A Ruthless Plan

The Wolf Bandit's eyes turned pale. Wisps of white thread streamed into his mouth, and their memories played through his mind like a slideshow.

"My lord, this is what happened." The Wolf Bandit reported what he had seen, piece by piece. Put together, it showed that the Hall Master was ruthless enough to stake everything on revenge.

The Hall Master had become a father late in life and doted on his young son. After the boy died, he used his authority to hunt down every Spirit Master with a snake Martial Soul within his territory. He wanted to vent his rage, but he also hoped to draw out the venom's true owner. As far as he was concerned, his son would still be alive if not for that poison, and whoever owned it had to pay.

By chance, Ye Qing had encountered the search party. Once the Hall Master confirmed that Ye Qing was a Title Douluo, he knew he was no match for him. Spirit Hall would never offend a Title Douluo for the sake of a Soul Emperor like him.

But that was assuming the Title Douluo was not an enemy. What if he was?

Spirit Hall had three approaches to Title Douluos.

Recruitment, coexistence, or extermination.

It recruited as many Title Douluos as it could, coexisted with those who served other powers, and struck down any who opposed it with overwhelming force, leaving no future threat.

Looking at the vial of venom, the Hall Master came up with a plan.

If a doctor with no cultivation could use this method to kill his son, he could use it to take revenge. He would turn the man's own venom against him.

He had considered whether Ye Qing might have an antidote. The Healing System Soul Saint had said there was no cure for the poison, but the Hall Master could not be certain. Nor did he know whether he would get another chance if this one failed. So he decided to stake everything on a single attempt.

If a Branch Hall Master died at Ye Qing's hands, word would spread and Spirit Hall would send someone to deal with it. Its leaders would not tolerate an enemy like that. To pin the blame squarely on Ye Qing, the Hall Master killed some Spirit Hall guards, then controlled their corpses and sent them to attack him, forcing Ye Qing to kill them.

That would make Ye Qing's crime a massacre of Spirit Hall personnel, a crime of the highest order. Spirit Hall's Consecrated Elders would surely come to deal with him.

"My lord, that's the gist of it. These people were already dead when they arrived, so their memories were fragmented. That's all I could learn. As for their leader, the venom damaged the part of his brain that held his memories, so those were fragmented too. But it seems he had another move prepared."

"That matches what I knew, more or less. But how did he control the corpses? They could still attack people after he died." Everything the Wolf Bandit had told Ye Qing fit what he already knew, but a dead man controlling other dead men was too strange.

"His Spirit Skill. His Martial Soul seems to have been some kind of parasitic insect. Even after he died, the skill could draw on its hosts to sustain itself for a while."

"You can go." Ye Qing pointed toward the distant forest. He had not stayed at the scene with the three youngsters to listen to this report. Strong as he was, he was not foolish enough to stand there waiting for the Hall Master's next move. Only villains did that, and they usually died horribly.

So once the Wolf Bandit had extracted the portion of the souls Ye Qing needed, Ye Qing left the city. Whether by design or oversight, the gates had not been shut after what happened, and no one was checking those who passed through. He walked straight out. Closing the gates would have made little difference anyway. Those wooden doors were only a few fists thick; they could not have stopped even his most ordinary punch.

As for the three youngsters, Da Ming and Er Ming were unaffected. The bloodlines of both the Titan Giant Ape and the Sky Azure Bull Python bore the imprint of slaughter. Blood did not unsettle them; it stirred their ferocity. Xiao Wu, however, was another matter. The scene had been far too bloody for a rabbit, and Ye Qing had never thought to prepare her for such sights. She was off to one side, throwing up violently.

Ye Qing could do little about it. As the saying went, she would probably get used to it after throwing up enough times. Still, it reminded him that Xiao Wu needed gradual exposure to real combat. There was no stopping at a touch in a fight to the death. Showing mercy could get her killed.

"Why are you still here?" The Wolf Bandit had not left. He was still following Ye Qing.

"My lord, I told you. You saved me, so from now on, I'll do whatever you ask."

"You should leave. I don't like Wolf Bandits either. Go back to your pack. I saved you this time because you were useful. The next time we meet, things may be different." Whether they were raiding human villages or killing young Spirit Beasts, there was nothing Ye Qing liked about what Wolf Bandits did.

Humans had tried to wipe them out, but they were like weeds. Every so often, they sprang up again, infuriating the cities and kingdoms along the borders.

"My lord, I haven't had a pack for a long time. I'm not like the others. I developed intelligence early, and I've never done any of the things those Wolf Bandits do."

His unusual nature had gotten him driven out of his pack long ago. That was why humans had managed to capture him. Otherwise, an intelligent, high-ranking Wolf Bandit like him would never have been caught. Ordinary pack members would sacrifice themselves to protect someone who represented their pack's future.

The Wolf Bandit had only heard of beings like Ye Qing before. Now that he had a connection to one, he meant to seize the chance to gain his protection. An opportunity like this might never come again, and a lone Wolf Bandit was an easy target.

"I don't need a subordinate who serves no purpose. Your talent won't matter to me in the future either. You have nothing I need." Ye Qing already had Gang Zong for menial work. Gang Zong knew his place and eagerly took on every rough job. As for the Ghost Spirit Wolf's talent, Ye Qing could exchange for the ability to search souls once he had enough resources.

"No, my lord, I—I can be useful. I can make one tree grow two kinds of fruit."

"Oh? Tell me about it." The claim made Ye Qing think of grafting. It was commonplace in his world, but probably unknown here. Could this Wolf Bandit really be an inventive mind?

What the Wolf Bandit said next convinced him. He had discovered grafting on his own. He even knew how to brew alcohol, which piqued Ye Qing's interest. Perhaps he really could come up with something new. Seeing how determined he was, Ye Qing decided to give him a chance.

Back in the city, the Healing System Soul Saint reported what had happened to his superiors, following the will the Hall Master had pressed into his hands earlier.

"That debt... I've finally repaid it."

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