Chapter 168: Ten Damn Years

Ten years... ten goddamn years had passed in this place.

Ever since he arrived believing this would be the answer for himself and Xuehua, all he had found was that no one cared about two children from an unknown place with no one backing them.

The old man who had brought them both with promises took Xuehua away on the very first day, and brought him to the so-called "elders" of the sect. Those women immediately began teaching him what his role in this place was.

It seemed the old man hadn’t brought him without reason: his body was special—far too special—and the women were delighted when they realized it.

Their cultivation grew with every contact with him.

But he also began to notice something he could use to his advantage: the more they used him, the more addicted they became, to the point where they could no longer live without him. His relationship with them deepened, and while most still followed the old man’s orders or simply didn’t want to show care for someone who was considered lower, others began treating him better.

Noises started echoing at that moment.

He had left Siyin a while ago and was walking through the sect.

He saw the gazes of some men in rags with their hands bound, being dragged off to who knows what kind of hell. Although he himself had tasted that fate, he somehow acted indifferent to them.

Cauldron slaves were the rule in this place. In other areas of the sect, they seemed to maintain a slightly more "proper" facade, but he had never had the chance to verify it.

Since he received relatively better treatment, he wasn’t welcome among them. In response, he simply looked at them with contempt and kept walking, moving away without paying them much more attention.

Many of them didn’t have to serve those crazy women, and it wasn’t that he was complaining—his situation was certainly better; between dying, being used as medicine, or being a cultivation partner, the latter was way better—but he also didn’t appreciate being told what to do all the time or being treated like their little pet.

When he first arrived and was dragged into a dual cultivation session on his very first day, he thought he was in heaven. Although worried about Xuehua, he still enjoyed it. But the women were quick to show him how little he meant to them. And when he found out what that man was doing to Xuehua, everything became even worse.

He had always known that her eyes were special, but he never imagined someone would go to such extremes just to obtain them.

And now, ten years later, he knew his time was running out. That old bastard would soon get everything he needed.

On the other hand, he had finally reached the place he was heading to.

Normally they didn’t let him come here, so he always took advantage of his time with Siyin to sneak away and see her. The place was sealed and didn’t allow easy access, but he had long since learned how to get in unnoticed. His eyes focused; he began circulating his energy—which was thousands of times greater than what he had as a child—and with a small leap, he appeared inside.

He had discovered he could do this after spending three years here.

Since he had no one to teach him and could only rely on what those women gave him out of pity or what Siyin explained, at that time he still had no idea that what he was doing was manipulating space—a form of teleportation that only elders who had studied one of the Primordial Laws could achieve.

His technique, unlike using pure speed to enter, left no trace behind.

Inside, Xuehua was hanging, with a blindfold over her eyes and her body clearly battered.

His eyes turned red and he clenched his fists, barely holding himself back.

He approached her and untied her.

"ℵ ℵℶℷℸℵℶℷℸ?" her soft, weak voice called out.

"Mmm," he nodded. He looked around, making sure no one was coming, and took out a coat from his storage space along with some pills to help with her injuries.

He brought them to her mouth, but the young woman raised her arms and shook her head. "He’ll notice," she whispered. "He’s already been suspicious. That’s why he applied this punishment thinking I was trying to escape."

The silence after those words lasted a moment, until she broke it again: "ℵ ℵℶℷℸℵℶℷℸ, I don’t care anymore. If I give him my eyes, he said he’ll leave us alone. He’ll let you go too."

He frowned. "That’s what he’s telling you now, but there’s no guarantee he isn’t lying to you again."

She furrowed her brows and moved closer to lean against him, seeking warmth, but her eyebrows contracted even more. "You were with them before coming here, weren’t you?"

"Mmmm."

A tear fell with that brief nod. Xuehua swallowed with anguish but asked again: "You said one of them is helping you now?"

"Yes, thanks to one of them I was able to come today."

"Mmm, that’s good... Do you like her?"

"I don’t know. I don’t know if she can be trusted. Xuehua, I’m going to overcome the lightning tribulation soon and reach the True Immortal level. Although that old man is strong, the energy I cultivate is much purer than his, and I’ve been learning techniques that I believe will make the difference. We’ll leave this place soon—that’s the only thing that matters."

"I can see how much you care. You’re afraid something might happen to her if we escape and that man finds out."

"Don’t talk nonsense. That woman only cares about me because of my body. If I couldn’t make her stronger through dual cultivation, or if my blood weren’t so impressive, it wouldn’t be the same. Not to mention that all she seeks is pleasure."

"Liar..." Xuehua frowned, her eyes showing how much it hurt him to say that about Siyin. "Your eyes betray your pain."

Xuehua’s eyes moved toward the entrance door at that moment, then returned to him as she whispered: "ℵ ℵℶℷℸℵℶℷℸ, what if we do the same thing you do with them... with me today?"

He looked at her instantly, frowning. He observed her wounds and her condition, and confusion began to fill his mind. He bit his lip and asked: "Really? You really had to ask me for the same thing they ask of me?"

He stood up, brushed off his clothes, and continued: "Look at your condition, and then think about what a great idea that is."

"I’m not your sister, and I should have been the first."

The conversation clearly wasn’t going to end easily, and for better or worse for the young woman—who clearly wanted an answer—the door burst open with a bang. An old man with a pleased smile entered.

He tried to disappear quickly using his spatial technique, but he knew that if he left and the man saw Xuehua untied, he would take it out on her.

The old man, upon seeing there was another person in the room and that the girl he had left tied up was no longer bound, raised an eyebrow. "Well, look who showed up without permission. I’ll file a complaint with the Dual Cultivation Peak. Those old lecherous hags should start taking better care of their... hmm, how should I put it? Trash?"

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Author’s Note:

Hello everyone!

Something tells me this won’t be the last time we see this old man. 👀

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