For a moment, the room was filled with the buzzing of insect wings, and the man let out another muffled groan.
The man's groan was like the cicada's cry in the extremely low oxygen density before a summer downpour.
His pain was not transmitted through sound, action, or expression, but rather a sense of agony created by the combination of his entire being and the surrounding environment.
"Hey, kid, seen enough?"
The man gripped the ring tightly. After doing something, the insects flew away from the holes in his arm's skin, and his groans grew weaker. Now, even his voice became clear.
Ren Yuanhao hadn't seen enough; he was immersed in an incredible shock, and coupled with his own awkward physical state, he appeared frozen on the bed.
At this moment, the insects that had flown away from the holes in his arm didn't float for long before they fell to the ground like a pile of black ash, their extremely fine, transparent wings disintegrating from their bodies. The ground was soon covered with a thin layer of black ash.
"Who exactly are you?"
Ren Yuanhao, with his brows furrowed due to his aunt's story, managed to squeeze out this sentence from his dry throat with great difficulty. His voice was dry and hoarse, making even himself feel awkward.
"Considering my current appearance, can I still be considered human?"
The man never looked up. The dim light cast his silhouette on the wall, the flames flickering, and his shadow swaying along with them. For a moment, he appeared ghost-like and unpredictable, with overlapping shadows.
"Can't you just talk properly? Must you sound so eerie? You just risked your life to save those two children. Ghosts don't have such kind hearts."
Ren Yuanhao's mouth was extremely dry, and he was desperately hinting for a drink of water. However, the other party remained unmoved, still clutching the ring tightly.
"I just feel that those two boys haven't experienced the various hardships of the human world yet, so they don't deserve to die..."
—Holy crap? What kind of BS theory is this? Does it mean that guys like me, who have experienced ten lifetimes of being a lonely dog, can just dig a hole and bury ourselves, returning to dust, and that would be the greatest respect for life? A salute to Nuwa for creating humans? Get real, I don't want to die yet.
Ren Yuanhao complained furiously. Of course, if he could speak his mind, he would never skimp on his words, scolding the man in front of him until he was completely defeated. However, his mouth felt glued with super strong adhesive, and his tongue was increasingly difficult to straighten.
"You look rather unconvinced."
—Brother, do you know I need to drink water? Do you know it's a hot day and we need to open the windows for ventilation?
Just as Ren Yuanhao was about to give up, the man, unexpectedly, seemed to understand his need for water. He then cautiously and unsteadily went somewhere and brought back half a glass of water, handing it to Ren Yuanhao.
—Brother, are there bugs in this glass? Brother, do you know about witchcraft? Those insects, burdened with heavy resentment, are ground into powder. Once ingested, they stick to a person's intestines and stomach, and at a specific trigger moment, they erupt, making life worse than death. Brother, you wouldn't be so cruel, would you? My looks are my livelihood!
Gulp! It's so good!
Ren Yuanhao drank the half glass of water sip by sip, looking as if he could have more. The man, seemingly having temporarily relieved his pain, was very cooperative. After understanding, he immediately brought another glass of water.
After drinking one and a half glasses of water, Ren Yuanhao finally seemed to awaken from his dispirited state.
"Hey, kid, you know the absolute law between ability users, right?" Da Feng Novel Network
The man's face seemed to wear a mask, or perhaps he was deliberately preventing Ren Yuanhao from seeing clearly. He sat back in the corner, leaning lazily against an old desk.
That desk, along with the old bookshelf, could be considered the few pieces of furniture in the room. If not for the man's deep breathing, Ren Yuanhao might have thought he was already dead.
"Laws? Laws are always made by people. I don't believe in that, nor do I believe in fate."
Ren Yuanhao was at a disadvantage. If he didn't utter a few boastful words to boost his morale, how could he intimidate this extremely strange man?
The man suddenly burst into laughter, nearly choking. He was just short of banging his hands on the dusty tabletop.
"Hey, hey, hey, you don't agree with me, but you don't have to laugh so shamelessly, do you?" Ren Yuanhao wanted to smash the bed to show his protest, but as soon as he raised his hand, his body showed a stern protest with excruciating pain.
"You are truly a naive fellow. Fine, for saving that little girl, I'll spare you today. If we meet again, we'll have to settle it with fists."
The man stood up and was about to leave, but Ren Yuanhao stopped him.
"Wait, you stole my aunt's belongings, and you think you can just leave like this? Go ahead, go wherever you want, and I'll follow you, like a persistent ghost."
Sometimes Ren Yuanhao had the illusion that his greatest asset wasn't his fists, his system, or his secret martial arts manuals, but his mouth.
"Oh? So you're after the ring, kid." The man lowered his hood, hesitated for a moment, and his voice suddenly deepened, "How about this: come find me here in three days. If I'm not here, it means I'm dead, and the ring is likely lost. If I am, then that item has no meaning to me, and I don't mind returning it to you."
Ren Yuanhao was completely bewildered, feeling that the man was just trying to brush him off. He immediately said, "I promised my aunt. If I can't get this thing back, how can I face myself when I return to the rented room?"
"That's your business, nothing to do with me."
"Hey, don't go. What do you mean it has nothing to do with you? You're a thief right now, stealing someone's things and acting so arrogantly. How can you be so shameless!"
Ren Yuanhao got a little agitated, and he felt a burning sensation in his back. The pain surged into his heart, and cold sweat poured down like rain.
"As an ability user, I advise you to never meddle in other people's affairs. It will only bring trouble to those around you. Don't think you're special or omnipotent. Monsters exist in every corner of this world, and we are but a drop in the ocean. Sometimes, turning a blind eye is not a bad thing."
"I'm going to meddle in this kind of business!"
Before he finished speaking, Ren Yuanhao, with his unstable internal energy, forcibly used the 'Dragon Claw' technique. Propelled by the cultivation method, he immediately rushed off the bed. However, his speed and movement were less than half of what they were before. Not only could he not snatch the ring from the man, but he couldn't even touch him.
"A stubborn one, indeed!"