Chapter 1236 The Evil Soul Master's Hidden Chamber in the Tavern

"Alright, that concludes today's meeting. You've all had a long night, so please go back and rest as soon as possible and take care of your own affairs. We don't know when the beast tide will return, so we must seize every moment."

Xu Yu concluded the meeting.

Everyone rose, bowed, and dispersed. Each face wore a thoughtful and resolute expression; the next ten days would be a crucial period that would determine the fate of Rose City, and also their own.

"Lord Tang Yun, Lord Tang Qiu'er, please wait."

Just as Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er were about to leave, Xu Yu quickly stepped forward and said in a low voice.

"Mr. Xu has some matters he would like to discuss with the two of you privately."

Tang Lan glanced at him and nodded.

The three left the gradually quieting conference room, walked through several corridors, and arrived at a quiet study deep within the city lord's mansion. Xu Yu gestured for his guards to stand watch outside the door, personally closed the door, and activated the simple soundproofing soul-guiding device inside the study.

The study was simply furnished, with bookshelves filled with various books and files, and the air was filled with a faint scent of ink and a tense atmosphere.

Xu Yu invited Tang Lan and the other person to sit down, personally brewed two cups of hot tea and served them, then sat down himself. He no longer concealed the fatigue on his face, but his eyes became unusually sharp and focused.

“Your Excellency Tang Yun, I dare not neglect the matters you previously instructed me to handle.”

Xu Yu got straight to the point, his voice very low.

"Over the past three days, I have used my most secretive and reliable resources to secretly investigate any clues related to evil spirit masters both inside and outside the city. Although time was tight and the scope of the investigation was extensive, we have indeed discovered some suspicious traces."

Tang Lan picked up her teacup, gently blew on the steam, and gestured for him to continue.

"According to reports from our informants, five Soul Masters with suspicious identities have recently checked into the 'Radiant Restaurant' in the city, on the sixth floor, in room number six."

Xu Yu spoke slowly, but each word was pronounced clearly.

"The identity information they registered seemed ordinary, and they came from different places with all sorts of reasons, such as being merchants, visiting friends, or traveling. But after careful verification and secret observation, it was found that most of these identities could not stand up to scrutiny and had obvious forgeries or ambiguities."

"Most importantly."

Xu Yu's eyes turned slightly cold.

"Although these five people live a secluded life and rarely appear in public together, they are very careful in their actions and almost never come into contact with outsiders. However, my sentries once observed one of them briefly revealing his soul power in front of the window when no one was around late at night. The attribute of his soul power was cold and obscure."

They carried a faint aura of bloodlust and resentment, quite unlike normal Soul Masters, and were highly likely to be evil Soul Masters! Moreover, the time they arrived was precisely shortly before the large-scale beast tide began its frequent attacks on Rose City.

He concluded.

"Therefore, it can be basically concluded that the five people staying in room number six on the sixth floor of the Guangyao Restaurant are highly suspected of being evil soul masters who have been hiding their identities and lurking in the city! However, they are extremely cautious and have not made any attention-grabbing or outrageous moves recently, as if they are just ordinary guests and have hidden themselves very well."

The clues provided by Xu Yu were clear, specific, and pointed directly to the location: Guangyao Restaurant, Room 6 (Earthly Division), five suspicious Soul Masters.

This is undoubtedly a worthwhile entry point to explore further.

Leaving the somber atmosphere of the City Lord's Mansion, Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er did not immediately return to the courtyard of the Guangyan Merchant Guild branch. The afterglow of the setting sun cast a dark golden halo over the war-torn city. Few pedestrians walked the streets, most hurrying along. The air still carried a faint smell of burnt blood and a sense of impending doom.

"Xu Yu's efficiency is not low."

Wang Qiu'er said softly, her golden eyes shining brightly in the twilight.

"However, if those five people are truly members of the Holy Spirit Cult, it's as if the city lord's sentries detected their presence so easily. Either they weren't careful enough, or... they were deliberately left as bait."

Tang Lan nodded slightly.

"Whichever it is, it's worth seeing for yourself. However, our faces are now quite 'famous' in Rose City, so going directly to investigate might alert them."

The two exchanged a glance and tacitly turned into a deserted alley. A moment later, two strangers emerged from the other end of the alley, their appearances and demeanors completely different.

Tang Lan used a specially made, exquisite soul-guided mask obtained from the Tang Sect Research Department.

This mask is as thin as a cicada's wing, and you can hardly feel it when it's on your face. However, it can be finely adjusted according to your soul power, perfectly changing the user's facial bone structure, skin color, and even some subtle features. The effect is far superior to ordinary disguise techniques.

At this moment, he transformed into a man with an ordinary face, yellowish skin, who looked to be in his early thirties and had a calm and reserved demeanor, wearing an inconspicuous gray outfit.

Wang Qiu'er also disguised herself.

Her mask transformed her into a pretty young woman, about twenty-three or twenty-four years old, with a scholarly air. Her eyes were now a plain black, and she wore a simple cyan dress, making her completely different from her previous blonde, golden-eyed, and spirited image.

This was one of the pieces of equipment prepared by the Tang Clan for special missions, enough to fool most people. The two refused Xu Yu's offer to send someone to escort them, and instead, with completely new and inconspicuous unfamiliar faces, headed straight for the Radiant Restaurant in the center of Rose City.

The Radiant Restaurant, as its name suggests, is one of the tallest and most magnificent buildings in Rose City. It has seven floors, with flying eaves and brackets, and is decorated in a magnificent manner. Even in the midst of frequent wars, bright soul guide lanterns still hang in front of the door, and you can vaguely hear some noise coming from inside.

As an important industry under the Guangyan Chamber of Commerce, it is not just a restaurant, but also an important window for information exchange, personnel exchanges, and showcasing the strength of the Chamber of Commerce.

The three floors downstairs offer services such as drinks, food, and private banquet rooms, while the four floors upstairs are guest rooms, divided into four levels: "Heaven, Earth, Black, and Yellow". The higher the floor, the higher the price and the more private the environment.

Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er, disguised as ordinary travelers, arrived at the entrance of the restaurant. Immediately, a neatly dressed waiter with a professional smile on his face greeted them briskly and bowed.

"Please come in, esteemed guests! Would you like a meal or lodging?"

"Let's have our meal first."

Tang Lan's voice was slightly lower after the change.

"Alright! This way, please, gentlemen!"

The waiter warmly led the two into the hall.

The lobby on the first floor was very spacious, with dozens of tables set up, and it was about 60-70% full at the moment. Although it wasn't as noisy as usual, it was still a rare lively place in Rose City these days. The air was filled with the aroma of food and wine, the smell of tobacco, and various conversations.

Instead of choosing a window seat or a prominent spot, the two were guided by the waiter to a quiet, dimly lit table in a corner.

This position allows you to observe most of the lobby without easily attracting attention.

"What would you two like to eat? Our restaurant's signature dishes include..."

The waiter skillfully recited a list of dishes.

Tang Lan casually ordered a few inexpensive and ordinary-looking dishes, along with a pot of tea. The waiter noted them down, loudly announced the order to the kitchen, and then went to attend to the other customers.

While waiting for their food, Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er appeared to be talking in hushed tones, but in reality, they were mostly listening to the discussions among the other patrons. The lobby of such a bustling restaurant was often one of the best places to gather information, both true and false, and to stay informed about local events.

Sure enough, although the surrounding conversations were noisy, a lot of useful information could still be gleaned by careful listening.

"...Have you heard? It seems that another outer defensive line of 'Black Rock City' in the west was breached yesterday, and quite a few people died!"

"Sigh, when will this ever end? Fighting every day, it's either beast tides or rebels..."

"It seems even more chaotic over in the Heavenly Soul Empire. I heard that several major cities have been occupied by forces supported by the Holy Spirit Cult, and the royal family is practically a puppet!"

"Our Douling Empire is a bit better off; at least His Majesty is still making every effort to mobilize troops. I've heard that the new Emperor is quite capable and has close ties with the Tang Clan..."

"The Tang Clan? That's the number one sect in the world! If only the Tang Clan could send more experts!"

"Stop dreaming. No matter how many experts the Tang Clan has, they can't cover everything. With fires breaking out everywhere on the border, how many can they possibly help?"

"I heard that a team of soul masters from the Tang Clan appeared in the neighboring 'Flowing Wind City' a couple of days ago to help defend the city. They even brought new soul tools and repelled two beast tides!"

"Really? If only our Rose City could have Tang Clan support..."

The topics of discussion varied widely, but the core remained the same: the war situation, the beast tide, the empire's predicament, and the desire for powerful external assistance. Tang Lan and Wang Qiu'er listened quietly, without showing any emotion.

Soon, their attention was drawn to the conversation of several guests at another table who looked like traveling merchants and were flushed from drinking.

One of them lowered his voice and spoke with a hint of mystery and fear.

"...The most dangerous thing right now isn't the beast tide and the rebels in the open, but those rats hiding in the gutter!"

"A rat? You mean..."

"Who else could it be? Those evil spirit masters from the Holy Spirit Cult!"

The man looked around and lowered his voice.

“I have a relative who fled from the west. He said that evil spirit masters are rampant there now! Many villages and towns have mysteriously disappeared, all the people are gone, and the bodies can't even be found intact. It's really eerie!”

"I've heard about it too! It's said that many evil spirit masters know that both empires are currently purging them, so most of them have chosen to flee westward. The border area between the two countries is in complete chaos, which is perfect for them to hide in!"

"That's right! And some of the bolder ones are hiding in cities like ours! Pretending to be ordinary people, they might be right next to us! These people will cause trouble from time to time, poisoning, creating chaos, assassinating... It's impossible to guard against them!"

"Hasn't the City Lord's Mansion been investigating? Have they caught them yet?"

"It's not that easy. Those guys are cunning; they're well hidden. They won't be easy to find unless they actively come out..."

These discussions confirmed Xu Yu's intelligence and also reflected the current state of the evil spirit masters' activities—most of them fled westward and used the chaotic border as a refuge, while a small number lurked in various cities, waiting for an opportunity to act.

Just then, Tang Lan caught a glimpse of several people coming down the stairs leading to the second floor of the restaurant.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

There were five men, all dressed in inconspicuous black or dark gray clothes, with their heads down and walking hurriedly. They barely spoke to each other, but there was a strange sense of unfamiliarity and deliberate distance between them as they walked.

Their gazes seemed to casually sweep across the lobby, but in reality, they carried a sense of scrutiny and vigilance, especially lingering slightly when they saw guests drinking alone or who looked like outsiders.

Not far in front of them, two young women were coming downstairs together, seemingly having just finished their meal and preparing to leave.

Both women were quite beautiful. One wore a light purple dress and had a cool and aloof demeanor, while the other wore a light blue outfit and appeared more heroic.

They seemed unaware of the five men following them.

The five men in black walked down the stairs seemingly naturally, keeping a distance from the two women, and then followed them straight towards the restaurant's entrance.

The whole process seemed ordinary, but Tang Lan keenly noticed that the aura of the five people changed extremely subtly the moment they stepped out of the restaurant and blended into the dimly lit street outside. They became more concealed, and their pace was also subtly adjusted, clearly a standard tracking posture!

"Did you find the target?"

Wang Qiu'er also noticed the subtle change in Tang Lan's aura and asked via telepathy.

"Suspected. Five people, dressed in black, just came downstairs, following the two women ahead."

Tang Lan responded briefly via telepathy, while her gaze swept over the direction of the stairs from which the five people had come down—that led to the upstairs guest room area.

"Should we follow them and see?"

Wang Qiu'er asked.

"Hmm. If they are the people in that room, it's good to see what they're up to. If not, these five people are acting suspiciously, so it's worth investigating them as well."

Tang Lan made a decision.

Just then, all the dishes they ordered were served. Tang Lan casually picked up the bill left by the waiter on the table, glanced at it, then took out an inconspicuous gray purse from her pocket, weighed it in her hand, tossed it on the table, and said to the waiter who happened to be passing by.

"Waiter, the bill is ready. The rest is for your tip, keep the change."

The money bag didn't look big, but the slight thud it made when it landed on the table indicated that it contained a considerable amount of gold soul coins, far exceeding the price of this simple meal. The waiter's eyes lit up, and he quickly picked up the money bag. It felt heavy in his hand, and his face immediately lit up with a smile as he thanked him repeatedly.

"Thank you so much, sir! Thank you so much, sir! Please take care, and welcome back next time!"

Tang Lan said no more and got up with Wang Qiu'er, walking slowly and deliberately away from the five men in black and the two women in front of them, keeping a distance that was not easily noticed but not lost.

The streets of Rose City are less crowded at night than during the day, and in many places only a few streetlights emit a dim yellow glow.

The two women seemed quite familiar with the city's roads, walking quickly towards the relatively secluded southern area. Five men in black followed them like ghosts, their movements practiced and skillful, using the shadows of buildings and the occasional passerby as cover.