These people came from an organization called Hailong Hall, which was quite renowned on the Central Continent. They seemed to have connections with the Zhou family, one of the three great families, and appeared to be a vassal family under them.
"You killed our men and stole our airship?"
As soon as they appeared, these individuals confronted Ning Beichen directly.
"That's right, I did it."
Ning Beichen readily admitted it. He had no intention of denying it, nor could he, so there was no point in doing so.
"Since you admit it, take them away."
A leader among them gave the order, and over a dozen people began to surround them.
Ning Beichen remained still, but Yang Qianrou stepped forward, her whip in hand, her palms sweating slightly.
However, before she could make a move, a steady hand was placed on her shoulder, followed by Ning Beichen's voice.
"Let me handle this."
Ning Beichen stepped forward, his gaze scornful as he spoke.
"If you don't want to die, get lost!"
"Arrogant and presumptuous! Capture him. I want to take his dog's life back with me."
The leader had never encountered such an insolent person and, enraged, gave the order.
"Kid, you'd be wise to surrender and save yourself some trouble."
"Don't underestimate him. This kid killed so many of our people and stole our airship; he's no ordinary person."
"What are you afraid of? This kid is just from the northwestern border town. What kind of strength could he have? I can take him down by myself."
"That's true, but don't kill him. We need to bring him back to report."
"..."
Facing their utter disregard for Ning Beichen, Yang Qianrou and the three people Ning Beichen had subdued exchanged peculiar glances, having witnessed Ning Beichen's strength firsthand.
Especially the three who had been subdued by Ning Beichen, they had already described his abilities, yet seeing them still so dismissive of him made their hearts and lungs tremble, their legs quiver, and a sense of foreboding washed over them.
"Kid, take this!"
The arrogant fellow, like a fierce tiger, instantly attacked Ning Beichen.
Whether it was due to his overconfidence or genuine belief that Ning Beichen was a pushover, he didn't even use his weapon, attacking Ning Beichen bare-handed.
With a *bang*!
A corpse lay on the ground, and the attackers hadn't even seen how Ning Beichen had moved.
"Who?"
"Who's attacking from the shadows!"
Chaos erupted among the onlookers, and someone shouted loudly.
"No need to search. You can all come at me together; I'm in a hurry."
Ning Beichen said with a hint of exasperation, truly not taking these people seriously.
"Presumptuous!"
"Who do you think you are?"
"Since you're looking for death, I'll grant it to you!"
Ning Beichen's words immediately drew a barrage of curses and scolding.
*Bang! Bang!*
Two more people bizarrely fell from their ranks, and they still couldn't discern who was attacking them from the shadows.
"Are you still going to curse?"
Ning Beichen asked, looking at them.
"This kid is playing tricks from the shadows! Everyone, attack together!"
At this point, someone finally reacted and shouted urgently.
Following that, the remaining people no longer dared to be so boastful and drew their weapons to face Ning Beichen.
Ning Beichen, too lazy to use any special techniques, simply pushed his palm forward, overwhelming them with sheer power. A dozen people collapsed, bleeding from all seven orifices.
The leader hadn't even had time to react when he felt an immense pressure on his heart. He managed to utter only "You" before falling to the ground.
For a moment, only the three people Ning Beichen had previously subdued remained on the scene.
"What about you three? Will you avenge them or leave?"
These three had long since been terrified into immobility, daring not to move. Seeing the ground littered with corpses, they gasped for air, feeling as if the air itself was thick with the scent of blood.
"Boss..."
One of them stammered, his voice trembling.
"Since you still call me boss, then you can go. Go as far as you can."
Ning Beichen had no intention of killing them.
"Boss, we... we want to stay and follow you."
Another said, his voice equally trembling.
"There's no need. Following me will only bring you greater trouble. Go now, don't force me to act. I don't want to kill you to silence you."
Ning Beichen waved them away with a hint of weariness and then paid them no further mind.
The three exchanged glances, then looked at the corpses on the ground, shivered in unison, and quickly left the area.
Ning Beichen didn't keep them not because he had issues with them, but because their situations were different from his. Ning Beichen had nothing to lose, whereas they had families to consider.
In fact, if possible, Ning Beichen wouldn't have even kept Yang Qianrou.
However, Yang Qianrou was resolute, and Ning Beichen genuinely needed someone to help him with tasks, which was why he hadn't driven her away.
"We probably can't stay here any longer. If we do, our troubles will be endless. The people who came this time weren't experts, but the next might be."
Ning Beichen said, looking at the corpses scattered on the ground.
"Then where do we go?"
Yang Qianrou asked.
"Let's head to the mountain range for a while."
Ning Beichen thought for a moment and then replied.
Yang Qianrou naturally had no objections. She quickly packed their belongings, and they left the place together.
Not long after, they, along with two Beast Kings, departed Sunset City and entered the nearest mountain range.
Ning Beichen chose the mountain range not entirely to evade trouble, but to use it for his cultivation.
The two Beast Kings, brought along by Ning Beichen, were extremely excited. They galloped wildly along the way, quickly leading Ning Beichen and Yang Qianrou deep into the mountains.
However, just as they entered the mountain range, they encountered quite a few people. Most of them were warriors or hunters from Sunset City, who came to the mountains to hunt and earn money.
"Wait a moment, you two!"
Soon, they were stopped by some people.
Ning Beichen, riding on the Golden Lion, looked at them and asked.
"What is it?"
"You two have quite the nerve, daring to steal Beast Kings."
These people, armed, surrounded Ning Beichen.
It was evident they were coveting Ning Beichen's Golden Lion and Rhino King, not even bothering to concoct a plausible excuse.
"You're spouting nonsense! Which of your eyes saw us stealing Beast Kings?"
Yang Qianrou retorted indignantly, questioning them.
"If we say you did, then you did. And you, you recognize her as my maid. How dare you! You and this house slave stole my family's Beast Kings and fled here. If we hadn't run into you, you two would have succeeded."
These people were not only spewing lies but their reasoning was also utterly absurd.