The square was dead silent, and everyone’s eyes were filled with disbelief.
Ji Qi, who was known as Blood Red, was publicly acknowledged as the greatest powerhouse in the Blood Dragon Clan’s collateral family. Not only did he possess the strength of a top-grade Spiritualist, but he was also the person with the greatest potential in the collateral family and was known as the person with the greatest hope of advancing into a Venerable One.
Nonetheless, even such a person was defeated by an unknown person in a fair life-or-death battle.
This result had indeed exceeded everyone’s expectations. Even someone as powerful as Jiang Caijin felt that he was caught off guard.
In fact, when Ou Yangming and Ji Qi were fighting, he did not think highly of the young fellow. Due to his brilliant eyesight, he could already see that the young fellow was only an Advanced Spiritualist. An Advanced Spiritualist and a top-grade Spiritualist were both Spiritualists, but the powers that they could control were absolutely not proportional.
The reason Jiang Caijin agreed to let them fight was he had his own plans.
He had guessed Ou Yangming’s origin and knew he was an outsider. Therefore, he wanted to use Ji Qi’s power to intimidate the young fellow. He wanted to let the fellow know that in the Big Ruins, his cultivation base would not be enough for him to travel around. The best choice was for him to settle down in the ancient city and obediently refine pills.
Moreover, the battle between them was going to happen right under the Venerable One’s nose. If Ou Yangming was in danger, he could rescue him at any time.
For the sake of his longevity, Jiang Caijin would not mind protecting the outsider. Even if he were to become enemies with Ji Qi, he would not hesitate.
Nevertheless, the final result was that Ji Qi died in Ou Yangming’s hands. Furthermore, it happened so fast that even Jiang Caijin did not even have time to stop it.
Taking a deep breath, Jiang Caijin shook his head slightly and cast away the hint of annoyance in his heart. He looked at Ou Yangming, who was standing proudly in the arena, and said in a deep voice, “Master Yu, you won.”
Ou Yangming collected his thoughts, cupped his hand, and responded, “Senior, when I fought against him, my life was hanging by a thread, so I didn’t dare to show any mercy.” After a pause, he added, “I’m truly sorry for the outcome.”
Jiang Caijin smiled bitterly in his heart. Such a result was indeed a huge trouble.
Despite that, when Jiang Caijin was facing Ou Yangming, he did not reveal the slightest bit of this thought. This was because he knew better than anyone else that if he wanted to obtain more Longevity Pills, he could only get them from this outsider. Not to mention Ou Yangming was not the one who provoked Ji Qi first, even if he did, the Venerable One would not just sit idly by.
Jiang Caijin sighed and said, “Master Yu, there’s no need to worry. Ji Qi was the one who initiated this fight, so he deserved the consequences.” He paused for a moment and said seriously, “I was here to witness this. If the Blood Dragon Clan comes looking for you in the future, I’ll naturally vouch for you.”
The expressions of the rest of the people present changed slightly. Jiang Caijin was making a promise in public.
From this, it was clear that he was even willing to fall out with the Blood Dragon Clan to protect Ou Yangming. This had greatly exceeded everyone’s expectations.
Only Jiang Yuping secretly sighed, but he did not have any intention of objecting to the idea.
To him, Jiang Caijin’s survival was the most important thing. So what if the Venerable One had some bad blood with the Blood Dragon Clan? It would still be 1,000 times better than the death of the Jiang family’s Venerable One.
Ou Yangming was slightly startled. He knew Jiang Caijin’s thoughts, but he felt a hint of gratitude in his heart as the Venerable One was being so responsible.
The young fellow bowed deeply to Jiang Caijin and expressed sincerely, “Thank you for your kindness, senior.”
Jiang Caijin waved his hand and said, “Don’t worry, go back. Leave this place to me.”
Ou Yangming responded to him and did not look at Ji Qi’s corpse anymore. Instead, he turned around and left.
He knew that Ji Qi definitely had some unused treasures on him. In fact, even his corpse itself was a rare treasure. Having said that, he understood that he had killed the man due to desperation from the forced battle. If he took away all of Ji Qi’s belongings, the nature of the fight would be completely different.
If that happened, even Jiang Caijin would not support him.
After Ou Yangming left, Jiang Yingrong and the rest also quietly left.
Jiang Caijin glanced at Jiang Yingrong from afar. He did not ask her to stay but only shook his head slightly in the dark.
After a long time, he retracted his gaze and glanced at Ji Qi’s corpse. He sighed with a headache.
If one wanted to understand this matter, one would probably have to pay a certain price…
※※※※
“Lil’ Man.”
Ou Yangming had just returned to the shop when he saw Lil’ Man squatting by the side. He was holding a small knife in his hand and seemed to be focused on carving a piece of wood.
However, Ou Yangming could tell with just one glance that the little child was absent-minded at the moment.
Obviously, though the little child tried his best to act as if he did not care, deep down, he could not help but worry for Ou Yangming.
Lil’ Man hurriedly raised his head, and his eyes immediately lit up. A happy smile quickly spread on his lips. His body seemed to have been loaded with springs as he jumped and rushed over at an unprecedented speed.
“Bang!”
The little child’s body crashed heavily into Ou Yangming’s embrace.
Even with Ou Yangming’s strength, he still swayed slightly. It could be seen just how powerful the impact of this collision was.
Ou Yangming thought to himself. ‘As expected of the Dragons’ bloodline inheritance. He became a Spiritualist at such a young age, and this was also after his bloodline had been damaged. If his Atavistic Bloodline wasn’t destroyed, I wonder how far his limit could reach.’
Feeling the excitement in Lil’ Man’s heart, Ou Yangming gently patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Blood Red’s already dead. Don’t worry.”
Lil’ Man suddenly looked up at Ou Yangming with sparkling eyes. When he confirmed the news from those eyes, he pursed his lips slightly, and a rare trace of tears actually flickered in his eyes.
Ou Yangming stroked the little child’s head and said, “In the ancient city, you have a good master, and the governor will take care of you. You won’t be at a disadvantage if you stay here.”
Lil’ Man was stunned and seemed to have understood something. He stretched out his hand and firmly grabbed Ou Yangming’s sleeve, afraid that the person in front of him would disappear if he let go.
Ou Yangming smiled bitterly. He had not been with Lil’ Man for a long time but for some reason, they had established a tacit relationship. Perhaps it was due to pity, or perhaps it was because Lil’ Man reminded him of his young self. His attitude toward this child was certainly different from others.
While he had made a decision before entering this city, when the decision was put into action, he could not bear it.
“Master Yu.”
All of a sudden, a gentle voice sounded behind him, breaking the silence.
Ou Yangming patted Lil’ Man. The little child hesitated for a moment before slowly letting go of his tightly clenched hands. That said, just by looking at his eyes, Ou Yangming knew if he made any strange movements, the little fellow would surely throw himself at him regardless of anything.
Shaking his head helplessly, Ou Yangming turned around and smiled. “Everyone, you’re here.”
Standing at the door were Jiang Yingrong and her daughter, Master Duan, and He Jian.
They walked together and returned from the Governor’s Residence. Nonetheless, when they saw Ou Yangming again, their eyes and attitude were slightly different.
After entering the house, He Jian suddenly said, “Lil’ Man, go and play with Lil’ Qingcheng for a while.”
Lil’ Man was struck dumb for a moment. He turned his head to look at Ou Yangming, his eyes filled with worry.
Ou Yangming chuckled and said, “Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
Lil’ Man then beamed and happily took Jiang Qingcheng out.
Jiang Qingcheng was a little unwilling but after being glared at by Jiang Yingrong, she pouted and left. As for how she would make things difficult for Lil’ Man, that was not what everyone was concerned about.
He Jian’s gaze flickered as he said in a deep voice, “Master Yu, I have something to ask, but I don’t know if I should.”
Ou Yangming was well aware of what he was going to say. He waved his hand and said, “Brother He, you already know the answer, so why do you need to ask?”
He Jian and the others looked at each other. He let out a long sigh and said, “So you’re really an outsider, Master Yu.”
Master Duan nodded repeatedly and said, “I was wondering when such a young elite appeared in the Big Ruins… Ah, I should’ve already thought about it. How could there be such a young alchemist in the Big Ruins?”
The cultivators in the Big Ruins had strong combat powers. Even people in the Spiritual Realm were inferior to them.
However, when it came to other skills, there was a stark contrast.
In the Spiritual Realm, if a disciple with outstanding talent trained under a supreme sect, one could naturally become a master-level figure in a certain aspect at a young age.
On the other hand, in the Big Ruins, if such a figure wanted to achieve something, the difficulty would increase by tenfold or a hundredfold.
Ou Yangming cupped his hand and expressed, “Please forgive me for hiding it from you previously.”
He could see that while these people had not known him for a long time, they were sincere to him. Naturally, he was grateful.
He Jian shook his head and replied to him, “Since we’ve known each other, it’s only right that we forgive you for that.”
Jiang Yingrong’s beautiful eyes moved, and she suddenly smiled. “Master Yu, you’ve exposed your identity now. Do you have any plans for the future?”
Ou Yangming pondered for a moment and answered, “Since I entered the Big Ruins, I don’t intend to return empty-handed. I’d like to entrust Lil’ Man to you for a few days…”
Earlier when Jiang Yingrong met Ji Qi, the way she acted made Ou Yangming amazed. Coupled with her surname, it made the young fellow guess her identity.
If he entrusted Lil’ Man to her, the little child could at least be safe.
That being said, He Jian’s eyes flashed slightly before he suddenly opened his mouth and said, “Master Yu, the ingredients in my shop have already been used up. I’d like to invite you to find some wood for Lil’ Man to practice with. What do you think?”
Ou Yangming was slightly taken aback. He looked at He Jian’s deep gaze, then he thought for a moment before he smiled and nodded. “Alright, I should do that.”
