章節 95: Chapter 96: Wuhun Hall's Move, His Name is Lin Ye
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Since Hu Liena arrived at the Wuhun Branch in Evernight City, things had changed.
Unlike Austin, who often deferred to the nobles, Hu Liena held no regard for Evernight City's elite. Without even consulting the City Lord's Mansion, she announced to everyone that an evil soul master had been spotted in the Evernight Forest.
This news spread like wildfire, triggering waves of panic throughout Evernight City.
However, Hu Liena quickly quelled the fear by declaring she'd brought a powerful force from the main Wuhun Hall—a Contra, two Soul Sages, and twenty Soul Emperors. With their arrival, the city's anxiety was largely put to rest.
After all, the evil soul masters were in the forest, not in the city itself. Moreover, the Wuhun Hall had taken the matter seriously.
For most people, especially the commoners, the Wuhun Hall was far more reliable than the nobles. After the initial panic, the city settled down again.
Yet, as news spread of the evil soul master's presence, soul masters who had either arrived in Evernight City or planned to come to hunt soul beasts all changed their minds.
Evernight City heavily depended on visiting soul masters to boost its economy. With these soul masters staying away, businesses began to plummet. Hotels, taverns, herbal shops, dry goods stores… revenue dropped off a cliff.
And it wasn't just Evernight City; towns surrounding the Evernight Forest were facing similar struggles.
But there was nothing Wuhun Hall could do about it. They couldn't keep the news secret—even if Evernight City's soul-hunting groups had stayed silent, there were plenty of other towns around the forest, all thriving on the presence of soul-hunting outsiders.
If they had kept quiet, others would have continued flocking to the forest, unknowingly becoming prey for the evil soul masters.
In order to stop the evil soul masters from growing stronger, and to thwart their plan to help that "Blood Infant" rise to Titled Douluo, Hu Liena had no choice but to make the evil soul masters' presence in Evernight Forest public.
She was fully aware of the economic consequences, though. So, right after announcing the news, she gathered her people and led them to the Evernight Forest, aiming to eradicate the hidden evil soul masters.
However, finding a group of perhaps a dozen people in the vast Evernight Forest was no easier than searching for a needle in a haystack.
Despite several sweeps by the Wuhun Hall soul masters, they found no trace of the evil soul masters.
In the blink of an eye, two weeks had passed. The search yielded no progress, while Evernight City's economic downturn became more visible by the day.
While the city's residents were managing for now, living off savings from the prosperous days, the continued lack of income was lowering their standard of living. Discontent began to stir as people, remembering the city's former wealth, grumbled about Wuhun Hall's lack of results. Some started to question if the evil soul master threat had been exaggerated or was even real.
The noble families only fueled the rumors. After all, they suffered the most with the decline in visitors to Evernight Forest. Losing that influx of money stung them deeply.
This lack of progress in eradicating the evil soul masters was damaging Wuhun Hall's reputation among Evernight City's residents. However, the Wuhun Hall itself was at a loss for how to proceed.
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"Saintess, I don't think we should keep searching like this. Finding a group of evil soul masters in Evernight Forest is nearly impossible!" Mu Yan advised Hu Liena in the conference room of the Wuhun Branch. "Instead of hunting them down ourselves, why not lure them out? We know from our intelligence that the evil soul masters have a group dedicated to luring soul-hunting parties into the forest."
"If we catch a few of them and get them to talk, we might be able to find where the rest are hiding!"
Hu Liena inhaled deeply, considering his proposal. "Are you suggesting we retract the warning and claim there are no evil soul masters after all? Let the soul masters return to Evernight Forest and risk being hunted down? What if they gather enough blood to help the Blood Infant reach Titled Douluo rank?"
She had thought of this strategy before but was torn. Even if Wuhun Hall controlled the soul-hunting groups in Evernight City and nearby towns, independent soul masters would still enter the forest. Those who didn't rely on hunting groups would walk right into the evil soul masters' trap.
"Senior Mu Yan, I understand that my current approach may seem lacking in finesse," she replied slowly. "However, even though it's harder for us to hunt them down, it also makes things difficult for the evil soul masters. As long as they remain hidden in the forest, they won't find fresh prey."
"But if this goes on, the city's residents will grow more discontent," Mu Yan said, clearly troubled. "They're already beginning to voice their frustrations."
"Saintess, perhaps we should consider speaking with that young soul master who reported the evil soul master sighting," he added thoughtfully. "While it's unlikely the evil soul masters are staying in one place, returning to the spot where he encountered them could yield some clues."
Mu Yan paused, visibly hesitant. If it were up to him, he would avoid dragging such a young soul master—a mere Grandmaster—into this dangerous situation. But options were limited.
"Alright," Hu Liena conceded after a moment's pause, recognizing the need for a breakthrough. "But do we even know his name or background?"
"I remember he's a newcomer to the Fierce Bear Soul Hunting Party, but his name escapes me," Mu Yan said thoughtfully. "But we should have their registration records on file. Let me check."
With that, he left the conference room and returned shortly with a stack of documents. Quickly flipping through them, he muttered, "The Fierce Bear Soul Hunting Party has been active in Evernight City for several years now. I'm familiar with most of its members, but this boy was recently recruited. His name should be the only unfamiliar one here."
After a moment, he found the record he was looking for.
"Here it is! Fierce Bear Soul Hunting Party, led by Shi Yue, with members He Feng, Xie Lin... Lin Ye! Yes, that's the name. The young man is called Lin Ye!"
"Lin Ye?!" Hu Liena repeated in surprise, the name striking a chord.
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