Battle Through the Heavens: Purple Heaven Thunder Emperor

Chapter 28 The Agreement

"Xiao Yan, go and get their storage rings!"

Xiao Bai spoke softly to Xiao Yan, who was still in a daze, and then shouted in the direction of the hut where the blacksmith had gone:

"come out!"

The blacksmith, hiding in the hut, was trembling like a leaf. He had seen clearly through the small hole in the window that the scourge outside had easily killed everyone from the Jia Lie family.

Those are big shots in Wutan City! Normally, these people are always high above and unattainable to the people of the West District.

Today, however, I was killed like a chicken. No, judging from the evil spirit's appearance, it was even easier than killing a chicken!

Trembling, he walked out of the small house, ran all the way to Xiao Bai, knelt down, and cried out urgently:

"Young master, spare me! Young master, spare me! It's not my fault! I was forced into this by them!"

Xiao Bai looked at him expressionlessly, and after a moment said calmly:

"Where is my cauldron?"

"It's at the shop ahead, young master, please wait a moment, I'll go get it right away." As she spoke, she watched Xiao Bai's reaction. Seeing that he didn't say anything, she hurriedly got up and ran outside.

"Brother Bai, are you just going to let him go like this? If we were weaker today, we would have been buried here!" At this moment, Xiao Yan had taken the storage rings of Jia Liebi and Jia Lieen and handed them to Xiao Bai, asking with some curiosity.

"Heh~!" Xiao Bai gave a cold laugh that was neither confirming nor denying.

He took the storage ring from Xiao Yan and examined it in his hand. It was the first time he had ever held this item in his own hands. The storage ring was pure black with a slightly rough surface and was a little wider than the ring from his previous life.

He scanned the two storage rings with his soul power. One was larger, with about ten square meters, while the other was smaller, with only three or four square meters.

The larger one should belong to Jialiebi. It contains mostly gold coins, about 400,000, as well as a low-level Xuan-rank cultivation technique called "Wind Fury Technique," a low-level Xuan-rank combat skill called "Swift Wind Palm," and other miscellaneous items.

The smaller one, which is worth a little money, is only worth tens of thousands of gold coins and a few yellow-rank combat skills.

Xiao Bai shook his head at what he saw inside. Wutan City was still too small. The Jia Lie family, one of the three major families, had only this much stuff among all its high-ranking members.

However, the storage ring and gold coins solved Xiao Bai's current needs. Alchemy is not something that poor people can afford to learn. Don't be fooled by those alchemists who are all richer than the last; they are just alchemists who have made it big and become famous.

Most apprentices at the bottom level with alchemy talent either need a good family background, a good teacher, or to join a family or sect. Otherwise, where would they get a large amount of medicinal materials to practice with and advance their skills?

After putting all the useful items from the storage ring into the larger one and throwing away the rest, Xiao Bai put the ring on his hand.

He looked at it for a moment and nodded.

That's good. Having a storage ring will make it much easier to go out with the old doctor in a few months.

After all, this trip is to the Tagher Desert, and the first thing to solve is the problem of water and food. Xiao Bai doesn't want to carry big bags and small packages on his back, as that would greatly affect his wise and mighty image!

Xiao Yan watched enviously as he slipped the ring onto his hand. After all, it was a storage ring, and only his father and the First Elder in the entire Xiao family possessed one. He had seen it before but never used it!

Xiao Bai looked at Xiao Yan and was speechless. "You, the future Flame Emperor, can't you be a little more dignified?"

Just then, the blacksmith shop owner stumbled back, carrying a small cauldron, and breathlessly handed it to Xiao Bai, smiling obsequiously:

"Young master, this is your cauldron, take a look!"

Xiao Bai took it and saw that it was a small, black cauldron with three legs, two handles, a round belly, and a lid with several small holes. Calling it a cauldron was an understatement; it was more like a large incense burner.

Nodding, Xiao Bai acknowledged that the cauldron was indeed made according to the blueprints he had given him and put it into his ring.

His gaze, calm and unwavering, fell upon the blacksmith's owner, and he said softly:

"We agreed that this cauldron would cost one thousand gold coins to forge. I paid half as a deposit that day, and I'll pay the remaining five hundred gold coins on the day I pick it up, right?"

The blacksmith swallowed hard; he dared not accept money now, and hurriedly said:

"No, no...no, it's an honor for you to have the small cauldron crafted here, young master. How could I dare accept money? I was ignorant back then, and I'll return the gold coins to you now...return them to you!"

As he spoke, he hurriedly lowered his head and tremblingly tried to take money from his purse to return it to him.

Xiao Bai ignored what he was doing, took out five hundred gold coins from his ring, placed them on the stone table beside him, and said:

"Our agreement is now fulfilled!"

Seeing Xiao Bai's actions, Xiao Yan assumed Xiao Bai was going to let the boss go and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Brother Bai, is that all...?"

But before he could finish speaking, Xiao Bai's eyes turned cold, and he pointed at the blacksmith's forehead. The blacksmith, like the rest of the Jia Lie family, fell straight down.

Since arriving in this world, Xiao Bai has always thought that this world is inherently cruel, unlike the peaceful and stable world of his previous life.

As someone who has shaped their worldview in a peaceful and stable environment, what would their feelings be like if they killed someone for the first time? Would they feel panicked and their hands tremble? Would their personality change drastically after killing someone?

He had thought about these things when he was bored before, but when the moment actually came, Xiao Bai realized that he had been thinking too much.

We've already reached a point of life or death; there's no time to think about useless things.

Xiao Bai didn't want to be a saint; he just wanted to live, to live a good life.

He can have his own bottom line and not kill innocent people indiscriminately, but he also cannot be too compassionate, otherwise he will find it difficult to get by in this world, and sometimes he may even lose his life.

When the boss returned, Xiao Bai hesitated for a moment about whether to kill him, but he immediately suppressed it.

He may have been genuinely forced, or he may have been tempted, but does it matter?

It doesn't matter. If he can't beat the Jia Lie family today, his body might be found on some desolate mountain tomorrow, devoured by wild beasts, and the world might not even know that a person named Xiao Bai ever came.

Thinking of all this, Xiao Bai stood there blankly, his feelings a little complicated.

"Brother Bai...?"

Pulled back to his senses by Xiao Yan's shout, Xiao Bai saw Xiao Yan looking at him with some concern and smiled gently at him.

"It's alright, let's go!"

He then walked out first. Seeing that he didn't seem to be in any trouble, Xiao Yan put aside his worries and hurriedly followed.

"Brother Bai, why did you pay him before killing him?"

"That was an agreement between him and me, and of course I had to fulfill it. One thing at a time, fulfilling the agreement and killing him are not contradictory!"

Xiao Yan understood after hearing this. Xiao Bai kept his promise. Even if he and his boss became enemies, he would still keep the promises he made before they became enemies.

"Brother Bai, if there's someone you made a promise to, who later became your enemy, and if you fulfilled that promise, their strength would surpass yours, would you still do it?"

Xiao Yan asked this question purely out of curiosity: what would Brother Bai choose in that situation?

The old apothecary inside the ring also pricked up his ears; he was equally curious about what Xiao Bai would do in that situation.

(End of this chapter)