The three of them had no restrictions on their movements now, yet not a single thought of escape crossed their minds.
That was because they could all sense that this buyer possessed strength a hundred times greater than their own. Even if he let them flee five hundred li ahead of him, they would never get away.
At the same time, they were puzzled. If he'd bought them, why hadn't he placed any restrictions on them? Was he really not afraid of them running off?
But then, when had any ordinary powerhouse ever been this courteous to slaves?
For a moment, the three of them were lost in their own thoughts. Feng Pao wasn't familiar with the other two. And while Liu Wencai and Lu Yali were fellow disciples — practically brothers — even they had nothing they could say to each other under these circumstances.
"Sigh." Jiang Chen let out a soft sigh. "Life is full of unexpected turns. I never imagined that a trip to the Chiding Central Region would bring me face to face with my old brothers."
This time, Jiang Chen didn't bother disguising his voice.
The moment Liu Wencai and Lu Yali heard those words, their entire bodies went rigid. Their eyes locked onto Jiang Chen with undisguised astonishment and intense scrutiny.
Clearly, that familiar voice had been the last thing they ever expected to hear.
Feng Pao didn't recognize Jiang Chen's voice either — at first. Then he froze, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them: "You're… you're Senior Brother Jiang?"
Back at the Myriad Phenomena Grand Ceremony, Jiang Chen had thought well of Feng Pao — the man had a strong character and an unwavering dedication to the sword dao, marking him as someone with genuine potential. So at the time, Jiang Chen had passed along some insights into the true essence of the sword dao.
Jiang Chen still remembered the incident, though he'd never given it much thought since. For Feng Pao, however, that gift had been nothing short of heaven-sent fortune. He had carried that gratitude in his heart ever since, and he held Jiang Chen in the highest regard.
Hearing his benefactor's voice so suddenly, Feng Pao was visibly shaken.
Liu Wencai's face was equally filled with disbelief. "Brother Panshi…"
During the trial at Indestructible Spirit Mountain, Jiang Chen had participated under the alias "Panshi" — Bedrock — posing as an independent cultivator. Liu Wencai had called him Brother Panshi from that point on.
Even after learning Jiang Chen's true identity later, Liu Wencai had long since come to regard him as the respected elder brother he would follow for life. He would never forget how Jiang Chen had guided and transformed him during the Indestructible Spirit Mountain trial.
The truth was, back at the Myriad Spirit Sect, Liu Wencai had been an outcast — unwelcome everywhere. Without Jiang Chen's guidance and the transformation he'd undergone, Liu Wencai would never have distinguished himself, and he certainly would never have been selected as a first-tier priority disciple for focused cultivation.
His gratitude toward Jiang Chen ran deeper than what he felt for anyone at the Myriad Spirit Sect — including the Nine Lions Ancestor, who had been the one to elevate his standing.
Lu Yali had been even more of a nobody at the Myriad Spirit Sect than Liu Wencai. He too was someone whose fate had been rewritten by Jiang Chen. Like Liu Wencai, he had always seen Jiang Chen as a true elder brother.
To suddenly learn that the person who had just rescued them from their misery might be the Brother Panshi they had been longing for — the excitement was almost unbearable.
Jiang Chen patted Liu Wencai on the shoulder. "Wenkai, it's been a few years, and you've made tremendous progress. I'm proud of you — you haven't wasted the expectations I placed in you."
"Little Fatty, you've grown a lot too." Jiang Chen turned to look at Lu Yali. The chubby fellow had gotten to know Jiang Chen the old-fashioned way — through a fight. Back at Indestructible Spirit Mountain, when he'd crossed paths with Jiang Chen, he'd deliberately held back, making him a rather amusing character. He was round as a ball, which earned him the nickname Lu Yali — a play on his surname that sounded like "duck pear" — or simply Little Fatty Lu.
Lu Yali's broad face split into an enormous grin. "Is it really you? Our Brother Panshi — the one we've been dreaming about day and night?"
Jiang Chen nodded, then looked at Feng Pao. "Brother Feng, a prodigy of the sword dao. It's been many years. Perhaps these hardships have actually deepened your comprehension of the sword."
Feng Pao was exactly the sort of man who would endure any suffering in pursuit of the sword dao. He'd treated his days of slavery as a kind of tempering — a crucible to forge his resolve. He hadn't let despair take root. Still, now that he'd been freed from that nightmare, his gratitude was immense.
"Senior Brother Jiang, I never imagined that after receiving your teachings on the sword dao, I would also be saved by you — pulled from the depths of misery. Feng has rarely encountered benefactors in this life. Senior Brother Jiang is without question one of them. If I survive these trials and one day achieve mastery in the sword dao, then whenever Senior Brother Jiang calls upon me — no matter how weak my strength may be — I will answer without hesitation! I would wade through fire and plunge into boiling water for you, and never think twice about it."
Feng Pao wasn't just empty words. He was a sword maniac, devoted to the sword dao above all else — not even death frightened him. His life had been saved by Jiang Chen, and he had already made peace with the idea of returning it someday. As long as he drew breath, he would never abandon his pursuit of the supreme sword dao.
With that, Feng Pao clasped his fists in a formal salute. "Senior Brother Jiang, I was captured a long time ago and have no knowledge of my sect's current situation. I'd like to go back and see for myself. I hope Senior Brother Jiang will grant me leave?"
His life now belonged to Jiang Chen — he'd been bought with Jiang Chen's money. So if he wished to leave, he needed Jiang Chen's permission.
"You want to leave now? We're not far from the Chiding Central Region yet. Traveling alone could be dangerous."
Feng Pao smiled bitterly. "If I'm captured again, that's my own incompetence — no one to blame but myself. Rest assured, Senior Brother Jiang, even if I'm taken, I will never reveal your whereabouts. Not under any circumstances."
Jiang Chen had no doubts on that score. If Feng Pao were the sort of man who would betray a secret, Jiang Chen would never have taught him the sword dao in the first place.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Chen produced a talisman. "This is a Void-Escape Talisman. In a critical moment, it can help you flee. Keep it for when you need it."
Feng Pao didn't stand on ceremony. "I owe Senior Brother Jiang more and more. It seems that in this lifetime — if I don't die — the only way I can repay you is with this body of mine."
He accepted the Void-Escape Talisman, bowed deeply to Jiang Chen, then clasped his fists toward Liu Wencai and Little Fatty Lu in farewell. His body coiled like a spring and dissolved into a gust of clean wind, carrying him away with effortless grace.