As night fell, various strange roars occasionally came from the jungles on both sides.
Fan Xiaomei stood up, trembling, tightened her grip on the two machetes in her arms, and cautiously walked forward.
The faint moonlight shone on Fan Xiaomei, casting a long shadow.
Helplessness and fear constantly enveloped her heart.
She sniffled, looked left and right, then quickly lowered her head and continued walking.
Her steps grew faster and faster, until she finally ran forward desperately.
At a fork in the road, she stopped to carefully discern the direction.
Thump—
Suddenly, a slight sound came from the path on the right, startling Fan Xiaomei.
She nervously retreated two steps, and softly called out, "Big Brother?"
No one responded; the surrounding jungle was terrifyingly quiet.
The dark night always magnified people's fears, especially for an eight-year-old child.
To hold back tears was already a rare feat for someone her age.
Suddenly, a voice, sometimes near, sometimes far, reached Fan Xiaomei's ears, "I died so miserably, Fan Xiaomei, I died so miserably…"
Fan Xiaomei's eyes widened, her body trembled uncontrollably, she held the machetes in front of her, and her lips quivered, "Who, who are you?"
"I am a ghost… a ghost that specifically eats children…"
"I, I'm not afraid of you!"
Although Fan Xiaomei's face was pale with fear, she did not consider turning to flee.
Just then, a helpless voice sounded, "Alright, Fang Yuan, aren't you childish!"
As soon as the words fell, Qin Hao jumped down from the tree, and then Fang Yuan also jumped to Fan Xiaomei's side, grinning, "You little brat, you're quite brave, you weren't scared away."
Seeing the two, Fan Xiaomei's body deflated like a balloon, her lips tightly pursed, trying her best to hold back her tears.
Fang Yuan walked forward and gently patted her head, "Let's go, you're an eight-year-old adult now, don't cry at every little thing."
"I, I'm already nine years old," Fan Xiaomei protested softly.
"Alright, then you're a nine-year-old adult, no more crying from now on." Fang Yuan put his arm around her shoulder and walked forward with her.
"Okay…" Fan Xiaomei nodded obediently.
Qin Hao followed beside them, curiously asking, "Where are your parents?"
Hearing this question, Fan Xiaomei's eyes dimmed somewhat, and she said with a choked voice, "A group of bandits broke into our village. My parents were killed by the bandits while protecting me and my brother."
"My brother and I ran out with the village children. They said that only by joining the Hehuan Sect would we have a chance for revenge, and then my brother took me…"
Fan Xiaomei's voice choked halfway through, and she stopped speaking, afraid that her crying would displease Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan wasn't particularly moved, but Qin Hao felt a pang of sympathy and suggested to Fang Yuan, "How about we hand her over to Xian Ge?"
"We finally escaped, if you want to go back, go back yourself. Besides, Feng Qingyang, that old bastard, is still looking for us. If we go back, we'll be caught by the Star Sect, how boring would that be?"
Fang Yuan refused without even thinking.
So many days had passed, and Chu Huaian had not asked them to return, indicating that he had already tacitly approved their actions.
With Chu Huaian's permission, Fang Yuan became even more unrestrained; Feng Qingyang and others had to step aside.
Qin Hao also had no intention of going back; he had just asked casually.
"Then let's take her with us for now, and bring her back when we return to the sect," Qin Hao said, then remembered an important matter.
"So that means we have to be careful not to die, otherwise if we resurrect and return to the Hua Xia Sect, Fan Xiaomei won't be able to find us."
Fang Yuan waved his hand indifferently, "Just settle her in the Hehuan Sect for now, and we can pick her up later when we have the chance, can't we?"
"That's true," Qin Hao nodded slightly, tacitly agreeing with Fang Yuan's words.
Fan Xiaomei listened obediently throughout, silently remembering the name Hua Xia Sect.
The three walked for a kilometer, and Fang Yuan found it too slow, so he immediately picked up Fan Xiaomei and soared into the sky.
"Hold on tight to your Fang Yuan Ge, Ge will take you to show off and fly."
Fan Xiaomei held a machete in one hand and tightly gripped Fang Yuan's neck with the other, her face as pale as paper.
As they neared the Hehuan Sect mountain peak, a pressure enveloped Fang Yuan and Qin Hao, forcing them to descend back to the ground.
"Hehuan Sect sacred ground, no flying allowed. If there's a next time, kill!"
A majestic voice echoed in their ears.
Fang Yuan pouted, muttering, "Sacred my ass, this stinky woman is quite arrogant."
At the platform below, a glance revealed a multitude of people, divided into several factions.
On the left was a group of nobles, splendidly dressed, while the lower left gathered a large number of common people, almost all emaciated and sallow-faced, with very few men visible.
On the right was a group of rogue cultivators with cultivation, sitting in twos and threes on the ground, meditating.
Fang Yuan and Qin Hao's eyes lingered on the lower right corner, where a cordoned-off open space gathered a large number of orphans. They seemed afraid to cross that line, only able to huddle together.
Fang Yuan and Qin Hao's appearance immediately attracted the gaze of thousands of people.
Everyone had seen them descend from the sky just now, and no one dared to approach or provoke them, not even daring to sneak a peek.
Fan Xiaomei timidly hid behind Fang Yuan, only daring to peek out half her head.
Fang Yuan and Qin Hao, however, strode confidently with chests puffed out into the wealthy area.
Inside were high-ranking officials' daughters, princesses of fallen kingdoms, and a group of personal maids and guards.
Seeing the two approach, this group hastily stood up and performed a deep curtsy towards them.
The guards' expressions tightened as they shielded their masters.
"Don't be nervous, I just came to see what a so-called princess looks like."
Fang Yuan grinned, revealing a bright smile, his eyes brazenly scanning the group of fallen noblewomen.
Had they been other mortals, these guards would have drawn their swords long ago, but since the other party was a Foundation Establishment Stage cultivator, they dared not act rashly.
A woman who appeared to be around twenty-five years old stepped forward gracefully and said, "This humble one is Zhao Mubai. It is a pleasure to meet you both, young masters. May I ask if you have come here to participate in the sect initiation ceremony?"
Fang Yuan scrutinized her up and down, left and right, then stroked his chin and muttered, "Not bad-looking, curvaceous, a solid 8.5 points."
Zhao Mubai's eyes flashed with a hint of anger upon hearing this, but remembering her current predicament, she could only force a smile and repeat her previous question.
Fang Yuan nodded, "Yes, indeed."
Zhao Mubai hesitated for a moment, then sincerely said, "If you two young masters don't mind, you can rest with us here; we can look out for each other."
These words perfectly resonated with Fang Yuan and Qin Hao, who chuckled and readily agreed, then squeezed into the crowd, mingling with the bevy of beautiful women.
Their shameless actions immediately made many women retreat in fright, with only a few bolder ones remaining in place, wanting to figure out the two men's backgrounds.
A girl around sixteen years old ran crying to Zhao Mubai, wiping her tears and accusing, "Royal Sister, that man just now secretly touched my little hand when I got up, Woohoo… I'm no longer clean…"
Zhao Mubai lovingly wiped away the girl's tears, sighing inwardly.
Since they chose this path, they should be prepared to lose their chastity. Zhao Mubai had told these younger sisters this many times.
Born into a royal family, they had no choice; only by joining the Hehuan Sect would they have a chance to restore their kingdom.
She secretly glanced at Fang Yuan and Qin Hao. Although their behavior was somewhat lewd, their eyes were very clear. From this, she could tell that they were probably not truly evil people.
She thought this, but when she got closer, she realized how wrong she was.
Fang Yuan, with his hands shaped like claws, grinned and said, "Young lady, do you know what kind of cultivation technique 'ten fingers covering twin peaks' is?"
The girl shook her head blankly.
"You don't know? I'll teach you."
The next second.
"Ah, young master, how could you do that?!"
