Does it Feel Good to Touch?

Clatter, clatter, clatter...

At such a late hour, it was strange for a carriage to be traversing such rugged terrain.

Li Changsheng, who had been in a state of meditation, had actually sensed it long ago, alerted by the God of Wisdom.

However, after confirming there was no immediate danger, he remained still, only opening his eyes once the others had heard it too.

The group looked down from the earthen slope toward the approaching carriage.

Calling it a carriage was a stretch; it looked more like a vegetable cart, topped with several large iron cages. Inside those cages, to their surprise, were many people—children and adults alike.

"Another batch abducted?"

Star Universe Flying Sword stared at the shifting heads and the surrounding environment illuminated by the flickering torches.

Indeed, that was the full picture.

On the three carriages, nearly thirty people were locked in iron cages.

They appeared to be travelers from nearby towns; their belongings had been gathered onto a single cart, while they themselves had been shoved into the cages en masse.

"What should we do?"

The plan for Iron Armor Linked Shield had changed, and he now turned his gaze toward Centrifugal Killing Mirror.

It was possible these people would be killed by the bandits as soon as they reached the top.

Though they didn't voice it, they were all roughly aware that the previous hostages were likely already dead.

After all, that bandit Soul Ancestor was likely an Evil Soul Master.

Evil Soul Masters were all psychopaths with twisted habits—yes, habits; they could no longer be called human, nor did they possess any humanity.

Centrifugal Killing Mirror remained silent for a moment, his eyes fixed on the group.

About a dozen bandits stood guard around the perimeter, armed with weapons resembling soul-guided crossbows, while others carried ordinary swords and blades.

Soul-guided crossbows were undeniably dangerous. Even though they were all Great Soul Masters, they couldn't rely on their status as geniuses to tank shots from such weapons.

Centrifugal Killing Mirror's choice would likely determine the life or death of those thirty-plus people.

"Xiang Jian Yue Liang, what are your thoughts?"

Unexpectedly, he turned his head to test Li Changsheng.

Was this an assessment?

Li Changsheng didn't hesitate, his words coming out almost instantly: "Our mission is to clear out the bandits, not to save people. My idea is simple."

"Don't save them?" Centrifugal Killing Mirror asked.

"No, we save them. But before we do, let them serve a minor purpose."

"Since we don't know the exact location of their lair, we should use the cover of night to follow the convoy. Finding their base is what we need to do."

Save them?

Of course, they had to be saved.

But they couldn't act now. There might be hidden sentries at the foot of the mountain; if they intervened now, they would alert the enemy, and what if the bandits managed to escape?

According to the internal structural map of the cave, there were escape tunnels inside.

Li Changsheng's proposal was agreed upon by Centrifugal Killing Mirror and the others.

Through the firelight, they could see that these abducted people had very distinct features.

Tall and dark-skinned, they were undoubtedly citizens of the Sun Moon Empire.

From the indifferent tone of Centrifugal Killing Mirror and the others, it was clear they didn't truly care about the lives of these Sun Moon Empire people.

After all, when the Sun-Moon Continent had invaded, countless people from the original Douluo Continent had died, slaughtered indiscriminately as well.

Even now, with the Sun-Moon Continent having become the Sun Moon Empire, small-scale friction occurred frequently at the borders. Having studied here for so long, they had seen plenty of it.

The Star Luo Empire's military town at the Mingdou Mountain Range and the Sun Moon Empire's Pointing-to-Heaven Fortress.

The standoff between the two had lasted for hundreds of years.

"Fine, then we do as Xiang Jian Yue Liang suggested. Under the cover of moonlight, I will use my soul skill to locate their sentries and their lair, then we launch the operation. We set the time for... daybreak!"

Li Changsheng was taken aback. After finding their lair, they had to wait until daybreak?

He took a deep look at Centrifugal Killing Mirror. Brother, something is wrong with you. Isn't your heart a bit too dark?

Centrifugal Killing Mirror released his martial soul.

It was a mirror—a very unusual-looking mirror with a slightly uneven surface that emitted a faint glow in the darkness.

Then, right where he stood, he activated his first soul skill: Mirror Image.

One, two, three.

Three identical, indistinguishable images were replicated.

There was no difference between them and his true body.

Following this, the carriages ahead began to move.

The image clones of the Centrifugal Killing Mirror caught up on the hillside.

Almost as soon as they had covered a short distance, several bandits dressed in rags crawled out from beneath a withered tree ahead.

There really were hidden sentries.

And they were hidden in an extremely bizarre manner.

If Li Changsheng and the others had truly attacked just moments ago, they would likely have alerted the enemy by now.

Li Changsheng stopped looking, turned his back, leaned against the earthen slope, and waited quietly.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master leaned in, stopping at a distance of no more than a fist's width from Li Changsheng.

The faint fragrance drifting from her body entered Li Changsheng's nose, accompanied by the rustling wind in the forest. Li Changsheng froze for a moment, then shifted his gaze toward the Seven Absolute Zither Master.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master tilted her head. In the dark of night, her sky-blue eyes were as brilliant as the stars and moon. She looked at Li Changsheng and asked, "Even if we saved them directly, it would actually be fine, wouldn't it? Why didn't you save them?"

Hearing this, Li Changsheng shook his head and spoke to the Seven Absolute Zither Master in the lowest voice possible.

Because the Star Universe Flying Sword and the Iron Armor Linked Shield over there were focused on observing the situation, they weren't paying any attention to this side at all.

"Saving them is naturally possible. Not to mention me, I suspect you could have dealt with them all by yourself. But to avoid unnecessary trouble, this is the only way. Besides, look at the three from the Centrifugal Killing Mirror—does any one of them look like they want to save these people?"

Hearing this, the Seven Absolute Zither Master glanced at the three people over there and asked in confusion, "Why wouldn't they want to save them?"

Li Changsheng smiled. As a gentle breeze blew through the Seven Absolute Zither Master's silver-white hair, he subconsciously reached out and stroked the hair that felt like silk, satin, and fine fabric. With a tone that sounded like he was teasing, he said, "Didn't I just say? The mission is to eliminate the bandits; whether or not we save the people doesn't actually matter from the start. They may look young, but those three are all old foxes..."

As for the reason Li Changsheng didn't go to save them alone, it was simple.

He didn't want to, it was tiring, and that was all.

Li Changsheng hadn't even finished speaking when he suddenly realized his lapse in judgment. He was currently stroking the Seven Absolute Zither Master's hair?

"Ah, my apologies." Li Changsheng hurriedly pulled his hand away.

The moment he let go, the soft, delicate sensation from the Seven Absolute Zither Master's hair vanished, and Li Changsheng suddenly felt a bit empty.

Such soft hair—how did she maintain it? Just by washing? This world didn't have hair conditioner or anything like that, did it?

The Seven Absolute Zither Master shook her head, tilted it back, and asked instead, "Do you like touching heads that much?"

Li Changsheng nodded. "Mm. There was someone in the past who often let me touch their head."

"Then, how does my hair feel when you touch it?" the Seven Absolute Zither Master asked again.

"Very soft, very comfortable, all in all," Li Changsheng said truthfully.

"Then let me touch yours."

"Ah?"

Before Li Changsheng could react.

Just like that, the Seven Absolute Zither Master suddenly leaned against Li Changsheng's small shoulder, raised her hand, and with a hint of playful force, grabbed at Li Changsheng's head before using her fingertips to touch his scalp and press down gently.

It was somewhat cool and very comfortable. Li Changsheng couldn't help but squint his eyes, revealing an expression like a small cat beneath his mask, and let out a yawn.

"...It really is," the Seven Absolute Zither Master's small hand brushed over Li Changsheng's not-so-soft hair, and she muttered that under her breath.

In the dark of night, leaning against the earthen slope, Li Changsheng and the Seven Absolute Zither Master looked for all the world like two cats grooming each other...

Such a scene did not last long.

Over there, after a while, all three of the Centrifugal Killing Mirror's image clones returned.

They also brought back intelligence.

The distribution of the hidden sentries and the location of the main lair—all this information had been clarified.

After the group discussed the specific details of the operation, they began to wait for time to pass.

Li Changsheng did not meditate; instead, he let the wind blow past him, staring into the dark night with eyes that shone brilliantly.

The Seven Absolute Zither Master, however, began to meditate during the second half of the night.

Time quickly arrived at the break of dawn. The first sound to ring out was not the chirping of birds, but rather, from the direction of the bandit lair, a sharp scream—no, a series of sharp screams—in the language of the Sun Moon Empire.