Chapter 45 - The Auction House (1)

[ POV of Guo Lin ]

"And so we return home," Sun Yi said quietly as the party arrived at Gold Lotus City. It had taken them two and a half weeks to return, immediately leaving after the tournament ended.

"What do I tell my parents?" Lin asked as they passed through the city gates. "Mei's been kidnapped, and Yang is dead. Maybe Red Death was taken to be a snack for a magical beast belonging to the kidnapper. I can't tell them. I just can't do it."

"Something's wrong," Sun Yi said, and the group paused as he took out a jade talisman.

"Is that a transmission talisman?" Guan Hai asked.

"Yes. I had spies in many places. As you might have guessed, it was my spies who blockaded the bridge," Sun Yi smiled awkwardly, and Guan Hai's expression changed.

"It was you? Why?" Shen Dong demanded.

"You remember us killing the necromancer? Well, that's why," Sun Yi said, holding up a hand to listen to a message from the talisman. "That's strange."

"What is it?" Shen Hua asked.

"A letter arrived at the mail carrier shop in the capital. It was addressed to the Guo Clan. The sender was a girl at the Meteor Vessel Stage," Sun Yi frowned. "The sender's mark on the envelope is an eye, a sun, and a lightning bolt."

"Guo Mei!" Lin shouted, grabbing the talisman. "She escaped the kidnapper? How is she? Is she coming home?"

"Give me that!" Sun Yi snapped and took the talisman back. "The spy opened the letter. It says she won't be coming home.... Holy shit! Guo Yang is alive!"

"He's alive?" the others and Guan Hai cried out, shocked.

"Impossible. We have his storage ring with all his poisons, and I checked the body. It contained his spirit energy," Shen Dong shook his head.

"It is possible if you inject spirit energy into the body. The body was also burned beyond recognition," Guan Hai said.

"You're an Earth Mortal. Can't you fly there and forcibly bring her back?" Guo Lin asked.

"I cannot. The distance is too far. If she is to chase Guo Yang's kidnappers, she won't stay in the capital long. Without any clues, it's impossible. Still, she reached the Meteor Vessel Stage before you all? Even Prince Shen Dong?" Guan Hai frowned.

"It must be because she mastered her control over the Eye of Darkness. It is a powerful cultivation resource and, I presume, the reason she has a Yin Yang Divine Tattoo," Shen Qing answered, Guo Lin nodding as she looked at him.

"I don't have to tell my family now," Lin rejoiced.

"Your brother's still enslaved," Sun Yi reminded him, and Lin sighed; it was the truth.

"Can your spies follow her?" Shen Hua asked.

"No. They cannot detect her cultivation as she is at the Meteor Vessel Stage," Sun Yi shook his head. "The spy also doesn't know what she looked like. He only received the letter and is part of the group that performs safety checks on letters for dangerous items via spirit sense. It's strange, though. My spies tell me Yang's snakes were released and all left your clan's territory. That should be proof that he is dead."

"Could that happen if his cultivation is sealed?" Lu Jing asked.

"It is possible. They are not contracted to Guo Yang's soul; they are not his magical beasts. However, I don't know much about magical beast taming," Guan Hai said, shaking his head.

"I hope they're alright. I better tell my family, though," Lin said, heading into the city with the others behind him.