"Understood, Master." Tang San felt a little down because his father had left.
"Enough. Pack up, and let's head back to Nuoding City."
They chatted as they walked, enjoying the pleasant journey.
Halfway there, a sudden commotion came from up ahead.
Zhu Shen looked up. Several carriages stood on the road, surrounded by more than a dozen people. From their clothes and bearing, they looked like guards from some family.
A flag stood beside the carriages, embroidered with an eagle spreading its wings.
"Master?" Tang San looked at Zhu Shen.
"It's fine. We can just walk past." Zhu Shen paid it no mind, assuming it was only a routine inspection.
They continued forward, but as soon as they reached the carriages, two guards stepped in their way.
"Stop! This area ahead belongs to our family. Anyone who doesn't belong here can take another route."
Zhu Shen raised an eyebrow, displeased. "This road belongs to your family?"
Since when had Soul Hunting Forest become family property?
The guard looked down his nose at them. "Our young master is hunting Soul Beasts up ahead. Bystanders must keep their distance so they don't disturb him."
Zhu Shen smiled. Putting on airs on the outskirts of Soul Hunting Forest—now that was quite a spectacle.
He hadn't wanted to make a fuss. If they had to take another route, so be it. It wasn't as if they were in a hurry.
But the system suddenly chimed in.
[Opportunity Quest triggered: Humiliate the Nuoding Family. Quest requirements: Make the other party beg for mercy on their knees. Reward: Evolution Points +30, one random, unique-position Lone Bamboo Soul Bone.]
Zhu Shen sighed. He'd meant to keep a low profile, but the system was offering far too much.
"What if I say no?" Zhu Shen asked, his tone even as he looked at the two guards.
The guard's expression darkened. "You're just some poor Soul Master in shabby gray clothes. Don't push your luck! Our young master is the Nuoding Family's eldest son, a Level 32 Battle Soul Elder. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"
"The Nuoding Family?" Zhu Shen thought for a moment. It was the family of Nuoding City's lord, and it had decent strength. But he didn't care.
"Never heard of it." Zhu Shen put on a disdainful look.
The two guards flew into a rage and were about to attack when a young man in fine clothes came over from the carriages. He carried a long sword, and seven or eight attendants followed behind him.
The young man was quite handsome, but his face was full of arrogance. Even the way he walked seemed to stir up a breeze.
"What's going on?" The young man in fine clothes eyed Zhu Shen and Tang San askance. His gaze lingered on Zhu Shen for a moment, then a trace of disdain curled his lips. "A Soul Master in rags, bringing along a little brat, dares to cause trouble on Nuoding Family land?"
Looking at this idiot, Zhu Shen suddenly found it all rather pointless. A Level 32 Soul Elder really wasn't much in his eyes now.
"Move." Zhu Shen couldn't be bothered to waste words.
The young man's expression changed. "You're asking for death!"
He released his Martial Soul. A long sword appeared in his hand, surrounded by two yellow Soul Rings and one purple. A Level 32 Battle Soul Elder, with a standard Soul Ring setup.
"See that?" The young man proudly shook his Soul Rings. "If you know what's good for you, get down on your knees and kowtow three times. I might spare your life."
Zhu Shen put on an exaggerated show of fear, trembling as he pulled Tang San behind him.
Seeing Zhu Shen's over-the-top performance, the young man grew even angrier.
"Get on your knees and apologize, and I'll spare your worthless life. Otherwise..." The young man released his pressure, and a long sword hovered over Zhu Shen's head. "I'll turn you into a pincushion."
Zhu Shen glanced at him. He was done pretending. What was there to be arrogant about when you were just some city lord's son?
Then Zhu Shen released his Martial Soul.
A golden dragon's shadow appeared behind him, and its immense draconic might crashed down like a tangible force.
The smile froze on the young man's face.
The long-sword Martial Soul in his hand let out a piercing tremor. It was the instinctive fear a Martial Soul felt before a higher bloodline.
The three Soul Rings on his body trembled violently, their light dimming.
"W-what kind of Martial Soul is that?!" the young man stammered.
Zhu Shen didn't answer. He only smiled.
The attendants behind the young man fared even worse. Several of them buckled at the knees and dropped to the ground. The two guards who had blocked the road turned deathly pale and shook all over.
The young man gritted his teeth and forced himself to stay upright, but his Martial Soul was already on the verge of collapsing. If Zhu Shen increased the pressure any further, his Martial Soul might shatter outright.
"Get lost." Zhu Shen uttered the words calmly.
Did he still think I was Fei Gang? Fine, I'd show my hand—I was the king of cheats.
The young man was granted a reprieve. He scrambled into his carriage, and his attendants ran after him in a panic. The carriage turned around and sped off, soon disappearing down the road.
[Congratulations, Host, on completing the quest: Humiliate the Nuoding Family. One Ten-Year Lone Bamboo Left Leg Bone.]
In a good mood, Zhu Shen glanced at Tang San. "Let's go."
Tang San nodded, looking at Zhu Shen with even greater admiration.
He'd seen everything. His master hadn't even lifted a finger. Just releasing his Martial Soul had sent a Soul Elder fleeing in disarray.
With power and presence like that, how could there be even the slightest trace of a good-for-nothing in him?
The two continued on their way and finally returned to Nuoding City at dusk.
Nuoding City wasn't very big, but it had all the facilities a city needed: a Spirit Hall Branch, a blacksmith's shop, an apothecary, and an inn.
Zhu Shen didn't hurry to the Spirit Hall Branch. Instead, he first took Tang San to find an inn and settle in. Tang San was tired after a long day, so resting came first.
The inn wasn't large, but it was clean and tidy. The proprietress was a woman in her forties. When she saw the Soul Elder badge on Zhu Shen's chest, she became extraordinarily warm and personally arranged two superior rooms for them.
After settling Tang San in, Zhu Shen returned to his own room. He lay on the bed and began planning what to do next.
The appearance of the Evil God Temple had made him uneasy. This organization hadn't existed in the original story—or perhaps it had, but simply hadn't been mentioned.
But now its members were active near Soul Hunting Forest, which meant its influence was already spreading. With his current strength, he could handle Snake Undying, a peak Soul Ancestor, but what about the "Lord Blood Shadow" Snake Undying had mentioned? And what of the higher-ups?
He needed allies.
Spirit Hall was an unavoidable choice. In the original story, it was the greatest antagonistic force, and Bibi Dong was one of the final bosses. But things were different now. The Evil God Temple was the real threat. And Bibi Dong...
At the thought of her name, Zhu Shen felt conflicted. In Yu Xiaogang's memories, Bibi Dong had been his former lover. That purple-haired girl, with light in her eyes and a beautiful smile.
But later, Qian Xunji had violated her, and fate had crushed her, step by step turning her into that cold-hearted pope.
If possible, he wanted to pull her back from the brink.
Not because of who she was, but because no one deserved to be treated that way.
"System, what's the relationship between the Evil God Temple and Spirit Hall?"
[The Evil God Temple is a hidden force with no direct connection to Spirit Hall. At the current point in the timeline, Spirit Hall has not yet discovered the Evil God Temple.]
"So Spirit Hall doesn't know that a group of Evil Soul Masters is active out there?"
[Correct.]
Zhu Shen narrowed his eyes. This was an opportunity. If he could use the Evil God Temple as a starting point to bring Tang San and Spirit Hall together, a lot of things would be easier later on.
Of course, there was no need to rush. Right now, he was just a little Soul Elder. No one would believe a word he said.
He had to grow stronger first and stir up enough trouble to force Spirit Hall to take notice of the Evil God Temple.
Having thought it through, Zhu Shen rolled over and closed his eyes.
Tomorrow, he'd first visit the Spirit Hall Branch to have his Soul Power tested and his details registered. Then he'd begin formally teaching Tang San.
Oh, right. He had to find a chance to let Tang San absorb that Ten-Year Lone Bamboo Right Leg Bone. Its age was low, but together with the previous two, Tang San would have three Lone Bamboo Soul Bones, bringing him one step closer to the set effect.
At the thought, Zhu Shen's lips curved slightly upward.
This kid's future really was something to look forward to.