Chapter 865: Chapter 675: The Bone of Devouring’s Ruthlessness
The next day, the Young Master emerged from the secret room and casually glanced at the table, his pace slightly faltering as if he’d noticed the ring on it.
His expression remained unchanged.
In the next second.
He flicked his hand, releasing a swirl of Black Fog, instantly destroying the ring.
Shen Tang had left a trace of spiritual power on that ring, so the moment it was destroyed, she was stunned, her breath paused for a moment.
Through that remnant of spiritual power, she witnessed the man’s act of destroying the ring.
She tightened her hands, finding it hard to believe, "System, could we have been wrong... is he really Xue Yinzhou?"
The System was also unsure, [The target on the System interface is indeed pointing to him.]
[Although the System can’t track the target over long distances right now, at such close proximity, it can still make a basic assessment of the target.]
[But if he is truly Xue Yinzhou, the affinity interface should have unlocked, yet now ’Xue Yinzhou’s’ affinity value is displayed in a gray locked state, showing nothing... this is really strange.]
Shen Tang couldn’t understand either, her thoughts scattered once again, as if the clues she’d painstakingly found suddenly broke off, her mood plummeting from great heights to the depths of despair.
In the evening, she returned to her residence disheartened, overhearing a few Beastmen nearby discussing softly ahead.
She vaguely heard them talking about the newly arrived Young Master, saying he killed people in the palace today, and Shen Tang’s steps came to an abrupt stop.
The Beastmen conversed in panic:
"Why did the Young Master kill everyone in the palace?"
"I heard he found a spy among the guards, and the Young Master acted directly, leaving no one behind in the entire palace."
"Oh my, this new Young Master is truly cold-blooded, vicious, and tyrannical..."
"Heaven preserve me, may I never be assigned to that palace."
Shen Tang hardly dared to believe what she heard.
Although Xue Yinzhou has always acted cold and ruthless, he never harmed his own people. Those guards, even if not considered his own, were innocent except for the spy, how could he kill them indiscriminately?
This is too cruel!
A Beastman familiar with Shen Tang saw her and sighed, "Ah, you’re really unlucky, taking on such a tough task. Who knows when you might lose your life..."
Shen Tang snapped back to reality, frowned, and asked, "Is the Young Master really so arbitrary? Doesn’t he investigate at all?"
The Beastman across her gave a wry smile, "To the Royal Family, killing a few servants means nothing."
"Rather than go through the trouble of finding spies, it’s simpler to kill the suspects outright. The lives of lower-level Beastmen are not valuable in the eyes of the Royal Family."
"Besides, if the guards didn’t secure the gates and let spies in, they wouldn’t survive the punishment either."
Shen Tang pressed her lips, "That’s how it may be, but casually disposing of innocent people is too cruel and cold-blooded."
Other Beastmen listened, their expressions somewhat odd.
Though they verbally said the Young Master’s actions were too cold and ruthless, they seemed not to see any fault in his behavior, as if they were used to it.
"You know nothing, do you? Isn’t it common knowledge that Ghost Snake Clan people are naturally cold-blooded?"
Shen Tang showed a bewildered expression, "Why say that?"
They glanced at Shen Tang, finding her a bit ignorant but understanding, perhaps new and unaware.
"Looks like you know too little about Ghost Snake Clan. They naturally possess the ’Bone of Devouring,’ a rare devouring superpower in the world, yet such powerful ability also has a hidden backlash."
"The deeper the Bone of Devouring is cultivated, the colder blooded and more emotionally detached a person becomes."
Seeing Shen Tang in a daze, they continued to explain, "It’s said the Bone of Devouring devours everything, even emotions."
"Rumors suggest that when the Bone of Devouring is cultivated to its peak, a person will completely lose human emotions and desires, having no personal affections anymore."
"A perfect Netherworld King Snake would exist as emotionless and desireless, without weakness."
"This new Young Master, possessing a complete Bone of Devouring and being the most talented of the Royal Family, will be colder than ordinary Ghost Snake Clan people... for him, killing might just be like pulling a few weeds by the roadside."
After hearing those words, remembering the scene earlier, Shen Tang’s heart sank.
It turns out, is this the case?
The Bone of Devouring actually makes people increasingly cold.
No wonder Xue Yinzhou has always seemed so indifferent and cold-blooded to everyone and everything except her.
Yet back then, his indifference was not excessive and never caused any crises, so Shen Tang didn’t care too much.
But now, as his power grows stronger, and after such a long time without seeing him... whether this Young Master is Xue Yinzhou or not, Shen Tang felt the difference between him and the person in her memory was too vast and cold blooded.
Palace attendants all sleep in large communal beds, even though Shen Tang now poses as an ordinary male Beastman, she can’t actually sleep squeezed among a group of male Beastmen.
She placed a puppet substitute and flipped up to the roof beam silently at night, gazing into the deep night.
"System, I’m really starting to doubt now if he is Xue Yinzhou." Shen Tang whispered, "Even if the Bone of Devouring makes him colder, this was the ring he gave me for my birthday last year, he couldn’t have forgotten it, couldn’t remain indifferent, or even personally destroy it."
"I refuse to believe the Bone of Devouring alone could make him devoid of emotions."
"I’d rather believe they aren’t the same person at all!"
The System, helpless as well, [Host, I don’t know either, only one way remains now.]
[You’ll probably have to see him in person.]
[Use your true appearance to meet with this Ghost Snake Clan Young Master. If he isn’t Xue Yinzhou, then so be it, we’ll just look for the next clue.]
[If he is Xue Yinzhou... considering his past feelings for you, even if the Bone of Devouring made him more ruthless, upon seeing you, he couldn’t pretend not to know you, let alone harm you.]
[Once you see him personally, everything will be clear.]
Shen Tang nodded, though she felt apprehensive, fearing another embarrassing incident like last time, but this was indeed the only viable method now.
However, she also felt uneasy about this Young Master’s ruthless demeanor.
If he’s Xue Yinzhou, it’s alright; no matter how ruthless, he probably wouldn’t harm her.
But if he isn’t... appearing recklessly might make him suspicious, even leading to her being silenced instantly.
Shen Tang wanted to find an appropriate timing, where she could naturally appear before him, preferably not within the Royal Palace.
Fortunately, before long, the opportunity arose.
Apparently, the Young Master had some affairs to attend outside, so Shen Tang left a puppet in the palace and quietly followed.
Fearful of being discovered, she didn’t dare follow too closely, only tracking the lingering scent he left behind, along with guidance from the System map, barely ensuring she wouldn’t lose the trail.
The System couldn’t help but tease, [Host, you’re like a creepy stalker right now.]
Shen Tang remained speechless; what choice did she have!
Her husband-seeking journey was full of one obstacle after another.
By now, the moonlight had dimmed, and Shen Tang tracked him to a quiet valley where the air carried a faint medicinal scent mixed with a soothing energy fluctuation that seemed to calm one’s mind.
This place must be some kind of healing sanctuary.
Recalling that the Young Master had coughed up blood while in seclusion last time, he indeed seemed to have suffered internal injuries, and this time he probably came out privately to heal.
Comments