"Everyone, rest assured. The Spirit Hall will give you a satisfactory answer!" Su Yuntao said, then returned inside the Spirit Hall.
Every road leading to the front of the Spirit Hall was packed tight with people. Su Yan wasn't sure whether he should go in or stay out.
If these people were holding banners, the scene would really have the right feel to it.
"Brother Yan."
"Brother Su Yan."
"Pika."
Su Yan turned and saw Zhu Zhuqing, Xue Ke, and a certain Electric Mouse returning from outside.
"Zhu Qing, Xue Ke," Su Yan said with a smile. "Pikachu, long time no see! Come give your big brother a hug!"
He had only just spread his arms when a golden bolt of lightning struck him without hesitation.
Bzzzt!
A soft, cuddly Pikachu was simply not meant to be his.
Su Yan followed Zhu Zhuqing through a side entrance into the Spirit Hall. A loud crash rang out, and when he looked up, everyone from the Spirit Hall and Enforcement Hall was kneeling on the ground, trembling.
Bibi Dong had smashed Chrysanthemum Platform to pieces with a single palm. Like a raging beast, she roared, "What are you people even good for?"
"You actually let people use the Spirit Hall's name to swindle others and ruin its reputation!"
"A whole year, and you've made no progress at all!"
"Look outside! If those people hadn't come, I still wouldn't have known about this!"
"Tell me, can you do your jobs or not? If you can't, then get out!"
A bespectacled enforcer said, "Holy Maiden, we investigated last year too. Every lead pointed to the City Lord's Mansion, but Lord Xiao... we couldn't get anything out of him."
"Where is he?" Bibi Dong asked coldly.
"He's already been sent to Slaughter City for detention," the bespectacled enforcer replied.
Bibi Dong rubbed her temples. "Bring everyone outside in and question them one by one to get the full story. Compensate those who need compensation, treat those who need treatment. We're getting all of it back from that scam ring!"
"Yes!"
The others withdrew.
"Master."
"Go to the training ground first." Bibi Dong left them with that and headed inside.
The sun shone brightly over the training ground.
Bibi Dong took a deep breath and looked at the steadily growing team before her. For once, a trace of satisfaction showed on her face.
Whether she was a mentor or an instructor, it all came down to teaching and guiding others.
She didn't need a vainglorious title.
But that yellow-skinned mouse standing ramrod straight at the edge...
"Is it a Soul Beast?" Bibi Dong asked, pointing at Pikachu.
Zhu Zhuqing said, "It's a Pokémon, Pikachu. Show her your Soul Ring."
"Pika~" A yellow Soul Ring slowly lit up above Pikachu's back.
"I suppose that counts. You're a five-person team now." Bibi Dong put on her glasses and opened her notebook. "New members, introduce yourselves."
"My name is Xue Ke. My Martial Soul is the Ugly Duckling. I'm Level Three, and I don't think I can fight." Xue Ke lowered her eyes, looking rather downcast.
Bibi Dong stepped forward and crouched beside her, reaching out to rub her head. "Fighting isn't all a Soul Master is good for. How about you be my assistant?"
"Okay." Xue Ke brightened and agreed.
"Now, what about you, Pikachu?" Bibi Dong crouched in front of it.
"Pika, Pikachu, pika-pika, pika, pika, pika!"
Bibi Dong scribbled away in her notebook.
"Master, you understand it?" Su Yan asked.
"It says it's a Pokémon," Bibi Dong replied expressionlessly, writing down every word Pikachu said.
Pika, Pikachu, pika-pika, pika, pika, pika.
Pikachu looked at Zhu Zhuqing in confusion. "Pikachu~"
Zhu Zhuqing rubbed its head. "Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"
Pikachu's First Soul Ring lit up, and golden lightning seeped from the electric sacs on either side of its body.
Su Yan felt a strange chill run down his back. The next second, lightning came crashing down from above—ten bolts!
"Why am I the only one getting shocked!" Su Yan lay on the ground, convulsing.
"Good power, and excellent control!" Bibi Dong eagerly jotted down a note.
Just then, Su Yuntao hurried through the training ground entrance and knelt. "Holy Maiden, we've questioned them all and found a few leads. I'd like to borrow Su Yan for a while."
--
"Master Yun Tao, why are we here?" Su Yan asked, looking at the somewhat dim alley before them.
"This is Notting City's Black Market Street. All those people who were swindled had Soul Masters come to their homes. Only one person lives in Notting City and went to the black market herself, where she was tricked." Su Yuntao patiently explained as he lifted his skirt and headed inside.
"I see." Su Yan paused, then asked, "Then why are you wearing women's clothes?"
"Everyone in the black market knows me. I had to disguise myself, or they'd all run off."
"But you didn't have to dress as a woman."
"Anyway, do you remember what to focus on?"
"I do." Su Yan nodded.
"Let's go."
Su Yuntao said no more, his eyes scanning the surroundings.
Su Yan followed close behind, holding Su Yuntao's hand, his face full of panic and unease.
The Black Market Street was surprisingly clean. Vendors sold all sorts of knickknacks on both sides, and every so often, a few people stood by the roadside, men and women alike.
Suddenly, a man with yellow teeth lunged in front of Su Yuntao. "Hey, pretty lady. How about five hundred Copper Soul Coins?"
Su Yuntao looked alarmed and instinctively shielded Su Yan. "I'm a respectable woman. I only came here because I want to find a future for my child."
"Your child?" The yellow-toothed man leaned to the side and glanced at him. "That makes it even easier. I've got Strength Pills here. One sharpens the mind, two keep you going without fatigue, and three guarantee you'll awaken Soul Power. Interested?"
Su Yuntao's eyes lit up a little. "Really?"
"Ask around. Bule never lies," the yellow-toothed man said. "These three Strength Pills usually cost a fortune—three hundred Gold Soul Coins. Ordinary families can't afford them. But if you're willing to do me a favor, pretty lady, heh... I could let them go a little cheaper."
"Th-this, I..." Su Yuntao hesitated, his gaze flickering.
Su Yan, standing behind him, curled his lip. So it was Bule, that old lecher.
Bule wasn't in a hurry.
A woman like the one before him—well-dressed, shapely, and good-looking—wouldn't dare come into Black Market Street without knowing what she wanted.
Women like her either wanted to win someone's favor or secure their child's future.
He'd met someone like that not long ago, and she'd tasted wonderful.
"How about this? Let's be frank with each other. I'll give you a special deal. What do you say?" Bule grinned.
Su Yuntao froze and murmured, "A special deal?"
"A deal with a little extra spice!" Bule reached out and lifted the water balloons Su Yuntao had tied to his chest, grinning. "Just ninety Gold Soul Coins."
"Ninety? This..." Su Yuntao pretended to hesitate, making Bule gulp.
"I'll bite the bullet. At a loss, just one Gold Soul Coin."
Su Yuntao asked one last time, "Does it work?"
"Let me tell you, the results are incredible." Bule thumped his chest. "You know Xiao Chenyu, right? The son of the former City Lord, Lord Xiao. He took Strength Pills and reached Level Twelve in just a few months. If Lord Xiao hadn't been so foolish, he'd already be at Suotuo City's Intermediate Soul Master Academy."
Su Yan instinctively covered his nose.
Silencer was pretty useless, but the stench of his silence still seemed to linger in the air.
Su Yuntao agreed as well, offering up his precious hand and putting it on Bule's shoulder.
For the sake of this case, he'd sacrificed so much.
Su Yan couldn't help feeling sorry for the newly appointed officer of the Notting City Martial Soul Hall.
Halfway along, Bule suddenly asked, "Where are you from, pretty lady? What's the child's name?"
"I..." Su Yuntao turned his head away, feigning difficulty.
Bule laughed heartily. "Don't worry. It's just routine. We have to verify our customers' identities, so those people from the Spirit Hall's Enforcement Hall don't slip in and ruin our little business."
Su Yuntao's heart tightened. He slowly replied, "I see."
Before you continue