9 Death Rush

After playing around with his hair, she smiled as she was satisfied and let go of his hair. Xu An put some distance away from her and stared daggers at her.

This damn brat! I just saved your life! I should have let you be killed! Xu An cursed inwardly, but the fury in him vanished as soon as she smiled at him.

"Thank you, Granger."

Xu An instinctively looked behind him as he forgot his alias. Quickly remembering his new name, he said with a smile, "Everything's for a friend."

Shortly after, his expression changed as he touched his scarf. Lifting it slightly to appear in his line of vision, and said inwardly, thank you, whoever said those words.

Xu An was indebted and thankful at this point. If not for that, Morgiana probably died already.

Xu An couldn't recall just who it was telling him that powerful advice. 

Even in the original Xu An's memory, the man's face was blurry but, the original Xu An had an impression towards this man. So deep that it resided within the depths of his soul.

The scarf he was wearing appeared to be from that mysterious man as a gift.

Xu An subconsciously smiled as he stared at the scarf, and Morgiana didn't say anything when she saw this.

Without warning, shout of agony outspread to the entire pub. Everyone instantly casted their eyes to the source.

"Please! Stop this, please! Someone, anyone!" It was the man who bashed his head due to the intense pain he got.

Xu An hurriedly approached the man as he hold his shoulders, preventing him from smashing his head on the ground.

"Is there a way to stop it?" Asked Xu An towards the woman.

"There is no method." The woman shook her head, "But I can share the pain he's feeling to someone else."

"Do it. I want 70% of it and transmit the rest to Morgiana."

Morgiana reflexively wore reluctant expression. Knowing that, Xu An asked, "What's wrong?"

Morgiana wanted to reply yet words impossible to come out of her throat. She didn't want to agree with Xu An's words.

She despise pain, who doesn't? Regardless, the man smashing his head to the ground only an innocent, a passersby.

Though he watched her suffer and didn't do anything, it doesn't mean he's a bad guy.

Following this line of thought, she let out a heavy, long breath, "Sigh, fine."

Xu An nodded, "I know you're not going to leave him behind."

Morgiana smiled bitterly and at the same time thought to herself, Xu An, I'm not as kind as you think.

"Very well," said the woman with a slight nod. She approached the man and slap his chest. The man stopped shouting as he coughed out two pills. After that, he celebrated, "The pain... Is gone!"

He averted his gaze to Xu An, "You! Because of you, I have to suffer so much and it's for nothing! What I do to you that I experience something like this?!" His voice that of fury.

Xu An understood the man's feeling and said nothing. When the man stop talking, Xu An apologized solemnly as he suddenly kneeled, "I'm sorry!" His head smashed the ground so hard one could hear loud thud.

The man startled as his shoulders jolted. He felt guilty for unknown reason. Looking at the kneeled youth, the man realized he's being too much. 

His anger evaporated within seconds. He sighed as his expression turned soft, "Well, at least you know how to apologize. Get up."

"Yes." Xu An got up. "I'm terribly sorry, uncle."

"It's alright, I should say the same too. It's not entirely your fault. The woman said it's someone random. So it's just my bad luck."

The man took it easily and didn't delve the problem much further. He's a man with great character and quite mature.

Xu An looked at the pills on the woman's hands. He retracted his gaze to her, "Do I have to eat it?"

Remembering those coming out of someone's mouth disgust him, let alone from a man!

"Yeah, if not. He'll having a fun time again," she spoke sarcastically as she looked at the man.

The man shifted his vision to Xu An with expectant eyes and assured him, "Don't worry, boy. My breath doesn't smell."

That's something I don't want to hear right now, said Xu An inwardly.

"Which one the 70%?" He asked.

In her hands, one could see a red pill and a blue pill.

Looking at these pills triggered something within his memories and he subconsciously said loudly, "Why this feels familiar?" He frowned.

If the person offering the pills were a black dude with black glasses, that would've been perfect, honestly. However, on second thought, a pretty girl was still better, ten times even.

Xu An picked the red pill and smell it. Contrary to his expectation, it let out herb fragrance. Morgiana followed as she grab the blue pill. She looked at it as her heart rapidly increased as she was nervous.

She looked at Xu An, the latter noticed her gaze and turned his head to her.

"You ready?" He asked.

"Probably," she replied as she wasn't unsure.

"We do this at the same time, okay? Three, two, one!"

Both immediately opened their mouths and eat the pills. They swallowed it in the next moment.

Gulp.

Xu An prepared for pain as he closed his eyes intently. Though, despite a few seconds in. They didn't feel anything.

Xu An opened his eyes, "What's going on?" He asked. "Did you give us the wrong pills?"

"No, the greater the pain–"

"Aaaagh!"

"The longer the pain going to take effect."

Her words got cutted in the middle because of Morgiana's shout. Wait, only Morgiana?

"What's going on?" Asked Xu An as he was bewildered. He did feel pain but it's the same as being punched by kids.

Shifting his vision to Morgiana whose expression contorted in pain, his heart winced.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Xu An demanded for an answer.

"Interesting," said simply the woman.

"I don't want to hear that, reply my question!" Urged Xu An.

"Your pain tolerance exceed normal person."

Hearing her reply, Xu An quickly understood. In his previous life. The amount of time he got injured beyond what he could remember.

Most of the time, the pain he got was from torture.

Once in a while, something unexpected might happened as that's what reality do best and he got caught by enemy. They tried to extract information out of him through torture, the most classic method out there.

Xu An managed to get through it and was saved by the organization he belonged to.

"Then can I have the pain she's having?"

"I can if you want her to die. My ability isn't as simple as you might think. Transmitting pain comes with doubling it.

"Right now, you two experience pain three times more painful than Chin Sha intended."

"No way..." Xu An wore a troubled look and felt regret for involving Morgiana into this. He should've take the pain to him alone!

"Ahahaha!" Chin Sha laughed. Xu An glared at him. It's his fault! If not for him, something like this wouldn't happen!

Despite that, however, Xu An couldn't do anything. He had no power to give Chin Sha a good beating.

The only thing he could do was to wait patiently and stay by her side as she go through it.

After a few minutes, she stopped screaming as she collapsed to Xu An's embrace. Her breath quite heavy as sweat continuously flowed down her pretty face. Her face complexion was white as a corpse.

"I did it, Granger." She smiled by using every being in her. It cost a toll enduring that much pain.

Xu An lay Morgiana down slowly.

"Morgiana!" Someone in a waitress uniform, seemingly her friend, rushed in her way and sat next to her.

"You're her friend?" Asked Xu An.

"Yes! I'm an Alchemy in training!"

"Then can you heal her?" Xu An hurriedly asked.

"I'm not confident but I have something," she fished out something from a tiny pouch on her waist. A tiny bottle of dark blue liquid.

She opened the lid and poured its content into her mouth.

As Morgiana wasn't fully faint, making her drinking the content require minimal efforts.

A few seconds after drinking it, Morgiana opened her eyes and get up.

"Thank you, Ferisha! But, is it okay? That bottle, isn't it a memoir of your mother?"

"It's okay, Morgiana. You're in danger and I couldn't help you since the start. Yet, when I see you suffer like that and need medical help, I couldn't leave you alone to die. Could I?"

"Ferisha!" Morgiana hugged her. Ferisha flustered as it was unexpected. Regardless, she accepted the warm hug.

Morgiana then retracted her gaze to Chin Sha with a furious look.

"Chin Sha, how about we stop this nonsense?" She suggested. "You're hideous and with your personality, I doubt any women out there wanna go with you. I'm one of them. If you still insist, remember where you are. This is not a place where you can do as you wish."

"You must be joking. You're talking before a Grand Noble. The descendants of the greatest hero helping the Emperor of Humanity. Their position is higher than yours."

"I suppose that applies the same with their arrogance and ignorance? It's their ancestor who helped Him, not you. Don't be arrogant about something you have never done. He's just leeching his ancestor's achievements." Her voice contained coldness.

Hearing her words, Xu An snapped from his daze. He gazed at Morgiana for a second and then he looked at the Grand Noble. He nodded as he agreed. "That I agree with."

"So what?" Ridicule flashed over his eyes, "We all know how injustice this world is. Just because you are born without a golden spoon doesn't mean you should blame your fate on someone else.

"Moreover, the system is been there for ages already. if you want to change it, tell it to the World's Empire. Not me, I'm just a former wanted explorer and a lowly henchman," argued Chin Sha.

What Chin Sha said made sense. He was an infamous wanted explorer for nothing to be able come up with a good comeback. Morgiana felt like she was losing if she didn't say a thing. She wanted to say a word but she squeezed out nothing.

"This argument leads to nothing. How about we stop this here?" Xu An suggested, "The emperor loves his people equally. If you take her by force, do you think he would let it? Isn't that the same as taking us, the Jade Empire, an easy target to bully?" Xu An looked at the people in the pub.

"Everyone! Don't be afraid, this is the capital. Our ground, our home! Everyone from the Jade Empire is a family and those who try to hurt one of us are a foe. What would you do to a foe?" Asked Xu An.

"That's right! We chase them out no matter who they are! Remember, Grand Nobles are humans too. Which suggests they have certain rules on what could they do and what couldn't! Don't you guys hate it when someone looked down on you?! If we stand together, we'll be unstoppable!" He paused as he retracted his gaze to the military man, "Don't you think so?"

At the same time, the crowd whispered as they agreed.

The man cleared his throat to get the attention, "Are all of you working together to insult a Grand Noble?" He got up from his seat as he let out domineering air. He walked in Xu An's way with a calm expression.

The crowd turned silent as they watched the man getting closer to Xu An. The air became tense and heavy.

"No, we are not. Is it wrong to stand up for what's right? The Grand Noble force a girl to do something. Are we, the people of the great Jade Empire is easy to be bullied? If not us protecting our kin from outsiders, then who would?

"Or are you saying doing it is a disgrace?" Xu An's voice was steady and calm despite the overbearing air the man exuded. Morgiana behind him hold his sleeve as she was shaking with eyes looking down. Hearing Xu An's words, she slightly lifted her eyes to see him.

She saw Xu An able to maintain stable eye contact without averting it. She found it impressive and worth admiring.

He's amazing, said Morgiana to herself.

The man didn't say anything as he stare at Xu An for ten seconds straight. After what seemed forever, the man turned around and went back to his seat. After sitting, he turned his head to the Grand Noble, "Sir, do you still want the girl?"

"Of course," he replied.

"The consequences might be more than you could handle." The military man added.

"You're saying I'm a coward?" The Grand Noble's eyes turn rigid.

"Of course not," he instantly replied as he shook his head. Next, he averted his line of sight to Xu An, "Young man, how about we settle this in Death Rush?"

"What?" Xu An blurted out.

The crowds let out an exciting scream. It's been a while since they haven't watched a good show! The crowds' change of mood was pretty amazing. They were on Xu An's side earlier but now cheering like a festival around the corner.

"What's that, Harry?" Huang Yin turned his head to Harry.

"Death Rush, it's a place where people settle their grudge when there is no way out anymore. Once both parties accept it, one couldn't back away. If they did. They would be punished to death.

"Unlike other empires that do so with fighting to the death, the Empire uses dungeons. Whoever reaches the highest floor is the winner, or if one dies, the survivor is the winner.

"Until one person dies, both parties have to ascend as many floors as possible.

"Of course, they have to kill monsters on the floor so that the door to the next floor opens."

He was only someone who just started cultivating a few hours ago!