Time flew by, and it was the next day.

Inside the Forging Guild in Tianhai City, the heavy stone door of the top-tier forging room was tightly shut.

Lin Wei had already delivered all the collected Materials for the wild set.

Inside the room, Ouyezi was engrossed in forging, with the ethereal blue flames illuminating his focused profile, and the rhythmic clang of metal continued ceaselessly.

...

Around noon, in the separate courtyard.

In Zhou Huai's bedroom, a flash of white light appeared.

"Ding! Clone 'Yasuo' cooldown has ended, and {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} he has been regenerated!"

A tall figure once again materialized out of thin air, his eyes initially somewhat vacant, but instantly regaining their brilliance as Zhou Huai's consciousness sank into him.

"The equipment isn't ready yet; it's not suitable to leave the city for now," Zhou Huai mused.

He summoned Butler Fu.

"Butler Fu, please help him buy a fitted long trench coat and prepare a pair of scissors."

Butler Fu was quick and soon had everything ready.

Zhou Huai controlled Yasuo, picked up the scissors, and with a few snips in front of the mirror, cut his signature unruly long hair into a neat short style.

He changed into a dark long trench coat, put on the hood and mask, revealing only a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.

His previously flamboyant Swordsman aura was perfectly concealed, replaced by a mysterious and cool demeanor like an urban wanderer.

"Not bad."

Zhou Huai surveyed Yasuo's new look with satisfaction.

The stir caused by Yasuo's bounty had only just passed, and he didn't want to be recognized so soon.

After all this was done, Zhou Huai fully immersed his consciousness into Yasuo's body, controlling him as he walked out of the courtyard gate.

He wanted to go and check the address Mo Yu had mentioned.

Would that timid yet somewhat clever woman obediently return home and wait for him?

Or had she already taken the Spatial Ring and absconded with the money?

...

Lilac Road, Number 127.

Inside a dilapidated residential building, Mo Yu pushed open her front door.

She had returned.

Not because of that vague, ethereal promise, but because she couldn't not return.

The room was dimly lit, permeated with a faint scent of medicine.

"Sister, I'm back," Mo Yu's voice carried a hint of fatigue.

On the bed in the inner room lay a pale, emaciated young woman, who, hearing the voice, struggled to turn her neck, a look of joy appearing on her face.

"Mo Yu! You... you're finally back! It's so good that you're safe!"

"What happened these past few days? People from the Bloody Guild... they came several times, constantly asking about your whereabouts!"

Hearing the words "Bloody Guild," Mo Yu's face instantly turned ashen.

It seemed they truly had no intention of letting her go.

"Sister, this isn't the time to talk about this," Mo Yu quickly walked to the bedside, her eyes anxious.

"You must come with me immediately!"

The woman on the bed, Mo Yu's sister, Mo Yu, showed a trace of bitterness on her face.

"Go?"

"In my current state, where can I go with you?"

"Tell me honestly, what exactly happened?"

Mo Yu's lips trembled, and after a moment's hesitation, she finally whispered, "Young Master Mo... Young Master Mo of the Bloody Guild, he... he was killed."

"They suspect that I was in league with the person who killed Young Master Mo."

Upon hearing this news, all color drained from Mo Yu's face.

She knew better than anyone the methods of the Bloody Guild's leader, and she understood the gravity of the situation.

"Then you... you hurry and go!" Mo Yu's voice became urgent, "Go quickly! Don't worry about me!"

"Anyway, I'm just a useless life; they won't do anything to me!"

"No!" Mo Yu stubbornly shook her head, tears welling up in her eyes, "You're my sister! We promised we'd never be separated!"

She reached out, wanting to grasp her sister's hand, but found her sister's hands hanging limply by her sides, unmoving.

Just as the sisters were arguing.

"Bang!"

Heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway, approaching from afar, sounding like at least three or four people.

Mo Yu's heart tightened, and she vigilantly looked towards the door.

"Who's there?!"

No one answered.

The next second.

"Clang—!"

The fragile wooden door was violently kicked open, sending splinters flying.

Three burly men with scarred faces blocked the doorway, the leader among them wearing a sinister sneer.

"Mo Yu, you really couldn't bear to leave your paralyzed sister, and you actually came back."

"The Bloody Guild treated you well, and Young Master Mo even valued you so much, keeping you by his side every day, yet you dared to betray him!"

Mo Yu trembled all over, instinctively shielding her sister, her face ashen.

She knew that any explanation was meaningless at this moment.

"I can go with you," she took a deep breath, her voice trembling, "But you must not harm my sister!"

The leader of the men scoffed, his eyes scanning the paralyzed Mo Yu on the bed with disdain.

"Don't worry, I'm not interested in cripples."

"Otherwise, we would have acted long ago; why would we wait until now?"

Despair, like a tide, completely engulfed Mo Yu.

She turned around, her back to the men, and quietly slipped the Spatial Ring into her sister's hand.

She leaned close to her sister's ear, speaking rapidly in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"Sister, keep this Ring safe for now."

"If... if someone comes looking for me... give him this Ring and tell him to save me!"

"If that person doesn't come... then take this Ring and live a good life..."

After speaking, Mo Yu's face showed a desolate, bitter smile.

What foolish things was she saying?

That person had clearly died under the Dragon's Breath; how could he possibly come to save her?

This was just... her last fantasy.

"No! Mo Yu! Don't!"

Mo Yu cried heartbrokenly, the veins on her neck bulging, but her body was unable to move an inch.

She could only watch helplessly as the group of men roughly dragged Mo Yu away like livestock.

The door was slammed shut.

Inside the room, only her helpless and desperate wails remained.

After a long time.

When her cries gradually turned hoarse.

At the doorway, footsteps sounded again.

A figure wearing a long trench coat, a hood, and a mask stepped inside.

He looked around, finally fixing his gaze on the tear-streaked woman on the bed, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.

"Is this Mo Yu's home?" he asked, his voice calm and unruffled. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Mo Yu on the bed, looking at the mysterious man before her, suddenly remembered what her sister had said before leaving.

In an instant, it was as if a drowning person had grasped the last straw.

The flame of hope rekindled in her lifeless eyes.

"Ring... ring..."

"The Ring... it's on the bed..."

She shook her neck with all her might, indicating the location of the Ring.

Only then did Zhou Huai notice that this woman was also paralyzed.

And her condition was even more severe than his own body's.

He was only partially paralyzed, while she seemed unable to move anything below her neck.

Zhou Huai said no more, walked over, and picked up the Ring from among the messy bedding.

It was indeed the one he had given Mo Yu.

"Where is Mo Yu?" Zhou Huai asked again.

"Please... save her!" the woman pleaded tearfully, with all her strength, "She... she was taken away by people from the Bloody Guild!"

Zhou Huai nodded understandingly.

Not a single unnecessary word was spoken.

He casually put the Ring into his pocket.

Then turned and left the room.

"I'll go bring her back."

This simple sentence, however, brought some relief to Mo Yu on the bed.

She could feel the confidence in his voice when he said those words.

As if what he said, he could do.

Even if it meant facing an entire Adventurers' Guild.