I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

On the way to ‘escort’ Lin Wei, whether human or demon, regardless of their cultivation level, all were trembling with fear, not daring to even glance in her direction, afraid that in the next moment, thunder would strike, leaving no trace of their bones.

Lin Wei was placed inside a carriage, trying to use her mental energy to break the restraints on her body, but unfortunately, her repeated efforts yielded no results.

Having listened to the earlier conversations of those people, Lin Wei knew that her captors would not harm her for the time being; they even intended to use her to connect with Yong’er.

Kidnapping the mother of the Holy Speaker and then making arrangements with the Holy Speaker—this operation did not conform to conventional etiquette. It was very much in line with the arrogant style of the demon clan. After all, they could just apologize afterward, treating it as if nothing had happened.

Moreover, based on the information she had gathered earlier, Lin Wei did not believe that Shilin City could hold its ground. The city lord was at the late stage of the Void Realm, while the two deputy city lords were at the third and fourth levels of the Ascendant Realm, respectively. As the main force of a city, they were indeed strong, but facing the other eight major cities and the demon clan, it seemed a bit like a case of the few against the many.

At the very least, Lin Wei had heard that there were still three demon clan members at the fifth level of the Ascendant Realm on the Northern Cold Continent who had not been slain by the semi-saints of the Kunlun Realm. In the face of such terrifying power, no matter how formidable the city’s defensive array was, it would only be a matter of time before it was breached.

Now that she had been kidnapped, Lin Wei thought that using her as leverage to threaten Ye Yong not to assist Shilin City was not a bad outcome. It provided Ye Yong with a reason to withdraw, and afterward, he would not be blamed for standing by idly. Of course, Lin Wei did not intend to collaborate with the forces outside the city, as she was unclear about how deep her Yong’er’s relationship with Shilin City was, fearing it might disrupt his plans and arrangements.

————North District of Shilin City

“According to the clues we’ve gathered, around noon, your mother went in this direction with a certain maid from the city lord’s residence.” Ye Qingwu did not make a grand inquiry for eyewitness information but instead took a more subtle approach. Coincidentally, Lin Wei was a stranger, and naturally, some demons noticed her. By activating the demon stone, they could ensure that the other party would speak freely.

“Thank you, Sister Qingwu.” With a general direction in mind, Ye Yong took out the Argument Powder and the Sensing Compass, beginning a series of operations.

Soon, two colors of mist appeared on the road.

Purple and white.

The purple represented demons, thick and rich, as this was a major city of the demon clan, bustling with their presence. The white represented humans, much lighter in comparison.

“Can this work?” Song Song couldn’t help but feel a bit skeptical. Lin Wei had been missing for several hours, and whoever had captured her had definitely erased their traces. Moreover, there were quite a few human families residing in the North City District, and the person who brought Lin Wei here must have wanted to throw off the scent of the keen-nosed pursuers.

Ye Yong observed for a moment, indeed unsure which trace belonged to Lin Wei. Suddenly, he remembered that she had once sewn a coat for him with her own hands. Ye Yong quickly pulled out a few storage rings from his pocket, searching for the one that contained ‘valuable items.’ Inside were various gifts he had received, none of which were resources for cultivation. These gifts might not hold much monetary value, but in Ye Yong’s eyes, they were worth more than gold. Especially the coat that Lin Wei had sewn; he had never brought himself to wear it and had kept it safely in the ring. Fortunately, the space in the storage ring was quite special, and the aura within it wouldn’t dissipate over time. Ye Yong sprinkled some tracking powder, extracted a wisp, and immediately activated the tracking compass.

“This treasure of yours is truly remarkable, it has opened my eyes,” Bai Cui said, looking at the tracking compass, seemingly trying to discern its internal structure through its simple exterior. After all, she was quite confident in her ability to distinguish scents, yet she couldn’t trace Lin Wei’s scent at all. The treasure Ye Yong casually took out could effortlessly track it, which was indeed incredible.

“It was given to me by an elder; I don’t quite understand it myself.” Ye Yong felt a bit embarrassed to admit that when the Great Zhou Dynasty used the tracking compass, he had lied, claiming it was obtained from the Black Water Secret Realm. Thankfully, there were no people from the Great Zhou Dynasty here; otherwise, just mentioning it would have made Ye Yong feel quite awkward.

But there was no way around it; he couldn’t explain the items bought from the system store, so he had to weave various lies.

Following the tracking compass, they quickly arrived at a side gate in the North City District.

The side gate was under strict surveillance, and it was impossible to forcefully break through from the outside, nor could it be opened through conventional means. The guard at the gate was a mid-stage infant, sitting there bored. Upon seeing Ye Yong and the others, he immediately stood up: “This is a restricted area. Unrelated personnel must leave quickly, or you will be dealt with according to city law.”

Seeing the compass pointing towards the gate, Ye Yong knew that Lin Wei had already been taken out of the city. It would likely be very difficult to catch up now. He stared at the guard: “I come on the orders of the city lord to inspect the restrictions. When did you start guarding here?”

“On the orders of the city lord?” The guard sized up Ye Yong and then glanced at the demon clan members behind him, seeming to recall something. They were from the Kunlun Realm, residing in the West City District, and belonged to a family that was not to be trifled with. With a mission at hand, the guard couldn’t easily believe others: “Do you have a decree from the city lord?”

“Although I don’t have one, I can contact the city lord and have her speak to you.” Ye Qingwu took out a communication stone and contacted Jin Honglian.

Jin Honglian was unaware of the situation and was initially a bit puzzled, but she quickly followed their lead and confirmed that there was indeed such a matter.

With the city lord’s acknowledgment, the guard stated that he had only been here for less than half a day, and the previous guard had left three hours ago, confirming that everything was fine with the restrictions.

“Do you know the other party?” Ye Yong initially suspected that the guard in front of him was the one who opened the city gate. When he saw them arrive, the guard’s gaze did not flinch; instead, he appeared somewhat dazed. Ye Yong felt that he was most likely unaware of the situation, so he simply stated that he was there to check the gate’s security measures, to prevent news of Lin Wei’s disappearance from spreading and causing further chaos within Shilin City.

“Of course I know him; he is the third head of the Han family.”

“Have you noticed any suspicious behavior from him?”

“None at all, just as usual. May I ask what crime he has committed?”

“It’s just a routine inquiry. Once you finish your questioning, we will also ask the next person if they find you suspicious.”

The guard nodded, saying no more. Ye Yong asked what he needed, and the guard answered accordingly.

Soon, Ye Yong learned from the guard that the Han family had settled in Shilin City several decades ago. Through the development over these years, they had become one of the more influential human families in the northern district.

An outsider family, and still human, had managed to develop to this extent in just a few decades; it was difficult to achieve without a background. Ye Yong was almost certain that they were infiltrators placed from the outside, and even the high-ranking members of the demon clan above them could be undercover agents.

If Dan Yu had not made breakthroughs and unearthed some infiltrators in advance, it would undoubtedly be a significant discovery, capable of regaining some advantages. At this moment, Dan Yu could be said to have no rivals on the Northern Cold Continent. Whether there were infiltrators or not was like a clown jumping around; it didn’t need to be taken seriously. In the face of absolute power, all schemes and tricks were futile. In the past, Ye Yong would have pretended not to know and watched their performance. But now that they had set their sights on Lin Wei, he could no longer turn a blind eye.