Codename: Bait Seven

"Electrolux." The name had reached Gu Mingyuan's lips, but he forced it back down.

On the bed opposite him, Zhou Sichen rolled over, smacked his lips, and went on sleeping. Gu Mingyuan remained seated cross-legged in cultivation and cautiously asked deep within his mind:

"Senior?"

Deep in the Sea of Spirit, a wisp of gray energy slowly stirred and barely gathered into a blurred human figure. Its face was indistinct, though it had the vague outline of an old man. The figure was so insubstantial it looked ready to vanish at any moment.

"You seem to know me?" The aged voice echoed through his mind, calm with the perspective of someone who had seen it all.

Gu Mingyuan's heart tightened, and he grew wary at once. "Senior, can you read my thoughts?"

"No," the old man said evenly.

"All I have left is this damaged shred of consciousness. It isn't enough to search your memories. But that foreign soul technique I intercepted did restore a little of my clarity. The moment I woke, the disturbance in your soul was impossible to miss."

Gu Mingyuan fell silent for a moment. Since the other party had noticed, there was no point hiding it. "Electrolux."

The gray figure froze in midair.

Only after a long pause did the aged voice sound again. "Electrolux... That name does sound familiar."

"You don't remember who you are, Senior?" Gu Mingyuan asked.

"I remember only a death, the shattering of space, and an aura that drew me here." The gray figure lowered his head slightly, as if looking through the barriers of the Sea of Spirit at Gu Mingyuan's left hand. "That aura lies within the mark on your left hand."

Gu Mingyuan did not deny it. He knew Electrolux meant his second Martial Soul, the Demon's Contract.

Electrolux continued, "Also, your soul and this body are not entirely compatible."

Every muscle in Gu Mingyuan's body tensed.

"There's no need to be nervous." Electrolux's tone remained steady. "I see no sign that you seized this body by force. Its original owner's soul had already dissipated before you entered it. As for your secrets, I have no interest in prying."

Gu Mingyuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Someone of this caliber would not be easy to fool, even as a remnant soul.

Trying to hide things would only backfire. He admitted frankly, "I really don't come from this world. As for how I know your name, let's say my Martial Soul told me."

"Martial Soul..." Electrolux considered the words. "It seems this world has much for me to explore."

Gu Mingyuan changed the subject. "Senior, did you devour that technique just now?"

"I did." Electrolux raised an insubstantial hand. "The caster meant to use soul energy to put you under pressure and cause you pain. I diverted that energy, and it hastened my awakening instead."

Delighted, Gu Mingyuan took the opportunity to ask, "Then can you remove the shackles of this brand, Senior?"

Electrolux examined the purplish-black skull mark. "Yes. But I need more time to recover."

Gu Mingyuan had not expected such a ready answer.

As if sensing his confusion, Electrolux said, "That thing you call a Martial Soul does help nurture my consciousness. Besides, you were the one who awakened me. I don't like owing anyone."

Gu Mingyuan nodded. "Then please rest and recover for now, Senior."

"However," Electrolux added, "I don't advise removing the mark yet."

Gu Mingyuan paused. "Have you noticed something, Senior?"

"The caster's cultivation is mediocre. At present, he can only sense your approximate location and whether you're alive," Electrolux explained unhurriedly.

"As for pressuring you from afar with soul energy as he did just now, he can only do that a limited number of times. If he tries again, it won't hurt you. It will become nourishment for my recovery. Leaving the mark in place poses no immediate danger."

Gu Mingyuan understood at once.

The Holy Spirit Cult's brand was now effectively a one-way tracker and a source of energy for Electrolux. If he left it alone, the Holy Spirit Cult would keep thinking he was under their control. Removing it would only alert them.

Rather than turn against them now, he could use his position to find out what they were plotting.

"I understand."

"And I'd like to see what this Holy Spirit Cult is up to."

The next day, at the You Hour.

Night had fallen, but Gu Mingyuan did not head straight for South City. Instead, he appeared outside Shrek Academy's east gate.

A crowd had gathered around a fragrant grilled-fish stall. It was Huo Yuhao's first time running the stall, and his skill was undeniable; the fish sold faster than he could grill them. Before long, a commotion broke out in the crowd. Xu Sanshi forced his way into the matter on Jiang Nannan's behalf, sparking a confrontation right in front of the stall.

Gu Mingyuan stood in the shadows, waiting for precisely this moment.

Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi had already begun fighting. Gu Mingyuan calmly took the recording Soul Tool he had bought at noon from his sleeve. He aimed past the crowd and focused on Huo Yuhao at its edge.

A faint, well-hidden gleam appeared in Huo Yuhao's eyes. At the same time, Bei Bei's movements in the fight became uncannily precise, as though he had divine help.

Gu Mingyuan recorded Huo Yuhao's covert use of Spiritual Detection Sharing from start to finish. Then he put away the Soul Tool and slipped into the night.

South City, Spring Return Apothecary.

Few pedestrians remained on the street. The Medicine Shop's door stood half-closed, letting out a dim yellow light. Gu Mingyuan pushed it open. Inside, only a gray-clad assistant was tidying the counter.

At the sound, the assistant looked up and swept his gaze over Gu Mingyuan. "What can I get you, customer?"

Gu Mingyuan walked up to the counter. "I'm here to see someone."

The assistant's expression shifted, and his eyes turned cold. He lowered his voice. "Customer, you can't just ask to see anyone. See someone you shouldn't, and it could cost you your life."

Gu Mingyuan smiled without a flicker of concern. "Of course."

The assistant studied him, then came out from behind the counter. He shut the door, hung up a wooden Closed sign, and turned back. "Follow me."

Behind a concealed door in the back room, stone steps led straight underground.

They descended three full levels. The first two were stacked with pungent medicinal herbs. Only when they reached the depths of the third did the assistant stop before a sealed chamber.

The chamber was small and bare. On a stone platform at the far end stood a bust with a vicious face.

The assistant stepped forward, drew a short dagger from his waist, and slit his fingertip without hesitation. Several drops of blood landed neatly in a groove at the base of the statue.

Bzz—

Dark red lines lit up rapidly across the statue's surface. A cold, viscous spiritual force poured from within it and slowly gathered into a blurred apparition in midair.

Its face was indistinct as it looked down at Gu Mingyuan.

The next instant, a woman's voice rang out:

"Gu Mingyuan. Codename: Bait Seven."