Douluo Continent has a system, but I don't want to use it.

Chapter 54 Encountering Human Traffickers

"By the way, while you're forging weapons, buy some special metals from them. Half a pound to a pound of each type is enough. You don't need to buy these other special metals, we won't use them." As Fang Tian spoke, he handed Dugu Bo a piece of paper, which listed the special metals that he and Qiu Fengyan had absorbed.

"No problem, Lao Gao, leave this to me, I guarantee I'll get it done!" Dugu Bo patted his chest and assured him.

"Then I'll leave it to you, old poisoner. Xiao Qiu and I will be going now." Fang Tian said goodbye as soon as he saw that the matter was settled.

Dugu Bo tried to persuade them to stay, but seeing their resolute expressions, he stopped insisting on hosting a farewell banquet.

Fang Tian and Qiu Fengyan bought some supplies for the journey and soon returned to the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Eye.

Fang Tian transplanted all the remaining herbs that had reached the Immortal Herb level into flowerpots and put them into his living creature storage bag. Except for the Snow-Colored Swan Kiss!

This thing is too poisonous. Fang Tian didn't touch it when he was organizing the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well last time, and he didn't take it with him this time either.

Fang Tian then selected three more herbs from the remaining second-tier ones: the Longevity Herb, the Youthful Longevity Flower, and the Ninth-Grade Iron Essence Herb. These were for his parents and Director Wang, who had twice helped him hunt souls.

"Fengyan, is there anyone else important to you who needs these herbs?" Fang Tian turned to Qiu Fengyan and asked.

"Grandpa Village Chief has been very kind to me, let's choose a longevity herb for him," Qiu Fengyan said after thinking for a moment.

"Then let's choose this Grade 9 Life-Replenishing Herb! It can probably extend one's lifespan by about twenty years." Fang Tian searched around and confirmed his target.

Fang Tian placed the four second-grade immortal herbs into jade boxes, handed the jade box containing the ninth-grade life-replenishing herb to Qiu Fengyan, and told her how to take it.

The jade box can preserve the medicinal properties of the herbs. The second-best herbs selected this time will be consumed soon, so there's no need to go through the trouble of transplanting them into flowerpots.

The reason why the medicinal properties of the earth dragon golden melon that Fang Tian taught Dugu Bo last time started to dissipate so quickly was because Fang Tian put it directly into his storage ring without even preparing a jade box.

Fang Tian reinforced the various small traps in the Yin-Yang Well before he and Qiu Fengyan set off on their journey home.

The two traveled very quickly, using only a quarter of their speed, easily covering five or six hundred miles a day.

Another day of missing the hotel, Fang Tian and Qiu Fengyan stayed in a small village.

Fang Tian negotiated with the village chief and paid a gold soul coin for lodging before he was able to successfully stay in the small village.

The two took out the various food and utensils they had brought and cooked a meal. After eating and drinking their fill and finishing their cultivation, Fang Tian set up some warning devices around the house before he and Qiu Fengyan went to rest.

The two, who were already on guard in the middle of the night, were awakened by a commotion.

"Could it be that the villagers have ill intentions towards us?" Qiu Fengyan said with a gloomy face, very annoyed at being disturbed from her sleep.

"Let's wait and see. The villagers know we're Soul Masters, so they shouldn't normally attack us. We need to carefully assess the situation," Fang Tian said with a smile to Qiu Fengyan.

"Fengyan, calm yourself down first. Being grumpy when you wake up can easily make your brain make wrong judgments. It wouldn't be good if innocent people were implicated," Fang Tian reminded her.

"Yes, I understand. I don't want the suffering I went through to befall others either." Qiu Fengyan nodded solemnly.

Next, Fang Tian and Qiu Fengyan carefully observed their surroundings while discussing possible scenarios.

"Thump! Thump! Thump!" Heavy footsteps quickly approached the small courtyard where the two were.

Although Fang Tian and Qiu Fengyan determined that the person was an ordinary person without soul power, they were still on guard.

"Two Soul Masters, please save the children in the village!" Fang Tian heard the village chief's plea for help even before he arrived. Then came a loud knocking on the door.

Fang Tian carefully sensed that there was indeed only the village chief, so he opened the door.

"Village Chief, what happened? Are the children in the village in danger?" Fang Tian asked.

"Tonight, a group of masked men in black came to the village and kidnapped two children from our village. The children's parents tried to stop them, but they were killed by those men. Those were children from our village who had just awakened their soul power this year!" The village chief said angrily, slapping his thigh.

"They might be human traffickers! I can't believe how audacious human traffickers are these days. This isn't just child abduction, it's outright robbery!" Qiu Fengyan said angrily.

"Uncle Village Chief, which direction did those men in black go? My companions and I will go after them right away," Fang Tian asked the village chief.

If Fang Tian were to ignore such a situation, he felt his conscience would torment him for the rest of his life.

"They ran towards the mountains over there. Thank you both for your help." Upon hearing that the two Soul Masters were willing to help them, the village chief quickly pointed out the escape route of the men in black.

"Fengyan, let's go!" Fang Tian called out to Qiu Fengyan and quickly chased after her in the direction the village chief pointed.

Qiu Fengyan quickly followed. The two used the Nine Palaces Blade Steps, moving with lightning speed. In a flash, the two figures in front of the village chief began to fade and disappear.

Fang Tian released his spiritual power, sensing the soul power fluctuations ahead to the maximum extent. Qiu Fengyan followed closely behind, also releasing her own spiritual power.

The two approached the forest at near-sonic speed, constantly avoiding the trees detected by their mental energy.

At their speed, it took less than five minutes for the two of them to sense six people hurrying away ahead. There were four adults and two children.

"The four people in front must be the human traffickers." Fang Tian was convinced they were human traffickers because all four were masked, and Fang Tian had seen one of the children before.

"Kill the two who didn't bring their children first," Qiu Fengyan said coldly.

Upon hearing the call, Fang Tian swiftly threw his throwing knife. At the same time, Qiu Fengyan also launched her own throwing knife.

"Swoosh!" Two swoosh sounds rang out, and the two masked men behind them staggered a couple of steps before collapsing to the ground with a thud. A wet patch appeared on their backs.

"Who?" The moment the two people behind him fell to the ground, the two people in front immediately became alert and scrambled to the sides to avoid them.

"You two are very vigilant. It seems you're repeat offenders," Fang Tian remarked.

"Where did these two idiots come from, daring to do good deeds like others? Don't they know good people don't live long?" the man in black, who seemed to be the leader, cursed.

Fang Tian had already accessed the system and identified the two individuals' information.

The leader was actually a Soul Emperor, and the one next to him was a Soul King.

Fang Tian fell silent. Why would such a powerful Soul Master become a human trafficker when he could do anything so easily? And why would he personally come to kidnap children? Nobody would believe there wasn't something special going on.

(End of this chapter)