After hearing Xiao Xiao's words, Ye Feng frowned slightly and looked at Jiang Sishan with a questioning gaze.
"It's the Staff of Arcane Power I mentioned just now!"
Saying that, Jiang Sishan walked to the middle-aged man in black and picked up a staff from the swamp pit. It was the peculiar staff carved with numerous runes that the middle-aged man had held just now.
"This is the Staff of Arcane Power. It has a very strange characteristic: it allows the wielder to unleash attacks far beyond their own strength!"
"The owner of the Staff of Arcane Power sealed their power within the staff through some method. It can be activated in a certain way to utilize the power contained within!"
"This is also why these Silver-ranked assassins dared to assassinate me..."
Jiang Sishan took a deep breath. "I was hit by a blow from a Golden Third-Rank expert at the bottom of the swamp. I didn't expect another one was lurking here..."
"Of course, the wielder of the Staff of Arcane Power cannot have too low a cultivation base. Otherwise, even if they manage to activate the staff's power, they would be heavily injured or even die on the spot!"
He paused and added.
"That guy just now was hiding here using a Sympathy Talisman... I only noticed him when he made his move..."
"Their arrangements were quite meticulous..."
Ye Feng muttered, changing the subject, "Sishan, let's leave here first. You have too many wounds that need proper treatment~"
"Alright~"
...
An hour later,
In a hidden wooden cabin in the forest,
"Sishan, what are you doing? Your Jiang family is a relatively large family in Arcane City, so why choose such a desolate place to treat your wounds?" Ye Feng grumbled as he bandaged Jiang Sishan's wounds.
"Hiss... Ye Feng, the Jiang family's situation is quite precarious right now... Hiss... My injury cannot get out..." Jiang Sishan explained quickly to Ye Feng, enduring the intense pain.
"Alright~"
...
After a while, Ye Feng finally finished treating all of Jiang Sishan's wounds.
Jiang Sishan was wrapped in many bandages and plasters, and Ye Feng had even sewn stitches that he himself couldn't recall...
"This is an anti-inflammatory. Remember to take it when you get back. With so many wounds, it's easy to get infected in this hot weather!"
Saying that, Ye Feng handed a bottle of antibiotics to Jiang Sishan.
"Ye Feng, your supplies are truly abundant... So much medical supplies... and medicine. Even the City Lord's mansion wouldn't be able to issue so much at once without special approval!" Jiang Sishan touched the bandage on his arm, looking quite surprised.
"It's alright~"
Ye Feng replied casually, then he let out a sigh and spoke again, "Sishan, Bing... Is something wrong?"
As his voice fell, Xiao Xiao, who had been looking around curiously, also walked over, looking at Jiang Sishan with concern, while Qiao Ying's eyes revealed curiosity.
"This..."
Jiang Sishan did not answer immediately. He frowned, looking at Ye Feng, and after a long period of contemplation, he slowly said, "Ye Feng, to be honest, if you hadn't just told me your strength has reached Diamond... I would have unhesitatingly said I don't know... I might have even had you knocked out and taken far, far away..."
He paused and said in a very serious tone, "Ye Feng, with your talent... your age... your future achievements are limitless... You must promise me not to do anything rash!"
Hearing this, Xiao Xiao's heart suddenly sank, and worry filled her pretty face.
"Mm, okay!"
Ye Feng frowned slightly and nodded.
"Hoo!"
Having received Ye Feng's promise, Jiang Sishan took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Bing... Since her return from the City of Despair, she has been under house arrest by her master, the City Lord of Arcane City..."
"And I haven't seen Bing for a long time... nor can I get any news about her..."
"The next time I heard about Bing was a month ago... and it was news about Bing's arranged marriage..."
Jiang Sishan was interrupted by Xiao Xiao's voice, full of surprise, "Arranged marriage news? Is Sister Bing getting married?"
"Uh... Xiao Xiao, the situation is a bit complicated. Listen to me first!" Jiang Sishan waved his hand at Xiao Xiao. "Actually, 'arranged marriage' isn't entirely accurate... More precisely... someone wants to force Bing into marriage... And for reasons unknown, the City Lord issued an announcement for an arranged marriage, stating that a husband would be chosen for Bing from among the young talents of Arcane City..."
"Forced marriage? What are you talking about?" Ye Feng frowned, thinking he had misheard. "Sishan, you're saying someone wants to force Bing into marriage? Isn't Bing the personal disciple and beloved daughter of the City Lord of Arcane City? Arcane City is the strongest of the seven major powers!"
"I thought it was absurd at first... but the news is very reliable..." Jiang Sishan's expression was somber. "The news was leaked by Bing herself... According to Bing... the person who wants to force her into marriage is the legendary Gods... and they even sent divine envoys..."
"Holy crap, Gods, divine envoys?" Upon hearing this, Ye Feng, Xiao Xiao, and Qiao Ying all looked surprised.
"Yes!" Jiang Sishan gave a wry smile. "It makes sense, only legendary powers like the Gods... would make the City Lord..."
"But for some reason, a month ago, the City Lord sent out a message saying that a husband would be chosen for Bing from among the young talents..."
"At first, it was limited to people from Arcane City who could sign up... Later, there were no restrictions... regardless of origin, gender, or even race..."
As he reached the end, Jiang Sishan's expression became somewhat strange. He couldn't help but recall the shocked faces of everyone when the City Lord announced this news that day...
"This... what kind of nonsense is this?" Even Ye Feng, whose intelligence was questionable, was confused by this news.
"I have no idea what the City Lord is trying to do..." Jiang Sishan sighed again, then looked at Ye Feng seriously. "Ye Feng, don't act rashly... Even a Diamond-level expert wouldn't dare to be presumptuous in front of the City Lord..."
"Over the years since Arcane City was established, the number of Diamond-level experts who have died at the hands of the City Lord is more than ten fingers can count... some were even killed instantly..."
"Not to mention the Gods, divine envoys, and so on..." Jiang Sishan looked at Ye Feng with concern. "Ye Feng, this is also what Bing asked me to tell you... She even asked me to find a way to get you away from Arcane City..."
"Is that so..." Ye Feng pondered for a moment and muttered, "If that's the case... it's understandable why Bing hasn't replied to me all this time..."
"By the way, what about this selection for Bing in Arcane City? Has it ended?" In Jiang Sishan's worried gaze, Ye Feng spoke again.
...