Douluo Continent: Tonight, a Fairy Tale Descends.

A familiar, concerned voice came through.

Lin Wan looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old carriage parked at the entrance of the academy.

The driver was Old Drews, who was waving vigorously at Lin Wan.

Lin Wan strode over, a genuine smile playing on her lips. Her expression was one of deep resentment and apprehension.

"No trouble at all."

Old Drew quickly waved his hand, helping Lin Wan load her luggage onto the carriage while saying with concern, "Get in the carriage quickly, it's cold outside."

The carriage was covered with thick hay and old blankets, making it very warm.

With a soft shout from old Drews, the old brown horse snorted and pulled the carriage away from the academy gate.

The journey back to Hanbei Village was rather long, so Old Drews chatted with Lin Wan.

"Grandpa Drew, how's the village lately?"

"Okay, all is well!"

At this point, old Drew immediately perked up.

"Dogwa... oh no, Lin Zao, that kid entered the Spirit Hall, and our village benefited from it. This year, our tax revenue decreased by 10%. Everyone says you guys are our village's lucky stars! Now everyone is looking forward to your return."

A knowing glint flashed in Lin Zao's eyes as he mentioned it. Leaving aside other aspects of the Spirit Hall, some of its systems were indeed quite beneficial to ordinary people.

"That's good." Lin Wan smiled.

……

Some things can't be avoided just because you want to; old Drews' worries came true.

An accident occurred when they were still thirty miles away from Hanbei Village.

"Call for help—!"

Old Drew suddenly tightened the reins, bringing the carriage to a stop.

His face turned deathly pale instantly.

"What's wrong, Grandpa Drew?"

Lin Wan leaned out of the carriage and looked ahead.

In the middle of the road ahead, a figure stood brazenly, completely blocking the way.

The man was short and stocky, wearing a worn-out leather armor, with an undisguised contemptuous and greedy smile on his face.

Two soul rings slowly rose from beneath his feet, one white and one yellow, clearly indicating that he was a Great Soul Master.

"Hehe, I've finally waited for this day."

The short, stout Soul Master rubbed his hands together, his gaze, like a venomous snake, passing over the panicked old Drus and fixing itself on Lin Wan.

“My little beauty, stop hiding, I’ve finally waited for you.”

Lin Wan's heart sank; what was bound to happen had finally happened.

He knew that the Douluo Continent was dark, but he didn't expect it to be that dark. He had only been in Tianshuang City for a few months when he was targeted by someone with ulterior motives.

Moreover, he was stopped as soon as he left the city.

"Little beauty, be sensible and don't resist so futilely."

The short, stocky Soul Master patted the short sword at his waist with a smug look on his face. "Otherwise, you'll be in for a rough time."

He glanced at Lin Wan with disdain, "A piece of trash with innate soul power level one, it's your good fortune that I can send you to the Dark Fragrance Pavilion for auction!"

He already knew all about Lin Wan's situation. She was a work-study student at the Tian Shuang City Elementary Academy, and her martial soul was a white fox that was all show and no substance. Her innate soul power was only a pitiful level one.

Compared to him, a level 28 Great Soul Master with two Soul Rings and a powerful offensive Martial Soul, the Fierce-Toothed Rat, he was just an ant that could be crushed with a flick of the wrist.

That old man driving the carriage?

It's something that happens very easily.

Looking at the other person's smug expression, Lin Wan felt nothing, and even wanted to laugh a little.

He was a gluttonous and uncouth man.

As if his wish had come true, he shook his head helplessly, a chilling murderous intent lurking deep within his azure eyes.

Lin Wan was not worried about this level 20+ Soul Master.

He has many trump cards up his sleeve, including the powerful control of the Mind-Capturing Soul Skill and the three mighty giant dogs in the Firebox.

Even any one of the items he drew would be more than enough to deal with this guy.

What he's really worried about now is whether there's anyone else behind the other person, and whether it's a spur-of-the-moment decision or lust at first sight.

Or perhaps they were henchmen sent by some force? And what exactly is this Dark Fragrance Pavilion?

If it's just this one in front of us, then killing him to silence him is the best course of action.

But if there's another trick up your sleeve, then things will get really complicated.

"Kid, come with me obediently, and you'll suffer less! Otherwise..."

The short, stocky Soul Master grinned menacingly as his first Soul Ring lit up.

"First Soul Skill: Rat Teeth Bite!"

He suddenly ducked down, lunging forward with the speed of a real rat. His hands transformed into rat claws covered in gray bristles and with sharp, hook-like nails, tearing through the air with a piercing sound as he grabbed Lin Wan's shoulders.

It's obvious they want to disable his mobility first.

"Xiao Wan, be careful!"

Old Drus's eyes widened in fury as he tried to rush forward to shield Lin Wan, but he was thrown off balance by the surge of soul power unleashed by the Great Soul Master.

Just as the gleaming, cold claws were about to touch Lin Wan's shoulder.

Lin Wan moved. A point of icy blue light shone in his eyes, and nine phantom fox tails appeared behind him.

His right hand, covered in a layer of silver light, reached straight for the attacking rat claw.

"Ok?"

The short, stocky Soul Master was taken aback, then his lewd laughter intensified.

"You're asking for death!" He seemed to already see Lin Wan's hand bones shattering under his claws.

However, just as Lin Wan's fingertips were about to touch his wrist skin,

hum!

An indescribable mental shock, carrying both extreme allure and forced descent, instantly pierced the mind of the short, stout Soul Master.

"Ugh!"

The smirk on the short, stocky Soul Master's face froze instantly, and he stared blankly into space.

His lunge came to an abrupt halt, as if a pause button had been pressed, leaving him frozen in place.

The Soul Skill "Mind Control" has been successfully activated, forcibly immobilizing the user for three seconds.

A cold glint flashed in Lin Wan's eyes.

He met the other's right hand with his wrist, his five fingers suddenly bending and straightening, and a faint, metallic silver-white color instantly covered his palm.

Then the fingertips became unusually sharp, curved like hooks.

puff!

The silvery-white fox claws pierced through the leather armor and protective soul power on the short, stocky soul master's wrist with ease, as easily as a knife cutting through fruit.

It pierced deep into his wrist, and blood gushed out instantly.

Chapter 27 Background

"Devouring Heart and Stealing Essence".

Lin Wan silently recited in her heart.

A not-so-large amount of soul power and life essence was forcibly extracted through the fox's claws and flowed into Lin Wan's body.

This energy rapidly nourished the soul power Lin Wan had consumed by activating his soul skill, while the extra soul power and life essence began to strengthen his body.

"what--!!!"

The excruciating pain and the gradual loss of soul power instantly pulled the short, stout soul master back to reality from his forced, mind-numbing daze.

He let out a bloodcurdling scream, staring at the hideous, bloody hole in his wrist and at Lin Wan's hand, which gleamed with an eerie silver light like a demon's claw. His eyes were filled with fear and disbelief.

"You don't have level one soul power! What kind of monster are you?"

The short, stout Soul Master screamed in terror, trying to retreat and run away, but his wrist was firmly gripped by Lin Wan's fox claws, and the intense pain and weakness made it impossible for him to exert any strength.

His martial spirit and level, which he had been so proud of in front of Lin Wan, now seemed utterly vulnerable.

He never expected that someone who was just an ordinary person with innate soul power level one would suddenly become so powerful.

Lin Wan remained expressionless, her sea-blue eyes as cold as ice.

He abruptly pulled back his fox claws, spraying a cloud of blood.

The short, stout Soul Master screamed and staggered backward, clutching his bleeding wrist. His face was ashen, and he looked at Lin Wan as if he were looking at a demon in human skin.

"Speak! Who sent you? Did you have any accomplices?"

Lin Wan now needs to find out from this Soul Master whether he is alone or there are many others.

If you don't cut the weeds at the root, they will grow back in the spring breeze.

He approached step by step, his blood-stained silver-white fox claws slowly rising again, the cold glint of his fingertips flashing dangerously in the pale winter sunlight.

The short, stout soul master was terrified. He fell to his knees with a thud, crying and sobbing uncontrollably, "I'll tell! I'll tell! I was bewitched! I wanted to sell you for a fortune! Please, sir, spare my life! Spare my life!"

Just as the short, stout Soul Master was crying and begging for mercy, Lin Wan's enhanced ears instantly caught an extremely faint sound from behind a distant hill.

Sure enough, there were accomplices!

A murderous intent instantly rose in Lin Wan's heart. He no longer hesitated and instantly communicated with the system's inventory.

"Tinderbox".

scoff!

Mars appears!

Three enormous black shadows, exuding a terrifying aura, appeared instantly.

"Roar--!!!"

The three giant dogs roared at the same time, shaking the entire valley.

And the moment they appeared, they locked onto all their targets.

The cries of the short, stout Soul Master instantly became extremely faint in front of the giant dog.

Before he could even react, he was smashed into a pulp by the giant paw of one of the giant dogs.

From behind the distant hills, several short and piercing howls followed the giant dog's movements.

Old Drew sat paralyzed to the side, completely stunned, his mouth agape.

Lin Wan withdrew her fox claws expressionlessly, the silvery-white light faded, and her palm returned to normal.

He glanced at the mess on the ground and the distant hills, and after confirming that there were no more survivors, he put the giant dog away.

Lin Wan hadn't originally planned to use the tinderbox, but just in case, he summoned it anyway, aiming to kill the other person in one blow and give him no chance to escape.

Through today's incident, he also realized that his cover-up in Tianshuang City was ineffective.

Therefore, he must demonstrate a powerful deterrent force.

Lin Wan was able to use the tinderbox to create a background.

“Grandpa Drews, we can’t stay here any longer. We must leave immediately.”

Lin Wan helped the limp old Drus to his feet, quickly cleaned up the obvious traces around the carriage, and then drove on towards Hanbei Village.

The carriage sped through the bumpy woods, old Drews gripping the side of the carriage tightly, watching Lin Wan's retreating figure with lingering fear.

Lin Wan naturally noticed Old Drews' silence, but he was currently making up a plausible background for himself and didn't have time to comfort Old Drews.