Outside the hall, a soft, gentle voice drifted in. "Go ahead and kill him. I won’t seek revenge." The voice was elegant and clear. Without a doubt, it belonged to Ye Qingxian.
"No!" Zheng Zheng screamed in terror.
"See? Now I can kill you, can’t I?" A playful smile touched the corners of Wu Tian’s lips.
"No, I don’t want to die! I don’t want to die!" Zheng Zheng shuddered violently, then turned and fled without a moment’s hesitation. He ran as fast as he could, not daring to linger for a second.
However, how could he possibly escape?
He ran until he was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted, but the sound of footsteps followed relentlessly behind him. It was like a demon, clinging to him, never leaving, striking fear deep into his heart.
Finally, in his panic and haste, he stumbled and fell.
When he turned his head, Wu Tian was already upon him. To Zheng Zheng, Wu Tian’s handsome face now looked sinister and cold, like that of an Asura.
"Don’t, don’t kill me," Zheng Zheng begged, his features twisted in fear. "It... it was my daughter who offended yours first! You can kill my daughter! Just... just let me go!"
Wu Tian was even more disgusted with the man before him. How could a father like this possibly exist? What is a daughter to a father? She is his precious little girl, the one who warms his heart. A father would rather suffer himself than see her unhappy, wishing only for her to grow up healthy, happy, and carefree. But what is this Zheng Zheng doing? This is nothing short of being scum, offering up his own daughter to be killed just so he can save his own pathetic life.
"A person like you doesn’t deserve to be a father! You don’t even deserve to be human."
Wu Tian’s voice was calm, but it was saturated with killing intent, like that of the God of Slaughter from the Nine Heavens. His gaze was completely indifferent; in his eyes, Zheng Zheng was already a dead man.
"I was wrong! I was wrong! I truly know I was wrong!"
Knowing he couldn’t escape death, Zheng Zheng completely broke down. Trembling uncontrollably, he finally understood just what kind of terrifying existence he had provoked. He pleaded for his life, but at the same time, he was so frightened he wet himself. His face was a mess of tears as he teetered on the verge of collapse, and the stench of urine filled the air.
Wu Tian simply shook his head and kicked a small stone on the ground.
Immediately, the stone shot forward, whistling through the air.
"No!" Zheng Zheng screamed, the terror in his eyes reaching its peak.
The next moment, with a sickening SQUELCH, the stone pierced through his throat, propelled by immense force. A bloody hole now gaped in Zheng Zheng’s neck.
His body went limp and crumpled to the ground, completely lifeless.
Dead.
Wu Tian’s expression was impassive as he chuckled softly. Then he turned and walked away.
Anyone who dared to target his daughter, curse his daughter, or have any ill intentions toward his daughter... Wu Tian would see them dead.
When Wu Tian walked out of Luo Mansion, Ye Qingxian had already departed, but the little one was waiting for him.
"I knew it, Dad! You couldn’t bear to leave me, so you were spying on me the whole time," the little one giggled.
A dark expression fell over Wu Tian’s face. Spying? What an inappropriate word to use.
His thoughts then turned to the friendly competition for the Array Master’s Guild. This is definitely a job for the little one. To do this, formations would need to be inscribed onto her body as formation patterns. However, inscribing formations requires a good brush and good ink.
Wu Tian had already given the little one Ma Liang’s divine brush.
As for the ink... The blood of a Divine Beast would work, but it’s far too conspicuous. I should find a different kind of ink—one that would undergo a massive transformation with just a single drop of Divine Beast blood mixed in.
So, holding the little one in his arms, Wu Tian knew their priority wasn’t to head back, but to find some high-quality ink.
The Artifact Domain isn’t named that because its ruling nation is the Artifact Country, but because it’s a hub for trading all sorts of artifacts. There should definitely be good ink available.
Wu Tian took the little one shopping. When women take children shopping, it’s usually for clothes and the like, but when men take children shopping, they mostly buy practical things. Why is that? Is it because men’s aesthetic sense can’t compare to women’s? Is that why women are the ones to accompany children when buying anything related to beauty? Wu Tian didn’t understand.
He was already familiar with the Artifact Domain. Not far away was a merchants’ street filled with a vast and varied selection of goods; ink would surely be found there.
As Wu Tian carried his daughter through the city, the sky gradually began to darken. While ordinary streets would have fallen silent by now, the merchants’ street was different. It remained bustling at night, with many shops only truly beginning their business after nightfall.
Upon entering the street, Wu Tian was unfazed by the dazzling array of goods. He had seen far more spectacular marketplaces, so this place hardly impressed him.
For the little one, however, it was a different story. Her eyes went wide, overwhelmed by the spectacular sights. Even the largest commercial district on Earth wasn’t a tenth of the size of this merchants’ street.
Wu Tian smiled as he held her. There’s a saying: "Raise a son with hardship, but a daughter with luxury." It couldn’t be more true. A girl needed to see the world so she wouldn’t be easily deceived later in life.
The merchants’ street was lined with countless stalls, a place where the Hundred Schools of Thought seemed to converge. There were Military Strategists selling texts on warfare, Yin and Yang practitioners offering to tell fortunes, and Confucians selling books or writing letters for others. There were also blacksmiths forging weapons and armor. In this world, Martial Artists and Array Masters reigned supreme. Practitioners of other professions could only gather on this street, shining with their own light and warmth.
And here, there were many who sold ink.
My Heavenly Eye can see through all truth and falsehood in the world. The quality of this ink won’t escape it.
The silver mark on Wu Tian’s forehead lent him a handsome and cool air. He carried his daughter into a shop.
"Welcome, esteemed customers! What kind of ink are you looking for?" the shopkeeper, a portly man, asked with a broad grin. "All the ink I carry is of the highest quality. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied."
"Let me see," Wu Tian smiled, casually picking up a bottle of green liquid housed in a transparent crystal vial.
"This ink is refined from the blood of the Locust Demon Tribe and costs 2,000 Gold Coins. It’s a fair price, no tricks for the young or old! Since this is your first visit, I can give you a discount. How does 1,800 Gold Coins sound?" the shopkeeper said with a smile.
Wu Tian gazed at the ink. As radiant light circulated within the silver mark on his forehead, he instantly saw the soul of a shrimp inside the green liquid.
This wasn’t ink refined from the blood of the Locust Demon Tribe at all; it was just ink made from shrimp blood. How could it possibly be worth 2,000 Gold Coins? It wasn’t even worth 20.
Wu Tian chuckled to himself. With the Heavenly Eye, what counterfeit could possibly escape my third eye?
"Shopkeeper, are you sure this ink is refined from the blood of the Locust Demon Tribe?" Wu Tian asked, looking at the man playfully.
If he insists on trying to deceive me, then he can’t blame me for being merciless.