Little San, Watch Carefully, I'm Not Useless Gang

"I understand, Master." Tang San felt a bit dejected due to his father's departure.

"Alright, pack up. Let's head back to Nuoding City."

The two chatted as they walked, feeling quite at ease.

Halfway there, a sudden commotion erupted from up ahead.

Zhu Shen looked up and saw several carriages stopped on the road. A dozen people stood around them, their attire suggesting they were the guards of some noble family.

A flag stood beside the carriages, embroidered with a soaring eagle.

"Master?" Tang San looked toward Zhu Shen.

"It's fine, let's just walk past." Zhu Shen didn't pay it much mind, assuming it was just a routine patrol.

As they continued forward and reached the vicinity of the carriages, two guards blocked their path.

"Stop! This is our family's territory. Idlers must take a detour."

Zhu Shen raised an eyebrow, feeling somewhat displeased. "Is this road yours?"

Since when did the Soul Hunting Forest become a family estate?

The guard acted arrogant and conceited. "Our young master is hunting soul beasts up ahead. Bystanders must keep away to avoid disturbing him."

Zhu Shen chuckled. Putting on airs on the outskirts of the Soul Hunting Forest—that was quite the display.

He had originally been too lazy to argue and would have taken a detour, as he wasn't in any particular rush.

But the system suddenly chimed.

[Opportunity Mission Triggered: Slap the face of the Nuoding Family. Mission Requirement: Force the opponent to kneel and beg for mercy. Reward: Evolution Points +30, one random Lone Bamboo Soul Bone in a unique position.]

Zhu Shen sighed. He had wanted to keep a low profile, but the system was offering far too much.

"And if I say no?" Zhu Shen looked at the two guards, his tone flat.

The guard's expression darkened. "You poor, ragged soul master, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Our young master is the eldest son of the Nuoding Family, a level 32 Battle Soul Grandmaster. If you know what's good for you, get lost!"

"The Nuoding Family?" Zhu Shen pondered this. It was the family of the Nuoding City lord; they had decent strength, but he didn't care.

"Never heard of them." Zhu Shen feigned a look of disdain.

The two guards were furious and about to attack when a young man in fine silk robes walked over from the carriages, holding a long sword with seven or eight attendants trailing behind him.

The young man was handsome enough, but his face was full of arrogance, and he walked with a swagger.

"What's going on?" The young man in silk squinted as he sized up Zhu Shen and Tang San. His gaze lingered on Zhu Shen for a moment before a sneer curled his lips. "A ragged soul master, bringing a little brat, dares to run wild on my Nuoding Family's turf?"

Zhu Shen looked at this idiot and suddenly found it quite dull. A level 32 Soul Grandmaster was truly not worth looking at in his eyes now.

"Move." Zhu Shen couldn't be bothered with small talk.

The young man's expression shifted. "You're courting death!"

He released his martial soul directly. A long sword appeared in his hand, surrounded by two yellow and one purple soul rings. A level 32 Battle Soul Grandmaster—a standard configuration.

"See that?" The young man shook his soul rings triumphantly. "If you're smart, kneel and knock your head three times, and I'll spare your life."

Zhu Shen put on an exaggerated display of fear, trembling as he pulled Tang San behind him.

Seeing Zhu Shen's over-the-top performance, the young man's anger flared even more.

"Kid, kneel and apologize to me, and I'll let you keep your dog life. Otherwise," the young man released his pressure, his long sword hovering over Zhu Shen's head, "I'll turn you into a sieve."

Zhu Shen glanced at him. He was tired of pretending; why was a mere city lord's son acting so crazy?

Then, Zhu Shen released his martial soul.

A golden dragon shadow emerged behind him, and a majestic dragon's might crushed down like a physical force.

The smile on the young man's face froze instantly.

The long sword martial soul in his hand emitted a shrill, vibrating whine—the instinctual fear of a martial soul facing a superior bloodline.

The three soul rings on his body trembled violently, their light dimming significantly.

"Th-this... what kind of martial soul is this?!" The young man's voice cracked.

Zhu Shen didn't answer, a smile playing on his lips.

The attendants behind the young man fared even worse; several of them collapsed to their knees, their legs giving out. The two guards who had blocked the path turned deathly pale, shivering uncontrollably.

The young man gritted his teeth, struggling to stay upright, but his martial soul was on the verge of collapse. If Zhu Shen increased the pressure any further, his martial soul might shatter entirely.

"Get lost." Zhu Shen spat out the words coldly.

Did they still think he was some weakling? The cards were on the table; he was the king of cheats.

The young man acted as if he had been granted amnesty, scrambling onto the carriage as his attendants fled in a panic. The carriage turned around and sped off, disappearing into the distance.

[Congratulations to the host for completing the mission: Slap the face of the Nuoding Family. Reward: One ten-year Lone Bamboo Left Leg Bone.]

Zhu Shen was in a good mood and glanced at Tang San. "Let's go."

Tang San nodded, his eyes filled with even more reverence as he looked at Zhu Shen.

He had seen everything that just happened; his master hadn't even made a move, yet merely releasing his martial soul had sent a Soul Grandmaster fleeing in terror.

With this kind of strength and this kind of aura, where was there even a shadow of a waste left?

The two continued their journey, finally returning to Nuoding City at dusk.

Nuoding City was not large, but it possessed all the facilities a city should have. The Spirit Hall Branch, blacksmith shops, pharmacies, and inns were all readily available.

Zhu Shen was in no rush to go to the Spirit Hall Branch, instead taking Tang San to find an inn to settle down in first. After a day of tossing and turning, Tang San was exhausted, and resting was the priority.

The inn was not large, but it was clean and tidy. The landlady was a woman in her forties who, upon seeing the Spirit Soul Master badge on Zhu Shen's chest, became incredibly enthusiastic and took the initiative to arrange two superior rooms for them.

After settling Tang San in, Zhu Shen returned to his own room, lay on the bed, and began to calculate his next plan.

The appearance of the Evil God Temple weighed heavily on his mind. This organization did not exist in the original work, or rather, it existed but was never mentioned.

But now that they were active near the Soul Hunting Forest, it meant their influence had already begun to infiltrate. With his current strength, dealing with a peak Soul Ancestor like Snake Undying was fine, but what about the "Lord Blood Shadow" that Snake Undying mentioned? What about even higher-level existences?

He needed allies.

Spirit Hall was an unavoidable choice. In the original work, Spirit Hall was the largest villainous force, and Bibi Dong was one of the final bosses. But the situation was different now; the Evil God Temple was the true threat. And Bibi Dong...

Zhu Shen recalled that name, his mood turning complex. In Yu Xiaogang's memories, Bibi Dong was his former lover. That purple-haired girl had light in her eyes and a beautiful smile.

It was only later that she was defiled by Qian Xunji and ravaged by fate, step by step becoming that cold-blooded Pope.

If it were possible, he wanted to pull her back.

Not because of who she was, but because no one deserved to be treated that way.

"System, what is 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. In the current timeline, Spirit Hall has not yet detected the existence of the Evil God Temple.]

"In other words, Spirit Hall doesn't know that such a group of Evil Soul Masters is active?"

[Correct.]

Zhu Shen narrowed his eyes. This was an opportunity. If he could use the Evil God Temple as an entry point to facilitate cooperation between Tang San and Spirit Hall, many subsequent matters would become much easier to handle.

Of course, this could not be rushed. He was currently just a small Soul Master; no one would believe what he said.

He had to raise his own strength first and make enough of a scene to force Spirit Hall to notice the existence of the Evil God Temple.

Having thought this through, Zhu Shen turned over and closed his eyes.

Tomorrow, he would first go to the Spirit Hall Branch to test his soul power and register. Then, he would begin formally teaching Tang San.

Right, he had to find an opportunity for Tang San to absorb that Ten-Year Lone Bamboo Right Leg Bone. Although the age was low, adding it to the previous two pieces would give Tang San three Lone Bamboo Soul Bones, bringing him one step closer to the set effect.

Thinking of this, the corners of Zhu Shen's mouth curled up slightly.

The future of this kid was truly something to look forward to.