Chapter 158 I’ll Find You Again Next Time

Chapter 158: Next Time, I’ll Still Come to You

Huang Lin never dreamed that he, a Fourth Realm cultivator and esteemed guest of two generations of Northern Wilderness Kings, would be bested by a mere roadside puddle.

When the dragon soul ensnared him, he immediately chose to use his Water Escape technique. But the next moment, he realized it had failed.

Clearly, even though the black dragon was dead, leaving only its soul behind, it still possessed formidable hydrokinetic power. The dragon soul gave him no chance to flee.

With his escape thwarted and the dragon soul causing such a commotion, it wouldn’t be long before the imperial court took notice.

In a panic, Huang Lin thought that since he would inevitably be discovered sooner or later, he might as well break free from the dragon soul first, then seize the chance to flee the capital and evade pursuit. Perhaps he could still escape.

Thus, he forcefully broke through the capital’s suppression formation—only to find that he still couldn’t shake off the dragon soul trapping him.

Even if this dragon had been a Fourth Realm being in life, its lingering soul shouldn’t be this powerful after death. Unless…

Before he could finish the thought, the dragon soul turned and bit him.

Though it was merely a solidified spectral form, the bite shouldn’t have had any effect. Yet Huang Lin let out a blood-curdling scream—his soul had been attacked.

Unwilling to surrender, Huang Lin unleashed a barrage of techniques against the dragon soul, but all were blocked.

As he struggled against the dragon soul, A Chan turned around and looked at the snarling, trapped Huang Lin. The scars on his face twisted grotesquely in the flickering candlelight.

Those scars had been inflicted by A Chan herself. When she clawed at him, his flesh had split open, and she had thought she might tear off half his face. Yet now, the wounds were nearly healed.

During her flight from pursuit, Huang Lin had been the most troublesome. His escape techniques were formidable, and A Chan had nearly exhausted all her means just to lose his pursuit.

Back then, they must have assumed she had no chance of survival and relaxed their guard—after all, she had chosen the worst possible escape path.

When she first saw the dragon soul in Bai Xiuming’s possession, A Chan had thought: if she had had the dragon soul with her back then, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a miserable state.

But it didn’t matter. Having the dragon soul now was just as effective.

She wasn’t worried that Huang Lin would break free. Though the ring was on her finger, its true owner had always been Bai Xiuming.

His dragon soul had captured someone—how could it let go without his permission?

Huang Lin met A Chan’s mocking gaze. That look reminded him of the fox spirit. Back then, she had sat beside the King, watching them with the same expression as he introduced them.

Yet the person before him bore no resemblance to that fox spirit. She was just an ordinary woman—how dare she look at him like that?

Huang Lin refused to accept that he had been outmaneuvered by a mere mortal. He preferred to believe someone else was masterminding this behind the scenes. As long as that person hadn’t appeared, he still had a glimmer of hope to escape.

“Miss, we have no enmity between us. Whatever you want, we can discuss it.”

“You came here to kill me, yet claim we have no enmity? That’s downright laughable.” A Chan made small talk while calculating how long it would take for the Bright Mirror Bureau to arrive.

“This is just a misunderstanding. I was misled.”

“Is that so?”

“If you let me go, I’m willing to swear an oath to do three things for you—anything you ask.”

“Really?” A Chan pretended to consider. “Anything? What if I want to be the Princess Consort of Northern Wilderness?”

Huang Lin found the idea absurd, but he still said, “That’s not difficult.”

“Quite the claim. Can you decide for the King of Northern Wilderness?”

“Of course, I am—” Huang Lin abruptly caught himself mid-sentence, realizing he had said too much.

A Chan’s lips curled into a smile. Just then, the door was pushed open from the outside, letting in a gust of cold wind that nearly extinguished the candlelight.

A crowd of dark figures stood outside. A Chan tilted her head to look at them, her faint smile still lingering.

*They arrived so quickly*, she thought.

Bai Xiuming stepped inside. His indifferent gaze swept over Huang Lin, trapped by the dragon soul, before settling back on A Chan.

A Chan rose gracefully, adopting an innocent expression. “Sir, this commoner was resting at home when this intruder suddenly broke in, intent on harming me.”

Every word she spoke was factually accurate, but to Huang Lin’s ears, it sounded absolutely preposterous. *Who was the one trying to kill whom?*

Bai Xiuming played along, following her gaze to Huang Lin. “Men, bring the shackles.”

Feng Yang and Jiang Kai stepped forward, carrying shackles forged from adamantine. Once they locked them onto the helpless Huang Lin, the previously ferocious dragon soul, which had been gnawing at his head, shrank rapidly and returned to A Chan’s ring.

With the shackles in place, Huang Lin was completely cut off from his cultivation. Despair filled him as the two men dragged him out, his eyes fixed hatefully on A Chan.

Jiang Kai, gripping one of his arms, sneered and smacked him hard on the head. “What are you staring at? Failed to kill someone and still scheming? You’ll never leave the Prison of Suppression in this lifetime.”

Huang Lin refused to accept this outcome. “If you hadn’t set a trap, how could I have fallen into such an amateurish trap?”

Jiang Kai shot Feng Yang a questioning glance, but Feng Yang was equally confused.

*What trap?* They didn’t even know who this man was or why he had attacked Miss Ji in her home.

They had simply been on night watch when they sensed a disturbance in Changping Lane and followed their commander here to arrest him.

Once Huang Lin was dragged outside, Feng Yang glanced back at the two figures bathed in candlelight inside the house. His gaze lingered on the incense burner on the table.

Feng Yang inhaled sharply, had a sudden realization—*was this man after the incense burner?*

They certainly hadn’t set any trap, but what about Miss Ji?

Miss Ji had taken the incense burner back from their commander just yesterday, and today a Fourth Realm cultivator came to kill her. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

He just didn’t understand why Miss Ji would put herself in danger like this. Was she dissatisfied with their investigation progress? Feng Yang began to reflect on whether he had been slacking off.

With the nuisance removed, Bai Xiuming took A Chan’s hand—the one wearing the ring—and gave it a light squeeze. “You want to be the Princess Consort of Northern Wilderness?”

He had clearly overheard her conversation with Huang Lin.

“Of course not. I was just making conversation.”

“He came to kill you, and you had the leisure to chat?”

His chilling tone made A Chan shiver. She quickly wrapped both hands around his arm. “Well, with you here, he couldn’t hurt me anyway.”

Some of the edge left Bai Xiuming’s voice. “After talking to him for so long, did you learn anything?”

“He’s an outsider, but his accent sounded familiar.” A Chan cocked her head in thought. “On the Flower Blossom Festival, when Hui Niang and I were returning to the city, we heard someone speaking in a similar tone.”

Bai Xiuming played along. “Who was it?”

“The Consort of the Northern Wilderness King’s guards. When they were clearing the crowds, Hui Niang and I saw it happen.”

“The Consort of the Northern Wilderness King.” Bai Xiuming’s mind flashed through the woman’s dossier. He nodded. “Did you notice anything else?”

"And also, when I mentioned the King of Northern Wilderness earlier, he acted like they were close."

"True."

"So..." A Chan tilted her head back and tugged his arm.

Bai Xiuming lowered his gaze. "So what?"

"So why would that Dowager send someone to kill me?"

"Why do you think, A Chan?" Bai Xiuming's deep gaze seemed to see right through her.

A Chan didn't shy away. She looked at him and said, "Probably because she has some secret she's afraid will be discovered."

"Very clever."

A Chan's eyes lit up with pleasure. She loved being praised, especially by someone as smart as him.

Bai Xiuming watched her smiling face, his mouth quirking slightly.

He raised his hand to brush her cheek, his touch gentle against her soft skin, hardly daring to press at all.

Just how many secrets were hidden within such a fragile body? Bai Xiuming was curious.

"A Chan," he said softly.

"Hmm?" A Chan watched as he moved closer. His eyes were so beautiful—holding nothing but her image.

Her long lashes fluttered before lowering slowly. Suddenly, she remembered something and turned to look at the door. There, standing in the wide-open doorway, was a group of Bright Mirror guards, staring intently at them.

A Chan decisively took two steps back, cleared her throat, and put on a serious face. "It's getting late, Lord Bai. You should return soon to handle the case."

Bai Xiuming raised an eyebrow. He tilted his head slightly toward the door, and the people outside vanished instantly.

But A Chan was already pushing him out, muttering, "You've worked hard on the case, Lord Bai. I won't see you off."

His fingers twitched, but in the end, he did nothing, letting her push him outside.

After pushing him out, A Chan remembered the incense burner. She turned back, picked up the still-burning burner, and placed it in Bai Xiuming's hands.

"I think the incense burner is safer with you, Lord Bai."

Bai Xiuming gripped the warm burner, almost laughed despite himself.

She took it back when she needed it, then shoved it back into his hands the moment she was done—so transparent about it.

If it were anyone else daring to use him like this, Bai Xiuming wouldn’t give them a moment's reprieve.

But this person in front of him—he couldn't bring himself to.

He seized A Chan’s wrist, pulling her close, then leaned down and bit her lip in warning. "If there’s a next time—"

Before he could finish, A Chan cheekily stole a kiss, completing his sentence for him. "Next time, I’ll still come to you."

After all, someone this useful who plays along—she absolutely had to keep using him. She wasn't about to let him go.

Before Bai Xiuming’s expression could darken, A Chan kissed him again, and he couldn't help smiling.

"Must be tired, Lord Bai." She patted his chest and waved. "Come see me when you're free."

"...Alright."

The commotion in Changping Lane didn’t go unnoticed, though most people didn’t know what had happened. Once the noise died down, they forgot about it and went back to sleep.

But a few recognized it—a dragon's roar.

Shang Yin, at the Zhao residence, recognized it too.

Standing in the dark room, he pushed open the window and looked in the direction of the sound—Changping Lane, A Chan’s home.

He had a feeling Huang Lin wasn't coming back.

The Dowager was about to lose her greatest support. In the capital, she would have only herself to rely on.

Shang Yin slowly closed his eyes, a smile playing on his lips. He had already written the Dowager's fate.