Lan Hao Tian walked into the market, and the people around him frowned for a moment before quickly ignoring him.
They only glanced at him because of the unpleasant smell of the sea mixed with the blood of fish that clung to his body. However, once they saw him, they didn't pay much attention after that.
He walked up to a clothing stall and fixed his gaze firmly on it. In his mind, calculations and equations appeared non-stop as he figured out the right size for his new outfit.
After completing the calculations, he sighed and muttered,
"My brain works so much better in this world. If I had this brain back in the previous world, math would have been so much easier."
With that, he darted toward the clothing stand like an arrow. Taking advantage of the shopkeeper's momentary distraction, he grabbed the outfit he had chosen.
Then, he jumped up onto the roof and fled, leaving the surrounding people dumbfounded.
The shopkeeper yelled loudly:
"You bastard, give me back my stuff!"
Lan Hao Tian turned around, flashing a grin as he said,
"Thanks for the help. If we ever cross paths again, and if I have money, I'll pay you back."
Right now, he didn't have a single coin in his pocket. The island he had been living on for over a decade was isolated from the outside world, so money wasn't used there.
Most of the necessities and supplies were gathered or made by the people collectively.
Finding a quiet corner, he changed into the new clothes and commented,
"Dry is definitely better. Having your body drenched in water like that is really uncomfortable."
But then, thinking about it, his face froze, and he slapped himself on the cheek:
"Damn it, why am I so stupid? I'm a level 2 Water Master. I could have easily sucked the water out of my clothes. Am I... am I actually enjoying the 'borrowing' of clothes?"
The more he thought about it, the more he realized how he had veered off the right path. He started to feel the figure of the upright person he used to be fading away.
"No! Damn it, I absolutely refuse to get used to this 'borrowing' behavior."
With that, he made a firm resolution that, from now on, anything he could do himself, he would never 'borrow' again.
Suddenly, the sound of a horse-drawn carriage passing by caught his attention.
He turned his head to see a girl in a cage being pulled by the carriage, nibbling on a piece of bread. Her face was covered in dirt, but her beauty still shone through. Her hands and feet were covered in wounds, and she was locked in iron cuffs.
"What's this? Kidnapping? How dare they do something so vile in front of me?" He furrowed his brows, and a murderous intent slowly began to appear.
At that moment, the voice of the coachman reached his ears:
"Heh heh, we've got ourselves some good merchandise today. We should be able to live quite well for the time being."
The muscular man sitting beside him chuckled and said,
"Ha ha, too bad though. We won't get to enjoy this prime merchandise."
"You fool, if we do that, the price will go down. Don't you want the money anymore?"
"Ha ha ha, I'm just joking."
The girl said nothing and merely lowered her head, continuing to nibble on the bread. Meanwhile, Lan Hao Tian was seething with anger.
Now that he was certain they were human traffickers, there was no reason for him to let these two go free.
He ran ahead and quickly blocked the carriage. He spoke in a cold tone:
"I'm giving you a chance. Let her go, and I'll only break your arms and legs."
The two human traffickers, seeing that they were suddenly blocked, were not pleased. They immediately drew their swords, their eyes fixed on the crystal collar around Lan Hao Tian's neck.
"Look at that, it must be expensive crystal. It could be worth more than this merchandise," the short man said.
The large man grinned cruelly.
"Ha ha ha, then we just need to kill this little brat with no weapons, and the treasure will belong to the strong like us."
Lan Hao Tian smiled— a smile filled with deadly intent.
"It looks like you really want to die."
"Hmph, don't act like a brat. I'll cut you down."
With that, the two human traffickers charged forward, raising their swords high and slashing downward.
Lan Hao Tian swiftly dodged, disappearing from their sight, causing their blades to strike the ground.
The cheap blades bent immediately upon impact with the rocks and dirt.
The two traffickers' faces twisted with rage.
"You bastard, where did you go?"
At that moment, Lan Hao Tian appeared behind them, his voice cold as he said,
"If you have the guts to do evil, you'd better have the guts to face death. Vanish from this world, you scum."
He repeatedly threw punches at the heads of the two traffickers. Their skulls shattered instantly from the force.
The two scoundrels died on the spot, their heavy bodies collapsing to the ground.
Meanwhile, the girl finished the last bite of her bread and looked up. She saw a handsome young man with blue hair staring at her.
She gazed at the collar around his neck, then looked him up and down. Her eyes lit up as if she had found treasure.
She tightly gripped the iron cuffs and said,
"Hey, can I go play with you?"
Lan Hao Tian was utterly confused. Her demeanor was completely out of place; it didn't seem like the behavior of someone who had just been kidnapped.
He walked up to her and asked,
"Why do you want to follow me?"
"I have a feeling that going with you will lead to many interesting things."
"Huh?!"
The corner of Lan Hao Tian's mouth twitched. He had lived two lifetimes, but this was the first time he had encountered such a situation.
After thinking for a moment, he said,
"It's dangerous to follow me. I advise you not to."
"I'm strong. Don't worry, there's no problem with me coming along."
Lan Hao Tian looked at her with disbelief, his face full of skepticism. He replied:
"If you can break free by yourself, then you can follow me."
The girl joyfully nodded when she heard this and uttered,
"You must keep your word."
Crack! Crack!
No sooner had she spoken than she broke her handcuffs and ankle cuffs. Lan Hao Tian's eyes widened in surprise. He currently didn't have the Heavenly Eyes, so he couldn't see through her strength.
Before he could calm down, she used both hands to bend the iron bars of the cage, creating a large opening. She looked at him and grinned.
"Hehe, now I'm qualified to go play with you."