"Trouble really does find you even when you're just sitting at home," Wang Linchi thought, his expression gloomy and uncertain as he watched the news report on TV. He then glanced at the middle-aged man in the corner, securely bound, tendons in his arms and legs severed, limbs broken, chest caved in, and unconscious.
The TV report announced that the Blood Dragon Envoy from the Baylong Religion, in charge of this state, had been seriously injured and had escaped. They urged any excellent citizens who found clues to report them promptly.
Ever since the Baylong Religion launched a massive slaughter of students in the Secret Realm of the state's unified exam, the entire state had initiated a severe crackdown the very next day. It was said that the Prefect Magistrate of the Prefecture acted personally, completely eliminating all Baylong Religion presence within the state.
Anyone linked to the Baylong Religion had been executed.
The purge lasted for half a month, and Wang Linchi had thought it was over. However, last night, the Blood Dragon Envoy, after fighting and being defeated by the Prefect Magistrate, fled seriously wounded and ended up hiding in Wang Linchi's home.
Wang Linchi had been in the basement at the time. He heard the commotion but didn't dare to come out. After waiting the entire night, he emerged in the morning to find the unconscious Blood Dragon Envoy.
The caved-in chest, the unconsciousness, the severed tendons, and the broken limbs—none of it was his doing.
In addition to these injuries, Wang Linchi had also bled the Blood Dragon Envoy significantly. He had also fed him two bottles of sleeping pills, three bottles of laxatives, and five bottles of painkillers—the key was the sheer quantity.
The Blood Dragon Envoy's strength was at the Elite Gold Level. If he were to wake up, even severely injured, Wang Linchi wouldn't be able to handle him. Fortunately, he couldn't wake up right now.
Besides the Blood Dragon Envoy, there was also a Blood Dragon Girl on the run. She was half-dragon, half-human. Reportedly, she was a descendant of a certain Blood Dragon and was even stronger than the Blood Dragon Envoy, though she too was seriously injured.
"No need to even think about it; that Blood Dragon Girl has definitely fallen into Yan Ming King's hands," Wang Linchi grumbled to himself.
The Blood Dragon Envoy is a middle-aged man with ordinary looks. The Blood Dragon Girl, on the other hand, is not only curvaceous but also beautiful. If a drama of 'hero saves the beauty,' 'feelings developing over time,' and 'forsaking darkness for light' doesn't play out, I'd feel it's an insult to Yan Ming King's Protagonist's Aura, Wang Linchi thought.
"Should I turn him in?" Wang Linchi pondered.
This isn't a good idea.
As for the benefits, judging by the TV announcement, even if I turn in the Blood Dragon Envoy, the Court won't give much of a reward. At most, some verbal praise and maybe a thousand or eight hundred yuan, and that'd be it.
And that's only because I'm an Awakener. If it were an ordinary person, they'd likely only get praise.
Of course, if I were a Battle-type Awakener, the treatment would be different.
However, the downsides are enormous. If I'm the one who turns in the Blood Dragon Envoy, it will inevitably draw the attention of the Baylong Religion. They would definitely seek revenge on me.
With my current weak constitution, I wouldn't stand a chance against them.
As for the Court protecting me, that's just wishful thinking. I don't have Potential, nor do I have sufficient status or background. I'm not the protagonist, so naturally, I wouldn't receive such treatment.
The Court might even hope the Baylong Religion targets me. Sacrificing me would give them another opportunity to strike at the Baylong Religion.
The death of a mere non-Battle-type Awakener is hardly a big deal to them.
If it were the protagonist, Yan Ming King, the Court would probably assign a beautiful woman for his personal protection.
"So, I can't turn him in. The benefits don't outweigh the risks," Wang Linchi decided.
Why should I risk my life for someone else's glory?
They look down on me anyway, so why should I go out of my way to curry favor?
With that, he dragged the Blood Dragon Envoy into the basement.
And proceeded with further measures.
"First, I need to aggravate his injuries," Wang Linchi thought. He went back to the storage room and fetched a large hammer.
He slammed the hammer repeatedly against the already caved-in chest until he was panting for breath.
"It's working."
Under his Inspirational Field of View, he could see the energy flow within the Blood Dragon Envoy's body had dimmed considerably, meaning the man was now even closer to death.
He then went out and bought items like Numbing Boiling Soup and pain-relieving powders, among other things. He stuffed all of them into the Blood Dragon Envoy until the man's stomach was visibly bloated, only then did he stop.
"This should keep him alive for a bit longer, I hope," Wang Linchi murmured to himself, then picked up a scalpel, axe, saw, and other tools.
An Elite Gold Level Awakener falling right into his lap was an absolute treasure trove for Wang Linchi.
"I'll just take a look; I definitely won't do anything rash," Wang Linchi told himself. He knew that the physical resilience of an Elite Gold Level being was incredibly high, and performing a dissection wouldn't be easy.
However, that didn't matter. He didn't plan to perform an actual dissection immediately. Instead, he focused on the Blood Dragon Envoy's Soul Resemblance, using his Inspirational Field of View.
The Blood Dragon Envoy's Soul Resemblance was a longsword, but it was somewhat peculiar. It looked like a blood-red devil dragon coiled around the sword. The two were not an innate, single entity but had been modified later.
"Interesting. The Blood Dragon Envoy's Soul Resemblance doesn't seem to be its natural form; it must have been specially modified, right?"
"As expected, the higher-ups definitely have things that can modify a Soul Resemblance."
Beyond that, Wang Linchi further studied the Soul Kind within the Blood Dragon Sword Soul Aspect. He concluded that the Soul Kind had also been altered, forming a compatible pair with the Blood Dragon Sword Soul Aspect. It also belonged to the Blood Dragon series, and they mutually amplified each other.
"This Blood Dragon Sword Soul Aspect and the Blood Dragon series Soul Kind are a godsend for me," Wang Linchi thought. He wanted to perfect his own Soul Resemblance and evolve his Soul Kind, a process that would normally require vast resources for trial, error, and exploration.
But now, with these samples right in front of me, I can directly study and learn from them. By combining this knowledge with my own circumstances, I can develop a unique evolutionary path for myself.
"Items capable of altering Soul Resemblances and Soul Kinds should only be obtainable from Gigantic Secret Realms."
"And the Court must have reached some kind of understanding with the Gigantic Secret Realms to acquire such precious treasures."
Wang Linchi speculated that the Court was likely invincible outside the Secret Realms. However, within a Gigantic Secret Realm, they might not be able to overcome the native inhabitants.
Otherwise, they wouldn't tolerate Dragon Island's rampant activities, nor would they allow it to cultivate the Baylong Religion to exert influence over the Court.
Despite the huge commotion it caused in our state, the final outcome was just making a big show but ultimately handling it lightly. At most, the Baylong Religion in our state would be uprooted as a token apology, which would have no real impact on the Baylong Religion in other states.
A few deaths mean nothing to the grandees in the Court. On the contrary, they can use this incident to demand an 'explanation' from Dragon Island and further line their own pockets.
"I hope you can hold on. Just three more days should be enough," Wang Linchi thought, looking at the ever-weakening energy flow in the Blood Dragon Envoy. The man was clearly dying.
He had already been on the brink of death. After Wang Linchi haphazardly fed him an assortment of drugs, surviving for another three days would truly be a testament to his Elite Gold Level resilience.