"How did this happen?" Sun Taofei inquired of one of his subordinates.
The man recounted the entire sequence of events, detailing everything to Sun Taofei. His face turned a deep shade of fury, his gaze brimming with unrestrained animosity as if he longed to tear Mo Lin apart with his bare hands. When he learned that Mo Lin had slain more than twenty contract ghosts, his anger surged to an unparalleled height. These subordinates were all ghost tamers, whom Sun Taofei had painstakingly cultivated with considerable resources. Mo Lin's actions felt as though they had severed his own arm.
"What do you mean by this, kid?" Sun Taofei demanded of Mo Lin, his voice cold and menacing.
If Mo Lin did not provide him with a satisfactory explanation today, Sun Taofei would not allow him to leave unscathed.
"Your people stole my soul coins," Mo Lin replied with an icy tone. "I merely gave them a little lesson."
"Do you not think you've gone too far?" Sun Taofei sneered.
"I don't think I've gone too far," Mo Lin retorted, his voice as cold as ice. He placed the bloodstained sword against Sun Taofei's shoulder and said again, "I'm not in a good mood right now. Don't provoke me."
Sun Taofei raised his hand, intent on breaking the sword resting on his shoulder. But the moment his fingers brushed the blade, his pupils dilated, and a cold shiver ran through his body. His contract ghost, sensing the impending danger, conveyed an aura of fear.
"Don't provoke him... you'll die... Don't provoke him..." the contract ghost whispered in terror.
This was a terrifying-level contract ghost, a being of immense strength. Ordinary blades could be torn apart by its might, and even ghost weapons could withstand most attacks. Yet, this ghost now harbored a deep sense of fear.
For the first time, Sun Taofei realized that even ghosts could be afraid.
He wasn't foolish. He quickly understood that the young man before him was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.
Feng Mingyu swallowed nervously. Mo Lin was indeed fearsome—he feared no one.
Facing a Level Four ghost tamer, Mo Lin was utterly unfazed, even daring to provoke him. Was he always this ruthless?
Feng Mingyu had expected Sun Taofei to erupt in fury, but his next words left her speechless, her mind utterly blank.
"Alright..." Sun Taofei replied, his tone completely devoid of anger, even surprisingly amicable.
Mo Lin had openly insulted him, with the sword still perched on his shoulder, yet Sun Taofei remained calm and unperturbed. Since when had he become so patient?
"Control your people. Don't provoke me again. If there is a next time, I won't hesitate to deal with you as well," Mo Lin warned coldly.
"I understand," Sun Taofei responded once more, his demeanor still calm, betraying not a trace of anger.
One of his subordinates could no longer contain his frustration and stepped forward to protest.
"Boss, this kid wrecked our turf, even took our brothers' contract ghosts—are we really just letting him go?"
Slap!
The response was the icy sting of Sun Taofei's slap across the man's face.
"Shut up," Sun Taofei growled, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
The subordinate immediately fell silent, intimidated. Even considering confronting Mo Lin was out of the question. After all, even his terrifying-level ghost was scared of Mo Lin.
"Step aside," Mo Lin ordered with a sneer.
Sun Taofei, without a word, stepped back, clearing the path.
It seemed that he had merely come for a brief inspection, and had no intention of taking action.
Mo Lin turned to Feng Mingyu and asked, "This is the black market, right? Killing here doesn't come with consequences?"
"No... there are no consequences here," Feng Mingyu replied hastily.
Sun Taofei, unbeknownst to himself, wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Mo Lin's words were unmistakably directed at him—if he had escalated the situation, there would have been bodies in this place today.
"It's over now. Let's go," Mo Lin said, his voice steady.
Feng Mingyu glanced nervously at Sun Taofei, then back at Mo Lin.
"That's it? We're just leaving? No consequences?" she muttered to herself. Mo Lin had slain so many contract ghosts... and now it was as if nothing had happened? Why was Sun Taofei so quiet?
Feng Mingyu, more confused than ever, glanced back at Sun Taofei as she walked, waiting for some sign of retaliation.
But Sun Taofei stood there, calm and composed, with no intent to challenge Mo Lin.
She was utterly baffled.
Once they were out of Sun Taofei's line of sight, Feng Mingyu finally convinced herself that the situation was, in fact, resolved.
She quickly opened the chat for Yun Chuan Ghost Tamers.
Yun Ling: "What's going on? How's Mo Lin?"
Sha Jian: "If things aren't looking good, just retreat... run."
Yun Ling: "Why isn't anyone responding? What's the current situation?"
Lin Xi: "@Feng Mingyu, wait for me, I'm almost there."
The group was in a frenzy.
Feng Mingyu: "@Lin Xi, no need to come. It's all settled."
"What? It's settled?"
"How? What happened?"
"Did Mo Lin get handled?"
"Is Mo Lin dead?"
"Did Sun Taofei step in?"
The chat exploded with questions.
Lin Xi: "o(╥﹏╥)o Mo Lin... is he... dead?"
Feng Mingyu: "No, he's fine... He's so cool... really, so cool..."
Lin Xi: "What's going on? Can you explain?"
Yun Ling: "Cool?"
Sha Jian: "What's happening?"
Feng Mingyu: "Well... like this... it's all settled. Everything's fine. Even that old man, Sun Taofei, didn't dare to cause trouble for Mo Lin. He single-handedly destroyed Sun Taofei's turf. It was amazing... He's unbeatable. Even Sun Taofei didn't dare challenge him."
Yun Ling: "Ah..."
Sha Jian: "Ah..."
Lin Xi: "(°ー°〃)"
Wu Guang: "??"
The chat was flooded with astonished messages.
Seeing their disbelief, Feng Mingyu beamed with satisfaction and put her phone away, no longer responding.
She quickly caught up with Mo Lin, her gaze toward him now filled with respect.
"Mo Lin, what level is that ghost weapon of yours? How is it so powerful?" Feng Mingyu asked, her curiosity piqued as she pointed to the crystal blue longsword hanging from his waist.
She had witnessed firsthand how that sword had slain countless contract ghosts.
Mo Lin did not answer. He wasn't sure whether Feng Mingyu and the others understood the concept of Yin artifacts, so he decided not to divulge any information.
Seeing his reluctance to answer, Feng Mingyu shifted the conversation.
"Is your contract ghost also terrifying-level?" she asked, her interest growing.
"No," Mo Lin shook his head.
"Could it be... a Level Five ghost? A nightmare-level ghost?" Feng Mingyu exclaimed, her hands flying to her mouth in surprise.
Her reaction was somewhat exaggerated.
"Enough with the gossip. Let's focus on business," Mo Lin urged.
"Good grief... Nightmare-level ghosts?" Feng Mingyu was still in shock, unable to process what had just occurred.