In the desolate city, at the Pavilion of Curiosities.
"Get out!"
A figure was flung out of the grand entrance of the Pavilion of Curiosities, slamming into the stone wall opposite with a dull thud.
"Pfft!"
Zhang Tianbao fell to the ground from the wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood. His face was contorted in pain, and the world before him was shrouded in a bloody haze.
"No... no..."
He strained his eyes, his fingers trembling, trying to push himself up from the ground.
However, every inch of his body ached, and he lacked the strength to rise. He could only emit weak sounds, attempting to stop the cultivators ransacking his shop.
But it was all in vain.
The multi-treasure pavilion inside his shop had been violently overturned, spilling the magical artifacts he meticulously polished daily onto the floor.
Those cultivators, their faces filled with ferocity, didn't even glance at the scattered treasures. They continued their rampage, even trampling over the artifacts as they moved.
Zhang Tianbao’s anger surged, causing him to vomit another large mouthful of blood.
The foundation passed down by his ancestors was about to be destroyed in his hands today.
Bang! Bang!
A few more magical artifacts were thrown out of the Pavilion of Curiosities and deliberately smashed onto Zhang Tianbao.
Zhang Tianbao’s body twitched a few times, his condition growing more pathetic.
Not far away, the cultivators living in the desolate city witnessed this scene and turned their heads away with a sense of pity.
They were neighbors who had known Zhang Tianbao for many years. Zhang Tianbao was generally easygoing, so he had good relations with his neighbors.
However, this time, Zhang Tianbao had offended a powerful figure they couldn't afford to provoke. Therefore, despite their sympathy for Zhang Tianbao, they dared not step forward to intervene.
"Brother, there's a lot of Youming Iron in the backyard! The Zhang family has indeed hidden quite a few good things!"
"Youming Iron? That's a valuable item! Let's go! Let's take all this Youming Iron back!"
"Yes!"
Excited shouts reached Zhang Tianbao’s ears from inside the Pavilion of Curiosities.
Zhang Tianbao stiffened, then struggled more frantically on the ground.
The Youming Iron they spoke of was in the artifact refining chamber built by his ancestors.
This was the most valuable possession of the Zhang family, and it couldn't be stolen!
Zhang Tianbao's furious roars went unheard. He was filled with regret and hatred.
If he hadn't been deceived and deliberately gotten drunk, revealing his ancestors' secrets, he wouldn't be facing this disaster today.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
After a brief silence, the sound of digging echoed from within the Pavilion of Curiosities.
Zhang Tianbao recognized it as the sound of those people excavating the Youming Iron.
The blood in his eyes intensified, and he shed a line of tears of blood.
"Save me..."
"Someone, save me..."
"Save me..."
Pain.
Despair.
All negative emotions erupted in an instant. Zhang Tianbao’s lips moved, letting out a barely audible cry for help.
Although Zhang Tianbao was calling for help, he knew no one could save him because he had offended the most powerful force in the desolate city.
Here, that person could summon wind and rain with a turn of their hand, and he didn't even have the qualifications to be their stepping stone.
Knowing there was no hope, he still shouted repeatedly, as it was the only way to keep himself from collapsing.
But his injuries were too severe. His strength and consciousness were draining away with time, and the scene before his eyes gradually blurred.
Until he was lifted from the ground by a gentle force, and a series of gasps erupted around him. He hadn't even registered what was happening.
"Shopkeeper Zhang? Shopkeeper Zhang?"
Who was calling him?
Zhang Tianbao tried hard to see the figure before him, but his vision was extremely blurry.
The next moment, his mouth opened uncontrollably, and a pill was placed in his mouth.
Is this poison?
The thought flashed through Zhang Tianbao's mind. He wanted to spit out the medicine, but the pill dissolved instantly upon entering his mouth, quickly transforming into a pure spiritual energy that flowed into his limbs and bones.
Immediately, the agonizing pain that had torn him apart was stripped away from his body, and the blood color in his eyes rapidly faded.
Then, he saw a face he would never forget.
"Senior, is that you? Am I dreaming?"
Zhang Tianbao stared blankly at the person before him, his face flashing with surprise, joy, and other emotions.
Although he had only met the senior once, he had never forgotten their appearance. Moreover, this disaster was somewhat related to the senior, making it impossible for him to forget.
"Shopkeeper Zhang, long time no see. What's going on?"
Xu Yi, seeing that Zhang Tianbao recognized her, asked about the situation without surprise.
She had chosen the desolate city as her first training location after leaving Shenzhou.
This was because there was a secret realm left by a great artifact refiner here, and what she had learned from the secret realm last time was less than a tenth of its secrets.
Furthermore, she had not even learned a single bit of the puppet art, which she most wanted to learn.
So she decided to come again.
Ji Buwang had originally intended to accompany her, but she stopped him.
Ji Buwang had not returned to Xuanji Sect for a long time, and it was time for him to fulfill his responsibilities as Sect Master. He couldn't keep pushing all matters to Elder Qingfeng.
Moreover, Xu Yi had given Ji Buwang another important task. Ji Buwang had to return to the sect, and they parted ways.
Xu Yi, however, did not delay at all on her journey and headed straight for the desolate city.
Originally, she had intended to go directly to the secret realm in the desolate city, but after some thought, she decided to visit the Pavilion of Curiosities in the desolate city first.
The shopkeeper of the Pavilion of Curiosities, Zhang Tianbao, had ancestors who had also obtained the inheritance of a great artifact refiner.
Xu Yi guessed that since the Zhang family had moved their ancestral land to the desolate city, they must have had the intention of re-entering the secret realm. However, the outcome was unknown.
Xu Yi wanted to see if she could obtain some useful information from Zhang Tianbao.
It was just that she hadn't expected that as soon as she entered the desolate city, she would find Zhang Tianbao lying in a pool of blood, while a group of menacing cultivators were excavating the Youming Iron from the Pavilion of Curiosities.
Since Xu Yi wanted to get useful information from Zhang Tianbao, she didn't mind helping him out this time.
Of course, the premise for helping was that Zhang Tianbao was being bullied, not that he had committed evil deeds and was being retaliated against.
The spiritual medicine Xu Yi fed to Zhang Tianbao was not of a high grade; she had plenty in her storage ring.
However, for Zhang Tianbao, whose cultivation was not high, this pill was a life-saving medicine. It not only helped his injuries recover significantly but also gave him the strength to report the injustice.
He knelt before Xu Yi with a thud, and the tears he had held back finally burst forth.
"Senior, please grant me justice!"
Zhang Tianbao kowtowed heavily on the ground, his lowered face a mixture of grief and joy.
He had actually waited!
The Zhang family was saved!
The surrounding cultivators widened their eyes in surprise upon seeing Xu Yi.
They didn't recognize Xu Yi, but from the conversation between Zhang Tianbao and Xu Yi, and the faint pressure emanating from Xu Yi, they knew that Zhang Tianbao's backing had arrived.
The cultivators who had previously kept their distance instantly became spirited, and their feet involuntarily moved closer to Zhang Tianbao's direction.
If Zhang Tianbao could successfully avenge himself with the help of someone else this time, it would be heartening news for them.