Chapter 92: Betrayal from the Vice Palace Master

After healing the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group with his Nine Spirit Immortal Tang martial spirit, Lin Ye led everyone out of the area.

He'd recently encountered an evil soul master, and the ruckus caused by the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group and the Diamond Ape would surely draw attention from those enemies. They needed to leave quickly.

Initially, Lin Ye planned to escort Shi Yue and his team out of the Evernight Forest and return to Evernight City. However, the Wuhun Hall had assigned them the task of investigating the evil soul masters' movements within the forest. They were expected to remain until afternoon under the watch of supervisors stationed outside the forest.

So, Lin Ye and the others lingered in the Evernight Forest until late afternoon before finally departing.

…

They returned to Evernight City.

Thrilled that Lin Ye had agreed to join the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group, Shi Yue eagerly promised to treat him to a grand banquet at the best restaurant in the city that evening.

However, due to the mission from the Wuhun Hall, Shi Yue had to report the findings from their search in the Evernight Forest at the local Wuhun branch.

"Brother Lin Ye, did you really come across traces of the evil soul masters while hunting soul beasts?" Shi Yue asked, clearly astonished when Lin Ye shared the news of his encounter in the forest.

"Yes, I not only found evidence of their presence but also overheard several of their discussions," Lin Ye replied with a nod.

"This is incredible!" Shi Yue exclaimed, barely containing his excitement.

"Doesn't the Wuhun Hall offer a reward for information on them?" Lin Ye asked, realizing Shi Yue's reaction likely hinted at more than just relief.

"Of course! The nobles in the city have joined forces with the Wuhun Hall to pressure us into tracking down those evil soul masters in the Evernight Forest. They wouldn't dare expect us to risk our necks without offering a carrot along with the stick! You can't have a donkey running without feeding it, right?

"If we were really desperate, we'd be forced to resist, so they offer five million gold soul coins to the first group that successfully tracks down the evil soul masters, along with priority access to the highest-level hunting missions.

"Even those groups who don't find anything get a hundred thousand gold coins as compensation and second-tier mission priority," Shi Yue said with a laugh, shaking his head as he explained.

"Since Brother Lin Ye obtained this intel, and he saved our lives, any reward should go to him!" Xie Lin spoke up in her usual calm, clear voice.

"Indeed, it's only fair that Lin Ye receives the reward," Su Ying agreed, clutching her pet dumpling and nodding enthusiastically.

"Of course! Everyone can rest assured, any reward from this mission will go entirely to Brother Lin Ye. Our Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group didn't do much, and our lives were saved by Lin Ye. If we took that reward, it would feel like holding hot coal, wouldn't it?" Shi Yue declared, pounding his chest with a hearty laugh.

"Definitely too hot to handle!" everyone chimed in, agreeing wholeheartedly.

Lin Ye chuckled, shaking his head at their resolve. "There's no need to go that far. I wouldn't have learned about this mission without the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group. We're teammates now, so keeping the entire reward might seem a bit greedy. I'll take four million, and you all can split the remaining million."

After a bit of back-and-forth, they settled on Lin Ye accepting 450,000 gold soul coins, while the remaining 500,000 was divided among the five members of the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group—100,000 each.

Just then, they finally arrived at the Evernight City Wuhun branch.

Compared to the branch in Notting City, Evernight City's branch was grander in scale and design by several leagues.

But that was no surprise, as Evernight City was far more prosperous than Notting.

"Alright, we're here. Let's head in!" Shi Yue led the group inside. They crossed the main hall and arrived at an office deep within the branch—the office of the branch's master.

Outside the office, a crowd of people were already waiting. They were members of various soul-hunting groups who'd been sent to investigate the evil soul masters in the forest.

"So, did any of you manage to find any traces of those evil soul masters?" He Feng swaggered over to the waiting group, calling out loudly.

Though He Feng's casual attitude could be off-putting to his own team, it made him well-liked among the other soul-hunters. He was quite the social butterfly and knew many people across various groups.

"Find anything? Ha! If we had, we'd be lying dead in the forest, eaten by some soul beast by now!" the young soul master He Feng had approached rolled his eyes in exasperation. "We'd be lucky if we weren't corpses scattered in some dark corner of the Evernight Forest!"

"True! Staying alive is all that matters!" He Feng chuckled, and as he continued chatting with others, he got the same answer—they hadn't found anything. Finally, grinning, he returned to his group with an air of smug satisfaction.

Just then, the door to the office creaked open, and a group of people filed out. After they left, a young man in a Wuhun Hall uniform appeared and called to the waiting group, "Alright, you can come in now!"

Lin Ye and the Barbaric Bear Soul-Hunting Group entered with the others.

"All soul-hunting groups, send one representative to report to Branch Master Austin!" the Wuhun Hall youth announced.

Lin Ye glanced at Shi Yue, who leaned over and whispered, "Come with me, Lin Ye. Let's go up together."

Nodding, Lin Ye followed him, though several others had already lined up, leaving them to join the end of the queue.

"What's your report?"

"Nothing found."

"... You may go collect your fee over there…"

"What about you?"

"No discoveries."

"... You may go collect your fee…"

One after another, representatives from various groups reported their lack of findings. Austin, the branch master, a middle-aged man with a trimmed black beard, listened silently, directing each of them to the clerk to collect their compensation.

But after several such exchanges, a nobleman present couldn't contain his frustration any longer. "Are all of you utterly useless? So many people sent into that forest, yet none of you managed to find even a trace? Not one!"

"Are you an idiot? We're soul-hunters, not detectives! Hunting soul beasts is our job, not tracking evil soul masters. If you wanted someone for that, you should've called for help from the Wuhun Grand Hall. This task isn't our specialty, and you stingy nobles refuse to part with enough money for it! We know you didn't even bother notifying the Grand Hall!" retorted a young soul master who'd just collected his pay, glaring at the nobleman.

If they had a choice, none of them would willingly risk their lives for such a meager sum, but the nobles had twisted their arms, brandishing a carrot and a stick to coerce their cooperation.

"You…! You…!" The nobleman's face turned red with fury as he trembled in indignation.

"That's enough! Stop bickering!" Austin snapped, his voice cutting through the tension, silencing the nobleman and the soul-hunters alike.

"Austin! What's the meaning of this? Are we to blame for their failures? They just want to freeload! Don't forget, you're in your position because of us nobles! You'd better protect our interests, or don't blame us if you lose that precious seat of yours!" the nobleman shot back, exploding with rage.

Austin grimaced, his headache evident as he replied, "Fine. Rest assured, I'll handle it."

"Oh? And how exactly does Austin plan to handle it?" Suddenly, the office door creaked again, and a cold chuckle echoed through the room as a handsome young man in Wuhun Hall robes walked in.

"Mu Yan! This is my office! How dare you barge in here?" Austin's eyes narrowed, glaring at the young man who had just entered, his voice low and dangerous.

"Haha, if I hadn't come, you would've destroyed our Evernight City branch by now. Colluding with nobles, covering up the evil soul masters' presence, and refusing to inform the Grand Hall? Can you shoulder the consequences if this backfires? Endangering countless lives in Evernight City for personal gain—you don't deserve to hold the branch master's seat!" Mu Yan sneered, pointing directly at Austin as he spoke.

"Hmph! Until the Grand Hall removes me from my position, I am the rightful branch master here. You, a mere vice-master, dare to barge into my office and challenge me? Are you tired of living?" Austin retorted coldly.

He had always been wary of Mu Yan, this ambitious vice-master who seemed fixated on taking his place. Austin had even stationed guards to keep a close watch on Mu Yan, ensuring he couldn't leave Evernight City to leak any news to the Grand Hall. As long as they remained ignorant of the evil soul masters' activity, he could still wield control in Evernight City.

"Oh? But what if the Grand Hall has already sent someone?" Mu Yan smirked, glancing toward the door, and respectfully bowed. "Lady Hu Liena, please come in!"

—The fox herself has arrived! (*≧▽≦)

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