Floating Spirit Mercenary Group

"Yeah. If you want to know, wouldn't you understand once you go home and take a look?" Sakura said with a smile.

Zhongli narrowed his eyes slightly. Sakura seemed to know quite a lot, yet she clearly was not someone who could easily obtain intelligence. Rather than listen to her ramble here, he might as well use the rocks at home to mark those people with Geo Elemental Particles directly.

He held grudges.

Since they had smashed up his home and had even wanted to kill him, its owner, asking for a few of their lives was not excessive, was it? Zhongli did not have the bad habit of letting threats go unanswered. Anyone who harbored great malice toward him would be killed, regardless of their motives.

Even if those people had already left and gone thousands of miles away, Zhongli would assume his Dragon Form, pursue them across a thousand miles, and crush them by force!

"No need. I only want to ask one question. Do you know who they are?" Zhongli asked coldly, staring straight at Sakura's teasing smile.

They?

Sakura's gaze changed again. She was certain Zhongli had absolutely not known about this before, yet now he could accurately use the word "they," and his expression did not look very pleasant. That meant he possessed some ability to rapidly obtain information in a short time, and its range was enormous.

Was someone helping him from the shadows?

If so, they were most likely a Spirit-type Soul Master with exceptionally powerful perception. Yet she had not discovered anyone. There were only a few possibilities:

First, the hidden person was far stronger than her; second, they possessed a powerful concealment soul skill that made them difficult for her to sense; third, their soul skill was not a perception-type ability at all, but something like sensory sharing, or perhaps they used certain objects for detection and information transmission; and the fourth possibility...

I can't guess~

"Why should I tell you for free? If you want to know, the price will be quite steep." Sakura slowly walked to a seat nearby and sat down, lightly crossing one leg over the other. Her fair, smooth skin gradually became exposed to the air. The third maid standing by nearby blushed faintly, her small hands trembling as she instinctively licked her lips and breathed a little faster, as though imagining something.

"The price? What do you want?"

Zhongli did not pay much attention to that. He merely picked up his teacup, took a sip of the freshly brewed hot tea, and asked with slight confusion.

"What do I want... I want thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins. Not a single coin less."

Sakura slowly raised three fingers, a strange, bewitching smile appearing on her face.

"Thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins?"

Zhongli repeated it softly, unable to stop himself from thinking. Her demand for thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins was far too precise. When Aserine arrived, she had happened to be carrying exactly thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins, and after this meal, they would certainly be short by exactly the cost of one meal.

If Zhongli had made a habit of not carrying money, it would have been just barely insufficient, which was truly unpleasant. Even if he had brought money, it would not have been much better. The money Zhongli's parents gave him was all kept by Aserine. Even if they could pay, it would still affect their later living expenses to some degree.

In other words—

Under normal circumstances, no matter what he did or chose, he would have been inconvenienced. Unfortunately... Zhongli could create money directly, and he made it especially quickly. Aserine still had several million Gold Soul Coins in her pockets, so there was no difficulty at all.

This fox's scheme had come to nothing, but she had exposed the hidden fact that she had dealings with Zhongli's parents. Otherwise, she would not have known that Aserine happened to have thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins and named a price that happened to match. He did not believe thirty thousand Gold Soul Coins was a coincidence.

"A reasonable price. Deal."

Zhongli finally replied simply and directly. At the same time, he turned to Aserine and signaled for her to pay. She obediently handed over the money, and her expression did not change in the slightest, as if she were doing something utterly insignificant.

"Haha, what a generous little fellow~"

Seeing the Gold Soul Coins that had appeared in her Storage Soul Tool, Sakura's smile became even brighter. She immediately honored her promise and said, "These people all belong to a small Mercenary Group, though that small Mercenary Group is probably only a front, specially used to cover for them while they do things that cannot see the light of day."

"Mm. What is this Mercenary Group called, and where is it stationed?" Zhongli continued.

"It's called the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group. Its headquarters are stationed in Suotuo City on the other side. That's a major city, and its environment is terribly complicated~ Living in a small city like this is much more comfortable. Sigh, but how many people can understand that..." Sakura sighed as she spoke, looking as though she were about to start rambling again.

"Thank you for the information. Goodbye."

Zhongli turned away directly and led his Maid out of Moon Pavilion. He had no interest in listening to Sakura spout nonsense here. Who knew how much of it was true... Still, the information about the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group was probably genuine. If she did not even have that bottom line, Sakura would be far too contemptible.

Although that damned fox was cunning and always thinking of ways to make him uncomfortable, she was generally still one of their own. She was just a tiny, tiny bit scummy.

By the roadside.

"Master, the Floating Spirit Mercenary Group's people were likely only hired thugs. If you want to solve the problem, it would be better to start at the source," Aserine reminded him.

"I know."

Zhongli saw it clearly and thoroughly. That clarity would not interfere with his choice; it would only make his choice firmer.

People were people, and blades were blades. Even if people were used as blades, they were still people—especially when both sides clearly understood the nature of the transaction. Since they had done what they should not have done, they should be punished. There was no need to be softhearted. Taking out both the thugs and the Employer was the right thing to do.

How should he put it... He had to seize both ends!

"Would you like me to investigate anything? I am fairly capable in this area as well, though it would take a bit more effort," Aserine asked considerately.

"No need."

Zhongli shook his head gently, then stopped and looked at their destination: his new home. From the outside alone, his new home already looked utterly wrecked. Its interior was impossible to imagine.

A flicker of warm anger gradually rose in his eyes. Zhongli did not have much attachment to this new home, but it was his parents' goodwill, love expressed through material things. And now, even that material expression of love had been destroyed.

After standing there in silence for a long while, Zhongli suddenly felt something warm and soft against his back. A pair of arms reached around him from behind and gently embraced him, accompanied by the delicate fragrance of a young girl. It was Aserine.

"Why... are you doing this?"

Zhongli asked with slight confusion.

"Because the instructor said that doing this when Master is feeling down will make him feel a little better," Aserine answered honestly.

"Is that so..."

Zhongli's gaze shifted slightly, and the feelings in his heart became increasingly complicated.

Sigh, natural really was better~