Shadow Clone moved at incredible speed. It melted into the shadows of night like a flowing streak of ink, darting through the darkness and catching up with the caravan in an instant.
At that moment, muffled sobs came from inside the carriages, while the riders outside chatted and laughed loudly. Their voices came through clearly to Shadow Clone.
"Big brother, that Young General is one of Heaven's Fate's people. Is it really all right for us to bring these people back so brazenly? We don't want to cause trouble for the clan!" one of the younger riders asked in a low voice, clearly worried.
The leader of the riders, the one who had spoken with Cang Linzu earlier, let out a long sigh. There was a hint of helplessness in his voice. "How could anyone have known? He showed up out of nowhere. What were we supposed to do?"
"But the fact that we saw him is a problem in itself. If we let the people go and return empty-handed, do you think they won't get suspicious? When the masters of the household ask about it, we'll still get blamed. We might as well stick to the original plan and take a batch of people back to serve as 'consumables.' At worst, we'll just wait a few more days before using them. Surely those young masters and misses can wait."
"They really know how to have fun."
At that, another rider chuckled, his voice low, leering, and full of secrecy. "Whatever else you say, that 'Ascension Path' developed by the Naturalist is truly something! After being altered, plenty of playthings that had grown tiresome have become fun again. They can even change forms back and forth. It's fascinating!"
"Isn't it just!"
The others perked up at the topic and chimed