Chapter 283 - 167: The Naive and Kind Lord Shen

Chapter 283: Chapter 167: The Naive and Kind Lord Shen

"Reina, call for Fording. He’s coming with me."

Shen Xing made an immediate decision: he was going to teach the player who dared to kill his workers a lesson.

Although the Soul Stone Mine wasn’t far from his territory—only three or four kilometers, a trip Zha Ji could make in half a minute—Grand Lord Shen would not act alone.

If Hellish Roar and his men weren’t still on the road, Shen Xing would have waited for the main force to return before setting out, worried the culprit might escape.

"Yes, Lord."

Reina nodded solemnly and quickly left the Inner City District.

A moment later, the tall, imposing, white-haired Old Knight strode over.

"Respected Lord, the Holy Light heeds your call." He bowed slightly, performing a standard knight’s salute.

"Knight Fording, take this. You’re coming with me on a mission." Shen Xing handed him the Black Dragon Reversed Scale.

Fording took the scale, and a trace of surprise appeared in his eyes as he felt the immense power contained within it.

But he quickly regained his composure, a gentle smile appearing on his face. "I would be happy to be of service."

Shen Xing nodded, then summoned Zha Ji.

The three of them quickly jumped onto the bird’s back.

Shen Xing and Reina sat at the front.

Fording stood at the rear, as straight and unyielding as an ancient pine.

WHOOSH—

Zha Ji beat its wings and soared into the sky.

The Horse Lantern ignited, and they became a streak of Dark Gold light, plunging swiftly into the Fog.

It took twenty-seven seconds to reach the resource point’s location on the minimap.

From his vantage point high in the air, Shen Xing immediately spotted the half-excavated Soul Stone Mine below.

However, the area was deserted, with only a dozen or so scattered corpses on the ground.

Some were Beastmen, others were Slave Laborers.

Shen Xing’s brow furrowed, his voice low. "Zha Ji, down."

CHIRP!

As if sensing its master’s anger, Zha Ji landed steadily beside the Soul Stone Mine as quickly as it could.

Reina pushed the wheelchair down from the bird’s back.

They went to the entrance of the mine and carefully examined the pile of bodies.

They found few wounds on them; most were killed by a single, fatal blow. The attacker’s movements had been clean and efficient.

Standing nearby, Old Knight Fording’s eyes filled with compassion. "Poor souls. May the Holy Light grant you salvation..."

He waved his hand gently, chanting an ode as if performing some ancient ritual.

Immediately after, specks of golden light floated up from the corpses and gradually vanished into the air.

"Lord, I don’t sense any unfamiliar presence nearby," Reina said softly, opening her eyes. "But there couldn’t have been many assailants. The wounds on the bodies were all inflicted by a single person."

’One person...’ Shen Xing frowned in thought.

Based on the clues, there weren’t many attackers, and there was definitely a player like himself among them.

Less than five minutes had passed since the system notification that the mine had been captured, which meant the culprit couldn’t have gone far.

At this thought, Shen Xing was about to send Fording to search the surrounding area.

But just then, a faintly familiar, trembling voice suddenly sounded in his ear.

"L-Lord... is that you?"

Shen Xing quickly turned his head and looked toward the depths of the mine. "It is."

Upon hearing his response, a collective sigh of relief came from within.

Immediately after, figures dressed in coarse linen, their faces etched with fear, crawled out.

Shen Xing recognized them as the Slave Laborers from his territory.

"Lord... you... you’re finally here!" a dark-skinned Slave Laborer stepped forward, a blubbering mess, and cried out, "This is wonderful! I never thought I’d see you again."

The other laborers also wore looks of sheer terror, their lips trembling.

"There’s no need to be afraid. I’m here now. No one will harm you anymore." Shen Xing’s voice was steady as he looked them straight in the eye. "Tell me what happened here."

As the group of Slave Laborers gazed at the figure in the wheelchair, the fear in their hearts gradually subsided.

For some reason, they felt that their Lord seemed different today. His every gesture carried a steady air that put them at ease.

"I... We don’t know either..." the Slave Laborer said with a trembling voice. "We were just mining when suddenly a dark figure rushed out of the Fog and attacked without a word."

"The Beastman brothers guarding the mine were quickly slaughtered, and several of our companions had their throats slit with a single cut."

"The person left as soon as they were done killing. They didn’t say a single word from beginning to end."

After listening, Shen Xing’s brow furrowed slightly. He asked again, "Do you remember what the person looked like?"

The Slave Laborer recalled for a moment before saying in a low voice, "She was too fast. We could only vaguely make out an afterimage."

"Oh, right! She had long hair, blue eyes, and black clothes. I think it was a woman!"

Shen Xing leaned back in his wheelchair, running the description through his mind.

’A woman, long hair, blue eyes...’

But after a moment’s thought, he couldn’t recall any relevant information. He was sure he had never encountered this person before.

’Could she be from that territory Hellish Roar discovered last time?’

’But why would she attack my mine?’

Just as Shen Xing was pondering this,

suddenly,

he heard a faint sound of something slicing through the air.

The next second, Shen Xing felt an intent to kill—as sharp as a blade and condensed to its absolute limit—descending upon his head.

Before the blow even landed, he felt a sharp sting on his scalp, as if he were about to be cleaved in two!

This person’s explosive power had completely surpassed the limits of Tier Two. This was a Tier Three expert!

And not just any expert, but an Expert Level powerhouse who specialized in the Assassination Element!