Chapter Ninety-One: The White Wolf Leads the Way

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Lord Soul Sect extended his hand, summoning a black flame that engulfed the cloth bag, burning it to ashes. Then, with a swirl of dark energy, he lifted the fragments, causing them to hover in the palm of his hand.

It was a continuously shimmering, crystal-like, diamond-shaped transparent shard. At its center swirled a small cluster of stars, resembling the Milky Way, as if containing boundless power.

Fixing his gaze upon the shard, Lord Soul Sect chuckled with satisfaction. Then, from his person, he withdrew a black cube and carefully placed the shard inside.

Within that cube were six other fragments as well. Fang Shangshu had no idea what these shards were, what purpose they served, or the significance of collecting them.

All he knew was that this object was called the Soul-Calming Stone Fragment—information imparted to him by Lord Soul Sect himself.

Though curious, Fang Shangshu dared not question the Soul Sect. His role was merely to assist in the search; what he was not meant to know was better left unknown. The less he knew, the safer he would be.

Over the past days, he had been using a black iron sphere lent by Lord Soul Sect, empowered by dark energy. This sphere could detect the presence of fragments nearby, glowing red if one was close.

Holding the iron sphere, Fang Shangshu searched around the outskirts of Lanzhou. Eventually, in a farmer’s field, he spotted an unusual native chicken.

It was inside this very chicken that the fragment was discovered.

He had expected Lord Soul Sect to be angered by his slow progress, but today the lord was in a good mood. There were no reprimands, no displays of authority.

Instead, he rewarded him by feeding him his blood.

“Thank you, Lord Soul Sect!” Fang Shangshu expressed his gratitude, kneeling and tilting his head back, opening his mouth as wide as possible to catch the blood below.

Lord Soul Sect extended his left hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, and drew a slash across the palm of his right hand, creating a wound.

Black mist emanated from the cut as he held his palm upright. The blood flowed along the lines of his palm toward the little finger, pooling at the fingertip before dropping, one drop after another.

Kneeling, Fang Shangshu greedily drank every drop without waste. At that moment, he resembled a humble ant, receiving alms from a powerful master—but he paid it no mind.

Inwardly, he vowed that one day, he would grow strong—so strong that those who had once bullied and harmed him would tremble in fear.

He would trample them underfoot and repay every humiliation a hundredfold, even a thousandfold.

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As the blood entered his body, the soul-demonic energy within Fang Shangshu grew significantly stronger. On his arm, ancient black runes, no bigger than ants, began to appear.

“Farewell, Lord Soul Sect!” Having received his reward, Fang Shangshu knelt and watched as Lord Soul Sect departed. The lord’s signature laugh echoed before he transformed once more into a swirl of black flames, soaring away and vanishing into the sky.

While the lord was present, the werewolf had been suppressed, unable to rage. For safety, Fang Shangshu bit his finger, letting a drop of his blood fall onto the skull nail.

With his blood there, the werewolf would remember the scent and cease its attacks, sparing him from having to constantly guard against it.

After leading the werewolf away and returning to the secret manor, Fang Shangshu ordered his men to capture a scapegoat to take the blame for the massacre at the Li residence.

As fate would have it, Li Goudan happened to be on his way to the Li estate to find Li Da and repay a debt. He was selected by Fang’s men and knocked unconscious with a single blow.

Unaware and confused, he was made to serve as the alleged culprit of the case.

…

The timeline rewinds.

During the day, Li Pingyang had collected a single hair from inside the Li estate. Seizing a moment when the constables were distracted, he wrapped it carefully in a handkerchief and concealed it on his person.

Back at the inn where he was staying, Li Pingyang secured the doors and windows before examining the hair closely. The first thing he confirmed was that it was not human hair.

Having been a veterinarian in the modern world, Li Pingyang was well acquainted with animal fur and could easily distinguish it. He classified this hair as belonging to an animal.

While pondering which creature it might be from, a sudden blue light flashed before his eyes, and a virtual interface appeared.

The system assisted him in identification, opening the Bestiary of Ten Thousand Demons and locating the corresponding beast.

The image showed a pure white wolf with three tails.

A laser from the system projected onto the wall, creating a holographic display. There stood a three-tailed white wolf, slender and long-legged, with erect ears, sharp teeth, and eyes glowing with a faint fierce light.

This was a beast of the first tier, fire attribute. It was said that the nine-tier White Wolf Demon King bore seven tails and could unleash devastating fiery tail blasts that obliterated everything within a kilometer.

Why was the hair of a three-tailed white wolf found in the Li estate? This was a question that had long baffled Li Pingyang. Logically, Li Da and his son should never have had dealings with any beasts.

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Certainly not the servants, who were mere mortals. Unless they had wished for death, no one would dare provoke or secretly keep such a beast as a pet.

Another possibility, Li Pingyang speculated, was that someone had been in the company of the wolf demon and had inadvertently carried some of its fur, which had then fallen inside the Li estate.

This brought the matter full circle: the missing person was crucial. He must know about the incident or might have even witnessed the killer.

He might well be the killer himself.

But how could he find this person?

“Who are you?”

Just as Li Pingyang was at a loss, a shadow appeared on the window. He called out once, then swiftly drew his sword, climbing out the window to follow the silhouette.

The figure was swift, quickly putting distance between them, then leapt onto the rooftop. After a moment’s hesitation, Li Pingyang decided to pursue and climbed up as well.

The shadow suddenly stopped. Li Pingyang and it stood at opposite ends of the rooftop, staring at each other. The figure was on all fours, warily watching him.

Upon seeing its white fur, Li Pingyang was stunned to discover that the one who had led him to the rooftop was a three-tailed white wolf!

This wolf appeared older than the one in the hologram. The fur above its eyes was graying and thinning, as if the beast had aged like a human.

It bore numerous scars, and its gaze was no longer fierce but rather that of an elder who had endured the trials of time, carrying countless untold stories.

Upon seeing Li Pingyang, the old wolf’s ears drooped, resembling an aging dog. It exuded an aura of complete harmlessness, reassuring him that it meant no threat.

Li Pingyang sheathed his sword and approached the wolf. As he neared, the wolf suddenly turned and walked away, leaving him puzzled.

After a few steps, the wolf stopped and looked back, waiting for him. Whenever Li Pingyang drew near, it moved forward again. He understood—it was leading him somewhere.

Together, man and wolf began running across the rooftops. The wolf led him to a remote manor on the outskirts of the city.

Crouching in the grass, Li Pingyang looked up and saw the place was heavily guarded.

At that moment, the wolf grew agitated, baring its teeth and glaring fiercely into the distance, its eyes burning with anger.