"Fuck… you!"
Inside a small and dilapidated room, a coarse, gruff voice cut sharply through the air, leaving silence.
The voice came from a pale, scrawny young man drenched in blood. He was held by both arms by two brawny men with startled expressions. With his head bowed, the young man's expression remained unseen.
"Oh…"
The scarred man in front of him exhaled in surprise, shattering the silence. His accomplices barely heard it, but for him, with his cultivation base, it was loud and clear.
"Did this kid… just curse?" one of the brawny men said.
"Yeah… I think the boss heard it," the other added.
They worriedly looked at their boss, the scarred man, who just flashed a malicious grin. He was delighted, not the slightest bit offended. Above everyone else, he had spent the most time with this young man and came to know his reserved and impassive demeanor. Worse, the young man was defiant and unyielding as well.
Despite what they did, the young man remained unfazed and silent.
What did this mean?
'This Sirius kid…' the scarred man thought, smirking. 'His spirit has finally been broken!'
He recovered his composure and cleared his throat. Stepping closer, he narrowed his eyes and looked down at Sirius with his arms behind his back.
"Kid, ah. The rent's due. Didn't the leader himself say that if you miss one more, we cut one of your fingers, hmm?"
However, Sirius stayed silent still, as if he heard nothing at all.
Seeing this, the scarred man waited patiently. After all, a crack had finally formed in the young man's spirit.
"Boss, I think he's knocked unconscious…"
"Bastard! You punched him too hard and even used spiritual energy!"
"Well… I forgot this kid was crippled and couldn't cultivate."
Hearing the word "cripple," Sirius' closed eyes fluttered faintly.
The scarred man didn't respond to his accomplices' banter, as he sensed the subtle change in the young man's expression.
Knowing this, he continued with a wide smile:
"Also, the rent will increase next month, plus the newly imposed protection fee must be paid as well."
At this moment, Sirius' head twitched, and they noticed.
"Hey, kid. The boss is talking to you!" one of the accomplices lightly slapped him. But Sirius didn't react.
"This is how you do it," the other said with a grin, then suddenly pulled his hair.
Now, the young man's face was revealed. There wasn't anything special about his appearance, just slightly handsome, though his eyes were different. They were entrancing, as deep and empty as the abyss, making you feel strange. Though the coldness in his eyes was gone, and his expression was the same. He had a distinct mole right underneath his eye.
Sirius eerily stared at the scarred man, as if he were lifeless.
The lips of the scarred man twitched. He hated seeing this bastard's impassive expression the most. It reminded him of their seemingly wasted efforts to break his spirit.
"What, kid!? Are you gonna pay with money or with your fingers!?" the scarred man said, now furious.
Yet, Sirius remained silent, as though he was knocked unconscious.
At this moment, the scarred man's expression grew extremely dark. Time was running out. It was as though he could hear the voice of his leader's complaints echoing in his mind.
He took a deep breath, and his expression lit up. He had an idea. The scarred man roamed the room as he observed everything.
"Well, kid. If you can't pay…" He revealed a malicious smile. "Then just pay with the artifact your parents left behind!"
The young man's expression shifted. He quickly shook his head and finally spoke:
"How many times do I have to tell you that the so-called artifact you're looking for doesn't exist?" Sirius' head lowered again. "Even if I had something to inherit, I would have already sold it for money."
Frowning, the scarred man agreed somewhat internally. However, if that was the case, then why was their leader so adamant that the artifact existed? Even going so far as to stop them from killing the kid, as it was supposedly integrated with his soul. As such, they had to find other ways.
Then, another idea surfaced as his expression gleamed. The scarred man approached the young man with a sinister expression and whispered into his ear:
"Hmm, then we're left with no choice but…" A wicked grin spread across the scarred man's face, his gaze turning to a wooden cabinet across the room. "To kill and sell your magical pet instead…"
In a flash, the young man's expression grew deathly cold. But just as quickly, he gritted his teeth and conceded:
"You—fine… I'll pay, I'll pay."
"Good, kid. You should've said that a while ago to save us from trouble." The scarred man laughed darkly.
He gestured for his accomplices to release him, and they did, leaving him kneeling on the floor.
Before they left, the scarred man's voice lingered in the air.
"Kid. Make sure that when we return, you surrender the artifact. Or else, face death!"
He immediately collapsed to the ground, stopping himself from coughing up blood.
His eyes turned extremely cold.
"Soon… I'll kill you all…" a hateful expression appeared on his face. "One by one!"
As he said this, the cabinet opened. A magical beast, resembling a large short-haired black cat, emerged and rushed at him. Its fur was sleek and shiny.
The magical beast whimpered and violently rubbed her head against his.
"Noir… I'm fine."
His deadpan voice was no more, now filled with warmth and love.
Grunting, he strained to stare at the ceiling. It was unknown what he was thinking as he caressed Noir in his embrace.
Then, now sure they were gone, he stuck his fingers into his mouth and gagged. Sirius pulled out a necklace drenched in blood, with a silver crystal shard hanging at its center.
The necklace looked simple, neither luxurious nor noteworthy at first glance. It was what they were looking for, but he knew the truth.
It was truly an ordinary necklace, the only piece of inheritance his parents had left behind.
He gazed at the necklace in his hand, his thoughts inevitably drifting into the past.
"Sirius, no matter what, promise me and your father that you'll survive, okay, my dear?"
"Elizabeth, what are you saying to our child!? Sirius will become a strong cultivator!"
Sirius smiled with warmth and almost choked on tears at his memories. But he stopped himself.
As he was daydreaming, he suddenly coughed up blood. Noir was immediately alerted.
"No, Noir, I'm fine—"
Just as he said this, he coughed even more blood as his expression turned grave. Sirius covered his mouth, the blood splattering onto the necklace in his grip.
His vision turned blurry. A wave of dizziness swept over him.
Just as Sirius was about to lose consciousness, an ethereal goddess manifested before him, hovering in the air. For an instant, her aloof demeanor shifted to stunned disbelief.
"A ghost—no…" Sirius was jolted awake and quickly rubbed his eyes. "A goddess..."
As his vision was still blurry, he narrowed his eyes in an attempt to discern her features properly, to no avail.
"The Immortal Spirit is neither a ghost nor a goddess." Her voice was soft and melodious, yet mystical, as though she spoke in his mind. "But merely the artifact spirit of the necklace in your hand."
He gazed at the seemingly normal necklace in his hand with bewilderment. His grip tightened.
"The Heavenly Dao has chosen you," she stepped closer, "do you want… power?"
"Whatever it takes…" he replied instantly, feeling his consciousness dwindling. Sirius couldn't care less whether this was a dream or an illusion. All that mattered was he was given a life-defining choice, even if it seemed like a hallucination.
"Even going as far as to risk yourself to eliminate extremely dangerous, powerful figures favored by Heaven's Will?"
"...Figures?"
"Providents. Individuals favored by the Heavens. Bearers of immense karmic fate and luck. Reincarnators. Transmigrators. Regressors. In other words, the apparent main figures of this world."
She continued:
"Eliminate them, and a portion of their cultivation and talents will be yours to keep."
Sirius was stunned beyond perplexity. Chosen by the Heavenly Dao to kill individuals blessed by the Heavens? Weren't they the same? And he would get to absorb their cultivation and talents?
'Providents? Aren't they… the protagonists found in—'
His thoughts abruptly ceased. Sirius was unable to continue as exhaustion constantly gnawed at his consciousness.
Sirius shook his head in an attempt to maintain his consciousness, to no avail. He then stared at her with difficulty. A resolute expression appeared on his face, then he nodded tightly.
"Very well."
With that, his consciousness fell. Darkness replaced light.