Xuanqing Guard-Chapter 38: Soul

It was just like playing a game—originally there was only one bar of HP left, but suddenly you go full HP and full MP, with a multi-stat buff aura boosting endurance, agility, strength, and mana.

"Trying to run?"

Right now Shen Hao’s nerves were burning with violence; he’d nearly lost his head earlier, and now that he’d survived, how could he let the assassin escape?

He raised his hand and threw all three Thunder Charms he’d been holding onto, with no chance to use them before—three arm-thick bolts of lightning appeared out of nowhere and slammed down mercilessly.

The five assassins had decent cultivation, but it was only decent. Individually, each was still weaker than Shen Hao—and up against Thunder Charms? There was no way to dodge.

As for tanking the Thunder Charms head on, none of these assassins had that kind of skill.

On the spot, three assassins had their brains blasted open by the Thunder Charms, heads blown clean through to the stomach, leaving the whole room reeking of burnt flesh.

The last two tried to run, but how could they possibly outrun the rampaging Shen Hao?

One turned around and got half his head sliced clean off; the last got pinned through the neck and hung onto the wall by Shen Hao.

Spare one alive?

Screw that—those two broken arrow shafts Shen Hao snapped are ironclad evidence, and sticking them on the Li Family is certainly no injustice.

Having barely survived, Shen Hao’s rage only grew as he looked at these black-clothed killers; the last one twisted on the wall for an entire incense stick before dying.

"Whew... thanks for that."

After killing the last assassin, Shen Hao’s rampage ended instantly; it was like all his strength drained away, and he collapsed onto the floor.

He tore open his shirt and glanced at the now vivid Black Beast Tattoo on his chest; whether he liked it or not, he’d been saved by it again, making this the second time.

"Hungry!... Food!"

This time, Shen Hao didn’t panic. He’d already guessed the Black Beast Tattoo would trigger another hunger after helping him go berserk.

"At least this time I don’t have to eat something evil or some freaky Yin Tofu. Heh, surely it won’t make me eat this shop’s clothes and those cor...pses..."

The sudden surge of hunger left Shen Hao bitter-faced, mumbling to himself: Don’t tell me I’m really this desperate. Can’t you let me off the bodies?

But reality was, Shen Hao felt that his appetite was precisely for those corpses lying on the ground.

Waves of extreme nausea made his face, already pale from blood loss, even ghastlier.

When hunger’s "instinct" overwhelmed his control, all Shen Hao could do was "watch" himself pounce onto one of the still-warm bodies, mouth wide open...

"Suck..."

He didn’t bite into the corpse? Even Shen Hao, almost unable to bear looking, realized things weren’t as simple as he thought.

He saw himself open his mouth and suck hard, and a strange force from the Black Beast Tattoo in his chest flooded into him; as he sucked, a green cloud of mist was ripped out from the corpse by an invisible force.

"No way!?"

Shen Hao instantly figured out what he was actually supposed to eat.

It was the soul!?

As the saying goes, "When people die, their light goes out"—that "light" is a metaphor for the soul.

Normally, after death, the soul disperses quickly—either returning to the world’s source or heading somewhere else. The stronger one was in life, the slower the soul dissipates after death.

What Shen Hao was sucking out of the corpse right now was the soul of one of the assassins.

Not eating the corpse, but eating the soul! Isn’t that basically eating people?

Shen Hao was powerless to stop it—he just closed his eyes, waiting for this meal to finish.

But even with his eyes closed, his taste buds told him the truth: eating a soul tasted like sour plum powder—not bad.

After slurping down five souls, Shen Hao regained control over his body. He didn’t dare send out the Summoning Talisman—worried it’d be exploited. He didn’t dare go home—afraid of another ambush. And he definitely didn’t dare stay here.

Back to the Xuanqing Guard Station!

He opened the back door and, limping, felt his way through the alleys to the front gate of Xuanqing Guard. Thankfully, it wasn’t far.

He waited in a shadowed corner where moonlight couldn’t reach, observing for a while. When a patrolling squad approached the main gate, Shen Hao finally called out and emerged.

In this squad, Shen Hao recognized two Warriors; they were from the Yi Flag.

"Shen Zongqi?! What happened to you?!"

Right now Shen Hao looked terrifying—covered in blood, arrows stuck in his shoulder and thigh, pale as a sheet, breath ragged; he clearly just survived a deadly fight.

This was Li City—who had the guts to try and kill a Xuanqing Guard Flag Officer? Even an Evil Cultivator wouldn’t be so brazen.

Shen Hao shook his head; he knew his own situation—he looked miserable, but as long as he stopped the bleeding on his thigh, he wouldn’t die. He cared more about something else now.

"Quick, mobilize your Yi Flag team and head to the Viscount’s Mansion in the south of the city—rescue Lord Hundred Households!"

Rescue Lord Hundred Households?!

Viscount’s Mansion in the south?!

No one dared delay—they carried Shen Hao inside for medical treatment while swiftly reporting to all Flag Officers and the two Trial Hundred Households.

After all, mobilizing troops to surround a Viscount’s Mansion wasn’t something Shen Hao could decide alone.

"Carry me to the Public Office. I... I have the Commanding Authority Order! Hurry!"

The Command Order he’d gotten from Tang Qingyuan was now finally useful; Shen Hao refused to go to the medical clinic and insisted on being brought to the Public Office, where he took out the Command Order personally signed by Tang Qingyuan.

With the Command Order shown, the arriving Yi Flag officers no longer questioned anything. Seeing the Command Order was as good as Tang Qingyuan himself being present—it granted Shen Hao authority and power over all positions and forces within Li City Guard Station’s jurisdiction.

Immediately, Yi Flag assembled their troops, and together with three hundred Hundred Households’ Personal Soldiers, marched with the limping Shen Hao straight for the Viscount’s Mansion in the south of the city.

Rushing down the road took only the time it takes to eat a meal; Shen Hao used the moment in the carriage to have the physician quickly treat his wounds. The bleeding was stopped, but there wasn’t a good chance yet to pull out the arrow stuck inside him.

Just as they were about to arrive, a flashy signal rose into the sky, followed by mana waves every Xuanqing Guard would recognize.

"It’s the Summoning Talisman! Lord Hundred Households is in danger! Faster!"

Out of the three hundred, two hundred Hundred Households’ Guard rushed to the Viscount’s Mansion at full speed, a hundred stayed with Shen Hao to await orders, while Yi Flag forces were arranged by Shen Hao to spread out and surround the mansion.

At the same time, Shen Hao activated the signal talisman he’d kept in his chest pocket.

Garrison soldiers drafted from all over, already waiting outside Li City, would receive the signal and completely lock down every exit within the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Plus, the city’s Teleportation Array was already one-way shut; now, Li City was a forbidden zone—a place you can enter but can’t leave.

Let’s see how the Li Family plans to run!

Following the crowds forward for a bit longer, Shen Hao finally saw the gate of Li Family’s Viscount Mansion. From a distance, he spotted a familiar face, clutching his arm and looking a mess, being escorted by several Hundred Households Guard toward them.

Who else could it be but Lord Hundred Households Tang Qingyuan?