Chapter 24: A Deformed System

"Yang Qingyuan, are you alright?"

In the sky, Yang Yifang descended slowly. Although his tone was cold, his eyes revealed a faint, imperceptible trace of concern.

"Reporting to the Clan Head, this disciple is unharmed."

"When you first discovered this wolf demon, why didn't you wait for the Dao League's reinforcements instead of rushing in alone to throw your life away? Such a young child, playing the hero! If we had arrived any later, you would likely have lost your life in the jaws of that wolf demon today!"

After confirming that Yang Qingyuan's injuries were indeed not serious, Yang Yifang was about to put on a stern face to lecture him. However, Wen Tianlei, standing behind him, stepped forward with a smile to smooth things over.

"Oh, come on, Old Yang, why be so harsh on the boy right from the start? If you ask me, for a child of only eight to have the courage to stand alone against a demon of the 'Minor Demon King' level is already quite extraordinary. Yang Qingyuan... come to think of it, this is the little one who caused the biggest stir at the Blue Sky Assembly, right? Truly, the younger generation is formidable. To think he held off this wolf demon for so long all by himself! Old Yang, your Yang family's current generation makes me green with envy..."

After hearing these words, Yang Yifang's expression softened slightly. "Not at all, Brother Wen, you are too kind."

"I am not flattering you. Look at these two youngsters of yours, Yang Qingyuan and Yang Yitan—each more outstanding than the other. Then look at that brat of mine... sigh, never mind, don't mention that rascal; it just makes me angry! At the last Blue Sky Assembly, he clearly promised me he would go, but the night before, he snuck out, gathered a bunch of thugs, and went to a brothel to drink and carouse. He wasn't found until the assembly was over. It is truly... infuriating!"

At the mention of his troublesome descendant, Wen Tianlei couldn't help but huff and puff. Yang Yifang responded with a strained smile. As for the young master of the Wen family, although he wasn't old, the name "Young Master Wen" had long been "well-known" among the major clans.

"Very well, let us leave other matters aside for now and return to Dao City for medical treatment."

"Understood."

Yang Qingyuan nodded and was about to follow Yang Yifang back when a trembling voice suddenly came from behind.

"Immortal Masters..."

Yang Qingyuan turned to see the survivors of the village looking at them with tear-filled eyes.

"Thank you, Immortal Masters, for slaying the wolf demon and saving the lives of our entire village, especially this young Immortal Master. You are the great benefactor of our village..."

The speaker was an elderly man with gray hair, leaning on a cane. Though he had suffered significant injuries, he had managed to survive. After he finished speaking, he led the others in kneeling before them. The rest of the villagers followed suit.

"Thank you, Immortal Masters!"

Yang Qingyuan remained silent, his expression calm as he looked at the villagers kneeling before him. He recognized the old man; over the years, he had often seen him pulling a cart to Dao City to sell fruit. When Yang Qingyuan was younger, his allowance was limited, and since the old man's fruit was inexpensive and of good quality, he had bought from him often. The middle-aged man killed by the wolf demon earlier must have been his son; Yang Qingyuan remembered seeing him at the stall a few times.

The world of fox spirits might appear beautiful, but behind every poignant love story lay endless blood and slaughter. In this world, which strictly adhered to the law of the jungle where the strong prey upon the weak, being weak was an original sin. Just like these ordinary people who lacked the ability to protect themselves—demons viewed them as prey, and even within the human-led Yi Qi Dao League, most considered them a burden.

Is it pitiable? Perhaps. After all, the current Dao League was essentially just a power bloc formed by the major clans. An organization such as this would naturally only protect the interests of those high and mighty families. As for the survival of the commoners below, they were utterly indifferent. At most, they would occasionally perform a symbolic act of "protection" for the sake of reputation or to facilitate their rule.

The reason so many families within the Dao League had remained prosperous for so long was due to their unique bloodlines, techniques, or magical artifacts. To ensure their legacies continued for generations, they would stop at nothing to preserve that "uniqueness." Therefore, within the Yi Qi Dao League, all truly powerful techniques and artifacts were jealously guarded and never shared with "outsiders." As for the commoners born outside these clans, their fates were often sealed from birth.

Although the Yi Qi Dao League had rogue cultivators, they were only a small minority. For a commoner child to be discovered by one of these few, taken as a disciple, and thus defy their fate to embark on the path of cultivation—that was even rarer.

At this thought, Yang Qingyuan could not help but sigh inwardly. Even with this deformed system laid out before him in all its bloody reality, he still had no way to change it. Before he possessed sufficient power, all he could do was maintain the compassion in his heart for those weaker than himself.

Though it was called compassion, it was, in fact, the most fundamental human nature. If one were to lose even this basic sense of mercy on the path of cultivation, it would be truly terrifying.

"Old man, is this your grandson?"

Beneath some ruins, Yang Qingyuan gently lifted the child he had protected with his spiritual energy.

"Little Tiger!!!"

Upon seeing the child in Yang Qingyuan's arms, the old man's eyes welled with tears of joy. He hurriedly rose and took his grandson from Yang Qingyuan's embrace. "Thank you, young Immortal Master! Thank you, young Immortal Master!"

Watching the old man continue to kowtow at his feet, Yang Qingyuan felt no joy or sense of entitlement. On the contrary, his heart felt heavy.

"Clan Head, let us go."

"Very well."

Yang Yifang seemed to notice something unusual about Yang Qingyuan. He channeled his spiritual energy to lift Yang Qingyuan and Wang Quanzui, turning to leave.

After the group returned to the Yang family estate, Yang Yifang merely sent someone to deliver some medicinal herbs and forbade Yang Qingyuan from leaving for a few days, after which he said nothing more. As for Wang Quanzui, she did not rush back to the Wangquan Manor; instead, out of guilt, she chose to stay behind to personally help Yang Qingyuan apply the medicine.

"You seemed... quite troubled just now?" Wang Quanzui asked softly while applying the ointment.