Chapter 199 – Did You Even Give Me a Chance?

“Thud—thud, thud, thud—”

This was the sound of gravel continuously falling to the ground.

At the dust-filled scene, the explosive impact had sent countless pieces of rubble flying in all directions, scattering like blossoms from a celestial maiden.

The female Hunters around were frantically dodging the incoming rubble while crying out in panic.

“Oh no! Lord Ming Wang has been attacked!”

“Quick… quick, save him!”

The group of female Hunters was in chaos, with exclamations of shock rising one after another.

Bai Xiaoyan in particular was so anxious that tears were nearly welling up in her eyes, as if it wasn’t someone else who had been attacked but her own sister (Su Ming: …).

Even Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan had drastic changes in their expressions, almost simultaneously rushing forward to disperse the billowing dust.

An Upper-Rank Professional in their team being attacked was indeed something that could make people panic.

Even Xu Yanyan, who was more of an enemy than a friend to Su Ming, felt tense at this moment, fearing that what came next might be a situation even an Upper-Rank Professional would struggle to handle.

Without a second thought, Xu Yanyan followed Bai Ruxiang forward, making the Bai Family female Hunters around feel as if they had found their pillar of support, and they all rushed into the swirling dust together.

“Cough, cough…”

The next second, everyone heard a coughing sound.

It wasn’t Su Ming’s cough but the voice of an unfamiliar young girl.

“H-has it… stopped?”

The girl seemed to be trembling with lingering fear, coughing as she pushed herself up from the center of the dust cloud, coming into everyone’s view.

Only then did the women present see that, at the center of the dust cloud on the ground, there was actually a young girl.

The girl looked disheveled, covered in dust and grime, her face smeared with dirt until it was almost black. At first glance, she resembled a refugee who had fled from somewhere, her appearance quite wretched.

Yet, despite this, the girl didn’t carry any unpleasant odor. Beneath the grime on her face, delicate features were faintly visible. Her long hair was somewhat messy, but both its color and texture were quite beautiful. Combined with her ethereal aura, she didn’t seem like a refugee at all but more like a sheltered Young Miss who had fallen into the mortal world—unfamiliar with worldly affairs and unaware of its dangers, only to be harshly treated by society.

When they saw this girl, others aside, Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan were both startled in succession.

“It’s you?”

Bai Ruxiang was both shocked and pleasantly surprised.

“You are… Wang Yihan…?”

Xu Yanyan also spoke with a hint of uncertainty.

“Huh?”

Hearing her name amidst her coughing, the girl couldn’t help but lift her head and look around.

Only then did she realize she was surrounded.

In an instant, the girl became alert.

Clearly, she thought the people surrounding her were enemies.

But when she saw Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan, she first froze, then became overjoyed.

“Bai Ruxiang? Xu Yanyan? Why are you here?”

The girl’s reaction was even more excited than Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan’s, much like meeting fellow villagers in an unfamiliar place, or even more like encountering old acquaintances in Hell, making the corners of her eyes even grow slightly moist.

“It’s really you?”

Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan confirmed the girl’s identity and were similarly overjoyed.

The surrounding Bai Family members were also both surprised and delighted.

“Wang Yihan?”

“Isn’t that the name of the Wang Family’s direct-line Young Miss of this generation?”

“Could it be that this dirty older sister is the Wang Family’s Young Miss?”

“Have we found a survivor of the Wang Family’s direct line?”

The women immediately burst into noisy discussion.

Just as everyone was immersed in shock and delight, a disgruntled voice sounded from beneath the girl.

“I say, before you get too happy, could you get off me first?”

The muffled voice made everyone present realize something.

That was, beneath the girl named Wang Yihan, there was someone lying there.

Who else could it be but Su Ming?

“Ah!”

The girl exclaimed in surprise.

“Y-you… who are you? Why are you lying under me?”

Hearing this, a vein bulged on Su Ming’s forehead.

Shouldn’t I be the one saying that?

“Who are you? You’re the one pinning me down, and you have the nerve to ask me that?” Su Ming’s lips twitched as he said, “I’d rather be on top, but did you give me a chance?”

Su Ming’s words made the female Hunters present blush.

They strongly suspected Su Ming was making a dirty joke.

Unfortunately, they had no proof.

Moreover, they didn’t dare say anything, let alone ask.

Otherwise, how could they explain why they immediately realized Su Ming was making a suggestive remark?

Seeing the girl still staring dumbly at him, sitting on him without moving an inch, Su Ming couldn’t take it anymore.

“Get up!”

Su Ming directly sat up.

“Ah!”

The girl let out another delicate cry as Su Ming pushed her off, sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Clang!”

At the same time, the Sword the girl had been tightly clutching in her arms fell to the ground with a clear ring, stabbing into the ground beside them.

“Huh?”

The rising Su Ming immediately noticed that Sword.

From that Sword, Su Ming sensed an ancient and weathered power fluctuation, and for some reason, it made him feel an urge to reach out and grasp it.

Especially his right hand, which was now flickering with a ghostly blue glow, as if urging Su Ming to take action.

“This Sword…”

Su Ming felt a bit eager, unable to resist wanting to extend his right hand and pull out that Sword.

But, before he could, someone acted faster than him.

“My Sword!”

Seeing the Sword in her arms slip away after being pushed down by Su Ming, the girl hurriedly scrambled up from the ground, rushed forward, and tightly embraced the Sword.

Her demeanor wasn’t so much about reclaiming her weapon as it was about protecting a precious Treasure Trove.

“What’s with that Sword?”

Bai Ruxiang, Xu Yanyan, and the surrounding female Hunters watched this scene, somewhat looking at each other in confusion.

They didn’t seem to share Su Ming’s special feeling toward that Sword; they hadn’t even noticed it at first, only feeling that the Sword was somewhat unique—less like a weapon and more like an antique, a piece of art.

As for the ancient power fluctuation on the Sword, they didn’t seem to detect it either.

This made Su Ming frown, temporarily shifting his attention away from the peculiar Sword.

“Who are you? Why did you come flying over with that Sword?”

Su Ming asked the girl this question.

Holding the Sword protectively as if shielding her young, the girl nevertheless answered Su Ming’s question.

“I… how would I know why it flew over?” the girl said, on the verge of tears. “I was just holding it, trying to escape these Ruins, when it suddenly flew up and brought me here.”

The girl’s tone was extremely innocent and aggrieved, making it impossible not to believe she was a victim.

And that was indeed the case.

The girl herself was still dazed, completely unaware of why this had happened or what the current situation was.

Only one thing had she realized.

That was, she might have encountered rescue.

“Why are you here? Did you come to save us?” the girl hurriedly asked. “Do you already know about this place? Did someone tell you? Or…”

The girl’s successive questions were interrupted by Bai Ruxiang.

“Miss Wang, please calm down first,” Bai Ruxiang soothed the somewhat agitated girl, saying, “I know you have many questions, and we also have many questions we need you to help us answer. That’s why we’re here.”

It had to be said, seeing Wang Yihan, Bai Ruxiang truly felt that Heaven rewards the diligent, and that sometimes what you seek diligently comes to you effortlessly.

Their mission this trip was to uncover the secrets of these Ruins, for which they needed to find survivors of the Wang Family, preferably the Wang Family’s direct line who seemed to know these Ruins inside out.

Now, having been trapped and nearly killed by enemies, ending up here, they unexpectedly ran into their mission target.

That was why Bai Ruxiang, Xu Yanyan, and everyone else present were so pleasantly surprised.

Su Ming also understood.

“You’re saying she’s the Wang Family’s Young Miss?”

Su Ming looked at Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan.

Bai Ruxiang and Xu Yanyan nodded emphatically.

Xu Yanyan spoke up.

“Her name is Wang Yihan, one of only two direct-line descendants of the Wang Family in this generation, and the only direct-line offspring among the Wang Family’s younger generation. Wang Xiao, the Wang Family Head, is her biological father.”

Xu Yanyan’s explanation made Su Ming’s gaze toward Wang Yihan change.

Even he hadn’t expected that the Wang Family’s Young Miss they were searching for would appear before him in such a manner.

“Is this a pie falling from the sky?””

Of course not.

Su Ming was beginning to understand that the reason this Wang Family’s Young Miss, whom they had been seeking, had suddenly fallen from the sky wasn’t due to her but because of that Sword she was still tightly clutching in her arms.

Su Ming’s gaze lingered on that Sword.

However, this seemed to provoke the girl’s defensive instincts.

“What do you want?” Wang Yihan said with full vigilance. “Don’t look! I’ll absolutely never give it to you!”

As she said this, Wang Yihan hugged it even tighter.

Seeing this, Su Ming couldn’t help but ask.

“Holding it so tight, don’t you feel it… pricking your hand?”

Actually, Su Ming wanted to ask, don’t you feel it pricking your chest?

After all, it wasn’t a Staff but a Sword.

Since it was a Sword, it was naturally sharp.

Especially since this Sword didn’t seem to have a scabbard, its blade and edge exposed openly. Who would dare hold it so tightly?

But Wang Yihan dared.

Now, prompted by Su Ming’s question, Wang Yihan vaguely began to feel… perhaps… maybe… possibly… it was a bit painful…?

Even the soft-voiced Bai Xiaoyan quietly said from the side.

“Look, it’s bleeding…”

Wang Yihan: “!!!∑(?Д?One second later, the girl’s cry of pain, much like her initial scream, resounded all around.

The scene was exceptionally harmonious.

(End of Chapter)