Spirit Binding and General Commanding, Old Daoist of the Pei Family, Water Ghoul Soft Armor

Luo Bin narrowed his eyes, images of Chen Manqing from the past few days flashing rapidly through his mind.

At the estate outside the city, she'd slept from the previous afternoon until nearly noon the next day... Even after returning to the Chen Residence, she'd still been listless, as if she could never get enough sleep.

Luo Bin turned and said, "Junzhi, go wait for me over at Jing's place. I need to take care of something."

Hu Junzhi assumed Luo Bin had been invited out by some "flower-singing courtesan" or "pure courtesan." He readily agreed, then excitedly went to find Chen Jing.

Luo Bin's gaze darkened. "What does your young lady know?"

Before the sultry woman could answer, a white car stopped fifty paces ahead.

Four people got out. Luo Bin's attention was immediately drawn to them. One was a young man with delicate, gaunt features: Wu Gou, whom he'd encountered during the Elite Selection.

Of the remaining three, one was the driver, and another was a middle-aged woman in a floral dress. There was no doubt about it... The last one was Chen Manqing, dressed in a plain white qipao.

Wu Gou noticed Luo Bin first. He looked slightly surprised, but a faint trace of disgust soon welled in his eyes. Then he leaned close to Chen Manqing's ear and whispered a few words. She immediately fixed her gaze on Luo Bin.

Luo Bin found it rather amusing. Wu Gou really was Chen Manqing's dog, wasn't he? He followed her everywhere, and even took it upon himself to identify her enemies on her behalf...

Chen Manqing froze for a moment when she saw Luo Bin. He was dressed in a suit, his build broad and imposing, and somehow he seemed different from a few days ago...

But none of that could erase the disgust she felt deep down. A toad wishing to feast on swan meat—that had to be the sort of person he was.

Her expression remained composed, but her eyes held a trace of indifference and disdain.

"Miss, what a coincidence running into you here..." Luo Bin greeted her first.

Chen Manqing brushed past him as if she hadn't heard. Behind her, Wu Gou's lips curved slightly as he followed her straight on by.

Just as expected...

Luo Bin had greeted her to test where her feelings toward him stood now. He hadn't expected her disgust to be worse than he'd imagined...

In that case, he could rest easy... He'd go see Su Yunong, treating it as simple curiosity about what shameful secret the Chen Family's young lady had that was worth savoring.

Seeing Chen Manqing's cold attitude, the sultry woman worried that her earlier bait had failed. She hurriedly tried to salvage the situation. "Young Master Luo, the information my young lady has is sure to interest you..."

Luo Bin's lips lifted slightly. "Is that so? Lead the way."

Qunyu Garden was called an opera house, and performances were its main attraction, but the surrounding courtyards were lined with establishments opened by foreign compradors, merchants, and powerful families... It couldn't be called lively, but it was steeped in luxury.

The two arrived at a fragrant café.

As soon as he entered, Luo Bin spotted a woman by the window. She set down her coffee, rose, and came over with a smile.

"Young Master Luo, I've been waiting and waiting for you, and at last you've come. The last time, the circumstances weren't convenient. This time, I'll have to thank you properly."

Su Yunong wore light makeup and not a qipao, but a fitted silk dress with a sleek cut. Her figure curved generously, and her cheeks were smooth and lovely...

Luo Bin nodded with a smile. "There's no need to thank me, Miss Su. I came because the information you have is rather intriguing... I wonder what's made the young lady so prone to sleeping?"

Su Yunong didn't answer. She moved gracefully into a private booth.

"I heard Young Master Luo used to be a guard for the Pei Family, back when you were starting from humble beginnings?"

Luo Bin smiled faintly, unfazed by his lowly origins. "That's right."

Su Yunong continued, "It couldn't have been easy to rise so high in such a short time. That speaks volumes about your courage and your extraordinary martial talent..."

She emphasized the words "martial talent," staring straight at Luo Bin's expression. He remained perfectly composed.

"What does that have to do with the Chen Family's young lady?"

Su Yunong accepted the coffee the waiter brought over and gently slid it in front of Luo Bin. "The Chen young lady's strange condition has everything to do with the Pei Family."

Luo Bin narrowed his eyes and asked, "Please enlighten me, Miss Su."

"Back when you were still a nobody, I imagine you heard something about a certain matter while serving as a guard for the Pei Family... The Pei Family once had an Attendant, a Daoist with extraordinary abilities, who could use a strange art called Spirit Binding and General Commanding."

Spirit Binding and General Commanding!

Luo Bin began sorting through his predecessor's tangled memories. In an instant, scene after scene flashed through his mind like a film.

"Spirit Binding and General Commanding? I've heard of it..."

Su Yunong straightened her sleeve and leaned forward. Her jade-like, limpid face drew close to Luo Bin across the table until only two fists' breadth separated their eyes.

"People have three souls and seven spirits... The three souls are beyond human control. The strange art of Spirit Binding and General Commanding has two uses. First, it can command Strange Specters for the user, within certain limits.

"Second, it can seize an ordinary person's 'spirit.' Of course, there are conditions for seizing someone's soul and spirit."

Luo Bin's breathing quickened. Judging by his recent observations of Chen Manqing, it was entirely possible that one of her spirits had been taken. After all, her excessive sleepiness was such a subtle, hidden change...

Su Yunong had somehow noticed even that tiny detail. And since she dared to tell him this to his face, she must be utterly confident in her judgment...

"What are the conditions?" Luo Bin suppressed the agitation in his heart.

"All that's needed is a personal item that has long been steeped in the Chen young lady's aura.

"As for that old Daoist from the Pei Family, I know very little. But lately, the Chen young lady has often been coming to Qunyu Garden with a young man. She's always listless, and I naturally noticed.

"The most amusing part is that when she goes to the opera with him, she falls asleep during four out of five performances..."

At this point, Su Yunong's alluring eyes softened slightly, as if she'd recalled something amusing.

Luo Bin already had a few suspicions. Looking at Su Yunong's unhurried composure, as if she had everything under control, he couldn't help feeling a chill stir within him...

What kind of woman was she? Why had she taken an interest in the Chen Family, and how did she know all these details and the background so thoroughly?

His guard went up at once.

"Miss Su, what do you gain by sharing such important information with me?"

Su Yunong replied, "I just enjoy talking to clever people.

"Don't you know you have enormous potential?

"You broke through in a single night. Among all the people the Chen Family has spent years searching for to practice the Primordial Stance, your compatibility is frighteningly high... This information isn't hard to find.

"We've always done our best to recruit young men with exceptional martial talent..."

Luo Bin frowned. "'We'?"

"Let's leave that for another time. If you have any Demon Specter materials or precious medicinal herbs to trade, just come to me. I'll do my best to offer you a price you're happy with..."

Luo Bin decided not to dwell on it. He would focus on steadily increasing his strength first. As long as Chen Manqing didn't die, that was enough. He had no obligation to run around on her behalf...

At that moment, Luo Bin thought of the Water Mountain Ghoul scales still sitting unused with Zhang Huai and the other man. "Miss Su, you have plenty of connections. I have a set of Demon Specter scales. Could you help me turn them into two sets of soft armor to wear under my clothes?"

Su Yunong was slightly surprised. "It seems Young Master Luo has had quite a haul lately. Send the materials to me, along with your measurements... I'll let you know when they're ready."

"Thank you."