Chapter 2: The Mouse-Torturing Maniac

Yan Xiao rushed into the little girl's room, but her figure was nowhere to be seen.

Yan Xiao collapsed onto the floor all at once.

Having spent several years together, the two of them relied on each other for survival.

The little girl was so well-behaved and sensible.

Thinking of a certain possibility, his tears slid down uncontrollably.

"Brother... you're back."

The little girl walked out from the kitchen, holding some green vegetables in her hands.

She looked pure and cute; she was not tall, and her small face had not yet fully matured, still retaining some baby fat, but she was definitely a budding beauty.

Yan Xiao was stunned for a moment.

After a long while, he wiped away his tears, revealed a trace of a smile, walked up to the little girl, and pinched her small face, "I'm back."

"You were crying?" The little girl made contact with Yan Xiao's body, as if she could sense Yan Xiao's emotions, and asked.

"There were so many bloodstains at the door, I thought you were hurt, and it scared me quite a bit." Yan Xiao did not hide it; in front of the little girl, he was his most authentic self.

Of course, hiding it would be useless; the little girl was born blind, yet she possessed a heart of crystal. As long as she made contact with a person, she could sense whether that person was good or bad, kind or evil.

"I'm fine, I was just cooking.

I heard that some Phantom Demons had mixed into the crowd on the mountain, wanting to harm people, and an Immortal Master from Luoxia Mountain happened to be passing by and killed them," the little girl explained.

"Oh."

Yan Xiao nodded; for him, as long as the little girl was fine, that was the best thing.

"You weren't chosen by the Immortal Master?" the little girl asked.

The fact that the Immortal Master from Luoxia Mountain had already left was the answer itself.

"Yeah, Luoxia Mountain doesn't have that fortune," Yan Xiao said helplessly.

Not being able to take the little girl to live at Luoxia Mountain made him feel very uneasy.

Nowadays, Phantom Demons appeared in the town frequently, which was too dangerous.

"Let's eat first... there will be opportunities in the future," the little girl smiled and comforted him.

Yan Xiao also smiled; with the Sword Demon System, he didn't need to go to Luoxia Mountain to cultivate.

However, he couldn't leave the little girl home alone anymore; it would be dangerous if she encountered a Phantom Demon.

"I must become strong quickly," Yan Xiao thought to himself.

"Brother, let's move."

After finishing their meal, as Yan Xiao was washing the bowls and chopsticks, the little girl said softly.

"What's wrong?" Yan Xiao asked in confusion.

"The proprietress of Cuihua Pavilion came to collect debts today, saying that if we don't pay back the money, she'll make me go... to their place," Qingxue said in a low voice.

What could one do at Cuihua Pavilion?

It was certainly to have the little girl entertain guests to pay off the debt.

Laojiugui had gone to Cuihua Pavilion to eat and drink for free, and in the end, he died there, leaving behind a mountain of bad debts.

The proprietress of Cuihua Pavilion, Ma Cuihua, came to collect debts from time to time.

Previously, Yan Xiao had even gone to help her wipe tables and wash dishes to pay off the money, but the money Laojiugui spent sleeping with a girl was enough to keep him wiping tables and chairs for a lifetime.

It was truly a bad debt that could never be paid off.

"She dares!"

Yan Xiao was furious.

Sighing, he spoke slowly, "Don't worry, Brother won't let you suffer any grievances."

Now that there were Phantom Demons everywhere, moving house was easier said than done.

Although Yan Xiao had the system, his strength was truly too weak.

Staying in the town for now was better; traveling through the deep mountains and old forests was too dangerous.

Lying on the bed, Yan Xiao kept thinking about how to obtain Fear Value.

Pretending to be a ghost to scare people definitely wouldn't work; if a cultivator came along and killed him, thinking he was a Phantom Demon, that would be a huge loss.

What do people fear most? It must be death, but he couldn't just go around killing people.

He was a kind child.

Hearing the sound of a mouse eating something outside the room, Yan Xiao thought of a good idea.

He decided to catch mice and obtain fear from animals.

No sooner said than done, he began to chase and intercept them in the room.

It made a chaotic clattering sound.

"Brother... what are you doing?" The little girl next door was woken up by him and asked in confusion.

"Catching mice," Yan Xiao replied loudly.

"Oh." The little girl replied and continued to sleep.

The mouse was startled, Fear Value +3+3+3.

Too slow.

Yan Xiao was not satisfied with this result.

And so,

He tied all the mice he caught to the wall, held a small wooden stick in his hand, and occasionally gave the mice a light tap.

The mouse's Fear Value +1+1+1+1+1.....

The backend kept refreshing like this.

The rat-torturing maniac Yan Xiao could not stop himself.

Yan Xiao was so happy that bubbles of snot even came out of his nose.

Until midnight, he discovered that the Fear Value was no longer increasing.

How could this be?

The rats were not dead yet, so why could they no longer provide Fear Value?

"System, what is the situation?" Yan Xiao asked aloud.

"Owner, every animal has an upper limit for the Fear Value it provides; the limit for a rat is one hundred."

Humans have the highest limit; the higher a cultivator's cultivation base, the more Fear Value they provide.

The limit for a mortal is 1000, the limit for a large animal is 500, and the limit for a small animal is 100.

Of course, Phantom Demons are an exception; like cultivators, the higher their cultivation base, the greater their upper limit.

"So that's how it is."

The idea of getting rich by relying on three rats was shattered.

Yan Xiao had no choice but to cruelly kill the three rats.

The rats provided him with 300 Fear Value, and his current total Fear Value was 400.

Barely acceptable.

He exchanged for three Spirit Qi pills and immediately swallowed two.

There was still one left, and he prepared to let the little girl eat it to see if she could cultivate.

Body Tempering 2nd Layer, Body Tempering 3rd Layer.

After digesting the medicinal power, he suddenly felt full of strength.

His strength should now be three or four times that of an ordinary person.

Awesome!

Yan Xiao fell asleep.

The night passed without incident.

Early in the morning, he was awakened by noisy sounds.

It seemed to be Ma Cuihua's voice.

Yan Xiao immediately put on his clothes and ran out.

He saw Ma Cuihua's two servants pulling at Qingxue, trying to take her away by force.

"Stop!"

Yan Xiao was furious. He grabbed the Black Sword and rushed up.

"Yan Xiao, today is the final deadline.

If you cannot come up with the money, I must take this girl away."

Ma Cuihua, who had a fat figure, said in a sarcastic tone.

"I will find a way to get the money; you all let go of my sister first, otherwise I won't be polite," Yan Xiao said coldly, raising his long sword.

"Yo, yo, yo, you want to kill someone with that big iron sword?

A life for a life and paying back debts is only natural; besides, the small town is not safe.

To tell you the truth, the old Sect Master of Luoxia Mountain has passed away, and the immortal masters are busy fighting for the position of Sect Master, so they have no time to deal with the surrounding Phantom Demons. Majia Town is very dangerous, and more people might die in a few days.

Taking the girl away now is saving her."

Ma Cuihua tried to persuade him with earnest words.

Yan Xiao frowned; no wonder many families with decent foundations were preparing to move. So that was how it was.

But did the little girl need Ma Cuihua's protection?

Without a word, Yan Xiao activated the Magic Sword, and the black, ghostly light immediately attracted everyone's attention.

"Swish!"

He swung his sword at a rock by the road.

The purple-black ghostly light cut through the air along the tip of the sword, emitting bursts of sword hums.

With a loud bang, a rock weighing over a hundred catties was cut in half, the cut clean and even.

"I will pay you back the money, but my sister... I can protect her myself, so I won't trouble you."

Yan Xiao wiped the sword body and said coldly.

"This is immortal art!"

The two servants were scared pale. Fear Value +4 +4 +4.

Ma Cuihua Fear Value +2 +2 +2.

"Still not letting go..." Yan Xiao shouted coldly.

Fear Value +4 +4 +4.

Before Ma Cuihua could speak, her lackeys had already let go of the little girl.

Yan Xiao walked over, held her small hand, and asked softly, "Are you alright?"

The little girl shook her head and leaned against Yan Xiao; the world was so big, but only this place was the safest.

"I didn't expect you to have become so powerful. Fine... I'll take the loss," Ma Cuihua sighed, pondered slightly, and said again, "What I said before is true. The Phantom Demons will attack soon. You all be careful, don't die."

"Many thanks for the reminder. If I have the money, where can I find you?" Yan Xiao asked.

"Chunfeng Pavilion in Luoyue City; I will wait for you there."

Ma Cuihua wiggled her buttocks and walked away slowly.