Inside the apothecary, the gaze of the plump shopkeeper fell on Ah Sha, and a disdainful smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You want elixirs?" he asked, his tone full of contempt. Ah Sha nodded eagerly, her eyes filled with hope.

"Sure, exchange them for Yuan Crystals," the plump shopkeeper spread his hands in a generous gesture, "As many as you need!" Yuan Crystals, the essence of heaven and earth's spiritual energy, were treasures coveted by cultivators and widely used as currency in the cultivation world.

Ah Sha's face darkened, and she murmured, "I... I don't have any Yuan Crystals."

"Then don't block the way and waste my time!" the shopkeeper's tone turned immediately cold.

Suddenly, Ah Sha had a flash of inspiration. She reached out her small hand, revealing a few irregularly shaped transparent crystals, each the size of a thumb.

"Young Master said these could be exchanged for Yuan Crystals," she said, her voice tinged with uncertainty.

"Beast Cores?" the shopkeeper's eyes lit up, but he quickly recovered his composure. "But these are just first-grade Beast Cores, not worth much."

Beast Cores, the essence of demonic beasts, were valuable materials for alchemy and weapon forging. Even the lowest first-grade Beast Cores were quite valuable. Ah Sha looked helpless, "These are all I have..."

The shopkeeper seemed to have a moment of compassion and grabbed the Beast Cores, casually tossing Ah Sha a bottle of elixirs. "Take it, out of pity," he said, feigning magnanimity.

Ah Sha clutched the bottle as if it were a treasure, ignoring her injuries, and hurriedly left. The onlookers muttered curses under their breath, but the shopkeeper paid them no heed. He secretly rejoiced, knowing those Beast Cores were worth far more than the bottle of elixirs.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

Ah Sha only wanted to save Fang Han. She ran breathlessly until she finally saw Fang Han's figure. "Young Master!" she called out loudly, tightly clutching the bottle of elixirs.

Suddenly, someone tripped her, causing her to lose balance and fall to the ground. The bottle shattered, and elixirs scattered everywhere. "Well, if it isn't Ah Sha," a sarcastic voice remarked.

Two men, one tall and one short, dressed in servant attire, smirked at her. Disregarding her pain, Ah Sha scrambled to gather the elixirs, clutching them tightly. "Young Master's medicine..." she said tearfully, but with determination.

The tall man stepped on her hand, grinding the broken porcelain into her skin, making blood flow. "What an idiot!" he mocked.

At that moment, a cold voice rang out, "Get your filthy foot off her!"

The tall man was startled and quickly moved his foot, looking towards the voice. "Fang Han?" he exclaimed, "You're still alive?"

Fang Han ignored them and quickly approached Ah Sha, his eyes full of concern. "Are you alright?" he asked. Ah Sha extended her bloody hand, offering him the elixir. "I found the medicine; you won't have to die," she said, choking with emotion.

Fang Han felt a pang in his heart and carefully took the elixir. "My life is not more important than yours!" he said softly.

Turning his gaze to the two men, Fang Han's eyes flashed with murderous intent. "You must be sent by Gu Yang!" His voice was icy.

Qian Fu and Li Liu, Gu Yang's servants, clearly had ill intentions. Fang Han's sword flashed, and Qian Fu fell to the ground with a scream, motionless. Li Liu was terrified and begged for mercy.

"You bullied Ah Sha. You must die!" Fang Han said coldly. Another flash of the sword and Li Liu’s head rolled to the ground.

Fang Han tore a strip of cloth from his clothes and carefully bandaged Ah Sha's wound. "Are you okay?" Ah Sha asked, her eyes full of concern. "I won't die for now," Fang Han replied softly, his eyes resolute.

Ah Sha threw herself into Fang Han's arms, crying tears of joy. "Young Master won't die!"

Fang Han carried Ah Sha on his back and strode towards the city gate. "If I don't die, I will make sure they do!" he thought determinedly.

In the Gu family's training grounds, seeing the two corpses, Gu Yang was furious. "I will kill you, Fang Han!" he roared.

The leader of the guards inspected the bodies and concluded, "Fang Han couldn't have this kind of power." Gu Yang was startled—had Fang Han obtained the Golden Seal?

"Catch him and kill him!" Gu Yang ordered. The leader hesitated but eventually complied.

Outside the city, Fang Han carried a sleeping Ah Sha on his back, walking steadily. Fang Han knew very well that while the wilderness was filled with demonic beasts, the hearts of men were even more treacherous. His eyes were resolute; he already had a plan.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, noticing a man and a woman walking together in the distance. The woman was stunningly beautiful, her demeanor elegant, and she chatted with the man, looking every bit like a perfect couple. That woman was Liu Ying.