Perverted Grass Chicken, Short and Fat Guy, Taste What It's Like to Be Gelded

Deep within the cave.

Over a dozen women were locked inside iron cages.

They were dressed in rags and wore expressions of sheer terror, trembling even more violently the moment they saw Sun Moon Lin Qing enter.

"..."

It didn't take much thought to realize these were women kidnapped by the mountain bandits.

Judging by their mental state, they had likely been subjected to no shortage of torture.

"Click!"

Sun Moon Lin Qing casually tore the iron cage open.

"Don't be afraid."

He spoke in the gentlest voice he could muster: "The bandits have been killed by me; you are free."

This was freedom of the body.

As for freedom of the mind... that was not something he needed to consider.

"..."

The women were stunned, looking at one another in disbelief.

"Re, really? They're all dead? We're free?"

Someone asked in a hushed tone.

"Really."

"The corpses of One-Eyed Dragon and his subordinates are right outside; you can go home now."

Sun Moon Lin Qing gestured for them to go out and witness it for themselves.

"Wuu..."

The women began to cry, tears of joy streaming down their faces.

"Thank you... thank you, benefactor... thank you..."

They knelt on the ground, kowtowing incessantly.

Sun Moon Lin Qing waved his hand.

"There's no need to thank me. Do you know where the bandits hid their valuables?"

"We know! We know!"

One woman hurriedly pointed the way.

"In, in the stone chamber at the very back!"

Sun Moon Lin Qing followed the directions and found the stone chamber.

He violently destroyed the door to the chamber and saw it was piled high with crates.

He opened them one by one.

Inside were Gold Soul Coin, silver soul coins, jewelry, and all sorts of miscellaneous stolen goods.

However, Sun Moon Lin Qing's gaze was drawn to a piece of ore in the corner.

The ore was dark all over, with silver patterns slowly flowing across its surface.

"This is..."

Sun Moon Lin Qing's eyes lit up. He stepped forward quickly and picked up the ore to examine it closely.

"Sinking Silver Ore!"

He knew of this metal from the Soul Tool Knowledge of Sun Moon Lin Qing.

Sinking Silver, a rare metal.

Its texture was hard, and its soul power conductivity was excellent, making it a high-quality material for crafting advanced soul tools!

A piece of Sinking Silver this large was of immeasurable value ten thousand years later!

"Good stuff."

Sun Moon Lin Qing stored the Sinking Silver Ore into his Storage Ring.

He also took some Gold Soul Coin, leaving the other useless items untouched.

Afterward, he returned to the women.

"I have taken some of the wealth as payment; you can divide the rest among yourselves."

The women hurriedly waved their hands.

"Benefactor, this... how could we? These should rightfully belong to you."

"Hurry and divide it up so you can go home; it's not safe here."

The other items were of no great use to him anyway.

The women exchanged glances and finally nodded.

"Thank you, benefactor..."

They kowtowed once more.

Then, they began to divide the spoils.

Having endured so many horrific events, they were not greedy; they each took only a little before leaving.

Compared to wealth, they were more eager to escape this den of demons as quickly as possible.

Seeing this, Lin Qing also turned and walked out of the cave, disappearing into the night.

When he returned to Emperor Soul Village, dawn was already breaking.

Lin Qing crept back into Aunt Li's house, careful not to disturb anyone.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

Aside from the time he assassinated Viscount Priest with a bomb, this was his first time killing someone with his own hands.

His heart was completely calm; he felt no sense of discomfort whatsoever.

Perhaps because he had killed a pure villain like One-Eyed Dragon, he felt no burden on his conscience.

On the contrary, he only felt a sense of relief.

With the bandits dealt with, one of the hidden threats to Emperor Soul Village had been eliminated.

Er Ni had also agreed to go to Suotuo City with him.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

"Now, it's time to start the next plan."

Lin Qing muttered to himself.

The carriage slowly drove into the south gate of Suotuo City.

Er Ni leaned against the carriage window, her eyes wide, staring unblinkingly at the scene outside.

The streets were more than ten times wider than the dirt roads of Emperor Soul Village, paved neatly with bluestone slabs.

Shops lined both sides, their signs colorful and diverse—silk stores, weapon shops, soul beast material shops, repair workshops...

"Candied haws for sale~"

A vendor carrying a straw pole wove through the crowd, his hawking long and loud.

"Sister, this new rouge is truly wonderful."

Several noble young ladies dressed in gorgeous long gowns walked out of a jewelry store, chatting and laughing, their skirts swaying.

Further away, one could see the towering spire of the Soul Master Tower gleaming with a metallic luster under the sun.

"So... so big..."

The sound of Er Ni's involuntary exclamation was filled with shock.

The furthest place she had ever been in her life was the neighboring village market.

Compared to Suotuo City, Emperor Soul Village and its market were practically dirt pits in the wilderness.

"We will be living here for a long time to come."

Lin Qing said with a smile.

"Is that really okay?"

Er Ni turned her head, her eyes shining.

"Mm, I've rented a small courtyard in the south of the city. You settle in first, and once I've handled the shop matters, you can come help out."

"I will definitely learn well!"

Er Ni nodded vigorously, a smile blooming on her face.

As long as she could be with Lin Qing, anywhere was fine.

The carriage continued forward, passing through two bustling streets.

Just one street away from their destination—

"Ouch!"

A short, chubby figure suddenly darted out from the roadside, blocking the carriage.

The driver hurriedly pulled on the reins.

"Whoa—!"

The horse reared its front hooves, neighing as it came to a halt.

Lin Qing frowned and lifted the carriage curtain, only to see a freckled boy of about twelve or thirteen standing in the middle of the road, grinning as he peered into the carriage.

He was round and chubby, his eyes so small they were nearly slits when he squinted.

At this moment, those tiny eyes were locked onto Er Ni, who was peering at the street through the window.

His gaze was murky yet filled with an unsettling greed.

"This big sister is truly a beauty."

The freckled youth licked his lips, his voice oily.

He leaned forward, nearly pressing himself against the carriage window.

"Young Master is named Ma Hongjun, and I am a Spirit Master. My Martial Soul is the Evil Fire Phoenix!"

As he said this, he puffed out his chest, his face full of smugness.

He even deliberately released a trace of spirit power fluctuation, a faint yellow light flickering beneath his feet.

"How about it? Do you want to be Young Master's girlfriend?"

Ma Hongjun chuckled.

"Follow me, and I guarantee you'll live in luxury!"

Er Ni's expression turned cold in an instant.

She shrank into Lin Qing's arms, her voice icy as she said, "I don't know you, and I don't want to know you. Please move aside."

"Yo, quite the temper, aren't we?"

Ma Hongjun narrowed his eyes.

"Young Master happens to like those with a temper!"

He shifted his gaze to Lin Qing inside the carriage, his tone growing impatient.

"Who are you, kid?"

"If you know what's good for you, get lost. Don't get in the way of me and this young lady getting to know each other."

Lin Qing raised an eyebrow.

Evil Fire Phoenix Ma Hongjun.

One of the Shrek Seven Devils, one of the Shrek Three Scoundrels, famous in the original work for being lecherous and sleazy.

Because his Martial Soul mutated, it carried the attribute of evil fire.

He hadn't expected to actually run into him today.

"Ma Hongjun, is it?"

Lin Qing spoke indifferently.

"I suggest you move aside now, or something unpleasant might happen."

"Heh?"

Ma Hongjun laughed out loud, his face full of disdain.

"Something unpleasant? You? Do you know that Young Master is a Spirit Master? I'm not someone a mere commoner can provoke."

He looked Lin Qing up and down, seeing that they were about the same age, his eyes filled with contempt.

"A brat who hasn't even grown his hair out yet dares to threaten me?"

"Let me tell you, I am a noble level 18 Spirit Master!"

As Ma Hongjun spoke, he activated Martial Soul Possession.

He called it an Evil Fire Phoenix, but it looked more like a common chicken, with a yellow spirit ring faintly emerging beneath his feet.

The surrounding passersby retreated a few steps upon seeing this.

When Spirit Masters fight, ordinary people dare not get involved.

"And so?"

Lin Qing remained calm.

"So, if you know what's good for you—"

Ma Hongjun's words came to an abrupt halt.

Because a slit had quietly opened in the center of Lin Qing's forehead, and a silver vertical eye slowly opened.

His hidden, transparent first spirit ring flickered slightly.

An invisible mental wave swept silently across Ma Hongjun.

The next second—

The world in Ma Hongjun's perception changed.

The figure on the carriage before him suddenly twisted, elongated, and transformed into a tall, black-robed figure whose face could not be seen.

The black-robed person held a blood-stained boning knife in his hand, the tip still dripping with blood.

"Who... who are you?!"

Ma Hongjun retreated half a step, his voice trembling.

"Me?"

The figure in the black robe spoke, their voice as raspy as metal grinding against metal.

"Hehehe, I am the one who has come to grant you release~"

"Re... release? What do you mean?"

"It means..."

The black-robed figure slowly raised their blade.

"You are too lecherous, and you are tortured by your own lust. Since that is the case, I shall grant you release. I am going to castrate you~ Hehehe!"

"Castrate... me? You're courting death!"

Ma Hongjun's expression shifted from shock to fury.

He immediately attempted to unleash his soul skill to incinerate this arrogant fool.

"First Soul Skill: Phoenix Fire Line!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs, but there was no reaction whatsoever.

"How can this be? Where did my soul skill go?"

Ma Hongjun quickly realized something was wrong; no matter how hard he tried, his soul skill would not manifest.

Seeing the black-robed figure continuing to approach, he panicked.

"No... don't! I was wrong! I was truly wrong!"

He tried to run.

But his legs felt as if they were filled with lead, unable to move an inch. He could only watch helplessly as the blade drew closer and closer.

The chill of the blade's edge was already pressing against his skin.

"Ah--!!!"

A shrill, miserable scream echoed through the street.

Ma Hongjun's legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

A large wet patch quickly spread across his crotch, and a pungent smell of urine filled the air.

"Don't castrate me... I don't want to be a eunuch... I was wrong... I won't ever dare to do it again..."

He curled up on the ground, clutching his head, his entire body trembling violently.

Snot and tears streamed down his face, leaving him in a state of utter wretchedness.