Finding Someone Takes the Right Approach

Three days later, the noble convoy left Barak City.

The convoy belonged to a Viscount traveling to Heaven Dou City to report on his duties. It had more than a dozen carriages, and its Guards even included a level forty-three Soul Ancestor.

Tang Hao paid five Gold Soul Coins, only to be assigned a spot on the last cargo wagon.

The Manager in charge of seating made a point of warning him:

"Don't wander around on the road, and don't go near the Viscount's carriage. If you disturb His Lordship, no one can protect you."

Tang Hao glanced at the gold-trimmed carriage in the middle of the convoy.

Nice decorations. Ordinary wheels. Even worse suspension.

He would have found the ride too bumpy even if they had offered him the seat for free.

"Don't worry. I'm not interested in your lord."

The Manager frowned. "Watch your attitude."

"Five Gold Soul Coins bought me a spot beside a pile of cargo. The fact that I can still speak to you like this shows I have a pretty good temper."

"You..."

The Manager wanted to say more, but a Guard beside him pulled him away.

Tang Hao couldn't be bothered with him. He found a reasonably level spot and sat down.

Traveling with a noble convoy had one advantage: fewer inspections along the way.

Ordinary bandits didn't dare provoke a convoy flying a Viscount's banner, either, saving him plenty of trouble.

Perhaps that was why the fare was so high.

A little discomfort was nothing by comparison.

After all, this Titled Douluo was a remarkable man who had endured six years of rice gruel.

The body's endurance had all been spent by its original owner in strange places.

The convoy continued north. Twelve days had passed since they set out.

As Heaven Dou City drew closer, the number of Soul Masters along the road rose noticeably.

Tang Hao wasted no time. Whenever they stopped in a town to rest, he bought a map from a local shop and asked about Sunset Forest.

Unfortunately, most of what he heard was worthless.

Some said Soul Beasts swarmed every inch of Sunset Forest and that even a Titled Douluo would die inside.

Others claimed an ancient ruin lay buried deep in the forest, and anyone who obtained its inheritance could become a god in a single step.

Only two pieces of information were useful.

First, the northwestern part of Sunset Forest was shrouded in poisonous mist year-round. Ordinary Soul Masters who approached it grew dizzy, and in severe cases, died on the spot.

Second, someone had once seen a green-haired old man near the mist. He had a strange temper and drove away anyone who came close.

Green hair, skilled with poison, foul temper.

Other than Dugu Bo, there probably wasn't a second person who would collect all three traits.

He had a general direction. Now he only needed a forest map with detailed routes.

Twelve days later, Heaven Dou City finally appeared at the end of the road.

Its towering walls stretched away on both sides, while people streamed through the gates.

Merchant caravans lined up in long queues, but lavish noble carriages entered through a dedicated passage.

The Manager had expected Tang Hao to come over and thank him. Instead, Tang Hao picked up his luggage and left without giving the noble convoy another thought.

"Pretty proud for a sickly wretch."

The Manager muttered under his breath.

Tang Hao kept walking.

The sickly part was true.

As for pride, if Tang Hao still had any of that, he probably would have greeted the man with his hammer.

Tang Hao did not rush off to find Dugu Bo. He decided to settle in the city first.

He rented a secluded little courtyard in the western part of the city.

It was small but quiet enough, and most of the neighbors were ordinary people.

As long as he did not deliberately release his Soul Power, few Soul Masters would notice the place.

After paying three months' rent, Tang Hao transplanted Ah Yin into the courtyard.

The Blue Silver Emperor was a plant too. She needed photosynthesis. That was science.

"You'll have to put up with this for a few days."

Tang Hao crouched before the flowerpot and channeled a thread of Soul Power into the soil.

The Blue Silver Grass's leaves gently curled around his finger.

"I told you not to cling."

Tang Hao sounded displeased, but he did not pull his hand away at once.

Ah Yin's consciousness was faint now. She was mostly responding to a familiar presence.

Once she truly came back to life, no one could say whether she would accept a husband whose soul had changed.

But that was a problem for later.

She had not even been revived yet. Worrying about their marriage now was like planning how to divide the inheritance before the house had been built.

He clearly had too much time on his hands.

Once Ah Yin was settled, Tang Hao put on a cloak and headed to the largest apothecary in the city.

The shopkeeper was a Soul Master. When he heard that Tang Hao wanted a detailed map of Sunset Forest, suspicion immediately entered his eyes.

"What do you need a map for?"

"To gather herbs in the mountains."

"What herbs? Where?"

"If I knew where the herbs grew, would I need to buy a map?"

The question stopped the shopkeeper short.

Tang Hao took out a Gold Soul Coin and set it on the counter.

"Relax. I'm not here to steal your business. I only need the routes and the dangerous areas marked."

The shopkeeper glanced at the Gold Soul Coin but did not take it.

"Our shop only has maps of the outer area. They may not meet your needs."

"Where can I buy a map of the deeper parts?"

"Only powerful Soul Hunting teams have maps of those areas."

"Where are they?"

"There's a place in the south of the city called Old Bear Tavern. A lot of Soul Hunting teams take jobs there."

Tang Hao put away the Gold Soul Coin and turned to leave.

The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "You haven't bought anything."

"You haven't sold me anything."

"But I gave you information."

Tang Hao stopped and looked back at him.

"A Gold Soul Coin just for an address? Why don't you go rob people?"

The shopkeeper answered with perfect conviction. "Robbery is against the law."

Tang Hao had no answer to that.

In the end, he tossed over a Silver Soul Coin.

"Spend the change on medicine for that greed of yours."

In the south of the city stood Old Bear Tavern.

Tang Hao pushed open the wooden door. Dozens of Soul Masters sat scattered around the room, and task boards covered the walls.

His arrival drew little attention.

People who wore cloaks to hide their identities were hardly unusual here.

Tang Hao walked up to the counter.

"Do you have a map of Sunset Forest?"

Behind the counter stood a burly man with a face full of whiskers.

He looked Tang Hao over and grinned. "Order a drink first."

This again? Tang Hao was at a loss for words.

"One glass of the cheapest thing you have."

"..."

The burly man's grin stiffened.

"Three Copper Soul Coins."

Tang Hao put down the money and soon received a mug of ale generously diluted with water.

He took one sip and immediately pushed the mug back.

"You put ale in this water, didn't you?"

The burly man's face darkened, but he held his temper and reluctantly pointed toward a corner.

"That one-eyed old man over there goes by Old Wolf. He's been deep inside Sunset Forest. If you want a map, ask him."

"Thanks."

Tang Hao had not expected the man to have much professional integrity after all. He thanked him and walked toward the old man.

Old Wolf was around sixty, thin and wiry, with a patch over his left eye. A mug of water laced with ale stood before him. His maps did not seem to be selling very well.

"You've been deep inside Sunset Forest?"

Old Wolf looked up at Tang Hao.

"Ten Gold Soul Coins for a map. A hundred for a guide."

"Let me see the map first."

"Are you messing with me? If I show it to you, what am I supposed to sell?"

"Heh. You're clever."

Tang Hao smiled and took out ten Gold Soul Coins.

Only after Old Wolf had checked the coins did he slide the map over.

It was far more detailed than the maps Tang Hao had bought before. It marked Soul Beast territories, water sources, and several relatively safe routes.

A black circle had been drawn over the northwest.

"Why is this part blank?"

"The poison zone."

Old Wolf's expression turned grave. "Ten years ago, a Soul Hunting team and I wandered in there by mistake. There were twelve of us. I was the only one who came out alive. I lost this eye there, too."

Tang Hao pointed at the black circle.

"Have you seen whoever lives in the poison zone?"

Old Wolf's expression shifted slightly.

After a moment of silence, he lowered his voice. "Only once, from a distance. Green hair, green robes, and nine Soul Rings around him."

"What color was the ninth?"

"Black."

That matched Dugu Bo's current situation.

Tang Hao put away the map and rose to leave.

Old Wolf could not help asking, "Who exactly are you looking for?"

Tang Hao stopped at the tavern door.

"A doctor."

"A Titled Douluo lives there!"

"I know."

Tang Hao pushed the door open and left.

He had the map now, and the location was all but certain.

Next, it was time to pay a visit.