Chapter Seventy-Two: Should the Information Be Revealed?

Within the spiritual realm, the blood-red eyes shrouded in mist, tinged with a faint trace of golden light at their center, were slowly dissolving under the pressure of the swirling fog… As Xiao Nan’s consciousness entered, the mist suddenly surged, and a distant roar echoed faintly in the void. The blood-red eyes shattered with a thunderous crash, and that sliver of golden light transformed into a shooting star, merging into Xiao Nan’s body.

To his astonishment, he noticed that the golden light pattern, which he thought had been exhausted, now glowed brighter, expanding by nearly a fifth of its original size.

“So it turns out, the blood-red eyes and golden light that attacked me today were a form of energy… Now that the bronze mirror has devoured and absorbed it, it’s been assimilated into the golden light pattern.”

The mysterious power he had gained by chance during the blood ritual incident was likely an energy aggregate—perhaps a talent, or more likely, a qualification of some sort. Exactly what it was, Xiao Nan could not fathom. In all his accumulated knowledge, nothing like this existed.

But this was not a misfortune.

“This light pattern can absorb a special kind of energy, grow autonomously, and even nourish the body and mind, providing energy to unlock talents and bloodlines… Its precise nature is questionable, but it’s something I need to study and pay attention to in the future.”

Unable to solve the riddle, he let it be, as he always did. This ability to set aside unanswerable questions was one of Xiao Nan’s strengths.

With the last hidden danger of tonight’s adventure now dispelled, Xiao Nan took out his lighter, found a secluded spot, and burned his mask, jacket, and the height-increasing insoles. He watched them burn to ashes, then scattered the remains into the river. Next, he shed his thick coat, sweater, and sword, bundling them together in a small parcel which he carried in his hand.

Very soon, he once again looked like the shy high school student in his school uniform. Now, by all appearances, he was completely unlike the burly, masked killer from earlier.

…

Xiao Nan turned a corner and strolled leisurely along the main road toward home, just like a student returning late from school. In his mind, he reviewed every step of the night’s actions, ensuring nothing had been overlooked, and finally let out a long sigh of relief.

However, when he thought back to that opulent manor, a sense of unease crept into his heart. Being sniped at from afar was one thing… Whether or not there were barbarians among his pursuers was not something he cared much about. It was pointless to dwell on it; after all, he had killed their people right by their lair. The fact that he hadn’t been hunted to the ends of the earth was already a stroke of luck.

Moreover, it was easy to imagine that unless those barbarians were complete fools, they would not continue a citywide manhunt for him. Most likely, they had already begun to relocate; if he turned back now, he probably wouldn’t find a single trace of the beast barbarians remaining. This was, after all, human society.

The only thing that truly concerned him was the deeper significance hidden within these events—it was anything but simple.

“Who exactly has the audacity to take such risks to harbor barbarians? What’s their ultimate scheme?” Xiao Nan did not want to guess blindly. All he could surmise was that this faction must be extremely powerful, wielding enough influence to keep the general populace in the dark. Otherwise, even the authorities would not be so oblivious.

“Should I report this to someone?”

The answer was no.

After only a brief internal struggle, Xiao Nan immediately dismissed such a foolish idea. He couldn’t even explain how he had discovered the barbarians’ gathering in the first place. If he went to the police with his observations and suspicions, he would be the first to suffer. What if this group had moles within the authorities? Even if they didn’t, Xiao Nan had no desire to subject himself to endless interrogation. They might even begin to suspect what he had done that night, for regardless of the reasons or the identity of the victim, killing someone within the city was, on the surface, an illicit act.

Furthermore, he had no strong, trustworthy confidant to whom he could privately reveal the truth. Zhang Yi could barely be counted as one, but that guy was loud and brash; if told, he could easily connect the dots and realize Xiao Nan was the perpetrator behind the Night Jasmine Massacre. Without a doubt, he would believe him, then launch a high-profile search for barbarians and organize a team to comb through the aftermath of the battle. With that reckless brute’s disregard even for the city lord’s mansion, such rash actions would quickly draw the attention of interested parties to the night’s events. In that case, Xiao Nan himself would likely be exposed as well.

Thus, telling him would bring nothing but harm, with no benefit.

Tang Zhixuan, on the other hand, should, in theory, be trustworthy—she was someone Qin Shuang had entrusted to look after him and was supposed to be on his side. Yet Xiao Nan could clearly sense that this martial arts instructor did not like him much. Her attitude during the martial arts assessment had been telling; there was an inexplicable disdain in her manner, almost as if she regarded him as a plague to be avoided.

So, she was not an option either. Who knew if her sense of justice would compel her to arrest him as a murderer?

“In the end, for now, my own safety is what matters most. Barbarians hiding in Yuanjiang City is nothing new—those in power will worry about such matters, and surely they are not entirely unaware.”

“Even if the sky falls over Yuanjiang, it’s not for a high school student who hasn’t yet taken his college entrance exams to worry about.”

“Don’t those foreigners always preach that with great power comes great responsibility? I don’t fully agree, but from any angle, I have little power, so it’s best I don’t shoulder the responsibility either. At the very least, I need to pass the martial arts college entrance exam and raise my strength, so I won’t have anything to fear in the future. Only after ensuring my own safety can I think about protecting others… If I can’t even guarantee my own family’s safety, yet recklessly charge to the front lines to battle barbarians, that would be the height of foolishness.”

…

After such a hectic night, Xiao Nan felt a wave of exhaustion. First he had broken into Night Jasmine and killed, then fought a battle with Wu Gang’s forces. The pressure had not been overwhelming, but killing—even when unavoidable—was never something to enjoy; it cast a shadow over his mood.

Unexpectedly, he had also encountered barbarians hiding in the bar and stumbled upon their scheme. During the ensuing chase, he had blundered right into their stronghold and nearly been killed himself.

At this moment, the only sensation left was hunger—his stomach felt as though it was stuck to his spine. He didn’t force himself to resist, choosing instead to yield to his physical needs. He found a noodle shop by the street and ordered three large bowls of beef noodles, paying extra for more meat. He ate with gusto, broth splattering everywhere, unable to stop.

If not for fear of frightening the waitress, he felt he could have eaten ten bowls or more.

Of course, this ordinary food was only a psychological comfort; the deep hunger in his body was far from satisfied.

A fine sheen of sweat appeared on his brow, and Xiao Nan decided not to wander about any longer. By now, dinner hours had passed, and finding a restaurant serving beast meat would not be easy. Even if he did, the money he had taken from Wu Tie wouldn’t last long if he indulged himself.

Checking the time, he saw it was nearly eleven o’clock. With that, he resolved to go home.