JUN LAN

Xu Zian was clearly surprised by this girl. He did not think that such a young girl would be so knowledgeable. Truth be told, he was ashamed of himself. He was physically stronger than her, but he understood that he was emotionally weak. He had to change and he knew that it is a very difficult task. He had to deal with his negative attitude slowly.

Jun Lan understood that he was overly depressed all these years and that is the reason for his negative thinking. So, she sincerely advised him.

" Depression is a dangerous drug. Don't get addicted to it."

If he had not met her, he was sure that the darkness in him would consume him completely sooner or later. He was really thankful that he met her. So, he thanked her heartily " I will try to change myself, slowly but surely. Thanks for telling me all this."

Jun Lan nodded her head and did not say anything. Her mind was occupied with other things. She remembered Ye Fang and Chu Lian getting killed, and she wondered where this fellow was at that time. She was sure that with his attitude, he would never kill them. Should she warn him about third prince?

While she was immersed in her thoughts, he was also doing the same. He was thinking about how she listed various villages in a single breath. Her words seemed as if she experienced everything in the world. In a nutshell, she was a mystery to be solved in his eyes.

Both of them felt that the other person is not the one with any ulterior motives and can be trusted. Their own train of thoughts were in a sync and they were unaware of it.

Both of them turned to the side facing each other and spoke at the same time " Let's be friends."

Both of them were initially stunned and a moment later they burst out laughing at the same time. They needed no more words as both of them understood each other.

Initially, they were teasing each other and not long ago she beat him up. And here they are now as friends. Life sure works in mysterious ways. Jun Lan sighed in her heart happily.

" Friends don't call each other by full names. So, I will stick with flower boy or Zian."

" Zian is fine. Forget about the other name, else I will think of a not so good name for you." he scoffed at her. This girl really knows how to piss him off.

" Well then." she tried to speak but she ended up laughing for a long time as the name flower boy lingered in her thoughts. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw his darkened face and ended up laughing so hard that she clutched her stomach.

Xu Zian now had a dark cloud hovering above his head and at last she felt pity for him and stopped laughing.

" You can call me Lan." she said making him smile like a fool at the end.

Like that a bond of friendship was formed between the two wounded hearts which would beautifully heal along with the time deepening their feelings and relationship.

" I can tell that you are against the idea of slavery." Xu Zian spoke while pushing a plate of grapes towards her. For every two chairs, there is a medium sized table with grapes and wine. The entire arena seats are filled on first come first served basis.

" Is that so? I came here to buy them." she asked faintly while playing with the grapes. She did not eat them because of the mask. It's not a veil which one could conveniently lift while eating.

" Not necessarily." he rubbed his chin indicating that he is thinking deeply " You might be wanting to free a few of them. One might be mistaken that you would free everyone if you had enough money, but you are not god to save everyone. So, I think you want to free a few of them."

" You are right to an extent. I loathe slavery. I don't save everyone, I save only those who have the courage to fight for their freedom."

Again! This little friend of his never ceases to amaze him. Those words from her mouth, he really want to note them all somewhere ah!

The drumming sounds made them stop their chat and both of them turned towards the arena. The beats of the drum signify that the first match was going to start in a few moments.

" Ladies and gentlemen, the first round of the survival match is going to start in a few moments. The slaves will be out in a while." The announcer of this trading house matches, Cao Sun used his internal qi to amplify his voice so that it would reach everyone who is seated in this room.

" Zian" she called out to him and he never knew that his name sounded so good.

" Hmm…" he looked at her with inquisitive eyes and a faint smile hanging at the corner of his lips.

" A middle aged woman with auburn hair and a man in his early twenties with a missing eye. Look out for them using your qi energy and let me know once you find them." Noticing his curious expression she generously explained.

" I am here for them." Xu Zian nodded in understanding.

She can strain her eyes out but she was more likely to miss her targets with her normal eyesight. She heard that cultivation increases the sensitivity of all the five senses of a person. That's the reason she asked him to look out.

" I will keep an eye on them. You can be at ease." he assured her.

The sounds of horn echoed throughout the arena and about fifty people were released at once into the ground. Each one had a board hanging around his neck with a distinct character engraved on each board, thus differentiating them. Each one was equipped with a sword and following the signal of the announcer they all charged at once, thus starting the endless cycle of bloodshed.