Secrets Hidden in the Night

"What should we do, then? Contact Spirit Hall?"

"Not yet. Things haven't reached the point of being uncontrollable. Don't forget, we have a gold-medal enforcer behind us."

The shadow behind Meng Xuanji waved at Hu Liena, signaling that with him around, nothing would go wrong.

As long as no Title Douluo-level powerhouse intervened, Ice Soul Ghost Shadow was fully confident he could whip the opponent to death. The former king of the Far North had absolute confidence in his own strength.

Meng Xuanji gave the wolf beast an order.

"Now, I need you to return to your pack as my informant. If the Wolf King asks about your companion, tell him he was killed and that you barely escaped with your life. Understand?"

"Understood."

With that, the wolf beast turned to leave.

"Wait."

The wolf beast paused. Bang! The Blue Silver Emperor lashed out and sent it flying, leaving a bloody wound across its abdomen.

"If you want to fool them, you have to make it look real. If you go back without a single wound, I'm afraid you'll be killed by your pack the moment you return."

"Yes." The wolf beast responded mechanically, then dragged its wounded body out of Meng Xuanji's sight.

"You were far too decisive when you struck, weren't you?" Hu Liena walked out from behind Meng Xuanji. "Even I didn't notice when your Blue Silver Emperor attacked. You're really ruthless."

"Not really. Compared to how you wanted to slit its throat in one stroke, Young Lady, I'd say I was being merciful. If I didn't hit it hard enough, the Wolf King wouldn't believe it."

"But aren't you afraid it will break free of your control and betray you?"

"Betray me? No, no, no. You're overthinking it. In this world, only I betray others. Trying to betray me is going to be rather difficult." A ball of ghostly blue fire appeared in Meng Xuanji's palm.

"When the flames go out, that will be the moment its life reaches its end. Even if someone notices that it is being controlled from behind the scenes, I'm confident I won't expose any information about myself."

Hu Liena looked at the ghost fire gently flickering in Meng Xuanji's hand and muttered softly.

"What a sinister ability. It's just like an evil soul master's."

"That's not right, Young Lady. Abilities have always only been divided into strong and weak. How can they be good or evil? The only evil things in this world are people, not the tools in their hands."

"Besides, do I look like a bad guy to you?"

Meng Xuanji's right hand brazenly wrapped around Hu Liena's waist and pulled her into his embrace. Hu Liena now possessed the body of an adolescent; the childish immaturity had faded from her, replaced by a trace of feminine charm.

Feeling the warm, soft sensation beneath his palm, Meng Xuanji nearly failed to hold himself back from giving it a squeeze.

"You do. You look exactly like a super villain."

Hu Liena chided Meng Xuanji a couple of times, her face flushing slightly. By now, she had somewhat gotten used to Meng Xuanji getting handsy whenever no one was around. In her impression, he had always been this sort of person.

"You only know how to bully me. Why haven't I ever seen you bully other girls? Go wrap your arms around some other girl's waist? You bad guy."

"Really? You wouldn't beat me to death?"

"You really dare to think that! I'll beat you to death right now!"

"No, no, no, I was wrong, I was wrong. Stop making a fuss, all right? Let's call it here. It's time to do serious business." Meng Xuanji hurriedly pulled out the patrol handbook to save his life.

At such close range, if Hu Liena gave him a punch, he truly would not be able to take it.

"Hmph, I'll let you off this time." Though Hu Liena had the occasional little girl's temper, she knew what mattered. The mission was still the priority.

"Let me see where we're going next."

For the rest of the day, Meng Xuanji led Hu Liena in digging several new traps, while also taking the opportunity to clear out several "real traps" lying in ambush beside them.

For the sake of later tracking and investigation, Meng Xuanji did not wipe them all out. Instead, he left several survivors, controlled their thoughts, and released them back.

That was the appeal of Ice Soul Ghost Shadow. With him around, Meng Xuanji could accomplish many things he wanted to do but simply could not do on his own.

This was a true monster of mechanics.

Night fell, and after a full day of exhausting work, Meng Xuanji and Hu Liena returned to the small guard post hut. A faint glow from an oil lamp still flickered inside.

"Uncle, we're back."

Meng Xuanji lifted the door curtain and saw only Old Wu leaning against the rough stone wall, smoking his pipe. His brow was tightly furrowed, and his face carried an indescribable melancholy.

The atmosphere in the room was somewhat oppressive. Old Wu took a long time before finally speaking.

"Maybe you shouldn't come tomorrow. The other two members of the guard team were killed this morning. I heard they died beside one of the traps we set."

Since Meng Xuanji and Hu Liena only needed to patrol half the area during the day, they knew nothing at all about the other group being killed.

So it was true. Meng Xuanji muttered inwardly.

"These fellows are no longer content with merely raiding villages. They're challenging the bottom line of survival for every human in the surrounding area. Even members of the guard team can't escape their claws. How are ordinary villagers supposed to feel at ease?"

"This beast disaster seems far more serious than I imagined."

Old Wu's attitude was clearly resolute.

"If you don't leave, sooner or later you'll be targeted too. I'm old already. I've seen too much of the world. Even if I die protecting the village, it doesn't matter."

"But you two are still children. At such a young age, you've already broken through to level fifteen. In the future, you may well become four-ring Soul Ancestors. If you die, it will be a tremendous loss to the village."

Old Wu took a deep drag from his pipe, then unhesitatingly placed the cloth bag hanging at his waist onto the table.

From inside the bag came the clear sound of coins clinking together.

"Aren't you short on money? Take the money I've saved and go back. This old man has no family anyway. If I die, I'll probably die in the bellies of those wolf beasts. Keeping this money would only be a waste."

Old Wu slowly rose to his feet and picked up an oil lamp hanging on the wall.

"I'm going on patrol. Whether you leave or not is up to you."

"If I die too, the mayor will personally lead the guard team and protect the village. By then, perhaps he might truly find a way to solve this beast disaster."

Old Wu's back disappeared through the doorway, gradually vanishing into the night. Only the faint, flickering glow of his oil lamp conveyed the message that Old Wu was still alive.

Ever since soul beasts had invaded this month, Old Wu had seen far too many people die. If he kept these two children here merely to protect the village for a while longer, he would only feel that he was an executioner helping soul beasts slaughter humans.

If Meng Xuanji and Hu Liena truly died while out on patrol, Old Wu would certainly blame himself for causing the deaths of two children.

That was something he could never accept.

Watching Old Wu's departing figure, Meng Xuanji stood beneath the eaves with his head lowered, lost in thought. Like a statue, he said nothing for a long time.

"Meng Xuanji, what are you thinking about?" Hu Liena stood beside him and took his hand.

"How about we go to Spirit Hall and ask for support? I think Uncle is a good person. I don't want to see him get eaten by soul beasts," Hu Liena said sincerely.

After a while, Meng Xuanji finally let out a breath.

"Whew, I've figured it out."

"Figured out what?"

"I've figured out why this beast disaster happened. Come on, I'll take you somewhere right now. If my deduction is correct, there must be something there that we need."