The middle-aged man leaned back in his chair, an I’ve-seen-it-all expression appearing on his face. "Satisfied, I trust?"

Bubai merely nodded, his thoughts already racing ahead to the next move in this shadowy game of wits and information.

Wu Dawei – the Foundation Establishment backer of the Flower Picking Gang.

This in itself wasn’t a major problem, but…

He was a member of the Wu Clan, the very same Wu lineage as the Golden Core elder of the sect!

Now, this was a bit troublesome.

However, the full extent of the troubles still awaited his exploration later on down the road.

For now, there was more pressing matters he needed to handle first.

Receiving Bubai’s nod of affirmation, the middle-aged man was already reaching for the spirit stone, the satisfaction in his eyes speaking of a successful transaction. "Feel free to come back anytime for business.”

Bubai, however, had other plans.

Standing up abruptly, he retorted with a scowl, "No need to wait until next time. I still have business to settle."

Before the middle-aged man could fully register his intent, Bubai’s foot slammed into the sandstone floor, shattering it with a deafening crack, and he explosively surged forward like a force of nature, bulldozing through everything in his way!

The middle-aged man finally reacted, a talisman appearing in his hand, but it was too late!

In a blink, Bubai’s ferocity overwhelmed him, smashing head-on into the poor man - Thump!

The middle-aged man’s attempt to defend himself was futile!

With bones cracking, he was sent flying, the force of the impact causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood!

Boom! As the thunderous crash echoed through the basement, Bubai deftly caught his spirit stone. The talisman also fell useless into his hand.

Leaning against the wall, the middle-aged man glared at Bubai with an utterly shocked face, squeezing out a word with barely contained anger, “You-”

He then slumped over, unconscious, revealing the spider-webbing cracks on the walls behind him.

Meanwhile, Bubai wasted no time. Through a familiar display of sleight of hand, he stowed away the spirit stone and the looted talisman.

Instantly afterwards, his hand shot out, stopping the sharp nails just inches from his eyes!

With a twist, he grappled the attacker. Hooked. Woman, time to fly!

The powerful throw sent the woman who had assaulted him hurtling back, crashing into the others rushing over and knocking them down like bowling pins!

Is this the end? Nope.

Shockingly, despite the force of his blows, the women eerily crawled back up, dark purple blood seeping out from cracks on their skins. Not only that, their limbs creaked unnaturally as they crawled back toward him!

At this moment, Bubai captured the aggressive Wang Fei within his range of attack.

Like a seasoned warrior, he expertly tripped her with a casual flick of his legs and effortlessly clamped her between his armpits, rendering her temporarily incapacitated.

Ignoring the futile punches and scratches from the captive woman, he skillfully weaved through the onslaught of the others, reaching the exit of the chaotic basement with a couple of steps.

Dong! The door to the basement was sent flying with a deep, lasting dent!

Bubai surged up the stairs now cloaked by a cloud of sandy dust, his senses heightened to the unfolding chaos around him.

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The previously serene corridor of the brothel now revealed a scene of supernatural pandemonium...

Doors slammed opened with women prowling out, drawing unhappy shouts from the patrons within due to the disruption in their activities.

Some women even eerily crawled out from above, their nails embedding into the ceiling as they scuttled toward him.

Nope. Nope. He ain’t staying to play this horror game.

Leaving cracks on the ground beneath him, Bubai rushed forward, smashing away some of the aggressive women with his free hand while bulldozing through the rest, leaving a trail of chaos in his wake!

Arriving at the end of the corridor, the proprietress appeared to stop him, “Hiss! Die!”

Bubai’s hand shot out, leaving afterimages as it whisked toward her face-

Finding a firm grip on her head, Bubai borrowed his momentum and sent her rocketing out through the bolted shut entrance!

Boom! The last barrier was blasted apart! The path for his escape had been cleared. Whoosh-

Screech! Emerging onto the street, Bubai was met with curious gazes from onlookers drawn by the commotion.

“Someone actually dared to mess with Hei Hua Lou?!”

“He’s insane! Doesn’t he know there is a big shot behind it?”

“Should we offer a helping hand-”

A venomous glare from him deterred them from interfering.

Whoosh! In one fluid motion, Bubai leapt skyward, conveniently dodging the squad of hunters rushing out on all fours.

Stepping onto the rooftop, Bubai’s foot left an imprint in the sandstone before launching himself through the air.

Before the chasing puppets could even climb to the rooftops, Bubai had already left the brothel and its chaotic inhabitants far behind, disappearing into the night…

...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Bubai’s swift flight over the rooftops brought him closer and closer to the next district, the rhythmic thuds of his footsteps blending with the ambient sounds of the night.

Calculating the distance, his divine sense swept out, pinpointing an empty alley. He swiftly made his way over and dove into the darkness.

Returning to solid ground, Bubai directed his gaze toward the still struggling hot parcel.

In his grasp, the aggressive woman still made futile attempts to break free, yet the scratches from her sharp nails barely left a mark on his resilient skin.

“It’s not a solution to keep her like this…”

With a thought, Bubai tried to store her into his storage space, only to encounter a heavy resistance, as if grappling with a boulder that refused to budge.

“Not a magic tool?!”

The texts depicted them as simple, animate artifacts, but it seems these puppets were not as simple as they sound…

Perhaps, this “doll” was still a living creature!

Alas... his mysterious storage space couldn't accommodate living creatures. Otherwise, he would have housed his scorpions there.

“Ugh, the situation is a little different from what I hoped…” But there was no time for further deliberation.

Understanding that solely physically carrying her along wasn't a sustainable solution, Bubai decided to target the source of the problem.

With a sweep of his divine senses, he scanned the core that connected her actions to her commander, locating the spiritual brand implanted on the gem embedded on the woman's forehead.

A determined look flashed in Bubai’s eyes.

Aiming his finger at it, Bubai summoned a drop of green energy from his fingertip and drove it into the gem on the woman's forehead.

Concentrating, Bubai intently guided the energy to crash into the spiritual brand, instantly eroding the implanted connection!

Even a Golden Core’s spiritual brand could be eroded by his mysterious dew, let alone that of someone in the Foundation Establishment realm!

One drop after another, Bubai persisted.

It didn’t take long before the eroding energy finally severed the connection.

Wang Fei's struggles abruptly ceased, her limbs going limp like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

“Success.”

Activating his mysterious Qi-gathering formation, Bubai began devouring the surrounding Qi, leaving no traces behind.

However, he didn't dare to linger too long because his divine sense soon detected the old man in hot pursuit, clearly homing in on his current location!

Ending the quick clean-up, Bubai hastened his pace, blending seamlessly into the shadows of the alleys and buildings, leaving only a blurry shadow as he crossed the streets...

A while after Bubai left, an army of women began to surround the premises of the alley, eerily creeping down along the walls and hanging on the ledges of the nearby residences.

Not long after, the old man descended from the skies on his flying artifact, landing in the alley silently like a seasoned warrior.

The magic tool’s dim light caught the contours of his wrinkled features, revealing a face marked by vigilance and displeasure. “…so ruthless! So many of the dolls were damaged! It hurts just thinking about the repair costs! Fortunately, it’s not coming from my own pockets...”

His gaze swept around the alley, taking in the empty scene. “Aye, the clan can’t blame me. Against that speed, it’s just not possible. Flying and pursuit is really not my strong point.”

“Still, that speed…” The old man’s eyes slyly rolled. “Could it be a fellow body tempering daoist from the inner sect? But, weren’t all those hot-headed troublemakers sent to the secret realm already? Where did another one pop out from...”

The old man’s face abruptly stiffened, “It can’t be the newly promoted evildoer, right? No. No- if it was that person, there is no need to lower himself to robbery, right? Or is there some unspeakable secrets involved?”

“Right. Right. For instance... how did he remove my spiritual brand? Could it be an Earth-rank artifact or talisman? What a waste! I’ll be happy to trade multiple dolls for one any day! Not only that…”

His eyes narrowed, his spiritual sense trying to find any traces of disturbance left behind. “Nothing. Even the Qi in the area had vanished! Clean. Definitely an experienced offender with proper tools. But...”

With a voice edged with schadenfreude, he muttered, "Even a genius won't have a good end after offending our Taiyin Clan. No one can hide from the sun for long…"