"It looks like you really have no intention to let me go. But it doesn't matter," Tan Jun said. The glow on his body flickered and disappeared completely. But Tan Jun grinned as his body shuddered. Black smoke covered his body, and then it diffused. He was nowhere to be seen.

"He is escaping," Old Shi cried out. Tan Jun's movement was so fast neither of them even saw how he moved. He was just delaying time to prepare for his escape technique. Since the spirit vein wasn't going to run away, Tan Jun was going to retreat for the time being.

Mu Chen, however, was calm and patted Old Shi's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said. "There is only one way he could escape," Tan Jun's stealth technique could turn him invisible, but not permeable. He couldn't pass through walls. Since he wasn't familiar with Old Shi's abode, he could only retreat the way he had come in. Mu Chen walked towards the entrance of the tunnel. "Come on, let me show you how to catch a mouse."

"Squeak!" A plump little rainbow-colored mouse poked its head out of Mu Chen's collar and puffed its fur in protest.

Mu Chen chuckled at Hua Jin's reaction. "Little guy, I didn't mean you." This little guy was indeed very intelligent. He poked Hua Jin's belly who squeaked again and slipped back into his robes.

Old Shi was confused but followed behind. Once they came out of the entrance, they heard the sound of people fighting. Mu Chen and Old Shi followed the sound and saw Tan Jun surrounded by a group of experts.

A group of six experts was working as a team and fighting Tan Jun. Their cooperation was flawless. The only reason Tan Jun was still standing was because they wanted to capture him alive.

Tan Jun huffed and puffed at the center. He saw Mu Chen swagger out of the tunnel and his face twisted in anger. "You motherfucker! You planned this." Tan Jun wanted to rush at Mu Chen, but one of the experts blocked his way, leaving him no choice but to retreat. Tan Jun was frustrated and glared at Mu Chen. "I had a feeling I was being spied on, so I pretended to leave and let Old Shi bleed to death. But after watching you for a long time, I became convinced it was just my imagination―you were putting on an act the whole time?"

Mu Chen smiled. He wasn't sure Tan Jun was aware of their spying and laying a trap. So Mu Chen assumed the worst and laid a counter-trap. The toughest part was convincing Tan Jun that Mu Chen's appearance and saving Old Shi was just a coincidence.

"If only I had trusted more in my instinct." Tan Jun sighed.

Mu Chen shook his head. "It's too late to regret. But if you surrender, you can save your life."

"Surrender?" Tan Jun sneered. "That would be worse than dying." His eyes flashed with a glint of madness.

"Tan Jun, don't be stupid," Old Shi said. "As long as you surrender, I am willing to put behind the grievances among us."

"Grievances?" Tan Jun began to laugh. "Old Shi, you think too highly of yourself." Tan Jun looked at Mu Chen and Old Shi. "My life only belongs to my Lord."

Mu Chen had a bad premonition. He grabbed Old Shi and retreated further. The experts surrounding Tan Jun also noticed something wrong and retreated.

The next moment, Tan Jun pulled out several talismans and threw them in the air. "Die!" Tan Jun shouted as he laughed. "All of you can just die and go to hell together!"

"Those are explosive talismans!" One of the experts shouted. "Take cover!"

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of fireworks exploded in the sky. Everyone's eyes were blinded as several stars appeared in the night sky like suns. The shockwave from the blasts almost ruptured everyone's eardrums.

Mu Chen's situation was even worse. He felt his brain almost turn into mush and had to grab on Old Shi for support. What followed alongside the shockwave was the dirt and debris. Something hit Mu Chen's face and fell. He looked down and saw it was Tan Jun's finger. Broken and bloodied―it still had the ring attached to it. Mu Chen had an urge to vomit. He suppressed it and looked at the center of the explosion.

A crater had formed where Tan Jun had been standing. There was no trace of him left, other than bits of flesh and blood.

"H-he killed himself," Old Shi muttered as he looked at the crater in disbelief. When Tan Jun was besieged by several experts, he was relieved. But seeing him die in such fashion was not something he had anticipated.

"Old Shi, there is no need to grieve or pity a guy like him," Mu Chen said. "People like him deserve to be damned."

"I am not pitying him." Old Shi said. "I didn't think he would choose to commit suicide―he didn't seem the type."

Mu Chen opened his mouth to speak―

"Mu Chen!"

"Brother Chen!"

Mu Chen looked behind and saw several figures rushing at a distance away from the scuffle. It was Li Kun, Xia Ping, Liu Fengying, and Zhou Mei. There was also Su Rong, Ye Lanlan, and Yi Hanying. Seeing them, Mu Chen walked towards them.

Liu Fengying and Zhou Mei jumped into Mu Chen's arms, but then saw the blood on his face and became concerned.

"Mu Chen, are you hurt?" Liu Fengying asked.

Zhou Mei's expression turned cold. "Who was it?"

"I'm fine―it's not mine." Mu Chen wiped off the blood from his face. "See? You don't need to worry." Mu Chen hugged Liu Fengying and Zhou Mei. He hadn't seen them for several days and was starting to miss them. "What about you two?"

"Hmph! What could happen to us?" Liu Fengying snorted, pinching his waist. "It's you who has been missing for days. Do you know how worried we had been?"

"Hmph!" Zhou Mei didn't speak but also pinched Mu Chen's waist, expressing her dissatisfaction.

"Aren't I here now?" Mu Chen said with a stiff expression. Hugging two beautiful women on both his sides should have been a pleasant experience, but Mu Chen felt as if he had been trapped between ice and fire

"Squeak!" Hua Jin was suffocated due to their hug and wriggled out from Mu Chen's robes. He stood atop his shoulder and squeaked indignantly.

Liu Fengying and Zhou Mei looked at the tiny mouse who was making fists at them and were taken aback.

"Who is this?" Liu Fenying was amused.

"Ah! Hua Jin." Xia Ping beckoned and Hua Jin jumped off Mu Chen's shoulder and glided towards him, a parachute-like membrane stretching from its wrist to ankles.

"Ahem!" Su Rong coughed, drawing everyone's attention. "Brother Chen, what happened here?"

"Tan Jun killed himself in an explosion," Mu Chen said.

"Explosion?" Everyone turned their heads in the direction of the crater.

"What? T-that guy's dead?" Li Kun was more shocked than pleased.

"Dead," Mu Chen said.

Liu Fengying thought of something and took a few steps back. "Eww!"

Su Rong, Yi Hanying and Ye Lanlan's expressions also turned uncomfortable. Only Zhou Mei looked like she didn't care.

Mu Chen shook his head and turned to Su Rong. "Although we couldn't catch him, I still have to thank Sister Rong for your help. Otherwise, who knew what would have happened."

"It's something I should do," Su Rong said. "I'm glad that everyone is safe and sound or―"

"Young Lady, you are here." At this moment, several cultivators appeared and bowed towards Su Rong. One of the experts stepped forward. "Are you alright? We heard the explosion and came here as soon as we could..."

Mu Chen looked at those cultivators and frowned. Then he looked behind at the crater, then looked at the experts who had just arrived. The way the Su Family experts had dressed was different from the group of cultivators that had just fought. "All of you just came?"

"We are talking to Young Lady, don't interrupt," the experts snarled.

Liu Fengying and Zhou Mei glared at him, but the expert was unfazed.

"It's alright, answer him." Su Rong also found the situation weird. "Number One?"

Another expert stepped out of the circle and bowed. He began to communicate with his teammates. A moment later he turned to Su Rong, "Reporting to Young Lady. The first person to arrive was Number Eight. He came here five minutes ago. Everyone else came after him."

"Five minutes?" Mu Chen said. "So you came after you heard the explosion?"

"Yes," Number One said. "Young Lady sent us in advance. But we couldn't find the place, so we split and began a search. We were still searching when we heard the explosion."

"Damn." Mu Chen rubbed his forehead. If the experts Su Rong had sent had just arrived, who were the people fighting Tan Jun?

Seeing Mu Chen's reaction, everyone realized the situation was wrong. Su Rong ordered her men to search for those unidentified cultivators. But they returned empty-handed.

"So who were those experts?" Li Kun asked. "Were they really trying to capture Tan Jun?"

"Who knows?" Mu Chen recalled how one of the guys had blocked Tan Jun from attacking him. "They probably weren't his friends."

"But with that guy's death, the clue is broken," Su Rong said. "We won't be able to find the mastermind."

"Not yet, we still have Old Shi." Mu Chen said. He had been wary of Tan Jun all this time, so he had avoided asking Old Shi anything related to his former lord. Now Tan Jun was dead, he didn't have to worry. Mu Chen called Old Shi over. "Old Shi, you have something to say?"

"Young master," Old Shi sighed. "If you want to know something, just ask."

"Tell us about your former Lord," Mu Chen asked. "Who is he?"

Not just Mu Chen, Li Kun, Xia Ping, and others stared at Old Shi, waiting for him to expose the mastermind. Zhou Mei had already included this mysterious person in her kill-list.

"Young Master, I will have to disappoint you," Old Shi said. "I've never seen his face or known his name. I am only sure he is from some noble family. As for which family, I've no idea."

"What?" Mu Chen and his group were disappointed.

"You must know something?" Mu Chen frowned. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Tan Jun to kill you."

"I don't know," Old Shi said. "That person has always been very cautious. I have never seen his face. In all these years of service, I have only seen him a few times. And every time we met, he used a camouflage formation. Till now, I am not even sure if he is a man or woman."

Everyone fell silent. This Lord character was turning into an enigma.

"Maybe it's something Old Shi did for him?" Liu Fengying said. "It might be something that could be traced back to him?"

"That could be it," Mu Chen said, "Old Shi, how long have you been working for this Lord?"

"Twenty years," Old Shi said.

"Twenty years?" Mu Chen was taken aback and looked at Old Shi in sympathy.

"Yes, twenty years," Old Shi said. "I served him for so many years and he sacrificed me without any hesitation. Now that I think about it, I must have always been a disposable pawn in his eyes, raised to be used in such situations."

"The past is past," Mu Chen said, "Old Shi, you are still injured. You should go and recuperate. While you are at it, try to recall all that you have done for this lord so far and see if anything stands out."

Old Shi nodded and went back to his cave.

After Old Shi was gone, Mu Chen turned to Su Rong. "Can you have someone secretly watch over this place?" Mu Chen said, "The possibility is low, but maybe that person will send someone again to assassinate Old Shi. If he does, we might be able to get some more clues about his identity."

"I will see to it," Su Rong said and gave instructions to her men.

"Mu Chen," Liu Fengying said. "I think Old Shi has already given us valuable information."

"Huh? Did he?" Mu Chen yawned. The action was over and he was now feeling very tired.

"Since Old Shi has been serving this lord for so many years, we can confirm one thing," Liu Fengying said. "The person behind this is not from our generation."