Su Yan returned to the Inner World of Martial Souls. Only four gray orbs still floated in the air; neither Xiao Chenyu's nor the enforcer's gray orb had appeared.
It seemed that merely making contact wasn't enough to obtain the other person's Martial Soul orb. Some prerequisite still had to be met.
Su Yan had no time to dwell on it. He removed the White Gem from the Blue Silver Grass, replaced the wolf's Blue Gem with it, and returned outside.
"Is there any way to unlock the door and get out?" Zhu Zhuqing rarely moved from her spot, and now she joined him by the door.
Su Yan held out his palm. A burning stalk of Blue Silver Grass appeared in it. "We'll use this."
"This is... Blue Silver Grass." Zhu Zhuqing's cool eyes gradually grew heated. As she watched the stalk sway, a force buried deep in her soul compelled her to reach up and scratch at it.
She lunged halfway toward Su Yan, raising a hand to paw at the tip of the Blue Silver Grass. Her fingers entwined with it.
Almost at once, the redness in her eyes faded, and a trace of clarity returned. As if jolted by an electric shock, she sat back down.
Zhu Zhuqing's cheeks burned, a blush spreading across them. Her somewhat pale lips parted. "I'm sorry. I still can't fully control myself."
Su Yan stared blankly for a moment at the Flame Blue Silver Grass, its elegant curves writhing in the air, and couldn't make sense of it. Only when he looked closely did he realize that three crooked characters were written all over it: cat teaser!
He looked at Zhu Zhuqing and smiled silently.
He hadn't expected this little kitty to be so cute.
Zhu Zhuqing's Martial Soul was the Hell Spirit Cat, a top-grade Beast Martial Soul. It retained the little kitty's instincts, etched deep in her bones.
Perhaps sensing Su Yan's unabashed gaze, Zhu Zhuqing looked a little flustered. She tugged at her clothes with both hands, lowering her head and trying not to look at the Blue Silver Grass.
"How... how are you going to use that to unlock the door?" Zhu Zhuqing asked.
Su Yan gathered his focus. "If it were ordinary Blue Silver Grass, I couldn't. But my Martial Soul is different."
Zhu Zhuqing watched the cat teaser turn into a key. Most of her interest vanished, though she still had some left because it could unlock the door.
She exclaimed excitedly, "Then we can get out!"
At her words, all the other children lifted their heads and looked over.
Getting out was such an unfamiliar idea.
"Get out? How?"
A short distance away, a boy who looked frighteningly thin sat covered in grime. Blood flecks of all sizes dotted his face, body, and clothes.
"Once the door's open, we can leave," Zhu Zhuqing said.
"The place is heavily guarded. They're at least Two-Ring Soul Grandmasters. A bunch of kids like us, who haven't even reached the One-Ring level, can't escape," the dirty-faced boy said. His eyes held nothing but emptiness and deep despair.
Su Yan turned around and asked seriously, "Have you been outside? Do you remember what it's like out there?"
"I have, but I couldn't get far. There are people everywhere outside, all of them working for those people." The dirty-faced boy leaned against a pile of straw and sighed. "If you go out, you'll die."
"Die..."
The hope that had just flared in some of the children was immediately extinguished, but the rest still longed for freedom.
"Even if I die, I'm getting out."
"Me too."
The children who wanted to leave all gathered by the door, waiting for Su Yan to open it. They would rush out, then each fend for themselves, with no guarantees they'd survive.
"No. This time, I'm the only one going out," Su Yan said, ignoring the others' protests. "Quiet. If all of us go out together, we'll be too easy to spot, and none of us will escape. I'll go find Spirit Hall and get them to send people here. Then everyone can be rescued!"
"But..." The children hesitated.
"What if you get out on your own and don't come back..."
"Trust me. I'll definitely come back." Su Yan looked at their hesitant, helpless faces, then took the Red Crystal Pendant from around his neck and placed it in Zhu Qing's hand.
"My master gave me this pendant. It's very important to me. I'll leave it with Zhu Qing. Now can you trust me?"
The children exchanged glances and finally agreed, placing all their hopes on Su Yan.
One by one, they returned to their spots and sat down. Only Su Yan and Zhu Qing remained by the door.
"Let me go. I'm fast." Zhu Qing pushed the pendant back toward Su Yan. "An ordinary One-Ring Soul Master can't keep up with me."
"Do you know where Spirit Hall is?" Su Yan asked.
Zhu Qing shook her head.
"Do you know whom to ask for help?" he asked again.
Zhu Qing shook her head once more.
"Then how will you find help if you go out?" Su Yan asked again.
"I..." Zhu Qing had no answer.
She didn't know Notting City at all.
"Take this. It's for your protection." Su Yan took a flower bud from his belt and pressed it into Zhu Qing's hand. "This is the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum. Infuse it with Soul Power and it'll bloom, forming a protective barrier. At your current Soul Power Level, an ordinary Soul Ancestor won't be able to break through it."
"What about you?"
"I have another one, of course. Remember, it's for one use only." After saying this, Su Yan made sure no one was outside, then guided the Flame Blue Silver Grass through the crack beneath the door. He aimed it at the keyhole, forced it inside until it took its shape, and turned.
Click.
The padlock opened.
Su Yan cautiously opened the door and peered in both directions. Once he confirmed that no one was there, he stepped outside.
Before leaving, he said, "Keep my pendant safe."
With that, Su Yan locked the door again and disappeared into the night.
Zhu Qing put the crystal pendant around her neck and clutched the Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum tightly, praying over and over that he would come back safe and sound.
The City Lord's Mansion was vast. Su Yan hid in a grove, his dark eyes scanning the pitch-black surroundings. He could barely make out the path by moonlight.
He entered the Inner World of Martial Souls and reached up to grab the gray orb that had just appeared. A cat was curled up inside.
The Hell Spirit Cat.
There was no Martial Soul better suited for walking at night.
He focused his Soul Power and guided it into the orb.
The gray orb gradually brightened, giving off an orange glow.
Su Yan's Soul Power rapidly drained until he had only four levels left, then stopped.
An orange gem appeared in his hand.
Su Yan removed the Blue Gem from the Blue Silver Grass and set the Hell Spirit Cat's orange gem in its place.
"Blazing Spirit Cat, partial possession!"
Su Yan spoke softly. A pair of orange-red cat ears sprouted from his head, his pupils turned scarlet, and red fur and thick, padded paws appeared on his limbs.
With his cat's eyes, the path that had been hard to make out before was now perfectly clear.
His ears could hear farther, and his padded paws allowed him to move without making a sound.
Ready at last, Su Yan followed the path he'd taken to get there and headed out.
When he'd come in during the day, he'd already had to take countless turns. Though Su Yan had tried his best to remember the landmarks at every junction, he still ended up taking a wrong turn.
Before he knew it, he'd been wandering around the grounds for more than ten minutes. During that time, he'd even passed two patrols at close range.
What did Lord Xiao want with these children, to go to such lengths?
As he passed a courtyard, Su Yan heard a woman softly sobbing inside the building.
He was about to leave without getting involved, when he heard the woman murmur, "I wonder where they took Xiao Ran. I have to escape and tell my in-laws. They'll come and raze the City Lord's Mansion to the ground!"
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