Chapter 3: Holy Shit, What a Vicious Woman!

Boom, boom!

Two thunderous blasts rang out in rapid succession, sending the entire alley into a trembling hum!

A thick cloud of black smoke mixed with blinding flashes of fire erupted upward, instantly engulfing the three thugs.

The three men were left with ringing ears and complete darkness before their eyes — for a moment, they couldn't see a thing.

What kind of magical artifact was that?!

Were they going to die here today?!

Amid the chaos, Bai Chen seized the moment and lunged toward the girl, grabbing her slender wrist and yanking her into a full sprint!

The girl had been stunned by the blast as well, and before she could even react, Bai Chen was already dragging her at a dead run.

By the time the two of them had already cleared the alley entrance, the three thugs were still standing back-to-back in the black smoke, braced for an attack.

The smoke soon dispersed, and the three men finally regained their sight.

They found themselves completely unharmed — and the girl they had cornered was gone.

"What in the world was that thing?"

The lead thug looked down at the scattered debris on the ground, his face full of bewilderment.

All that noise, and not a scratch on anyone?

What on earth was it?

"We were tricked — it was just a bluff!"

Another thug suddenly realized what had happened and furiously kicked the scattered scraps of paper into the air.

A vicious gleam flashed through the lead thug's eyes.

"After them! Kill them both!"

Whether it was the rage of being made fools of, or the girl's parting words about remembering their faces — either way, they couldn't let them just walk away.

They had to die!

The two thunderous booms of the firecrackers had struck like lightning, bringing a sudden hush to the otherwise lively streets.

Two Hexu Sect disciples on patrol had half-drawn the standard-issue swords at their waists.

The two exchanged a glance, each reading the same alertness in the other's eyes.

"It came from the alley to the west."

"Move! Let's see what's going on!"

Who dared to cause trouble on Hexu Sect's turf?!

The two pushed off and moved swiftly across the cobblestones toward the source of the explosion.

They weren't the only ones — other Hexu Sect disciples throughout Shunhe Quarter were also converging on the sound.

The instant Bai Chen grabbed the girl and bolted, he had already called out to the System in his mind to check her attributes.

"View target's attributes!"

A semi-transparent attribute panel immediately appeared before his eyes.

Name: Feng Ling'er

Age: 15

Cultivation Realm: None

Spirit Root: Fire

Talent Traits: Elixir Flame Control (Blue), Fire Affinity (Blue), Spirit Herb Perception (Green), Inscription Memorization (White)…

Among the string of traits, those two blue-quality ones made Bai Chen's heart leap in his chest.

He'd actually struck gold!

Blue-quality Alchemy Talent Traits — incredible!

"Copy Feng Ling'er's Elixir Flame Control Talent Trait!"

[Target: Feng Ling'er — Elixir Flame Control Talent Trait. Copying initiated.]

[Countdown: 60, 59, 58, 57…]

Never before had Bai Chen felt a single minute stretch so agonizingly long.

And at that very moment, Feng Ling'er — who had been dragged along in a daze — finally snapped back to her senses and began struggling fiercely.

"Who do you think you are?! You shameless lecher — let go of me this instant!"

Feng Ling'er was absolutely furious.

Who was she, Feng Ling'er?

The beloved niece of Elder Feng Yang of Hexu Sect's Pill Peak!

Since childhood, she had traveled within her family's city walls, and everyone she met gave way to her.

Was her hand something just any random person could touch?

She struggled with one hand and kicked at Bai Chen's shins with her foot.

"You sneaky, shameless lecher! In broad daylight you dare take advantage of me?! You're looking for death!"

Bai Chen was in the middle of copying the Talent Trait — barely ten seconds had passed.

He would sooner die than let go right now.

"Listen, miss, we're running for our lives here! Can you please stop making a scene?!"

Bai Chen was dragging Feng Ling'er along while simultaneously watching where he was going and dodging her kicks — he was sweating bullets.

"Running for our lives? From what?"

Feng Ling'er looked at him as though he'd said the most ridiculous thing she'd ever heard.

"Open your eyes and look around — this is Shunhe Quarter, Hexu Sect's territory! Who would dare commit murder here?"

She yanked her arm back with all her might, but Bai Chen's grip on her wrist was iron-tight and she couldn't break free.

Feng Ling'er cursed at the top of her lungs: "You shameless lecher — I can tell you're just using this as an excuse to take advantage of me! You think I won't scream? One word from me and the patrol will haul you off to feed the demon beasts!"

Bai Chen was so exasperated by Feng Ling'er's arrogance that he almost laughed.

He'd seen idiots before, but never one quite this idiotic.

She clearly had no idea that if he hadn't jumped in just now, she'd already be dead.

If the Talent Trait copy weren't still in progress, he'd have gladly tossed this girl back and let her fend for herself.

Bai Chen couldn't be bothered to argue with her. He simply tightened his grip on her wrist and kept running through the alley.

He could already hear the three men's footsteps closing in from behind.

Clearly, those three had figured out they'd been tricked.

If they caught up before the Talent Trait copy was complete, he would drop Feng Ling'er without a second thought and run on his own.

But for now, he could still push a little longer.

Feng Ling'er had no intention of cooperating. She went limp like a dead weight, leaning back with all her might and pulling at her wrist with enough force to nearly yank Bai Chen off his feet.

"You sneaky, shameless lecher — you filthy beggar! I'm telling you, let go of me right now!"

Feng Ling'er shrieked at the top of her voice.

"You think you're worthy of touching me? Take a good look at yourself first!"

"Are you tired of living?! When I see my uncle, I'll have him flay you alive!"

"Let go!"

Bai Chen was being pulled so hard he had to use every ounce of strength just to hold his ground.

Even so, Feng Ling'er's dead weight was slowing him down more and more with every step.

"You little brat, you dare mess with us?! Today I'll skin you both alive!"

The three men had already rounded the alley entrance and were closing in fast.

Bai Chen glanced at the System's copy progress.

[Countdown: 30, 29, 28…]

Damn it!

Still that much time left?!

He looked back at the three men gaining on them and hesitated.

Even if he copied the Trait, he needed to be alive to use it.

His life came first — maybe he should just give up.

Just as Bai Chen's grip on her wrist began to loosen — his eyes fixed on the three thugs bearing down on them, ready to abandon the plan and run — a rush of footsteps came from behind.

Bai Chen spun around.

Seven or eight cultivators in gray-blue robes, silver-threaded "He" shield emblems stitched at their cuffs, appeared at the alley entrance with swords drawn, sprinting straight toward them.

Hexu Sect disciples.

The moment he saw them, Bai Chen's breath caught in his throat.

Feng Ling'er had said she was the niece of Hexu Sect's Elder Feng Yang — so when these disciples saw him forcibly dragging her along, would they turn on him?

These were cultivators. His firecrackers wouldn't scare them.

And at that moment, Feng Ling'er spotted them too. She immediately lit up with delight, jumping and shouting.

"Grab them both and kill them!"

Holy shit, what a vicious woman!

Bai Chen's heart lurched. His grip loosened and he was about to bolt — but the Hexu Sect disciples had already leaped past both of them in a flash.