The Lang family only stayed on top of the mountain for another half hour before starting their descent again. If they stayed there for too long, it would end up getting dark before they returned to the mansion and they would thus lose the best time to eat dinner together. Descending the mountain was a fair bit faster than ascending it, it only took them four hours to return to the spatial array located within the confines of Wolfsoul city.

The sun was already starting its descent towards the horizon, but looking at its current position, Lang Meng and the others guessed that they still had about three hours until the sun fully set and evening arrived. The group of six started making their way through the city, but they passed by one of the five market squares within the city after walking for an hour, Lang Huo quickly grabbing onto this chance, and her mother's hand.

"Mama, Mama, can't we go to the market? It's so stuffy staying within the mansion at all times, can't we take advantage of the fact that we are already outside?"

This was only the third time in the seven years of their life that Yin Long and Lang Huo had gotten to leave the Lang clan estate so it was only understandable that Lang Huo was a bit unwilling to return now that they were finally out. Lang Hua looked a slight bit unwilling at the prospect, quickly coming up with an excuse.

"Maybe next time. We have to return before it starts getting dark, otherwise, we won't have time to make and eat dinner before it's bedtime."

Lang Hua's excuse could only be considered flimsy at best, if they wanted then they could just send a message ahead and have one of the maids prepare dinner for them. Yin Long and the others knew that Lang Hua preferred making dinner on her own, but that alone shouldn't be a good enough reason to have them all return. Lang Meng seemed to think the exact same thing, placing a hand on his wife's shoulder while waving over a small group of guards.

"Come on how, Ah'Hua, the kids are getting older, we can't keep restricting them. I know that you want to be the one to prepare their food, so why don't we go ahead and return while leaving the guards to watch over them? Do you really think anything will happen to them with how many guards we have stationed around the market?"

Lang Meng softly rubbed his wife's shoulder, while giving several stern orders to the seven guards that had come over. The Lang couple wanted their children to grow up as fast as possible, only then would they be able to manage in this world once the two of them passed away. But even so, Lang Hua was still a mother and thus quickly grew worried and protective of her children, more than just a little unwilling to let them wander off on their own, even if they were watched by guards.

But in the end, after struggling with her own thoughts for a bit, she let out a long breath and gave up. She knew that Lang Meng was right, they couldn't restrict and protect their children forever. The two youngest might only be seven right now, but when Lang Meng and Lang Hua were their age, they had been sent out into the Underearth Forest to hunt for beasts, forbidden from returning without at least five different pelts.

She crouched down in front of the children and handed each of them 25 silver coins, giving them a hefty allowance for the shopping they might do. It took 100 copper coins to equal one silver coin, and in the same way, it took 100 silver to equal one gold, and finally, it took 100 gold to equal one platinum. The average family in the Lang clan, the farmers and the like, earned between 3-5 silver each month, and they were considered rather well off compared to other farmers. As such, it could truly be said that 25 silver was a bit excessive as allowance for a shopping trip.

Lang Meng and Lang Hua started walking away after handing over the allowance, casting a few glances behind them until they finally turned a corner and vanished from sight. Lang Huo's lips curved into a wide grin the moment her parents disappeared from sight, her hands reaching out and grabbing onto Tang Fen and Lang Ru, rapidly pulling them along.

"Let's go, let's go! We can't miss this chance that we finally got, we have an entire market to explore!"

Lang Huo only had two hands and was thus unable to drag along Yin Long, whose hand was quickly snatched up by Lang Ru before she was pulled away. The four kids rushed towards the market, which was shaped like a large empty square where people could set up booths to peddle their wares. The number of booths varied by day and hour, but there would generally be about 500 different booths in the market at all times, only about 100 of them officially owned by the Lang clan.

The seven guards quietly followed the kids, dispersing out a little while lagging behind to not disturb the kids while shopping. Looking at the situation from a slight distance also made it easier to assess the surroundings, it was standard procedure for the guards whenever they escorted someone.

The children were unleashed on the market, Lang Huo quickly taking on the role of a locust as she swept over everything, hopping from stall to stall. She stopped dragging the others along after a bit, but she stopped after every ten or so stops to make sure that everyone was still with her. Time passed quickly like this, one and a half hour passing as if it was the blink of an eye.

The sun was starting to set at this point in time, the sky dyed a dark orange. The sun was starting to set, but the market was only getting busier and busier now that people had finished their day's tasks and had some time to themselves. There was a bit of hustle and bustle all around, but most people kept things to an acceptable level of noise. That was, until Tang Fen let loose a loud and accusing shout audible to everyone around.

"Ah, he's a thief!"

Tang Fen had stopped in her tracks and was pointing to the side, her actions immediately drawing the attention of Yin Long and Lang Ru who were a few steps behind her, as well as Lang Huo, who was a few steps ahead of her. Tang Fen was pointing at a somewhat burly man with unruly black hair and a slight stubble on his chin, the man was mixed in with the crowd of people standing in front of one of the booths, but his surprisingly nimble fingers had snuck their way onto the coin pouch of the man in front of him. The burly man immediately clicked his tongue when he was discovered, pulling his hand back and dashing away.

But the path he chose to dash away was a bit strange, he was charging right at Tang Fen as if he wanted to run straight through her. He lowered his upper body slightly and pushed out one of his elbows, clearly planning on crashing right past Tang Fen if she didn't dodge in time. But just as he was starting to get close, a furious shout rocked the area.

"Not on my watch!"

Lang Huo charged over like a wild beast, a few faint crimson flames flickering within her eyes and on her hair. Her cultivation meant that her speed was faster than the burly man's so she crashed into him before he reached Tang Fen. A very soft cracking sound rang out and the man was actually launched to the side like a ragdoll, rolling along the ground for nearly seven meters before he came to a stop, his left arm twisted in a highly unnatural angle. Lang Huo took up position in front of the stiffened and frightened Tang Fen, glaring daggers at the collapsed man, smoke spewing from her nose as she let out a snort.

"No one gets to bully Sister Fen, no one!"

Lang Huo's voice was so loud it could almost be called thunderous, coupled with Tang Fen's earlier shout and the ensuing commotion, a thick crowd was already starting to form around them. The burly man staggered up from the ground, his expression dropping as he glared back at Lang Huo, gritting his teeth to not grunt in pain.

The man fiddled with something behind his back, quickly pulling out a short knife with his good hand, grasping it tightly while glaring at Lang Huo. The shift quickly drew the attention of everyone, Lang Huo's eyes flickering somewhat as she made sure to cover Tang Fen with her own body. None of the onlookers seemed intent on helping out, none of them wished to deal with a cornered beast wielding a knife.

But Yin Long's brows furrowed slightly, why was it taking the guards so long to respond? The tense and volatile atmosphere might have drawn the full focus of the others, but Yin Long retained his calmness and clarity, his teacher had long drilled this mindset into him. The tougher things got, the calmer he had to become, otherwise, he would miss the important things.

He slowed his breathing while he and Lang Ru inched closer to Lang Huo, his senses slowly spreading out to encompass a small area around him. The veins on his temples started to bulge and pulsate slightly, with how many people there were gathered around them there was a lot of movement he had to take in at once, it was quite a bit harder than what he was used to. The slight overexertion soon manifested on his body, a thin stream of blood leaking out from his right ear. But when they reached Lang Huo, he finally discovered something that made him spreading his senses worth it.

Within the crowd to her right, in what was likely one of her blind spots, one man had quietly drawn another knife and was slowly walking closer. If he took two more steps forward, he would get a clear view of her side and have the perfect chance to throw the knife. He could even take a rapid step forward and stab at her, both options were viable with how close the crowd was.

Yin Long didn't spend too long thinking about it, quietly stepping back and blending in with the crowd that was almost right behind them. He then quickly took advantage of his small body to squeeze his way through the crowd, almost immediately reaching the location that would be right next to where the man would exit the crowd. Once he reached his position, he proceeded to wait quietly and inconspicuously.

The burly man with the broken arm didn't make too many movements after drawing the knife, waving it around a bit as if he wanted to draw the attention of everyone. And while he was doing this, the somewhat thinner and a bit tanned man finally reached the edge of the crowd, and focused his eyes on Lang Huo. He gathered his strength in his arm and lashed out with it to throw the knife, Yin Long knowing that it was now or never.

He couldn't afford to think too much about what would happen to the man, he just had to protect his little sister. The man moved rather fast, but Yin Long was already accustomed to the attacks of Bai Xiang so in his eyes the man's movement was exceedingly slow. Yin Long stretched out his arm and grasped onto the man's wrist, giving it a twist while pushing it towards the man.

The assailant hadn't expected this turn of events so he was caught completely off-guard, his split second of panic resulting in the blade of the knife turning on him and sinking into his abdomen. This was the first time Yin Long had stabbed another man's flesh so he couldn't help but turn a bit pale, a touch of nausea assaulting his stomach.

But it wasn't the act of stabbing the man that made him feel sick, it was how simple and familiar it was. There wasn't any great resistance or the like, it felt as if he was stabbing his knife into the meat their mother would make for dinner. The man sharply exhaled, biting down on his tongue to prevent any other sounds from escaping his throat. His pupils flickered to the side and landed on Yin Long, a slight tremble running through his eyes when his gaze landed on that somewhat pale face that still retained its calm expression.

No mercy in battle, no mercy in survival, not to your enemies, and not to yourself, those were the tenets of survival drilled into Yin Long's mind. He resolved his mind and put more strength into his wrist, but the man reacted before Yin Long could move the knife. He quickly stepped back, retaining his grasp on the knife so that it didn't get dislodged and result in his blood spilling everywhere.

He broke free from Yin Long's grasp and quickly made his way through the crowd, covering up his abdomen using the exceedingly large and baggy brown robe that he was wearing. The man vanished into the crowd, the sound of the guards arriving reaching Yin Long's ears shortly after. The sound didn't calm his nerves, not even when they apprehended the burly man with the knife. The timing was simply too coincidental, to the point where he couldn't help but be suspicious.

But right now he had to shelve these thoughts, quickly taking several breaths to return his face to a normal color while also easing the nausea in his stomach. He quickly and quietly stepped over to Lang Huo again, who turned to face them just as he reunited with them. She was quaking slightly, but her eyes flickered with a slight bit of excitement.

"Did you see that?! Just one push and he flew away like a sack of potatoes! He was like, Raargh, Urhg, Woosh! I didn't even know that I had gotten that strong already!"

Lang Huo used her arms to mimic the man's flight, even making up the sound effects on her own. Tang Fen was still quite shocked and frightened, so she drew closer to Lang Huo, the source of her current safety. But while Tang Fen moved closer to the incomparably excited, and in truth somewhat scared, Lang Huo, Lang Ru's eyes glanced at Yin Long.

He had been standing right beside her when he dodged into the crowd and moved into position, and she still retained enough presence of mind to notice him leaving. As such, she had followed him with her eyes, allowing her to see his actions against the other knife-wielding man. Her expression turned a bit complex as she looked at him, whose face had already returned to its normal color, his eyes exuding nothing but a sense of warmth and calm. Once again, only she saw his secret. And once again, the duty of silence fell on her.