Chapter 21 The Purpose

"Good job kids! I would've thrown your big brother Ikasa to the monkeys long ago if that's what it took you to find courage."

Six pairs of eyes simultaneously turned to glare at Feng Yan. Xin Ruo tended to Ikasa's wounds and forced him to rest for the day.

After the harrowing experience of the morning, the kids were much more prepared to spar against the monkeys. Feng Yan was very happy to see this improvement.

But every now and then the kids would make silly mistakes.

"Pei Yuan, you dolt! Just because you can run fast doesn't mean you should move far away from the monkey! How are you going to defeat it if you are so damn far from it?"

But seeing Pei Yuan still confused, Feng Yan glanced at Ikasa contemplatively. Ikasa suddenly felt a shiver run down his spine. He got into the role of good assistant in a blink of an eye.

"Pei Yuan, if you run away too far, what if the monkey changes its target? What if it attacks me or someone else? Do you want to see us injured?"

Pei Yuan shook his head vehemently.

"Then you need to keep a safe distance from the enemy but it should not be too far. If it suddenly decides to go after others, you can attack it and save others."

When Pei Yuan's performance improved significantly, Ikasa looked at Feng Yan. His gaze seems to be saying; You see that's how you teach.

Feng Yan in return gave him a deadpan stare, and Ikasa's confidence deflated like a balloon.

The training proceeded smoothly for the next few days. Even though none of the kids had beaten the monkeys decisively, they were much better at dealing with them now.

Whenever they felt like giving up, Feng Yan would threaten to sic monkeys on Ikasa and Hei Ying.

Things were looking better for kids, now that they had started to get into a routine. Kids even started to relax and enjoy their duels with the monkeys.

This didn't sit well with Feng Yan as he didn't bring the kids out here to relax, but to give them a sense of crisis. He decided to shake things up, and his target was Hei Ying.

He didn't force Hei Ying to participate in duels against the monkeys but he didn't want her cowering behind others for the rest of her time too.

Every time Hei Ying's turn came, Chu Qing or Yan Xiao would use Peek-a-Boo defense to prevent monkey's attacks from reaching her.

If she were to be paired with Pei Yuan, he would run circles around the monkey using his superior speed, thanks to [Fast-Faster-Fastest].

Pairing her with Luo Qiqi was out of the question, as Xin Ruo would jump in at the slightest sign of danger.

To circumvent this overbearing protection, Feng Yan brought three monkeys to their training camp today. He let Chu Qing and Yan Xiao deal with one monkey each.

Pei Yuan and Xin Ruo were tasked to keep an eye on them. When the monkeys had led the four of them far away, Feng Yan sicced the last monkey on Luo Qiqi and Hei Ying.

This was the same monkey that had scratched Hei Ying's face.

As the monkey suddenly jumped on her, Luo Qiqi froze. Hei Ying's body was trembling in the face of this threat. The monkey leaped closer to Luo Qiqi and was about to slap her face.

But Hei Ying, who had been through a similar experience, thought it was going to scratch Luo Qiqi. Rage overcame her fear and she stood before Luo Qiqi.

Seeing a taller human before him the monkey straightened his posture and made himself look larger. But that was the opening Hei Ying needed.

She executed the Gazelle Punch. A white light glowed on her fist and it connected with the lower jaw of the monkey. The monkey was knocked out. In a single punch, Hei Ying had defeated the cause of her nightmares.

Feng Yan smiled widely as he saw her look at her fist in disbelief. Luo Qiqi also regained her wits and hugged Hei Ying with joy.

"Sister Ying, you did it! You defeated it in a single punch!"

Feng Yan came out of the hiding spot. He caressed the stunned Hei Ying's head and smiled at her, his eyes radiating warmth.

"Replay the battle just now in your head; See how you beat it. It was not just a lucky coincidence."

The commotion here had attracted the attention of the four who were chasing after the escaping monkeys. Ikasa also came out to see what the commotion was about.

Hei Ying's feat of defeating the monkey had renewed everyone's competitive spirits. They did their best to completely subdue the monkey.

By the end of the day, everyone succeeded except Ikasa. But no one begrudged him for his failure.

That evening, when everyone was celebrating the successful training accomplishments, two people were missing from the campfire.

Feng Yan and Ikasa.

Ikasa looked from afar as the orange light of fire illuminated a corner of the Outer area of ruins. The cheers of the kids disturbed the silence of the night. He had a genuine smile on his face as he rejoiced in the accomplishments of the kids.

But he wouldn't be human if envy didn't mar his pure joy.

"When will I get to be as strong as them? Will they be much ahead by the time I catch up?"

Ikasa turned his eyes away lest his gloom sullies the innocence of the kids. He looked towards the entrance to the ruins. There he noticed a peculiarity. A guy dressed in greyish black clothes was sneaking towards the Inner area.

'Is he going after Xin Ruo and kids? Should I warn them? No, I shouldn't panic. I need to see what exactly his intentions are… '

He sneaked behind him, always keeping him in his visual range. When they had almost reached the Inner area wall, Ikasa could see the bright light from the campfire to his right.

"Thankfully, this guy is going to the left."

Ikasa followed the guy to a dimly lit corner. A man holding a torch was waiting for him. The black-robed man removed the cloth covering his face.

In the light of the torch, Ikasa clearly saw the man's face. A gasp escaped his mouth.

"Handsome guy from the Slums?"

In the dead silence of the night, any noise would be noticeable. And Ikasa's gasp was detected by the two having a rendezvous. They vigilantly turned to look at their surroundings. But they didn't find anything.

Ikasa had hidden inside the crack of the Inner area's broken wall. He could clearly hear the conversation between the two.

"Did you check the underground market?"

The man holding the torch questioned. The moment Ikasa heard his voice, he recognized him. It was none other than Feng Yan.

"Yes. They said they will buy it for at least 1000 gold."

"What about the news? What are the chances?"

"Fifty percent. If we do manage to sweep the area, we should be able to find it."

"Are you sure it's not in there?"

Ikasa didn't know where Feng Yan was pointing to but he guessed he meant the inner area.

"Trust me Red Eye. Or else don't work with me."

Feng Yan released a deep sigh.

"Wu Nan, you are a sly bastard. Would you trust yourself?"

For the first time in the conversation, he heard the name Wu Nan. He figured that the Handsome guy was named Wu Nan.

"Hahaha! But in your group of morons and fools, only I am cunning enough to contact 'The Underworld.' Isn't that the reason why you keep me around Red Eye?"

The way Wu Nan whispered 'The Underworld' let Ikasa recognize the solemnity of this entity. Even Feng Yan quietened at the mention of their name.

Ikasa became curious about the identity of this 'Underworld' but both of them didn't elaborate on it. The silence stretched as the distant sounds of cheers and laughter were the only ones heard.

"How did your plan go? Do you think they are good enough now?"

Wu Nan asked as another round of raucous laughter was heard in the distance. Ikasa's ears perked as this answered the question that had troubled him.

"The Kids are ready. They can sweep the outer area. We will focus on the King."

'Damn! So that's why Feng Yan agreed! He wants something that's in the ruins! He intends to use us as manual labor to search for it.'

Ikasa's eyes brightened as he found the answer that made him uneasy around Feng Yan. He took solace in the fact that they were not being forced to do some dangerous work.

But as this conversation had answered some of his questions, it had raised even more daunting questions.

What was 'The Underworld?' Who was the King?

And most importantly, what was Feng Yan looking for?