Liu Xing sat below a tree. Its leaves were covered in ash and dust. Some of its branches were scorched, and one side was splashed with blood. Despite its appearance, it was the most intact tree in the area, which was the perfect place for him to sit down.

While absorbing qi from his gun into his cores, he gazed toward a small nearby river.

There, a group of women were trying to catch fish to eat. Some were serious and coordinated, wading into the water like bears hunting salmon. Others were playful, splashing and laughing. The serious group scolded the playful one, who would only snicker in response before returning to their task. The river itself was tinted a faint red—a miracle, considering that nearly every corner of Blue Emerald Island was a former battleground.

"Ah, I got one!" shouted a teen, the youngest of the group. She held a red fish, as big as her palm, high above her head. Her smile was wide and bright, as if she had just accomplished something big. The other women praised her, making her blush. She then put the fish inside a small hole they had dug and resumed her endeavor with renewed vigor.

Her name was Su Nian. She was the teen who had nearly been struck by lightning; as well the very reason he had fought Han Jiulau, Wei Shuren, and Hou Qiang.

After Bewitching Princess had gone and left the women free, some had kowtowed before him. At that moment, he realized he had never asked their names, which made him feel ashamed. Truthfully, it wasn't that he had forgotten to ask. Rather, he had decided not to bother, assuming their time together would be short. In hindsight, it was a poor, biased decision. He thought of himself as a man who didn't differentiate between mortals and cultivators, respecting those who respected him. But it seemed he was not as noble as he believed.

Su Nian successfully caught another fish. This time, it was so big that her small body jerked here and there each time it wriggled. A moment later, she let out a cry because one of its fins grazed her finger. Still, she held on, dumped it in the hole, and went back to catching more.

The leader of this group, Fang Ruxue, had initiated this activity. It was true they were hungry, but her main reason for suggesting they catch fish was so they could slowly digest their recent trauma as their bodies moved. He didn't know anything about psychology or how the mind processed trauma, but he knew her decision was the right one. Bewitching Princess had nearly snapped their spines mere hours ago, yet here they were, having fun trying to catch fish.

Fang Ruxue's own cheeks were red, and she stared daggers at the water as if it had offended her, her face coated in sweat and waters. More and more women successfully caught fish, but she had not succeeded even once. Still, she didn't give up, though she grumbled several times about the lack of proper tools.

All in all, they looked happy. The river was abundant with fish that were quite easy to catch. It was as if the river knew the fear and consecutive traumas they had endured and offered them a bounty in return.

As Liu Xing observed them from afar, he reflected on his recent decision.

He had let Bewitching Princess go.

That demonic cultivator was an elder of the Nether Lotus Sect and the one who had led the massacre on this island. Her hands were coated in blood, and she deserved to die.

Letting her go would cause more people to suffer, and as her ringing laughter echoed in his mind, he couldn't help but grit his teeth in anxiety. Every few minutes, he wondered if his decision had been correct.And each time, he arrived at the same answer.

His decision to save this group of thirty women was the correct choice.

Still, even knowing he would have regretted any other choice, he was pissed that he'd had to let Bewitching Princess go. If he'd had more time, perhaps he could have found a solution to save them and kill her. Liu Xing sighed. He understood that thinking about it too much was unproductive. He needed to accept his decision and move on. Perhaps he, too, needed to catch some fish to process these emotions in a better way.

At that moment, a shout called out to the group. "Silence! Don't be so noisy! An important meeting is being held here!"

Liu Xing turned his head toward the voice. A burly man stood several dozens meters away, wearing a dark gray robe adorned with a golden sash. He shouldered a silver spear and shot them a nasty look, as if Liu Xing and the women were a group of thieves caught red-handed. He was a cultivator at the Lock Opening realm, and as Liu Xing stared at him, beads of sweat appeared on the man's forehead. A moment later, however, the man snorted at him and continued walking.

Liu Xing looked around. A dozen cultivators surrounded the area they were occupying. Some were Lock Opening cultivators, while others were Core Splitting cultivators.

He had revealed his vulnerability to them all—that he would not risk the lives of the women he was protecting—and this gave them the false impression that they could contend with him.

While it was true that fighting them while protecting the women was difficult, that didn't mean he was powerless against them. The situation was different now. They didn't have the women in their grasp, and Liu Xing was both fast and powerful. He believed that their leader, Lady Oracle, wouldn't allow her people to attack him. There was nothing to be gained and they would lose the handful of people that remained. Nevertheless, it was wise for Liu Xing to be cautious and assume the worst.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

Once the women had finished fishing, they started gathering firewood near him and building a bonfire. When Fang Ruxue asked him if he had any knives, he took two jewel-adorned blades that looked more like treasures than tools out of his spatial bag and gave them to her. She began to process the fish while ordering another woman to create several sticks. Soon, the fish were cooking over the open fire. When one was ready, Fang Ruxue gave it to him.

More and more fish were finished after that, and they all began to eat heartily. Some savoured the meal with happy faces, some said it would be better with spices, and others were grateful for the salt they had.

As Liu Xing enjoyed the food and the view, all while maintaining the Flowing Meditation Method to cultivate, he wondered what he should do after they were done eating and recuperating. He was quite sure that the cultivators around them wouldn't let them go so easily. While he had no problem fighting them if they made the first move, he wanted to leave without a commotion. Sure, he would be annoyed by the looks of disdain thrown his way, but he wouldn't sweat it. He would just think them as shortsighted. Because while it was true that he let Bewitching Princess go, it was also true that he was one of the key factors in their victory.

They ate and chatted around the bonfire, and Liu Xing decided to ask the women some questions. Nothing too serious. What they liked and disliked, what they thought about the Wild Tide Region, if any of them could play instruments, and many random questions. Fang Ruxue claimed to be a good musician who could play many instruments, so Liu Xing threw her the Flute of Serenity, and she began to play.

As her fingers danced on the flute, she closed her eyes and blew, creating a harmonious melody.

Liu Xing inhaled deeply, trying to enjoy the song and calm himself.

The situation was arguably not going his way. Instead of being a legend like in the Twelve Sun Empire, people here would know him as the Purple Moon Sect disciple who was too cowardly to kill a demonic cultivator. They would disdain him, create exaggerated stories about him, and mock him. After all, those things were happening right now.

Several hundred meters to his right, while the leaders of the remaining cultivators had activated a privacy technique to ensure no one eavesdropped on their conversation, the rest didn't bother to hide their voices. They chatted about him, the Nether Lotus Sect, and their situation in general. While it was annoying, he at least learned something from their talk. He discovered the reason they downright hated the Purple Moon Sect.

It was because they believed that the Purple Moon Sect backed the Nether Lotus Sect, and that an elder of his sect was currently residing at the Nether Lotus Sect's headquarters.

This news was shocking. He wanted to verify the claim or make them elaborate, but since he couldn't just ask one of them, he simply noted it in his mind to look into later.

Fang Ruxue was in the middle of a fast and complex melody, akin to several birds chirping at once, when a cultivator walked in their direction.

When Liu Xing threw him a glance, Fang Ruxue noticed his serious expression and promptly stopped her music. Then, in unison, they turned their heads toward the approaching cultivator.

It was a man in black robes, so drenched in blood that they had dried stiff. His eyes were red, as if he had cried all day, with large, dark bags hanging beneath them. He looked Liu Xing straight in the eye. His expression was calm, though a bit piercing. Still, compared to the others who snorted and looked at him as if he was beneath them, his expression could be considered polite.

Several meters from their position, he stopped, clasped his hands, and bowed slightly. "Junior greets Senior Liu Xing."

Liu Xing raised an eyebrow. Then, he stood, returned the greeting, and nodded.

"First, I want to say thank you for saving my life. If not for your little shark, a sword would have cut straight through my heart. If not for your flying sword, my father would have died, too. And I know that the invisible thing that shot projectiles saved my friends as well. So, thank you." He bowed once again. "The fact that you let Bewitching Princess go has made many people angry, and with this anger, they treat you unfairly. People say they would let the mortals die rather than spare Bewitching Princess, but to be honest, if one of them were my family, I would have wavered, too."

Liu Xing took a step toward him. He was surprised by what the man said. He knew, logically, that not all of them were angry at him, yet it was still surprising for someone to approach him and express his thanks. After all, the man didn't lower his voice, allowing the cultivators circling them to hear him clearly.

"You said that you would have wavered too, but what would be your choice?" Liu Xing asked.

"I don't know," he said, shaking his head. He looked around, his eyes falling on the women behind Liu Xing, and then toward the cultivators that circled them. "But I am sure many people here wouldn't know, either. After all, it was a hard choice. My friend, a monk, would have commended your action. It's a shame he died in the battle."

Liu Xing honestly didn't know how to respond, and in the end, he just nodded. Hearing the man's words had eased his heart. He had accepted that the people on this island would mock him for the foreseeable future, but to think one kind word could make him feel so at ease… perhaps he had been more affected by what people said than he thought.

"That being said," the man continued, "while I am grateful, there's another reason I came here. Lady Oracle has finished her meeting and wants to see you. She wants to talk to you about one of the prisoners we rescued from the dungeons of the Red Palace. He is also the prisoner you saved from the Bewitching Princess, along with ninety-nine mortals."

"Him, huh," Liu Xing said. He had never thought he would meet a fellow disciple here. Moreover, it wasn't just any disciple. In the last batch of new recruits, he, along with Yan Yu and Shen Ye, was one of the most promising disciples with a high chance of becoming an inner disciple in a short time.

"Is he in the meeting too?"

"Yes," he nodded. "Although he is at the mercy of Lord Lan Haishen. Bewitching Princess's talisman suppressed his qi."

Liu Xing nodded. "Lead the way."

It was time for him to meet Yu Yongrui. He was also curious what his fellow disciple was doing on this island in the first place.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.