"Who... who are you?" Ryan Ling was startled—he absolutely hadn't expected to find this kind of scene inside. The little girl was just as shocked to see Ryan, and she cried out in a trembling voice.
"Don't come near me, don't come near me! Please don't hurt me, I'm begging you!"
"I'm not going to hurt you. Who are you?" Ryan instinctively felt this girl wasn't a bad person—more likely she'd been captured by the Count's Manor. Judging by her condition, if Ryan didn't help her now, her fate would definitely be tragic.
Seeing that Ryan didn't seem to have any bad intentions, the girl finally breathed a sigh of relief and stammered, "They captured me to be the Count's little concubine. I don't want to lose my virginity to that old man—please, can you help me?"
"How am I supposed to help you?" Ryan hadn't snuck into the Count's Manor to rescue anyone—he had much more important business. But looking at her pitiful state, he knew if he didn't lend a hand, this girl was as good as dead.
"Get me out of here, please!" The girl sobbed uncontrollably. Ryan was a sucker for crying girls, so he quickly tried to calm her down.
"Alright, alright, don't cry. I'll save you, okay?" Ryan was a bit speechless, but clearly the girl was scared out of her mind. He tossed her some clothes and untied her. She thanked him again, clinging tightly to his arm—Ryan was her only lifeline now, and she wasn't letting go.
"Hey, take it easy, relax! If you hold on like that, how am I supposed to get you out of here? Calm down!" Ryan looked at her terrified expression and started to regret his decision. If he took her out like this, odds were they'd get caught and his whole plan would go up in smoke.
"Okay, okay!" The girl nodded frantically. Ryan was honestly speechless—he figured the only way was to knock her out and carry her. But before leaving, he had to get his hands on that Da Luo Golden Immortal–tier item he'd sensed.
Ryan glanced around the room, then suddenly realized the intense aura was coming from the girl herself—more precisely, from inside her body. He'd been too distracted by her clinging to notice before, and now this discovery left him stunned.
"Big brother, w-why are you looking at me like that?" The little girl's face turned pale, totally clueless about what Ryan Ling was staring at.
"It's nothing, really, don't overthink it!" Ryan rushed to say, finally realizing why that old Count wanted her as a concubine. Obviously, it was because she carried a powerful Da Luo Golden Immortal aura—and this girl was basically a living treasure. Any man who slept with her would get insane benefits!
But now things were seriously awkward.
He'd come here looking for the source of that Da Luo Golden Immortal aura, but if getting it meant sleeping with this little girl, Ryan had to seriously consider whether that was even possible!
Just then, a noisy commotion erupted outside—the Count's birthday banquet was clearly winding down, and Ryan guessed the old man was already headed this way. The girl beside him sensed it too and was about to panic, gripping Ryan's shoulder so hard she looked ready to faint!
"Don't panic, we're leaving now!" Ryan didn't actually want to babysit this girl, but the situation had totally changed. She was worth a fortune, so he didn't hesitate—he grabbed her and yanked her straight out!
The girl clamped her hand over her mouth and clung to Ryan as he vaulted out of the room in a flash.
But just as they left, a squad rushed in and surrounded the whole room.
"Where are they?"
"No clue! We tied her up just now—how'd she suddenly disappear?!"
"Find her—no matter what! This is the little concubine the Count spent ages searching for, and today’s his birthday so he wants to boost his luck. If you don’t find her, you’re all dead. Got it?"
"Got it, got it!"
...
In an instant, everyone from the Count’s Manor scattered in all directions. Clearly, they had to find this little girl no matter what. Ryan now realized she was even more valuable than he’d thought!
"Hurry up, let’s go!" Ryan didn’t waste time—he grabbed the girl and sprinted down the same side path he’d snuck in from. Melody was still waiting outside, so at least that route was reliable.
But just as he was running for his life, a voice suddenly shouted outside.
"By order of the Count, all gates inside and out are to be shut, walls raised, and the grand formation activated—don’t let them escape!"
Ryan’s heart skipped a beat. In a flash, every defense in the Count’s Manor activated, and his escape route was totally blocked. Worse, more and more guards appeared, closing in from all sides!
Obviously, everyone in the Manor knew Ryan was still inside, and someone up top had issued a death order—they had to catch him, no matter what. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be going to all this trouble!
He had to find another way out!
Ryan knew perfectly well he was strong enough now—he'd hit Golden Immortal level, so even if the Count's Manor threw up a net or sent a Da Luo Golden Immortal after him, he could still get away. But with the little girl in tow, there was no way he could escape!
While Ryan was racking his brain, suddenly someone shouted, "They're by the rock garden! Quick, surround them!"
Hearing that, Ryan was stunned. He knew his own hiding skills—how could he get exposed so fast?
"Big brother, I'm really scared!" The little girl beside him was panicking again, her nerves shot.
"Don't worry, just stick with me!" Ryan didn't hesitate—he grabbed her and shot out of the rock garden.
"Surround that aura! Don't let him get away!"
"Damn it, we can't let him escape!"
All the top experts in the Count's Manor started shouting—they were all powerful Golden Immortals, but to Ryan, they weren't that strong. He didn't hesitate; with one palm strike, everyone blocking his way hit the ground. In a flash, Ryan escaped again with the little girl!
This time, he hid in a dense forest nearby—several kilometers long, so it should've been hard to find them. But just as Ryan relaxed for a second, another voice shouted.
"Catch them—they're in the forest, under the big pine tree in the southeast!"
Hearing that, Ryan was completely dumbfounded. They'd been found again—and so fast! Even if the enemy had some kind of super tracking power, it shouldn't be this quick. Something was definitely off!
Ryan didn't hesitate—he grabbed the girl and escaped from the forest again. But now, every exit seemed blocked; they were totally surrounded.
Just when he thought he was out of options, Ryan spotted a huge lake ahead. Without thinking, he dove in headfirst, dragging the girl with him. He sank to the bottom and raised a barrier so they could breathe, but still felt uneasy and burrowed even deeper into the muddy lakebed!
That made him feel a little safer, at least for now.
But just as he caught his breath, another wave of noise erupted above, like some mysterious force was guiding everyone straight to them.
"What the hell is going on?" Ryan was totally confused. Just then, the little girl beside him spoke up, her voice trembling.
"It's because of the aura on my body. The only way to erase it is to... um... join with a man." She finished, glancing shyly at Ryan...