"Leader Zhongli, this person is likely not my imperial brother's child," Xu Jing said, clad in armor, his face grim as he looked at the corpses on the ground inside the palace.
"Could there be a mistake?" Zhongli Wu frowned, turning to Xu Jing.
"You're not part of our royal family, Leader Zhongli, so you wouldn't know," Xu Jing shook his head. "From birth, our royal children have their names and birth details encoded into a secret cipher, inscribed in a hidden place on their bodies using a special method to verify their identity later."
"Though this person wears royal garments and has a similar build to my imperial brother's child, there's no royal mark on them. Clearly, this isn't the real Xu He," Xu Jing said, slowly raising his head to meet Zhongli Wu's gaze. "My imperial brother is quite the schemer to have fooled even you, Leader Zhongli."
"What do you mean by that?" Zhongli Wu's expression turned icy, a chilling aura sweeping through the room, causing the surrounding soldiers to tremble.
"You misunderstand, Leader Zhongli," Xu Jing quickly averted his gaze. "I meant no offense. It's likely that my imperial brother's trusted aides spirited the real Xu He away. Since you're unaware of our royal secrets, it's natural you wouldn't notice."
"How about this: I'll honor all the promises made to your church, but I'll need to trouble your church to help track down Xu He."
"Hmph," Zhongli Wu gave a noncommittal grunt and left the room without another word.
"Father," Xu Tianran entered only after Zhongli Wu had left. "Leader Zhongli, he…"
"They're just a bunch of lowlife evil soul masters," Xu Jing said, his face dark as he looked toward the door. "Remember this, Tianran: you can use them in the future, but never entrust them with critical tasks. Understood?"
"Yes, Father," Xu Tianran replied.
"Hm, what's the progress on the investigation?" Xu Jing asked, turning his attention to Xu Tianran.
"The army just reported that the one who took Xu He might be a Level 5 soul engineer," Xu Tianran said.
"A Level 5 soul engineer?" Xu Jing repeated.
"Indeed," Xu Tianran nodded. "They saw it with their own eyes. The person used a peculiar soul cannon with dark red attacks that could penetrate soul shields and strike our men directly."
"Could it really be someone from my imperial brother's side?" Xu Jing mused.
On the outskirts of Mingdu, the "Level 5 soul engineer" Lin Xiao didn't dare slow down. Though he had escaped momentarily, Xu Jing hadn't yet known about Xu He's escape from the palace at the time and wouldn't have paid much attention to Lin Xiao's identity, despite any suspicions.
Now, however, Lin Xiao could clearly feel the increasing number of troops around him, as if they were searching for something.
"Are they looking for me?" Xu He's voice suddenly came from Lin Xiao's arms.
"Why don't you put me down so I don't drag you into this?"
Lin Xiao's heart stirred at the words, and he glanced down at Xu He.
Having grown up in the Holy Spirit Church, surrounded almost entirely by evil soul masters, it had been a long time since he'd heard words like these.
Without slowing his pace, he kept his left arm tightly around Xu He. "Though Xu Jing and Xu Tianran planned the Emperor's assassination, they couldn't have accounted for everything. I can only take you out of Mingdu. Once you're out, find your father's trusted aides."
"You know better than I do who among them can be trusted. I'll prepare some clothes and provisions for you. Find them, and have them take you out of the Sun Moon Empire."
Xu He said no more. Looking into the eyes beneath Lin Xiao's mask, he nodded quietly and let Lin Xiao carry him toward the city's edge.
"Don't keep going forward. Head northeast. I'll meet you there."
Nightmare Douluo's voice sounded in his ear again, and Lin Xiao let out a sigh of relief. The rest of the journey should no longer be his concern.
Outside Mingdu, Lin Xiao stood in the shadows, watching Xu He disappear into the distance.
"The throne is quite a prize, isn't it? It can make brothers like Xu Chang and Xu Jing turn against each other," Nightmare Douluo's voice sounded beside him.
"Teacher, is everything in the city taken care of?" Lin Xiao asked.
"Xu Jing has led his army into the palace. It's inconvenient for us to show ourselves now, so we'll leave the rest to them," Nightmare Douluo said, also looking in the direction Xu He had gone. "Are you wondering why I had you take Xu Chang's child out of Mingdu?"
"A little," Lin Xiao nodded lightly.
"Xu Tianran is ruthless and decisive. If we let him and his father act without any worries, it's hard to guarantee the interests of our church."
"What has happened before will happen again. We can help them ascend to that position, and we can also support others to become emperor. As long as Xu Chang's bloodline remains out there, they'll never sit easy on that throne."
Listening to Nightmare Douluo's explanation, Lin Xiao felt no surprise. For evil soul masters, such schemes were commonplace, and he had long grown accustomed to them.
"You don't need to know too much about these matters. Just understand that the child still has other uses for the church. Now, we need to arrange your next destination."
"Teacher, please give your instructions," Lin Xiao said, slightly lowering his head.
Nightmare Douluo nodded with a smile. "Good. What I admire most about you is this. This time, it's actually a good opportunity for you. Do you remember Jing Hongchen from last night?"
Lin Xiao was no stranger to the name Jing Hongchen. He had taken note of him since Xu Tianran's introduction the previous evening.
"Teacher, I remember," Lin Xiao said.
"He's very much to our church's liking. As the Vice Hall Master of Illustrious Virtue Hall, he collaborated with Xu Jing and his son to let the Leader into the palace. If I'm not mistaken, he'll soon become the Hall Master."
"Soon, many of our church's disciples will be arranged to join the Sun Moon Imperial Soul Engineering Academy, and you'll be one of them."
Lin Xiao frowned slightly at Nightmare Douluo's words. While he wasn't opposed to using soul tools, he had little interest in crafting them. His role already required him to handle tasks for the Holy Spirit Church, and studying soul tools would inevitably cut into his cultivation time.
"What, you're not willing?" Nightmare Douluo asked.
"No," Lin Xiao quickly shook his head. "I'm just worried I might not have much talent for learning soul tools."
"No matter," Nightmare Douluo said, not pressing further. "Just do your best. Even if your talent is lacking, being able to use soul tools is enough. Though we won't need to hide as much in the future, some abilities still shouldn't be used openly."
"Learning to use soul tools can mask your identity as an evil soul master. Besides, being a soul master and a soul engineer aren't mutually exclusive. You know our church's Supreme Leader is not only a powerful soul master but also a formidable soul engineer."
Lin Xiao naturally knew who Nightmare Douluo was referring to and nodded lightly. "I understand, Teacher."