The sharp arrow swiftly ended the life of the circus ringmaster on the spot, sending a shiver down the spines of the ordinary circus members.

At first, when Wang Xiaole was about to shoot that arrow, some keen observers had noticed that something was off about where the arrowhead was aimed. This off feeling was even noted by some of the onlookers standing nearby. However, none of them truly paid much attention to what seemed like a trivial detail.

People only thought that this young man entering the stage had poor archery skills, yet foolishly chose to embarrass himself. Not only those people thought so, even the ringmaster, before being struck, didn't think much about it until that flash of cold light pierced his heart.

The death came so suddenly that the ringmaster, even until the moment of his death, never truly understood the cause of his demise!

It wasn't until the arrow landed, pinning the pierced corpse to the ground, that the nearby people realized what had happened. Different people, at this moment, looked at the same young man with two completely different attitudes.

The spectators, though initially shocked, did not remain in fear. This town was beyond the reach of the law of the land, and the common sense of other countries did not apply here. That's why, after robbing a caravan before, Wang Xiaole had not left the town yet for the one and only reason.

As locals living in this lawless town, the residents did not fear Wang Xiaole; because so far, they had seen plenty of both beastkin and human corpses.

The rule of habit applies everywhere, no matter how terrifying the habits are. The common folk did not fear Wang Xiaole, but the lackeys left by the ringmaster couldn't maintain their relaxed composure.

The lackeys were not sure: where exactly did the ringmaster offend that young man to meet such a fatal end? The only thing they knew for sure was: now that the ringmaster had been murdered, they themselves might also face an uncertain fate ahead.

Their safety was not assured, and they were currently in a situation where death could come at any moment. What was even more despairing was that they had no idea how they could survive.

Just when they were unsure of what to do next, Wang Xiaole tossed aside the well-crafted bowstring and instead wielded the familiar longsword. At this moment, the beastkin boy who had narrowly escaped death was still trembling, looking visibly fearful.

Kindness was never Wang Xiaole's forte, and he didn't display any tenderness at this moment. After cutting off the chains that bound the boy with his sword, he simply told him once: 'Run, whatever happens to you in the future is your own business; just try to live another day.'

Wang Xiaole was not the type to see things through to the end, nor did he consider himself a good person. Whether the boy could escape the town or survive once he did was of no concern to him.

Originally, saving people was not his goal; the reason he shot that arrow was definitely not to save a life, but simply to take another one. The saying "saving a life is just a byproduct" suited Wang Xiaole's state of mind at that moment perfectly.

Living alone, of course, has a high degree of difficulty. In order to prevent the person he saved from meeting an early demise, Wang Xiaole deliberately took the money pouch from the leader and handed all the money inside to the young man. After hesitating for a moment, the young man accepted the money. It was fortunate that he did, as otherwise Wang Xiaole wouldn't have known how to handle the money himself. This was because Wang Xiaole had a firm personal rule: a swordsman is not a kind person, so he can also harm others; a swordsman is not a philanthropist, so he also needs to rob. Since embarking on this path, Wang Xiaole had set a rule for himself: no killing in robberies, no robbery in killings! Only by setting this rule clearly could he continue to be a swordsman and maintain this identity, without the risk of becoming a thief who harms people for money one day. The young man's acceptance of the money pouch was a great help to Wang Xiaole and also to himself. Without the necessary funds to sustain basic living expenses, a powerless ordinary beastkin like the young man would not survive for long and would soon become a cold body lying on the roadside. Now, by not stubbornly refusing the money, the young man had ensured a somewhat stable future for himself. "Th-Thank you." The young man, under one-sided protection, managed to express his gratitude before running away. To be honest, saying thank you one more time wouldn't add any extra meat to the thanked party. Even if it had no practical effect, the words still had to be said. It was all about attitude, unrelated to the outcome. "My human name is 'Baimu.' If if you ever need help in the future, you can come find me," said the young man before giving Wang Xiaole one last glance, turning his back, and running towards the town exit in a flash. Watching the boy's retreating figure, Wang Xiaole was certain that he was a simpleton. Come find him in the future? Easy to say, but without leaving any contact information, what talk of seeing each other again in the future? But it didn't matter; Wang Xiaole hadn't expected anything in the first place. He would just be content that the other party had such intentions. Regardless, even if they didn't meet again, it wouldn't be a big issue.

It should be said that Wang Xiaole's intuition was quite accurate, as this indeed turned out to be the last time he and the young man would meet in their lifetimes. The experience of saving the young man marked the second time Wang Xiaole changed history. From a racial perspective, that young man was a cat beastkin who later joined the "Beastkin Nation War" and gradually rose to the stage of the "Western Continent." Hundreds of years later, his descendants successfully rose to power through strength, establishing the precedent of cats being kings, and the "Bai" surname became the exclusive royal surname. From a bloodline perspective, he was undoubtedly an ancestor of Bai Meow. This world is very small, truly very small... With the boss (leader) dead and the little beastkin ghost used by the troupe to collect money on the run, the mood among the lackeys of the circus at this moment was extremely complex. Certainly, they were worried about an uncertain future and saddened by the loss of property in the troupe. But more importantly, they wanted to know how they would be treated in the future.

These people are not involved in the underworld, but they also understand the logic of "cutting off all means of retreat".

When the bosses have all been taken care of, can these followers still survive?

Survive!

This is not a conclusion reached by the clueless lackeys themselves, but an answer given to them by Wang Xiaole through practical actions.

After letting the boy go, Wang Xiaole turned back with disinterest, distancing himself from the crowd and ignoring the feelings of many lackeys behind him.

The logic of "cutting off all means of retreat" is also applied by Wang Xiaole here;

however, he won't go looking for trouble with the lackeys;

because those people are not really the "roots", at best they can only be considered a few "weeds" growing beside the "poisonous grass" of the leader.

The lackeys were let go, benefiting from their weakness and uselessness, benefiting from their lack of even qualifying to be "cut off all means of retreat."

Thinking about it this way, being weak is not entirely without benefits.

If Wang Xiaole were to stroll on the street alone, those people would surely live to a ripe old age peacefully;

but alas, at the moment Wang Xiaole left, Charley cast her gaze on them.

Those who are heartless are not as good as those who act relentlessly;

Charley's principles are very straightforward—if she does make a move, she would definitely ensure the job is done thoroughly, turning the living into the dead.

Rather than waiting for the day in the future when the current lackeys come seeking revenge, she would rather take action at this moment, cutting off all possibilities of future misfortune.

As the whip cracked, the range of casualties it caused was far greater than the length of the whip itself appeared.

The experience of the sudden death of their leader previously, had finally been experienced by these small figures.

If we were to analyze the tactile feeling specifically, there really isn't much else;

at most, there was a sudden coolness around the neck, followed by warmth spreading to replace the coolness;

and when the warmth completely dissipated, the lackeys' vision darkened, losing consciousness;

with one stroke of the whip, all targets were taken care of along the way.

Charley's personal action interpreted what it means to be "neat and tidy"!

After dealing with the future troubles, Charley returned to Wang Xiaole's side;

the latter was not unaware of what she had just done, but did not inquire further, nor did he want to argue.

Surrounding them, the onlookers who witnessed the entire process were left gaping speechless.

In contrast, the reactions of the two individuals involved were eerily calm.

In this town, there exists a knights' order responsible for maintaining public order;

however, the people commanding that army are not generous enough to directly employ private forces for an external circus unless someone offered a hefty price to buy Wang Xiaole's life, the knights' order would not take any action based on their lord's command.

Given the current situation, it will still be some time before the appearance of that employer;

until that day arrives, Wang Xiaole's days will continue relatively peacefully.

Afterward, the two wandered around the streets, had a meal midway, and experienced some interesting novelties;

It's hard to say how long it lasted, but by the time the two noticed the time, the sun had already set behind the mountains, and night was about to descend.

Today's date was absolutely delightful for Charley;

But compared to her anticipation for the evening, she seemed especially excited now.

Wang Xiaole was thrilled too;

To him, the most anticipated event of the day was the chance to meet Bai, who might come to attack him again tonight.

Both sides of the date had expectations, but the nature of their expectations was vastly different, which could be understood as a peculiar phenomenon.