The Slave Gets Some Attention

Huan Wei and the other slaves picked flowers for half the day. After Huan Wei had filled his quota, he helped Lei Lok and Jiao Bai. Cao Jingguo also seemed to have filled his quota. Because he was helping the others.

"Bastard..." Huan Wei muttered. He was the one who said that they should take Cao Jingguo with them. But they were all united against him, and Cao Jingguo was helping them. "Everyone is ungrateful than each other."

Lei Lok and Jiao Bai did not betray Huan Wei. After they filled their quota, they threw every plant they picked into their own bags. They didn't give any to the other slaves. And strangely, there were very few flowers to pick.

There were dried flowers everywhere. There were very few that were still alive. Even the leaves of the trees seemed to be drying up. There was a strange taste in the air. People's throats itched as they breathed.

Huan Wei was better off than them. But he was sure of one thing now. The corrupt Qi was following him. The two places where he had broken through the bottlenecks had both turned into the Corrupted Area. Also, the place where he had used the demon sign was overflowing with Corrupt Qi.

He slowly raised his left hand and looked inside. There was nothing there. "I was chosen for something, I am sure of it now. Maybe it's because years of torture have darkened my soul? Somehow the Corrupted Qi is following me. Maybe this seal is fate's only gift to me?" he thought.

He could see the trees beginning to wither. Even the grass on the ground had dried up and shriveled. The bandits were also looking around. They had a worried look on their faces. Soon Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng also came to check the surroundings.

"Where is this feeling coming from?" Lan Xifeng spoke. Yun Ying clearly didn't know anything.

"Maybe we shouldn't stay here too long? Let's talk to Ou Yu. This could be the second Corrupted Area we'll see in the Bright Forest these days."

One of the slaves asked in amazement. "A Corrupt Area?"

The fat woman turned to the slave. "Shut up. Just do your job."

The slave fell silent and went back to work. But there were no flowers to pick. Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng would not forgive them just because the flowers had dried up. In the evening they would all face the whip. So they searched even more frantically.

Huan Wei was not at ease either. He had met his quota, yet if one of the slaves failed to meet his quota, Huan Wei would also be whipped. Yun Ying was adamant about this.

Still, the young man wanted to show the others what he could muster and make them suffer for betraying him. This time being whipped was not such a terrible thought.

Soon Ou Yu appeared. The boss walked around the slaves for a while. As a Blood Cultivator, he knew the Corrupt Areas well. There shouldn't have been one of them in the Bright Forest. But this time they were watching it being born.

The red-haired woman turned her head to look at Huan Wei. They had also found him in a Corrupted Area. She remained skeptical for a while. The young man was aware of this. Yet he kept looking for flowers to avoid making eye contact with her.

"Pack up, all of you. We're leaving." Ou Yu ordered. The bandits lined the slaves up side by side and took the flowers they had picked. It was also clear who would receive the whip. Even with Cao Jingguo's help, the slaves had not picked enough flowers. Many of them would be whipped.

They put the slaves in cages and chained them. They also packed up the bandit tents. Then they started herding the animals. They were leaving the area fast.

The Corrupt Areas would give birth to demons. These creatures, formed from pure Corrupted Qi, were too dangerous for a group in the Path Realm. To be able to fight one of them, there had to be at least a Life Link Expert between them. Otherwise the battle could not be won. Even Ou Yu's strength was insufficient.

The bandit group quickly left the area. They were using dirt roads. Huan Wei heard the bandits talking that they had attacked several groups on these roads before. They were using the roads to acquire new slaves. When a Corrupt Area appeared, out of curiosity, they had gone there and found Huan Wei. The fact that he became a slave was just a trick of fate. Huan Wei was right to never trust fate.

The Forest Masters marched on until nightfall, moving away from the corrupted area. When a new campsite was finally set up, Yun Ying and Lan Xifeng came toward them, whips in hand.

"Who asked for whips?" Lan Xifeng waved the whip several times. Its sound frightened the slaves.

Huan Wei go without a sound and turned around. He looked at the slaves who had left him with a smile. His look changed their expressions.

"Step aside, Huan Wei."

The young man was shocked by what he heard. He turned his head and looked at Yun Ying. What had this woman just said?

"I said step aside. Are you deaf?" The fat woman looked at him with a frown. Huan Wei stepped aside in surprise. What, no whip for him?

While he waited in amazement, the other slaves were whipped. Their screams warmed Huan Wei's heart. For a moment he could not believe that he had been helping this ungrateful bunch all this time. The slaves had suddenly turned against him.

One by one they were whipped and thrown into cages. Huan Wei and a few others were given food. Although the young man did not understand what was happening, he did not object. At that moment, even the slurry tasted delicious. He didn't even care about the slaves who looked at him angrily.

When the meal was over, he voluntarily entered his cage. Ai Tung, his back covered in blood, sat chained in the cage. Huan Wei looked at him and smiled wryly.

"What happened, Ai Tung, I thought you were going to do it together?"

Lei Lok and Jiao Bai were with them. Lei Lok said, "He has learned his lesson, Huan Wei. Why don't you leave him alone?" But the young man had no intention of doing so.

"It's as if your plan didn't work," he said. "Not that you need me."

Ai Tung looked up. "Are you going to take Cao Jingguo's place? Why don't you come tomorrow and take what we've gathered by force?"

Huan Wei laughed. "If you have the guts to talk like that, why didn't you say anything to Cao Jingguo? Are you talking to me like that because I've never beaten you?"

Ai Tung was about to reply but remained silent. Huan Wei had the Oakbody. Someone like Ai Tung could do nothing to him. Maybe he shouldn't have said that?

Huan Wei looked at him with a smile. It was a great power to be able to intimidate instead of frighten someone. The young man was proud to have that power. If that drunken bastard, his father, had given him the pill earlier, he might have had it even sooner.

Huan Wei's smile faded when he thought of Huan Chao. His brow furrowed as he became silent. Just thinking about him was enough to take away all her joy. "I'm glad you got the fuck out of my life," he thought.

The time passed. Lei Lok and the others were asleep. Huan Wei also decided to sleep tonight. He hadn't slept for the last few days. It would be good to get some rest.

He closed his eyes. Even though he knew he was going to the Black Void, he slept.

"No."

He heard the voice of the Black Void. It echoed deep in his mind, in his soul. But then morning came and Huan Wei opened his eyes.

He did not understand what was going on. "What do you mean no?" he thought to himself. He hadn't had a nightmare today. He had only heard one word and woke up.

The other slaves woke up and woke each other up. They were waiting for the bandits to come and get them out. Yet Yun Ying was the only one who came.

The fat woman opened Huan Wei's cage and collar. "Come with me."

Huan Wei could no longer understand what was happening. The woman had not whipped him last night. Now she was only calling for him when no slaves were being taken out.

He got up from his sitting position and followed the fat woman. Yun Ying locked the cage again. The slaves watched them curiously, but the woman said nothing.

Huan Wei followed behind her to the bandits. They all had their weapons ready. Lan Xifeng was standing with them. Huan Wei's mind ran through dozens of different scenarios in which they would kill him for fun. He looked around to see where he could escape.

Just then, one of the bandits handed him a sword. The young man looked at the bandit and the sword in confusion. Yun Ying slapped him on the back of the head.

"Don't look like an idiot. Take the sword. Soon we will attack a caravan camped nearby. You will come with us."

Huan Wei smiled excitedly. Was it time to shine?