Baron Quentin himself had no recollection of how he had stumbled out of the basement. His gaze was vacant, and his once valuable attire hung in tatters, shredded by the lingering aftermath of the fierce battle between Ye Xi, Hicks, and their companions.
Yet, none of that mattered to him now. His sole desire was to retreat to his private chambers and seek refuge.
Servants and bodyguards called out to him repeatedly as he walked, but their voices failed to penetrate his dazed state. He merely continued his relentless march forward.
Upon reaching his room, Quentin collapsed onto the bed, burying his head in the covers. His entire body convulsed with an uncontrollable tremor born of sheer terror.
The trauma he had endured the previous night was immense. Ye Xi’s bone-chilling killing intent, coupled with the dire repercussions of having offended that formidable merchant guild, had driven him to the brink of a complete mental collapse.
Heaven knew why he had been plagued by such an onslaught of misfortune lately.
First, his treasury had been plundered. Then, a troublesome young royal had arrived to harass him. Following that, Golden Bright Village was confirmed to be in open rebellion. And finally, the very creditors he had so painstakingly appeased for years had encountered a calamitous incident right within his domain.
The last of these events was by far the most severe. Quentin knew little of the Crassian Cult, having always believed them to be nothing more than an immensely powerful underground loan shark organization.
Originally, witnessing the exorbitant profits generated by the Sky Gardens, he had yearned to construct one within his own territory.
However, the astronomical cost had utterly stunned him. All his accumulated savings over the years would not have been enough; even if he were to drain every coin from his entire dominion, he doubted he could fill such a bottomless pit.
Later, he was unsure how the organization learned of his desire to build a Sky Garden. Through his butler’s introduction, they not only offered to finance the project but also provided top-tier architectural masters to assist.
It was widely known that architects capable of designing a Sky Garden were renowned worldwide; securing their services was a matter far beyond mere money.
Quentin, in a moment of utter infatuation, accepted their aid. Though the ultimate price was still staggering, forcing him to live on the verge of destitution, it was practically a gift compared to the standard construction costs.
The organization had, in essence, provided him with an entire design team and allowed him to purchase building materials at an incredibly low price.
Quentin felt as though a pie had literally fallen from the sky.
It was only with subsequent events that Quentin realized the situation was far from simple. This particular pie was capable of crushing a man to death.
After completing the construction, the organization informed him that he would be required to pay them a colossal amount of interest annually, without any specified end date.
Quentin was utterly aghast. The sheer sum of interest meant he would have to surrender ninety percent of the Sky Garden’s profits. The organization was clearly treating him as nothing more than a personal savings account.
He surmised that these individuals possessed resources and manpower but were unable to openly monetize the Sky Garden themselves, which was why they had sought him out as a scapegoat.
Quentin, having never endured such humiliation, had defiantly refused. It was then that he truly understood the adage: there was no such thing as a free lunch.
That very night, after his refusal, he was inexplicably abducted and taken to a torture chamber. Quentin had no idea how he had survived that ordeal; even now, his mind instinctively recoiled from the memory. Only the soul-crushing terror, a dread worse than death itself, remained deeply seared into his heart.
From that day forward, he diligently paid the tribute each year. Fortunately, the remaining ten percent of the profits was still substantial enough to offer him some small comfort.
But now, it was all ruined. Everything was destroyed. Those people had been murdered right there, in his own basement.
What would become of him? Would he be dragged back to that place?
The thought left Quentin’s mind utterly blank.
Even as the servants outside continued to call out to him, he offered no response.
****
At this moment, Rod and his companions were preparing to depart the city, intending to bid farewell to Quentin before their journey.
They had assumed that even if Quentin held Rod in disdain, he would still appear out of courtesy to see them off. However, after waiting for a considerable time, a servant from the manor informed them that Quentin was indisposed and unable to bid them farewell.
Adair cautiously leaned towards Ye Xi and inquired, “That fat man hasn’t been eliminated, has he?”
Ye Xi could not answer. “You ask me, but I wouldn’t know. I certainly didn’t lay a hand on him.”
Still, Quentin’s absence was perhaps for the best, as it meant no one would hinder Adair from taking the old butler out of the city.
Indeed, the soldiers guarding the lord’s city respectfully escorted Rod’s large contingent, showing not the slightest hint of negligence, let alone attempting any inspections.
Once outside, Adair and Ye Xi, carrying the sack containing the old butler, bid farewell to Rod and his group.
“I think it would be better if you continued with Rod’s group, especially since you’re still injured,” Adair said, expressing concern for Ye Xi.
Ye Xi merely glanced at Adair, then pointed to a patch of weeds nearby. “See those weeds?”
Adair nodded. Ye Xi continued, “Imagine each one of them is you.”
“???” Adair blinked in confusion.
Then, Ye Xi brought two fingers together and casually swiped, instantly shredding all the weeds to dust.
“Do you understand?” Ye Xi stated calmly.
Adair responded stiffly, “I understand. I know you’re formidable, but I was worried about affecting your wound’s recovery. Besides, constantly moving around with me must make your wound ache terribly.”
Ye Xi then produced a needle. Adair, understanding, said, “Are you saying this pain is like a pinprick, negligible?”
Ye Xi then launched the needle, embedding it into Adair’s left arm.
Adair stared at his left arm, and after a two-second delay in his reflex arc, the sensation of pain finally reached his brain.
“Ow! Ow! Ow!”
The sudden, intense pain made Adair yelp.
Ye Xi retorted, “You call this negligible?”
Adair, on the verge of tears, said, “Why aren’t you following the script? At this point, you should be bravely declaring that you don’t even feel such a minor pain.”
Ye Xi sneered, “What a peculiar thought process. You’re evolving into a Chilla Monkey. Being able to endure is one thing; the degree of pain is another.”
Adair pulled the needle out and casually tossed it aside. “No, if it hurts this much, why are you still following me? It’s a bumpy ride. Wouldn’t it be better to find a place to rest?”
Ye Xi replied indifferently, “Because this pain is nothing.”
“???”
Adair felt as though these women were trying to cast a ‘Stupidity Aura’ on him; they kept circling back and forth endlessly.
“That’s not what I meant just now, is it?”
Ye Xi’s lips curved slightly. “While the final conclusion isn’t wrong, the way you expressed it was incorrect. You implied that the pain I’m currently enduring is a shallow, pinprick level. To make you realize that’s a mistake, I let you experience that even a pinprick can have varying degrees of pain. This degree corresponds to what I’m enduring now. And for me, this level of pain hasn’t exceeded my tolerance, so it truly is nothing.”
Adair felt his mind grappling with a complex knot, a sensation he had experienced twice in the few hours since last night. Finally, he untangled the knot and said, “So, as long as the pain is within your tolerance, it won’t significantly affect you, but that doesn’t mean a superficial pinprick and the current pain in your arm are on the same level, even if both are within that range. Is that understanding correct?”
Ye Xi tossed a blue dog treat into the mouth of Yuzu, who was running with a heavy load on their back, and nodded. “Precisely. It seems your brain isn’t entirely mush after all.”
Adair said with a wry smile, “But wasn’t that what I was trying to express from the very beginning?!”
“Yes, I know.”
“Then why did you mess with me?”
“Because I’m in a bad mood.”
“Hm?”
Ye Xi’s face darkened. “I was actually ambushed by that guy and chased around. It was utterly humiliating.”
Adair looked surprised. “I thought you wouldn’t feel anything.”
Ye Xi seemed puzzled. “What kind of impression do I leave on you, exactly? That I feel nothing at all?”
“Cold-blooded, ruthless, cruel, calm, tsundere, and adorably clueless.”
Ye Xi glared at Adair. “Remove the last two.”
“So the first four are correct, then.”
“I do have my own emotions; it’s just that I can rely on powerful self-control to restrain their influence on my judgment and actions. However, constantly suppressing them can affect my mental state, so I need to release them at appropriate times. In my previous life, I sought out various forms of entertainment. As for now…” Ye Xi looked at Adair. “Beating you up yesterday felt quite good. Right now, I just want to tease you, nothing more.”
Adair blinked. *Wait, so direct?*
*Couldn’t she at least give him a heads-up before launching an attack, so he could mentally prepare? If she wanted to interact with him, he couldn’t exactly refuse, could he?*
“By the way, you don’t seem to mind it much, do you?” Ye Xi said, sounding curious. “Could it be that you’re… a masochist?”
“A masochist, my foot!” Adair retorted, looking dejected at Ye Xi.
“Oh?” Ye Xi watched Adair with amusement. “If you admit it, I’ll allow you to lick my feet.”
Adair immediately replied, “Barefoot?!”
Ye Xi sighed, supporting her head. “You admit it just like that?! Go on, dream on. If you’re not disgusted, I certainly am.”
Adair thought maliciously: *Just wait until my strength surpasses yours. Then I’ll show you if I’m a masochist.*
Ye Xi looked at the foolishly grinning Adair with dead fish eyes and said coldly, “Pervert. Late-stage delusional. A reproductive machine with white fluid coursing through their body. Disgusting.”
Adair gave up resisting. “Yes, yes, my lovely tsundere young lady.”
Ye Xi raised an eyebrow. “I am a man.”
Adair pouted. “Don’t you realize it yourself? Are you escaping reality?”
“I have always believed that what truly defines a person’s gender is their inner self, not their external appearance or DNA.”
“Are you trying to debate idealism with me?”
“No, it’s just that if you think about it this way, it benefits both of us. At the very least, it can effectively curb your primal urges and alleviate my urge to vomit.”
Adair pondered for a moment. “How about we return to that other topic?”
“What?” Ye Xi asked, puzzled.
Adair shamelessly declared, “I admit I’m a masochist. From now on, your jade feet are mine.”
“…” Ye Xi turned and called out to Yuzu, “I’ve found you a companion.”
With that, Ye Xi directly used her qi to knock Adair off the Swift Dragon and forcibly strapped the heavy load onto him. Then, she nimbly mounted her own Swift Dragon, leading Adair’s with a leash, while behind her, one dog and one person were tied together with a rope made of her qi, forced to run.
“Run well. Once a person is so tired they forget to breathe, they won’t have so many unnecessary delusions.”
Adair, sprinting across the ground, yelled, “If I forget to breathe, wouldn’t I die?”
Ye Xi scoffed with a disdainful laugh, “Is that so? That would truly be excellent.”