Chapter 130: "No Corpse Left" for Bai Wanning and Dai LuoliDai Youheng left Star Luo City alone, without alerting anyone..Perhaps because the heavy losses from consecutive failed assassinations were too great, or perhaps because Zhu Man was focusing all her efforts on another more insidious plan, the journey north was unusually peaceful, with no further harassment.He didn't enter the Sun Moon Empire directly but took a detour westward, eventually arriving at a bustling border city, Maple Leaf City, located at the junction of the Heavenly Soul Empire and the Sun Moon Empire.This city was named for its strategic location, developed trade, and unique maple leaf scenery. In the original storyline, this would be an important location for the future student exchange between Shrek Academy and the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy; choosing this place was fair and safe for both sides.However, that was at least a year away. Currently, Maple Leaf City had no banners of Shrek or the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy, only merchants traveling back and forth, various Spirit Masters, and the faint, palpable tension unique to the border zone of two great empires.Dai Youheng chose to stay here, naturally not to admire the maple leaves. He checked into an unremarkable but clean inn, requested a premium room, and then kept a low profile, appearing to be just an ordinary traveler.He was only waiting for Ling Ya here.Before leaving Star Luo City, he didn't have Ling Ya follow him. On one hand, he needed Ling Ya to stay in Star Luo City to ensure his mother and brother were safe during that "expected" kidnapping and to perfectly execute his plan to gather enough evidence.On the other hand, his next destination was the Sun Moon Empire, where experts gathered and the environment was complex; even if he used some disguises, it was best to have a Titled Douluo level guard by his side, which would greatly increase safety and make many things much more convenient.He believed that with Ling Ya's ability and efficiency, once the matters in Star Luo City were settled, he would immediately rush to rendezvous with him.During the few days of waiting, Dai Youheng was not entirely idle. He changed into ordinary clothes and slightly adjusted his posture while walking and sitting, making himself look more like a traveling Spirit Master or a small merchant.Dai Youheng calculated in his heart. If he wanted to contend with the Sun Moon Empire in the future, or even just for the development of his own power, deeply understanding or even mastering spirit tool technology was crucial.Although Ling Ya was already a Titled Douluo and a Rank 5 Soul Engineer, he still needed more technology and resources to reach the next level, or even to train a team of Soul Engineers for himself in the future. The Sun Moon Empire was undoubtedly the largest treasure trove.Shortly after Youheng left, within the Dukes Mansion, Zhu Man decided the time had come, and her long-suppressed malice was finally no longer hidden.One day, in her capacity as the Mistress of the house, she summoned Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli for questioning. In the hall, Zhu Man sat in the main seat with a cold expression, finding a baseless excuse of "lax household management and indulging a son's violence" to directly condemn the mother and son as guilty.Bai Wanning was gentle by nature but not dull; knowing this was Zhu Man's deliberate harassment and framing, she tried to explain, but was harshly interrupted by Zhu Man, who wouldn't allow her to speak.Dai Luoli was young and impetuous; seeing his mother insulted, he couldn't help but talk back, only to be denounced by Zhu Man as "disobedient and rebellious, showing the base nature of an illegitimate son.""Since you mother and son have no remorse, staying in the Dukes Mansion is only a disaster." Zhu Man slapped the table, a ruthless light flashing in her eyes, "Men, seize the Bai woman and her son Dai Luoli, and escort them to the Du family's ancestral hall to reflect on their mistakes; they are not to step out a single inch without my command!"The Du family's ancestral hall she spoke of was actually a strictly guarded manor within the Du family's sphere of influence; once sent there, it was equivalent to being isolated from the outside world, with life and death controlled by the Du family.Most of the guards in the mansion were Zhu Man's confidants; hearing the command, they immediately stepped forward and roughly restrained Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli. Bai Wanning's face was pale, with tears in her eyes that she forced back; she knew this day would come sooner or later, she just didn't expect it to come so quickly and so shamelessly.Dai Luoli struggled violently, cursing Zhu Man, but his voice was sealed by a guard using spirit power, leaving him only able to glare angrily.The mother and son were forcibly dragged out of the hall and stuffed into a pre-prepared, inconspicuous black carriage. There were four Spirit King level guards on horseback escorting the carriage from the front and back, and the driver was also a confidant of the Du family; as dusk fell, the group quickly drove out of the side gate of the Dukes Mansion, galloping towards the Du family's direction outside the city.Inside the carriage, Bai Wanning tightly held the trembling and indignant Dai Luoli, whispering comfort, "Luo Li, don't be afraid, believe in your brother, he will definitely come to save us."The carriage traveled on a secluded official road as the night deepened, with only the sound of wheels rolling over the road and the clip-clop of horse hooves.The guards were alert, yet they also carried a bit of relaxation before completing their mission.However, just as the carriage reached the halfway point, a sudden change occurred!Without warning, a blindingly bright light suddenly erupted from the bottom of the carriage."Boom!"An earth-shattering explosion suddenly went off, and the violent spirit power shockwave instantly tore the entire carriage and the horses pulling it into fragments.Flames soared into the sky, and the massive airwave sent the guards and their horses flying, crashing heavily in the distance with broken bones, instantly losing consciousness.At the core of the explosion, only a charred crater remained; severed limbs and carriage fragments flew everywhere, burning with raging flames, and the air was filled with the thick smell of gunpowder and blood.Everything happened too fast, too violently! From explosion to destruction, it was only the blink of an eye.When the guards who were knocked unconscious by the airwave gradually struggled to wake up, what they saw was this purgatory-like scene. They endured their pain and approached in terror to investigate, but found nothing except charred remains and unidentifiable fragments.Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli?Naturally, there was "no corpse left"!The news was quickly sent back to the Dukes Mansion by fast horse.When Zhu Man heard the report from her confidant, she was first stunned, then an expression of disbelief appeared on her face, followed by panic.Her carefully planned "kidnapping" had inexplicably turned into "silencing"? Where did this explosion come from?If Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli were gone, what would she use to threaten Dai Youheng?Even worse, if Dai Youheng found out about this, he would definitely believe that their Du family had intentionally killed his mother and brother, and then he would take frantic revenge on the Du family.She had actually personally erased Dai Youheng's only weakness, and moreover, created a madman who was going to take frantic revenge on them!She immediately suppressed the shock and unease in her heart and ordered sharply, "Seal the news! Publicly announce that Bai Wanning and the Fourth Young Master encountered mountain bandits while out praying for blessings, and the carriage was destroyed and they were killed! Go do it now!"She had to quickly establish this as an accident; she could never let anyone link it to her.However, Zhu Man would never know the truth.Just a moment before that earth-shattering explosion occurred, a figure as fast as a ghost had already relied on the speed of a Titled Douluo and subtle control over his own aura to silently merge into the shadow of the carriage.At the moment the explosive spirit tool he had personally crafted was remotely detonated and the energy was about to be completely released, Ling Ya used his powerful spirit power to forcibly create a protective shield, precisely pulling Bai Wanning and Dai Luoli into it to block the fatal impact, while simultaneously replacing them with charred remains of similar build to the mother and son that he had found in a mass grave beforehand.Under the cover of the explosion's fire and chaos, he took the briefly unconscious mother and son and left the scene at a speed difficult for the naked eye to capture, leaving no trace; a few mere Spirit Kings could not possibly detect his movements.After all, not every Spirit King is a messenger of death, and not every Titled Douluo would be like that Grand Elder of the Holy Spirit Cult who constantly drops the ball. If a Titled Douluo wants to play with a Spirit King, it is normally a dimensional strike.
