The Chen Family's Crisis, Luo Bin's Search and Rescue

Ruan Pei immediately turned and explained the situation to the gang members behind him. The crowd buzzed with noise for a moment before dispersing, flooding into the streets and alleys.

"Master Luo, where was the Second Young Master taken, and who was he with at the time?" Ruan Pei asked.

Luo Bin gave a brief account of what had just happened, then said no more. Relying on these Green Bamboo Gang members who hadn't even entered the city, the odds of finding Chen Jing were slim.

Still... it was better than nothing, at least.

Luo Bin bid Ruan Pei farewell and walked toward the street, noticing that the young rickshaw puller who had carried him earlier was still waiting in the same spot.

"Master, need a ride?"

"Yes."

This time Luo Bin gave a few extra silver coins but didn't specify a direction, letting the young puller run wherever he pleased, because he could no longer sense that dampness belonging to a "kindred spirit"...

Though not as fast as an automobile, the rickshaw's agility let it weave through streets and alleys, and in many crowded areas, it was much quicker than a car...

Luo Bin silently felt the passive ability of [Water Ghoul · Phantom], and finally, near Long Wind Pier, he detected something unusual.

"So that's why it suddenly vanished—the water vapor from the Li River was evaporating at the pier. From a distance, it disrupted my water vapor perception..."

"Let me see just what kind of monsters you two women really are."

Two li north of Long Wind Pier.

In an abandoned two-story building, Chen Jing lay unconscious and limp on the dusty floor.

This place, much like the unfinished buildings Luo Bin remembered from his past life, was a decent shelter for common folk in the turbulent times of the Great Xin Republic.

But unfortunately, according to the folk tales and prophecies circulating among Ping City's streets...

It was said to be haunted.

Four or five figures gathered here, two of whom were the women who had been with Chen Jing at Qunyu Garden earlier. The fawning humility in their eyes was now gone.

One woman's expression revealed a hint of craving...

Just then, a figure slowly emerged from the shadows on the stairway, his voice hoarse. "That Luo Bin didn't follow Chen Jing?"

"No, but that man is somewhat strange. His aura seems much stronger than last time..." said the woman with sharp, sword-like brows.

"Last time? At Moon Veil Pavilion?"

"With Chen Tianren supplying him generously with precious medicines, and his natural talent being decent, how could his improvement be slow?" the hoarse-voiced man said.

Another woman, with a fiery figure but dressed like a student, licked her dry lips. "Before you take one of his souls, can I have a little fun first? I've been craving this little one for a long time...

Back at the Women's Normal School, I'd watch him run to Black Sheath Hall every day, strutting around in front of us.

Such a handsome young rich boy—can't let him go to waste..."

The sharp-browed woman sneered. "You practice that 'Pseudo-Joy Zen' from Entangling Emotion Valley. Don't suck him dry into a mummy. The Daoist still needs to return this one..."

The fiery student woman chuckled, pulling off her stifling jacket and swaying her scandalously voluptuous figure as she stepped forward. "You all look away first. I'll call you when I'm done. It'll be quick..."

The hoarse-voiced man cursed under his breath, "Little slut."

Then he turned and led the four others downstairs. As his robes fluttered, a corner of a blue Daoist robe was revealed.

The sharp-browed woman asked in confusion, "Daoist, since we're targeting the Chen family, why not just kill Chen Jing here and now?

Why go to all this trouble to take one of his souls... Won't he end up just as dull-witted as Chen Manqing?"

The man called Daoist said, "Chen Manqing has already moved out of the Chen residence. The gain from taking one of her souls was minimal—it's nearly impossible to squeeze any useful information out of the Chens through her anymore...

Especially since Chen Tianren wanted her to marry that Luo Bin. The rift between them has already formed. Chen Manqing, steeped in foreign culture, won't bend so easily. So she's useless to us for now.

As for Chen Jing, as the Chen family heir, even if he hasn't been exposed to many things yet..."

"That doesn't mean he won't be in the future. Chen Tianren is bound to hand over the family's burdens to him step by step... As long as I control the amplitude of [Spirit Binding and General Commanding], he won't become as lethargic as Chen Manqing..."

"I see..."

They had a deep appreciation for the old Daoist's Spirit Binding and General Commanding technique. After all, once a person's soul was taken, their body would be like a bugged listening device—every word and action would be under surveillance.

Just then, one of the men in the group spoke up. "Daoist, Wu Gou was planted as a hidden agent during the Elite Selection and managed to obtain Chen Manqing's personal belongings.

Though we've kept him by her side for now, it seems he's been having some problems lately..."

"What problems?"

"He seems to have developed feelings for Chen Manqing..."

The man called Daoist chuckled lightly and clapped his hands in approval. "Perfect. Let Chen Manqing feel his sincerity, drain the resources she's hoarded, and then let him clash with that young man named Luo Bin. Isn't that even better?"

"The Daoist's plans are truly divine!"

As the sound of a woman's sultry moans drifted up from downstairs, the group gradually fell silent.

The Daoist gazed out the window.

"The Pei family's grudge—we can finally collect some interest... The next step is to see when Jiang Lin will tear off the mask with the Chen family.

The scheme to seize that extraordinary technique should also begin to take shape..."

The Daoist's heart surged with emotion—as long as he could obtain that extraordinary skill, he would no longer be manipulated by the Pei Family like a puppet on a string. Then, with his transcendent strength, he could roam the vast world and make his way to Jinmen...

Even if the Pei Family were now unfathomably strange and unpredictable, they would be powerless to reach him there.

He was lost in his future plans when a sinister laugh echoed from another staircase, startling even the women engaged in sordid acts downstairs into silence.

"Old Daoist, look who I've caught this time?"

The rickshaw puller hauling Luo Bin was clearly gifted with extraordinary talent. In this era of frozen corpses littering the wilderness, he managed to drag Luo Bin for such a long distance with astonishing endurance.

This successfully caught Luo Bin's attention...

Moreover, the man didn't seem like the typical low-level person—muddled in consciousness, unclear in mind, or gaunt and sallow.

Along the way, Luo Bin sensed the dampness while chatting with the puller, whose name was Liang Shuisheng—a name with distinct recognition.

The destination was nearly in sight.

Liang Shuisheng gazed at the dilapidated building in the distance and recalled the rumors circulating in the alleys. He couldn't help but warn, "Young master, that building is haunted... Many refugees dare not stay there. Cats and dogs that once slipped inside were found the next day with their flesh shriveled, turned into dried corpses..."

Luo Bin's mind stirred, and he asked, "Haunted? How so?"

Liang Shuisheng had only heard hearsay, and now that Luo Bin pressed for details, he found himself at a loss. "I've only heard about it—I don't know the specifics myself.

But you shouldn't go to such a dangerous place alone. Besides, the Ping City Evening News has been reporting on 'missing persons' cases a lot lately..."

"Missing persons?"

Luo Bin's heart tightened slightly. Connecting Chen Jing's abduction to this matter, it seemed entirely plausible.

Seeing that Luo Bin was unperturbed, Liang Shuisheng grew anxious. "Young master, if you really want to go in there to find someone, I, Shuisheng, will go with you!"

Luo Bin looked into Liang Shuisheng's resolute, bright eyes and fell into a brief silence. A few words suddenly surfaced in his mind:

"This man is not bad."