"I suppose we rest for the night?" Kazel leaned back against the broken throne, his tone casual despite the lingering tension in the air. "I'm sure you can find comfortable enough beds somewhere in this cave—though I'd advise ignoring the stink of the bandits. There's bound to be a decent spot in one of the side chambers."
"You're really taking this so calmly," Yiren crossed her arms, one hand resting on her waist, her lips curling into an amused smile.
"And so are you," Kazel shot back, smirking.
Her smile widened. "How about the treasures?"
Kazel tilted his head. "Are you planning to strike a deal with me?" His sharp eyes studied her, his smirk deepening. "Though, judging by your gaze, I doubt this is a case of a mature predator bullying a fledgling. Go on, make your case."
Saya, Lina, and Rui all turned to look at Yiren. Even after witnessing the carnage outside, after seeing just how brutal Kazel could be, she still stood her ground—unwavering in her own way.
"Without us, you wouldn't have found this place," Yiren stated, her voice steady. "You used us as bait, ogling at my body—Saya's and Lina's too. I think we deserve a reward."
Saya's eyes widened.
Lina froze.
Rui blinked, his lips slightly parted in disbelief.
In a way, Yiren wasn't wrong. Kazel had indeed taken advantage of the situation, turning their predicament into his own gain. But to negotiate at this moment? After everything they'd just been through?
It was madness. Like opening up the ceiling to let the rain flood in.
For a moment, Kazel was silent.
Then—
He laughed.
Kazel's laughter echoed through the cavern, deep and unrestrained. It was not mocking nor cruel, but it carried an undeniable amusement, as if he had just heard the most entertaining joke of the night.
Yiren, arms crossed, smirked but said nothing. She simply waited.
Saya and Lina exchanged glances, their bodies tense. Rui rubbed the back of his neck, unsure if he should admire her boldness or question her sanity.
Kazel leaned forward on the broken throne, resting his chin on his fist, his eyes flickering with curiosity.
"You've got guts," he admitted. "Most people would be too scared to negotiate with a man who just painted the forest red."
"Yeah?" Yiren raised an eyebrow. "Most people aren't me."
Kazel chuckled, his free hand tapping lazily against his sword hilt.
"You're not wrong, though," he said. "I did use you all. You were distractions, bait, and entertainment. You kept the bandits occupied while I got to work. And yes…" he smirked, "I ogled."
Lina flushed red, Saya clicked her tongue, and Rui just sighed.
"But," Kazel continued, "that doesn't mean I owe you a damn thing."
Yiren's smirk didn't falter. "Then let's call it compensation instead."
Kazel tilted his head, intrigued. "Oh?"
"For our time, our suffering, and for the fact that we didn't die because of your reckless plan," she listed. "A share of the treasure should be enough to keep us quiet, don't you think?"
Silence.
Saya, Lina, and Rui held their breath.
Then—
"Hah!"
Kazel stood, cracking his neck before stretching his arms.
"Alright, fine," he grinned. "You've convinced me. You can have a cut… but I'm keeping the lion's share."
Yiren rolled her eyes. "Figures."
"I'm going to sleep," Kazel muttered, settling onto the broken throne like it was a luxurious seat meant for a king. Within seconds, he closed his eyes, completely unfazed by the fact that he was surrounded by blood, corpses, and three utterly bewildered people.
"Unbelievable," Saya muttered, staring at him in sheer disbelief.
Yiren simply shrugged. "Let him be. We have more important things to do."
With that, she took the lead, leaving the main area in search of the treasure room. The others hesitated for a moment before following her deeper into the cavern.
It didn't take long.
What they found left them speechless.
Their weapons and belongings were there, as expected, but what truly caught their attention was the massive pile of lifeless spirit stones stacked against the far wall—a mountain of grey, dull, and utterly drained stones.
Rui took a step back, gulping hard. "Did he…?"
"He did say 'plundering,'" Lina whispered, her voice filled with disbelief. She took a cautious step forward, eyes scanning the sheer size of the pile. "I can't believe it... How many years of accumulation is this? And not a single speck of light left—it's all just… gone."
Saya barely glanced at the stones. Instead, she walked over to a rack, grabbing her sword and slipping it back into her sash. "I'm not taking anything."
Yiren scoffed, crossing her arms. "Suit yourself."
"Taking other people's belongings is wrong," Saya said firmly. "I wouldn't stoop so low."
Yiren rolled her eyes, then smirked. "Yeah, yeah—keep preaching about morals while everyone here can see your undergarments."
"Tch!" Saya's face flushed red as she spun around, storming off in frustration.
Yiren chuckled before nudging Rui with her elbow. "You better snap out of it, or you'll be leaving empty-handed."
Rui shook his head, snapping himself out of his daze. "I know, I know… it's just—" He gestured toward the enormous pile of drained spirit stones. "It's insane. That kid, he really…"
Yiren smirked, walking over and nudging one of the lifeless stones with her foot. "He really did it. He took everything. That's more than just talent… that's monstrous."
Lina hugged herself, glancing back toward the main cavern where Kazel had so easily fallen asleep after his massacre. "He didn't even flinch, not once."
"Not during the fight, not after, and not even now," Rui muttered.
Saya was already gone, refusing to take part in what she considered grave-robbing, but Yiren didn't hesitate.
---
The next morning, Kazel was stirred awake by a familiar voice.
"Time to get up, little tyrant."
His brows twitched as he opened his eyes, his vision adjusting to the dim light of the cavern. Standing before him was Yiren, dressed in a completely different robe.
"You changed?" he muttered, still groggy.
Yiren spun around, showing off her new attire with a playful smirk. "Well, these bandits plundered a lot of things, and this one caught my eye. High quality too—better than what I was wearing."
Before Kazel could respond, she flicked something toward him. Instinctively, he caught it mid-air, his fingers closing around a small, cold object. He glanced down—a ring.
"That was on the corpse of the bandit leader," Yiren said casually. "It's yours."
Kazel eyed the ring, unimpressed. "Why would I want a ring?"
Yiren's expression flattened, her shoulders loosening as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing.
"Wait… you don't have a storage ring?" Her gaze snapped to his hands, confirming the lack of any jewelry.
Kazel frowned. "A storage ring?"
Yiren sighed and crossed her arms. "Tell me you at least know what a storage ring is."
Kazel stayed silent.
"Unbelievable." Yiren pinched the bridge of her nose before explaining, "A storage ring lets you store items inside—small things, weapons, valuables. It's a basic necessity for any cultivator."
Kazel's brows slowly rose as a memory surfaced—the bandit leader summoning his spear out of thin air. His grip on the ring tightened.
( So that's how he did it… this world just keeps getting more interesting. )
Kazel slid the silver ring onto his finger, and the moment he willed it, he could sense its contents in the back of his mind—like an inventory space in a game.
"Dagger," he muttered, and in an instant, a dagger materialized above his palm.
His eyes lit up. "Wow, that's convenient."
Yiren rolled her eyes. "You know you don't have to say the item's name out loud, right? What if you accidentally shout something embarrassing—like a penis-enlarging pill—out in public?"
Kazel snorted. "Yeah, that would be awkward. Not that I'd need one." He smirked before turning his attention back to the ring. "So, how do I store—oh."
With just a thought, the dagger vanished back into the ring. His grin widened. "This is really convenient for stealing."
"Within limits," Yiren clarified. "You can't store living things—no animals, no people. Also, you can't store items with high concentrations of energy. So imagine a virtual space; you can fill it with items, but it's not just about size. The total energy of the stored objects matters too."
Kazel tapped his chin. "But you said small items."
"Yeah, it's a good starting point," Yiren said with a wink. "You're not gonna fit a whole house in there, obviously."
Kazel sighed. "So stealing isn't as viable as I thought."
Yiren smirked. "Depends on what you're stealing. If you can afford a storage ring, you're probably not lifting loaves of bread."
She then gestured toward the ring. "Storage rings have grades, too. That plain one you're wearing? Lowest tier. It can store about a thousand spirit stones, but nothing else."
Kazel's grin faded slightly. "So I got a peasant-tier ring."
Yiren shrugged. "It's still valuable."
Kazel twirled the ring on his finger, already thinking of ways to make the most out of it. ( A thousand spirit stones, huh? That's enough for now… but I'll need something better soon. )