The Culprit

Song Chengan held a bunch of grapes, popping one into his mouth from time to time.

They were a little sour.

"Scholar Song, want some honey?"

Just then.

A Black Bear came running over.

He was carrying a huge pile of honey in his arms.

When he reached Song Chengan, he enthusiastically stuffed a piece into his hands.

Song Chengan's face went green.

Because not far away, a black swarm of bees was following behind.

"Damn it..."

Song Chengan turned and ran as well.

"I know where we can hide from them."

There was a silent pond.

After the dense swarm of bees circled above it for a while, they vanished.

Before long, a human head emerged from the water.

Then a bear head popped up as well.

"They're gone."

Song Chengan glared at the Black Bear irritably.

"Aren't you a Monster?"

"You're scared of a bunch of bees? Why not just beat them all to death?"

The Black Bear shook his head at once. "Can't do that. This Old Bear already stole their honey. Killing them too would be going too far."

"Besides, that fellow's awfully stingy. She ignores me when I take her honey, but if I kill her people, she gets angry."

"Besides, you didn't use any spells to burn all this honey to ashes just now either."

Song Chengan was speechless.

"By the way, is First Boss Bai around?"

"I have something to discuss with him."

"First Boss Bai?"

"He isn't here. He went down the mountain."

Song Chengan froze at that.

Recently, First Boss Bai seemed to be off the mountain whenever he had nothing to do.

Was a Monster really that busy?

And a Monster wandering the mortal world every day—wasn't he afraid some expert might casually slay demons and exterminate monsters?

After giving it some thought, Song Chengan asked.

"By the way, do you know of any Monsters on Mount Luo who are skilled at soul-binding?"

"Soul-binding?"

"That's right."

"A Monster on Mount Luo who binds souls..."

"That old woman from Hundred Flowers Villa."

"She's a Soul Devouring Flower that gained sentience. She's best at seizing people's souls."

"Hundred Flowers Villa?"

"Where is it?"

"Keep heading north from the village, and you'll get there."

Song Chengan nodded.

"You're going to find that old woman?"

"I have some things I want to ask her."

Song Chengan said.

But after taking a few steps, Song Chengan turned back around.

"By the way, is this old woman you mentioned powerful?"

The Black Bear smacked his lips.

"Nothing special, but she's terribly hard to deal with."

Song Chengan halted.

"Are you worried she'll fight you?"

"No need to worry."

"The Boss has rules. Monsters on Mount Luo aren't allowed to kill people."

"Kill someone, and you pay with your life."

"Besides, that old woman committed a grave mistake more than ten years ago. First Boss Bai confined her for a hundred years, and only a little over ten years have passed."

When Song Chengan heard that.

"Then I'm relieved."

He had nearly forgotten.

On Mount Luo, First Boss Bai had rules.

No killing people.

Song Chengan saw Hundred Flowers Villa.

Its gates were tightly shut.

But when Song Chengan arrived, the gates opened silently.

"How beautiful!"

As he stepped into the villa.

Song Chengan was somewhat astonished.

Flowers of every kind bloomed throughout the villa. Many flowers that should not have been blooming in this season swayed gracefully in the breeze.

"Who are you?"

Song Chengan turned around.

It was a woman who appeared to be in her twenties.

She was breathtakingly beautiful.

She lounged in a pavilion in the garden, watching Song Chengan lazily.

Song Chengan said, "I am a Rogue Cultivator from Lingqiu City."

"I came here to ask a fellow cultivator for something."

As Song Chengan spoke, he took out the hairpin.

The woman gave the hairpin an indifferent glance.

She asked, "Do I know you?"

Song Chengan said, "More than ten years ago, it seemed that you went to Lingqiu City and met a man named Lu Jingcheng."

"Lu Jingcheng?" An impatient expression appeared on the woman's face.

"You mean that idiot who was so infatuated he lost his soul, and kept thinking this young lady liked him?"

That left Song Chengan stunned.

"Weren't you and that man mutually in love back then?"

Song Chengan asked in confusion.

"But those matters aren't important."

"I came here to ask you something."

"Back then, because of Lu Jingcheng, you formed a bit of a grudge with a household."

"I want to know whether you seized the soul of one of that household's children."

"I did it."

The woman admitted it openly.

"At the time, my cultivation had reached a critical juncture, so I decided to cultivate the heart in the mortal world."

"But that man brought people with him and insisted that I had bewitched people into killing their sons and daughters, and wanted to hand me over to the Government Office."

"He even brought cultivators to injure me."

"I couldn't swallow that anger, so I seized a wisp of his son's soul."

"But according to what everyone said, that man truly did kill his son and daughter because of you."

The woman grew even more impatient.

"He said he liked me."

"I told him, you have a wife, a son, and a daughter. You should live your life honestly and steadily."

"Then the next day, he came running to tell me he had killed both his son and daughter. He even brought money, saying he wanted to take me away with him and fly far from this place."

"If that isn't insanity, what is?"

"In the end, all of you thought I was guilty."

"The Government Office wanted to arrest me, cultivators wanted to kill me, and that dead goose even confined me here for a hundred years."

Her words were filled with resentment.

Song Chengan: "..."

"My visit today is not to debate who was right and who was wrong back then."

"I merely wish to obtain that wisp of soul from you."

"A wisp of soul?"

The woman looked Song Chengan over.

"What relation are you to the An Household?"

"My elder sister is that child's mother. That child is my nephew."

The woman nodded, then asked in return, "Then why should I give it to you?"

"Are you going to snatch it from me?"

"Kill me, then take that wisp of soul?"

Song Chengan shook his head. "The Boss has rules on Mount Luo. Why make such a joke, fellow cultivator?"

Besides, I can't beat you anyway.

"Is that wisp of soul still here?"

"I want to trade for it."

After some thought, Song Chengan said.

The woman glanced at Song Chengan. "Fine."

"I want to leave this place."

"Go plead with that person for me and have him permit me to leave. Then I'll give you that human's soul."

"This..."

Song Chengan found himself in a difficult position.

"I don't know whether it will work."

"But the next time I meet the Boss, I'll give it a try."

"Then come speak to me after you've tried."

"Very well, then I'll take my leave first!"

"I won't see you out."

After leaving Hundred Flowers Villa.

Although he had not immediately obtained the wisp of An Mingxu's soul that had been seized, the Monster's words made it clear that An Mingxu's wisp of soul was still in her hands.

That made Song Chengan very happy.

At least there was a chance to retrieve that wisp of soul.

But he would not tell his sister this news yet, lest some later complication leave her rejoicing for nothing.

No one else knew that Song Chengan had come to Mount Luo to find this Monster.

On one hand, he was not certain whether he would be able to find her.

On the other, he did not want anyone to know that he had connections to this group of Monsters on Mount Luo.

Colluding with Monsters was a grave crime.

"I'll stay on Mount Luo for now and wait for First Boss Bai to return."