Ghost Face Car Chase

The return trip was harder than the way there.

Rain turned the dirt road into a thick mire, and the carriage wheels sank and jerked with every turn. Oscar sat inside the carriage, his complexion even paler than a Recovery Big Sausage.

"I think I'm going to throw up."

Ma Hongjun's new soul ring had barely settled, and he was as excited as fresh-out-of-the-kiln charcoal. "You can throw up all you want, I can fly now."

Bai Jin sat on the roof of the carriage, holding an umbrella. "Being able to fly and flying steadily are two different things. The way you crashed into that tree just now made even the tree fall silent."

A few low chuckles immediately came from inside the carriage.

Tang San did not laugh, however.

His fingers rested by the carriage window, and Blue Silver Grass silently grew along the wheels. The sound of the rain was too dense, capable of covering up many noises while also concealing murderous intent.

The next instant, the sound of a whistling wind tore through the woods.

"Get down!"

Tang San gave a low shout.

More than a dozen black arrows shot out from the curtain of rain. Dai Mubai smashed open the carriage door almost simultaneously, his White Tiger Protection Barrier flaring to life to block the front of the carriage head-on. The arrowheads struck the protective shield, exploding into patches of dark red powder.

"Don't breathe in!" Tang San warned.

Xiao Wu had already pulled Ning Rongrong behind her. Although Oscar's legs were weak, his hands were not slow as he handed out Recovery Big Sausages one after another.

Zhu Zhuqing swept out from the side of the carriage, her figure vanishing into the rain forest.

Bai Jin sat unmoving on the roof, looking down.

"Not bad, no one panicked."

Just as the words fell, the second wave of attacks arrived.

This time it was not arrows, but three soul masters wearing ghost masks. They hung upside down from the trees, short blades gleaming with black light in their hands as they went straight for Oscar and Ning Rongrong. Tang San's Blue Silver Grass tightened abruptly, wrapping around the axle and forcibly dragging the carriage half a foot to the side.

The carriage lurched violently. Ning Rongrong collided with the carriage wall, her eyes stinging with pain, yet she lifted the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda at the very first moment.

"Might!"

The light fell upon Dai Mubai.

"Speed!"

The second stream of light caught up to Zhu Zhuqing.

She did not wait for anyone else to remind her, nor did she call out the wrong person. All those seemingly grating words Bai Jin had uttered last night had now completely transformed into the rhythm in her hands.

The short blades brushed against the carriage wall and missed.

"Fatty!"

Ma Hongjun had been waiting for this exact shout.

"Third Soul Skill, Phoenix Wings Soaring!"

Fiery wings spread in the rain, and the moisture instantly vaporized. Instead of spraying fire wildly this time, he flew half a circle close to the top of the carriage, his Phoenix Flame turning into an arc of fire that forced the three Ghost Mask Soul Masters to reveal themselves.

Dai Mubai seized the opportunity, unleashing his White Tiger Fierce Light Wave.

Zhu Zhuqing delivered the fatal blow from behind.

The three soul masters were smashed into the mud, their ghost masks shattering.

"Pretty cool, right?" Ma Hongjun asked the moment he landed.

Oscar gave him a thumbs-up. "Priceless compared to crashing into a tree."

Ma Hongjun's expression stiffened.

The real killing blow came in the third wave.

A Gray-Clothed Soul King stepped out from the depths of the rain curtain, five soul rings lighting up beneath his feet. He did not look at Shrek, keeping his eyes fixed solely on Bai Jin atop the carriage roof.

"Six-Eyes Soul Saint," he rasped, "how many more times can you move after the battle at the Old Canal?"

Bai Jin casually rested his umbrella on his shoulder. "Do you people always have to chat before you fight?"

The Gray-Clothed Soul King did not answer. His fourth soul ring lit up, and the Black Blade in his hand turned into a blur as it stabbed straight for the carriage.

This strike was vicious.

He did not touch Bai Jin, nor did he try to kill the most conspicuous Dai Mubai. Instead, utilizing the sound of the rain and the cover of the first two waves, he aimed directly for the iron box containing the rubbings inside the carriage. As long as he snatched the item or destroyed it, this ambush could be considered half-successful.

Tang San saw through the intent.

Yet seeing through it did not mean there was time to stop it.

The Soul King's speed far exceeded that of this group of soul elders and soul grandmasters.

The target was not Bai Jin.

It was the rubbings.

Tang San's pupils constricted. Just as his Blue Silver Grass moved to intercept, the Black Blade had already pierced through the wall of fire, stopping less than a foot away from the carriage.

Bai Jin finally moved.

He leaped down from the roof, landed in front of the carriage, and extended two fingers.

The Black Blade stopped.

The Gray-Clothed Soul King poured his soul power into it frantically, yet that blade seemed to be stabbed into the most distant void of heaven and earth—clearly close at hand, yet forever unable to touch the target.

Bai Jin tilted his head. "Is that it?"

The Gray-Clothed Soul King's expression changed drastically, and he tried to withdraw.

Bai Jin flicked his finger lightly.

He.

There was no large-scale explosion, only a muffled thud. The Gray-Clothed Soul King was struck as if by a heavy hammer, flying backward to snap two trees in half before crashing heavily into the mud.

Ma Hongjun watched with glowing eyes.

"Brother Bai, when can I be that cool?"

"Practice until you can fly without crashing into trees first."

Zhu Zhuqing had already dragged the Gray-Clothed Soul King back. Tang San inspected the man's mouth, promptly extracting the Poison Sac hidden beneath his tongue.

That Poison Sac was only the size of a grain of rice, concealed in the deepest part of the gums. If not for Tang San's swift action, this man would already be a corpse.

Tang San placed the Poison Sac into a Small Porcelain Bottle, his brow slightly furrowed.

"It's not the same poison as that fine needle in the back alley of the Auction House, but the refining method is very similar," he said. "There might be a fixed apothecary behind this group."

Bai Jin nodded. "Good news. It means they aren't wild operators."

Xiao Wu was stunned. "This counts as good news?"

"Of course." Bai Jin smiled. "Once they have a nest, we can wipe them out."

"They don't want to be taken alive," Tang San said.

"Which means being alive is valuable." Bai Jin squatted down and patted the Gray-Clothed Soul King's face. "Tell us something valuable."

The Gray-Clothed Soul King kept his teeth tightly clenched.

Bai Jin smiled affably. "If you won't talk, that's fine. I'll throw you to Poison Douluo. He hasn't been in a very good mood lately, and he's just lacking someone to test medicines on."

The Gray-Clothed Soul King's gaze finally shifted.

Dugu Bo's reputation was, at certain times, even more useful than Bai Jin's.

A moment later, the man shook an oil-soaked Black Invitation from his bosom. There was no name on the invitation, only a line of dark red characters.

Hell Road opening bid.

Upon seeing these four words, Tang San felt his heart sink inexplicably.

When Lu Heng arrived, Bai Jin already had the invitation card pinched between his fingers.

"Black Market Auction," Lu Heng said with an ugly expression. "Right in Heaven Dou City, changing venues tonight."

The men sent by Xue Qinghe also arrived, and upon hearing this, they immediately turned back to report.

Rainwater dripped down the eaves of the carriage, patter, patter.

Bai Jin put away the invitation card and climbed back into the carriage.

Dai Mubai asked, "We're still going tonight?"

No one inside the carriage raised an objection.

The ambush just now made everyone clear that the Old Quarry was merely a piece of bone sticking out; the real prize was still buried within Heaven Dou City. If they did not go tonight, once those people changed nests, the next person sent to the auction block might be any one of them.

Ning Rongrong held the Ledger tightly, her gaze much steadier than the previous night.

Oscar muttered softly, "Going is fine, but can you let me finish throwing up first?"

Ma Hongjun disgustedly shifted away from him.

Only with these words did the tense atmosphere inside the carriage ease by half.

Yet no one truly treated what had just happened as a joke. Three waves of ambushes, each more ruthless than the last, indicated that the enemy had been watching them all along, and also showed that the significance of that rubbing far exceeded their original estimation.

"Of course we're going," Bai Jin leaned against the carriage door, smiling quite easily. "They've already named their price. How impolite would it be not to go haggle?"

Ma Hongjun asked quietly, "Haggle how much?"

Bai Jin thought for a moment.

"Haggle until he doesn't dare take the money."