After a long silence, Lin Chuan looked into the distance and casually interjected, his tone mild.
"For the time being, you can continue reporting my whereabouts as usual, Senior, but you'll need to keep what I'm doing to yourself."
"In six months, I'll give you an opportunity to break through to Super Douluo. How does that sound?"
"Nothing I do will harm Spirit Hall. I just need to keep some things about myself hidden, the way you always keep a few cards close to your chest when you're out and about."
"Being watched every moment, having every secret about my movements reported, leaves me without a shred of privacy."
Giving her an opportunity was really just giving her an Immortal Herb.
But he needed to spend the next six months maxing out his prestige, favorability, and respect, and do his best to get Ling Yuan working for him.
It wasn't as though he couldn't take advantage of the time she spent reporting back to Spirit Hall to escape.
In truth, he wasn't afraid of his whereabouts being exposed at all, even if people heard he had "gone to some cave."
Ling Yuan couldn't keep an eye on him every moment, which meant Bibi Dong wasn't too eager to use forceful methods to uncover his secrets.
So Bibi Dong hadn't gone mad yet. She was still the normal Pope, with the power of life and death in her hands and the world at her feet.
If he tried to run while Ling Yuan wasn't paying attention, that would be what made matters serious.
Besides, he was someone Bibi Dong had taken an interest in as a candidate for Holy Son. She had lavished a precious Spirit Bone on him, and his treatment was excellent.
There were still hundreds of thousands of Gold Soul Coins in his Storage Soul Tool.
He could talk things through so calmly because he knew Ling Yuan was a clever woman.
Sure enough, after a long silence, Ling Yuan thought it over and agreed.
"Fine, but I can't conceal anything that might harm Spirit Hall from the Pope."
Lin Chuan let out a barely perceptible breath of relief and smiled calmly.
"Of course. I won't do anything like that. Now that we've settled things, it's getting late. Let's go back and get some rest."
He glanced at the faint streak of dawn on the horizon, stood up, and brushed the dust off his backside before heading toward the distant town.
He had left a note in his room that morning.
That girl Hu Liena would find it as soon as she went in.
He still didn't want to say goodbye to her face-to-face. Mainly because that girl was hopeless at saying no, and far too good at tempting him.
If things got out of hand again, she'd be the one to suffer.
Seeing her would inevitably turn into an emotional scene full of reluctance to part. It wasn't as though they were never going to see each other again, so there was no need for all that sentiment when a letter would do.
The third day.
The bustling streets of Suotuo City.
Thick clouds swathed the warm sun, dulling most of its slightly oppressive heat.
The sky was overcast, and cold winds swept through the streets.
The last trace of warmth from the sunlight disappeared. Gray clouds blanketed the land, and icy raindrops fell in heavy sheets.
The vendors on either side of the street hurriedly packed up their wares, then left with their belongings beneath the drizzling rain.
The street, which had been somewhat noisy just moments ago, quickly emptied out.
Lin Chuan strolled leisurely along the street, raindrops pattering against his oil-paper umbrella.
Suotuo City was only a few hundred miles from Spirit City. It would take just half a day by carriage.
He had made a quick trip to Nuoding City. Tang San still hadn't graduated, and his Soul Power was at level twenty-eight, solid and stable. He might break through soon.
Lin Chuan himself was still a quasi-Spirit Saint with exceptionally condensed Soul Power, so he needed to give his Seventh Soul Ring careful consideration.
Xiao Wu was a decent choice.
After transforming into a human, Xiao Wu was weak, and he had no feelings for her.
She hadn't yet reached the mature stage at level seventy, and she hadn't gotten too involved with anyone else.
All he had to do was wait for an opportunity—a chance for Tang Hao to leave.
He had never intended to let Xiao Wu live much longer. Otherwise, if she became close to the other Shrek members and grew into their dearest friend, it would be too late for him to hunt her.
Once he had Xiao Wu's Spirit Ring, he'd report Tang San.
For now, he'd put the matter aside...
Just as Lin Chuan's attention wandered, he collided head-on with a petite figure.
His body was sturdy, and the other person bounced off him as if she'd hit a rock. With a yelp, she stumbled and nearly fell.
Coming back to his senses, Lin Chuan instinctively reached out and steadied her, keeping her from falling.
Only then did he see the girl with two adorable buns in her hair. He didn't blame her. Noticing her frightened expression, he reached out and gently patted her head to comfort her.
Feeling the large hand softly stroke the top of her head, the girl came back to her senses, lowering her arms from where she had covered her face in fear.
She had thought that a wealthy young master like him would beat her for bumping into him.
After all, she had dirtied his clothes, and she couldn't afford to pay for them.
At the thought, the girl lowered her head again.
"Take this. Don't get soaked."
Seeing the numb resignation on her face, Lin Chuan spoke gently.
Under the girl's puzzled gaze, he offered her the oil-paper umbrella in his hand.
Once she accepted it, he smiled warmly and walked away into the light rain.
To wait for Tang San, Lin Chuan had rented a courtyard at the gate travelers from Nuoding City had to pass through to enter Suotuo City.
The light rain continued for nearly four days.
With the sky refusing to clear, Suotuo City grew much quieter, its usual bustle and clamor gone.
His Soul Power had hit a bottleneck, and no amount of cultivation would help.
There still wasn't a suitable Spirit Ring, and Lin Chuan was leaning toward absorbing the Blue Silver Emperor Spirit Bone first, strengthening his body before going after Xiao Wu.
A heart-to-heart talk.
For the time being, he passed his idle days fishing and chatting.
Ever since he'd spoken to Ling Yuan face-to-face a few days earlier, she had stopped hiding herself.
She often showed up to talk with Lin Chuan, or went out to look at the latest novelties.
The rain stopped this morning.
The sky cleared after the rain, and the air was filled with the fresh scent of wet earth and flowers.
Sunlight pierced the dark clouds, once more illuminating Suotuo City, which had been shrouded in gloom.
Lin Chuan lounged in a chair on the flat rooftop, holding a bamboo rod and fishing for the two ornamental fish he had bought a few days earlier in the pond in the courtyard.
On the surface, he was fishing, but he hadn't taken his eyes off Suotuo City's gate for a moment.
In the stable beside the courtyard, the Black Hoof Horse he had bought was penned up, munching on grass.
Ling Yuan was unusually relaxed too, lying back in a lounge chair and letting the warm sunlight soothe her.
They hadn't waited long before Lin Chuan, growing a little bored, gave the bamboo rod in his hand a lazy shake. His gaze caught sight of two figures, one blue and one red.
The boy in blue fitted clothes looked ordinary, but had a capable air about him. The belt around his waist was particularly distinctive, with twenty sapphire-blue crystals set into its grooves, gleaming in the sunlight.
The girl in a little pink top wore a long ponytail that reached her waist. She was cute and lively, radiating youthful energy as she hopped along.
Lin Chuan stared at the two of them, momentarily stunned. He had finally managed to catch up with them!
Tang San's Soul Power was stable. It wasn't especially strong, but he had clearly been at level twenty-nine for a while, rather than having just broken through.