Now This Was Trouble!

The guard in the room had no idea what his superior was thinking, but he had his orders. He stood off to the side and kept watch over Chu Heng.

Inside the holding cell, Chu Heng was in no hurry. The place looked intimidating, but its conditions were actually better than those in some homes in Holy Soul Village.

Chu Heng sat down against the wall and thought back over the fight.

It was his first real fight against other Soul Masters. To avoid causing a bigger disturbance and revealing his Martial Soul, he had kept it hidden. Close-combat skills and the Tang Sect's secret techniques had been enough to finish the fight.

"Looks like the close-combat training my sister made me do came in handy."

His situation now, though, was a little awkward.

"Teacher, oh, Teacher..."

Chu Heng sighed softly.

"Is this thing of yours any use at all?"

When Su Xianling used hers, everything had gone smoothly. People treated her with respect the moment they saw it. Why did he keep running into trouble?

Well, if he wanted to get by in Spirit City, he would have to rely on himself. Counting on his teacher's connections—connections others could only dream of—was far too uncertain.

Just then, a voice came from the next cell.

"Hey, kid."

Chu Heng looked up. It was the man he had thrown to the ground earlier.

"What?"

"You're awfully calm."

"What else should I do? Cry for you?"

Chu Heng had no patience for someone who bullied merchants and threw his weight around.

"..."

The man choked on his words. A moment later, he sneered again.

"Kid, I'll admit you've got some skill. But this is Spirit City, not your home."

"Oh."

"Do you know who's backing us?"

There it is again.

Chu Heng rolled his eyes.

"Why do you people love saying that? If you've got the nerve, just give me a name."

The other cell went quiet. The man said no more.

Chu Heng couldn't be bothered with him. Someone who openly extorted ordinary merchants on the streets of Spirit City and dared to attack people in front of a crowd had to have someone behind him. Chu Heng just didn't know how far up this might go.

He had handed over the token. If nothing unexpected happened, he should be out soon.

If something did go wrong, he would have to wait for his sister to come back and get him out.

Then he imagined Su Xianling finding out that he had been locked in a holding cell as soon as they left. His expression stiffened.

Oh no. She's definitely going to laugh at me.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged man who had taken the token hurried into another office area and pushed open a wooden door.

"Chief Chen."

An elderly man who had been reading through files looked up.

"What is it?"

The middle-aged man set the silver-white token on the desk.

"The guards arrested a child today. They found this on him."

At first, the old man paid it little attention. Members of prominent families were arrested for one offense or another in Spirit City every day, then used their family connections to get out of trouble. But when he saw the front of the token, he blinked in disbelief and picked it up.

He examined its design carefully. When he saw the bow-shaped mark on the back, his eyes narrowed.

"Where did you get this?"

The middle-aged man had brought plenty of matters to Chief Chen before, but something in his tone this time made his heart sink.

"The child had it."

"Who is this child?"

The old man's voice rose sharply.

"I don't know. The men said he's an eight-year-old boy named Chu Heng. He should be about as strong as a Soul Grandmaster."

"Chu Heng?"

The old man frowned.

I've never heard that name.

He looked down at the token again. There was no mistaking it: it followed the Worship Hall's design.

Others might not recognize it, but he had served beneath the Holy Mountain in his youth. How could he fail to recognize it?

This was the Fifth Worshipper's personal token! How many people in all of Spirit City were qualified to receive one? And an eight-year-old child, no less.

Could he be the Fifth Worshipper's illegitimate son?

Surely not...

"Where is he?"

"We've put him in temporary custody."

"Take me to him."

Chief Chen abandoned the work on his desk and rose at once. The middle-aged man hurried after him. As they reached the door, he could not help asking,

"Chief Chen, who exactly is that child?"

The old man kept walking.

"That's the Fifth Worshipper's token."

Those few words froze the middle-aged man in his tracks.

"The F-Fifth Worshipper?"

The old man turned and glared at him.

"Why are you standing there? Hurry!"

Inside the holding cell.

Chu Heng had grown so bored that he had started tapping the table with his finger.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Just as he was about to reach a hundred, hurried footsteps sounded outside.

Chu Heng paused, as if he had sensed something.

Are they here?

Several figures soon appeared beyond the iron door. At their head was a gray-haired old man, followed by a middle-aged man Chu Heng had never seen and several guards.

The old man took one look at Chu Heng and sized him up.

An eight-year-old boy, with Soul Power at the Soul Grandmaster level.

This should be him.

"Are you Chu Heng?"

"Yes."

"Who gave you this token?"

Chu Heng glanced at the object in his hand.

"My teacher."

"Your teacher is..."

Chief Chen found it odd. After all this, did Chu Heng still not know? Chu Heng answered him plainly.

"Guang Ling Douluo."

"..."

The air fell silent. Chief Chen blinked several times in disbelief, but Chu Heng was still standing there. Then he turned around.

"Open the door."

A guard hurriedly took out his key. The iron door opened, and Chu Heng stepped out, rolling his wrists.

"Can I leave now?"

"Of course."

Chief Chen forced a smile.

"The men didn't understand the situation. I'm sorry they put you through this today."

"It's nothing."

Chu Heng rather enjoyed the old man's ingratiating manner. Who didn't like being treated with such respect? But after taking two steps, he remembered something and stopped.

Chief Chen's heart skipped a beat.

"Is there something else?"

Chu Heng looked back.

"What about them?"

He pointed to the men in the next cell, who had been staring in shock ever since Chief Chen and the others arrived.

The smile vanished from the old man's face.

"We'll question them and make sure we uncover who's behind this."

Chu Heng saw his reaction and understood a little more.

So that man's backer isn't so simple either. Well, I'd like to see how his backer measures up to mine.

After a moment's silence, he walked back into the holding cell.

"In that case, I'll stay and help with your questioning."

"?"

Chief Chen stared at him.

Chu Heng sat back down on the bed, entirely unconcerned.

"My teacher's out of Spirit City for the next few days anyway. I've got plenty of time."

Chief Chen's heart sank.

Now this was trouble!