When Qian Jue and Dai Mubai saw the shadow slip through the city gates, they didn't immediately follow. Through the Wolf Spirit's vision, Qian Jue noticed that once the man entered the gate, he quietly hid in a corner, keeping watch on the entrance. If not for the Wolf Spirit, they would have fallen for his counter-surveillance.
After waiting for about ten minutes, the shadow finally confirmed that no one was following him and slipped into an alley. Only then did Qian Jue and Dai Mubai enter the city.
Strolling casually along the streets with Dai Mubai, Qian Jue appeared completely relaxed. Inside the city, with the Wolf Spirit's farsight, he no longer needed to follow the exact same path—almost as if he had a minimap. The terrain of the city and the man's movements were laid bare before him. Sometimes Qian Jue and the shadow were separated only by a single wall, or even with Qian Jue walking ahead of him.
From this close distance, Qian Jue finally saw the shadow's face through the Wolf Spirit's eyes. It was a young man in his twenties, handsome and lean. At first glance, he looked like a refined young noble, with no trace of a dark soul master. If not for the Wolf Spirit's constant surveillance, Qian Jue might have doubted himself, thinking he had followed the wrong person.
After weaving through the city for more than ten minutes, the young man finally arrived at the side gate of a small residence, slipped inside, and closed the door.
From above, the Wolf Spirit observed. The residence covered only a few thousand square meters, not particularly large, allowing the Wolf Spirit's perception to almost cover the entire compound. This gave Qian Jue an idea. Leading Dai Mubai to the outer wall, he gave a few quick instructions before closing his eyes, focusing on controlling the Wolf Spirit at close range.
Inside, the young man headed straight for a study. At the moment he opened the door, Qian Jue had already sent the Wolf Spirit drifting in ahead.
It was a square study. Directly opposite the door stood a wide writing desk, and behind it, a huge landscape painting hung on the wall. On one side were display cabinets filled with ornate objects, and on the other, a bookshelf packed with volumes. The setup looked proper enough, but Qian Jue could tell at a glance that there had to be a hidden chamber—either behind the cabinets or behind the painting. A cliché layout.
Hovering above the young man's head, the Wolf Spirit waited.
As expected, the young man twisted a brush washer on the desk, and the wall with the painting rumbled softly, lifting to reveal a glowing passage leading downward.
The young man stepped inside and triggered a mechanism, lowering the wall again. The Wolf Spirit followed, weaving through the underground passage. Qian Jue could tell it sloped deeper underground—the space below must be large.
As they went deeper, the tunnel grew brighter with lamplight. Outside, Qian Jue shifted along the perimeter wall but never set foot inside. He wouldn't risk it. Confirming the lair's location was enough. At most, he would scout further with the Wolf Spirit, but he would never drag Dai Mubai down into danger. They would wait here for Flender and Zhao Wuji.
At the bottom of the passage, faint cries and groans of suffering reached the Wolf Spirit. Qian Jue's heart sank—captives. And in the hands of dark soul masters, their fate was clear.
Turning a corner, the Wolf Spirit spotted a fork. At one passage, several thuggish attendants sat gambling with dice. When they saw the young man, they quickly stood and greeted him with, "Young master!"
The young man merely waved and walked past toward another passage. The cries came from the first, so Qian Jue guided the Wolf Spirit to take a quick look.
There he found rows of cells. Each cell held three or four people—men, women, elderly, and children. Only those in the front cells still cried or groaned; the rest sat in silence, eyes dead, as if hope had already been extinguished.
Qian Jue didn't linger, quickly pulling the Wolf Spirit back to follow the young man.
The trail led to a training chamber, where a middle-aged man sat cross-legged in meditation.
"Father!" the young man called softly twice.
The man opened his eyes, stern gaze locking onto his son. "You've been sneaking out again these days. Have you grown restless?" he asked sharply.
The young man sighed. "Father, Lianya is my girlfriend. When she calls for me, I can't ignore her."
"Girlfriend? Bah! Heroes have no room for weakness. Women are distractions. Once you are strong, you can have any woman you want! Why waste time with love now?" The father's voice was harsh.
The son lowered his head, helpless. "It's not that I'm unambitious… it's just fate."
"Fate? Rubbish! So what if your spirit is unusable? Didn't I already find you another path to strength? The Sacred City's secret methods—you've felt them yourself. They truly grant power to ordinary men! And once we've proven ourselves, we'll be eligible to apply for a spirit replacement. Then you'll become a true spirit master!"
"Father… we shouldn't force it. Everyone knows spirits cannot be changed once awakened. That's just their propaganda."
"Enough! What nonsense! Did that girl put these thoughts in your head again? If you keep wallowing in love, I'll kill her myself tomorrow!" His father's eyes burned with anger.
"No need. She's already dead. I killed her myself just now. That's what I came to tell you."
The father blinked in surprise, then broke into laughter. "Good! That's my son! Love is an illusion—strength is what matters most!"
But the young man didn't smile. "I killed her because she had begun to suspect us. If word got out that we'd joined an evil spirit master cult, Spirit Hall would wipe us out. Lianya was too open-hearted to keep secrets. I had no choice. But, Father, when I killed her, I was seen."
"What? Seen by whom? Spirit masters? Commoners? Did they see your face?"
The young man shook his head. "I can't be sure. Three youths, very young. One of them was a Spirit Grandmaster. I was far away and don't know how they noticed me. But they shouldn't have seen my face—I fled immediately, and I was in the shadows."
"Any chance you were followed?"
"Impossible. I used many tricks to shake a tail—there was no sign of pursuit." He detailed his evasive maneuvers, and his father nodded, convinced.
"Then only the corpse remains a problem."
"Exactly."
"I used the Death Soul Ring to kill her. If Spirit Hall gets her body, they'll know it was evil soul master work and trace it back to us."
He clenched his fists in regret.
"Then I'll go now. If those three brats are still nearby, I'll kill them all and deal with the body."
"No, Father! What if that Spirit Grandmaster already alerted others? You're not yet a Spirit King. If stronger enemies come, we may never return!"
Hearing his son's reasoning, the father smiled with pride. This was why he had such faith in him—his son was a genius, only held back by a crippled spirit. If not, he would already shine brilliantly. For that hope, he had even joined the cult of dark soul masters.
"But tonight, we wait," the father said. "I've been told the Protector of the Sacred City will arrive in Soto City tonight. A Protector is at least at the Spirit Emperor level. With him here, there will be no problem."
The young man's eyes lit up with joy. But Qian Jue, eavesdropping through the Wolf Spirit, froze in shock.
"Not good, Mubai—we need to retreat, now!"
Outside the residence wall, Qian Jue suddenly opened his eyes, panic flashing across his face.
"Oh? And where do you think you're going, little ones?"
…