Ambush

But even after Lin Wan's disguise, Old Drus still found him to be in considerable danger.

Old Drus had lived for decades and knew well the darkness of the Douluo Continent.

So he was still somewhat worried about the future Soul Master of their village.

The agreed-upon day soon arrived.

Lin Wan had packed his belongings as well. He did not have much to take back, only a few changes of clothes and several books borrowed from the library: illustrated guides to soul beasts and continental geography records.

Although Lin Wan had concealed his face, the improvements Nine-Heavens Beauty Fox had brought him came from within. As he stood quietly beneath the dormitory building, waiting, he still seemed utterly out of place amid the rough surroundings of the work-study students, making passing students and teachers unable to resist glancing at him.

"Xiao Wan, over here!"

A familiar, concerned voice called out.

Following the sound, Lin Wan saw an old carriage parked at the academy gates.

Old Drus was driving it, waving vigorously at Lin Wan.

Lin Wan quickly walked over, a sincere smile appearing on his face. "Grandpa Drus, sorry to make you come all this way."

"No trouble, no trouble."

Old Drus hurriedly waved his hand. As he helped Lin Wan load his luggage onto the carriage, he said with concern, "Get in quickly. It's cold outside."

The carriage was lined with thick dry straw and old blankets, making it quite warm.

At Old Drus's soft shout, the old brown horse snorted and pulled the carriage rattling away from the academy gates.

The journey back to Cold North Village was rather long, so Old Drus chatted with Lin Wan.

"Grandpa Drus, how has the village been lately?"

"Good, all good!"

At that, Old Drus immediately perked up.

"Doggie... oh, no, that boy Lin Zao entered the Martial Soul Hall. Our village has benefited from it too—this year's taxes have been reduced by ten percent. Everyone says you two are our village's lucky stars! They're all looking forward to your return now."

At the mention of Lin Zao, a trace of understanding flashed through Lin Wan's eyes. Whatever else could be said about the Martial Soul Hall, some of its policies were indeed very good for commoners.

"That's good." Lin Wan smiled.

Some things could not be avoided simply by wanting to avoid them. Old Drus's worries had come true after all.

When they were still thirty li from Cold North Village, an accident occurred.

"Whoa—!"

Old Drus sharply pulled on the reins, bringing the carriage to a halt.

His face instantly turned deathly pale.

"What is it, Grandpa Drus?"

Lin Wan poked his head out of the carriage and looked ahead.

There, in the middle of the road, a figure stood brazenly, completely blocking their path.

The man was short and stocky, dressed in worn leather armor, with an undisguised sneer and a greedy smile on his face.

Two soul rings slowly rose beneath his feet, one white and one yellow. He was clearly a Grand Soul Master.

"Hehe, I finally caught you."

The short, stocky Grand Soul Master rubbed his hands together, his gaze passing over the panicked Old Drus like a venomous snake before locking firmly onto Lin Wan.

"Little beauty, stop hiding. I've finally caught you."

Lin Wan's heart sank. What was coming had come after all.

He knew the Douluo Continent was dark, but he had not expected it to be this dark. He had only been in Frost City for a few months before someone set their sights on him.

What was more, he had barely left the city before being stopped.

"Little beauty, be sensible and don't resist pointlessly."

The short, stocky Grand Soul Master smugly patted the short blade at his waist. "Otherwise, you'll have to suffer a little."

He swept another disdainful glance over Lin Wan. "A worthless thing with only level-one Innate Soul Power. Being sent by me to Scented Pavilion for auction is your good fortune!"

He had already investigated Lin Wan's circumstances thoroughly. A work-study student at Frost City Junior Academy, with a Martial Soul that was a pretty but useless white fox, and a pitiful level-one Innate Soul Power.

Before him, a level-28 Grand Soul Master with two soul rings and a Fanged Rat Martial Soul possessing decent offensive power, Lin Wan was nothing more than an ant he could crush at will.

That old man driving the carriage?

He would be even easier to deal with.

Lin Wan looked at his smug, certain expression. His heart remained completely calm; he even felt like laughing.

His luck was really terrible!

Whatever he thought of came true. He helplessly shook his head, icy killing intent filling the depths of his sea-blue eyes.

Lin Wan truly was not worried about a Grand Soul Master in his twenties.

He had many trump cards. Whether it was the forced control of the Soul Seizure soul skill or the three powerful giant dogs in The Tinderbox.

Even any one of the items he had drawn would be more than enough to deal with this fellow.

What truly concerned him now was whether this man had accomplices behind him, whether this had been a spur-of-the-moment decision or simply lust at first sight.

Or perhaps he was a pawn sent by some force? And what sort of place was this Scented Pavilion?

If there was only this one man before him, he could simply kill him to silence him.

But if there were further arrangements, things would become troublesome.

"Kid, come with me obediently, and you'll suffer a little less! Otherwise..."

The short, stocky Grand Soul Master grinned viciously as his first soul ring lit up.

"First Soul Skill: Rat-Tooth Rend!"

His body abruptly lowered as he lunged forward with the speed of a real rat. His hands transformed into rat claws covered in stiff gray fur, their nails sharp as hooks, and tore through the air with a piercing whistle as they shot for Lin Wan's shoulders.

Clearly, he intended to cripple Lin Wan's ability to move first.

"Xiao Wan, watch out!"

Old Drus's eyes went wide with fury. He tried to leap forward and shield Lin Wan, only to be staggered by the burst of soul power from the Grand Soul Master.

At the very instant those coldly gleaming rat claws were about to touch Lin Wan's shoulders.

Lin Wan moved. A speck of icy-blue light lit within his eyes, and the phantom image of nine fox tails appeared behind him.

A layer of silver radiance covered his right hand as he reached directly for the incoming rat claw.

"Hmm?"

The short, stocky Grand Soul Master froze, then his vicious grin widened.

"Courting death!" He could practically see Lin Wan's hand bones shattering beneath his claws.

Yet at the instant Lin Wan's fingertips were about to touch the skin of his wrist.

Buzz!

An indescribable mental shock, carrying extreme allure and irresistible forced submission, instantly pierced the short, stocky Grand Soul Master's mind.

"Urgh!"

The vicious grin on the short, stocky Grand Soul Master's face instantly froze, and his gaze became blank and vacant.

His lunging motion also came to an abrupt halt. He stood rooted in place as though someone had pressed pause.

The Soul Seizure soul skill had activated successfully, forcibly controlling him for three seconds.

A cold glint flashed through Lin Wan's eyes.

The five fingers of his right hand, which had reached for the man's wrist, suddenly curled. A faint silver-white sheen with a metallic chill instantly covered his palm.

Then his fingertips became abnormally sharp, curving like hooks.

Squelch!

The silver-white Fox Claw pierced through the short, stocky Grand Soul Master's leather wristguard and protective soul power as easily as a knife through fruit.

It plunged deep into his wrist, and blood instantly sprayed out.