"What?!!" Xiao Yan asked, his face full of shock.
"Are you sure it's them?" Ye Yuan also spoke, a grave shadow appearing on his face.
"Yes, almost eighty to ninety percent sure of it."
"Are the Black Forest Bandits crazy? Don't they know what happened last time with the Dragon Slaying Cult?" Xiao Yan questioned with a frown.
"We don't know much about it. This cult always works in a chaotic manner, and lately, it has become even more active," the scarred woman replied, shaking her head slightly.
'Dragon Slaying Cult…' Ye Yuan fell into thought as memories about it surfaced in his mind.
The kingdom they were currently in was called the Jin Kingdom, ruled by the Jin Royal Family, who had seized power from the previous dynasty after a great coup five hundred years ago.
During those five centuries, many large and small sects and cults had appeared and disappeared – yet only two major ones had survived the onslaught of the Jin Kingdom till now: the Dragon Slaying Cult and the Blood Evil Cult.
As the name suggested, the Dragon Slaying Cult's goal was to slay the dragon – meaning the emperor and the Jin royal bloodline itself, since the dragon symbolized imperial power and authority.
Nobody knew where this cult had originated from or why it sought to destroy the Jin Family, but throughout the last five hundred years, it had caused countless disasters.
The latest one occurred thirty years ago, when they successfully assassinated the Crown Prince and his official wife – an event that shocked the entire kingdom. Their deaths allowed the current emperor to ascend the throne purely by luck.
After that incident, the whole Jin Kingdom erupted in fury. All nobles and officials who had even the slightest relation or transaction with the Dragon Slaying Cult were punished. Some were imprisoned for life, while others – along with their families for three generations – were executed publicly.
"So, what are you going to do now? Report it back to the City?" Ye Yuan asked.
"I want to, but–" the scarred woman spoke as she tried to stand up. Her legs, weakened from blood loss, gave way and she sat down again. "You see, I'm not able to," she finished with a miserable smile on her face.
"How about you help me in relaying the message to the City Lord? I can guarantee you'll be paid well for it," she suddenly suggested.
Then, as if she had thought of something, she reached inside her clothes and took out a badge.
"You can use this badge to prove the authenticity of your words."
The Xiao Brothers looked at each other with complicated expressions before politely declining.
"Sorry for refusing you, lady, but my brother and I don't associate with any court officials," Xiao Yan said as he gestured for Xiao Ba to remain silent, seeing he was about to speak.
"But you don't have to make any contact, just pass on the news–"
"I'm deeply sorry again, but it's not possible," Xiao Yan interrupted, bowing slightly as he apologized. Xiao Ba followed his actions a moment later.
"Ok, if you don't want to, then it's fine, but–" she paused, turning her gaze toward Ye Yuan, her tone noticeably more polite this time. "Can this gentleman help me pass on the message?"
"I too can't help you at this moment," Ye Yuan replied, making her lower her head in disappointment. But before she could say anything, he continued, "However, I can help you deal with Ji Yao and the third leader of the Black Forest Bandits. How about that?"
"Really?! But the third leader is at the perfection stage of the Skin-Refining Realm. Are you sure about it?" she asked, a faint glimmer of hope returning to her eyes.
"Yes. No problem," Ye Yuan said simply with a nod.
"Ok then… I can tell you their hiding location, and the rest will be up to you," she said, before starting to explain the location of the third leader of the Black Forest Bandits and Ji Yao.
When she finished speaking, the Xiao Brothers walked toward Ye Yuan.
"Little brother, how about we both help you in dealing with them? Although we're much weaker than you, we can at least handle some of the smaller minions," Xiao Ba said, pointing to himself and Xiao Yan, who nodded beside him.
"No, no, it's not that difficult. I can take care of them all by myself," Ye Yuan replied, shaking his head.
"Don't worry about us, little brother. Even if something happens to us, it'll be our own problem, not yours," Xiao Ba said earnestly.
Twitch
The corner of Ye Yuan's mouth twitched as he sighed inwardly, 'Who has a problem with your joining? After finally getting my cheat, I can't just let those easy points fall into nothingness.'
"No need, Brother Xiao Ba, I can handle it myself."
"But–"
"Ok, Xiao Ba. If little brother says so, then let it be," Xiao Yan interjected, cutting his brother off.
"Don't mind him, little brother. He just likes to talk this much," Xiao Yan said with a slightly apologetic smile.
"No problem. He meant well," Ye Yuan replied calmly.
"Ok then, miss, will it be a problem if I take action tomorrow? It's night now, and with this weather…" Ye Yuan said to the woman as he glanced toward the window, where rain continued to fall under the dark sky.
"No–no, it's alright," she replied softly.
After they finished speaking, silence filled the temple. With nothing more to discuss, everyone settled down.
The scarred woman focused on resting, having bandaged herself after applying medicine to her wounds.
Xiao Ba was already snoring loudly, fast asleep after lying down for a short while. Beside him, Xiao Yan sat dazedly, staring into the small fire that still flickered in front of them.
Seeing everyone resting, Ye Yuan also got busy.
'System, can you tell me how many Evil Slaying Points I have right now?' he asked in his mind.
[Evil Slaying Points: 106]
'So, that's enough for a Yellow-level lottery, right? Then try one.'
[Do you want to use 100 Evil Slaying Points to conduct a Yellow Lottery?]
'Yes.'
[Conducting a Yellow Lottery… Drawing prize...…]
[Drawing...]
[Drawing...]
[Congratulations, host, for obtaining: Swift Saber Technique (Low Yellow Grade, Maximum Level)]
'Extract,' Ye Yuan ordered without needing the system to remind him.
[Using Swift Saber Technique (Low Yellow Grade, Maximum Level)]
Along with the system prompt, a vast amount of memories surged into his mind – from the basics of saber handling to advanced mastery. Techniques, stances, and fluid sequences from the Swift Saber Technique unfolded vividly before him, as if he had practiced them for countless years.
However, the effect on his realm was minimal. Aside from feeling more stable, like iron being tempered once again, he didn't sense much change. He was still within the Low Flesh Training Realm, with no significant progress.
It was simply the limit of how far a Low Yellow Grade martial art could take him.