CHAPTER 41: CHAPTER 41: DEPARTURE

Yin Rou bit her lip, her little hands twisting nervously at her sleeves. After a long hesitation, she finally called out in a trembling voice.

"Senior!"

Li Feng stopped mid-step and turned back. "What’s wrong?"

"Umm..."

Her words caught in her throat. She shuffled her feet, head lowered, like she wanted to speak but couldn’t.

Seeing her hesitation, he bent down, pinched her soft cheek, and teased, "If there’s something on your mind, just say it."

Yin Rou jolted, her cheeks turning red. She stumbled back, clutching her face and then, to his complete surprise, she dropped to her knees right in front of him.

"Please save my mother!"

The sudden cry made nearby passerby glance over. Whispers rose in the crowd as they saw a young girl kneeling before a man.

Li Feng blinked, momentarily confused, but quickly scooped the foolish girl up by the waist. "Idiot ! don’t kneel here. Let’s talk somewhere else."

He carried her straight back toward the Wei Alchemy Hall.

Once they back, Li Feng didn’t find wei Meilin; the clerk explained that Madam Wei had gone to the auction hall to collect her share. Li Feng only nodded and dragged Yin Rou into Wei Meilin’s office.

He sat her down beside him, reached out, and flicked her forehead with his finger. "Alright, enough drama. Explain yourself. What do you mean by saving your mother?"

Yin Rou rubbed her forehead timidly, her eyes watering a little, then finally opened her mouth and began to pour everything out, her sick parents, her helplessness, the desperation she carried alone.

When she finished, Li Feng sighed, reached into his storage pouch, and pulled out a flawless recovery pill. He placed it in her hands. "Give this to your parents. Once they take it, their illness will be gone."

Yin Rou, seeing the pills handed to her so easily, couldn’t help but feel guilty. She thought she was taking advantage of Li Feng’s generosity and lowered her head.

Understanding her dejected state despite achieving her goals here, Li Feng then realized that this girl is too honest. He decided to make use of this opportunity to tie her completely to him, stating, "But under one condition."

Hearing Li Feng’s words, Yin Rou lifted up her head and looked at him, "W-what condition, Senior?"

Li Feng grinned, "From now on, everything about you belongs to me."

He expected resistance, tears, and struggle. Instead, her eyes lit up as though she had just heard the best news in her life. Yin Rou’s eyes became bright.

Li Feng frowned a bit, thinking that she didn’t understand what he meant by "everything." So, he tried to explain, "By everything, I mean your body, your feelings, your loyalty must be mine from now on. It’s like a lifetime contract where you will serve me, without question, for as long as I live- "

"Yes!!" Yin Rou cut him off, nodding quickly.

Li Feng blinked. "...O-okay?" He felt a little bit strange. It was almost too easy.

Yin Rou, who also seemed to be in a good mood, hesitated a bit and asked Li Feng, "Senior... Can I go and deliver these pills to my parents first...?"

Seeing Li Feng start to frown, she hurriedly explained, thinking he might believe she was trying to run away, "I promise I will be back and serve Senior wholeheartedly! I won’t run away!"

Li Feng thought, to be honest, a single pill didn’t cost him much, but if she truly kept her promise, then using it to score a few more points would be great. So, he pretended to turn solemn and said, "Don’t worry, I trust you."

Yin Rou’s heart beat loudly once more upon hearing his trust.

"But," Li Feng added with a sly grin, "you still need to pay a price first."

Yin Rou blink her eye and ask back " What is the price ..?"

"Kiss me," Li Feng said with a straight face, pointing at his cheek

Yin Rou blushed upon hearing this but didn’t seem to mind. She slowly walked toward him, shyly bringing her lips toward his cheek. Just as she was about to touch his cheek, Li Feng turned his face and kissed her directly on the lips.

"Mhm!" Yin Rou’s body jolted, and she reflexively tried to pull back, but Li Feng arm snaked around her, holding her firmly in place. He was just about to devour the little rabbit’s mouth when—

"What are you doing?"

The door creaked open. Wei Meilin walk in, eyes widening at the sight.

"Puaaah—"Yin Rou broke free, face flushed, eyes misty and lips glistening

Li Feng’s face turned dark, the mood now interrupted. He glared at Wei Meilin, already deciding how he would "discipline" her later.

"...W-what?" Wei Meilin stiffened, a bad premonition crawling up her spine.

Ignoring her, Li Feng turned back to Yin Rou. "When do you plan to leave?"

"Tonight...."

"So fast?" Li Feng glanced out the window; the sun was already dipping.

"My village isn’t too far, It barely a half a day ride from here...." Yin Rou explain.

Li Feng frowned as he thought of another issue and asked, "Will you be alright on your own? Having a young woman like you travel alone doesn’t seem like a great idea."

Yin Rou smiled confidently and pushed up her small chest. "Don’t worry, senior. There is a caravan traveling the same direction, so I can pay for the ride. I’ve been traveling back and forth a few times myself!" she said, puffing up her chest bravely.

Seeing Li Feng still unconvinced, Wei Meilin, standing beside him, added, "Don’t worry. The caravan cares a lot about their reputation, so they won’t risk ruining it just for a little girl. Plus, it is quite safe near the city."

Observing that both women seemed to think this kind of travel was normal, Li Feng reluctantly let Yin Rou go. Since he had to return to the sect the next day to watch the tournament, he wouldn’t be able to accompany Yin Rou.

--

Later, Li Feng and Goldie accompanied Yin Rou to the city gates. The guards, noticing the alchemist badge on his waist, were unusually respectful.

"Goodbye, Senior! I’ll return soon!" Yin Rou waved from the caravan before it rolled away.

Li Feng waved lazily, then sighed. His thoughts quickly turned dark, remembering Wei Meilin’s interruption earlier. Daring to ruin this master’s fun... you’ll pay for it tonight.

Thinking about Wei Meilin’s body, his desire started to rise up, and he rushed back

Bang!

The door to her office opened, and Li Feng saw Wei Meilin, who seemed to be drooling, hunched over her desk, counting spirit stones. Startled, she quickly straightened, putting on a composed face. "You... you’re back?"

Li Feng didn’t reply. He strode forward, grabbed her by the waist, and kissed her hard. She gasped, but before she could react, he bent her over the table, her cheek pressing against the cold wood.

"Keep counting," he ordered.

Wei Meilin froze. Then, realizing he was serious, she shivered, bit her lip, and turned her gaze back to the stones. Soon her voice trembled as she resumed counting aloud, each number breaking with her shaky breaths.

-

A long while later,

After arriving at the road leading to her village, Yin Rou got off and waved goodbye to the caravan. Happily and with a light step, she headed towards her village.

She skipped along the dirt path, a smile on her face, clutching the jade bottle tightly.

"Hehe... once Mother and Father get better, and with the savings I’ve prepared for them... everything will be better again." Yin Rou couldnt help but smile thinking about the bright future ahead.

And... once she returned, she would probably have to serve Senior. Just thinking about those lewd things she’d overheard others whispering made her cheeks turn crimson. But she clenched her small fist, eyes determined. But it’s fine. If it’s for Senior... I’m willing to do anything.

Soon, she arrived at the small village. A row of wooden houses stood at the center, but she didn’t head that way. Her family lived at the very edge, so she went straight there.

If she had gone into the village, she would have noticed the eerie silence, with no villagers in sight and....the smell of blood lingering in the air.

Unnoticed by her, many pairs of eyes landed on Yin Rou’s back as she walked away.

At last, she reached the old wooden house at the outskirts. "Mother! Father! Xiao Er! I’ve returned!" she called out cheerfully.

Yin Rou shouted excitedly, but no response came.

Silence.

She tilted her head, puzzled, and stepped inside. The beds were empty. The spot where her mother usually lay was bare, and on the floor lay the little toy she had once bought for her younger brother.

"That’s strange... where did everyone go?" she murmured.

Just as Yin Rou is pondering in confusion,

Suddenly—

From behind her without her noticing, a pair of rough hand clasp her mouth.

"Mmmph! Mmmph!" Yin Rou’s eyes widened in shock as she struggled, but the grip was far too strong. With terrified eyes, she glanced back, only to see a scrawny, bandit-like man grinning down at her.

"Kekeke... what luck. To find such a fine little flower here..."

With a perverted savage grin, the man roughly dragged her outside, and she saw a group of similar bandit people, but the most noticeable part was that all of them were riding on big grey wolves.

The man who seemed to be the leader’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of this small, delicate beauty. He smiled, "Third Brother will definitely like this one."

The scrawny man’s grin faltered. Damn it! I was planning to savor this rare delicacy myself. But outwardly, he laughed and said, "Of course, Third Brother will enjoy her." Inside, though, he sighed. What a pity... another little beauty about to be ruined.

He knew that the third brother had a strange obsession with young girls, but that wasn’t the problem. The real issue was that all the girls the third brother had been with ended up with broken bodies and died soon after.

The leader glanced at him knowingly and said, "Don’t worry. We also caught a traveling merchant’s group. Among them were a pair of mother and her daughter. Once we get back, I’ll let you have a taste of them."

The man’s eyes lit up. Thinking it not a bad trade. He licked his lips, already imagining the soft, tender skin of those rich shelter women. A bulge swelled at his crotch.

"Oi, don’t forget to let us have a turn later!" one of the bandits cackled.

"Tch tch, you’ll probably last less than a minute," another jeered.

"Hahaha, then let us brothers help you out!"

Laughter echoed crudely among the wolf-mounted men as they bound Yin Rou’s small frame tightly.

Her muffled cries were swallowed by the darkness as they rode off into the woods.