Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio  Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

Squinting, Ye Yu saw a beardless and pale scholarly-looking man dressed in a long blue robe. He looked refined and was carrying a black sack into the house. The man in blue did not light a fire. He dumped the thing in the sack onto the bed. It was a twelve-year-old girl.

She was chubby. Her skin was white and tender, and she wore a pink coat that was short and lined. She carried a small golden lock with her and was likely a Young Miss from a wealthy family.

“Hmph, you stupid commoners, do you really think that a post on the Imperial News Board will stop my practice? How ridiculous,” the Sorcerer sneered.

His white, refined face twisted under the moonlight, and his pupils reflected a pale red light. Coa.r.s.ely, he pulled apart the young girl's clothes and lowered his head to bite her neck. Just then, a cold light filled with a murderous intent attacked him from behind. The Sorcerer was immediately startled. Instinctively, he mobilized his Spiritual Power to protect his body. However, he was a little too slow.

The sharp and fierce attack pierced the Sorcerer's back before his Spiritual Light of Protection could be activated, causing blood to spurt out. The Sorcerer turned around suddenly. A red light glowed in his palm, ready to strike at the attacker, but n.o.body was there.

“A Shadow a.s.sa.s.sin.”

The Sorcerer's expression darkened. There was a layer of red light across his eyes as he scanned the house carefully. However, he could not see anything. How can that be? His Ghost Eye is sensitive to Spiritual Power, so why can't he find the Shadow a.s.sa.s.sin? The Sorcerer recognized that the matter was tricky. He turned around at once and grabbed the young lady.

With an evil grin, he said, “Come out now, or I will kill this little girl.”

Still, there was no movement in the empty room. The Sorcerer clutched the small girl's slender neck tightly. His eyes were glued to the corners of the house, so he failed to notice that the little girl's shadow was changing strangely.

Ye Yu had shrunk himself to fit into the little girl's shadow; secretly, he was controlling her body. Since the Sorcerer was not paying attention, Ye Yu struck his chest again using the skill, which he had learned after advancing. Puppet Strike!

The Sorcerer's full attention was on his surroundings, and he did not expect his hostage to attack. When a strange gray shadow pierced his chest, the Sorcerer was surprised. He had been scared out of his wits after being inflicted with two serious injuries, consecutively. The most frightening thing of all was that he could not find the location of the enemy. In his panic, the Sorcerer did not linger any longer. He threw the little girl aside then turned and ran.

Ye Yu staggered out of the shadows with a face as pale as a ghost. The previous two strikes had consumed all his Spiritual Power. He reached out to catch the little girl before collapsing onto the ground. It was good that she was not badly hurt.

Ye Yu placed her in the corner. With trembling hands, he took out the Spiritual Revitalization Pills, which Ye Jiuge had given him, and consumed one. Dense Spiritual Power began filling his elixir field. Ye Yu's eyes brightened. He immediately stood up to follow the trail that the Sorcerer had left behind. Although Wan Ziyang had instructed him not to act without permission, if he did not chase after the Sorcerer, it would be challenging to find him again.

When Wan Ziyang arrived at the residence, the only person left inside the house was the unconscious little girl.

“D*mn you, Ye Yu, how dare you act without permission,” he cursed.

Wan Ziyang was so angry that his expression darkened. They had already agreed that if Ye Yu were unable to keep the Sorcerer there, he would wait for him to arrive before coming up with another plan. Instead, Ye Yu had pursued the Sorcerer by himself. Ye Yu was only an Intermediate Spiritual Pract.i.tioner; even with Ye Jiuge's Spiritual Revitalization Pills, he would not be able to kill a Sorcerer.

Wan Ziyang surveyed his surroundings carefully. He was unable to determine Ye Yu's direction, so all he could do was send the little girl ahead to the Government Office. Just then, two strange auras appeared outside. Carrying the little girl, Wan Ziyang jumped up onto the crossbeam to hide.

Two men in black leaped across the wall. Then, they respectfully addressed the house: “Lord Xu, Elderly Lady Xu has gone missing. The Empress has requested that you rush to the capital to discuss an important matter.”

Lord Xu?

It seemed that the Sorcerer's last name was Xu, and he was indeed working with the Empress. Wan Ziyang's eyes narrowed. He laid the little girl carefully on the crossbeam and adjusted his Spiritual Power in preparation for an attack.

The two men in black did not understand why Lord Xu had not replied to them. Just as they were prepared to enter the house to check, two red spots flew out and hit their acupuncture points.

Wan Ziyang sprang out of the house only to realize that the two men in black had already committed suicide by crus.h.i.+ng the poison in their teeth when they realized that something was wrong.

“The Empress's method is indeed vicious,” said Wan Ziyang.

Carefully, Wan Ziyang examined the two men. Although he could not find any clues, he deduced from their words that the Sorcerer, whose last name was Xu, must have been headed for the capital. After quickly sending the little girl to the Government Office, Wan Ziyang rushed back to the capital to find Ye Jiuge.

At that exact moment, Ye Jiuge was making Bones Nourishment Pills for Ye Ruyi in the Zilin Residence. Since her body was developing, the little girl had been experiencing pain in her bones lately. Hence, Ye Jiuge had planned to produce some Bones Nourishment Pills as a supplement for Ye Ruyi.

Just as she finished producing the pills, she was surprised to receive Wan Ziyang's urgent notice that Ye Yu had disappeared. She immediately rushed to the Yuwu Teahouse without even changing her clothes. Wan Ziyang was seated there, covered in dust, and his face was filled with exhaustion. The patch below his eyes was blue-black colored, and he looked as though he had rushed back from Hepu County. Bai Songling's expression was solemn as he sat beside him.

“How did Ye Yu disappear?” Ye Jiuge asked as soon as she had taken a seat.

“After we found the Sorcerer's hiding place, we agreed to deal with him together. I did not expect Ye Yu to chase after him without my permission.” Wan Ziyang's eyebrows knitted into a frown.

“Could he have been kidnapped by the Sorcerer?” That was what worried Ye Jiuge.

“No, none of Ye Yu's blood was in the house, only the Sorcerer's blood was found. Ye Yu activated his secret technique twice against the Sorcerer. Then, after eating the Spiritual Revitalization Pills, he pursued the Sorcerer, despite the pain.”

Wan Ziyang described the scene and told them about the two soldiers trained to complete missions without a care for their own lives, whom the Empress had sent.

When Ye Jiuge heard that Ye Yu was safe, she thought of another question. “Why is the Empress in such a hurry to find the Sorcerer with the last name Xu?”

“What else can the Empress be up to, other than harming people? Wait. It's logical that Ye Yu's Spiritual Power would have been completely depleted after he used his secret technique twice, so how did he have the strength to chase after the Sorcerer?” Bai Songling asked curiously.

An ordinary Spiritual Revitalization Pill could only recover about thirty percent of a person's Spiritual Power. Is the Spiritual Revitalization Pill that Ye Yu consumed very special?

Wan Ziyang nodded and replied, “Although the Spiritual Revitalization Pill that Eldest Miss Ye produced was only second-grade, its effects are comparable to third-grade Spiritual Pills.”

However, the Spiritual Revitalization Pill was only capable of replenis.h.i.+ng Spiritual Power quickly. It could not restore the three energies, which was precisely why Wan Ziyang was so worried about Ye Yu.