Chapter 650: If You Want to Live, You Have to Go with the Old Man

"Yeah, it feels very real."

Ye Qianning murmured. The doubt in her heart was quickly replaced by a surge of excitement, and she raised her hand to attack the old man again.

The old Daoist sensed her approach. His body wanted to dodge, but it was as if he were weighed down by a thousand pounds. He couldn’t move. He could only watch helplessly as the little girl’s fist landed on his stomach.

He went flying like a kite with a snapped string, sliding a great distance after he landed...

"COUGH..." The old Daoist spat out a mouthful of bright red blood. "Agh! Murder! This is murder!"

Ye Qianning stared at the crimson blood the old Daoist had spat out. ’He’s not faking it.’ She could actually hurt him. And from the look on his face, he knew he couldn’t fight back.

The old Daoist had blocked the street in the Capital City. Although she hadn’t witnessed his power firsthand, she could tell from his voice back then that he was incredibly strong. He had been able to restrain Qian Fanji and his entire group in an instant.

He had also managed to snatch her away from numerous masters without breaking a sweat. Few in all of Beili could likely match such skill.

Yet here, in this void, the old Daoist was being severely injured again and again, completely powerless to retaliate. It was obvious his movements were restricted, while hers were not.

"PFFT... Little girl... Have you no sense of reason...?"

The old Daoist hadn’t been beaten like this in decades. He couldn’t even fight back. What good was his power if he couldn’t use it?

Ye Qianning figured out the secret of this place, her mood improving greatly. "You’re the one who started it."

"How was I unreasonable? I’m the one who saved you! But instead of being grateful, you little brat beat me up! What did I do to deserve this... WAAAH..." Having said his piece, the old Daoist sat on the ground and began to bawl his eyes out.

"I just asked you to deliver a message. Not only did you ignore me, but you also kidnapped me. Make incense? Heh. I know how to make incense from old bones, too. Want to give it a try?"

The old Daoist faltered for a moment, then his wails grew even louder. "You’re bullying an old man! There’s no justice in the world!"

"So you do know how to cry. Do you have any idea that a single sentence from you could have cost someone their life?" Ye Qianning felt no pity for him. His skills were unfathomable, and his mind was devious.

"Whose life? Tell me, whose life was at risk?" the old Daoist wailed.

"My great-grandfather is ninety years old! He’s already mentally fragile from past trauma. Do you think he can handle the shock of hearing you talk about ’making incense’ in the middle of the street? Let me make this clear: if anything happens to my great-grandfather, or my grandparents, because of this, you can just wait to be made into incense yourself."

"You... you... you’re just twisting my words! Why do you think I took you? I was saving you! Let’s not even talk about all the other wounds on your body. That sword wound in your chest—it pierced your heart! An injury like that would have killed a normal person several times over. It’s only because you were lucky enough to run into me that you have even a sliver of a chance to live!" The old Daoist leaped up from the ground.

"A chance to live? You were just curious, or you thought I was worth studying." Ye Qianning saw right through him.

’A reclusive master like him has likely grown indifferent to worldly matters. The only thing that could pique his interest is pure curiosity—things that defy the natural order.’

Seeing that she had hit the nail on the head, the old Daoist decided to drop all pretense. "I don’t care what you think my reasons are! The fact is, with an injury like yours, I’m the only person in the entire world who can save you. If you want to live, you’ll come with me. If you don’t, I’ll just leave you here to rot."

Ye Qianning fell silent.

"If I leave you here, it’ll be days before anyone finds you. By then, your corpse will probably be rotten, and you’ll have no chance of survival whatsoever."