After chatting casually for a few more moments, there was a knock at the door. It was the head of the merchant association, followed by servers carrying various dishes. Only then did Han Li realize it was already noon.
Everything had gone so smoothly that he hadn't noticed the passage of time.
After lunch, Zhu Zhuqing entered her cultivation state, while Han Li went to meet with the head of the merchant association to finalize some remaining matters. He was busy until the evening before finally finishing.
As promised, Zhu Zhuqing kept her word.
That night, Han Li got his wish and saw her in the form-fitting white soft armor, which appeared to have excellent defensive properties.
After all, there's always been a saying: the less you wear, the higher the defense.
After spending a night in Gengxin City, the next morning, the two set off again, heading straight for Star Luo City.
As they neared Star Luo City, Zhu Zhuqing grew increasingly quiet.
Han Li had no good solution for this. He couldn't truly understand her feelings, and the choice of what to do was entirely hers.
In the end, after they reached Star Luo City, Zhu Zhuqing quietly observed her mother from afar. She left behind a letter and a piece of Dragon Ganoderma leaf that Han Li had given her earlier, then returned to the hotel.
Han Li watched the whole time, saying nothing. Her mother's health appeared stable, and there didn't seem to be much attention on her. Perhaps this was for the best.
After staying one more day, the two began their journey home.
...
Compared to their peaceful experience, things were drastically different for Tang Hao.
Suppressing his injuries as much as possible, he rushed back to Holy Spirit Village at full speed. Without even returning home, he went straight to the place where Ah Yin was.
As he passed the waterfall and entered the cave, he froze, as if nailed to the ground, unable to take another step.
Before him, the once-tidy cave was now covered in dust.
The soil mound where Ah Yin had been planted was gone, and on the ground lay only the skeletal remains of a soul beast. The hidden spot where he had concealed the soul bones was now filled with cobwebs, where small insects still clung to life.
All of this pointed to one thing.
His beloved was gone.
"Ugh!"
Tang Hao spat out a mouthful of blood, his body swaying as he collapsed forward.
The tension he had been holding in his heart finally snapped.
The heavy thud of his body hitting the ground echoed through the cave, which fell into silence once more.
Only the sound of the waterfall outside continued, and the mist seemed to thicken.
No one knew how much time passed before Tang Hao regained consciousness.
However, he didn't open his eyes. He was afraid that if he did, the scene before him would still be the same, and he couldn't bear that.
As he listened to the water crashing against the rocks below, memories of his time with Ah Yin — their meeting, getting to know each other, falling in love — flashed continuously through his mind.
It wasn't until moonlight filtered through the hole in the cave and illuminated his body that Tang Hao finally struggled to his feet.
There was no need to check. Though his eyes had remained closed, he had already used his spiritual power to scan every corner of the cave. There were no signs of human activity.
All the traces in the cave came from the same type of soul beast — Wind Apes. The remains on the ground were theirs as well.
In his mind, the scene reconstructed itself. Several Wind Apes had fallen from the cave above.
They discovered Ah Yin's soil mound and, while playing around, found the soul bones.
Wind Apes, adept at mimicking humans, had no use for soul bones and didn't eat plants. Yet they still fought over what they had found. In the end, one of them died here.
Ah Yin and the soul bones had naturally been taken by the victor.
Perhaps Ah Yin had been crudely uprooted, held in the ape's mouth, and either swallowed whole or casually discarded somewhere.
The soul bones likely met a similar fate.
"Aaahhhh...!"
Suddenly, Tang Hao's eyes turned blood-red, his breathing as heavy as an ox's.
He couldn't accept this outcome.
The black light of the Clear Sky Hammer flashed as it appeared in his hand, and he smashed it against the Wind Ape's skeletal remains.
With a thunderous boom, the bones were obliterated, leaving only a deep pit in their place.
But Tang Hao didn't stop. Like a madman, he swung the hammer again and again, each strike faster and heavier than the last.
Finally, with one last blow, the entire cave, along with the hillside and the river above, collapsed with a deafening roar. The destruction sent all nearby creatures fleeing in terror.
"Ah Yin, I swear, I will wipe out the entire Wind Ape tribe and have them buried with you!"
In mid-air, Tang Hao howled toward the heavens, his voice filled with boundless grief and hatred.
...
Not far away, in Holy Soul Village.
In the dilapidated house, lights began to flicker on, one by one. The villagers had been startled awake when the mountain collapsed.
By the time Tang Hao's roar echoed through the village, panic had already set in, and the villagers were rushing toward Old Jack's house at the entrance. They carried whatever they could grab—shoulder poles, hoes, sickles.
"It might be a soul beast migrating through the nearby forests. It's still far from us, so don't panic just yet," Old Jack said, trying to steady his voice despite his unease. As the village chief, he had to remain composed and calm the crowd.
"Hold onto your children, and help the elderly. Pass out torches to the young men. We're heading to Nuoding City immediately!"
Under Old Jack's command, the entire Holy Spirit Village set out in a grand procession toward Nuoding City.
He silently hoped it wasn't a beast tide. And if only Xiao San were here... he didn't even know how the boy was doing now.
In the glow of the torchlight, Old Jack glanced back at the village, his heart filled with uncertainty.
All he could do was hope that the soul masters from Spirit Hall would resolve the situation quickly.
If not, the Holy Spirit Village, where generations of his family had lived, could be wiped off the map.
When Tang Hao stumbled back into the village in a daze, he found it empty. It was clear the people had left recently.
He glanced at the flickering torchlight in the distance but made no move to warn them.
Ah Yin was gone. To him, their departure was nothing more than a funeral procession for her.
He grabbed two cold steamed buns, stuffing them into his mouth, and swallowing mechanically. He still had to avenge Ah Yin. He couldn't afford to collapse now.
He returned to his house, which was relatively clean, with only a thin layer of dust covering the surfaces.
It must have been that old fool, Jack, always doing these pointless little things.
But Xiao San was destined to soar like an eagle in the sky. How could he ever return to this place?
Tang Hao slapped his face hard and let out a mocking laugh, uncertain whether he was laughing at Old Jack or himself.
Then, utterly exhausted, he collapsed onto the bed.
He slept until late the next morning, only waking when noise from outside disturbed him. He vaguely heard Old Jack's voice.
Frowning in irritation, Tang Hao got up and stepped outside. He saw Old Jack leading a group of people in Spirit Hall uniforms, along with some from the city lord's office, inspecting each house.
When the door opened, Old Jack was momentarily stunned but quickly looked at Tang Hao with surprise.
"Tang Hao? When did you come back?"
Without waiting for an answer, Old Jack hurriedly addressed the cautious-looking men from Spirit Hall and the city lord's office.
"Sirs, this is our village's blacksmith. He's lived here for many years. Recently, he left to find work. He's not a soul master."
Even after Old Jack's explanation, the inspectors remained wary. Tang Hao's disheveled appearance and the dried blood on him only heightened their suspicion.
"Tang Hao, speak up! What happened to you?"
Old Jack seemed more anxious than Tang Hao, rushing forward to grab his arm.
"Don't touch me. I came back late, tripped on the road, and cut my mouth."
Tang Hao pushed Old Jack aside with his left arm.
As he spoke, the injured lower lip and bloodied gums became visible.
Though he wanted nothing more than to kill these Spirit Hall members—after all, if it weren't for them, Ah Yin wouldn't have had to sacrifice herself—he restrained himself. Tang San was still at Heaven Dou Imperial Academy, and the Soul Master Tournament was approaching. He couldn't afford to cause trouble now.
A dog-type soul master in the inspection team sniffed the air, then nodded, confirming that the blood on Tang Hao was his own. Only then did the team relax.
"When did you return to the village last night? Did you hear anything unusual?"
The leader of the inspection team looked at Tang Hao and asked seriously.
"I don't know the time. When I got back, there were still lights on in some houses. I was too tired and went straight to sleep. I didn't hear anything."
Tang Hao suppressed his impatience, answering casually.
He still needed to search for Ah Yin's soul bone. In his rage the previous day, he had neglected it.
Upon hearing his response, the leader nodded, satisfied, and decided not to press the issue further.
Tang Hao's house was the last one in the village. If a soul beast had been hiding nearby, Tang Hao wouldn't still be alive.
Turning to Old Jack, the leader said, "Elder, it seems safe now. You can bring the villagers back. Last night's disturbance was likely caused by a mountain collapse due to water flow, which startled some wildlife. There aren't any soul beasts in the area."
Seeing Old Jack's lingering concern, the leader added, "However, we'll patrol the area for the next three days, so you don't have to worry."
"Thank you, sir. Thank you so much."
Old Jack made as if to kneel, but the inspector quickly stopped him.
"No need for that. We'll continue patrolling. No rush to bring the villagers back—we'll send someone to inform them. You should focus on tidying up the village."
With that, the leader waved his hand, and the group left the village.
"Thank you, soul master of Spirit Hall!"
Old Jack called out loudly, bowing deeply toward their retreating figures.
"Thank goodness for the people from Spirit Hall. Don't you agree, Tang Hao?"
Old Jack sighed and turned to Tang Hao.
"Hah, hypocrites. They only fool ignorant fools like you," Tang Hao sneered coldly as he turned to leave.
"You… you… don't forget, it was Spirit Hall that helped awaken Xiao San's martial soul!"
Old Jack's voice trembled with anger, his finger raised as if he wanted to curse, but no words came.
Stomping his foot, he hurried after Tang Hao. He still wanted to ask about Tang San.