In the pitch-black darkness, as Lin Yu suddenly grasped her hand, Liu Erlong's body immediately stiffened. Normally composed, her mature and beautiful face flushed with a hint of panic. Instinctively, she wanted to pull her hand away.
After all, they had only just met, and there were certain proprieties between men and women.
Yet, feeling the warmth of his palm, Liu Erlong found herself hesitating, her heart unexpectedly stirred. She couldn't help but think:
It's so dark here… He's probably just trying to guide me. If I pull my hand away, will he think I'm overthinking things?
She sighed inwardly. After all, she was nearly fifty years old, long past the bloom of youth.
And this little brother Ao Tian is still so young, in the prime of his life. He's not only handsome but also incredibly strong—almost unnaturally gifted, perhaps even more so than Tang San from the live broadcast.
When he said he liked older women like me, he was probably just teasing. If I take it too seriously, I'll only make a fool of myself.
With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Liu Erlong's face flushed slightly, but she held back from pulling her hand away, allowing Lin Yu to continue holding her as they made their way through the tunnel leading to Slaughter City.
As they walked, Lin Yu, with his Dual-Pupils Spirit activated, turned to glance at Liu Erlong. He couldn't help but chuckle inwardly when he noticed the faint blush on her normally poised and mature face.
This Red Thread of Fate works like a charm! he mused. It was almost amusing to see someone as strong-willed as Liu Erlong acting bashful, almost like a young girl.
Though part of this might have been due to his influence—his Golden Dragon spirit did share a connection with her Fire Dragon spirit—the Red Thread was helping.
With its effects, and once I find a way to expose Yu Xiaogang's true, disgraceful nature here in Slaughter City, Liu Erlong will surely break away from him. Eventually, she'll come to me, and I'll have NTR'd that hypocrite Yu Xiaogang for good!
Lin Yu wasn't shy about admitting he liked Liu Erlong, but more than that, he desired to see justice done—to stop a good woman like her from wasting her life over someone as worthless as Yu Xiaogang.
The thought of stealing her away from Yu Xiaogang was just too satisfying!
…
Holding Liu Erlong's hand, Lin Yu guided her down the sloping, wide tunnel. After about ten minutes, a faint purple light appeared in the distance.
We're almost there!
Seeing the light ahead, Lin Yu quickened his pace, still holding Liu Erlong's hand as they moved forward.
Soon, the tunnel opened up into a vast space.
Above them hung a massive, eerie purple moon, casting its sinister light over everything. Beneath it, a sprawling forest of twisted, dead trees reached out like claws.
In the center of the forest lay a clearing, overgrown with wild, thorny grass. Beyond it, looming in the distance, was the towering, gray-black fortress city—Slaughter City itself.
Lin Yu instantly recognized it from the broadcast.
"This place… you really can't use soul skills here," Liu Erlong's voice broke the silence, filled with concern and tension.
Lin Yu turned to look at her. She had already activated her martial soul: her long black hair had transformed into a fiery red, and her once-dark eyes now glowed a matching crimson. Her body was covered in red dragon scales, making her already voluptuous figure even more imposing.
Though seven soul rings—two yellow, two purple, and three black—circled her, they appeared dim and lifeless, stripped of their usual glow.
The reason was clear: within the borders of Slaughter City, soul skills were forbidden.
"Didn't the broadcast already mention that? Nothing to be worried about. Let's head inside, take a look around, and you can start looking for the people you're after," Lin Yu said, smiling as he noticed Liu Erlong tense up after realizing her skills were unusable. He tugged her gently, leading her toward the city's massive gates.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Erlong quickly composed herself.
Even without soul skills, I'm still a Soul Sage, and with my Fire Dragon spirit, I should be more than capable of defending myself here.
But what about Xiaogang? He was only a Grandmaster, and Tang San had only just reached Soul Elder rank before coming here. The two of them had been in Slaughter City for over six months.
How are they doing? she wondered anxiously.
However, what she didn't realize was that, while she still worried about Yu Xiaogang, her desperation to reunite with him had diminished significantly.
The Red Thread of Fate… truly terrifying!
…
As they moved through the dead forest, passing trees that looked straight out of a horror story, Lin Yu and Liu Erlong finally arrived at the gates of Slaughter City.
Two rows of armored black knights stood guard at the entrance.
After presenting the identification tokens they had received from the knight captain earlier, the black-armored knights stepped aside, allowing the two of them to pass into the city.
No sooner had they entered than a woman wearing a black veil approached them.
"Welcome to Slaughter City. I am your guide," the veiled woman said with a courteous bow. "For the next twelve hours, I will answer any questions you may have about Slaughter City."
Since they had seen this part in the broadcast, neither Lin Yu nor Liu Erlong were surprised by her appearance.
"Any question at all?" Liu Erlong asked, a hint of unease creeping into her voice. "Then… have you had anyone here by the names of Yu Xiaogang or Tang San?"
Hearing this, Lin Yu nearly rolled his eyes.
Who asks that?
First of all, everyone here goes by their token number, not their real name. And even if they didn't, Yu Xiaogang and Tang San aren't idiots. With how famous they are after the broadcast, they'd never use their real names here. That's practically asking for death.
The veiled woman smiled politely but with an awkward tinge. "I'm afraid we do not use our real names here in Slaughter City, only the numbers assigned to us. So, I wouldn't know if anyone by the name of Yu Xiaogang or Tang San has entered."
"However, if the Tang San you're referring to is the same one who destroyed Slaughter City in the broadcast, and Yu Xiaogang is his teacher, I'd imagine they wouldn't be so careless as to use their real names here, don't you think?"
Liu Erlong fell silent, realizing how foolish her question had been.
The Red Thread of Fate is terrifying indeed…
…
Hand in hand, Lin Yu and Liu Erlong continued their journey through Slaughter City, making their way past the ghastly trees and eerie purple moonlight, until they reached the city itself.
Inside the city, they were greeted by rows of black-armored warriors, but after presenting their tokens, they were quickly admitted.
Now inside the dark, twisted streets of Slaughter City, Lin Yu led Liu Erlong confidently forward, as they prepared to face whatever horrors awaited them.
Note: If you are interested, read up to chapter 360 at patreon.com/MythMosaic.