First Stirrings of the Heart, Mercenaries Draw Near

"Yes, young group leader."

Hearing Mu Li's orders concerning Xiao Yi Xian, the burly man likewise curled his lips into a lecherous grin. He seemed to be imagining the scene after their success as well. Then he accepted the order and withdrew.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, Xiao Yi Xian listened to Xiao Yan's generous words, but anxiety filled her heart.

"A pile of gold coins... Isn't that too much? Besides, you didn't do anything wrong, so why spend so much..."

Xiao Yi Xian held the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture in both hands and pressed it to her chest, her face gradually flushing.

Now that she thought about it carefully, she suddenly realized that this little brother before her seemed to treat her exceptionally well.

He had helped her kill the Mating Ape outside the cave, then given her the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture, and now he wanted to give her hundreds of thousands of gold coins...

Thinking of it that way, could Xiao Yan have feelings for her...

Sure enough, Xiao Yan took a Storage Ring from his robes, gently took the young woman's hand, and slipped the ring onto her left index finger. With a gentle smile, he said:

"At first, I thought you were quite pretty, but after spending some time with you, I suddenly realized that your personality attracts me too, so..."

Xiao Yan paused and rubbed his nose, then added, a little awkwardly, "How should I put it? I guess it was a bit like love at first sight!"

Honestly, if he hadn't already met Xun'er and Cai Lin in his previous life, he probably would have fallen for Xiao Yi Xian long ago while she was by his side.

But the greater reason he said those words was that he wanted to put a full stop to the feelings he had back then.

Because he understood that, given Xiao Yi Xian's personality, she would certainly refuse.

"Eh-? Eh?!"

Caught off guard by his sudden words, the young woman's heart pounded wildly. It felt as though an invisible arrow had pierced her chest.

Her cheeks burned as she gripped the scroll tightly, her mind going completely blank.

For a moment, their eyes met, and they stood there, reflected in each other's gaze, as though time itself had stopped.

Only after a long while did Xiao Yi Xian come back to her senses.

Her gaze was somewhat flustered, but in the end, she mustered the courage to refuse.

"N-no, I can't. You're so young; you should be putting your future first. I can't hold you back. Besides, I'm not outstanding, and I'm not worthy of a little genius like you."

Xiao Yi Xian was a gentle girl.

She didn't want to ruin someone else's future because of herself.

She was also well aware of her own shortcomings, so she resolutely chose to refuse.

At the same time, she took the Storage Ring off her index finger and returned it to Xiao Yan, saying:

"First, thank you very much for giving me the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture. It will help me a great deal, and I'll definitely find a way to repay you someday."

"Second, you're still very young, and you have plenty of time to improve yourself in the future. There's no need to waste your youth on me..."

"I don't need the gold coins. Let's leave it at that!"

With that, Xiao Yi Xian blushed and hurried out of the cave, disappearing in the blink of an eye.

"Hey, wait!"

Watching the beauty's retreating figure, Xiao Yan stood alone, a mess in the wind, and was just about to reach out and stop her.

But at that moment, a ripple of Dou Qi swept toward him.

Air rushed through the gaps around the entrance with a mournful howl, lifting the loose strands of hair on the young man's forehead and lending the scene a desolate, sorrowful air.

Although he had long anticipated this outcome,

now that Xiao Yi Xian had actually turned him down, he couldn't help feeling a little regretful.

"Teacher... would you say I was rejected?"

Xiao Yan gave a bitter smile. He hadn't expected that, after finally working up the courage for once, he would fail so quickly.

"Perhaps..." Yao Lao's voice sounded in the young man's mind, carrying a trace of resignation.

He had wondered why Xiao Yan had suddenly become so generous. As it turned out, he had taken a fancy to that little girl. Unfortunately, fate toyed with people.

Recalling the extraordinary years of the past, Yao Lao was filled with emotion.

Back then, he too had been full of vigor and admired by many girls.

But to look after Han Feng, he had resolutely rejected Xuan Yi's confession, as well as the pursuit of Fairy Qing, the Flower Sect's foremost beauty.

Yet the outcome had been rather tragic.

Not only had Han Feng stabbed him, leaving him poisoned and dead, but he had also been hunted by the Hall of Souls and forced to wander for decades.

If he hadn't later met Xiao Yan, he would probably have been reduced to ashes long ago.

Yao Lao sighed. "I wonder how that wicked disciple is doing. If he has already turned over a new leaf, then so be it!"

"But if he still refuses to see the error of his ways and I run into him, I'll kill him without mercy!"

"Ah-!"

Suddenly, a woman's cry came from the direction Xiao Yi Xian had gone.

Xiao Yan reacted swiftly and hurriedly turned to look.

With a thud, the small scroll slipped from the young woman's hand and landed on the ground with a sharp sound.

"How are you here? Let go of me!!"

Xiao Yi Xian's face was pale. A scar-faced mercenary had seized both her wrists roughly, his grip causing her intense pain. Faint bloody marks had even appeared on her snow-white skin.

The scar-faced man grinned viciously. "Tsk, tsk, tsk... Miss Xiao Yi Xian, you really kept your abilities hidden. You actually found this treasure trove all by yourself."

The other mercenaries chimed in. "Yeah, but you didn't expect us brothers to reap the benefits, did you?"

"You ungrateful wretches, have you forgotten who was always bandaging your wounds?"

"And now you've actually followed me here and want to take what we found... You've gone too far!"

Xiao Yi Xian gritted her teeth and roared angrily.

Her eyes blazed with fury, and she wished she could tear every one of these mercenaries limb from limb.

She had always helped take care of people, yet in the end they treated her like this. It truly chilled her heart.

"Haha, don't say that, little sister Xiao Yi Xian. Treasures go to those capable of claiming them. We're only competing fairly, so why get so angry? Your pretty little face won't look so lovely that way."

Mu Li, who led them, walked up to the young woman and was just about to reach out and toy with her chin when someone else seized his wrist and wrenched it out of joint.

"Take your filthy hands off her!"

Xiao Yan had appeared beside the young woman at some point. He flung Mu Li's hand away, drove back the scar-faced mercenary holding Xiao Yi Xian, and rebuked them coldly.

"Ah!"

Mu Li cried out in pain and staggered back several steps. Clutching his dislocated wrist, he stared at the newcomer in shock.

"Young group leader! Are you all right?"

Two or three mercenaries carrying sabers hurried over to support Mu Li and asked after him with concern.

But Mu Li paid them no mind. He stared fixedly at the newcomer, anger surging as he said:

"Am I all right? Of course I'm not! Hurry up and take that bastard down! I'll cripple his arms and legs and snap off the tail between his legs, so he'll wish he were dead!"

After roaring, Mu Li added with a vicious grin, "Once I've enjoyed Xiao Yi Xian, I'll let you have a taste too. How about it?"

At those words, everyone exchanged glances.

Xiao Yi Xian's beauty was plain for all to see, but with Mu Li present, they hadn't dared act rashly.

Now that Mu Li had spoken, they naturally wouldn't pass up the chance to enjoy her charms.

"Mu Li, you shameless bastard!"

Xiao Yi Xian had only just been freed when she heard Mu Li's shameless words. Her face turned ashen with anger, and she cursed him.

Mu Li paid it no mind and sneered. "A beauty belongs to those capable of enjoying her. I'm only sharing the opportunity with everyone."

Looking at the several mercenaries sprawled on the ground, he naturally knew that the young man's fighting strength was considerable. But so what?

He had more than fifty men with him. If they truly united, their opponent wouldn't stand a chance.

And as the young group leader of the Wolf Head Mercenary Group, he naturally understood how to control his subordinates and exploit the weaknesses of human nature.

Ordinary treasure alone might not have been enough to tempt his companions, but adding a beauty to the reward was another matter entirely.

Sure enough, a handsome reward would always bring brave men forward.

Before long, the men gathered around Xiao Yan and Xiao Yi Xian, their gazes full of wariness as they looked at Xiao Yan.

But when their eyes fell on Xiao Yi Xian, they made no attempt to hide the way they appraised her graceful figure, and their mouths spilled nothing but lewd remarks.

"The young group leader is right. Xiao Yi Xian belongs to whoever can enjoy her. We're only following the iron law of the strong preying on the weak."

"Hahaha, then it looks like this old man's strength as a Five-Star Dou Zhe will earn me the lion's share."

"Not necessarily. I've been a renowned Two-Star Dou Zhe for quite some time, and I have a formidable Yellow Tier Dou Technique as well. I might not be much weaker than you, senior."

Xiao Yi Xian, the subject of their conversation, could hardly bear the shame and fury when she noticed the looks the men around her were giving her and heard their filthy words.

"Y-you bastards! If I'd known this would happen, I never should have saved you scum! You make me sick!"

Tears glimmered in Xiao Yi Xian's eyes, and she felt deeply wronged.

Being betrayed by the people around her was plainly a terrible feeling, especially when she had once sincerely helped them.