Hunter 128: Forming a Team

"This... how is this possible!"

Lu Liang ended the Soul Seizing technique, drenched in sweat, and stared at Ma Xianhong in disbelief.

"Lu brother, is there a problem?"

Ma Xianhong was deeply worried when he saw Lu Liang's expression.

"This is not normal amnesia at all! Your soul... someone has tampered with it! And the mastery of this Soul Seizing Technique far surpasses mine!"

Lu Liang was now certain of Lin Jiu's words; the origin of the Soul Seizing Technique was not something as simple as an innate ability.

"You mean, my amnesia was caused by someone... Ah!"

Ma Xianhong tried to recall the blank memories, and immediately his head felt as if it was being pierced by steel needles, causing him excruciating pain.

Gritting his teeth, Lu Liang, pale-faced, once again used the Soul Seizing Technique to soothe Ma Xianhong's soul, alleviating his pain.

"Thank you."

Ma Xianhong expressed his gratitude to Lu Liang as the pain subsided.

The room suddenly fell into a deep silence. Lu Liang was resting after overusing the Soul Seizing Technique; Ma Xianhong was lost in thought, trying to digest the news; and Lin Jiu was waiting for him to come to terms with it.

After a moment, Ma Xianhong looked at Lin Jiu and said, "Sect Leader Red, you had some skills just now. You must have noticed something was wrong with me a long time ago, right?"

Ma Xianhong was also quite smart. He believed that Lin Jiu had discovered the issue earlier than Lu Liang. However, he wasn't sure if it was after meeting him in Biyou Village or even before that. This made him think more critically about Lu Liang's presence, and the implications were terrifying.

Lin Jiu smiled faintly. Among the top young Outcast, Ma Xianhong was considered one of the more honest ones. Compared to Zhang Chulan, Wang Ye, Zhuge Qing... each of them was as cunning as a fox.

"Chief Ma, don't overthink it. I didn't deliberately bring Lu Liang here. After all, I forced him to stay with me temporarily. If I had come alone, he might have run back to Quanxing and hidden."

Lin Jiu said with a straight face.

Lu Liang: Don't believe his nonsense!

"Quanxing? Sect Leader Red, that's quite the move. If I get the chance, I'll also try to poach some talents from Quanxing."

Ma Xianhong was still thinking about recruiting people.

"Let's not talk about that for now. Back then, the great shaman Feng Tianyang, who created the Binding Spirit Technique, was captured by the Wang family, who tortured him and extracted the names of the Eight Mysterious Skills, including the Binding Spirit Technique.

Around the same time, the Lu family inexplicably gained the innate ability of the Soul Seizing Technique. It seems that someone from back then ended up in the hands of the Lu family. However, it seems the Lu family didn't get the complete technique; instead, that person imprinted part of it into their bloodline using some method.

Chief Ma, the problem with your memory is most likely related to the secret technique of one of the Thirty-Six Thieves."

Lin Jiu slowly revealed these ambiguous pieces of information.

Ma Xianhong's gaze flickered under the reflection of the sunlight outside the window. It was now very clear. His amnesia was caused by someone using the Soul Seizing Technique, which undoubtedly had to do with the expert who created the Soul Seizing Technique!

"Leader Red, what do you think we should do? I'd like to hear your advice."

Ma Xianhong asked Lin Jiu.

"How about we go to the Lu family and have some fun?"

Lin Jiu didn't hide his curiosity about the secrets of the Lu family.

"Alright! But just the two of us?"

Ma Xianhong felt that if just the two of them went, it might seem a bit disrespectful to the Ten Elders' forces.

If Ma Xianhong were to gather all the Outcast in Biyou Village to go, Lin Jiu might even get a side quest from some of the contractors in the village. However, that was impossible; bringing so many Outcast along would signal the start of a conflict between two forces, and the Quanxing wouldn't sit idly by.

"Too many people would attract attention. Besides, we're investigating the truth, not going on a killing spree. By the way, Lu Liang, are you coming?" Lin Jiu thought of Lu Liang, who came from the Lu family and figured taking him along as a guide could save a lot of trouble.

"I'll go. I can be your guide. I just want to know the truth. The truth about the death of my sister, Lu Huan."

Lu Liang was unusually resolute at this moment. He then explained to Ma Xianhong and Lin Jiu the reason for his escape from the Lu family.

"Leader Red, are you interested in the Mysterious Skills?"

Lu Liang asked afterward.

"No. I'm just purely interested in your Lu family's research on the Soul Seizing Technique. As for the Eight Mysterious Skills, I don't care at all." Lin Jiu spoke in a tone reminiscent of Ma Xianhong.

"I'll take Lu Liang for a walk; I guess, Chief Ma, you probably want some time to think alone."

Lin Jiu took Lu Liang out, leaving Ma Xianhong alone to contemplate life.

When Chourang noticed something was wrong with his master, he had been guarding the door. Seeing Lin Jiu and Lu Liang come out, with the master lost in thought inside, and Daoist Zhao Guizhen lying unconscious in the corner, Chourang didn't shout at Lin Jiu or try to strike at him, but he became even more wary of Lin Jiu and Lu Liang.

Lu Liang didn't mind at all; after all, he was a Quanxing, used to being unwelcome wherever he went, so this was already a good outcome as long as no one attacked him.

"Mysterious Mechanism Converts All Art... truly amazing craftsmanship. Even the Wuhou family would be in awe of this level of skill!"

As the saying goes, amateurs watch the show, while professionals study the technique. Although Lu Liang wasn't exactly an expert, he knew enough to be amazed by the incredible flower puppets running all over the village.

Thinking of how easily someone had acquired this extraordinary technique, Lu Liang felt a toothache.

Lin Jiu noticed that some of the Outcast in Biyou Village had different reactions when they saw them—some had a change in expression, some remained calm, and some looked at them with curiosity.

So the conclusion was clear; these were the contractors who had joined Biyou Village. It was likely that those in teams were already discussing it fervently in their team channels. Just as Lin Jiu expected:

"I thought it was just another contractor joining Biyou Village, trying to get their hands on Mysterious Mechanism Converts All Art, until I saw Quanxing's Lu Liang!"

"Judging by Lu Liang's attitude, this contractor must be aligned with Quanxing and doing quite well!"

"Doing well, my ass! Quanxing is a hellhole where the strong rule! This means this guy's strength isn't low, at least stronger than Lu Liang!"

"The question is, why is someone from Quanxing here in Biyou Village? And it seems Ma Xianhong himself is hosting them."

"Do I even need to say it? They're probably here to see if there's an opportunity. Contractors... you know what I mean."

"Many people saw one of the Twelve Root Instruments, Zhao Guizhen from Wild Maoshan, getting beaten like a dog by Ma Xianhong and dragged back from the back mountain. This should be related to this Quanxing contractor, right?"

"This is borrowing a knife to kill! With Ma Xianhong's temperament, knowing what Zhao Guizhen did in the past, he absolutely wouldn't tolerate it. There's a good chance this Quanxing guy will end up claiming his head."

"He even brought Lu Liang, who is practically half of the Double-Full Hand. What a pity it's a bloodline awakening, so we can't get it."

"Yeah! Even if we wanted to get it from a loot box after killing him, we'd have to wait until he fully awakened the Double-Full Hand."

"Hmph, shallow thinking! If you have the chance, take it. Even without the Double-Full Hand, isn't the Soul Seizing Technique still amazing?"

Without fully awakening the Double-Full Hand, Lu Liang's combat power was indeed not strong, so it was inevitable that some contractors would be tempted.

But Lin Jiu was also using Lu Liang as bait. The contractors in Biyou Village were another unstable factor. If Lu Liang's presence could lure them into attacking, they would be handing Lin Jiu an opportunity to eliminate them.

As the well-established leader of the Reincarnation Sect, sharing some tips on developing a force with Chief Ma wouldn't be too much, right?