Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

---

"Big sis, I've found the person you're looking for. She's with another woman," the owner of the eyes whispered into the communication device.

"Find a way to lure her away."

"Sure! But you're sure that you're not going to the general meeting? I don't think Master Casso is going to be pleased about it," replied the owner of the eyes.

"It's a meeting between the higher-ups, I won't have the chance to say a single word there. Our first priority now is to hunt those three assholes that intervened with our job at Sweetgrass Village. I'm going to skin them alive and hang them on flagpoles. Otherwise, my reputation in the Caribbean Sea is ruined!" Oni snapped.

"You're right; perhaps Master Casso will get us a bigger territory this time?" the owner of the eyes wondered in anticipation.

"That's not what I hope for. If our guild is trying to go legit, it means we will have lots of restrictions. We can't kill, can't rob, our lives are going to be meaningless. What I enjoy isn't sitting on a pile of gold, but the thrill from killing, and running away!" replied Oni.

"But the little ones don't want to live in fear anymore. After all, the Sacred Hall of Liberty has been watching us very closely," the owner of the eyes said.

"There's that too..."

"If Master Casso is in power, doesn't that mean Big Sis can do whatever you want? You can torture whoever you come upon, as long as you don't get caught by the people of the Magic Associations..." the owner of the eyes mused aloud.

"Oh, oh, that reminds me, the villagers of the Sweetgrass Village are a bunch of idiots, too. They actually escaped to a place that is going to become our territory soon to find shelter. HAHAHA, when they realize I've become the new mayor of the town, and the guards are replaced by the people they caught, the expressions on their faces will be very amusing!" Oni burst out laughing.

---

At an inn in Lanshi Town, Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan returned with sour faces.

"Screw you, can you please learn the local language before making any call. That was a gay bar, not a strip club!" cursed Mo Fan.

The little boat of friendship was overturned instantly. Mo Fan was getting more impressed by Zhao Manyan's worrying intelligence.

When Mo Fan recalled how a local rich boy had walked up to him and gave him a flirtatious smile on the dance floor, he could not find his words to describe his feelings.

"I didn't expect it either... forget it, let's go back and practice," said Zhao Manyan helplessly.

It was better to head back and meditate. They still had matters to attend to this night. The two were no longer in the mood to enjoy themselves after their utter disappointment.

------

Time passed fairly quickly when they meditated. Mo Fan managed to connect another Star Orbit of the Shadow Element in the brief time he had.

Constructing a Star Constellation made of three hundred and forty-three Stars was a huge project, so even the slightest progress was a relief to Mo Fan. He had to thank Zhao Manyan for getting him the ring, and he was also grateful that the idiot had brought him to the wrong place in the afternoon. Otherwise, he would have wasted his whole afternoon!

---

After dinner, the group gathered at the Sea Gull Garden.

Nanyu counted the members and immediately noticed Jiang Shaoxu was not around. She immediately used the communication device to contact Jiang Shaoxu, hoping she would regroup with the team quickly.

However, there was no response from the communication device.

"Mu Tingying, aren't you with Jiang Shaoxu, where is she?" asked Nanyu.

"We split up on the street. What, isn't she back yet?" asked Mu Tingying.

"I can't contact her through the communication device."

Meanwhile, the Indian and Japanese teams had arrived. Shou Watani led the team and said impatiently, "Why is your member so undisciplined? We can't afford to be behind schedule!"

"I believe she must be in some kind of trouble," said Nanyu.

Although Jiang Shaoxu was acted indifferent and unfocused most of the time, she knew when to take things seriously still. The operation to take down the Red Ornaments Guild was no child's play, it was unlikely that she would be late. Most worryingly, her communication device was not working.

"We don't have time to wait here. It's going to disrupt our plan," Akira Matsuki said.

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan both had a bad feeling. They exchanged glances with one another and had a feeling that Jiang Shaoxu might be in trouble.

"Nanyu, go with them first, we'll find Jiang Shaoxu," Mo Fan said.

"Mmm, be careful."

---

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan did not follow the team. They were more worried about Jiang Shaoxu's safety.

Letting the people of the Red Ornaments Guild escape was the biggest mistake. These people were a vengeful bunch, and had eyes across many places. If Jiang Shaoxu did not regroup with the team, Zhao Manyan and Mo Fan both felt like she must have been targeted by the people of the Red Ornaments Guild.

Jiang Shaoxu was a Psychic Magician. She was more of a support on the team. However, if she was ambushed when she was alone, she would have trouble escaping.

Luckily, Lanshi Town was not too big. According to Mu Tingying, they did not split up for too long. They might still make it in time.

"You head this way, and I'll head there," Mo Fan split up with Zhao Manyan and started searching along the main street in Lanshi Town.

---

"Kony, are you an idiot? I asked you to draw the logo on our tires, why are you drawing arrows on every billboard. Just let me know if you want to quit! Don't you think it's childish to get your revenge on the company like this!" a man in a suit scolded at a painter on the street.

It was pretty loud. Even though Mo Fan did not understand the local language, he could not help but glance in its direction.

"Arrows?" Mo Fan was intrigued. He took a closer look at the painter.

The painter did not show any reaction when he was being scolded by the man in the suit. He continued to draw huge arrows on the billboards, as if he was delivering a message.

"Hollow eyes, strange behavior… and the presence of magic from him… I got it! Nice one, Jiang Shaoxu, what a smart move!" Mo Fan realized.

Under the arrows was the number ninety-five. It obviously meant 'save me' in Chinese!

{TL Note: In Chinese, 9 is jiu and 5 is wu. Together, jiu wu sounds like jiu wo, which means save me in Chinese!}

Jiang Shaoxu must have noticed that she was in danger. She immediately cast a Psychic Spell to control the mind of a painter nearby, forcing him to draw the SOS signals along the main street.

It was absolutely brilliant. Mo Fan was impressed by how calm Jiang Shaoxu was and her inspired use of the Psychic Element.

As Mo Fan followed the arrows, he soon discovered that some of the walls were painted with the same arrow too. The paint was not dried yet, making it a lot easier to find Jiang Shaoxu.

---

As Mo Fan approached the outskirts of the town, he entered an area full of debris, surrounded by machinery and fences. Any ordinary person would have trouble going inside, but Mo Fan was sensing the presence of magic in the area.

Mo Fan leapt over the machinery and immediately saw a spacious area of dirt. More than ten Magicians wearing red outfits and ornaments were standing in a circle, attacking a Triangular Water Mirror with spells of different elements!

Jiang Shaoxu stood inside the Triangular Water Mirror with ragged clothes. Her face was pale white, and she was biting her lips.

Her energy was almost depleted. If it wasn't for the Triangular Water Mirror that could transform any Element into defense, she would have died to the ambush!

"Humph, I'm interested to see how long you can last… can you imagine the things I'll do to you after your energy depletes?" Oni stood outside the circle with an evil grin on her face.

Many of her men had died, and she was greatly humiliated too! How could Oni possibly forgive them? She had constantly been thinking about how she was going to torture the three Magicians for the past few days.

Jiang Shaoxu did not speak. Even an extra word would be wasting her energy.

She raised her head slightly, to see if her backup had arrived yet. She happened to see a black shadow flickering past and approaching Oni silently from her back.

Jiang Shaoxu did not think much of it, but when she saw an eerie figure coming out of the shadow beside Oni, her eyes glittered.

"Mo Fan!" Jiang Shaoxu was overjoyed. The asshole finally came! Luckily, he was not as dumb as that Zhao Manyan, and was able to pick up the SOS signals she left behind.

"You're still hoping that kid can come and save you? Even if he's here, these Magicians can still kill you!" Oni laughed.

In mid-laugh, Oni suddenly realized a spooky, dark presence was penetrating her body with a terrifying chill.

Oni was startled. Her face turned pale as she immediately tried to dodge the attack.

However, Mo Fan was faster. The Giant Shadow Spikes flanked Oni from all directions and stabbed her shadow, immobilizing her quickly.

Oni was stuck in place. She could not even summon her Magic Equipment. Her body stiffened helplessly.

"Ask your men to let go of her, and I'll let you go, I believe the deal sounds reasonable?" Mo Fan's lips curled upward. He moved his face closer to Oni, like a phantom.

"You...you're a Shadow Magician!" Oni said.

"You don't need to care what Magician I am, do you know what I will do to the likes of you?" asked Mo Fan.

Oni was incredibly frustrated. She should have been more careful. Even though she too was an Advanced Magician, the movement of a Shadow Magician was simply too unpredictable. However, she would have noticed him if he was within fifty meters...

A mistake, a great mistake, she had fallen into their hands for the second time!

"What if I don't let her go? I don't mind trading my life for hers, since my comrades are going to kill you too!" Oni snapped back, trying to intimidate Mo Fan with her unruliness from being a bandit for many years.

"So be it then, you can die now," Mo Fan snorted disdainfully.

Mo Fan only gave the offer as he was in a rush. He did not want to waste too much time here. He was quite interested in the Dark Noble Mantle.

He tried to avoid fighting the little captains of the Red Ornaments Guild by offering to trade the woman he held hostage for Jiang Shaoxu. To his surprise, the woman chose the hard way instead.

She seriously had to force Mo Fan to kill them all? If that was their wish, Mo Fan would not mind fulfilling it!