Master

Nana and the others froze in unison.

"Then, you..."

Nana began hesitantly, but before she could finish, Lu Ren waved a hand to cut her off.

"Of course, this comes at a price."

Lu Ren swept his gaze across their faces, his tone calm but leaving no room for doubt.

"From now on, all of you must work for me."

The instant his words fell, Nana and the others' eyes lit up.

It was not reluctance at having demands placed on them, but wild joy at being accepted.

"We're willing!"

Nana blurted it out, and the Holy Servants behind her nodded repeatedly.

The older Holy Servant even stepped forward, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Master, our cultivation may not be high, but we know a little about just about everything. Whatever you ask us to do, we are willing to do it."

"Even if it's serving tea, fetching water, or sweeping the courtyard, we won't utter a word of complaint."

Lu Ren did not object to being called Master.

For these people who had only just regained their freedom, a clear master-servant relationship actually put them more at ease than a vague partnership.

They needed somewhere to belong, needed to be needed, and needed someone they could look up to and follow.

"From now on, I'll need you to disguise yourselves under other identities."

Lu Ren spoke slowly, laying out his plan bit by bit.

"Establish a foothold in Mingdu, gather information and intelligence, and keep an eye on the movements of the various factions."

"You won't need to fight or take risks. You only need to live like ordinary people, then regularly report everything you see and hear to me."

He paused, his gaze settling on Nana.

"To put it plainly, an intelligence network. It doesn't need to be large, but it needs to work well."

Nana nodded earnestly, but by the time he finished, her expression had grown troubled.

"Master, that request... is a little difficult for us."

She bit her lip, her voice dropping.

"We don't have the money to buy a house in Mingdu. Even renting a small courtyard would be beyond our current means."

Lu Ren glanced at her.

Then he casually pulled a large bag from his Storage Soul Tool and tossed it in front of Nana.

The bag landed on the ground with a dull thud.

Its opening came loose, and the neatly stacked Gold Soul Coins inside reflected a dazzling golden light beneath the dim lamplight.

Nana's eyes instantly widened.

How-how much was in there?

"I'll handle the funding."

Lu Ren spoke lightly, as though discussing something utterly trivial.

Most of this money had been taken from Bei Bei and Xu Sanshi, while some came from the core student stipend Jing Hongchen paid him, along with Gold Soul Coins given to him by that wealthy woman, Meng Hongchen.

The academy supplied resources for his usual cultivation, so he hardly spent any money. The Gold Soul Coins he had saved had come in handy.

"Buying is out of the question. You don't have legal identities with which to purchase property, but this is more than enough to rent a small courtyard. Make a few simple changes to your appearances and change out of those black robes, and you'll be able to live in Mingdu."

He paused, his tone certain:

"Don't worry. The Holy Spirit Cult can't operate openly, and the higher-ups of the Sun Moon Empire have no interest in dead people."

"As long as you're already dead, no one will investigate your whereabouts."

Nana stared blankly at the large bag of Gold Soul Coins before her.

She had never seen so much money in her life.

It was not just her. The Holy Servants behind her were also rooted to the spot.

Most of them came from poor backgrounds, and after being coerced by the Holy Spirit Cult, they had been left penniless.

To them, this sum was simply astronomical.

"Oh... oh."

Nana came back to her senses and hurriedly tied the bag shut again, carefully cradling it in her arms.

Her movements were as gentle as though she were holding a baby, afraid of letting it suffer even the slightest bump.

This money would be enough for them to survive in Mingdu for a very long time.

Not to mention that there were four Soul Kings among them.

Although their cultivation amounted to little in Lu Ren's eyes, among ordinary people, they were already unquestionably powerful.

Even if they did encounter trouble, they were fully capable of protecting themselves.

Lu Ren took another small Soul Tool from inside his clothes and casually tossed it to Nana.

It was a silver-white Communication Soul Tool, its surface engraved with fine formation patterns, a piece of standard-issue equipment from the Illustrious Virtue Hall.

He had asked Meng Hongchen for it. Whenever someone needed to make contact, they would channel a Soul Tool into it, and the recipient would come over upon receiving the message. It was a somewhat cumbersome and far from speedy means of communication.

After all, highly efficient soul-tool communication had yet to emerge in this era.

"If you run into problems or trouble, use this to contact me. Use it for your regular reports too."

He pointed at Nana.

"From now on, you're in charge of them. Everyone will follow your orders."

Nana caught the Soul Tool in a fluster, glanced down at it, then nodded firmly.

Her eyes reddened again, but this time, what shimmered within them was no longer fear and despair, but the emotion of being trusted.

"Yes, Master."

She carefully tucked the Communication Soul Tool inside her clothes, then stepped back, her legs giving way as she knelt once more.

Behind her, the eight Holy Servants also knelt in unison.

"Thank you for granting us a new life, Master. We will faithfully carry out your instructions."

Lu Ren silently accepted their kneeling bows.

In this world, kindness needed to be remembered, and his acceptance of this gratitude meant taking on the corresponding responsibility. It was a fair exchange.

Only after they stood up again did Lu Ren speak once more.

"If possible, try to bring in as many people in the same situation as you as you can."

His gaze swept across each of their faces.

"Because today, I'm going to wipe out most of the Holy Spirit Cult's outposts in Mingdu. Along the way, I may rescue more people who were coerced just like you. When that happens, I'll send them to find you."

He paused, his tone growing a little more serious:

"So treat them well. They understand all the pain you've endured, and they need the same things you do."

Nana nodded emphatically.

"Rest assured, Master. We will."

Lu Ren waved his hand.

"Go, before daybreak."

Holding the bag of Gold Soul Coins, Nana put it into her Storage Soul Tool, then led the eight Holy Servants out of the courtyard.

When she reached the gate, she suddenly stopped and looked back at Lu Ren.

Nana bit her lip, then turned and hurried away.

Her dark-red ponytail swayed gently, soon disappearing into the alley.

Lu Ren withdrew his gaze.

Then he raised his right hand.

"Dismantle."

Countless Slashes, large and small, surged from around him, raining down across the courtyard like blossoms scattered by a celestial maiden.

The corpses of the Evil Soul Masters lying on the ground were all struck by countless slashes at the very same instant.