Chapter 9: Bai Ya, Let Go and Do It!

Before Bai Ya could answer, Luoshi continued speaking:

“Don’t you find it strange? We’ve already caused such a big commotion, yet the guards haven’t reacted at all. The nobles are very happy when slaves escape. Slaves who escape no longer belong to Amidar—they become ownerless. The nobles can do whatever they want to escaped slaves. High-ranking nobles can claim ownership of these slaves, while lower-ranking nobles will chop off the limbs of the escaped slaves and send them back to their original places to curry favor with Amidar.”

Luoshi glanced at the stone wall behind Bai Ya.

“Behind this wall, there are noble informants watching. They’re keeping an eye on this place and are eagerly waiting for you to escape. Although your face is smudged with dirt, anyone who looks closely will see that you’re a beautiful young woman. You know what kind of fate awaits a girl like you if the nobles catch you after escaping, so there’s no need for me to spell it out.”

Luoshi sighed dramatically, pretending to feel regret. Bai Ya’s expression stiffened; she finally realized the fact that she was, indeed, a girl.

So much for having a girl’s body—how annoying.

“Now, do you still intend to escape?”

Luoshi raised an eyebrow and asked. Bai Ya nodded without hesitation. Luoshi breathed a sigh of relief but immediately sensed something was off.

Bai Ya’s reaction was wrong. She should have shaken her head! At the same time, Tabu, Lebron, and Renxin, who shared the same thought, were stunned.

“Hey! Girl, don’t you understand the situation yet?”

“As long as I don’t get caught, it’s fine, right?”

Bai Ya crossed her arms and said carelessly.

Luoshi’s anger flared instantly. So naïve! Such a childish idea!

“That’s impossible. You’re a girl—you can’t escape the nobles’ pursuit. From the moment you escape the stone house to when the nobles get the news, less than three minutes pass. You’ll only have three minutes to prepare. After that, you’ll face a massive hunting party. You will be caught, and then your fate will be worse than death.”

Tabu nodded and added, “Beautiful miss, the four of us have the strength to escape the stone house, but none of us have ever considered running. Some nobles have Silver-ranked guards. We have no confidence we can escape the nobles’ pursuit.”

“Silver-ranked? You mean like a tier or rank? What is that?” Bai Ya asked, confused. She had heard Renxin and Tabu mention Bronze and Silver ranks before—maybe it was the world’s power system.

“You don’t know? That’s surprising,” Luoshi shook his head and smiled awkwardly. “Well, a rankless little girl like you wouldn’t have been exposed to this stuff.”

“Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond, Grandmaster, and realms beyond human reach—Saint and Emperor. This is the cultivation system for those awakened to magic and fighting energy. Only a dozen or so people out of ten thousand reach this. I am Bronze, Tier 3; Lebron and Renxin are Bronze, Tier 2; Tabu is the strongest among us at Bronze, Tier 4. You should have witnessed the power a Bronze-ranked expert wields—monstrous brute strength. Silver-ranked is a higher tier beyond Bronze. Tomorrow, the ghoul we face will be Silver-ranked. Honestly, Lebron, Renxin, and I plan to team up with you to kill that ghoul. What do you think?”

Luoshi’s last words were directed at Tabu.

“No objections.” Tabu smiled. Renxin almost spat blood at how straightforward the reply was. Why had he taken a punch from Tabu, then?

“Although there are four Bronze-ranked fighters here, the chance of killing that ghoul is less than ten percent. Silver-ranked monsters far surpass Bronze-ranked ones. Also, I feel that ghoul hasn’t revealed all its tricks—tentacles, agile limbs, a 360-degree field of vision. It probably has hidden trump cards. To put it simply, even we don’t have confidence we can escape the nobles’ pursuit. A rankless girl, do you really think you can evade a powerful slave hunting party?”

“Of course.”

“Hey! There’s a limit to how dumb you can be.”

Luoshi finally lost his temper and shouted angrily.

“Escape? Outside is hell!”

“I’ve said it a million times—as long as I don’t get caught, it’s fine.”

“How is that even possible?”

“Leave.” Bai Ya tilted her head and smiled. “You barged in here, spouting nonsense to crush my confidence and constantly denying my decision. People like you who come uninvited aren’t welcome.”

Luoshi glared at Bai Ya, killing intent radiating from his eyes. He really wanted to strangle this girl.

But not yet—Tabu’s strength was indispensable.

“Tabu, let’s discuss serious matters. If you want to save her.”

Luoshi stared at Tabu solemnly. At that moment, Bai Ya spoke up.

“Uncle. You’re my knight, right?” Bai Ya tugged on Tabu’s shirt hem. “Please chase them away for me.”

Seeing Bai Ya’s pleading eyes, Tabu nodded gently, without hesitation or reservation. He shifted into attack stance against Luoshi.

The bronze-colored fighting energy of Bronze-ranked completely unleashed, Tabu’s gaze icy cold. At this moment, he was a formidable warrior.

“Leave.”

Tabu said only this. Luoshi’s hands trembled. Unreasonable! Unreasonable! Tabu’s actions were incomprehensible!

“Tabu, are you crazy? Hey, okay, maybe I was a little impulsive. You want to save her, fine, then we should—”

Luoshi wanted to use Bai Ya as leverage to persuade Tabu, but Tabu shook his head lightly.

“I’ve changed my mind. I won’t ally with you. You seem to have misunderstood something: my will belongs to the lady. If the lady chooses death, I shall follow.”

Silence fell over the room.

Luoshi suddenly burst into laughter.

“Crazy, all crazy! Just wait to be eaten! Ah, let’s all die together!”

Luoshi swung his sleeves, cursing as he left without looking back. Renxin and Lebron exchanged a glance and quietly left. Only Tabu, Bai Ya, and the girl remained in the stone house.

“Uncle, thank you.”

After a while, Bai Ya broke the silence. She walked to the wall and punched it.

“Uncle, I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize, miss?”

“If you had listened to them, there might still have been hope for survival. But because of me, the relationship between you and them has soured.”

Tabu placed his rough palm on Bai Ya’s shoulder, expression calm. He closed his eyes and said, “Miss, you are my salvation. I will never abandon this path.”

“Calling you ‘miss’ sounds weird. Uncle, my name is Bai Ya. Just call me Bai Ya.”

“Understood, Miss Bai Ya.”

“……”

Bai Ya sighed helplessly. The room fell silent again.

After some time, Bai Ya turned to Tabu resolutely and said, “Uncle, I want to escape.”

“Miss Bai Ya, this is—” Tabu hesitated. He was clearly worried about Bai Ya. In truth, he agreed with Luoshi’s words, but he didn’t want to disappoint Bai Ya.

Tabu was conflicted.

“I never thought about failing. Thinking about it is already losing,” Bai Ya laughed lightly, her eyes dim. “I have to do something. I can’t stay here until tomorrow. I have to change something. Uncle, actually, I don’t want to run away. I just want to go out, find a glimmer of hope, and save the people I want to save. Once I find it, I’ll come back. After all, it’s dangerous outside. Staying out too long means getting caught by the nobles and ending up like that horrible monster said. Really, I will be back before morning. I will come back safely—I’m not lying. So please, Uncle, help me…”

Hearing the girl’s slightly choked voice, Tabu clenched his fists and laughed bitterly to himself.

What am I hesitating for? Didn’t I say it before? The lady’s will is my will!

“I won’t fail. Absolutely won’t.” Bai Ya murmured in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s.

I’m the best player! I definitely won’t fail.

“I see. Since this is your choice, Miss Bai Ya, understood. Bai Ya, step back!”

Tabu pulled Bai Ya behind him with one hand, then swung his free, sturdy arm. With a roar, the only intact wall completely shattered.

The sunset’s afterglow streamed into the dim room, casting light over Bai Ya and Tabu. The unconscious girl felt a warm glow on her body.

“Let go and do it, Miss Bai Ya. I’ll draw the nobles’ watchful eyes away—spread your wings and fly out of this cage.”