A World Worth Protecting

The fourth pet that the towering female cultivator was currently walking was… a familiar face from the Federation, Zhuo Yixian!

Zhuo Yixian had been one of the second-generation hundred Federation Seedlings who had arrived on the Ancient Sword. He had mysteriously gone missing after stepping into the Dao Palace. In fact, he hadn’t been sighted during the great battle between the Dao Palace and the Federation. Wang Baole had thought that Zhuo Yixian had died until he had read the confidential documents prior to his departure from the Federation and found out that the Federation had been plagued with mysterious disappearances throughout the years.

Zhuo Yixian had been listed in the document as a missing person then!

Wang Baole had thought that he would never see Zhuo Yixian again. He could never have guessed that they would meet again in the Divine Eye civilization… in such a bizarre manner!

Zhuo Yixian looked exceptionally pathetic… a bag of bones, with his former arrogance nowhere in sight. He looked dreadful and seemed listless and drained. His clothes, on the other hand, looked presentable, and he himself appeared clean. It didn’t matter who was doing the looking though… the rope on his neck was clear evidence that he was being treated like a pet.

He walked alongside the other three pets, made to emit soft weeping noises as they moved along… Their cries drew laughter from the female cultivators around them. A few approached the group for a closer look, while some even petted the creatures. The sight might have seemed strange, but should one see Zhuo Yixian as some kind of canine pet, their actions would be construed as completely normal.

The fact that Zhuo Yixian looked almost like any other cultivator from the Divine Eye civilization meant that he was treated differently from other pet creatures. He was clearly the leader of the four pets. Besides, he had a good-looking face, and that earned him brownie points as well.

A strange look settled on Wang Baole’s face as he eyed Zhuo Yixian from afar. He sighed secretly, then rubbed at his chin. This was an old acquaintance, after all. There was no way he could simply ignore his present pitiful state. Naturally, it would be great if he could save Zhuo Yixian.

However, it wouldn’t be worth it if the price of saving Zhuo Yixian was too high. Wang Baole watched as the group of female cultivators slowly moved away before finally coughing out loud and shouting after them.

“Wait, ladies. You dropped your storage bag.”

The chattering female cultivators stopped in their tracks as soon as Wang Baole spoke, turning their gazes upon him. They hadn’t met Wang Baole before, but news of the Violet Gold New Dao Sect’s bounty on his head had spread across the entire Divine Eye civilization. They clearly knew what he looked like, and they also knew that he had joined the Ice Phoenix Legion.

That was why they immediately recognized who Wang Baole was when they swept their eyes over him.

Wang Baole quickened his pace as the group of female cultivators turned towards him. He raised his right hand and pulled out a dozen storage bags. Within each bag were some materials. They weren’t particularly valuable, but they were presentable gifts for a first meeting.

Wang Baole put on what he thought was his most charming smile as he pulled out the storage bags and approached the group. Then, he distributed a storage bag to each female cultivator like an old friend.

The female cultivators’ eyes glimmered as they received their gifts. They eyed Wang Baole in assessment, holding the storage bags in their hands without agreeing to accept them. Wang Baole finally placed the last storage bag into the hands of the most important one of them all, the tall female cultivator who was walking the four pets. She extended her Divine Sense and scanned the contents of the storage bags, then spoke casually.

“I see, it’s fellow Daoist Long Nanzi. You’re giving us gifts when we’ve only just met for the first time. We hardly dare accept such a gift.” The woman handed the storage bag back to Wang Baole.

Wang Baole blinked when he heard her words. His face then flushed slightly, not out of embarrassment but to give others the impression of him being shy. He waved his arms around and then cupped his fists in greeting.

“I’ve overstepped. When you young ladies walked past, I caught the fragrant breeze accompanying your footsteps and thought I had somehow gotten into heaven. I couldn’t help but approach you so that I could get to know you better… Then, when I saw your faces, I don’t know why, but I suddenly became uncontrollably nervous…” Wang Baole appeared lost for words, seeming as if he was trying to appear less nervous. Long Nanzi’s good looks, presentable attire, and the reputation he gained after his battle with the Ink Dragon Legion ensured that no one would find him disagreeable in the least.

The look on his face helped. His words also seemed sincere, and women were most vulnerable towards sincere praises. Because of this, they took a greater liking towards him.

The tall woman laughed, then scanned the contents of the storage bag again. She wavered. Wang Baole’s gift to her was worth more than what he had given the rest. After a moment, she nodded and smiled.

“Dear sisters, since our fellow Daoist Long Nanzi is so kind as to give us a present, we should just take it.”

Her words sent the other female cultivators into a bout of laughter. They kept their new storage bags and turned towards Wang Baole with interest in their eyes. Wang Baole was skilled at making friends. Within the first few seconds, he had complimented one woman on her great complexion, another on her amazing presence, yet another on her great sense of fashion, and another on the extraordinary fragrance of her perfume. He pretended to be some sort of mystic who knew how to read one’s fortune in their palms. Soon, they were all conversing merrily, their pets being forgotten and neglected in a corner.

The four pets were separately sighing secretly. Zhuo Yixian was reminiscing about his past glorious days in the Federation. But now, he was just an ordinary house pet. Bitterness churned inside him.

Wang Baole chatted with the female cultivators for half an hour. During this time, he learned a few things about the tall female cultivator, like her interest in collecting pets and how she wasn’t that possessive about the pets she had acquired. That was when he steered the conversation towards the four pets. After another round of compliments, he voiced his desire to buy a creature to guard his cave abode.

The tall female cultivator fell silent for a moment after hearing what Wang Baole had said. She wouldn’t have considered selling him one of her pets if he had approached her directly with such a request. But they had been chatting for a while now, and even though the time they had spent together had been short, she felt extremely comfortable in his presence due to his appearance and the way he carried himself. She was also aware of Long Nanzi’s reputation. He might be at the mid-stage Soul Conduit realm, but he had single-handedly crippled an entire army. He might have employed certain tricks and staged an ambush, but such feats weren’t something an ordinary cultivator could have accomplished.

The female cultivator was interested in making friends with someone like that. Collecting pets might be her hobby, but she had too many of them running away. It wasn’t as if she didn’t give away a few once in a while. After some thought, the female cultivator decided not to turn down Wang Baole’s offer to purchase her pet. She was curious about why he had his eye on this particular one, but she didn’t ask too many questions, only asking what one would consider a reasonable price.

Wang Baole was pleased with how smoothly everything was going. He was devious, though, and wasn’t going to make any mistakes now. After chatting happily for a while longer with the female cultivators and obtaining their contact details, he began transacting with the tall female cultivator. When it came to payment, the contents of the storage bag that Wang Baole handed over were worth many times more than what she had originally asked for.

The tall female cultivator’s eyes narrowed slightly. She realized that Long Nanzi was just using the purchase of her pet as an excuse. His real objective was to become friendlier with her and give her gifts.

A smile blossomed on her face. She nodded at Wang Baole, then left.

Wang Baole watched as the group departed. After they finally left, he lowered his head and stared at the rope in his hand. Then, he turned and looked at Zhuo Yixian, bound and kneeling at his side. Wang Baole coughed awkwardly and began sizing Zhuo Yixian up. Zhuo Yixian shuddered secretly as Wang Baole eyed him, instinctively lowering his head.

Wang Baole sighed inwardly as he observed how Zhuo Yixian was cowed by his stare. He patted Zhuo Yixian’s head, then turned around and led him back to his cave abode.

Zhuo Yixian had been filled with rage and sorrow as he watched the transaction between his former and new masters. The strange look in Wang Baole’s eyes had turned those emotions into terror. The final pat on his head calmed him down slightly, but he was still nervous and dared not struggle as his new master pulled him along by the rope.

Wang Baole brought Zhuo Yixian back to his residence and tied the rope around a wooden pillar. Then, he eyed Zhuo Yixian again before finally saying coolly, “Can you understand the language that we’re speaking in the Divine Eye civilization?”

Zhuo Yixian’s heart raced with nervousness when he heard Wang Baole’s voice. He knelt down and nodded hastily. Even though he had only recently arrived at the Divine Eye civilization, as a cultivator, he was naturally quick at picking up languages. During his training as a pet, his former master had made him learn as well.

“Good. Tell me where you’re from and how you got caught,” Wang Baole said slowly as he sat down, a ghostly light glowing in his eyes.