The Spirit Pagoda Crossed a Line

Chen Xing's family of five sat around the table in the courtyard, eating dinner.

Lang Yue had made several extra dishes to celebrate all three children coming home.

Tang Wulin had already polished off more than half the food by himself.

Na'er sat beside Chen Xing, sipping her soup. Every so often, she glanced up at him, then lowered her head again.

Tang Ziran held a glass of wine, a rare smile on his face.

Chen Xing leaned back in his chair, thinking he would take Na'er and Wulin to the seaside later that night.

Everything felt just right.

Then a dull thud came from outside the courtyard, as though something heavy had been thrown to the ground.

"I'll take a look."

Chen Xing stood, but before he could take a step, someone pushed open the courtyard gate.

A tall man with red hair and scarlet eyes walked in.

He held a rope. Five people were tied to its other end.

Bound together in a line, they had been dragged along the ground like dead dogs.

An emblem was embroidered on their clothes.

Chen Xing recognized it.

The Spirit Pagoda!

Chen Xing's expression turned cold.

He had thought the Spirit Pagoda had given up. He hadn't expected them to be preparing something this big.

The red-haired man entered the courtyard and casually dropped the rope.

The five captives tumbled into a heap. They struggled on the ground but couldn't get up.

"My lady."

The red-haired man dropped to one knee and bowed his head toward Na'er.

"I've brought them."

A terrible silence fell over the courtyard.

Tang Ziran's wineglass was still raised, but his hand was shaking.

Lang Yue covered her mouth.

Tang Wulin looked from the five bound captives to Na'er. His mouth hung open, but no words came out.

Chen Xing stood where he was.

He recognized the man now.

The Scarlet King.

He just hadn't expected the Scarlet King to appear like this.

Na'er slowly rose.

She walked over to the five captives and looked down at them. Then she turned to the Scarlet King. "Get up and tell me what happened."

The Scarlet King stood and moved aside, his hands at his sides.

Na'er crouched and studied the captives' faces. "Who sent you?"

One of them raised his head and stared in terror at the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl before him.

None of them understood what had happened.

All they knew was that the five of them, powerful Soul Douluo, had been about to act tonight when a red-haired man pinned them to the ground with his bare hands. They hadn't even had a chance to resist.

"W-we're from the Spirit Pagoda's East Sea Branch..."

"I asked who sent you." Na'er's voice was calm.

The man swallowed.

"The... the higher-ups at our branch... They told us to capture two people..."

"Which two?"

The man raised a trembling hand and pointed at Tang Ziran and Lang Yue. "Tang Ziran... and Lang Yue..."

Tang Ziran's wineglass hit the ground with a crack.

Wine spilled everywhere.

Na'er stood and glanced back at Chen Xing.

Chen Xing came over and stood beside her.

"Why capture them?"

The man's lips trembled. Then the Scarlet King took a step forward, and terrifying pressure descended on him.

"Because... because they're researching an Inhibitor..."

"What kind of Inhibitor?"

"One that suppresses the emotions of Ferocious Beasts... It works on them, but in humans... it would erase their emotions entirely..."

"The higher-ups said... to silence them once the research was complete... So they sent us to capture them first..."

The courtyard fell deathly silent again.

Tang Wulin's fists clenched so tightly his knuckles cracked. Tang Ziran had gone pale.

Lang Yue leaned against her chair, her lips trembling.

The Spirit Pagoda was clearly after Lang Yue because she was a pharmacist!

Chen Xing took a deep breath.

He looked down at the five captives.

"Anything else?"

All five shook their heads again and again.

"Sir! That's everything... We've told you all we know!"

Chen Xing thought for a few seconds, then crouched in front of one of them.

"How many people in your East Sea Branch are involved?"

"The higher-ups... All of them..."

"What's the strongest among them?"

"A Titled Douluo..."

Chen Xing stood.

His face was perfectly calm.

But anyone who knew him understood that this kind of calm was the most dangerous.

Na'er came to his side. Her eyes betrayed no emotion, but her next words chilled all five captives to the bone.

"Brother, let me handle this."

Chen Xing looked at her and nodded.

Tang Wulin stood as well.

"I'm going too."

Chen Xing turned to him.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." Tang Wulin clenched his fists, his expression hardening.

"They were going to take Mom and Dad. I can't just pretend I didn't see this!"

Chen Xing was silent for two seconds, then patted his shoulder.

"All right. We'll go together."

With that, he turned to the Scarlet King.

"Sorry for the trouble, but please take my parents to the Blacksmiths Association in Heaven Dou City and leave them with my teacher, Zhen Hua."

The Scarlet King glanced at Na'er.

He knew this young man was the person his lord cared about most. He also knew that even Di Tian, who was far stronger than him, had suffered a crushing setback at the young man's hands.

So he didn't dare take the request lightly. He went straight to Tang Ziran and Lang Yue.

"Please come with me."

Tang Ziran opened his mouth, but when Chen Xing and Na'er nodded to him, he hesitated no longer and took Lang Yue's hand.

Lang Yue looked back at Na'er, then at Chen Xing. Her eyes reddened.

"Xiao Xing... Na'er..."

Chen Xing smiled at her.

"Mom, it'll be fine. Go to Heaven Dou City first. We'll find you once we're done."

Lang Yue still wanted to say something, but Tang Ziran gently pulled her along.

"Come on. The children are grown now. They can handle this themselves. We just need to wait in Heaven Dou City for good news."

The Scarlet King led them out through the courtyard gate.

Only Chen Xing, Na'er, Tang Wulin, and the five bound captives remained in the courtyard.

Chen Xing glanced down at the captives.

"You're coming too."

He took a palm-sized metal device from his Storage Ring and tossed it onto the ground.

Golden light flashed.

A Black-rank Mecha appeared in the courtyard.

"Put them inside."

Chen Xing pointed at the five captives.

Without a word, Tang Wulin grabbed them two at a time and stuffed all five into the Mecha's cargo hold.

Chen Xing jumped into the cockpit, and Na'er climbed into the seat beside him.

Tang Wulin sat in the back and closed the hatch.

"Let's go!"

The Black-rank Mecha rose into the air and flew straight toward Eastsea City.

The night wind howled past the windows.

Sitting in the back, Tang Wulin stared at Chen Xing and Na'er in front of him, feeling strangely dazed.

Six years ago, all he'd known was that Na'er was a little girl his brother had brought home.

Only now, six years later, did he learn the truth.

One command from that "little girl," and the Scarlet King, a Ferocious Beast who had lived for 310,000 years, obeyed without question!

"Na'er..." Tang Wulin began.

"Hmm?"

"Who are you, really?"