Chapter 597 - 593: Four Kings Hall

Watching the few of them flee in disarray.

Hong Yu then helped the dazed Zhao Feng'Er, who was kneeling on the ground, to her feet. "It's alright now!"

But Zhao Feng'Er didn't respond.

Hong Yu noticed her eyes were still unfocused. The despair she'd just experienced had clearly left her unable to snap back to reality.

'Such a hard life for them.'

Hong Yu sighed softly.

He took a Spirit Pill from his Storage Ring and fed it to Zhao Feng'Er. Her eyes slowly regained their focus. Her first reaction was to scream, "Don't hit my brother! I'm begging you, let my brother go..."

"Alright, alright, it's okay. Your brother is fine!"

Hong Yu gently patted Zhao Feng'Er's shoulder.

"H-He's fine?"

Zhao Feng'Er was taken aback.

She looked around and, sure enough, didn't see the young man anymore. Gradually calming down, she then looked at the unconscious Zhao Hu hanging from the tree, shouted "Brother!", and rushed over.

She clawed at Zhao Hu with both hands.

She tried to get Zhao Hu down, but she was too frail and couldn't move the rope at all.

Zhao Feng'Er cried out in grief, "Brother, don't die! It's all my fault I dragged you into this... *sob sob*..."

"Feng... Feng'Er, I... I'm not dead."

Zhao Hu came to, his voice weak.

"Ah? Brother, you're not dead? That's wonderful! That's really wonderful!"

Tears streaming down her face, Zhao Feng'Er said repeatedly, "Brother, don't be afraid! I-I'll get you down right now!"

She tried to climb the tree.

But her frail arms had no strength. How could she climb a tree?

She'd climb a short distance only to slide back down.

She did this over and over, completely oblivious that her hands were scraped raw and bleeding. She just kept telling Zhao Hu, "Brother, don't be afraid, I'll get you down!"

Watching this, a lump formed in Hong Yu's throat.

An image couldn't help but surface in his mind: back when he had just transmigrated, unable to accept the reality of it, he had dazedly fallen into a well.

Yun Mengyao had followed him down just like this, disregarding all danger.

In the end, she had used her own small body to hold him up, preventing the ice-cold well water from touching him for an entire night. Her frail body had supported him the whole time.

Looking at Zhao Feng'Er now, how similar she was to Yun Mengyao!

"Let me."

Hong Yu sighed softly, flicked his finger, and a blue light shot out, severing the rope. He carefully caught Zhao Hu.

Zhao Feng'Er rushed over. "Brother, Brother? Are you okay?"

Zhao Hu had already passed out again.

His body was too weak. He had been brutally beaten by the young man and had lost a lot of blood from being whipped. It was sheer luck he wasn't dead.

A blue light glowed on Hong Yu's palm as gentle Primordial Gang's Power flowed into Zhao Hu's body, nourishing him. Hong Yu smiled. "Your brother is fine, he's just exhausted and fell asleep. Go get a large basin of hot water. We'll clean his wounds in a bit. I'll help him inside to rest first."

"Okay, okay!"

Zhao Feng'Er now remembered how Hong Yu had just driven away the young ruffian, and she immediately nodded.

Watching the little girl bustle about, Hong Yu couldn't help but smile faintly. He carried Zhao Hu into the house, laid him down, and gave him a Spirit Pill to take.

Zhao Hu's internal injuries began to heal gradually.

His body was too weak, after all, so Hong Yu didn't dare use a Pill of too high a Level, fearing Zhao Hu wouldn't be able to handle it and it would only worsen his injuries.

Zhao Feng'Er came in a short while later and carefully tended to Zhao Hu.

It wasn't until nightfall that Zhao Hu slowly regained consciousness.

The siblings were incredibly grateful to Hong Yu. He didn't refuse their thanks and, while chatting with them, learned the whole story.

It turned out that the Zhao siblings originally had a happy family.

Their parents were True Dragon Powerhouses who had entered this place long ago. Tired of the killing, they had spent a huge sum to purchase this courtyard house in Nanshan Collection.

The family lived together in harmony.

But a few months ago, Zhao Hu's parents went out on a mission and never returned.

It wasn't until a while later that an acquaintance informed the siblings that their parents had encountered a perilous situation during their mission and had both been killed.

From then on, the Zhao siblings had only each other to rely on.

But neither of them was old, so they had no way to earn Soul Stones. Seeing that the Soul Stones their parents left behind were about to run out, the siblings decided to free up a room in their house to rent out as a guest room for people who couldn't find an inn.

At first, business was quite good, and their income was substantial.

Until one day, while Zhao Feng'Er was out looking for tenants, she was spotted by that young ruffian, who coveted her beauty.

He tried threats and bribes, and even forged a debt slip from Zhao Hu's father, demanding to take back the house as a way to pressure them.

However, the Zhao siblings refused to give in, even on pain of death.

After his repeated harassment failed, the ruffian decided to resort to force.

"Last time, I managed to spot him in time and found the patrol guards, and that's how we drove him off. I thought he wouldn't dare come back, but I never expected... It's all my fault I'm so useless, all my fault..."

Zhao Hu clenched his fists in agony. If it weren't for Hong Yu today, he and his sister would have likely met a terrible fate.

"Brother, don't be like this."

Zhao Feng'Er held Zhao Hu's arm and shook her head.

Zhao Hu lovingly rubbed his sister's head, his gaze firm. "Feng'Er, Brother will protect you even if it costs me my life!"

"Mhm!"

Zhao Feng'Er nodded.

"Right, benefactor, you should leave quickly!"

Zhao Hu suddenly realized the danger and looked at Hong Yu. "That ruffian's father is a Steward under the Lion Tribe. He's very powerful and ruthless. You beat his son today, he definitely won't let this go."

"Heh, you don't need to worry about me."

Hong Yu smiled and shook his head.

'Not to mention I need to wait here for the South Mountain Gathering Festival to find the Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit, I can't just leave for the sake of the Zhao siblings either!'

'If I leave, how will the two of them deal with that ruffian?'

Seeing that Zhao Hu was about to try and persuade him further, Hong Yu smiled and changed the subject. "Zhao Hu, I'm not very familiar with Nanshan Collection. Could you tell me a bit about it?"

Zhao Hu was young, after all, and was easily distracted. "Benefactor, what would you like to know?"

"Do you know of any ways to earn Soul Stones in Nanshan Collection?"

Hong Yu asked.

'If I want to compete for the Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit, Soul Stones are absolutely essential.'

'But with less than two thousand Soul Stones on me in total, how can I compete for such a rare treasure?'

Zhao Hu paused for a moment, then said, "There are quite a few ways to earn Soul Stones. Nanshan Collection has a Four Kings Hall, which was jointly established by the Four Great Tribes. People often post missions there. As long as you accept and complete a mission, benefactor, you'll naturally get a reward!"

"Is that so? Are the rewards for those missions high?" Hong Yu asked.

Zhao Hu thought for a moment and said, "The missions at the Four Kings Hall are relatively common, after all. A normal mission is worth anywhere from tens to hundreds of Soul Stones. The High Level ones are around ten thousand or so."

Hong Yu narrowed his eyes, lost in thought.

'The Cyan Lotus Earth Heart Fruit is a Seventh Grade Level Spirit Medicine. Its value must be at least several million, or even tens of millions, of Soul Stones. If I take these missions, it would take forever to save up enough.'

He immediately asked, "Isn't there a faster way to earn Soul Stones?"

"Benefactor, how many Soul Stones do you need?" Zhao Hu asked.

Hong Yu thought for a moment and said, "At least ten million, I suppose."

*HISS!*

The Zhao siblings gasped.

Hong Yu gave a wry smile and rubbed his nose. "I know it's a lot, but I really need it urgently. Well? Do you know of any ways?"

Zhao Hu hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "I once heard my father say there are two most profitable ways in Nanshan Collection. One is for Spiritual Craftsmen to refine Spirit Pills and Spirit Medicines. Those are extremely lucrative businesses. My father once chanced upon a bottle of Sixth-Grade Spirit Pills, which he sold for a million, and that's how he bought this courtyard."

"How much is a Sixth-Grade Spirit Pill worth?"

"A single Sixth-Grade Spirit Pill can sell for about five hundred thousand," Zhao Hu said.

Hong Yu couldn't help but be taken aback.

'Only five hundred thousand for a single Sixth-Grade Spirit Pill?'

'Doesn't that mean I'd have to refine at least twenty of them to get ten million?'

Of course, it wasn't that Hong Yu couldn't refine these Spirit Pills. The problem was that selling a large quantity of them would easily attract unnecessary trouble.

He understood the principle that a common man is innocent, but treasuring a jade becomes a crime.

Unless he had no other choice, he wouldn't take this path. So he asked, "Are there any other ways?"

"The other way is to participate in the matches at the War God Arena!"

Just as Zhao Hu finished, he added a warning, "Benefactor, I advise you against choosing this. My father once said that although you can earn a lot at the War God Arena—sometimes even millions or tens of millions of Soul Stones from a single match—the death rate is too high. In his generation, there was an Unparalleled Genius who was incredibly powerful. He also tried to participate in the War God Arena, but in the end, he was beaten to death, and not even his bones were left."

"Oh? The War God Arena, you say?"

Hong Yu nodded in understanding.

He then took out a bag of Soul Stones from his clothes, about twenty of them, and smiled. "Zhao Hu, here are twenty Soul Stones. This is for ten days' rent. At the same time, I hope you can be my guide and show me around Nanshan Collection. How about it?"

"Ah? Th-This won't do, I can't take your money..."

Zhao Hu's eyes were glued to the Soul Stones, but he shook his head earnestly.

Zhao Feng'Er also shook her head. "Benefactor, you saved us! We can't take these!"

Hong Yu smiled. "Take them. Otherwise, I might just leave right now!"

"This... This..."

The two siblings had no choice but to accept.

Hong Yu smiled. "Alright, rest up for tonight. Tomorrow, you two can show me around. By the way, don't call me 'benefactor' anymore. Just call me..." Hong Yu's eyes darted around for a moment. "Call me Beichen."

He yawned and returned to his room.

The siblings exchanged a look, both seeing the excitement and gratitude in the other's eyes.

Zhao Feng'Er hesitated, then asked tentatively, "Brother, Big Brother Beichen is so good to us. Why don't we ask him..."

"Feng'Er, say no more. Big Brother Beichen has helped us enough. We can't be too greedy," Zhao Hu said seriously.

Zhao Feng'Er looked aggrieved. "I just don't want to see the only thing Father left us disappear too."

"Don't cry, Feng'Er. Brother will definitely work hard. One day, I will get back what Father left for us!"

The two siblings looked at each other with determination.

Inside the room, a gentle smile curved Hong Yu's lips. 'Yaoyao, they're so much like we were when we were kids! Mmm, I'll have to find a way to help them out when the time comes.'

The night passed without incident.

「The next day, early in the morning.」

Led by the Zhao siblings, Hong Yu began to explore Nanshan Collection.

This Nanshan Collection was truly vast. From Zhao Hu's explanations, Hong Yu realized his own understanding of the place was just the tip of the iceberg.

Amidst his sighs of wonder, they arrived at the Four Kings Hall.

"Big Brother Beichen, besides being the largest hub for missions in Nanshan Collection, the Four Kings Hall is also the biggest trading area. It has everything you could imagine! Let's go in and take a look!" Zhao Hu said excitedly.

Zhao Feng'Er also looked excited.

Hong Yu nodded, and the group went inside.

They had just walked into the first shop. Hong Yu gave it a quick glance and felt that the goods were all rather ordinary. Just as he was about to leave, his gaze suddenly froze...

"Eh? This is..."