Chapter 146: Northern Mountain of the Horse King

"Hmm?"

Hearing this, Mmoda finally frowned.

He placed the long black blade in his hand back onto the weapon rack, and asked in a serious tone, "What do you mean by that?"

Inoue 250 replied, "After some investigation, we found out that Shangguan Yunhe's illegitimate daughter is currently studying at Jiangnan University. I have already sneaked into Jiangnan University disguised as a karate club instructor, just waiting for the right moment to strike from both inside and out and capture her. However... recently, this guy named Ling Qiu has gotten involved with her. Although the two of them have only just met, but... every step of our 【Shangguan】 Project must be foolproof, otherwise..."

Mmoda took a deep breath and nodded. "Mr. Huang has been planning this project for over three years, so naturally, there can't be any mistakes. Although... the hidden risks you mentioned are merely suspicions, but... to ensure the success of the project, it is better to kill by mistake than to lower our guard!"

"Senior Mmoda is indeed a sensible person! Once this project succeeds, Senior Mmoda will also benefit from it. So, regarding this matter... how do you think we should resolve it?"

Mmoda pondered for a moment, then slowly picked up the black blade again, gently stroking its pitch-black surface. A dazzling, chilling gleam flashed across the dark metal. "Just kill him. Besides, my 【Black Fiend Ghost Blade】 hasn't tasted blood in a long time... It's about time to bring it out for some exercise!"

...

A day passed just like that.

Early the next morning.

Ling Qiu woke up early and began tinkering with a cloth doll.

After infusing the cloth doll with a sufficient amount of soul power and blessing it with a few talismans, Ling Qiu flicked a thought in his mind: "Xiaoman, come out and take a look at your new home."

The next moment, a faint humming sound echoed.

A delicate and charming soul spirit drifted out from the Yama Ring.

"Brother... Long time no see~"

Lan Xiaoman wore an obedient and sweet smile. Looking closely, she exclaimed, " Wow, this doll is so cute."

Ling Qiu smiled and said, "This is your new home. Do you like it?"

Lan Xiaoman asked doubtfully, "A new home? ... Then how do I get inside?"

"Just like entering the Yama Ring, slip right into it."

"Oh~ Let me try!"

With that, Lan Xiaoman's figure shifted and she slipped straight inside.

Then...

A flash of buzzing blue light flickered across the cloth doll.

"Eh? It feels so strange... It's like... coming back to life... I can even feel my limbs... and my body..."

Lan Xiaoman's voice came from the mouth of the cloth doll.

Ling Qiu smiled. "Your soul power is still too weak right now. Once you gradually grow stronger, you won't just be able to feel the existence of the body, but you'll also be able to control it."

"Wow, that's amazing!"

Lan Xiaoman said with emotion, "Thank you, brother~~ You're so good to me~~"

Ring-ring-ring!

At that moment, Ling Qiu's cell phone suddenly rang.

Checking the caller ID, it was Qin Haishan.

"Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Ling... I wonder if you have any time right now? If it's convenient, I can send someone to pick you up..."

Ling Qiu chuckled upon hearing this. "You caught him?"

"Yeah! Caught him!"

"Alright, I'll head over now. No need to send anyone, I'll take a cab, just reimburse me for the fare."

"Yes, yes, yes! Sorry to trouble you, Mr. Ling!"

Hanging up the phone, Ling Qiu smiled faintly.

Very good!

If the mastermind behind the attempts on the Qin family has been caught, then there's a chance to find the other half of the 【Ghost Buddha】!

Ling Qiu was extremely interested in this kind of matter. He didn't even need a ride; he'd take a taxi to get there!

With that thought, Ling Qiu shouldered his backpack and stuffed the cloth doll inside. "Xiaoman, I've infused this cloth doll with some simple cultivation arrays using soul power. While you're inside, you can try sitting in meditation to regulate your breath."

"Sit in meditation and regulate my breath? Ah... how do I do that? I can't move my body~"

"You don't need to move your body, just move your mind. Cultivate your thoughts first; only when your thoughts are clear can you proceed smoothly on your future cultivation path."

"Oh~ That sounds so profound... I don't understand, but brother, go ahead and do your thing, I'll slowly figure it out~"

Ling Qiu smiled faintly.

Really, little Xiaoman was just too sensible, so sensible that Ling Qiu couldn't help but want to hug the cloth doll and give it a kiss.

...

The journey was uneventful.

Ling Qiu arrived at the Qin family estate.

Following Qin Haishan's instructions, the butler didn't waste any breath upon seeing Ling Qiu and led him straight to the Qin family's basement.

The basement was slightly damp, but it was nicely furnished and very spacious.

Walking down the basement corridor, they arrived at a sealed room.

"Master, Mr. Ling has arrived."

"Alright, you may leave."

"Yes."

The butler left and closed the door.

Ling Qiu glanced around. The room wasn't large, but the furnishings were quite sophisticated, resembling a scaled-down version of Qin Haishan's study.

Next to the bookshelf, a man was lying on the ground, unconscious and tied up tightly.

His face was pale as paper, his lips were purple, and his clothes were completely soaked through with cold sweat.

Qin Haishan stepped forward and cupped his fists at Ling Qiu. "Mr. Ling, thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Is this the person?" Ling Qiu asked.

Qin Haishan nodded. "Near dawn, the array seemed to have been triggered by him, and the string of bells you left behind wouldn't stop ringing. Then, following your instructions, I had people search for his traces within a radius of three hundred meters. This guy is very cunning. Even after being backlashed by a certain aura, he managed to hide and play hide-and-seek with this old man. It took a full two hours before we finally tracked him down."

Ling Qiu nodded, leaned down, and checked the man's breath. "His breathing is very weak. Did you torture him?"

Qin Haishan laughed bitterly. "I don't have such morbid tastes. Although I hate the mastermind behind the attacks on my Qin family, I wouldn't go as far as torture. Besides... this person is not the one I remember."

"Oh?" Ling Qiu asked. "Didn't you say you couldn't remember the appearance of that mysterious person?"

"I don't remember it clearly. But... I'm confident that if I encounter that person again, I should be able to recognize them. This person is clearly not him."

"Why is he unconscious?"

"I don't know... When I found him, he was already like this."

Ling Qiu hesitated for a moment, then placed a hand on the man's forehead.

Instantly, Ling Qiu felt a chilling, icy frost seeping out from inside the man's body!

Oh?

Ling Qiu narrowed his eyes, a meaningful smile playing on his lips. "Interesting."

"Mr. Ling, did you find something?"

Hearing this, Ling Qiu smiled. "This fellow... actually has a soul parasite planted inside him as well!"

"What?" Qin Haishan was startled. "Then if we want to wake him up... do we have to take off his clothes again?"

Ling Qiu glanced sideways at him with a half-smile. "Elder Qin, I've noticed you seem to have a rather unusual fixation with taking off clothes. You're getting on in years, pace yourself."

"Ahem! No... I..."

Before Qin Haishan could finish, Ling Qiu had already placed one hand on the man's forehead. "Clearing the soul parasite is to save a life. But this person is an enemy, not a friend, so why should I waste that kind of effort?"

With that, streams of gloomy, malevolent aura surged forth from Ling Qiu's Yama Ring!

They shot straight into the man's body!

Before long...

"Ah!!"

The man let out a startled scream and snapped awake!