Haotian's night raid

It was the fifth day since he had joined Life-Saving Hall.

Lin Yuan had already uncovered most of this branch's inner workings.

By day, Life-Saving Hall dispensed medicine for free and received the injured.

At night, carriage after carriage departed through the back gate, carrying medicinal ingredients, pills, and lists to different cities.

The Nuoding City branch neither refined Holy Life Pills nor possessed an Ambrosial Arbor.

This was merely a transfer station.

It collected medicinal ingredients.

Screened those taking the pills.

Recorded the nobles and Soul Masters who relied on the pills over the long term.

Then sent the "suitable" targets among them to a higher-level base.

As for the missing commoners, they were taken away among the carriages transporting medicinal ingredients.

None of the outer guards knew where they went.

Lin Yuan was in no hurry to act.

He accompanied the medicine convoy out of the city three times, memorizing every rendezvous point, then used Hunting Sense to distinguish the presence of each Soul Master within the branch.

Most of the ordinary medicine apprentices were merely commoners who had been deceived.

The outer guards, too, were only doing a job for money.

Fewer than ten people truly belonged to the Medicine King Holy Church.

The two strongest among them were Life-Saving Hall's two stewards.

One handled the medicinal ingredients.

The other handled the accounts.

They appeared kindly and never revealed their Martial Souls in their daily dealings.

In truth, both were Six-Ring Soul Emperors.

Night fell.

Lin Yuan pushed open the door to his room at the inn.

Guang Ling was sitting by the window, wiping down an ordinary wooden bow.

"Found everything out?"

"More or less."

Lin Yuan spread a hand-drawn map across the table.

Life-Saving Hall's front hall, rear courtyard, medicine storehouse, stables, and three underground passages were all marked on it.

"This isn't a core base."

"It's only a transfer station."

"The missing people are taken out of the city through the western passage, then handed over to the next branch up."

Guang Ling glanced over the map.

"The strongest?"

"Two Soul Emperors."

"Fewer than ten other core members."

Lin Yuan's finger settled on the rear courtyard.

"The others don't know the Medicine King Holy Church exists."

A chill rose in Guang Ling's eyes.

"Then pick out the ones who deserve to die."

"We act tomorrow night."

Lin Yuan said:

"We can't rely on just ourselves."

Guang Ling raised an eyebrow.

"You think they can escape me?"

"Of course they couldn't escape one of your arrows, Teacher."

Lin Yuan looked at the densely packed homes surrounding Life-Saving Hall.

"But the houses might not survive either."

Guang Ling fell silent for a moment.

"Ahem."

"I'll control my strength."

Lin Yuan said nothing in response.

That night, he entered the Nuoding City Spirit Hall Branch with the Imperial Bow Token.

The branch bishop rose straight from his seat the instant he saw the token.

"Lock down all information."

Lin Yuan said only those few words.

"Assemble your people."

The orders spread swiftly through Spirit Hall's internal channels.

The three nearest Spirit Hall Main Halls dispatched experts simultaneously.

Six Soul Kings.

Four Soul Emperors.

Two Soul Saints.

They entered Nuoding City in separate groups, disguised as merchant caravans, mercenaries, and travelers, quietly taking lodgings near Life-Saving Hall.

The two Soul Saints were responsible for sealing off the routes outside the city.

The Soul Kings and Soul Emperors split up to guard the three hidden passages.

Lin Yuan would lead the arrests of the core members.

Guang Ling would remain concealed high above.

Anyone who dared flee would die.

A hunting net spread silently.

People still came and went within Life-Saving Hall.

The two stewards were still dispensing medicine with smiles.

They did not know that twelve Spirit Hall experts already had them firmly in their sights.

Much less did they know that a rank ninety-six Titled Douluo was sitting in the clock tower above their heads.

The smiling mask floated beside Guang Ling, looking down at Life-Saving Hall.

"All these people to catch a few rats."

"Isn't that bullying them a little too much?"

Guang Ling drew the wooden bow.

An ice arrow pressed against the mask's smiling face.

"Want to join them?"

The mask vanished instantly.

Elsewhere.

Lin Yuan changed back into his hunter's clothes and walked out through Life-Saving Hall's back gate.

At midnight tomorrow.

Spirit Hall would simultaneously seal the three hidden passages and take control of the front hall and rear courtyard.

Not a single person could be allowed to slip away alive.

Especially those two Soul Emperors.

They knew the location of the higher-level base.

This was Lin Yuan's first lead for continuing his investigation up through the Medicine King Holy Church.

However, the successive arrivals of Spirit Hall experts in the city had ultimately alerted someone else.

In southern Nuoding City.

Inside an unremarkable smithy.

The forge blazed red.

A tall, powerfully built middle-aged blacksmith gripped a hammer, striking the red-hot iron blank again and again.

Clang!

Clang!

Clang!

The final hammer blow fell.

The blacksmith suddenly stopped.

Sparks flew, illuminating his face and its unkempt beard.

Tang Hao slowly raised his head.

Two Soul Saints.

Several Soul Emperors.

And even more Soul Kings.

Though these presences had been deliberately restrained, they could not escape a Titled Douluo's notice.

Moreover, all of them bore traces of Spirit Hall.

Tang Hao tightened his grip on the hammer.

The iron handle groaned under the strain.

Spirit Hall could not possibly have suddenly assembled so many experts in Nuoding City merely for an ordinary mission.

And Tang San had just enrolled in Nuoding Academy.

"Have we been discovered after all...?"

Tang Hao's gaze gradually darkened.

He had hidden for six years.

In the end, he had still failed to evade Spirit Hall.

Deep within the smithy, an immensely heavy presence slowly awakened.

It was as though a colossal hammer were rising in the darkness.

Tang Hao looked toward the Spirit Hall Branch, killing intent flashing through his eyes.

"If you dare touch Little San..."

"Then none of you will leave."

Tang Hao did not act immediately.

Inside the smithy, the forge burned all night.

He sat in the darkness, listening as unfamiliar presences throughout Nuoding City gradually settled into position.

Two Soul Saints.

Several Soul Emperors.

And even more Soul Kings.

These people were scattered throughout the city, seemingly unconnected, yet they had already sealed every major route out.

Spirit Hall was laying a net.

But who exactly was this net meant to catch?

Tang Hao could not be certain.

But he dared not gamble.

Only Soul Saints had come so far.

If he waited any longer, the next to reach Nuoding City might be Titled Douluo.

When that time came, he could leave.

But what about Tang San?

The pursuit six years ago surfaced in his mind once more.

The Golden Soul Ring.

Blood filling the sky.

And Ah Yin's final glance before she vanished.

Tang Hao slowly clenched his fist.

Crack!

The wine jar in his hand was crushed outright.

Wine dripped between his fingers, yet he did not notice at all.

He had fled for six years.

He no longer wanted to run.

Since Spirit Hall dared to come, he would first smash the hand it had stretched into Nuoding City.

Tang Hao rose and draped himself in a loose black robe.

Before leaving, he took out a sheet of letter paper.

He was not good at writing letters.

Nor did he know what to say to Tang San.

After a long silence, he finally left only a few lines.

Little San.

Father has something to attend to and must leave for a while.

Stay at the academy and cultivate diligently.

Do not look for me.

-Tang Hao

The letter was folded.

Tang Hao came to Holy Soul Village and handed the letter to Old Jack.

Old Jack looked utterly puzzled.

"Where are you off to now?"

"On a long journey."

Tang Hao's voice was hoarse.

"Give this letter to Little San."

Old Jack furrowed his brow.

"All you do as a father is drink and sleep all day. Little San has only just entered the academy, and now you're running off again?"

Tang Hao offered no explanation.

He merely turned and walked toward the edge of the village.

"Take good care of him."

Those were the last words he left behind.

Watching his retreating figure, Old Jack could not help cursing.

"You bastard."

Tang Hao did not stop walking.

The darkness of night soon swallowed his figure.

Late the following night.

Less than six hours remained before the encirclement and assault on the Life-Saving Hall.

The Spirit Hall Branch in Nuoding City was brightly lit.

The Soul Masters brought in as reinforcements had completed their final deployment and were only waiting for Lin Yuan's order to draw the net shut.

Outside the branch's entrance, two Soul Kings stood guard.

Suddenly, one of them raised his head.

At the end of the street, a black figure slowly approached.

A black robe covered his body.

His face could not be seen clearly.

Every footfall seemed like an invisible heavy hammer striking the ground.

The Soul King guarding the entrance paled slightly and immediately released his Martial Soul.

Five Soul Rings rose one after another.

"Who goes there?"

The black-clad man stopped before the entrance to the Spirit Hall Branch.

He raised his head.