Chapter 538 - 49: The Trouble Caused by Reputation

Song Changsheng had never crossed paths with Soulless before. Yet now, the man had found him through Chi Huo Old Ghost, claiming he wanted to ask a few questions.

He couldn’t imagine what questions an expert of Soulless’s caliber could have that he himself could answer.

Still, given the situation, it seemed the man harbored at least a sliver of goodwill. It was just his methods that left Song Changsheng deeply dissatisfied.

However, the circumstances were beyond his control. His opponent was powerful and held hostages. As long as the questions didn’t threaten the Song Clan’s survival, he could choose to compromise.

"Please, sit." Soulless gestured for Song Changsheng to take the seat opposite him.

Since he was already here, Song Changsheng felt no fear. He sat down boldly on the stone stool and carefully studied the middle-aged man before him.

The first impression Soulless gave him was, for lack of a better word, sloppy.

The man had a standard oval face, with thick brows and large eyes. His skin was bronze, his face covered in stubble, and his hair was a mess. Paired with the reek of alcohol and a shabby gray robe, he looked at first glance like he’d just been dragged out of a beggar’s nest.

Upon closer inspection, however, one could discern an indescribable quality about him.

But most striking of all were his eyes, which held a world-weariness and exhaustion. ’This must be a man with a story.’ If he hadn’t appeared under these circumstances, Song Changsheng might have offered him fine wine for a long drink. But now? ’Better not.’

"What is it you wish to ask?" Song Changsheng got straight to the point.

"I wonder, what are Clan Leader Song’s thoughts on the Blood Demon Sect?"

Song Changsheng’s gaze sharpened in an instant, but he quickly composed himself. "The Blood Demon Remnants are a scourge upon the world," he said calmly. "Their poison is endless. It is the duty of all Cultivators of our generation to eliminate them."

As he spoke, his eyes remained fixed on Soulless, watching for any reaction.

But the man remained perfectly calm. He simply gave a faint nod. "Then what are your thoughts on the treasure the Blood Demon Sect left behind?"

A sharp glint flashed in Song Changsheng’s eyes. ’So that’s it. This is the real reason they brought me here. They’re after the Blood Demon Sect’s treasure!’

"If you have something to say, just say it. Luoxia City’s curfew begins in another ancient hour," Song Changsheng said in a low voice.

"Exactly! Why are you wasting time with all this talk?" Blood Princess shot Soulless a glare before crossing her arms and looking down her nose at Song Changsheng. "Listen up, little one. Do you know about a certain treasure left behind by the Blood Demon Sect? And do you happen to have three Jade Tokens that can open it?"

Song Changsheng’s expression darkened, and his mind reeled. He wasn’t surprised that they knew about the Blood Demon Sect’s treasure—after all, Chi Huo Old Ghost knew about it too.

But for them to know the exact number—three Jade Tokens—was unbelievable. He had never mentioned that detail to Chi Huo Old Ghost.

’This means they didn’t learn about the treasure from Chi Huo Old Ghost. They already knew about it, and their investigation led them to him, which in turn led them to me.’

"So that was your question?" Song Changsheng asked, looking at Soulless opposite him, his voice low.

Soulless gave him an apologetic look. "Yes. My sister and I came for this very reason."

"And what makes you so sure I know anything about it?"

The muscles all over his body tensed slightly. Song Changsheng was ready to erupt into action at a moment’s notice.

"I wasn’t sure at first," Blood Princess chuckled, seeing Song Changsheng’s wary posture. "But the moment you appeared, I was." A Jade Token, glowing faintly, materialized in her hand.

’The fourth Jade Token.’ Song Changsheng’s heart sank. ’I was careless after all.’

’They must have learned from Chi Huo that I had a Jade Token. Then, they used the unique resonance between the tokens to track me all the way to Luoxia City.’

’Although the three Jade Tokens were split between myself, Zhu Yiqun, and Zhuang Yuechan, we were all in Luoxia City, so the actual distance between the tokens was very small.’

’This must have led Blood Princess and her brother to misjudge the situation, assuming all three tokens were in my possession. That’s why they took the risk of summoning me here.’

’If Soulless had known the three tokens were on three different people, he probably wouldn’t have been so bold. After all, it meant risking the wrath of Luoxia City.’

"Heh, little one. Stop denying it. The Jade Tokens resonate with each other. You can’t hide it from us," Blood Princess said, looking rather smug.

Seeing this, Song Changsheng dropped the pretense. "Alright," he said bluntly. "I know about the Blood Demon Sect’s treasure, and I do have a Jade Token. But as far as I know, the last token was supposed to be in someone else’s hands. How did you get it?"

"You must be talking about that bastard Guu Chengxiong. This Jade Token was his.

"I wasn’t originally interested in this treasure, but he insisted on coming before me to court death, so I was forced to relieve him of it." As she spoke, an unmistakable flicker of killing intent appeared in her eyes, making Song Changsheng’s brow twitch.

For a powerful Purple Mansion Cultivator to still radiate such killing intent just by recalling the event... you didn’t need to be a genius to guess that the leader of the Taotie Demon Hunting Team had met a truly miserable end.

And the truth was just as Song Changsheng had guessed. Back then, Blood Princess had led a team to infiltrate Luoxia City, attempting to destroy its Guardian Array and Tier Four Spirit Vein. However, Bai Zhengchun had seen through their plans, laid an inescapable trap, and lured them right into it.