Chapter Eight: The Fatal Chicken Fight

"Stop!"

"Hey, you there! Stop gawking, I'm talking to you!"

Xian Yu, who had been halted, felt bewildered. He didn't recognize these guys, so why were they addressing him?

A thought even crossed his mind: Could they be someone I know?

He put on a façade of composure and asked, "Do you have business with me?"

"Of course we do!"

"What you're holding in your hand seems to belong to us. Please hand it over and show it to us."

"Yeah, hurry up!"

Listening to their demands, Xian Yu breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, we're not complete strangers. That's a relief."

It then dawned on him that, judging by their tone, these people were attempting to rob him!

After over a year in this place, it was finally his turn to be a victim of theft. He couldn't help but find it a bit ironic.

"Seriously..."

Xian Yu was well aware that the wilderness wasn't safe. Besides monsters, there were many bandits, with the most notorious being 'The Treasure Hoarders' After all, they were a staple in the game.

But he hadn't expected to be this fortunate and encounter them on his very first outing (if you could call it that...).

"Are you guys attempting to rob me right now?"

With a somewhat questioning tone, the members of the treasure-stealing group proudly smiled, "Yes, we are! If you don't want trouble, just show us what you've got!" Hearing their admission, Xian Yu put on a serious expression.

But being a civilized person, resorting to violence wasn't a good choice. Instead, he decided to offer some advice.

"Guys... your approach is rather clumsy, isn't it? Your intentions are too obvious. You should be more subtle. For instance, try saying something like, 'Young man, would you consider selling us whatever you're holding?'"

"See, this is business, not a robbery. If they refuse to sell, you can persuade them to buy! Your methods are far from professional. How about this... you pay me, and I'll teach you the art of doing business?"

Xian Yu's words left them somewhat perplexed. Why was he discussing this matter more professionally than they were?

Nevertheless, Xian Yu's words did have some effect, causing the group to pause and ponder their approach.

In this line of work, one had to be perceptive. You had to be on your guard because, in the worst-case scenario, your plan could backfire.

"Could this kid, all alone in this remote place, actually have some skills?" thoughts crossed their minds.

But upon closer inspection, their leader found no evidence of that.

The person in front of them had fair, unblemished skin, and if it weren't for his rather plain attire, they might have suspected him of being a young master from some wealthy family. However, precisely because of his appearance, they assumed he lacked the ability to resist.

They didn't consider him the Chosen One, and they didn't see the item they were searching for, so they ruled out that possibility.

Xian Yu put the Vision into his backpack without taking it out. In the past, he left it at home, intending to wait until he could gather all the parts before storing it in his backpack. But now, with the ability to harness elemental power, he no longer needed to collect and wait.

This time, he had brought it with him just in case, should he need it as a shield.

However, there was no need to retrieve it in the wilderness, leading to a misunderstanding by The Treasure Hoarders.

Strictly speaking, Xian Yu did not possess the Vision. He relied on his own abilities to control the elements. Whether he had the artifact or not was irrelevant. The role of the Cryo Crystal Butterfly had already been fulfilled. He only kept it to prevent it from vanishing.

"Quit your nonsense! Open it when I tell you to. If you keep blabbering, we'll do it ourselves, and you'll bear the consequences!"

Xian Yu was exasperated. He had reached the point where words wouldn't change anything.

Back when he lacked elemental power and spiritual power, he might have handed it over in such a situation, understanding the principle of "a good man never suffers the loss of his eyes." But now...

"In that case, there's nothing more to say..."

Disliking action doesn't mean he can't take it. Dealing with them isn't too difficult if you're not the Chosen One and don't have to worry about elemental damage. Xian Yu didn't even need to draw his sword; he simply took action.

He had some confidence in his skills; he'd practiced basic swordsmanship and breathing techniques over the past year. Although he hadn't gained much strength, his physical conditioning had improved.

Today was a chance to see what an ordinary fight looked like.

A few random punches!

This was the extent of their combat abilities. While Xian Yu had a few tricks up his sleeve, he had minimal experience in actual combat, so he wasn't much better.

Getting a few punches in was a valuable learning experience. Since both sides were unarmed, the situation wasn't life-threatening. It was better to experience actual combat now, in case he encountered a formidable opponent in the future and was unprepared, which could be fatal.

"Ouch! You're shameless, why do you keep targeting my vital spots?"

"Wow, this guy looks like Wen Wenjing, so arrogant with his moves!"

"Brothers, if he's playing dirty, we'll do the same!"

The two sides continued to brawl in this fashion, with underhanded tactics like "monkey stealing peaches," "chest grabbing," eye-poking, and more making appearances.

Luckily, Xian Yu hadn't worn the Vision, or the reputation of the "Chosen One" would have been utterly tarnished!

This encounter did, however, redefine how the members of The Treasure Hoarders viewed Xian Yu.

They had never encountered someone who resorted to dirty tricks like this.

To be fair, Xian Yu didn't always employ these underhanded tactics. He had used them just twice because his opponent had initiated them. Faced with a seemingly unfair situation, he eventually resorted to such methods.

After a while, the treasure thieves began to realize that something was amiss.

"Boss, this guy doesn't seem like an ordinary person! Look at him; he's been in a brawl for a while, and there's not a scratch on him, not even a bruise. Could he be more than he appears?" one of them remarked.

The leader responded, "You don't need to tell me! I've noticed it for a while now, but we're in a tricky situation. This guy might seem like he's just fighting haphazardly, but I believe he's using us as targets for his training. If we back off, something unexpected might occur."

"Besides, if my guess is right, this young man isn't using his full strength, and he harbors no murderous intent. Otherwise, we might have been in dire straits by now!"

"Let's fight fair and square. Once he decides he's had enough, we should be safe."

"...At least we don't have to worry about losing our lives."

The leader's assessment was spot on. Xian Yu had no intention of killing anyone. Even though these treasure thieves had attempted to rob him and used harsh words, they didn't have a strong desire to take his life.

There was some decency in them.

If Xian Yu had genuinely wanted to kill them, why would he engage in a conversation? Wouldn't it be quicker to launch a direct attack?

This wasn't like the horseback duels in TV shows, where characters would engage in lengthy combat before delivering the final blow.

Precisely because these bandits were after wealth and not lives, Xian Yu refrained from taking any lives.

Intentional killing should not be confused with being forced to kill. Since the other party lacked the intention to kill, Xian Yu didn't take their lives. However, if the other party had initiated with murderous intent from the start, the outcome would have been different.

Therefore, they should be grateful to themselves for not harboring murderous intentions.

Xian Yu is quite clear about his stance. He won't take action if it's unnecessary, and he won't resort to killing unless there's no other choice.

However, if you pose a threat to his safety, he won't hesitate to eliminate that danger!

The only consequence for endangering his life is death!

Xian Yu has never experienced killing, and it's not something he dwells on, but he understands that as he continues to grow stronger, the inevitability of killing looms in his future.

Which strong individual isn't shaped through countless battles and torrents of bloodshed? It's an unavoidable path, one that Xian Yu will walk in the future.

He senses this, yet he doesn't dwell on it.

Regardless of what the future holds, for now, he remains a young man with clean hands untouched by blood.

"Geez! Why won't these guys go down? Are the ordinary people in this world so resilient to beatings?" After having pummeled them for so long and still not seeing them fall, Xian Yu couldn't help but be a bit surprised.