Chen Lin had not expected the middle-aged man to spot the scroll's abnormality at a glance, and joy stirred in his heart.
He immediately put on a look of shock and anger and turned to Manager Huang. "Didn't you say this scroll posed no danger at all? Why does this senior say it's made of soul-housed wood, with something hidden inside?"
He had to absolve himself of responsibility. He could not let the middle-aged man think he had lured the little girl here with ill intentions.
In truth, he had never intended to harm the little girl, because he had never planned to activate the scroll in the first place.
The remnant soul of that old man from the Shanhai Realm had nearly killed him through backlash. He would not repeat the same mistake. Everything he had done was merely to buy time and wait for a turn in destiny.
Manager Huang had not expected things to develop this way, but he knew he absolutely could not admit to it.
If he did, not even the Illusion Sword Sect could protect him.
At this thought, he immediately explained, "Senior, I truly knew nothing about what you described. I obtained this item by chance. It can affect the soul to some extent, but my own soul power couldn't activate it, so I asked Fellow Daoist Chen to help. And I wasn't the one who sought out your niece-it was Fellow Daoist Chen!"
Chen Lin's eyes flickered at these words, but he said nothing more.
With the experience of a cultivator in the late Spirit Transformation realm, the man could naturally discern the truth. Saying more would only backfire.
The middle-aged man first glanced at Chen Lin, then fixed his gaze on Manager Huang.
His voice was icy. "I don't care about