watched Lee Yongsung hold out the check to him with both hands and heard his words, he couldn’t help but shake his head inwardly and chuckle before reaching out to accept it.After Xiao Yu received th...Chapter 2: Trapped in a Quagmire

Xiao Yu and Wei Jun picked up the items on the ground and quickly fled into the depths of the cornfield.

Not long after they entered the cornfield, an enraged voice came from where they had traded with the mole rat: "Damn it, they're gone. They ran fast enough!" After a few seconds, the voice shouted again: "Quickly chase them! In this direction!" and then chased off in the direction Xiao Yu and Wei Jun had fled.

The two running men glanced at each other; although it was pitch dark and neither could see each other's faces clearly, their long-time basketball playing partnership allowed them to understand each other's thoughts without a word. They simultaneously stretched out their hands to pass the items they were holding over to one another. Xiao Yu looked at Wei Jun, shook his head slightly, and whispered: "Brother Jun, stop arguing! If we keep arguing, it'll be too late!" He then forcefully handed his item to Wei Jun and ran off in another direction, deliberately bumping into corn stalks along the way to create a rustling sound.

Wei Jun held onto the items and strained his bloodshot eyes looking in the direction Xiao Yu had disappeared. After turning around and running a few steps in the opposite direction, he crouched down and remained motionless.

The moment Wei Jun crouched down, several figures swept past him and chased after Xiao Yu's direction.

As Xiao Yu ran through the cornfield, the leaves of the cornstalks felt like sharp blades cutting into his body. But he didn't care about the pain because he could sense that those chasing him were not far behind.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning sliced across the sky, just like a sharp blade ripping through the black curtain covering the entire heavens. The sudden burst of white light illuminated the world in stark detail.

With this flash of light, Xiao Yu looked back and saw four or five figures chasing him from about five to six meters behind, closing in rapidly. Although Xiao Yu had grown up in a small county town, he didn't have any experience running through cornfields like these people who dealt with the land all year round.

Seeing that their pursuers were getting closer and closer, he thought to himself: This can't continue; I must think of a way out quickly!

"Rumble... Rumble... Rumble..."

At this moment, a loud thunderclap echoed endlessly, causing the cornfield to shake slightly. Xiao Yu turned his head and looked behind him but saw nothing; moreover, the sound of the thunder drowned out the footsteps of those chasing after him.

Suddenly, an idea struck Xiao Yu’s mind, prompting him to instantly change direction and run off to the side. When the thunder ceased, Xiao Yu had already managed to put some distance between himself and his pursuers. He faintly heard curses coming from afar.

"Snap... Snap..."

Large raindrops began pouring down heavily, striking the corn leaves with a sound that reached Xiao Yu's ears like the most beautiful symphony in the world, overpowering all other sounds in nature. Xiao Yu changed direction once more and sprinted for about five to six minutes, thinking, "I probably managed to shake them off this time."

Upon relaxing his mind, fatigue hit him hard. Xiao Yu lay on the ground gasping for breath, too lazy even to move when raindrops fell upon his body.

After resting for a while, he felt some of his strength return and stood up, staggering off into the distance.

"Hm What's happening"

Just as Xiao Yu was staggering along, he suddenly felt the ground give way beneath him. Looking down, he saw that the mud where he was standing was slowly sinking in, and he followed suit.

"Damn it, I haven't done anything to harm heaven or earth..."

Xiao Yu was just about to climb up when the soil he was standing on suddenly sank faster, making a rumbling sound. Before he could even start climbing, he fell down with it.

"Bang!"

With an "Ah... ah..." cry, Xiao Yu felt like he had landed heavily on a 'table,' causing the 'table' to shatter into pieces. However, thanks to the resistance from the 'table,' he managed to save his life though it was painful enough for him to scream.

"Thud"

"Ouch..." An object fell from the air and hit Xiao Yu's head. Due to the rich network of capillaries in his head, blood started flowing down from the impact. His vision turned black and he fainted immediately.

The rain outside the pit was pouring even harder now, lightning streaking across the sky, making the light inside the pit flicker intermittently.

Not far from Xiao Yu's head lay a wooden box on the ground. A thick writing brush, books, and a wooden sword were scattered beside his head. One corner of the wooden box was stained with dark blood, clearly indicating that it had hit Xiao Yu's head just now, causing his blood to flow towards the writing brush, books, and wooden sword.

After being tainted by Xiao Yu’s blood, these items suddenly emitted a faint glow.

If there were people inside the pit at this moment, they would notice that the writing brush, books, and wooden sword all had intricate patterns covering them, mysterious and eerie.

The original objects were colorless and dull. But after being stained with Xiao Yu's blood, it was as if these items had come to life, absorbing his blood. The intricate patterns on them resembled dried veins that filled up with Xiao Yu’s blood, continuously changing into different designs.

Suddenly, a thunderclap rang out outside the pit as if it were right at the entrance. The light inside the pit brightened abruptly; those bloody patterns seemed to detach from the items and faintly appeared above Xiao Yu’s head. They turned into a wisp of smoke that entered Xiao Yu's forehead. Instantly, the objects on the ground lost their luster and vitality, becoming soulless as if they were discarded trash.

A bolt of lightning flashed, cutting through the pitch-black sky like a snake or dragon twisting down from above. In the lingering light of the flash, one could see Xiao Yu’s body trembling slightly on the ground.

…………

The next morning, after the rain cleared up, thin mists covered the corn stalks; compared to their menacing blackness at night, the cornfield now looked like a fairyland from afar.

A person led around ten figures through the cornfield. Although the field was muddy and difficult to traverse, the lead figure moved forward without any hesitation.

This individual exuded exhaustion; his youthful face showed guilt and sorrow. Despite fatigue bending his waist slightly, he dragged his weary legs without stopping in the cornfield. This person was none other than Wei Jun, who had been with Xiao Yu.

"Xiao Yu… where are you"

"Xiao Yu…"

…………

The dozen or so people advanced in a fan shape through the cornfield, shouting as they moved.hang. Now that he’s causing trouble with Xiao Yu, Zhang Dahai naturally won’t let him off easily.After they left, Xiao Yu also came to Wansheng Hall together with Xiao Hongyang. Seeing that nothing ha...