Quirks and Sudden Assault

"Your Highness," Little White spoke up, but seeing Mu Feng's livid expression, he ultimately could not say anything.

They had followed Mu Feng closely for five years, yet they had never seen him so furious as he was today. But on second thought, it made sense. Even Black and White Impermanence, who knew nothing about religious affairs, could see that Gui Xiao had repeatedly been secretly encroaching upon the cult's authority.

After Gui Xiao's group had continuously tested and crossed Mu Feng's bottom line over the past half month, they had grown even more arrogant. With Gui Xiao backing him, Zhu Man Cang, merely a minor altar master, had actually dared to publicly offend Mu Feng's dignity as the Holy Son.

Little White said, "Are we just going to let this go?"

Mu Feng sighed. "The two of you, both Soul Sages, are being firmly suppressed by Gui Xiao alone. Other than waiting helplessly, what else can we do?"

The two following behind Mu Feng exchanged a glance. Little White stepped forward and said, "Since we cannot confront him directly, why not secretly set a trap and kill him?"

Little White's hoarse, grating voice, paired with such a shameful scheme, sent chills down one's spine. Mu Feng turned back in surprise to look at the two of them. They kept their faces covered all year round, so he could not see their expressions at that moment.

Mu Feng shook his head. Little White thought Mu Feng did not believe they could succeed and was about to explain when Mu Feng cut him off. "Enough. No matter what, Gui Xiao is still a member of the Holy Spirit Cult. Before he has betrayed us, this can only be considered some friction. There is no need to resort to such an extreme method."

"Yes."

Mu Feng looked at the two of them strangely. Assassins of the Holy Spirit Cult were voluntarily proposing to assassinate one of their own powerhouses. It sounded no less insane than the scheme brewing in his heart as the Holy Son.

The cautious Mu Feng did not agree to Little White's request. Setting aside whether he could determine if the two were sincere or merely testing him, what Mu Feng wanted was not a dead Gui Xiao. Once Gui Xiao's consciousness dispersed, transforming him into an undead creature would only result in a dull-witted puppet.

"Gui Xiao cannot be killed, but that Zhu Man Cang who keeps jumping about..." Mu Feng gave a cold snort, and the two immediately understood what he meant.

"But the time is not right yet." Mu Feng stopped the restless pair. "If we act today, it will only make me seem petty and vindictive."

Only after returning to Shrek Academy did Mu Feng cast off his earlier gloomy expression and mutter, "It is time to close the net."

Ever since parting with Bi Ji by the stream, Mu Feng had been advancing his plan. Gui Xiao had used Zhu Man Cang as his vanguard against him, but how could he know that Zhu Man Cang was also one of Mu Feng's crucial pieces?

The more wildly and conspicuously Zhu Man Cang leapt about, the greater his value became. Gui Xiao would be even less likely to abandon him. That was why Mu Feng had retreated step by step lately, allowing Zhu Man Cang to push his luck.

By now, this pig had been fattened enough. It was time to make a move. Aside from Little White's unexpected suggestion today, everything had been proceeding steadily according to Mu Feng's plan.

If Mu Feng had Black and White Impermanence deal with Gui Xiao, he might still worry about where their loyalties lay. But against a mere Zhu Man Cang, he had no such concerns.

Zhu Man Cang truly lived up to his name. He possessed an almost pathological greed for wealth. Aside from what he kept in his soul tool ring, Mu Feng's investigation had revealed that he had hidden a considerable portion in houses he had specifically purchased in Shrek City.

In the middle district of Shrek City, near a recreational park, a bloated figure circled a villa in the quiet residential area three or four times. Only after looking around carefully did he approach its gate.

Zhu Man Cang looked around once more. After confirming there was no one suspicious nearby, he cautiously pushed open the gate. The lush greenery and blooming colorful flowers in the courtyard failed to hold his attention for even a moment. He went straight inside, climbed to a bedroom on the second floor, and opened a locked wardrobe. It was filled with neatly stacked Gold Soul Coins.

Sunlight from outside streamed through the window onto the Gold Soul Coins in the wardrobe, bathing the entire room in reflected golden light. There were two such large wardrobes in the room, each crammed full enough to hold several million Gold Soul Coins.

There was also an enormous bed in the middle of the room. He removed stacks of Gold Soul Coins from the wardrobe and carefully spread them across the entire bed. Like a treasure-hunting rat, he leaped onto it, stripped naked, and rolled back and forth over the coins.

This was Zhu Man Cang's little-known peculiar habit, witnessed by Mu Feng after he had learned basic undead magic from Electrolux and controlled a little tabby cat lying atop the wall.

The first time Mu Feng saw this scene, he felt his eyes had been polluted. But after seeing it enough times, he became immune to it.

On a distant wall, a gray-white tabby cat licked its paws. Its gray vertical pupils occasionally peered through the curtains toward the glittering room. When it saw the final gap in the curtains being drawn shut, the little cat seemed to have all its strength drained away and suddenly fell into the drainage ditch below without a sound.

Then three black shadows abruptly appeared near the villa. A dark, dense fog slowly flowed from one person's body and enveloped all three of them. A massive black sphere silently entered the house.

"Thump, thump, thump."

Heavy sounds rang out. Zhu Man Cang, who had completely relaxed himself in his ocean of money, stiffened upon hearing the strange noise. He quickly stored the Gold Soul Coins on the bed into his soul tool ring and dressed himself at the same time.

He tilted his head and listened carefully, initially thinking it was a sound from the road outside. But the chaotic, eerie noise was getting closer and closer.

Like what?

Like someone was climbing the stairs! And definitely more than one person!

The instant that thought emerged, Zhu Man Cang's hair stood on end. Only one thought remained in his mind: run.

Whenever he came here, he always took precautions against being followed, deliberately circling around several times before entering only after confirming that no one was around. Someone who could evade his careful inspection and infiltrate the house was not someone he could possibly handle.

But aside from some of the Gold Soul Coins on the bed, which had already been put away, were the Gold Soul Coins worth over ten million in the two wardrobes really going to be left here?

Zhu Man Cang was torn. Gritting his teeth, he finally decided not to run.

He thought hopefully, What if they just entered the wrong house by accident?

The instant the footsteps stopped, the bedroom door was kicked clean off with a bang, and three figures appeared before him.

When he clearly saw the person in the middle, Zhu Man Cang instantly regretted his decision.

He exclaimed in shock, "Holy Son!"

Mu Feng smiled eerily. Before he even spoke, that smile alone sent a chill through Zhu Man Cang.

"Knock him out. Take him."

Mu Feng's command was concise, and Black and White Impermanence moved quickly.

"Wait—"

Before Zhu Man Cang could finish speaking, the two had already knocked him unconscious and sent him to the floor. It was not that he did not want to summon his martial soul and resist; before two Soul Sages, he simply could not stir up any trouble.