Chapter 115: A Remarkable Soul

Outside the Arsenal of Ten Thousand Spears, Gui Haixin stood with a grave expression, his heart gripped by mounting terror. The guards had been neutralized without a single alarm being raised. Had it not been for the arrival of Young Master Qing and the warning from Xu Dawu, he would have been doomed today. Should the Yihua Sect ever launch a full-scale assault, Guihai City would surely be reduced to ruins.

Xu Erwen howled, "Oh, oh, what bad luck! You sour scholar Wu, look at that cursed mouth of yours—you were right! Someone really is here to sabotage the Arsenal."

Xu Dawu sighed, "Alas, one must always be on guard. I wonder what our City Lord Guihai is thinking right now?"

Gui Haixin furrowed his brow and cupped his hands toward Young Master Qing. "I am deeply indebted to you, Young Master. Without your warning, this arsenal would surely have fallen."

Young Master Qing smiled faintly. "Old Master Guihai, you seem quite composed and unhurried. I assume you have already made preparations?"

Gui Haixin smiled mysteriously. "Young Master Qing, while I have never once let my guard down here, I have long since planned for this. Should the enemy ever find and breach this place, I naturally have a way to deal with them."

"Oh? I would be honored to hear your brilliant strategy, Old Master." Young Master Qing listened attentively.

"I shall go personally to trigger the mechanisms and traps within the Arsenal. I guarantee that those who enter will find a path in, but no path out. They are as good as dead." Gui Haixin spoke with arrogant conviction.

"Very well. Whoever has come here is undoubtedly an enemy. Please, Old Master Guihai, activate the mechanisms at once, lest they destroy the ten thousand spirit spears." Young Master Qing commanded.

"Hey, old man, you wouldn't happen to destroy the ten thousand spirit spears yourself when you trigger those traps, would you? That would be a disaster." Just as Gui Haixin reached for the mechanism, Xu Erwen offered a well-timed, if mocking, reminder.

Gui Haixin laughed heartily. "Brother Xu Er, rest assured. How could I do something so foolish?" He released a surge of spiritual energy, activating the switch for the arsenal. As the sound of massive gears grinding filled the air, Gui Haixin sneered, "Whoever you are inside, you have miscalculated. Even if you found this place and used schemes to lure my son away, man proposes but heaven disposes. My Young Master Qing has already seen through your plot. Today, let this arsenal be your tomb! Ha!" As his laughter rang out, the sound of the gears grew louder; clearly, the mechanisms were fully engaged.

Young Master Qing allowed a look of triumph to cross his face. Had he not come to the main hall to meet the old man today, the very lifeline of Guihai City might have been lost. The two Xu brothers standing beside him finally relaxed; Xu Dawu, in particular, looked smug as he fanned himself, while Xu Erwen seemed almost regretful. "What a pity, what a pity," he muttered. "To have such a brilliant scheme and be able to enter the arsenal without a sound—this person must be a true master of spirit cultivation. It is a shame they won't get to fight a fair battle against me. A waste of talent."

Just as they were reveling in their victory, a young voice drifted out from the arsenal: "My thanks to you, Old Master Guihai, for the mechanisms! Otherwise, I would have truly struggled to figure out how to destroy all these spirit spears!" Before the words even faded, two figures soared out from the gates of the spear formation and landed before them. One was an elderly man with a dark complexion, appearing stern and upright; yet, beneath his solemn expression, there was a glimmer of joy.

The dark-faced elder praised sincerely, "Young Mo, your calculations were flawless. There really were traps inside."

The "Young Mo" was none other than Mo Bai. He smiled slightly, looking up at the rising morning sun. "The Ten Thousand Spear Formation lives up to its reputation. If not for the help of Old Master Guihai, even with your expertise, Master Yun Fa, we would have been busy until sunset and still not have destroyed them all."

Gui Haixin’s face turned ashen. He seemed to grasp the situation, yet he could not bring himself to believe it. "Mo Bai," he stammered, "why is it you? How did you find this place? How did you know there were traps? And why did the traps not kill you, but instead destroy the arsenal?" Suddenly, recalling a crucial point, he barked, "Mo Bai, you will surely regret this, for my son Yidao has already captured your brother, Wu Luohua!"

Mo Bai helplessly rubbed the scar on the tip of his left eyebrow and said to Master Yun Fa, "Master, did you keep track of how many questions the City Lord asked? There are simply too many; I cannot digest them all."

Master Yun Fa looked at him with an inscrutable expression, then suddenly burst into laughter. In the Linglong Continent, the fearsome Head of the Punishment Hall of the Yuntian Sect was known only for his stern face; no one had ever seen him laugh. This laugh was more unsettling than anything else.

Mo Bai was moved to chuckle as well, and his thoughts drifted to the extraordinary girl he had met in the dead of night. She possessed eyes that were as captivating as a fox’s, yet they radiated a peculiar, pure light. Even having seen many women, Mo Bai had been momentarily stunned when he first saw her.

"You are Mo Bai?" When the girl known as Lady Yu wanted to find someone, she never failed. She had found him past midnight, but the timing was perfect.

"I am. And you are?" Mo Bai’s reply was mundane.

Lady Yu’s eyes flickered. "You are nothing special. Just like everyone else, you ask for my name first thing?"

Mo Bai smiled. "Then what should I ask? Age? Height? Or whether you are married?"

"Heh, you are no different from those other stinking men. What a pity." Lady Yu smiled, her gaze even more bewitching.

"Oh? 'Stinking men'? That title doesn't quite suit me. I’m actually quite fond of bathing, though I do have another, less elegant title." Mo Bai did not know why he felt inclined to talk to this girl. Perhaps he had sensed she was a hidden master, or perhaps she held clues. Since she knew his name and sought him out in the dead of night, she was certainly worth his time. Mo Bai had just evaded Jiuxi’s search, and he was curious how this girl had managed to track him down.

"Oh? Judging by your tone, you seem quite fond of this 'less elegant' title?" It was the first time Mo Bai had piqued Lady Yu’s interest.

"Indeed. It is 'Glutton.' It is a pity the title doesn't belong to me alone." Mo Bai shook his head and mocked himself.

"Heh, a 'Glutton.' You’re afraid of sharing a title with someone else?" Lady Yu teased.

"It is not sharing; it is enjoying it together." Mo Bai thought of Wu Luohua.

"You really are an interesting soul. No wonder all of Guihai City is going crazy for you." Lady Yu adjusted her skirt and smiled.

"You are an interesting soul as well, My Lady," Mo Bai replied.

"Oh? Why am I interesting? Is it because I am beautiful and have pretty eyes?" Lady Yu asked boldly.

Mo Bai smiled faintly but shook his head. "You are indeed uniquely beautiful, but that is not the key to what makes you interesting!"

This time, it was Lady Yu’s turn to be puzzled. It was the first time someone had praised her without focusing on her beauty. Intrigued, she asked, "Then what is it?"

Mo Bai touched the scar on his left eyebrow. "It is your curiosity!"

"Curiosity, heh." Lady Yu let out a soft laugh but said nothing more.

Mo Bai continued slowly, "You only heard of me, yet you sought me out in the dead of night. Two lone people together—it is truly unique. If not for your curiosity, why else would you have come?"

"Then tell me, why am I so curious that I would come to see you in the middle of the night?" Lady Yu asked in return.

"Because you must have heard my brother, Wu Luohua, talking about me for so long that it sparked your curiosity," Mo Bai said confidently.

"You truly are an interesting soul. I was right to come see you, heh." Lady Yu laughed again, this time more naturally.

"If you are the one who saved my brother Wu Luohua and Sister Ganyu, then they must be safe," Mo Bai asked tentatively. Even though he had guessed correctly, he could not predict what would follow, as this woman was far too mysterious.

"Hmm, I cannot guarantee that. I only know they were safe before I came to find you, but I cannot say for sure now, heh," Lady Yu said nonchalantly.

"Then I shall not thank you. I suspect someone like you does not need thanks," Mo Bai said.

"Heh, you are interesting. But I do as I please, and I truly do not care for such polite pleasantries," Lady Yu said softly. Her tone shifted. "However, Mo, you need not worry. When I left, that little girl Xiao Lan from the Yihua Sect had already arrived. I expect there will be no trouble."

Mo Bai was shocked. "Then I fear Xiao Hua might be in danger."

Lady Yu paused. "Why do you say that, Mr. Mo?"

Mo Bai replied, "The title 'Mr. Mo' is far too elegant for me. If you consider us friends, just call me Mo Bai."

Lady Yu countered, "You’re worried about your brother’s life again, Mo Da!"

"Mo Da" was the specific nickname Xiao Hua had for him. Mo Bai smiled slightly. "If it is a blessing, it is not a disaster; if it is a disaster, it cannot be avoided."