Douluo Continent: Sword Named Star, Slaying Gods to Prove the Dao

"Thank you, young master!"

"Qingyu, pack your things and rescue the other women. It's best to cover your faces. We must leave this place as soon as possible, the farther the better."

Knowing that this Sirius Douluo was an enemy of their Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Xingchen would not risk staying to wait for his arrival.

This undoubtedly puts oneself in extreme danger.

He could put up a fight against a Contra Douluo, but Ning Xingchen wouldn't be foolish enough to challenge a Title Douluo.

"Young Master, I understand." Qingyu nodded, then called two lightly injured female teammates to go and rescue the captured women.

Among these women, three had clearly more serious injuries, so Ning Xingchen took out healing pills for them to take.

Half an hour later, thick smoke rose from the mountain where the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group was located. Ning Xingchen and the others arrived at the foot of the mountain and led the twenty-five female victims down the mountain.

"Old Zhao, give each of them ten gold soul coins as travel expenses and let them go home on their own," Ning Xingchen said.

Ten gold soul coins, if used sparingly, are enough to travel across one or two provinces or even a kingdom.

It's unlikely that the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group would travel that far to capture a woman.

Qingyu and the others also saw what Ning Xingchen did. Giving ten gold soul coins to an ordinary person was already more than enough, and they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

But as soon as Zhao Wuji finished distributing the money, the group of women immediately knelt down.

"Respected Soul Master, could you please take us with you? We have no home left."

“My whole family was killed by these beasts, even my mother was…”

"Sir, please don't abandon us."

These women are pitiful, and everyone feels sorry for them, but asking them to take them away is a bit unreasonable.

Qingyu remained silent, after all, she was no longer in charge here.

To their surprise, Ning Xingchen didn't seem angry at all. Instead, she calmly said, "Losing your home is indeed a problem, but if you come with us, your lives might be in danger. We can travel hundreds of kilometers a day. Can you do that?"

"Our lifestyle is not suitable for you."

Ning Xingchen's words caused the group of women to fall silent.

Ning Xingchen said, "Old Zhao, give each of you another twenty gold soul coins. Some of you can go home, and some of you can use this money to find some work. As long as you work hard, life will get better. If you are lazy, then there's nothing I can do."

"Young Master, you're just too kind," Zhao Wuji complained.

Give each person another twenty gold soul coins, and that makes thirty gold soul coins for each person. One gold soul coin is enough for a family of three to live on for three months.

Thirty gold soul coins are enough starting capital for an ordinary person.

After the gold soul coins were distributed, the twenty-five women knelt down again to thank Ning Xingchen.

Only after the twenty-five women left did Ning Xingchen say to the others, "Alright, it's time for us to go too."

"Young Master, where are we going?" Qingyu asked curiously.

“Don’t you have anything to pack? You have two hours to go back and pack. We’ll meet in the dense forest five kilometers north of Häagen-Dazs in two hours,” Ning Xingchen said.

"Alright, we'll listen to the young master. The Qingyu Mercenary Group does indeed need to go back and pack up."

It's not fully light yet; it should be light about half an hour after they arrive in Häagen-Dazs.

"I don't have anything to pack, so I'll go with you, Brother Xingchen," Liu Erlong said.

“Alright, Erlong, you can stay with the young master,” Qingyu said. She could tell that Liu Erlong had special feelings for Ning Xingchen.

Although Ning Xingchen was walking in a slightly different direction from Qingyu, before Liu Erlong could speak, he asked first, "Erlong, is your aunt's illness better?"

"Brother Xingchen, you still remember!"

"That year, I took my mother out of Tiandou City and sought medical treatment everywhere. We found a famous doctor who stabilized my mother's condition. But two years ago, my mother suddenly fell ill with her old ailment and passed away that very night... She didn't even have time to tell me her last words."

"This last message seems to be related to my father, but..."

This is Liu Erlong's biggest regret.

“However, it doesn’t matter. If it weren’t for the gold soul coins that you left me, Brother Xingchen, my mother and I might not have made it through that night.”

"Mom will be content if she can live for two more years."

"As for my father, who has nothing to do with me, it doesn't matter whether he exists or not. He abandoned my mother and me. Even if he comes looking for me later, I will have no connection with him."

When Liu Erlong said this, she looked resolute, as if she had already made this decision a long time ago.

In fact, Ning Xingchen instilled this idea in her more than four years ago, and now it has completely influenced Liu Erlong.

"Brother Xingchen, can you tell me how old you are?" Liu Erlong asked. She was in her early twenties, but she still couldn't guess how old Ning Xingchen was.

Ning Xingchen smiled and said, "Are you sure you want to know my age?"

"Hmm, I want to know!" Liu Erlong looked at Ning Xingchen with a curious expression.

"How old are you?" Ning Xingchen asked Liu Erlong in return.

Liu Erlong said, "Twenty years old, just a few months shy of twenty-one."

Ning Xingchen said, "Fifteen years old, a few months shy of sixteen."

"what?"

"You...you're only sixteen."

Liu Erlong stopped talking and looked at Ning Xingchen as if she were a monster. Although she had guessed it, she was still shocked when she actually heard the result.

"So you were only eleven years old when you saved me?" Liu Erlong asked.

“Yes, that’s right.” Ning Xingchen confirmed. He knew Liu Erlong’s character, so he didn’t hide his age from her.

“If they ask, just say I’m almost thirty, okay!” Ning Xingchen said.

Liu Erlong said, "Xingchen... Brother Xingchen, you don't look like someone who's almost thirty."

“If I say so, then so be it!” Ning Xingchen said, his words carrying a certain domineering air.

If it were anyone else, she would definitely retort if they dared to be domineering in front of Liu Erlong, but she seemed unable to bring herself to say it when facing Ning Xingchen.

"You can tell them that I look like I'm in my youth because of my cultivation, and that's fine," Ning Xingchen said with a smile.

"Did I say that?" Liu Erlong looked aggrieved.

"Okay, I'll tell you. I'll tell you when they ask."

Ning Xingchen smiled and said, "That's good."

The conversation between the two surprised Zhao Wuji greatly. At just over fifteen years old, he had already killed several Soul Saints and a Soul Douluo with the blessing of a Soul Bone.

Anyway, starting today, he felt like there was something wrong with his worldview.

Half an hour later, Ning Xingchen arrived at the designated location and waited for Qingyu and the others to arrive.

Liu Erlong and Zhao Wuji were both healing their injuries, while Ning Xingchen was also examining and categorizing the benefits they had gained this time.

Due to limited space, Ning Xingchen only roughly categorized and glanced at the items.

"Huh, what's this?"

A crystal-clear mask appeared in Ning Xingchen's hand; it turned out to be a soul tool.

It was obtained from the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group's treasury!

Ning Xingchen put it on his face, and driven by his soul power, the crystal-clear mask quickly merged into his skin.

His appearance also changed, transforming from a fifteen or sixteen-year-old boy into a twenty-seven or twenty-eight-year-old youth.

Looking at himself in the mirror, Ning Xingchen murmured to himself, "I should have taken this out sooner."

However, since obtaining the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group's treasure vault, he only has time to examine it now.

Feeling the mask's transformations, sometimes it became an old man, sometimes a bearded middleman, and sometimes even a scarred face.

Whether the mask's disguise effect can be detected depends on the user's mental strength, while soul power is secondary.

In other words, Ning Xingchen's use of this mask is currently undetectable to anyone below the rank of title.

Only a Soul Master of the Title Douluo level with keen observation could discover this.

After several attempts, Ning Xingchen finally managed to remove it and place it inside his primary soul tool.

There aren't many things that can be put in: ancient medicinal herbs, soul bones, etc.

Even gold soul coins are scarce.

About an hour later, Qingyu and the other nine women returned. They had all changed into new clothes and had freshened up.

In that instant, if Ning Xingchen hadn't seen so many beautiful women over the years and cultivated enough self-control, he would definitely have made a fool of himself.

Nine stunningly beautiful women walked toward him at the same time, as if he were watching a tiered fashion show.

Each one of them, taken individually, is stunningly beautiful.

Ning Xingchen said, "Aren't you afraid the enemy won't be able to find you dressed like that?"

Perhaps it's true that women dress up for their confidants; they probably wanted to show Ning Xingchen their true appearance, which is why they dressed like this.

"Qingyu, I'll give you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Find a place to change into some more casual clothes and get rid of this disguise."

"Okay!" Qingyu knew this was going to happen.

She hadn't originally planned to dress up, but her sisters were all dressed up so beautifully that she couldn't fall behind.

However, they were satisfied with changing clothes now, at least letting Ning Xingchen see their most beautiful side.

The nine women, along with Liu Erlong, went to the nearby dense forest, since Liu Erlong herself had a lot of bloodstains from the battle.

After a while, the ten people emerged from the forest. They removed their decorations and all wore light blue outfits, looking clean, neat, and with a unique charm.

"Not bad!" Ning Xingchen nodded in approval.

"Now that you have followed me, there are some things I need to tell you in advance."

"Meteor and Star are my aliases. You will know my real name in time."

"As for my identity, I may tell you."

Ning Xingchen looked at everyone and thought it over again and again. He decided to reveal his identity, since it would be inconvenient to go out and train with so many people.

“I come from the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, one of the three upper sects! By following me, you have joined the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School. If any of you have hatred or objections to the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School and are unwilling to join, then you can leave now,” Ning Xingchen said.

"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School?" The women looked at Ning Xingchen in amazement and asked, "Can we really join?"