Chapter 44: Let’s Play A Game

In an instant, Li Xiaofei extinguished any trace of hope. He knew that the slightest twitch would be enough to send the blades in the collars right through his aunt and Little Jie's heads.

The thin stranger looked to be in his twenties, with neatly parted black hair and a fair complexion. He was dressed in a casual suit and wore gold-rimmed glasses, giving him a scholarly appearance.

"Who are you?" Li Xiaofei asked. "What do you want?"

"Don't be nervous." The stranger adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and smiled gently. "Rest assured, my services come at a high price. I never kill for free, and the bounty doesn’t include them, so they are unharmed."

He pointed to the sofa beside Li Xiaofei as if he were the host. "Please, sit."

Li Xiaofei slowly sat down.

"Do you know how much you're worth now?" The young man continued, speaking with a touch of emotion. "Someone on the darknet has placed a bounty of 200,000 star coins on your head... Hehe, it’s the highest bounty ever in the slum’s history."

Li Xiaofei gasped.

Who would be so willing to spend that much money? If I had more than one life, I might consider beheading himself to claim the bounty.

He tried to think if he had offended any significant figures. If he had...Ye Xiang definitely counted as one. It seemed he needed to think of a way to quickly eliminate that old dog.

Clang.

The scholarly young man tossed a sharp short sword onto the coffee table.

"Let's play a game. You stab yourself once, and I'll release these two women. How about that?" He said with a sincere expression.

Li Xiaofei picked up the short sword without hesitation.

Shlick.

The blade sank into his left shoulder, and blood started gushing out.

The young man clearly didn't expect Li Xiaofei to be so decisive.

"Are all the people in the slums as ruthless as you?" He asked in surprise.

Li Xiaofei didn't answer, instead he replied with a question of his own, "Can you tell me your name?"

"What? Planning to survive and then get revenge on me?" The young man with gold-rimmed glasses sneered. "Knowing my real name won't do you any good. In our circle, people call me Ghost Scholar. Remember that nickname, so that you can at least know who killed you when you’re in the afterlife."

"Alright, I've got it," Li Xiaofei nodded earnestly. "Didn't you just say that if I stabbed myself once, you'd let them go?"

A mocking smile appeared on Ghost Scholar's lips. He shrugged and said, "Sorry, you acted too quickly and scared me. I've changed my mind. Now you have to stab yourself twice before I let them go."

Shlick.

Li Xiaofei picked up the short sword again without a word and stabbed himself in the right thigh.

Ghost Scholar frowned and said, "Who told you to stab your right thigh? That doesn't count. I get to choose the spot."

Li Xiaofei replied in a low voice, "Fine."

Ghost Scholar looked Li Xiaofei up and down before saying, "Stab your left thigh."

Shlick.

Li Xiaofei stabbed his left thigh.

Ghost Scholar frowned again, saying, "You hesitated. That doesn't count... do it again. This time, stab your left abdomen, and do it hard."

Shlick.

Li Xiaofei stabbed down. His clothes were now dyed red. His face turned pale, and a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Ahhh, this is amusing," Ghost Scholar laughed heartily. "I haven't encountered something this entertaining in a long time... It's so touching. Someone is actually willing to mutilate themselves for two worthless women. Hahaha, it's so much fun."

Li Xiaofei's lips were pale as he asked, "Now, will you release them?"

"Hahaha, of course..." Ghost Scholar clapped happily. “...not."

Li Xiaofei's anger flared as he asked hotly, "Is this the credibility of a well-known adventurer?"

Ghost Scholar laughed even harder."Credibility? You're talking to me about credibility? Hahaha, you’re killing me."

He stood up and looked down at Li Xiaofei with a mocking expression. He said, "I've changed my mind. Hahaha, stab yourself one more time... in the left shoulder. You can choose to believe me or not, but if you don't, I'll kill these two women."

Li Xiaofei picked up the short sword and stabbed his left shoulder. Blood loss and intense pain made his entire body tremble. He might be seated on the sofa, but he looked as if he could fall over at any moment.

"Tsk tsk tsk, when I say you're stupid, you really are stupid," Ghost Scholar mocked, "Your obedience made this game boring. If I kill these two women now, you'll be really angry, won't you?"

Fire blazed in Li Xiaofei's eyes. Ghost Scholar, however, laughed triumphantly.

"The anger of the weak is meaningless." He picked up the blood-stained short sword from the coffee table and said, "Thanks for cooperating with my game. As a reward, I'll be merciful and let you watch these two women get their throats slit before I send you on your way..."

"You said they weren't the targets of the bounty," Li Xiaofei shouted.

"Did I say that?" Ghost Scholar feigned surprise. "Even if I did, so what? Who said that people outside the bounty target can't be killed?"

Li Xiaofei shouted angrily, "Didn't you say you don't kill for free?"

"Oh, I lied to you," Ghost Scholar smirked. "I told you, this is a game, and I hold the final say in the rules."

Li Xiaofei shouted, "I'll kill you..."

He struggled to rise and attack. But his body was riddled with wounds and he was suffering from severe blood loss, so his body only wobbled before collapsing back onto the sofa.

Ghost Scholar laughed heartily, "You idiot, you can't even fight an ant right now. How do you plan to take me on? You—"with another swift motion

Before he could finish his sentence, red light flashed. Ghost Scholar felt a sudden chill at his right wrist. But before the hand holding the remote control could hit the ground, it was caught by a bloodied hand.

For a moment, Ghost Scholar's mind went blank. Then, as he saw the mocking smile dawning on Li Xiaofei's face, he realized he had been tricked. The little brat from the slums hadn't lost his combat ability. He had been acting all this time. Everything before, including the appearance of weakness, was all an act.

Ding ding.

The Dragon Fang Sword sliced through the air, cutting through the blade collars around his blind aunt and Little Jie's necks, causing them to fall off.

Li Xiaofei finally breathed a sigh of relief.

As expected of the Dragon Fang Gang's treasured weapon, it was incredibly sharp, cutting through hair with ease.

He cut the ropes binding the two women's hands and feet with another swift motion.

"Brother Xiaofei," Little Jie cried, rushing into his arms.

"Don't cry," Li Xiaofei said. "I'll deal with the trouble. You take Little Aunt and leave quickly."

The little girl reacted quickly, turning to help the blind woman. But his aunt reacted even faster. She swiftly walked up to him and accurately struck several points on Li Xiaofei's wounds at lightning speed. The previously bleeding wounds instantly closed.

Li Xiaofei turned to face Ghost Scholar. He was covered in blood, but he bared his white teeth in a grin.

"Let's play a game."