Douluo Continent: Reincarnated as Huo Gua, yet a Manjusaka Flower

On the other hand, Huo Yunxiao, after leaving the Star Dou Great Forest, was obviously unaware of the changes that had occurred there.

Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

"There's someone there."

Then she thought for a moment and continued walking.

She was still wearing a black blindfold, carrying a blood-red oil-paper umbrella.

He was now on a flat official road, where several figures were staring at him, seemingly intending to target him.

Those individuals were part of a criminal gang.

In the shadows, a man wearing a dark hood concealed his face beneath the brim, revealing only a pair of sinister, hawk-like eyes that stared intently at the solitary figure ahead.

Watching Huo Yunxiao seemingly wander aimlessly along the official road, his demeanor composed and untouched by worldly affairs, his brows furrowed more and more, his eyes swirling with entanglement and unease.

The target was simply too stunning, her beauty otherworldly. In this remote border town, the sudden sight of such beauty did not arouse his greed; instead, it made him instinctively sense a hint of danger.

But that fleeting glimpse—that almost flawless profile against the backdrop of snow, that aloof and otherworldly air—writhed wildly in his mind like a poisonous vine. An irrepressible wicked thought crept out from the depths of his heart, like a venomous snake's hiss, gradually devouring the last vestiges of his fear.

Huo Yunxiao was originally a child created by the Star God. His appearance and bone structure were the most beautiful in the world, and he was rare in the world.

In the eyes of this villain, she was no longer an ordinary passerby, but a rare and precious treasure, enough to ignite his most frenzied lust for possession. Such beauty was a hundred or a thousand times more valuable than any "goods" they had ever kidnapped and sold before.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the agitation in his heart and whispered to the person beside him, "Old Yu, it's up to you now."

"...Um, okay then."

The man called Lao Yu was an elderly man nearing seventy, with a face full of wrinkles, but he deliberately put on a kind and amiable smile, making him look somewhat benevolent.

He hunched over, pretending to be a passerby, and quietly went to meet Huo Yunxiao, "coincidentally" bumping into him.

The old man squinted, looking the blindfolded girl holding a red umbrella up and down, and asked in a feigned tone of concern, "Little girl, why are you traveling alone? It's getting late, where are your parents?"

"I'm going north to find my dad. My mom is sick, and I want to go home with my dad to see her."

Huo Yunxiao pretended to be a naive and innocent girl, but to be honest, acting was not his forte at all.

Upon hearing this, the old man's cloudy eyes darted around, a flash of greed and ruthlessness crossing his gaze, but his face plastered with an even more benevolent smile, and he deliberately softened his voice:

"Grandpa is also heading north. It's too dangerous for a young girl like you to travel alone. Why don't you come with Grandpa? That way, you can look after each other along the way."

Upon hearing this, Huo Yunxiao's blindfolded face immediately lit up with joy, and her previously tense shoulders relaxed. She nodded gently, her voice clear and melodious, carrying a touch of innocent naiveté:

"Really? Thank you, Grandpa... Mom was right, there are still many good people in this world."

Her tone was cheerful, like a bird that had let its guard down. The blood-red oil-paper umbrella in her hand was tilted slightly, making her fair and slender neck even more endearing. Although her eyes were covered by an eye patch, she exuded a pure and harmless aura. Anyone who saw her would only think she was a naive and easily deceived young girl.

Looking at her completely unguarded appearance and listening to her clean and sweet child's voice, Lao Yu couldn't help but sneer inwardly.

She really is a clueless little girl, possessing stunning beauty but lacking any cunning whatsoever.

Such stunning beauty, such pure innocence—she's practically a rare gem delivered right to my doorstep.

He had thought it would take sweet talk and considerable effort to win her over, but he hadn't expected the girl to believe him so easily. Any lingering doubts in his heart vanished completely, replaced by a sense of triumph and eagerness at the prospect of success.

They just need to lure this little girl to a secluded place, then join forces with their accomplices to capture her. At that time... the benefits that such a beauty can bring are enough for them to squander for a long time.

Old Yu's smile grew even more amiable. He reached out to help him up, his tone gentle: "Good child, don't be so polite. Follow Grandpa, you'll be safe."

"Poor child, come with grandpa."

The old man stretched out his calloused, large-knuckled hand, his face bearing a hypocritical, almost greasy, kindness.

Without the slightest hesitation, Huo Yunxiao gently and softly placed that slender, fair hand into his rough palm.

The old man and the child then left the roadside inn.

Watching the two figures gradually disappear into the distance, the passersby resting at the inn shook their heads, a trace of indifference and sigh flashing in their eyes.

Another ignorant little child is about to be ruined.

Everyone knows what kind of person that old man is; he specializes in abducting lone children and women at the border and then selling them to filthy places.

But since it doesn't concern them, no one wants to meddle, and even less would anyone want to provoke a group of ruthless villains for the sake of a stranger.

A reminder? No, it doesn't exist.

No one was willing to utter even a subtle hint.

With his eyes covered by an eye patch, Huo Yunxiao's seemingly innocent smile gradually turned cold.

The "people" in Douluo Continent... are truly remarkable.

The world is going downhill, and people's hearts are immortal.

Compared to the blatant malice of the villains, the silence and indifference of the entire city seemed even more ridiculous and...boring to her.

Old Yu led her into a secluded and deep forest, and only stopped abruptly when he was sure that no one was around.

The next moment, several sinister figures slowly emerged from the shadows of the dense forest and surrounded the two.

It was the old man's gang, their accomplices who had been waiting there all along.

"Old Yu, well done. If this deal goes through, we won't have to risk our lives for decades."

"Big brother, what are you thinking about?"

"This girl is truly exceptional. Once this matter is settled, we'll move to another place, and at least in the leader's eyes, our position will be elevated several levels."

"That's right! Before, we could only find ordinary girls in the countryside, but today we've finally stumbled upon a real gem. She looks like she's only in her teens, but her looks... tsk tsk, I've never seen anyone so beautiful in my life!"

"Boss, look at this! It's a hundred times better looking than any of the other stuff we've ever seen before! If only..."

The man grinned maliciously, his expression cruel and crazed, eager to boast about his past misdeeds: "Hehe, you're right! I've been with plenty of people, but I've never encountered one as exceptional as this! Remember that little girl from last time? Her mother knelt on the ground, crying and begging me to let her daughter go, but I made her watch as she struggled desperately until she was completely in despair... In the end, hehe, that scene still gets exciting to think about."

He became increasingly agitated as he spoke, spewing vulgarities and inhuman brutality—how to torture the innocent, how to derive pleasure from the despair of others, and how to callously bury lives.