Chapter 10

Xia Shiyi died silently without a sound. If he could have shouted before dying, perhaps Xia Yi, who had entered the mountain forest, would have heard it. Unfortunately, Xia Tian did not give him such an opportunity. The bamboo spear pierced his back, and Xia Tian tightly covered his mouth and nose. The heart is the source of power, and with the loss of energy, Xia Shiyi could only die with a grudge.

Xia Tian moved quickly, not knowing what valuable things Xia Shiyi had on him, and took everything. He put it in his backpack, then found a hidden place to stuff Xia Shiyi in. Xia Tian originally wanted to burn Xia Shiyi, but his skills were not yet strong enough to cast even a small fireball spell.

He could only bury Xia Shiyi, but Xia Tian was not foolish. After all, someone had just been there. If that person returned and found some clues, what would happen? Concealment and disguise were crucial. Xia Tian placed Xia Shiyi in what he thought was a very hidden spot, then altered the environment. He used a small illusion spell, which did not require much energy, to arrange some dead branches and leaves in a certain order, creating a visual barrier. After some time, the corpse would definitely be consumed by insects and bacteria.

To be extra cautious, Xia Tian also buried the body with stones. After setting up the environment, Xia Tian did not dare to stay too long. On his way back, he collected some dry wood and returned to the cave entrance.

He started a fire, changed his clothes, and threw the blood-stained clothes into the fire. The orange flames suddenly rose high, and the bamboo spear that had pierced Xia Shiyi was also thrown into the fire. He then cleaned up the scene again. Only after this did Xia Tian feel at ease to clean and skin the wild rabbit, skewering it on two bamboo spears and roasting it over the fire.

There were no seasonings or salt. He just roasted it plain. The flames leapt up the moment the rabbit was placed on the fire, making a "sizzling" sound, like a poorly played erhu. Xia Tian kept turning the rabbit, afraid it would burn. This was his dinner for the night. Although it had no taste, it didn't matter much to cultivators, who only needed to fill their stomachs.

The next time, it wouldn't be like this. Xia Tian now missed the days when he had a spatial ring. He could summon whatever he wanted with his mind, and he wouldn't have to worry about pots, pans, oil, or salt wherever he went. It was like a treasure chest, and as long as he prepared everything at the beginning, even a bed could fit inside.

Xia Yi had returned by this time. When he saw Xia Tian roasting the rabbit, he was startled. He did not disturb Xia Tian but observed him closely. He thought Xia Tian shouldn't be fine! Could it be that Xia Zhonghe didn't send anyone? This didn't seem like his style. But then he thought, as long as Xia Tian was fine, he could give the old man some good news.

Xia Yi and Xia Shiyi were the hidden strength of the Xia family, much like the assassins of ancient times. They were orphans who were selected and trained by the Xia family to become highly skilled warriors. Some things couldn't be done openly, or important family members needed protection. Xia Yi and others were the best of this force and were recognized by the main members of the Xia family, showing their extraordinary strength.

Xia Yi watched as Xia Tian slowly roasted the rabbit and ate it bit by bit, sometimes spitting it out. Xia Yi wanted to laugh. He thought, "A young master suddenly in this situation, still able to eat, that's not easy." However, Xia Yi was still skeptical about how Xia Tian caught the rabbits. After all, Xia Tian had never lived in the wild. How did he catch two rabbits? It was already lucky to catch one by chance. Xia Yi's suspicion deepened, and his brows furrowed.

Xia Tian had spit out the rabbit meat to avoid Xia Yi noticing something. If Xia Yi knew he was already suspicious, he would be very surprised. Xia Tian, however, was unaware and continued eating.

Xia Yi shook his head, thinking, "Why am I thinking about this?" As long as Xia Tian was fine, that was all that mattered. Xia Yi protected Xia Tian from the shadows until dawn. Xia Tian, having eaten his fill, lay down by the fire and closed his eyes. He didn't dare to practice at this time, knowing that someone was around. His current strength was too low to detect the person's presence. As long as the person didn't mean him harm, he wouldn't take action. If the person had any ill intentions, Xia Tian wouldn't be lenient.

Survival was the priority now. However, Xia Tian thought about something else. Tomorrow, the news of his separation from the Xia family would spread. Would the Wang family, especially Wang Sihan, still treat him the same? Xia Tian didn't dare to think about it. If Wang Sihan cut ties with him because of this, could he still approach her? Xia Tian felt lost and uneasy, his mind in turmoil.

He didn't know what he was afraid of. Was it because Wang Sihan reminded him of his former lover, Han Ke'er? He tossed and turned, unable to sleep, with images of Wang Sihan and Han Ke'er flashing in his mind. He couldn't tell which was which.

Exhausted, his mind still raced. In this unfamiliar world, when he knew nothing about it, Xia Tian wasn't afraid. What he feared was losing his former lover. The night was deep, and the moon was brighter than usual, overshadowing the stars. In the deep autumn, the mountain had lost its insect life, and the cold night made the crickets silent, unable to sing their love songs.

Xia Yi stayed up all night and left as dawn approached. He knew that once it was light, it would be hard to hide, and even if Xia Tian hadn't noticed him, it would become suspicious over time. Xia Tian's decision to spend the night in the forest proved his bravery.

From Xia Tian's behavior yesterday afternoon, he wasn't as useless as rumored. From the entire process, it didn't seem like he was taught by Xia Zhongjiang. Xia Yi had followed Xia Tian from the Xia residence and witnessed Xia Zhongjiang's betrayal. He understood that Xia Tian's decision was his own. Growing up in a large family wasn't easy. Even if he was considered a waste, he had learned some skills from his surroundings.

Xia Yi left, and Xia Tian was still sleeping. In fact, Xia Tian was pretending to sleep. He hadn't slept all night, thinking about Wang Sihan and Han Ke'er. When the sun came up, Xia Tian looked up and saw a figure moving down the mountain. He knew it was the person from last night leaving.

Xia Tian then took out his backpack. When he killed Xia Shiyi last night, he hadn't paid attention to what he took from him. The first thing he saw was a stack of red banknotes. Xia Tian recognized the words and thought, "This is the money in this world? It's made of paper?"

Xia Tian held the money up to the sun, bit it with his teeth, and finally confirmed that this currency was indeed made of paper. He couldn't help but laugh. In the secular world, he used gold and silver, and in the cultivation world, he used spirit stones. This was the first time he had seen paper used as currency.

He counted about 30,000 yuan, not sure if it was enough to find a place to stay. His father had given him a 100,000 yuan card, but he couldn't use it and didn't want to check. He would check it later. For now, he would go down the mountain and find a place to stay.

Packing his bag, Xia Tian prepared to go down the mountain. Walking on the mountain road, he thought it was good that he had strengthened his body. Otherwise, this journey would have been tough.

Xia Tian walked leisurely with his backpack. As he walked, he heard a car brake. He didn't turn around. The people living here were either rich or powerful, and no one would stop for him. He was no longer the young master of the Xia family, and his reputation wouldn't bring him good luck. After all, a discarded waste of a young master had no value.

However, the car that stopped behind Xia Tian was none other than Wang Sihan, who had come to pick him up but failed and then heard that Xia Tian had left the Xia family.

Wang Sihan never expected that in just one night, Xia Tian would make such a rash decision. He was a waste, and although she didn't fully understand him, from his behavior, she knew that without the Xia family, he couldn't survive. Why did he make such a decision?

She couldn't understand. On her way to school, she saw Xia Tian, a lonely figure with a backpack, looking desolate. She felt a pang of sadness and asked the driver to stop. The driver knew about Xia Tian's situation and didn't want to stop, but Wang Sihan insisted, and the car finally stopped.

Wang Sihan stopped the car next to Xia Tian, opened the door hurriedly, and looked at him in disbelief, examining him from head to toe. She had gone to the Xia residence early in the morning but didn't see Xia Tian. She asked the gatekeeper, who looked at her strangely, making her realize something was wrong. Now, seeing Xia Tian in this state, her doubts grew. Had something happened yesterday?

Xia Tian stopped and looked at Wang Sihan, who resembled his former lover. His face was complex, wanting to explain but not knowing where to start. He remained silent, his eyes fixed on Wang Sihan's face. Should he face it or tell her directly that he had left the Xia family and would live alone from now on?