"You still want to take the money and leave?"
Old Ning heard Ye Ling's words, his eyes filled with mockery, and he chuckled, "Everyone in Huoluo City knows my nickname is Ning the Unyielding, the Iron Rooster! If you want to take money from me, you'll have to hand over your life first!"
Old Ning laughed heartily, and his employees drew their sabers and rushed towards Ye Ling!
"No!!!"
Beima screamed as everyone charged at Ye Ling. Her bead erupted with another dazzling burst of fire, and a fire phoenix flew out from within, instantly incinerating all the employees present!
The vast Sharlun Merchant Guild was engulfed in flames.
The smile on Old Ning's face instantly turned rigid.
He stared blankly at the fire phoenix swirling with blazing flames and murmured, "The Undying Flame Phoenix... the Mistress actually passed it down to Beima?"
After the fire phoenix appeared, it circled above Beima, finally fixing its gaze on Old Ning's face, its eyes filled with fierce killing intent.
Sensing the fire phoenix's murderous intent, Old Ning's eyes widened with fear. He quickly looked around, trying to escape, only to find the entire merchant guild swallowed by flames. He had nowhere to run!
"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!"
Knowing he was no match for the Undying Flame Phoenix, Old Ning panicked.
However, he soon noticed Ye Ling not far from Beima.
Seeing Ye Ling unharmed, he treated him like a last straw. He immediately rushed behind Ye Ling, drew a dagger from his waist, and held it to Ye Ling's neck, shouting at Beima, "Beima! Let me out quickly! Otherwise, I'll kill this kid!"
Before Beima could react, the fire phoenix in the air looked at Ye Ling, who was being held hostage by Old Ning, and a hint of fear flashed in its eyes.
The next moment, the fire phoenix dissipated and returned to Beima's bead.
Beima, exhausted, fainted!
Old Ning thought his strategy of holding Ye Ling hostage had succeeded, and a look of ecstasy appeared in his eyes. He immediately pressed the dagger's blade against Ye Ling's neck and threatened, "Kid, come with me and leave this damned place."
"Sigh... why haven't you faced reality yet?"
Ye Ling sighed slightly, reached out, and grabbed Old Ning's dagger, applying a little force.
*Crack!*
Old Ning's dagger instantly turned to dust.
Then, Ye Ling grabbed Old Ning's head with his backhand and flung him away.
*Bang!!!*
Old Ning was sent flying like a cannonball, smashing through the main door and falling onto the street, causing a commotion.
The fire at the Sharlun Merchant Guild had attracted the attention of the entire city. A large crowd had gathered outside the guild, and even the guards of Huoluo City had arrived.
A captain of the Huoluo City guards saw Old Ning fly out and quickly stepped forward to help him up, asking with concern, "President Ning, what exactly happened?"
Old Ning, his face filled with terror, got up from the ground and said to the guard captain, "There are thieves who burned my merchant guild! They are still inside, kill them quickly!"
As the president of the Sharlun Merchant Guild's branch in Huoluo City, Old Ning was among the wealthiest people in Huoluo City and had deep ties with the city lord. Upon hearing Old Ning's words, the guard captain immediately gathered his guards and surrounded the Sharlun Merchant Guild.
Seeing the fully armed guards blocking his path, Old Ning felt a great sense of security and said to the guard captain, "Officer, there is a thief inside the merchant guild holding my young lady hostage. You must not harm my young lady!"
"Rest assured, President Ning, we will absolutely not let the thief escape!"
The guard captain assured Old Ning and then ordered his guards to advance towards the Sharlun Merchant Guild.
At this moment, amidst the raging inferno, Ye Ling emerged, carrying the unconscious Beima, and appeared in everyone's sight.
Old Ning's expression changed slightly when he saw Ye Ling emerge. He instinctively took two steps back, then shouted to the guard captain, "Officer, that's the thief! Capture him quickly!"
Hearing Old Ning's words, the guard captain glared at Ye Ling and roared, "Thief, drop the hostage and surrender obediently!"
Ye Ling ignored the guard captain's words, carrying Beima, and vanished from his spot, leaving everyone stunned.
The next moment, Ye Ling crossed the dense crowd and appeared before Old Ning.
"You, how did you get here?"
Old Ning, terrified by Ye Ling's ghost-like movement, fell to the ground. He stared at Ye Ling with a look of horror and shouted to the guards in front of him, "Quick, come save me!"
The guards reacted and turned their weapons towards Ye Ling.
However, before the guards could act, Ye Ling vanished again with Beima.
Everyone present stood frozen, not understanding what had happened.
Meanwhile, Old Ning, who had fallen to the ground, felt a slight relief as Ye Ling and Beima disappeared. He tried to get up, but before he could support himself, he found his hand on the ground, and blood gushed from his wrist.
"Huh?"
A hint of confusion flashed in Old Ning's eyes. He instinctively looked at his body and saw it slowly tearing apart.
He wanted to call for help but found that the faces of those around him were filled with terror, and they looked at him as if he were a ghost.
Even the guard captain he relied on was now pale with fear, backing away repeatedly, not daring to approach him.
Why... why is everyone afraid of me?
This was Old Ning's last thought before he felt hot liquid flowing down his cheeks.
The next moment, Old Ning's vision went black, his body split apart, and he turned into a pile of flesh.
Crimson blood stained the ground.
"Ghost! Ghost ahhhhhh!"
At this moment, a terrified scream erupted from the crowd, breaking the surrounding silence.
The entire Huoluo City was plunged into endless panic.
Meanwhile, outside Huoluo City.
Ye Ling placed Beima, who had fainted from exhaustion, in a shady spot and infused her with a small amount of his spiritual energy to help her recover.
Beima slowly woke up. Seeing Ye Ling guarding her, she understood that Ye Ling had saved her life again. She quickly got up and thanked Ye Ling, "Benefactor, I am eternally grateful for saving my life twice."
"You're welcome, it was just a casual act for me."
Ye Ling smiled at Beima and then asked, "I'm very curious about your identity now. Why are so many people chasing you?"
Beima did not hide anything from Ye Ling's inquiry and honestly replied, "To be honest, Benefactor, my father is the Emperor of Tianlun Kingdom, and my mother is from Dayan Kingdom. The Sharlun Merchant Guild was founded by my mother."
"Some time ago, my parents were assassinated, and I suddenly became the heir to the throne of Tianlun. However, my uncle took the opportunity to become regent. But he was not satisfied and wanted to eliminate me in secret to completely seize the throne."
"My father's confidants risked their lives to send me out of Tianlun Kingdom. I thought I would be safe after escaping to Dayan Kingdom, but I didn't expect that Uncle Ning, my mother's confidant, had betrayed me..."
"So, you're a princess. No wonder so many people are trying to assassinate you." Ye Ling smiled, not surprised by Beima's explanation.
After revealing her secret, Beima's courage grew. She knelt directly before Ye Ling and respectfully said, "Benefactor, although I have nothing now, if you help me reclaim my country, I am willing to give everything!"
"As long as you are willing, from now on, both I and Tianlun Kingdom will be yours!"