"A Martial Soul?"
'Devour it.'
Without any hesitation, Chu Qingyun used his Devouring Martial Soul and directly swallowed the Assassin's Martial Soul.
Chu Qingyun suspected that the Assassin's elusive abilities likely came from the power of this Martial Soul.
He was quite curious about it.
After searching the Assassin's body, Chu Qingyun found only two items.
One was a black short blade that didn't reflect a single trace of light.
The other was a Token, about half the size of a palm. On its face was a skull, its eye sockets faintly glowing with a dark red light.
"Dongliu Alley... What's that place?"
On a corner of the Token's back, Chu Qingyun saw two words, which looked to have been carved on later.
'Forget it. I should get out of here first.'
Putting away the short blade and the Token, Chu Qingyun departed quickly.
He found a mine tunnel to rest in for the night. The next morning, Chu Qingyun felt refreshed and revitalized.
Not long after he set out, however, he witnessed a strange scene.
Three Fifth Level Martial Artists, making no effort to conceal their tyrannical presence, were escorting four low-level Martial Artists past the place where Chu Qingyun had rested.
One of them, a Fifth Level Martial Artist with a big beard, spotted Chu Qingyun, pointed at him, and shouted, "Hey, kid! Get your ass over here!"
Chu Qingyun looked around and, seeing no one else, realized the man was shouting at him.
'Three Fifth Level Martial Artists... It's not like I couldn't handle them...'
However, after a moment of silent consideration, Chu Qingyun decided to approach them and see what they were up to.
"Kid, you know what's good for you. Not like this lowlife!"
Seeing Chu Qingyun approach obediently, the big-bearded Martial Artist gave a satisfied smile and viciously kicked a Level 3 Martial Artist beside him.
"You called for me? Is there something I can help you with?" Chu Qingyun asked.
"Stop asking questions and just walk!"
Another Fifth Level Martial Artist shoved him, and the group started walking again.
Along the way, the three Fifth Level Martial Artists rounded up several more Martial Artists from the nearby villages and towns. From Level 4 down to Level 2, they didn't even spare Level 1 Martial Artists.
Soon, the group of captives had grown to thirteen people.
Two of them had their arms brutally broken for resisting.
"Huzi, we've grabbed ten. That should be enough, right?" one of the Fifth Level Martial Artists said to Big Beard.
Big Beard nodded. "Yeah, that's about right. Let's deliver this batch first."
With that, they changed direction, herding Chu Qingyun and the other nine captives toward a different area.
'This direction... It seems to be toward the Elemental Ore Rat Swarm Mine.'
A bad feeling suddenly surfaced in Chu Qingyun's heart.
Partway there, a Level 3 Martial Artist suddenly unleashed a Soul Technique into the crowd, throwing out a cloud of black mist to obscure everyone's vision before turning to flee.
"Hmph! Courting death!"
A vicious glint flashed in Big Beard's eyes. A powerful surge of Momentum erupted from him, instantly scattering the black mist.
He then flicked his wrist, sending a Willow Leaf Dart through the fleeing Martial Artist's heart for an instant kill.
"Anyone else who tries to run will share his fate!"
Big Beard threatened them with a glare and led the group onward.
Chu Qingyun collected the miniature octopus Martial Soul that had materialized over the man's corpse and silently continued on with the group.
After seeing this example, the rest of the captives became much more docile. No one else dared to attempt an escape.
Upon arriving outside the Elemental Ore Rat Swarm Mine, Chu Qingyun was shocked to find that nearly a hundred low-level Martial Artists had already been gathered there!
These Martial Artists were all from the surrounding villages. Chu Qingyun even spotted two Martial Artists from Chu Family Village!
Surrounding them, a dozen or so guards patrolled, each one making no attempt to conceal their powerful presence and murderous Qi.
The weakest among them were Fifth Level Martial Artists, and the two strongest made even Chu Qingyun's heart pound with alarm!
'Damn it. Looks like I've gotten in way over my head this time...'
Chu Qingyun felt a faint pang of regret.
But what was done was done. All he could do now was take things one step at a time.
"Eh? Huzi, how did you only manage to bring back nine?"
a large, scar-faced man shouted to Big Beard with a laugh.
Big Beard snorted and said, "One of the little shits tried to run, so I dealt with him."
"You nine, get in the middle with the rest of them! Don't wander off, and stay put!"
Once inside the main crowd, Chu Qingyun and the other eight new captives dispersed to find people from their own villages.
Chu Qingyun made his way over to the two people from Chu Family Village.
"Qingyun, you don't even have a Martial Soul. What are you doing in the Yuan Stone Ore Vein?"
The two of them had been in the Yuan Stone Ore Vein for the past few days, so they were unaware of Chu Qingyun's recent developments.
"Gang, Yun, there's no time to explain. Do you know what those people have captured us for?"
Chu Qingyun asked, squatting beside Chu Gang and Chu Yun.
"No idea. We were just captured ourselves. Those Fifth Level Martial Artists... they're too strong. Just their terrifying Momentum is enough to make your heart tremble."
Chu Gang and Chu Yun both shook their heads.
Both had only recently become Level 3 Martial Artists; faced with Fifth Level Martial Artists, they couldn't even think of resisting.
Chu Qingyun nodded, a few theories already forming in his mind.
"Gang, Yun, no matter what happens later, both of you stick with me and follow my lead."
Hearing Chu Qingyun's words, both Chu Gang and Chu Yun felt it was strange.
An ordinary person without even a Martial Soul was telling two Martial Artists to follow him and obey his commands.
But there was a calm confidence about Chu Qingyun that made them nod in spite of themselves, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
As they waited, more people were brought in sporadically.
By noon, the crowd in the center had swelled to nearly two hundred low-level Martial Artists, all from the surrounding villages and towns.
Most of the people who came to the Yuan Stone Ore Vein were young Martial Artists below Level 4, so Big Beard and his men hadn't run into much trouble.
「Elsewhere」
In a shaded spot, a young man in blue brocade robes, looking every bit the part of a wealthy young master, was sipping wine, attended by two servants, waiting with an air of boredom.
"Xiaosi, what's the count?"
the young master asked lazily.
One servant bowed obsequiously and said with a fawning smile, "Young Master, we've caught nearly two hundred. We've probably rounded up just about everyone here."
The other servant frowned. "Young Master, these are all the youths from the nearby villages and towns. If their families find out, I'm afraid..."
"Afraid of what? It's a blessing passed down from their ancestors that these peasants get to risk their lives for our Young Master Ning! Besides, since when would Young Master Ning be afraid of some damn peasants!?"
the servant named Xiaosi said, puffing out his chest.
"Haha, well said!"
"They're just a bunch of peasants from dirt-poor villages. Not a single one of them has even reached Level 5. What could they possibly do to me?"
"Father and the others are always calling me useless. This time, I'm going to get that Golden Thread Primordial Spirit Fruit and show them just how capable I am!"
"It's about time. Send the signal for everyone to fall back. We're getting ready to enter the mine."
Young Master Ning tossed his wine flask aside and strode forward, taking the lead.