Chapter 497: Conditions
'Word of power? Singular?' Hao Xuan caught the little detail she had let slip.
He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "And how would you know about sothing like that? Do you even know what you're talking about?" he asked, slightly amused.
It was entirely possible that she had overheard so locals speaking about it. If that was the case, she would probably make sothing else up as well.
Yet, her reply surprised her.
"I d-don't know what it is, but I know where you can find it. I heard so old hunters talking about it a few days ago," she explained. "I can tell you the location if you give a little bit of the elixir," she proposed.
Hao Xuan scoffed, "And they just let you go? Don't lie to girl!"
"I promise! They didn't know I was there. They were busy with....so of the other children."
Hao Xuan frowned inwardly. Were these hunters taking advantage of these kids? But he didn't let it show and instead, a sinister grin ford on Hao Xuan's face.
He extended his hand and grabbed the girl by her head, lifting her up in the air.
"Why should I trade with you? There are many ways to make a person talk, what's keeping from getting the location out of you and just leaving?"
The tears that had ford on the edge of her eyes finally broke out and fell down her face as she stopped struggling to get free. She t Hao Xuan's gaze.
"Nothing will stop you. And I....can't make you give it to either, but I have to try. My brother is very sick and he will die if I don't help him. I...I don't want to be alone."
Hao Xuan's expression slightly softened looking into her teary eyes.
"Where are your parents?"
"Papa died from a beast attack a few weeks ago when we were trying to get out of the village. Mama...she went out to get so food and didn't co back. That was last week. I asked the guard uncles and they said she ran away. But I know she would never leave us, sothing must have happened to her!" she tried to shake her head left and right, still not believing that her mother had just abandoned her.
Hao Xuan lowered his hand, letting her stand on her two feet. He reached back into his shirt and took out an empty vial before filling it with 10 drops of the sa healing potion.
He held it up to her face so she could look at it carefully.
"Mix 1 drop with water and let him drink it. It will heal any injuries that he has. The rest you can use however you want but don't tell anyone else about it or they will hurt you and take it from you. Now, where's the location of this 'word of power', eh?"
The girl told him everything she knew down to the last word. Apparently it was in a nearby forest but was guarded by so kind of a beast which is why the hunters couldn't get to it.
The healing potion itself was almost useless to him so he wouldn't care even if the entire thing was lost, but to the little girl it was priceless. As the saying goes, one man's trash is another's treasure.
"What's your na?" Hao Xuan asked when he realized he had been calling her 'girl' every ti.
She held on to the vial with both her hands like it was the most important thing in the world, which made Hao Xuan feel sowhat guilty.
"R-Rufina."
"Rufina, eh?" Hao Xuan gave a genial smile even though it was hidden behind his mask and patted her hair which were stuck together like glue mixed with dirt.
"Why did you approach earlier? Out of everyone, why ?"
Using her sleeve, Rufina wiped the remnant tears from around her eyes as her expression suddenly brightened.
"Because of sister Ning!" she replied with a beaming smile.
Hao Xuan frowned slightly, "Sister Ning? Did she tell you to talk to ?"
Rufina shook her head vigorously, "No, Sister Ning is just like you, she also ca from the sky!"
"From the sky? She's a cultivator?"
"Ahan. She helped and my mom reach the city when we were lost. She is really kind and pretty!"
"Hoh, is she now? One of these spoiled brats is not selfish? Who would have thought," Hao Xuan mumbled to himself.
"Alright, go," he stood up and moved aside, "Rember what I said, don't use the elixir in front of or tell anyone else, it's only for you."
"Yes," Rufina thanked him and scurried away with her little feet.
Hao Xuan didn't waste any more ti and went straight to Salo. Even after being told to stay, he had wandered into what looked like a tavern. Apparently soone had tried to pick a fight with him but Fortis had sent all of them flying. If not for Hao Xuan's tily entrance, there would have been a bloodbath...or a feast, if Fortis was hungry enough.
After asking around he found the last girl from the list who had co down to the city. She was a half-elf but the elf half belonged to dark elves which ruled her out as well.
With nothing else to do, Hao Xuan bought a few tones of local food and brought it up to the walking city with him. Since the situation in this particular city seed pretty bad already with nurous cases of looting and murders, he decided to take Salo with to the next one.
When the sun went down, Hao Xuan put on his mask and once again departed from the city, following the directions Rufina had provided.
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