Storms

Bibi Dong's slender eyebrows rose slightly.

The one who could resolve Tang Hao so cleanly and decisively, almost like a massacre, was not someone from the Elder Hall...

One had to know that even in his severely injured state, Tang Hao was by no means someone an ordinary Titled Douluo could handle.

Moreover, outside of Spirit Hall, there were only a few named Titled Douluo.

They simply lacked the strength and the reason to massacre Tang Hao in such a manner.

"An... unnamed Titled Douluo expert? Or, some unknown method?" she murmured to herself.

A moment later, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. "Disseminate this information, especially to those sects that hide their faces."

"I'd like to see if those remnants of the Haotian Sect, and those who had dealings with Tang Hao back then, will be unable to resist jumping out."

"After that..." Bibi Dong's gaze flickered slightly, "...find the murderer who killed Tang Hao and try to win them over. See if they can be used by me."

"Yes! Your subordinate understands!" Yue Guan took the order, rose, and quickly departed.

Two days later, Nuoding City, the mansion in the west of the city.

As Zhao Linchuan pushed open the vermilion gate, the scene before him made him pause.

On the spacious bluestone ground of the front courtyard, seven or eight people lay neatly, bound with ropes, their mouths stuffed with cloth.

They were men and women, dressed in various ways; some looked like merchants, some like adventurers, and there was even one wearing the soft armor of a Nuoding City guard.

At this moment, they were like lambs to the slaughter, only able to let out muffled groans, their eyes filled with terror and confusion.

Judging from the suppressed soul power fluctuations emanating from them, they were all soul masters, with cultivation ranging from Great Soul Master to Soul King.

Yue Shen and Yan Fei walked out side-by-side from the main hall. Upon seeing Zhao Linchuan, they both bowed slightly, "Young Master."

Zhao Linchuan nodded, his gaze sweeping over the row of "zongzi" on the ground, and asked, "What's going on? Did the house open a zongzi shop?"

Yue Shen stepped forward and explained, "Young Master, the situation is like this..."

She concisely narrated the circumstances.

The Haotian Douluo Tang Hao had died bizarrely outside Nuoding City. With the deliberate spread of information by Spirit Hall, the intelligence networks of various major powers learned of this news.

For a time, all parties sent out scouts, flooding into this originally unremarkable small city, attempting to uncover the truth, or at least obtain firsthand intelligence.

And in the mansion purchased by Zhao Linchuan, the two mysterious high-level soul masters naturally became one of the key targets of investigation.

These scouts employed various methods: some infiltrated at night, some disguised themselves as delivery workers, and some maintained long-term surveillance from high points nearby...

Unfortunately, they were up against Yue Shen and Yan Fei.

The two women were skilled in Yin Yang arts, and Yue Shen's mental power was so strong it could be considered monstrous.

These investigation methods, which would be considered skillful by ordinary people or even ordinary soul masters, were like child's play before them.

In just one day, these scouts from different factions, believing themselves to be hidden, fell into their traps without anyone noticing and were easily subdued, bound into their current state.

Tsk, I was in such a hurry to leave, I forgot to cremate Tang Hao and clean up the scene.

Zhao Linchuan muttered to himself, feeling a bit annoyed.

He walked up to a scout dressed in coarse cloth, whose eyes were more defiant than the others, and nudged him with his toe. "Among these people, are there any from the Haotian Sect?"

Yan Fei answered from the side, "There is one. It's him."

She pointed to another middle-aged man with a gloomy expression. "According to preliminary interrogation, while the Haotian Sect's higher-ups were enraged, they seemed more concerned about the lost soul bone on Tang Hao. The order given was to 'retrieve the sect's inherited soul bone.' As for revenge... it was not explicitly emphasized."

"Oh? Only mentioning the soul bone, not revenge?"

Zhao Linchuan stroked his chin, a hint of understanding flashing in his eyes.

It seemed that after years of sealing their mountain gate, the Haotian Sect was not a monolithic entity internally. Their feelings towards Tang Hao, a "sinner" who had brought great disaster to the sect, were likely very complicated.

Soul bones were tangible treasures, while revenge might provoke a powerful enemy again.

He paced back and forth a few times, then suddenly looked at Yue Shen and asked:

"Yue Shen, your methods... can you control these people?"

"Not simple suggestion, but something more... long-lasting and effective."

Upon hearing this, Yue Shen's clear and cold face revealed a confident, faint smile. "Yes. What does Young Master intend to do?"

Zhao Linchuan stopped pacing, a calculating curve forming on his lips. "Let them... all go back."

"Let them go back?" Yue Shen and Yan Fei were both somewhat surprised.

"Yes."

Zhao Linchuan explained, "Implant a suggestion in them: the owner of this mansion is merely a young master traveling from a reclusive family, eccentric in nature, fond of quiet, accompanied by two guards of considerable strength, and has absolutely no connection to Tang Hao's death; it was purely a coincidence that he stopped here."

"Have them report back truthfully, saying everything here is normal and there's no need to pay special attention."

He paused and continued, "At the same time, issue a deeper command: have them lie low and return to their respective factions. They should act normally in their daily lives, but deep down, they will harbor an 'unconscious fondness and desire to protect' us here."

"And in the future, if they hear any intelligence that might be detrimental to us, or is valuable, they will 'involuntarily' transmit it in the safest way possible."

Yue Shen's eyes sparkled, and she praised, "Young Master's plan is excellent. It can temporarily dispel the doubts of all parties, avoid frequent harassment, and also plant these informants. Although they may not be able to access core secrets, they are more than sufficient for early warnings and collecting ordinary intelligence."

"That is exactly the idea." Zhao Linchuan nodded. "Can you do it?"

"It is a simple task." Yue Shen smiled confidently, stepping forward to stand before the spies.

Deep blue light suddenly intensified within her eyes, appearing like two miniature, frigid moons.

She raised her right hand and flicked her jade fingers, sending several hair-thin streams of blue light shooting out to strike precisely between the brows of each spy.

The spies shuddered as the terror and struggle in their eyes rapidly faded, replaced by a dazed expression that soon cleared, though a hint of emptiness now lingered within that clarity.

Following this, Yue Shen moved her fingers again, and the ropes binding them snapped as if sliced by invisible blades.

The spies climbed to their feet, stretched their limbs, and exchanged glances. There was no longer any hostility or sense of camaraderie in their eyes, only the calm of those who had completed a mission.

Ignoring Zhao Linchuan and the others, they moved like well-trained soldiers, walking in unison to the wall before leaping over it in silence, vanishing from the courtyard as if they had never been there at all.

"The methods of the Yin-Yang School are truly profound and mysterious."

Watching the empty courtyard, Zhao Linchuan offered a sincere compliment. "With the temperament and capabilities you two possess, even without me, you would surely stir up the winds and clouds in this Douluo Continent in time. You are certainly no creatures of a mere pond."

Yue Shen and Yan Fei bowed their heads slightly. "Young Master is too kind."

(Please keep reading; the Nuoding City arc will not be very long, it should conclude in about twenty chapters.)

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