"Aaaa… these idiots are getting thrashed left and right. Looks like their tiny brains have been corrupted by the protagonist's halo… tch, if this keeps up, even the last one standing will drop dead!" Avinash muttered to himself, clutching his forehead like he was nursing a headache.
Slowly, he raised his hand. Wisps of qi gathered at his fingertips, swirling together until they formed a faint, transparent arrow.
"Wakaka!"
A loud, obnoxious laugh echoed beside him. It was none other than Big Duck, his shameless, feathered companion.
"Human, you really are a bastard. Using a sneaky technique to lure some poor fool to his death… how cruel!" Big Duck chuckled, his voice as innocent as a baby chick, but his grin was as sly as a street thief.
Avinash rolled his eyes and continued aiming his arrow at the protagonist — Ye Chen.
"Hehe, oi! Why're you ignoring me? At least tell me the name of that move you're using!" Big Duck pressed on, flapping his wings eagerly.
Hearing that, Avinash's expression turned serious. In a deep, dramatic voice, he declared, "The name of this technique is… Supreme Emperor—"
Before he could finish, Big Duck was already drooling with curiosity.
"Whatever technique… my ass!" Avinash snapped, his face darkening. "Shut your damn beak! This mouth belongs to me — your father! And you dare to try and scam your old man? If my aim misses, I swear I'll shove this arrow straight up your feathery backside!"
Big Duck instantly froze, flinching as he quickly covered his butt with his wings, glaring at Avinash with narrowed, watery eyes. Those eyes practically screamed, "You heartless bastard…"
Swoooosh!
The arrow flew.
While Ye Chen dashed toward the third person, the man raised his longsword, aiming for Ye Chen's shoulder.
Swish!
Just as Ye Chen was about to dodge, an arrow, fired by Avinash from the distance, shot through the air like a streak of light.
Thwack!
It struck Ye Chen's shoulder, sending him crashing to the ground with a heavy Boom!
Dust rose around him as he groaned in pain, his body rolling twice before coming to a stop.
The three remaining cultivators didn't waste a moment. One of them immediately rushed toward the fallen Ye Chen, sword in hand, ready to end it right there. But before he could strike, their leader raised a hand sharply.
"Stop! Don't kill him yet."
The attacker frowned. "Why? He killed our people!"
"Tch! Use your brain for once. If we hand him over to Young Master Ming, we might get rewarded. Think about it — Ye Chen's been causing trouble everywhere, and the city's been looking for an excuse to deal with him. If we give him up alive, maybe we'll get a few treasures… or even a position under Young Master Ming's banner." The leader grinned, greed practically oozing from his face.
The other two hesitated. Their hearts burned with hatred, wanting to avenge their fallen brothers. But in the end… wealth and connections spoke louder than grudges. The thought of riches and rising status made them lower their swords.
"Fine… but if he escapes, it's on you," one of them grumbled.
Quickly, they took out a thick, shimmering rope — the kind specially made to bind Foundation Building stage cultivators — and tied Ye Chen's hands and feet, securing him tightly.
"Hmph. Let's wake him up. It's no fun if he's unconscious," one of them muttered, fetching a bucket of cold water.
Splasssh!
Ye Chen jolted awake, blinking against the water dripping down his face. As soon as he realized he was tied up, a wave of fear surged through him. But he clenched his jaw, forcing a calm, arrogant expression.
"You bastards… let me go! If you dare touch me, you'll suffer for it!" he barked, trying to keep his voice steady.
One of the men snorted. "Still acting tough? Your tricks won't work this time. No one's coming to save you, kid."
Ye Chen's heart raced. He could feel his fear threatening to overwhelm him. 'Damn it… think, think…!' he screamed internally. In desperation, a memory from his past life flickered in his mind.
With a bold, desperate grin, he shouted,
"You idiots don't know who you're dealing with! I'm the benefactor of Princess Smriti of the Patliputra Dynasty! If you harm me, she'll personally crush you all, down to your ancestors!"
The group blinked.
"…Patli… what?" one of them asked, scratching his head.
"Is that but we don't care because hehe... How will she know if no body tell her?
Avinash, watching from a distance, couldn't help but smirk.
"Tch… this idiot's trying to bluff his way out with princess now? Shameless, but kind of gutsy," he muttered under his breath.
Even Big Duck let out a snort.
"Wakaka! Human brat's got guts. Too bad nobody here's buying it."
The leader stepped closer to Ye Chen, crouching down until they were eye to eye.
"Listen, brat. We don't care if you're the lover of some ancient ghost princess. The only treasure we want is the reward for your head… or your body, delivered to Young Master Ming. So save your fairy tales."
Ye Chen's expression stiffened, but he quickly forced a laugh. "Hahaha… a-actually, we can negotiate! You let me go, I'll give you… triple what Ming's offering! I-I have spirit stones! Artifacts! Name your price!"
The men exchanged glances again.
"Now you're offering bribes, huh?"
The leader chuckled darkly. "Too bad. Unless you cough up core formation-grade treasure right now, nothing's saving you."
Ye Chen gulped.
'Damn it… at this rate I'will get beaten and then get killed by that Young master ming…! Unless… unless I can stall long enough for someone or something to happen…'
His mind whirled, desperately searching for a plan as the men began to surround him, their smirks growing darker.
Boom! Boom!
"Aaaah! Aaaa! Stop! Please — have mercy!"
Ye Chen's screams echoed through the forest like the cries of a dying dog. His face twisted in pain, begging for his life, but none of them paid him the slightest attention.
"Didn't you act tough just now? Where's your Princess Smriti now, huh?"
"Let's see how long you can keep running your mouth!"
One after another, fists, feet, and the occasional weapon handle landed on Ye Chen's body. The sound of dull impacts mixed with his pained howls, filling the area with a brutal, ugly rhythm.
Time passed. Eventually, the cultivators grew tired, their breathing ragged from the relentless beating. Ye Chen lay there, unconscious, his face swollen like a pig's head. His clothes were torn, his skin bruised and bloodied, and he looked no better than a beggar who'd been starving for days.
"Tch. Finally stopped moving."
"Good. Let's take him to Young Master Ming now."
They roughly lifted Ye Chen's limp body, hoisting him over a shoulder like a sack of garbage, and began heading deeper into the forest to search for their young master.
But Avinash didn't follow them. He casually lowered his bow, stretching a little as if he'd just finished some casual morning exercise.
"Well… that was more entertaining than expected," he chuckled.
Suddenly—
Ding!
A crisp, cheerful notification echoed in his mind.
[You used shameless tricks on Son of Fortune: Ye Chen — Villain Points +10,000]
[You got him beaten like a dog — Villain Points +9,000,0!]
Avinash's eyes lit up.
"Hoh… not bad. Not bad at all."
Even Big Duck couldn't help laughing, flapping his wings.
"Wakaka!, That was a good show just now!"
Avinash grinned, his mood instantly brightened.
"Guess I'll let those idiots drag him around for now… maybe he'll cough up more points later."
He turned away, whistling to himself as he strolled in the opposite direction, leaving Ye Chen's sorry, unconscious form behind.