Chapter 28: Agreement
"Xiao Yan, go get their storage rings!"
Xiao Bai whispered to Xiao Yan, who was still in a daze, then shouted toward the hut the blacksmith had previously entered:
"Come out!"
The blacksmith hiding in the hut was trembling like a leaf. Through a small hole in the window, he had clearly seen the evil star outside effortlessly slaughter everyone from the Jia Lie family.
That was a major force in Wu Tan City! Normally, these people were lofty figures far beyond the reach of those in the West City District.
But today, they were killed like chickens—no, judging by the evil star's demeanor, even easier than killing a chicken! He stumbled out of the hut, ran to Xiao Bai, and knelt down, crying and begging:
"Master, spare me! Master, please spare me! I had no choice—they forced me!"
Xiao Bai looked at him expressionlessly and, after a moment, said calmly:
"Where is my tripod?"
"It's in the front shop, Master. Wait just a moment, I'll go get it right away." He watched Xiao Bai's face carefully and, seeing no reaction, quickly got up and ran off.
"Brother Bai, you just let him go like that? If we were weak today, we'd be the ones buried here!" At this point, Xiao Yan had retrieved the storage rings from Jia Lie Bi and Jia Lie En, handed them to Xiao Bai, and asked curiously.
"Heh~!" Xiao Bai sneered, offering no further comment.
He took the storage rings from Xiao Yan and studied them. It was his first time holding such an item. The storage ring was pitch-black, its surface slightly rough, and a bit wider than the rings of his previous life.
He scanned them with his soul power. One ring had about ten square meters of space, while the other had only three or four. The larger one was likely Jia Lie Bi's. Inside were around four hundred thousand gold coins, a low-grade Xuan-class Qi method called Wind Fury Art, and a low-grade Xuan-class Dou Skill called Swift Wind Palm, along with various miscellaneous items.
The smaller one held only tens of thousands of gold coins and a few Huang-class Dou Skills.
Xiao Bai shook his head. Wu Tan City was truly too small. The Jia Lie family, one of the three major clans, could only muster this much from their top members?
Still, the storage ring and gold coins solved Xiao Bai's immediate needs. Alchemy was not something the poor could afford. Although successful alchemists were incredibly wealthy, that only came after years of bitter training and reputation building.
Most apprentices with alchemy talent either came from good backgrounds, had powerful mentors, or joined large clans or sects—otherwise, they wouldn't have the medicinal ingredients necessary to train and advance.
Xiao Bai moved all the useful items into the larger ring, discarded the rest, and then put the ring on his finger.
Not bad. With this storage ring, traveling with Yao Lao in a few months would be much more convenient.
After all, their destination was the Tagger Desert, and the first concern there was water and food. Xiao Bai had no intention of burdening himself with countless bags and ruining his smart and heroic image.
Xiao Yan watched him enviously as he put on the ring. After all, it was a storage ring—something only his father and the First Elder of the Xiao family owned. He had seen one growing up but never touched one himself!
Xiao Bai looked at Xiao Yan and sighed silently. You're the future Yan Emperor—have a little ambition!
At that moment, the blacksmith shop owner stumbled back, carrying a small tripod. He handed it to Xiao Bai, panting and smiling obsequiously:
"Sir, here's your tripod! Please take a look!"
Xiao Bai took it and saw that it was a small black tripod with three legs and two handles, a rounded belly, and a lid. A few small holes dotted the lid. It looked more like a large incense burner than a refining tripod.
He nodded. It was indeed crafted according to the blueprint he had provided. Xiao Bai placed the tripod into the storage ring.
Then he looked calmly at the blacksmith and said softly:
"We agreed on a thousand gold coins. I paid half up front, and the rest upon pickup, correct?"
The blacksmith gulped. How could he dare accept money now? He quickly said:
"No, no… no, it is my honor that you had something made here. I was ignorant before. Please, I'll return your gold coins… right away!"
He hurriedly bowed his head and shakily pulled out his coin pouch to return the money. But Xiao Bai didn't care. He simply pulled five hundred gold coins from his ring and placed them on the nearby stone table.
"Now our agreement is complete."
Seeing this, Xiao Yan thought Xiao Bai was going to let the blacksmith go and asked, a little puzzled:
"Brother Bai, is that all you want to—"
Before he could finish, Xiao Bai's gaze turned cold, and with a flick of his finger, he struck the blacksmith right between the brows. The man dropped lifelessly to the ground like the Jia Lie family members.
Since coming to this world, Xiao Bai had known it was cruel—not a peaceful and stable place like his previous life.
Back in his old world, he had often wondered: How would I feel the first time I killed someone? Would I panic? Shake uncontrollably? Would I become a different person?
He'd considered such questions in idle moments. But now that the moment had come, Xiao Bai realized he had overthought it.
In this world where life and death hung by a thread, there was no room for such pointless reflection.
He didn't want to be a saint—just someone who could survive and live well.
He could maintain his bottom line and avoid senseless killing, but excessive compassion would only hold him back—or worse, get him killed.
When the blacksmith returned, Xiao Bai had hesitated for a moment—but only for a moment.
Perhaps the man really was forced. Perhaps not. But did it matter?
It didn't. If Xiao Bai hadn't defeated the Jia Lie family today, his corpse might have been left in some desolate mountain tomorrow, eaten by beasts, with no one even remembering his name.
Thinking this, Xiao Bai stood quietly for a moment, feelings complicated.
"Brother Bai…"
Xiao Yan's voice broke his thoughts. Xiao Bai looked at him and smiled gently.
"It's fine. Let's go."
He turned and walked off first. Seeing that Xiao Bai seemed unaffected, Xiao Yan put his concerns aside and quickly followed.
"Brother Bai, why did you give him the money before killing him?"
"That was our agreement. I fulfilled it. There's no conflict between keeping my word and killing him."
Xiao Yan nodded in understanding. Xiao Bai honored his promise—even to someone who became his enemy.
"But Brother Bai… what if someone you promised something to later becomes your enemy, and keeping that promise would make them stronger than you—would you still do it?"
Xiao Yan asked purely out of curiosity. He wanted to know what Brother Bai would choose in that situation.
Even Yao Lao in the ring perked up, eager to hear Xiao Bai's answer.
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(End of Chapter)