added together was already worth half of Brian's life.

After his initial delight, Han Shuo smilingly put the money back into the pouch. His gaze shifted and fell on the dark green Jade Box and green key. He frowned. From Duke's and Eric's clothing earlier, he could tell that both men held considerable status. Duke's magic robe and Magic Staff in particular had looked like priceless items.

This money was naturally a fortune to him, but to Duke it should have been practically nothing. They certainly would not have pursued Dylan over such a sum, much less gone so far as to silence Han Shuo as well.

Could it have been for what was inside the Jade Box?

At this thought, Han Shuo could not help focusing his attention on the dark green Jade Box resting motionless on the ground. Beneath the moonlight, it shimmered with a faint green glow that was difficult to notice without looking closely. That hazy green halo was extremely pale, lending it an eerily alluring beauty.

As Han Shuo silently watched the Jade Box, his Mental Power became extraordinarily focused. Concentrating it on the Jade Box, he suddenly sensed a cold, sinister presence within. Following his Mental Power, that presence seemed about to seep into his very marrow. Han Shuo shivered uncontrollably and abruptly closed his eyes.

There's something sinister about this thing!

Drawing a deep breath and steadying himself, Han Shuo glanced left and right a little nervously, then abruptly put the Jade Box and key back into the gray pouch and limped toward the Supply Storeroom.

After returning to the Supply Storeroom, Han Shuo did not examine the Jade Box again, nor did he touch the money inside for the time being. Still somewhat shaken, he hid the pouch beneath his bed and had Little Skeleton help clean and bandage his back, then drifted straight into a groggy sleep.