121: Chapter 121: The Aura Disappeared

East of the city, at the Osmanthus Cake shop.

The interior was simple and elegant. The proprietress, a kind middle-aged woman, saw Bai Linger enter and her eyes lit up.

"Young Miss Linger is here?"

"Oh my, long time no see! The usual?"

Bai Linger nodded slightly.

"Two bowls of Osmanthus Cake and a pot of clear tea."

The proprietress responded with a smile.

As she left, her gaze swept over Xiao Ran, her eyes flashing with a hint of gossip.

Is this the young man who won the Martial Arts Marriage Recruitment?

He's quite handsome!

He's a perfect match for Young Miss Linger.

Fortunately, Xiao Ran did not hear this sentence.

Otherwise, he would have definitely said: "I'm a match for ten of her, and I wouldn't even need to break a sweat."

There was no helping it; he was just that confident.

After the proprietress left,

the two took their seats.

Xiao Ran looked at the setting sun outside the window, but his mind was still on what had just happened.

That old man was not simple.

Not only did he know what he bought at the auction, he even... knew of the White Emperor's conspiracy?

Bloodline Soul-Snatching Great Method...

He silently repeated these words in his heart, a cold light flashing in his eyes.

White Emperor... that Old Fossil.

He had to leave as soon as possible, or perhaps seek help from other powerful experts.

At this stage, it was impossible for Xiao Ran to outmaneuver the White Emperor.

"Young Master Xiao."

Suddenly, Bai Linger's voice interrupted his thoughts.

Xiao Ran turned to see Bai Linger looking at him, a trace of worry in her eyes.

"Are you... really alright?"

Xiao Ran smiled.

"I'm fine."

Bai Linger was silent for a moment before saying softly,

"If something is wrong, you can... tell me."

"I've learned some techniques that can help you relax, Young Master."

Xiao Ran looked at her, but his heart remained unmoved.

At first, he thought this girl was only eighteen and was being given away by her father as a pawn.

She knew nothing and foolishly believed that the White Emperor was truly good to her.

But after the old man's tip-off, he now had some suspicions about Bai Linger.

The Bloodline Soul-Snatching Great Method—judging by the name, it must at least require a Bloodline!

What the hell kind of relationship did Xiao Ran have with the White Emperor?

So this prerequisite didn't hold up at all!

But if Xiao Ran were to get intimate with Bai Linger, the situation would be completely different.

So he now suspected that Bai Linger was deliberately enticing him to set a trap.

"Don't worry."

"If something happens, I'll let you know."

Xiao Ran's tone was as usual.

After all, the White Emperor hadn't exposed himself yet, so he couldn't expose himself either. If the White Emperor noticed, it would be game over.

So for now, he could only maintain the status quo.

Bai Linger nodded and didn't press further.

The Osmanthus Cakes were served, steaming hot and fragrantly sweet.

Xiao Ran took a bite; it was indeed quite good.

The two ate quietly, and neither spoke again.

...

Meanwhile.

The City Lord's Manor of White Emperor City.

Deep in the rear palace, inside a secret room.

The White Emperor sat cross-legged, his aura circulating as he regulated his breathing.

This was his daily lesson.

As a Void Refinement Peak powerhouse, he no longer needed to cultivate day and night like low-level Cultivators.

But years of habit made him set aside time every day to organize his internal state.

Suddenly, he frowned.

His Divine Sense subconsciously swept across the entire city.

This was his instinct as the City Lord, done every day to ensure there were no abnormalities in the city.

But this time, when he swept over the east of the city, he was slightly stunned.

That aura... disappeared?

Xiao Ran's aura had disappeared.

The White Emperor opened his eyes, a trace of doubt flashing through them.

He concentrated his focus to investigate again.

Still nothing.

Xiao Ran's aura seemed to have evaporated into thin air; it could not be sensed at all.

"What's going on?"

The White Emperor's brow furrowed.

His Divine Sense covered the entire city. Unless it was a powerhouse of the same level deliberately hiding, it was impossible to escape his perception.

Xiao Ran is only a Late Nascent Soul Stage; how could he possibly...

A short while later.

That aura suddenly reappeared.

In the same location, with the same intensity.

It was as if the disappearance just now was merely an illusion.

But the White Emperor knew it wasn't an illusion.

Xiao Ran's aura had indeed disappeared for the duration of an incense stick.

The time of an incense stick...

An ominous premonition welled up in the White Emperor's heart.

He immediately raised his hand, and a Transmission Talisman flew out.

A moment later, a Man in Black appeared silently in the secret room.

"City Lord."

"Go investigate."

The White Emperor said in a heavy voice.

"What is in that alley in the west of the city?"

"Yes."

The Man in Black vanished.

The White Emperor sat where he was, his gaze deep.

"Xiao Ran..."

He whispered to himself.

"Just what kind of tricks are you playing?"

...

An incense stick later, the Man in Black returned.

"City Lord, I have found it."

"Speak."

The Man in Black immediately said upon hearing this,

"That alley is just an abandoned passageway; usually, no one goes there."

"I personally went to check and found nothing unusual."

The White Emperor was silent.

Nothing at all?

Impossible.

Xiao Ran couldn't have disappeared for an incense stick for no reason.

He must have met someone or experienced something.

But the Man in Black was a confidant he had painstakingly trained, and his Divine Sense investigation ability was extremely strong.

If even he couldn't find anything unusual...

There was only one explanation.

That place had been tampered with.

A sense of urgency suddenly welled up in the White Emperor's heart.

Does Xiao Ran have a powerhouse protecting him from behind?

Or... does Xiao Ran himself have some secret he doesn't know about?

"City Lord."

The Man in Black suddenly spoke again.

"I also found a slight abnormality at the entrance of the alley."

"What abnormality?"

"There seemed to be a trace of... extremely faint fluctuation in the space there."

"If I hadn't been deliberately investigating, I wouldn't have noticed it at all."

The White Emperor's pupils constricted slightly.

Spatial fluctuations.

As expected.

"I see, you may leave."

The Man in Black vanished.

The White Emperor sat where he was, not moving for a long time.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Xiao Ran has a powerhouse behind him.

Or... Xiao Ran himself is the problem?

He recalled Xiao Ran's performance on the arena.

A Late Nascent Soul Stage who could suppress Su Wuhun.

It was not surprising for such a Genius to have someone protecting them.

But this was extremely disadvantageous to his plan.

The more the White Emperor thought, the more uneasy he became.

He stood up and paced back and forth in the secret room.

The plan... must be moved forward.

He couldn't wait any longer.

The White Emperor whispered to himself,

"No matter who you are, no matter what secrets you have."

"Your Physical Body, I am determined to have it."

A grim, cold light flashed in his eyes.