A deep sense of frustration welled up inside Ye Ziyun. She was the little princess of the City Lord's Mansion and the granddaughter of the Legendary Demon Spirit Master Ye Mo. Growing up, she had read countless secret tomes and her knowledge far surpassed that of her peers. Deep down, she harbored a small measure of pride — but when compared to a freak like Nie Li, she felt utterly ignorant.
It was hardly surprising that Ye Ziyun felt this way. Nie Li was simply beyond the reckoning of ordinary people.
By examining the cracks in the stone walls and the way the floor tiles were laid, Nie Li had effortlessly identified every trap along the way.
"Mechanisms at this level? Completely trivial!" Nie Li walked forward a few paces, picked up a stone from the ground, and tossed it five or six meters ahead. It struck one of the green bricks with a sharp crack.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Thud thud thud!
A dense volley of arrows erupted through the corridor ahead, flying in every direction like a downpour. The arrowheads glinted with a sinister green glow.
Every single arrow was coated in poison. Ye Ziyun's fair face paled slightly — she could only imagine how miserable it would be if they had simply walked forward and triggered the mechanism, their bodies instantly riddled with arrows.
From such a distance, how on earth had Nie Li detected the trap?
"All clear — we can move on." Nie Li turned to Ye Ziyun with a faint smile.
Though they were deep inside a trap-laden passageway, Ye Ziyun felt a strange sense of security — as long as she stayed behind Nie Li, nothing could go wrong. No problem was unsolvable.
She gazed at Nie Li's back. He was still somewhat slender, yet he radiated an aura of solid dependability.
Ye Ziyun lowered her head, lost in thought. Perhaps it wouldn't be so bad to travel with Nie Li after all. But after only a moment, she shook her head vigorously and drove the thought away. What was she even thinking? Ning'er clearly had her heart set on Nie Li, and just these past few days, Huyan Lanruo had already declared her intention to pursue him.
How many girls had this hopeless flirt of a Nie Li managed to attract?
There was no way she'd believe he only liked her!
Ye Ziyun lifted her chin proudly. She would never be as shallow as those other girls.
The two figures pressed onward, venturing deeper into the corridor.
While Nie Li and Ye Ziyun explored the passage, out in the forest beyond —
"What a bunch of failures! You actually let that Azure Arm Giant Ape escape with serious injuries!" Overseer Yunhua cursed in frustration. Spirit Level Demon Beasts almost always possessed Demon Spirits, and even a mere Silver-grade Demon Spirit could sell for several hundred thousand Demon Spirit Coins at minimum!
Six people had been hurt, and the Azure Arm Giant Ape had gotten away — it was infuriating!
The one they resented most was Nie Li. If he hadn't lured that Spirit Level Azure Arm Giant Ape to them in the first place, they wouldn't have ended up in such a sorry state.
"Forget it — it was just an Azure Arm Giant Ape. Those noble heirs are worth far more! Spread out and search! If you don't catch anyone, don't bother coming back!" Overseer Yunhua roared. The group dispersed and began combing through the dense forest.
A faint glow of firelight in the distance caught their attention.
Firelight could scare off Demon Beasts at night and keep them at bay, but it also made for a very conspicuous target in the darkness.
"Why are you grabbing me? Who are you people?"
Before long, several men in black hauled a captive before Overseer Yunhua.
Overseer Yunhua let out a hearty laugh. The captive was dressed in fine clothes — clearly someone of notable standing. "Tsk tsk, young master, you've probably heard of us — the Dark Guild. It's precisely boys from noble families like you that we're after. Tsk tsk, should I ransom you for money, or just kill you outright?"
The captive was none other than Shen Yue!
The moment he heard the words "Dark Guild," Shen Yue's face turned white as a sheet. "D-don't kill me! I'm from the Sacred Family! My family can pay you however much you want!"
"Sacred Family?" Overseer Yunhua paused, a flicker of something unreadable passing through his eyes. He muttered to himself in annoyance, "I thought we'd hit the jackpot, but he belongs to the Vice President — what rotten luck!"
Overseer Yunhua barked at his subordinates, "Keep searching!"
Shen Yue had been bracing himself for a ordeal at the hands of the Dark Guild, only for them to ignore him entirely, assigning just a single guard to watch over him. He breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed the Dark Guild still held a degree of respect for the Sacred Family!
He assumed it was the name of the Sacred Family that had intimidated these Dark Guild members, and his expression immediately turned haughty once more — a far cry from the man who had nearly wet himself moments ago.