The clearing fell deathly silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

But inside, the hearts of everyone from the Red Beauty Adventurer Squad, including Tang Ni and Xia Qing, were in turmoil.

"Let the Five Poison Sect know that it was I, Jiang Jichen, who killed you all!"

That declaration, combined with the sight of him blasting the Early-stage Foundation Establishment Cultivator with the Cyan Snake Pattern into a bloody mist...

It was an act of such overwhelming dominance, such heroic grandeur, that it left them all stunned into silence.

"Young Master Jiang, you don’t have to take all this on yourself for our sake!"

Tang Ni was the first to regain her composure, her expression complex as she spoke.

She knew Jiang Jichen had done this so they wouldn’t be implicated, and she was deeply moved.

They were strangers who had only met by chance, yet Jiang Jichen was willing to go this far for them.

The other women also gazed at Jiang Jichen, their eyes filled with a mixture of gratitude and adoration.

In that moment, Jiang Jichen’s image in their eyes grew impossibly tall. He was a young hero, a passionate and responsible man!

Of course, they also felt a pang of guilt. After all, just a moment ago... they had wanted Tang Ni to distance herself from Jiang Jichen.

Jiang Jichen, now covered in blood, spoke with a calm expression, "I didn’t do this for you. I did it for myself. Even if you hadn’t been here today, I would have fought to kill every last one of them. So, this has nothing to do with you."

’In truth, Jiang Jichen still felt a bit displeased. He had risked his life to help them kill their enemies, only to be treated like that in the end!’

Of course, among all of them, Jiang Jichen had a rather good impression of Tang Ni. It wasn’t just because of her great figure, but also because she had been considerate of him from the very beginning, never intending to drag him into their troubles. A kind-hearted woman like her was a rare and precious find.

At this point, Xia Qing stepped forward, blinking her large eyes. "I’m sorry, I misunderstood you before. If it weren’t for you this time, my sisters and I would have met a tragic end. We will never forget this great kindness. We will definitely repay you!"

’Repay him? How? By offering herself to him?’

Hearing Xia Qing’s words and looking at her pretty face and large, blinking eyes, Jiang Jichen felt a flicker of heat inside. On the surface, however, he gave a grand wave of his hand and declared righteously, "Ladies, say no more of this matter. What I did today was simply my duty. As a red-blooded man, I must shelter women from the storm. To the outside world, if anyone asks who killed these beasts from the Five Poison Sect, just tell them Jiang Jichen did it!"

Since things had already come to this, Jiang Jichen didn’t mind taking the chance to act cool.

Sure enough, as soon as he said this, the women of the Red Beauty Adventurer Squad erupted.

"In this life, I’ll marry no one but Young Master Jiang!"

"He’s the lover from my dreams, the hero of my heart."

"No way, I have to make little brother Jichen mine."

...

Freed from the psychological pressure of the Five Poison Sect, the women finally let loose, their true, unrestrained natures bursting forth.

Of course, this also depended on who they were with. Normally, they were the very picture of ladylike grace.

’I’m so popular!’

Jiang Jichen’s face flushed slightly, but it was from excitement.

However, Tang Ni thought he was just shy. She immediately instructed the other women, "Gather all the Storage Bags from these men and give them to Young Master Jiang. We need to get to the Ancient Ruined City as quickly as possible."

The women followed her orders and spread out to collect the Storage Bags dropped by the dead Five Poison Sect disciples. Only then did Tang Ni turn to Jiang Jichen and say, "Young Master Jiang, please don’t mind them. They’re usually very ladylike. Just now, they were just... a little too excited!"

"Not at all! The sisters are all such genuine people, I admire them greatly for it!" Jiang Jichen replied with a serious expression.

’Of course he didn’t mind. He wished he could stay with them longer and listen to them praise him more. It felt really good!’

’Even if he couldn’t have a taste, just thinking about it was nice enough.’

But the mature Tang Ni had actually sent them all away. Jiang Jichen felt it was a bit of a shame, and he could only watch wistfully as the beautiful figures of the women dispersed.

Just then, Tang Ni spoke up. "Young Master Jiang, the real reason the Five Poison Sect was hunting us is for the Ancient Sect inheritance we carry. We found it by chance in a cave dwelling!"

As she spoke, Tang Ni took out a sealed Spirit Bag that bore the insignia of an ancient Sect.

With just a glance, Jiang Jichen knew it was an Inheritance Spirit Bag left behind from ancient times. Inside, there would be Secret Treasures, Unparalleled Techniques, and Cultivation Resources!

This was equivalent to the entire legacy of a lost Ancient Sect. The inheritance was extraordinary; anyone who obtained it could use it to establish their own Sect.

No wonder the Five Poison Sect had been in such relentless pursuit. For most powers, the inheritance of an entire Sect was an incomparably precious treasure.

One might be able to learn an ancient Spirit Cultivation Skill from it, or perhaps it contained Supreme Treasure Pills or Shocking Treasure Artifacts...

Tang Ni had expected Jiang Jichen to show excitement and desire upon seeing the Inheritance Spirit Bag. After all, something like this held a supreme attraction for any Loose Cultivator, Small Sect, or Small Family; they would fight to the death for it.

However, Jiang Jichen merely gave it a faint glance. Aside from a flicker of surprise in his eyes, there was no other emotion.

In fact, even that flicker of surprise was because of Tang Ni’s actions, not the Inheritance Spirit Bag itself.

A Divine Treasure like the Inheritance Spirit Bag would be hidden away desperately by anyone else, yet Tang Ni had brought it out so openly and generously.

But Jiang Jichen truly didn’t care about the Inheritance Spirit Bag. After all, the inheritances he already possessed were immensely powerful and inexhaustible.

The Undying Scripture and the Source Character Qi Condensing Technique alone probably surpassed all others.

"I want to give this Inheritance Spirit Bag to you because we can’t protect it. In the future, once we’re back in the outside world, all we ask is that you share the Ancient Sect’s inheritance with us. Or perhaps you could establish a Sect and accept us as your disciples!"

Tang Ni said everything on her mind in one breath, then looked at Jiang Jichen with a hopeful expression.

Jiang Jichen was a little surprised by the woman’s bold idea.

"You trust me that much? Aren’t you afraid I’ll take the Inheritance Spirit Bag and keep it all for myself?"

Jiang Jichen said with a smile.

"If we keep it, it’s our luck; if we lose it, it’s our fate. Besides, even if you did take it for yourself, you would be entitled to it. Without you, we wouldn’t have been able to protect our lives, let alone this Inheritance Spirit Bag. Our end would have been unimaginably tragic. And most importantly... deep down, I really do trust you!"

Tang Ni’s face flushed red as she spoke. After all, her last sentence sounded like a young girl confessing her feelings to a boy.

Jiang Jichen was genuinely moved. He never thought that after just one meeting, Tang Ni would trust him so completely. However, he had no need for the Inheritance Spirit Bag, so he definitely wouldn’t accept it.

He waved his hand. "The Inheritance Spirit Bag is of little use to me. You should keep it. As for the outside world, especially the Five Poison Sect, just say that I’m the one who took it. They shouldn’t bother you anymore then."

In Tang Ni’s eyes, Jiang Jichen’s image at that moment was one of incomparable greatness.

First, he had shielded them from the disaster of being killed by the Five Poison Sect, and now he was shouldering the responsibility for the Ancient Inheritance Spirit Bag. ’How could there be such a good man in this world?’