Trading Homes

The Monkey-Blood Man with the ruptured belly did not move. The other Monkey-Blood People stood there blankly as well, and nothing happened.

They had not received Monkey-Blood Injections and had no desire to fight. Ji Feng tore open the Monkey-Blood Man's wound and kept collecting monkey blood.

Ji Feng took some monkey blood from the Monkey-Blood Man and poured it into his mouth.

After drinking the monkey blood, Ji Feng felt his body grow slightly warm. He looked around the cellar, then hurriedly concealed himself in the shadows.

Xiang Li had modified this cellar, installing several panes of transparent glass overhead through which the interior could be observed.

Two Soul Masters guarded the cellar outside. Both were Xiang Li's trusted men.

Because the Monkey-Blood People were valuable assets of the Xiang Family Pill Shop, Xiang Li had specifically assigned the two of them to guard this place.

Having just heard a strange bursting sound, the two were peering inside through the skylights overhead.

Fortunately, this Monkey-Blood Man stood in a shadowy corner where neither of them could see him.

One Soul Master said, "That sounded strange. I'm going in to take a look."

The other shook his head. "What's there to look at? It's pitch-black in there, and those Monkey-Blood People are creepy as hell.

"If you go inside, who knows what might happen? How much do you get paid a month? Is it worth risking your life?"

The first man curled his lip and laughed. "So you do know fear. Last month at that restaurant, you dragged that waitress straight into the kitchen in front of everyone, dropped your pants, and raped her.

"When the workers tried to save her, you tortured them all to death. You dared to murder and rape in public, so what's there to fear about a few monkey-blood puppets?"

"Come on, how is that the same? These things were made by the Body Sect. You saw them during the fighting. They killed anyone they saw, and they wouldn't fucking die.

"God, they're downright sinister! If the young master hadn't specifically ordered me to guard them, why would I ever stay here? Just standing here feels like cold, ghostly winds are blowing past."

"The young master values these Monkey-Blood People more than his own life. If anything goes wrong, both our heads will roll. Let's go in and check together."

"Fine, let's go."

The two Soul Masters opened the cellar, took out a piece of glowstone, and cautiously ventured inside.

They saw that one Monkey-Blood Man had burst open, and his wound was slowly healing.

Both were startled. One Soul Master sucked in a cold breath and asked in a trembling voice, "What happened here?"

The other Soul Master carefully checked the remaining Monkey-Blood People and found that not a single drop of monkey blood was missing from the wooden barrels.

The Monkey-Blood People were unchanged as well, every last one standing in a barrel.

His hair stood on end. He scanned the Monkey-Blood People again, sensing that something was wrong.

A man covered in dragon scales stepped out of the shadows.

His body was divided into black and white halves, with a glimmer of golden light at the center of his forehead. His black-and-white slit pupils fixed on the two men.

His dragon claws shone with blood-black and holy white light. The divine and demonic slaughter had achieved perfect harmony within a single person.

One Soul Master's eyes widened in shock. "Isn't he..."

Whoosh!

Ji Feng swung his dragon claws, slicing that Soul Master clean in half at the waist before he could even release his martial soul.

The other Soul Master was still examining the ruptured Monkey-Blood Man. Hearing movement behind him, he instinctively released his martial soul.

His martial soul was a turtle. After Martial Soul Possession, a turtle shell formed on his back, and four Soul Rings flashed continuously around him.

A Soul Ancestor!

His first Soul Ring flashed. The patterns on his turtle shell lit up, greatly boosting his defense.

Ji Feng was utterly unafraid.

Dragon Rend Strike!

Squelch! Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack, crack!

Dragon Rend Strike struck the turtle shell with double damage. Combined with the strength boost from the Demon Dragon Right Arm Bone, it shattered the shell instantly!

A shattered martial soul dealt a Soul Master a grievous injury reaching into the soul itself. Blood welled up in the turtle-shell Soul Master's throat, and he dropped straight to his knees.

He was about to call for help when dragon claws radiating a biting chill pressed against his throat.

"Don't speak. I'm a good person," Ji Feng said softly.

The Soul Master immediately swallowed his cry for help and looked at Ji Feng with pleading eyes.

Ji Feng asked, "There are a few things I want to know. If you tell me the truth, I'll let you go. Where does your pill shop keep its most valuable pills?"

"They're all in the warehouse. It's a large building in the back courtyard, secured with a Soul Tool lock."

"What good stuff is in there?"

"Do you mean ingredients or finished pills? I don't recognize all the medicinal ingredients. I'm not a professional pill maker, but I do know a little about the pills."

"Then tell me about the pills."

"There are a few dozen Azure Fall Pills for Soul Scholars. I don't know exactly how many."

Ji Feng did not believe him. "Your Xiang Family Pill Shop has been entrenched in Shrek City for all these years, and all you have are Azure Fall Pills for Soul Scholars?"

"I'm a good person. Don't lie to me."

"As servants, we're not allowed to so much as look at pills meant for anyone above Soul Scholar, let alone handle them. They're all hidden in the Xiang Family master's residence."

The man was not lying. The pill shop generally did not keep particularly valuable pills on-site. Those expensive pills were usually sold by preorder: customers placed an order first, then the shop sent someone to deliver it.

Ji Feng asked again, "Then where do you keep the money here?"

"There's some behind the counter. The large sums are in Young Master Xiang Li's room."

"Where is your young master's room?"

"In the back courtyard, the largest room. He's sleeping there with the Fifth Concubine tonight."

"How many guards are in the back courtyard?"

"Usually twelve."

"What's their Soul Power cultivation?"

"The head guard, Feng Sijun, is a rank-forty Soul Ancestor. The others are all rank-thirty Soul Elders."

That made things troublesome.

Twelve men: one Soul Ancestor and eleven Soul Elders.

If Ji Feng confronted them head-on, things could easily go disastrously wrong.

He lacked a powerful area-of-effect skill.

"What about the others?"

Ji Feng remembered that Xiang Li had brought more than twelve men when he attacked Inkstone Village.

"They're all asleep. It's nighttime now, and everyone takes turns on guard duty.

"My lord, everything I've told you is the absolute truth. You promised you would let me go, didn't you? Please spare my life. I'll leave right now. I promise I won't alert anyone else."

The guard's eyes were red. He had clearly been frightened to tears.

"Fine, I'll let you go." Ji Feng smiled, exposing a row of dragon teeth. "Raping and murdering people right there in a restaurant-I heard all about it just now."

The Soul Master said through his tears, "My lord, my lord, the young master forced me to do all of that! Whatever he tells me to do, I have to do it.

"Don't listen to that idiot's nonsense. He's done far more evil than I have. Let me tell you..."

"More than you?"

Ji Feng kicked the Soul Master on the ground who was cosplaying Gojo Satoru.

"I think you two make a fine pair. Lie together, then."

"Spare me, my lord... hhh... hhh..."

The Soul Master tried to shout, but Ji Feng's right dragon claw pierced his throat. His voice caught there, leaving only breathy, leaking rasps.

The two Soul Masters lay in a pool of blood. Blood-black light flickered, making Ji Feng look like a demon god from hell.