Chapter 441: Conflicting Thoughts

Ah Xiu glanced toward the upper floor of the guesthouse, an unusual expression visibly crossing her face, "You all witnessed him in action just now. Beyond his powerful demonic cultivation, did you see even a trace of a demon lord's true character in him?"

"And besides, throughout the entire journey from the small town to the Yellow Spring Market, I never once saw him display even the slightest hint of demonic aura, let alone an eruption of demonic nature."

At those words, the Fifth Elder furrowed his brow in thought, "Now that I consider it carefully, that Eighth Prince of Great Li indeed doesn't seem like a typical demon lord. Even so, perhaps he's simply still able to suppress the demonic nature within him for now."

"But even so, we cannot afford to let our guard down. This man's demonic cultivation runs deeper than anything I've encountered in my entire life. Staying by his side means we must remain extremely cautious in everything we do."

The Fifth Elder had encountered no small number of demonic experts in the martial world, having even crossed paths with the Blood River Patriarch once. Yet even that demonic cult master had left him with a lesser impression than Li Musheng did now.

Ah Xiu glanced at the Fifth Elder and simply gave a slight nod.

In her view, if there truly came a day when Li Musheng's demonic nature did erupt, no amount of caution on their part would matter in the face of such overwhelmingly superior strength.

At this point, the small figure with the horn-shaped twists of hair spoke up gravely, "What concerns me most right now is that the Eighth Prince used the Soul-Searching Technique on us. He very likely already knows our secrets and our clan's plans."

At those words, Ah Xiu and the Fifth Elder exchanged a glance, and both could see the same helpless resignation in the other's eyes.

What the small figure had said was indeed something that worried them as well, but there was nothing they could do about it. For now, all they could do was wait until they reached White Emperor City and discuss their next steps from there.

"Let's just hope he has no interest in our clan's affairs."

Ah Xiu shook her head, offering a word of comfort to the others, then turned to look at the Blood Spring Holy Lord.

The Fifth Elder and the small figure followed her gaze. Though they had their own doubts about how the Blood Spring Holy Lord had known about their plan to steal the White Tiger Fang in advance, with the fang now in Li Musheng's hands, both sides had ended up with nothing to show for their efforts, making the truth behind it all somewhat less important now.

The Blood Spring Holy Lord's expression at this moment was extremely unpleasant. According to his original plan, if Li Musheng had wanted information about the White Tiger Fang, he might have been able to use that as leverage to negotiate with him, perhaps even securing his own escape in the process.

But Li Musheng's single use of the Soul-Searching Technique had rendered all of his careful calculations meaningless. More importantly, Li Musheng could seal his cultivation with a casual gesture whenever he wished, and could view his memories whenever he wished as well.

He, a dignified Holy Lord of the Yellow Spring Tribe, had been treated like a mere ant to be toyed with at Li Musheng's whim, and the sense of crushing humiliation that came with this was something he found genuinely difficult to accept.

The Rakshasa Holy Lord and the Ghost Prison Holy Lord beside him felt much the same way as the Blood Spring Holy Lord at this moment. That three dignified Holy Lords could be reduced to such a state was clearly something none of them had ever imagined possible.

Even so, for now, in order to stay alive, they had no choice but to endure it. Only once they reached White Emperor City and reunited with the Yellow Spring Tribe's other two Holy Lords might they, with the combined strength of all five, have a chance at turning the tables.

Of course, for the Rakshasa Holy Lord at this moment, there was something even more important weighing on his mind, which was killing the blind man to avenge his son.

At the same time, as though sensing the Rakshasa Holy Lord's killing intent, the blind man, who had been sitting cross-legged to treat his wounds, lifted his pale eyes, though he paid no attention to the Rakshasa Holy Lord. Instead, he turned to face the second floor of the guesthouse.

A barely perceptible, unusual expression crossed his scarred face.

"The White Tiger Fang. So what Miss He told me was true after all."

The blind man slowly lowered his head. His journey here had indeed been undertaken for the price of a pot of wine, to kill Young Master Jinchuan. But before Miss He had died, she had actually told him a secret, one concerning the White Tiger Fang.

"This is not someone I should make an enemy of. Even with another ten years of training, I could never be his match. And besides, he saved my life. I owe him a debt of gratitude now."

The blind man coughed quietly, running a hand over the two broken sections of his bamboo staff.

Fortunately, while Li Musheng had used the Soul-Searching Technique on Ah Xiu's group, he had spared him. This particular secret, then, was something Li Musheng didn't yet know.

"It seems I'll need to make my way to White Emperor City as well, then."

The blind man seemed to settle on some decision within his heart. He then turned his pale eyes toward the Rakshasa Holy Lord, whose killing intent toward him was practically boiling over.

Though the blind man had recovered some of his strength by now and could likely kill the Rakshasa Holy Lord, who had lost his martial cultivation, to eliminate any future threat, he could not bring himself to act, nor did he dare to, since the man was, after all, someone Li Musheng wanted.

...

At the same time, Li Musheng, turning the White Tiger Fang over in his hand, returned to his room. The bald-patched large black cat followed close behind him.

The moment it entered the room, the large black cat clung to Li Musheng's side, pressing its head against the hem of his robe, its round green eyes brimming with an obvious desire for praise.

As the large black cat saw it, having found such a treasure on the Blood Spring Holy Lord was a tremendous achievement, and Li Musheng should rightfully shower it with compliments, whether out of reason or sentiment.

At this point, Li Musheng glanced at the White Tiger Fang in his hand, then looked at the large black cat.

Though this cat was a bit greedy and wanted everything for itself, it couldn't be denied that it occasionally stumbled, by sheer blind luck, onto genuinely good finds.

The White Tiger Fang before him, for instance, had been retrieved from the Blood Spring Holy Lord precisely by this large black cat.

Even so, what truly interested Li Musheng more was the peculiar reaction between this large black cat and the White Tiger Fang.

Of course, this wasn't entirely unfamiliar territory for him. The large black cat had displayed a similarly unusual response before with the Hidden Kill Order.

This trip to White Emperor City had always carried, for Li Musheng, the purpose of unraveling that particular mystery. He had already harbored a suspicion that there might be some connection between the large black cat and the ancient beast White Tiger.

"Well done."

With that thought, Li Musheng, facing the large black cat's eager, expectant gaze, offered a word of praise, then reached down, about to give it a pat.

But upon seeing the bald patches on the cat's back and its generally dusty, unsightly appearance, Li Musheng quickly pulled his hand back with a flicker of distaste on his face.

"Go find Miss Cang and Miss Shen, and have them give you a bath."

Li Musheng waved a hand, and the large black cat, before it could even react, found itself sent flying out of the room, landing only once it had cleared the doorway entirely.

Having failed to earn its praise and instead been chased out, the large black cat let out a wronged, indignant meow.

But Li Musheng paid the large black cat no further attention at this point. Instead, his gaze seemed to pass through the walls and floor, settling on Ah Xiu and the others downstairs, his eyes narrowing slightly, "Remnants of the ancient city of Jingjue. Seems they have some history behind them."