Chapter 1012: The Eldest Senior Sister!

The conditions of the children rescued were not a pretty sight, but most of them were relatively unimpaired. There were a few children whose legs were broken, however, most probably due to their lack of talent for cultivation and could not be sold normally; these would be children forced to beg on the streets later on with their inflicted handicaps.

The seven disciples also found several children whose bodies were stuck in pots with only their heads left outside in the deeper part of the secret chamber. This was a method to cultivate dwarves and deformed humans; the targeted children would complete their growth in the pots before being trained with entertaining skills. These were candidates for future circus stunts or begging as well.

Many of the young girls saved were delicate and pretty, obviously unharmed nor tortured. While these young maidens were safe, they had to be aware of any accidents that could happen during their puberty. If their faces were scarred, if they were to grow fat, if they were to turn ugly... only hell would be waiting for them...

The seven children were in agony.

"Search carefully! All the wealth here belongs to us!"

Guo Nuanyang spoke icily, "We're on a mission, we accept payment to kill these people, so the saying robbing lives and not robbing wealth is nonexistent in our case. Do not miss out on a single dime!"

"Seven of you move separately. Your merits will be decided according to your loot!"

Under Guo Nuanyang's command, the seven disciples dispersed and went on their own way.

It was after seeing the children depart on their separate ways that Guo Nuanyang flew out in anguish. He had to collect the bodies of the three other children. The injuries on the children were fine, but he really did not know how to relay the three children's deaths to Yun Yang...

Searching around to affirm the situation, Guo Nuanyang's eyes bulged. He could only find one corpse... Where were the other two bodies? Where had they gone to?

The one he found was the boy whose head had been crushed. Guo Nuanyang was sure that the other two children were killed - Cheng Jiajia's chest had been stabbed with a sword and subsequently experienced a mystical Qi eruption; there was a hole in her chest. How was it possible that she was not dead after such a trauma?

As for the other boy, his chest had also been pierced with a sword, the blade going right through his heart. The mystical Qi that ran across made a big gap on his back. It an equally fatal wound.

Suffering from such injuries, there was no alternate ending if the victims did not have a cultivation base of Saint-level and above. Even if a Supreme Saint were to protect and heal the victims, it was barely possible for them to survive.

Nonetheless, these two bodies were missing!

Guo Nuanyang's brows were knitted into a deep frown.

The forty to fifty children whom the seven young disciples had saved and brought to a corner of the yard were squeezed together, trembling like a nest of chicks in the winter wind. Those with broken legs and those who were in pots with basically unusable limbs were gathered in the center.

Guo Nuanyang sighed, regret filling him when he glanced at these children. He should not have let those vermin meet their death so easily just now; he should have wounded them and tortured them, one slash after another, so they could live as long as possible going through such torment every day. When they would be on the brink of death, they would be saved to resume the torture.

That was how the account could be settled.

Looking at the pitiful children, Guo Nuanyang retrieved several bottles without hesitation and gave each child a pill. These were medicinal pills with excellent healing effects that Dong Qitian had refined; they were especially useful for internal injuries and external wounds. To these children, specifically the handicapped ones and those still kept inside pots, the efficacy would be massive.

Guo Nuanyang then quickly adjusted and recovered the positions of the broken bones of those children with broken legs, reconnecting the bones and giving them an additional recovery pill to ensure that the medicinal effect was adequately potent. As for the children inside the pots whose limbs were soft and deformed, he bit his lips and broke their bones in order to join them again; he then delivered a shot of vital energy to each child alongside the four pills to help them regrow their muscles and bones.

Everything else depended on the Residence of Nine Supremes spiritual energy atmosphere...

After a bout of treatment, Guo Nuanyang waited for a while before he saw the seven children walk out, dragging huge boxes behind them. A massive amount of assets filled the yard. The children went back to move more boxes...

"Move them all back!"

Rancor grew in Guo Nuanyang as he watched the piles of resources and fortune. How many children had they harmed to accumulate such an amount of wealth?

Guo Nuanyang's frown was still locked in place.

How would he explain himself when he returned? Casualties were expected and a matter of course, but the ratio was too high! Three disciples were gone, just like this! This was a thirty percent loss - it was too much. In addition, two of the bodies could not be found... It was awful.

Yun Xiuxin's gaze roamed the vicinity. There was a hidden sense of grief in her eyes but at the same time, there was a hint of relief; it was a sense of relief that was a calmness that came close to being disinterested.

"Jiajia's body has disappeared. Little seven's body too," Yun Xiuxin reported after searching for another time.

Guo Nuanyang sucked in a breath softly as he stared at Yun Xiuxin. The girl's collected self surprised him. Whether it was calm or distant, her attitude better not be cold-blooded!

Yun Xiuxiu was still searching, trying her best to look for her peers' remains, and making sure that she did not miss anything.

"Xiuxin, don't you feel sad?" Guo Nuanyang could not help asking after seeing the other six pupils who were sobbing pitifully.

"I am! How could I not be!" Yun Xiuxin answered, looking up, "But master has ceremoniously told us before departing that we'll go through this sooner or later. It's just that Jiajia and seven have encountered death earlier. Only when one experiences life and death that one experiences the martial world."

Guo Nuanyang was left with waves of shock washing over him.

"The martial world isn't only about myths and legends or glory. What the martial world has the most is the separation of life and death, the deceit, betrayal, blood, and brutality. These are the eternal constants of the martial world."

Yun Xiuxin paused for a beat and continued. "When one really roams the martial world and personally goes through life and death, one will know that the ideal world that exists during one's younger time is not the martial world at all."

Guo Nuanyang was speechless. 'Boss Yun Yang, what do you usually teach your disciples... This is... really...'

"Don't cry anymore!" Yun Xiuxin had the mannerism of the eldest senior sister as she scolded, "What are you crying about? What's the use of crying? Can your wails and sobs bring Jiajia back? You'll die too, one day! Don't you all cry now, I'll beat you up to death if you cry!"

The six young kids were taken aback upon hearing her. As they looked up, it was like they were looking at the Yama King himself.

"You! Weren't you always dreaming about the martial world having endless taels to spend, traveling thousands of mountains in a blink of eyes, possessing the best luxuries and beauties? Do you still want that now? Do you? Answer me!"

Yun Xiuxin jabbed a boy's chest fiercely.

"You! And you! Weren't you fantasizing about countless masters and knights in the martial world? About mystical encounters that you'll come across thrice in a step? About delicacies that you'll enjoy till the end of time... Do you still think about them now?"

"You! You! And you..."

"I don't know what you were thinking... You yell about roaming the martial world and feeling at home wherever you wander to daily - hmph! Are you still thinking about it now? Have all of you turned mute? Speak up, continue blabbering!"

The six children lowered their heads. Their eyes were still rimmed red, their tears were still falling, they were still sniffing, but no one dared to make a sound.

Finally, a small boy grumbled, "You were the same previously. The day before yesterday you were still saying that the martial world is where you can see the immortal pill when you look down, where you can grab on to secret cultivation books with a stretch of an arm, where you can soar with serendipity..."

"How dare you!" Yun Xiuxin was enraged. "How dare you slander your eldest senior sister's teachings! You shall clean the toilet for half a month when we go back!"

"No..." The boy cried out.

Guo Nuanyang felt his temple throb watching the children.

The young ones he had taken along this time were all Yun Yang's disciples. He was not sure about the situation in the other teams but he was certain that the other disciples of the Residence of Nine Supremes from the other teams could never be as cool as his team!

The composure of this team was more striking after Yun Xiuxin's talk. The girl was really something - a something that practiced martial arts! In this case, Guo Nuanyang's description was an unreserved compliment.