A Ruthless Wolf's Plan

The Wolf Bandit's eyes turned pale as strands of white silk were drawn into his mouth. Their memories played through his mind like a slideshow.

"My lord, this is what happened." The Wolf Bandit reported the information he had seen one by one. Taken together, this Hall Master was quite the ruthless wolf himself.

In his old age, he had finally fathered a son and doted on the young boy in every possible way. After his son died, he furiously used the authority in his hands to hunt down every Spirit Master with a snake Martial Soul within his sphere of influence. It was not only to vent his anger, but also to lure out Venom's true owner. In his eyes, if not for that Poison, his son would not have died. The poison's owner had to pay the price.

By a twist of fate, Ye Qing encountered that group. Once the Hall Master confirmed that Ye Qing was a Titled Douluo, he knew he could not possibly be his opponent. Spirit Hall would not offend a Titled Douluo for the sake of a mere Soul Emperor like him.

But that was based on the premise that this Titled Douluo was not an enemy. If he was an enemy, what would the outcome become?

Spirit Hall had three approaches for Titled Douluo.

Recruit, coexist, exterminate.

They would recruit as many Titled Douluo as possible for Spirit Hall's use, coexist with Titled Douluo from other forces, and naturally wipe out with thunderous force any Titled Douluo who stood against Spirit Hall, eliminating all future trouble.

At that point, as he looked at the Venom, a plan came to his mind.

Since that doctor with no cultivation could use this method to kill his son, he could use the same method for revenge—returning the other's methods upon them and using their Venom to deal with them.

As for whether the other party had an antidote, he had considered that as well. Although the healing-type Soul Saint claimed this poison had no cure, he did not dare be certain. Nor did he know whether he would have a second chance if this attempt failed, so he chose to go All-In.

If a Branch Hall Master like himself died at the other party's hands, Spirit Hall would naturally send people to deal with it once the news spread. The higher-ups would never allow such an enemy to exist. To pin this accusation firmly on the other party, he killed some of Spirit Hall's guards, then controlled their corpses to attack Ye Qing, forcing Ye Qing to kill those corpses.

That turned his crime into a massacre of Spirit Hall, a first-rate offense. Spirit Hall's Elders would certainly come to deal with this matter.

"My lord, that is roughly what happened. These people were already dead before they arrived, and their memories were fragmented. This is all I could learn. As for their leader, Venom damaged the center of his memories, leaving them equally incomplete, but he seemed to have another contingency in place."

"It mostly matches what I already knew. But how did he control corpses? Those corpses could still attack people even after he died." Everything the Wolf Bandit described matched what Ye Qing knew, but the dead controlling the dead was far too bizarre.

"It was his Spirit Skill. His Martial Soul seemed to be a parasitic insect. Even after he died completely, this Spirit Skill could continue absorbing other things from its hosts and sustain itself for a while."

"You may leave." Ye Qing pointed toward the distant forest. He had not brought the three little ones to stand at a crime scene and listen to such a report. No matter how strong he was, he would not be foolish enough to stand around waiting for the other party's backup plan. Only villains generally did that, and they usually died terribly.

So, after the Wolf Bandit extracted the portion of the soul he needed, Ye Qing left the city. Whether it was deliberate or some kind of arrangement, the city gates had not been closed after such an incident, nor had there been any inspections. He simply walked straight out. Even if they had been closed, it would have been useless. Those wooden gates, only a few fists thick, could not withstand even his most ordinary punch.

At that moment, the three little ones were faring differently. Da Ming and Er Ming were unaffected. Whether it was the Titan Giant Ape or the Sky Azure Bull Python, slaughter was imprinted in their bloodlines. Blood would not make them uncomfortable; it would only stir their ferocity. But Xiao Wu was in much worse shape. For a Rabbit, that scene had been far too bloody. Ye Qing had never considered giving Xiao Wu this sort of adaptation training before, so she was off to the side vomiting her guts out.

Ye Qing had no real solution for that. Going by the usual saying, she would probably get used to it after vomiting enough. Still, it reminded him that Xiao Wu needed to gradually experience real combat. In a life-and-death struggle, there was no stopping at the right point. Showing mercy could get oneself killed.

"Why are you still here?" That Wolf Bandit had not left and was still following beside Ye Qing.

"My lord, didn't I say so? You saved me, and from now on, I will serve you faithfully and follow your orders."

"You should still leave. I have no fondness for Wolf Bandits either. Go back and find your pack. I saved you this time because you were useful. The next time we meet, it may not be this kind of situation." Whether raiding human villages or slaughtering Spirit Beast cubs, there was nothing Wolf Bandits did that Ye Qing liked.

Humans had also tried to exterminate this species, but they were like weeds. After some time, they would always appear again, infuriating the cities and nations along the borders.

"My lord, I have not had a pack for a long time. I am different from those fellows. I awakened my intelligence very early, and I have never done any of the things those Wolf Bandits do."

Because he was different, he had long ago been driven out of his pack. That was also why he had been captured by humans. Otherwise, a high-level intelligent Wolf Bandit like him could never have been caught. Even ordinary pack members would sacrifice themselves to protect such a hope for the pack's future.

He had only heard of beings like Ye Qing in the past. Now that he had finally crossed paths with one, of course he had to seize the chance to cling to him. Opportunities did not come twice. A lone Wolf Bandit was especially easy to attack.

"I have no need for useless subordinates. Your talent will not matter to me in the future either. You have no value that I need." Gang Zong already handled the odd jobs. He knew his position well and rushed to do any rough work. As for the Ghost Spirit Wolf's talent, once Ye Qing was wealthy enough, he could naturally exchange for a soul-searching talent.

"No, my lord, I-I am useful. I can grow two kinds of fruit on a single tree."

"Oh? Tell me about it." What the other party said reminded Ye Qing of grafting. However, something widespread in his world should not yet exist here. Could this really be an intelligent talent?

The Wolf Bandit's subsequent explanation confirmed it. A Wolf Bandit had actually discovered grafting techniques. More than that, this Wolf Bandit could brew wine. That piqued Ye Qing's interest somewhat. Perhaps he really could develop something novel. Seeing how persistent he was, Ye Qing decided to give him a chance.

Meanwhile, back in the city, the healing-type Soul Saint from earlier reported the situation to his superiors according to the suicide note the Hall Master had stuffed into his hands.

"This favor... I have repaid it."

The rules for the Qidian rankings allowed a book to stay on them for thirty days. It had been nearly half a month since I signed the contract, and this week was still my first trial recommendation. I do not know whether I will get another one. If you are interested, please recommend and save it, and make an investment through the app. Thank you.