"Understood," several of them nodded in response, their hearts full of anticipation. As long as they could steal six thousand Soul Coins from Mo Lin, each of them would earn a substantial share, at least a few thousand Soul Coins. The mere thought of it stirred their excitement.
They followed Zhang Liang into the restaurant, where Mo Lin had just finished his meal and was preparing to leave. Before he could step out the door, he noticed a group of people walking toward him.
"Attack," Zhang Liang sneered, waving his hand to throw a net-shaped ghost weapon.
This net weapon's primary effect was to trap enemies and impede their movement. The net expanded mid-air, enveloping Mo Lin completely.
At the same time, Zhang Liang and his group began to prepare to summon their contracted spirits. However, an astonishing sight soon unfolded before them.
Mo Lin casually ripped a large tear in the net.
He stepped through effortlessly, as if the net posed no obstacle. Those who had been preparing to strike were stunned by the spectacle. After all, this was a ghost weapon, not a flimsy thing made of paper. It was supposed to have lethal power, yet Mo Lin had effortlessly destroyed it.
Zhang Liang was dumbfounded. This was a ghost weapon… and it was destroyed just like that? Was this guy even human?
One of the first-level Ghost Masters rushed toward Mo Lin, but before he could make a move, his body suddenly froze in place. Mo Lin's hand flashed as a soul chain wrapped around the man, binding his movements. In the next instant, the man's contracted spirit was forcibly pulled from his body.
The soul chain tightened around the contracted spirit, and before it had the chance to resist, it was torn into a cloud of smoke, vanishing from existence. The low-tier contracted spirit was obliterated in an instant.
The entire process—from Mo Lin's action to the spirit's death—took no more than thirty seconds.
Zhang Liang hadn't even had the chance to act when he saw his companion's spirit destroyed before his eyes.
This was too ruthless.
In that moment, Zhang Liang realized he had made a grave mistake by crossing paths with Mo Lin.
"Brothers..." Zhang Liang had just opened his mouth to speak when he turned around to see that his men, who had been with him just moments ago, had already disappeared without a trace.
They had vanished in an instant.
Indeed, these were a bunch of unreliable cowards.
In Zhang Liang's eyes, Mo Lin now appeared as the embodiment of death itself. As Mo Lin drew nearer, Zhang Liang felt his legs go weak with fear.
"Big Brother... Big Brother... it's all a misunderstanding, a complete misunderstanding..." Zhang Liang's voice trembled with regret, now fully aware of the danger he had invited upon himself. He should never have provoked Mo Lin.
"What do you mean by this?" Mo Lin's tone was cold and discontented. He had just finished his meal when these people had attacked him for no reason. Who would feel comfortable in such a situation?
Zhang Liang's forehead was covered in cold sweat. The oppressive aura emanating from Mo Lin made it impossible for him to muster any courage to summon his own contracted spirits.
"I'm sorry..." Zhang Liang managed to mutter through clenched teeth. He understood that the man standing before him had destroyed a ghost weapon with a single motion; resistance was out of the question. He couldn't afford to gamble with his life.
"I'll compensate you with two thousand Soul Coins, as an apology," Zhang Liang hurriedly fumbled out two thousand Soul Coins from his pocket and handed them to Mo Lin as an earnest gesture.
With apologies and compensation in hand, he had laid out all his cards.
Mo Lin didn't show any mercy. He delivered a harsh lesson to Zhang Liang and took the two thousand Soul Coins before turning to leave.
Zhang Liang, now bruised and battered, exhaled in relief as Mo Lin's figure disappeared from sight. He had narrowly avoided disaster.
...
Afterward, Mo Lin made his way to the house Xian Yun had arranged for him.
Upon arriving at the mansion, Mo Lin's heart swelled with one word: luxury.
The villa, with an area of over a thousand square meters, could only be described as opulent. The décor and furniture were lavish and expensive. Everything appeared new, likely set up by Xian Yun overnight.
The place matched the description she had given him—heavy with a sense of yin energy.
Mo Lin summoned the low-tier ghost he had purchased earlier that day from the marketplace, placing his hand over the spirit's head to suppress it.
"Ding! Congratulations, you have acquired the ghost skill: Fearless."
"Congratulations, you have successfully suppressed the ghost."
The Ghost-Suppressing Book now displayed an additional line of text:
"Name: XueRank: Low-tierSkill: FearlessDaily Output: 5 Soul Coins."
The ghost materialized within the Ghost-Suppressing Book, where the other spirits began to murmur.
"Another one has arrived.""Master caught a new ghost, but its rank is so low.""A low-tier ghost?"
The ghosts in the book exchanged comments, clearly puzzled by the addition of this new spirit.
With the "Fearless" skill, Mo Lin could now summon spirits under the sun without the usual limitations. This would undoubtedly prove useful in the future.
Just then, a shadow appeared in Mo Lin's room.
"Lord of the Underworld, you called for me?" Li Xue stood respectfully in front of Mo Lin.
"From now on, you'll stay here and follow my orders," Mo Lin instructed him.
Li Xue, a ghost messenger, needed a place to stay—he couldn't remain homeless forever.
"Understood," Li Xue replied.
"Come here, let me heal your wounds."
"Lord, my injuries will heal soon. There's no need to spend Soul Coins on my recovery." Li Xue understood that his wounds would require at least ten thousand Soul Coins to heal—an amount not to be taken lightly.
"Just listen to me." Mo Lin waved his hand, summoning ten thousand Soul Coins. They transformed into a swirling mass of dark energy, which Mo Lin guided into Li Xue's body to nourish his soul.
In about ten minutes, Li Xue's wounds were fully healed.
"Thank you, Lord of the Underworld, for saving me," Li Xue said with deep gratitude.
Without Mo Lin's intervention, he would have been reduced to scattered soul fragments by now.
"Don't mention it. Stay here for the time being; I may have some tasks for you."
"At your command," Li Xue responded respectfully before leaving the room.
Just then, Mo Lin's phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number.
After picking up, a deep male voice spoke from the other end.
"Mo, your target has arrived."
"Target?"
"The people who sold the ghost messengers a while back—they'll be at Jinci Hall in a week. If you plan to meet them, prepare yourself."
The call ended quickly, leaving Mo Lin with furrowed brows. The people who had captured ghost messengers were finally coming forward. He would need to prepare for their meeting in seven days.
The phone rang again.
"Is there something else?" Mo Lin asked, expecting another call from Jinci Hall.
But when he answered, it was a woman's voice.
"Come to the headquarters of the Ghost Masters' Association tomorrow. I have something to ask of you."
"Okay," Mo Lin agreed without hesitation. He suspected it was related to another ghost-hunting assignment.