Investigation

Xiao Hongchen slid down against the wall, silently activating Mirror Flower Water Moon.

Nana stood atop the wall, momentarily stunned.

What she saw wasn't Xiao Hongchen, but a beetle skimming silently across the ground before slipping into the shadows beneath a trellis and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Of course, it was only a visual effect, not a real transformation.

The Black-Clad Holy Servant guarding the gate was still yawning when, in the next second, he realized he couldn't move.

A Metal Centipede darted out of the shadows and bound him tightly, leaving him no room to struggle.

Then a Metal Dagger silently came to rest against his neck.

"Don't move."

The voice was low, but clear.

"Or you die."

The Black-Clad Holy Servant nodded desperately. The knife at his neck shook with him, and he immediately stopped nodding too, able only to plead for his life with frantic looks.

He was just a gate guard. Why risk his life over this?

In fact, these Holy Servants were all orphans. Like Nana, their loved ones' souls were under the Holy Spirit Cult's control, so they had no choice but to obey the cult.

"Is the elder inside?"

"Yes, yes." The Black-Clad Holy Servant kept his voice down. "The elder just came back less than two hours ago. He's with the Great Holy Spirit."

Xiao Hongchen made a mental note of that, then took a small Soul Tool Communicator from his sleeve and shoved it into the Black-Clad Holy Servant's hand.

These Soul Tool Communicators actually came in pairs. Pressing the button on one would make the other vibrate like crazy.

They were fifty-year-old gadgets, long since replaced by Soul Tools that could transmit voices in real time. But some people still used them... because they were dirt cheap.

"The moment the elder comes out, press it. Got it?"

Before he could finish speaking, he stuffed a round piece of Bitter Chocolate into the Black-Clad Holy Servant's mouth.

"If you don't take the antidote within a week, the poison will kill you."

He lowered his voice, speaking slowly and distinctly:

"You know what to do."

The Black-Clad Holy Servant's eyes bulged. Before he could even react, the Metal Centipede binding him silently loosened—and Xiao Hongchen was gone.

"Hey, Xu Haolong, what're you muttering about over there?"

The White-Clad Holy Servant at the entrance to the black building heard the commotion and walked over. He looked around but found nothing unusual, only Xu Haolong standing there, still shaken.

Xiao Hongchen swaggered right past the White-Clad Holy Servant and over the wall.

"There was a beetle flying around over here. I couldn't catch it right away, and it got me a little worked up. Sorry."

Xu Haolong spoke deferentially.

The White-Clad Holy Servant stared at him for two seconds.

"Watch yourself, dammit. Pull that again and I'll be itching to plant my boot in your ass."

"...Got it."

A few hundred meters from the compound, Xiao Hongchen started up his Soul Tool Motorcycle.

Nana sat quietly in the back, waiting for him to speak.

"There's an elder inside, along with the Great Holy Spirit. There are quite a few people there. I left someone on the inside to keep an eye out. As soon as the elder makes a move, he'll let us know."

Nana listened without interrupting.

"It might take two or three days, or as long as a week or two. We just have to wait for the message." He paused. "You can stay at my place for now. When word comes, we'll be able to leave at any time."

Nana fell silent for a moment.

"Would it be... convenient for me to stay with you?"

"What wouldn't be convenient about it?" Xiao Hongchen said. "My house is pretty big. You can do whatever you want there over the break. When you get tired of playing, just go straight to sleep. No problem."

As soon as the words left his mouth, he lost his composure, the corner of his mouth twitching.

Nana sat behind him, her head tilted as she listened. She felt there was something a little strange about what he'd said, but couldn't put her finger on what, so she didn't think too much of it.

"Okay."

Her answer was calm.

Xiao Hongchen coughed, let the subject drop, and turned his attention back to the road.

It's almost time.

Nana murmured to herself.

Dad, Mom, it's almost time.

Hongchen Mansion.

Xiao Hongchen and Nana entered the living room, mentally prepared for what awaited them.

As it turned out, they hadn't prepared themselves enough.

Meng Hongchen was sprawled on the sofa without a care in the world. When she saw Nana behind Xiao Hongchen, she froze for a second, then slowly broke into a wide grin.

She sprang up and struck a condescending pose, looking every bit like a presiding judge about to conduct an interrogation.

Xiao Hongchen saw her expression and knew trouble was coming.

"Brother, no wonder you got home so late today. Did you forget what you said yesterday?"

"Something came up. Nana's staying at our place for now, so we can leave at any time."

Meng Hongchen gave an "Oh."

"So she's just staying at our place for now. I see."

As she spoke, she nodded over and over.

"That's right. Take her and let her choose an empty room."

Xiao Hongchen said irritably.

"You're always bossing me around."

Meng Hongchen complained, but she was already on her feet, briskly waving Nana over as though she'd done this a hundred times before.

"Come on, come on. Follow me."

Nana followed her toward the stairs, a little stiff, her fingers lightly pinching the hem of her clothes.

They reached the second floor and ran straight into Ye Guyi in the hallway. She had heard the noise and was coming downstairs.

Ye Guyi glanced over Nana, but showed little reaction. She simply said softly:

"You're here."

Nana paused slightly, then nodded.

"I'm here."

"Brother, hurry up and come upstairs."

But no one answered for a long while.

Xiao Hongchen had sensed trouble early and run off to the Gravity Chamber in the back courtyard to train his body.

Two nights later, something in Xiao Hongchen's pocket began vibrating like crazy.

Here we go at last. (White Mask's voice.)

"Meng, Guyi, Nana."

He knocked on their doors one by one to tell them it was time to act.

Meng Hongchen came out of the room next door, her usual playful smile immediately gone from her eyes.

"Xiao, are we making our move? Right now?"

"That's right. Right now!"

Ye Guyi was already coming over from the other side. She was ready.

Nana stood behind her, something burning in her deep-blue eyes.

The four of them gathered by the door. Xiao Hongchen swept his gaze over them and nodded.

"Let's go over the plan." His voice was steady. "Once we're inside, Meng, you immediately poison the ordinary Holy Servants. Then the three of you keep the Second Holy Spirit occupied. I'll deal with the Great Holy Spirit."

"Okay."

The three women answered in unison.

Xiao Hongchen pushed open the door. The night wind rushed in, whipping the hems of their clothes.

"Go!"

When they reached the vicinity of the compound, Xiao Hongchen raised a hand to signal the three women to stop.

"I'll scout ahead first. Xu Haolong might have sent false information and set a trap for us."

That name was hard to forget once he'd heard it.

With that, he vanished before the three women's eyes.

He climbed over the wall with practiced ease.

The Eye of Fate on Xiao Hongchen's forehead quietly opened. He swept his gaze across the entire building. That intense, oppressive sense of threat was gone.

There was no warning of danger.

It looked like the Soul Saint elder really had left. Xu Haolong hadn't tried anything funny this time.

Xiao Hongchen retraced his steps and reappeared in front of the three women.

Meng Hongchen nearly jumped out of her skin. "Could you make some noise before you appear?"

"We can go in," Xiao Hongchen said, ignoring her. "Stick to the plan."