Chapter 44: Fists Are the Only Truth
Sand.
Nothing but yellow sand.
Yao Yan wandered through the desert with Ling'er, walking aimlessly beneath the setting sun. His expression was becoming more and more blank. Thoughts of far-off plans faded beneath the heat. More than anything else right now, he needed to find a way out of this desert, locate a human city, and figure out where he was.
Everything else could wait.
Step by step, he moved forward, his footprints quickly erased by the wind and sand.
After a while—
Yao Yan lay in the shade of a rock, watching the sunset and pondering a troubling issue: he didn't have much water left in his storage ring. If he kept wandering lost in this desert, he might actually die of thirst.
The thought made his lips twitch—he no longer felt so lucky.
Even being thrown into a wild forest would've been better than this.
Rest for the night. Tomorrow, pick a direction and sprint with all I've got… he decided as he closed his eyes.
Ying ying~
Ling'er lay limply in his arms, panting and drooping her fuzzy ears. She gave a weak whimper to say she was thirsty—almost dried up.
Yao Yan grabbed her by the scruff and held her up, looking into her watery eyes with a helpless face. "You're the one who drank most of our water. If you don't start rationing, we're both going to die out here."
He couldn't understand why a heavenly flame spirit would get thirsty in the desert—and even look like she was dying.
Ridiculous.
Ling'er whimpered pitifully again, putting on an award-worthy performance.
Yao Yan rolled his eyes and dropped her back into his arms. As he tilted his head back and thought about his next move, a strange idea crossed his mind: if he really died out here, could he abandon his physical body, become a soul like Yao Lao, and hide in his ring? Maybe Ling'er could carry it to safety.
She was, after all, a heavenly flame. She wouldn't die in this environment.
…
While Yao Yan was deep in his thoughts, a group of people suddenly appeared on the horizon.
They seemed to be transporting a group of snake-people slaves.
"Move it!!"
"Faster!!"
"Stop dragging your feet unless you want to dry out and die!!"
The mercenaries herding the snake-people cracked their whips, their expressions twisted with cruelty. The searing desert heat had eroded their patience—they were short-tempered, exhausted, and eager to return to base for a gulp of cool spring water.
Out here, water was more precious than gold.
Suddenly, one of the snake-people stumbled and collapsed, seemingly unable to go on. Her voice was soft and pleading, "Please… just a little water…"
"Water?! You want water?! My mouth's dry too! Get up if you don't wanna die!"
The bandit didn't care how beautiful the snake-woman was. He had no interest in admiring her. He simply kicked her down and snarled, "Move it or I'll whip you to death!"
His only desire now was to get back to camp and drink. Beautiful or not, no woman was worth it when you were about to pass out.
A tall, muscular man suddenly appeared beside him. He grabbed the bandit's arm mid-swing and warned in a low voice, "Don't damage her face. She's worth more than you."
"Boss, I was just in a rush. Got it!" the bandit said with a nervous chuckle.
"No next time."
The burly leader shoved him aside, then looked down at the snake-woman on the ground. His Adam's apple bobbed. This snake-girl was truly stunning. In all his years catching snake-people, this was the first time he'd found one this gorgeous.
Her figure, her face, her aura—perfect in every way.
A prize like this could fetch a fortune in a big city. Maybe he wouldn't have to work another day in his life.
But he wasn't stupid. He knew this was risky.
If you want to enjoy your wealth, you have to survive to spend it.
It would be smarter to gift her to the boss of their base. That kind of move could get him farther than a single sale.
Little men had to play the little man's game.
He was no exception.
Too bad… he sighed. If he didn't know that "used goods" weren't as valuable, he might've had some fun himself.
Just then, a faint cry for help echoed nearby—and grew louder.
"Hey! Brother! Over here!"
The voice drew their attention. They turned to see a ragged young man waving his arms excitedly, running toward them like he'd just found long-lost family.
They were stunned.
Soon, the youth reached them, allowing everyone to get a clear look at him.
Such a beautiful young man!
Even with blood and dust covering his clothes, his perfect features stood out. His long, thick black hair danced in the wind, and a cute little fox rested on his shoulder—clearly not someone who belonged in this kind of place.
The burly leader eyed him and asked, "Kid, you in trouble?"
"Clothes that torn up? Must've been robbed by bandits, haha."
"Who brings a pet into the Tagor Desert? Must be some pampered young master, right? Especially one that pretty."
"Look at that skin—it's softer than a woman's!"
Everyone laughed and exchanged remarks. Even the snake-people glanced at Yao Yan. His appearance was far too out of place.
Tagor Desert?
Yao Yan's eyes flashed. He recognized that name. Then his gaze shifted to the chained snake-people, and he began to make a few guesses—especially when he focused on the snake-woman who had just been scolded.
His soul force detected a powerful energy sealed inside her—suppressed by spatial force.
Having just come from a spatial storm, he was extremely sensitive to this kind of energy.
The leader noticed Yao Yan's gaze and teased, "Never seen a snake-woman before? If you've got coin, I could sell you one… but do you even have money?"
The snake-woman, still on the ground, seemed to sense Yao Yan watching her. She bit her lip and lowered her head shyly, unsure what to do.
"I do have money. But who's in charge? I'd also like to buy some water, food, and a map of the area."
Yao Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at the mercenaries, speaking calmly. He disliked human trafficking, but this was the Dou Qi Continent—it had its own rules. Just because he was strong didn't mean he'd start bullying a bunch of mercs risking their lives in the desert.
Every place had its own laws. These snake-people had nothing to do with him. He wasn't about to play the hero.
But that snake-woman… she was interesting.
"?!"
The burly leader froze, then looked at his men and sneered, "You hear this? The kid actually wants to do business with us? Haha!"
The men laughed, eyes full of mockery. They weren't much more civilized than bandits themselves.
Especially in this desert, far from law or order—no one played "fair."
The leader's grin faded. He glared at Yao Yan and growled, "Kid, I only do business that costs me nothing. Too bad for you—you just walked into the wrong place."
He drew a large blade and pointed it at Yao Yan. Dou Qi burst from his body, wrapping around him like golden armor—a clear mark of a Da Dou Shi.
"You got two choices—put the shackles on yourself, or I'll put them on for you!"
Yao Yan didn't respond at first. After a pause, he sighed and asked, "...Do you always ignore the rules like this?"
"Rules?" the leader laughed savagely. "This blade is the only rule I follow!"
He raised his weapon to teach Yao Yan a lesson—
But before the blade landed, Yao Yan lifted a hand and caught it—barehanded, all five fingers grasping the edge.
Ling'er had already ducked back into Yao Yan's arms, poking her head out to watch, eyes sparkling.
The leader's pupils shrank, but before he could react, Yao Yan's fist had already smashed into his chest.
It looked weak—but the moment it landed, the golden Dou Qi armor shattered like glass. His chest caved in with a sickening crunch.
Crack!
Bones snapped. The man flew back eight meters and crashed to the ground, blood pouring from his mouth—dead before he hit the sand.
Silence.
Then one of the man's subordinates screamed and charged. "You bastard! You killed my brother!"
Smack!
A single slap sent him flying over ten meters. He landed hard—his neck twisted a full 180 degrees.
Dead. Eyes wide open.
The remaining mercenaries swallowed nervously. Their gazes fell on this deceptively harmless, handsome young man. Two Da Dou Shi… killed just like that?
Yao Yan shook his head and muttered, "In the end, fists really are the only truth."
He was a reasonable man—unfortunately, this world didn't like reason.
Fists were the only law.
(END CHAPTER)
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