Chapter 36: A Successful Escape

"Sigh—" Wanwan looked at the pouch in her hand, utterly bewildered. As she looked up, a blue circle of light appeared around her neck, constricting repeatedly as if testing its grip. Just as she was about to flare up, a cold, chilling voice reached her ear.

"Where is the child?"

Wanwan looked up cautiously, exhaling in relief when she saw who it was. "Xiaodong isn't lost; he just went to freshen up."

Qingluan was not pacified by her words; instead, he gestured to those behind him.

Moments later, the shopkeeper was brought out under guard by his subordinates. She was still holding half a bowl of porridge, but her previous amiable demeanor was gone; her back was straight, and she observed everything around her with calm, calculating eyes.

A subordinate stepped forward. "My Lord, she was the only one in the inner room."

At these words, Wanwan instinctively frowned. "That's impossible. You must be mistaken. I saw Xiaodong walk in with my own eyes."

Qingluan closed his eyes, drew a sharp breath, and commanded coldly, "Take them away!"

"Yes!"

The ring of light around Wanwan's neck vanished, replaced by shackles.

By now, she realized what was happening. Xiaodong was likely no ordinary child. Calming herself, she said, "Is Xiaodong in danger? Release the shopkeeper; I am familiar with the terrain of this Far North town and can help."

At this, Wang Dong's footsteps faltered for a second, but he continued on without looking back.

"You..."

"Xiao Wan!"

Before Wanwan could finish, the shopkeeper interrupted her. Seeing the woman shake her head, Wanwan suppressed her thoughts and remained silent.

...

"It's a good thing you warned me, or I surely would have been taken by him again," Wang Dong remarked as he trekked through the Far North Forest.

The voice in his mind echoed once more. "I simply felt that with my protection, there was no need for anyone else."

"Thanks," Wang Dong said, pausing briefly, "Master."

The voice in his mind fell silent. Wang Dong didn't need to look to know that a certain God King was acting smug again.

He knew Xue Qinghe and Qingluan meant well, but if he wasn't mistaken, this journey into the Far North was a place from which even a Titled Douluo might not escape unscathed. It was better not to involve innocent people in this unprovoked disaster.

He pushed the thoughts aside. It was already dark, and the Far North Forest was fraught with peril; he had to remain fully focused.

...

Far North Town, Observation Deck.

Qingluan stood at the highest point, surveying the entire town.

"My Lord, should we inform His Highness the Crown Prince? If we don't, it might affect the cooperation between the Spirit Hall and the Crown Prince," his subordinate said cautiously.

Xue Qinghe's true identity was the highest secret of the Spirit Hall, so the subordinates generally believed that the Spirit Hall was merely cooperating with the Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire.

Qingluan knew full well how much Xue Qinghe cared about Wang Dong. Having lost track of him, he feared he would be held accountable.

"Send a thousand-mile voice transmission."

The subordinate hesitated for a moment before answering, "Yes!"

After a while, the subordinate returned with a message: "My Lord, His Highness the Crown Prince replies that Young Master Wang Dong has headed to the Far North on his own. You need not linger; please set off immediately to pursue and protect his safety. Furthermore..."

Qingluan knew it wouldn't be that simple. "Speak!"

"The Crown Prince ordered that the two involved parties be interrogated strictly." Having said this, the subordinate bowed his head, awaiting further instructions.

As expected!

The sound of the old woman's discussion and Wanwan's determined face flashed through Qingluan's mind. Just as he was about to give the order, he changed his mind.

"Where are those two now?"

"Detained in the hotel where we were originally going to stay. Guards have been posted. Do you need them dealt with?"

"Let's go!"

With that, the two vanished from the observation deck.

Inside the hotel room.

"Aunt Li, why did you stop me from speaking earlier?" Wanwan asked, puzzled.

The shopkeeper smiled, shook her head, and looked at the moon outside the window. "Haven't you realized it yet? That child clearly ran away on his own."

Wanwan leaned forward instinctively. "What?"

"I was keeping watch in the inner room the whole time. That child flew out directly through the skylight in the hallway. Xiao Wan, how could you not have noticed such obvious spirit power fluctuations?" the shopkeeper said slowly, revealing her suspicion.

"You were being used!"

The weight of those words caused Wanwan's worry for Xiaodong to dissipate.

"However, I think he is a good child. He must have had his reasons," the shopkeeper added.

"I should have realized sooner. Xiaodong was dressed so thinly; any ordinary child would have frozen long ago." At this, Wanwan remembered the pouch Xiaodong had left for her.

Seeing it, the shopkeeper sighed, "As expected of a child from a wealthy family. Ordinary people wouldn't even be able to get their hands on such fabric."

Wanwan nodded and opened the pouch.

A blue pill and a red pill flew out, drifting toward the two of them.

...

"When did you prepare the pills for them?"

Wang Dong was walking forward with intense concentration when the voice of the God of Evil resonated in his mind again.

"Guess," Wang Dong did not answer directly.

The God of Evil pondered for a moment before giving the answer: "Before you upgraded your spirit rings."

Wang Dong remained noncommittal.

In the spirit master world ten thousand years later, methods of refining pills using spirit power instead of furnaces had long been developed. Moreover, he had accidentally discovered that using the spring water from the Ice and Fire Yin-Yang Well significantly enhanced the efficacy of the pills.

Thus, whenever he had spare time, he would refine common pills like the Profound Water Pill, Spirit Ascension Pill, Spirit Condensing Pill, and Soul Nourishing Pill to be ready for emergencies.

"Truly worthy of being my disciple, hahahaha—" The God of Evil's laughter was filled with satisfaction. "It's a good thing I acted fast and didn't let that 'Goodness' fellow snatch you away."

Wang Dong ignored him and continued forward.

Suddenly, a faint sound came from ahead.

Wang Dong softened his footsteps, focusing his senses on his surroundings.

At that moment, a weak gust of air flashed before his eyes. The Far North Forest was covered in ice and snow year-round, with overlapping illusions, making it difficult to track the movement of the airflow.

After a brief assessment, Wang Dong leaped onto a nearby tree, using the vantage point to make observation easier.

"Need help?" the voice of the God of Evil asked again.

Wang Dong refused without a second thought. "I can't ask for your help with everything; it's not like I'm in mortal danger."

Having said this, he began to slowly release his spirit power, moving from a point to a wider area, taking the initiative.

The opponent was cautious; the air currents shifted constantly but in very small increments, making it hard to pinpoint a location.

Suddenly, Wang Dong's gaze was drawn to a smear of red on the snow. He looked closely—it was blood!

He was injured!

Making a quick decision, Wang Dong slightly reduced his spirit power. Suddenly, a white shadow pounced at him in the blink of an eye.

"Ah—"