Betrayal

Luo Sanbao knew things had taken a turn for the worse. He shot a glance at Lin Hai, then burst into motion, charging headlong into the crowd. Behind him, Lei Yun gave chase, driven by a reckless, murderous rage.

"Second Sister, wait for me!" The young man in white discarded his beast whip and followed on foot, abandoning his mount entirely.

The scene descended into instant chaos.

Wherever they passed, the crowd scattered in fear, terrified of being caught in the crossfire. Luo Sanbao unleashed his Nine-Turn Golden Body to its full potential, vanishing into the throng in the blink of an eye.

Half a quarter of an hour later, Luo Sanbao had completely disappeared. Lei Yun, drenched in sweat and panting, was livid when she realized she had lost him. "You little brat, don't let me see you again! If I do, I'll chop off your feet and gouge out your eyes!"

Not long after, the young man in white caught up, gasping for air.

"Second Sister, where is he?"

"He slipped away. It's infuriating!" Lei Yun sat down on a bluestone bench by the street, gnashing her teeth.

"Are we still going to East Ridge Temple today?" the young man asked as he sat down beside her.

"No! That brat ruined my mood. I'm going back to complain to Grandfather. He kept saying our family's Cloud Soaring Movement Technique was invincible, but it turns out he was lying to me the whole time..."

Lei Yun was fuming, but there was nothing she could do. She could only vent her frustration by cursing Luo Sanbao to high heaven.

"Second Sister, do you really want to catch that brat? I have a plan that might just work..." Seeing her extreme anger, Third Young Master Lei suddenly had an idea and whispered into her ear.

Before long, the sister and brother burst into laughter.

"Good, that's the plan. Go handle it immediately..."

By dusk, Lin Hai and his men returned to the Hunting Hall, faces beaming with excitement. After quietly asking the gatekeepers and confirming that Luo Sanbao was safe, Lin Hai let out a hearty laugh and strode into the assembly hall.

"Congratulations, Brother Lin! With that Spirit Weapon in hand, your strength will increase significantly!" Luo Sanbao stepped in from a side door to greet them.

"Haha, this is all thanks to you, brother! If you're willing, from today on, Sanbao will be the second-in-command of our Hunting Hall. Do you brothers agree?"

Lin Hai pulled a blood-red, broad-faced long saber from his pack, held it high above his head, and shouted.

It was the Spirit Weapon obtained from the bounty target.

Everyone cheered and clamored, pushing Luo Sanbao to stand beside Lin Hai. The two sat together, drawing a chorus of applause.

Luo Sanbao's performance and strength earlier that day had earned everyone's respect; anyone who dared to kick the backside of the Lei Family's second young miss was no ordinary person.

Although he hadn't prepared for it, Luo Sanbao didn't reject Lin Hai's proposal. Deep down, he enjoyed this unrestrained life of living on the edge.

Of course, Luo Sanbao knew clearly that whether it was Willow Forest City or the Hunting Hall, he was ultimately just a passerby. Thinking of this, he politely declined, and it took great effort to finally escape the group's warm hospitality.

Including Lin Hai, everyone felt a deep sense of regret.

"It's such a pity that Brother Sanbao won't join our Hunting Hall. That kick you gave the Lei girl today was so cool~"

"Indeed, in all of Willow Forest City, I'm afraid only Brother Luo would dare to kick Lei Yun's backside."

"Brother Sanbao, how did that kick feel?"

"That second young miss of the Lei Mansion is a bit overbearing, but she's a real beauty! Red lips, white teeth, and a perfect figure."

"..."

The men spoke without restraint, their lewd banter making Luo Sanbao shake his head. I was too busy running for my life to notice any of that, he thought to himself.

"Everyone, rest assured. Although I cannot join the hall for certain reasons, I recognize all of you as my brothers..."

"Good, good..." Lin Hai led the others in a loud cheer.

That night, the Hunting Hall was filled with shimmering lights and waves of laughter. Surrounded by these hot-blooded men, Luo Sanbao allowed himself a rare moment of indulgence and got thoroughly drunk.

The Spirit Cultivation Hall was a cultivation organization present in every major city, with members including many of the city's factions. Generally, it was jointly controlled by the most powerful local forces.

Its primary purpose, beyond providing a vast platform for cultivators to interact, included functions like bounty missions, item trading, and more.

The third-grade Crystal Monkey Heart mission that the Hunting Hall had accepted earlier was a high-bounty task posted by the Lei Family at the Spirit Cultivation Hall.

The wind and rain had been fierce last night, and the lingering effects of the wine remained despite a deep sleep.

When he woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky. Luo Sanbao patted his head, chiding himself for being too reckless. He quickly calmed his mind and began his new day of cultivation.

Bang, bang, bang.

The gates of the Hunting Hall were smashed open with brute force. Immediately, a group of fierce, wolf-like cultivators swarmed in, blocking the entrance completely.

"Who goes there? Who has the guts to come and wreck our Hunting Hall?" The brothers who were training in the morning grabbed their weapons and rushed to the front, with Lin Hai appearing quietly behind them.

When they saw the identity of the intruders, the group's hearts sank. These were no ordinary people; they were the very people from the Lei Mansion that Luo Sanbao had encountered the day before.

The Lei Family was one of the four great clans of Willow Forest City. Even a flick of their finger was enough to wipe the Hunting Hall off the map.

Everyone realized things were dire. It was highly likely that Luo Sanbao's actions had been exposed. They just hadn't expected the Lei Mansion's reach to be so vast that they would track them down in less than a day.

There were fewer than twenty people from the Lei Mansion, but among them were five Spirit Commander-level experts, with the rest being high-level Spirit Generals. Their combined strength was more than enough to wipe out the entire Hunting Hall.

Soon, the Lei Mansion group surrounded the courtyard, clearly having come prepared.

The Hunting Hall was only a small faction in Willow Forest City, far inferior to the Lei Family. Seeing who they were, the members were thrown into a panic.

"Hand over Luo Sanbao, or we'll tear down your hall!" The leader of the Lei Mansion group, a three-star Spirit Commander, had no interest in wasting words with a small faction and shouted as soon as he entered.

"My lords, I am Lin Hai, the head of the Hunting Hall. I don't know what business you have here, but we do not have anyone by the name of Luo Sanbao," Lin Hai said, stepping forward to explain in a calm voice, fearing his men might make a mistake.

"Stop the nonsense, Black Tiger, come out."

Following the shout from the leader of the Lei Mansion, a dark-skinned, stocky man stepped out from behind the crowd of Lei Mansion members, his face filled with panic.

This man was originally a member of the Hunting Hall; just last night, he had been drinking and laughing with everyone there, yet no one knew why he was now among the ranks of the Lei Mansion.

Harboring the same question, Lin Hai asked in a low voice:

"Black Tiger, what on earth is going on? Didn't I tell you to go to the Spirit Cultivation Hall first thing this morning to scout for information?"

"Chief, don't blame me. The Second Miss of the Lei Mansion issued a high-priced bounty to find Luo Sanbao. That's hundreds of gold coins—enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life. Please don't blame me; I won't be doing any more work for the hall from now on."

After saying this, Black Tiger hurriedly hid behind the Lei Mansion members, terrified that the people from the Hunting Hall would tear him apart, and then, taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention, he vanished from the hall.

"Scoundrel."

"If you dare to betray your brothers, don't let me see you again!"

"Black Tiger, I'm going to kill your whole family..."

The members of the Hunting Hall gritted their teeth in hatred, but constrained by the overwhelming power of the Lei Mansion, they dared not act on their anger for the time being.

It turned out that after Lei Yun failed to catch Sanbao, she was reminded by her younger brother and immediately went to the Spirit Cultivation Hall to post a high bounty. The bounty stated that anyone who could provide Sanbao's identity or location would receive a reward of several hundred gold coins.

Several hundred gold coins might be a drop in the bucket for the Lei Mansion, but for an ordinary person, it was an astronomical sum.

As it happened, the Hunting Hall had just acquired a Spirit Weapon and was at a point where they were looking to expand their influence, so Lin Hai had naturally sent someone to the Spirit Cultivation Hall to scout for news and see if there were any good opportunities.

Who would have thought that Black Tiger, the man responsible for gathering information, was a greedy, unprincipled wretch? Upon seeing the bounty for Sanbao, he had rushed to the Lei Mansion without a second thought, leading to this current situation.

"What else is there to say? Hand him over, or none of you will be walking out of here upright today," the Lei Mansion leader sneered.

With the witness present, Lin Hai and the others could not deny it. Having no other choice, Lin Hai said: "It is true, Sanbao did come to the Hunting Hall, but he is not from Willow Forest City, and he left early this morning!"

"Heh, you really don't give up until you hit the wall. Search the place! Heh, if I find that he is still in your Hunting Hall, I guarantee you'll regret it..." The Lei Mansion leader let out a cold, insincere laugh.

Facing such a small force as the Hunting Hall, the Lei Mansion leader didn't care at all, thinking to himself that if he failed to complete the Second Miss's task, he would certainly be punished upon returning.

"No need to search, I am right here."

Just as the Lei Mansion members were about to move, Sanbao stepped out from behind the crowd.

Sanbao had seen everything that transpired. Without saying much, he simply nodded toward the members of the Hunting Hall.

He had no choice.

Sanbao did not want to harm the entire Hunting Hall because of his own affairs.

Lin Hai closed his eyes tightly and whispered: "Brother, we have dragged you down."

The others were also deeply moved. With Sanbao's strength, he could have easily escaped before the Lei Mansion made their move, but if he had left, the dozens of brothers in the Hunting Hall would likely have been wiped out by the Lei Mansion. That was something Sanbao could not do.

Of course, even if he were taken away by the Lei Mansion, Sanbao had his own trump cards for survival, which was why he had stepped out so readily.

"Good, truly a hero among youths. The Second Miss has ordered us to invite you to the Lei Mansion for tea. Let's go."

The Lei Mansion leader waved his hand, and two Spirit Commanders immediately stepped forward to bind Sanbao. Sanbao did not resist, merely smiling at Lin Hai and the others.

"Don't worry, brothers, nothing will happen..."

The group came and went like shadows, and in a few moments, they had vanished completely.

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