When the guards heard the words "Chrysanthemum Douluo," they immediately understood.
The two exchanged a glance. One of the guards respectfully replied, "My lord, Chrysanthemum Douluo's residence is Golden Chrysanthemum Palace."
"Go straight along this path, turn right at the next intersection, then left at the one after that. Golden Chrysanthemum Palace will be right there."
Lin Ze'an nodded, fastened the token back around his waist, and followed the direction the guard had indicated.
As the night grew deeper, he walked along, unable to resist looking around. His face was full of wonder.
Come to think of it, Spirit Hall really was huge...
Even these palaces, which were nowhere near as grand as Pope Palace, were still so vast and magnificent.
Just as he was marveling at the sight, his body suddenly stiffened, and he stopped in his tracks.
Someone? If they were just walking normally, why hide in the shadows instead of taking the path? Then they could only be...
"Who's there?!" Lin Ze'an was startled. He spun around and instinctively swept out a hand.
In an instant, emerald-green vines burst from the ground like shoots breaking through the soil and lunged toward the shadows behind him.
But the next second—
Crack!
Frost rapidly spread over the once-vibrant, aggressive vines.
Then they shattered with a crash, turning into tiny ice chips and fragments that clattered across the ground.
"What?"
Seeing this, Lin Ze'an steeled himself. Just from that one move, he could tell his opponent's Soul Power Level was far higher than his own... He couldn't win.
But he wasn't about to sit and wait for death. His gaze turned cold as he summoned several more vines and thrust them toward the shadows.
If he hadn't lost his memory, weren't the elders' residences here? How could an assassin get into a place like this? It was absurd!
"I give up," he muttered, then turned and bolted toward Golden Chrysanthemum Palace.
Just then, a voice called from behind him, "Hey! Wait!"
But Lin Ze'an was now racing with all his might toward where his master was. By the time the shout reached his ears, he hadn't heard a thing.
After Lin Ze'an disappeared from sight, Guang Ling Douluo stared blankly at Azure Luan Douluo, who was walking toward him. "Third Brother? This..."
Azure Luan Douluo looked in the direction Lin Ze'an had gone, his eyes full of exasperation. "Fifth Elder, did you forget why we came?"
"Great Elder sent us to see whether this child really had the rumored innate Soul Power of Level 20."
"I told you to be serious, but you insisted on sneaking around after him. And now look—you've been mistaken for an assassin."
At that, Guang Ling Douluo scratched his head awkwardly. "How was I supposed to know a child could be so perceptive and actually notice me?"
"But..." He stared thoughtfully at the shattered vine fragments on the ground. "Although he didn't release his Martial Soul..."
"The instant he struck, the Soul Power he gave off was at least Level 20. At his age, Soul Power Level 20 or higher... The rumors should be true."
Meanwhile, Lin Ze'an was racing toward Golden Chrysanthemum Palace.
"Assassin!" As he ran, Lin Ze'an pulled his token from his waist and shouted to the guards he passed.
"What?!" The guards were alarmed. They immediately stood at attention and looked at Lin Ze'an with serious expressions.
"Hurry! An assassin has entered the inner city!" Lin Ze'an said urgently, pointing toward the direction he had just come from.
"Clang—clang—clang—"
Before long, the alarm bell in the inner city rang out, its long tolls echoing through the night sky.
The night had been peaceful, but countless guards quickly gathered from palaces, guard posts, and patrol routes.
With grave expressions, they began a thorough search of every street and the areas around the palaces.
Yue Guan shielded Lin Ze'an behind him, his face full of fury, while his Singular Velvet Sky Chrysanthemum Martial Soul appeared in his right hand.
He had only this one precious disciple. Which blind fool had dared to set their sights on Lin Ze'an?!
Just then, a shadow swept swiftly over from afar. Gui Mei had clearly heard the commotion and hurried over, asking, "What's going on?"
At that, Yue Guan turned to Gui Mei and explained everything from start to finish.
Gui Mei furrowed his brows. "What? An assassination attempt inside Spirit Hall?"
Just then, a guard came hurrying over. "Reporting to Chrysanthemum Douluo and Ghost Douluo, we've sealed off the entire inner city and are conducting a full search for suspicious individuals."
Hearing the guard's report, Yue Guan's expression darkened. "What are you guards even good for?!"
"How could you let an unidentified assassin into Spirit Hall—and one who nearly hurt my disciple, at that!"
Feeling Yue Guan's fury, the guard lowered his head and didn't dare breathe too loudly. "Please calm your anger, Chrysanthemum Douluo..."
Not long afterward, Bibi Dong arrived with Hu Liena.
Seeing them, the three men bowed. "Your Holiness the Pope."
Bibi Dong gave a slight nod. Hu Liena, standing beside her, also bowed. "Chrysanthemum Douluo, Ghost Douluo."
Then Bibi Dong turned to Yue Guan and asked, "What happened? I heard the guards report that there was an assassin."
At that, Yue Guan immediately stepped forward. "Your Holiness the Pope, someone just entered the inner city and sneaked around behind my disciple."
Gui Mei added, "Your Holiness the Pope, the guards are searching, but they haven't found any trace of the assassin yet."
Several hours passed in the blink of an eye.
The night had grown deep, and Spirit City had returned to its quiet.
Yue Guan accompanied Lin Ze'an on the walk back to his courtyard.
Both of them wore rather exasperated expressions.
"Master, is Guang Ling Douluo all right?" Lin Ze'an muttered. "Sneaking around and following people in the middle of the night—if he wanted to see me, couldn't he have just come out?"
He'd been wondering what kind of amazing assassin could break into the heavily guarded Spirit Hall and still let a Soul Grandmaster like him get away.
Turns out it had all been one big misunderstanding.
Hearing this, Yue Guan ruffled Lin Ze'an's hair and said helplessly, "Don't be upset, my good disciple. Of all the elders, the Fifth Elder is the only one with that sort of temperament."
Still, despite what he said, he was rather annoyed himself.
His disciple had been frightened in the middle of the night, the whole of Spirit Hall had been forced into lockdown, and everyone had been mobilized to hunt down an assassin—only for it to turn out to be a false alarm...
The two chatted as they walked and finally arrived at the entrance to Lin Ze'an's little courtyard.
The vines and flowers rising above the courtyard wall looked especially peaceful in the moonlight.
Standing before the courtyard gate, Yue Guan thought for a moment, then took out a delicate golden card and held it out to Lin Ze'an.
"My disciple, there are five hundred thousand Gold Soul Coins on this card. Use them for now, and ask your master for more if you run short."
Lin Ze'an took the card, his face full of surprise. "Five hundred thousand? Master, that's a lot!"
Seeing his expression, Yue Guan patted his head, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "You're my precious disciple. How could I let you run short of money?"
"Your master doesn't have any fine treasures to give you, but I do have some savings. Spend it without worry."
Before you continue