221: Fate

Senior Brother Fang's Junior Sister. He had met her once in Mist City. Xu Sanyan remembered that her surname seemed to be... Zhao?

Junior Sister Zhao also spotted Xu Sanyan, and her heart skipped a beat. She had heard of Xu Sanyan's battle record—taking on four opponents alone and leaving calmly—which was certainly not something she could withstand.

"Hi, what a coincidence." Xu Sanyan greeted her with a smile.

Junior Sister Zhao felt uneasy and anxious. Who wants to have a coincidence with you? However, she dared not truly anger him, so she could only force a smile onto her tearful face. "...Greetings, Saint."

A smile hung on the corners of Xu Sanyan's mouth as he looked over Junior Sister Zhao's beautiful face, slowly approaching her.

Junior Sister Zhao's body trembled, and she stood rooted to the spot, not daring to move.

"Why are you here?" Xu Sanyan asked curiously.

"Er... Senior Brother Fang is here too, along with the Luo family siblings. They might find me at any moment..." Junior Sister Zhao's voice was weak and pale, attempting to exert pressure on Xu Sanyan.

"Hehehehe..."

Xu Sanyan stood before her, unconcerned. He slowly leaned forward until he was right beside her cheek, his nostrils twitching as he sniffed the faint fragrance on her body.

Junior Sister Zhao shook even more violently. Her hands were clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning slightly white from extreme tension, and her eyes blinked rapidly and unconsciously.

Xu Sanyan seemed not to notice her tension. He reached out and gently brushed a stray lock of hair from Junior Sister Zhao's temple, tucking it behind her ear. With less than a foot between them, Junior Sister Zhao could clearly smell the scent radiating from him.

"Hiss... Haa..."

Xu Sanyan narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath and then slowly exhaling. With a perverted demeanor, he whispered, "You smell so good..."

"What... are you going to do?"

Junior Sister Zhao pressed herself tightly against the wall. She wanted to fight back, but her remaining reason stopped her. She knew well the chasm between them; it was not something that could be bridged by courage alone.

Xu Sanyan extended his index finger to lift her chin, his thumb gently grazing her red lips. He brought his thin lips close to her ear, the airflow from his breath rushing into her ear canal.

His other hand slowly wrapped around her waist, pressing their bodies together.

"Do you want to die or live?"

Junior Sister Zhao's body stiffened, and her pupils dilated instantly. Feeling the friction of his fingers on her body, mist gathered in her eyes.

"I... want to live."

"Beg me." A perverse sense of humor rose in Xu Sanyan's heart.

"Please..."

Junior Sister Zhao was powerless to resist and didn't want to die, so she could only let him do as he pleased.

"Hahahaha..."

The wild, perverted laughter sounded like a demon's whisper to Junior Sister Zhao. Her pretty face turned deathly pale. She didn't understand why she was so unlucky; why did she run into this pervert as soon as she arrived?

Xu Sanyan stopped wasting words with her. A Demon Seed condensed in the Void Realm and was slowly imprinted onto her forehead.

Junior Sister Zhao's body stiffened, her mind in chaos. Looking at the man before her, a sense of intimacy and fear rose in her heart.

"Do you like me?"

"I like you."

Junior Sister Zhao's expression was slightly dull, but her eyes gradually regained their liveliness.

"Do you like me or Fang Qingge?" Xu Sanyan asked curiously.

"Hmm..." Junior Sister Zhao hesitated, snuck a glance at him, and bit her lip.

"Tsk, it's still too short a time." Xu Sanyan shook his head but didn't mind. The Demon Seed had just been planted and needed time to ferment.

If he asked her this time tomorrow, she would say she likes Xu Sanyan without hesitation.

"Follow me."

"Yes." Junior Sister Zhao followed behind him.

After leaving the alley, the street was silent. A cold breeze brushed past the small flags beside the shops, making a fluttering sound.

"How many people did you bring?" Xu Sanyan asked, turning his head.

"Eighty or ninety people." Junior Sister Zhao did not hide it.

"That's quite a lot."

Eighty or ninety people seemed like a lot, but scattered throughout this city, it was like tributaries flowing into the sea, unable to stir up a single ripple.

The fact that Junior Sister Zhao could run into Xu Sanyan as soon as she entered proved that their fated connection was truly not shallow.

Of course, Junior Sister Zhao might not want this fated connection, but it was not up to her.

The earlier Wang Xinglu was already dead; the Demon Seed planted on him had dissipated, so there was absolutely no possibility of him being alive.

Xu Sanyan suspected it was because of the gong-beating.

Fortunately, he had been cautious and made Wang Xinglu strike it first. After the female ghost appeared, she only focused on Wang Xinglu and ignored him, which was how he escaped with his life.

Looking at the desolate street before him, Xu Sanyan returned the way he came, heading toward the government office. An incense stick was planted in front of its gate; the night watchman used the length of the incense to tell the time.

He was considering whether to continue being a night watchman. For a mere eight taels of soul essence, it really wasn't worth taking such a huge risk.

Swish— A sound of wind swept past them from behind. Xu Sanyan turned around abruptly, but there was only the silent street; there was nothing else.

But he was certain he hadn't misheard; there was definitely something behind them!

Xu Sanyan's gaze wandered uncertainly. Beside him, Junior Sister Zhao looked at him in confusion, not understanding what he was looking at.

"Did you hear a sound?" Xu Sanyan turned to look at her.

"No... Ah!" Before Junior Sister Zhao could finish, she suddenly screamed. Her pupils were fixed on something behind Xu Sanyan, and she pointed there with a trembling finger.

"Hmph!"

Xu Sanyan turned around suddenly, a halberd appearing in his hand, and he swept it violently backward.

Swish— With a fierce sound of breaking air, the halberd turned into a streak of black lightning as it swept past. At the same time, he pushed off with both feet, darting forward rapidly.

The halberd swept through a humanoid phantom. The shadow split in half and then fused back together, as if it had suffered no damage at all, but Xu Sanyan noticed that the phantom had faded slightly.

"Woooo~" The sound of wind was mixed with weeping, which drifted far away in the silent night, sounding extremely chilling.

"What kind of ghost thing is this!"

Xu Sanyan's eyes were filled with shock and suspicion. This thing was different from normal ghosts; it was more illusory, and its expression was more dull, as if it had no consciousness.

"This is a Yen!"

Junior Sister Zhao calmed down. The sudden appearance of this thing had truly startled her, but upon realizing it was no match for Xu Sanyan, she felt relieved again.

"A Yen?"

Xu Sanyan had heard the old man mention it briefly before. This thing could only be born from filth like resentment and Death Qi. Its strength varied, and its movements were erratic and difficult to detect.

"Wooo~" Filthy liquid flowed from the Yen's eye sockets as it stared straight at Xu Sanyan. Its figure flashed and vanished instantly, and when it reappeared, it was already in front of him.

"You're courting death!"

Xu Sanyan let out a low shout. The halberd in his hand emitted a glowing white light, and he slashed down from above, splitting the Yen in half vertically.

Although it was broken in two, it was not yet dead, and its arms were still reaching for him.

Xu Sanyan waved his large sleeve, and a barrier of magic power enveloped him. The Yen could not penetrate it, and a look of anxiety appeared on its deathly still face.

"Brother, I want to eat..."

At this moment, a girl's voice came from the ruler. Xu Sanyan ignored it and scattered the Yen in an instant.

"What did you say?" Xu Sanyan asked the girl, lowering his head as if he hadn't heard.

"...It's nothing." The girl's voice sounded disappointed.

Xu Sanyan nodded and withdrew the halberd into his body.

In fact, he had heard clearly, but there was no help for it. If he fed the Yen to the girl, he would first need to unlock the Restriction on the ruler and let her out. Xu Sanyan did not want to let her out.