Tang Hao reached behind him and locked the door, his face instantly clouding with anger. He slammed the torn notice he had tucked against his chest onto the table:
"Ah Yin, look how arrogant Spirit Hall is! I found this notice on the bulletin board. It says, 'High rewards for soul bones; seeking information on hundred-thousand-year soul beasts.' They're openly treating you soul beasts as prey, planning to hunt you down for your soul bones!"
He deliberately emphasized "hundred-thousand-year soul beasts," watching Ah Yin's reaction closely-he knew that what she feared most was being hunted by human soul masters once her identity as a soul beast was exposed.
Ah Yin picked up the notice and looked at its faded, yellowed lettering. Her face turned pale at once, and her voice trembled:
"Is... is this true? Spirit Hall is openly offering rewards for soul bones and soul beasts? Hao, we should leave right away. It's too dangerous here!"
"That's what I was thinking, too."
Tang Hao stepped forward and drew Ah Yin into his arms, his tone deliberately soothing.
"It's all my fault. I shouldn't have brought you and our child to Spirit City and put you in danger. I'll go to the front desk and check us out right now. We'll leave tonight and find a small town where no one knows us to live in seclusion."
He gently patted Ah Yin's back, then turned toward the door.
"Look after the child. I'll be right back."
The instant the door slowly closed, the tenderness on Tang Hao's face vanished without a trace, replaced by cold resolve.
He did not go to the front desk. Instead, he hid in the shadows around a corner of the corridor and waited quietly.
A quarter of an hour later, a waiter pushed a meal