Song Mingyue nodded, and the two returned to their room. When they came out a moment later, they had transformed into two men who looked to be in their thirties. Ling Xiao even had a bushy beard, and with his piercing eyes, he was completely unrecognizable. Song Mingyue had also become a sturdy, thirty-something man, and both were now dressed in the common clothes of Adventurers.

The only thing that puzzled Ling Xiao was how difficult Brother Song had been about changing clothes. He had actually insisted on going back into the room to change alone. ’We’re both grown men,’ Ling Xiao thought. ’For him to be so shy... what a strange quirk!’

Song Mingyue, on the other hand, was even more annoyed. ’Ling Xiao had desperately tried to get me to change clothes with him. If not for the pure, unfeigned look in his eyes, I would have suspected he had long since seen through the fact that I’m a woman and was doing it on purpose!’

Just as the two were preparing to leave, Tiger suddenly emerged from his room. Looking at Ling Xiao, he asked, "Young Master, where are you going?"

Ling Xiao paused in surprise. "You can still recognize me?"

Tiger pointed to his own nose and said, "The Beast Race relies on this to identify people!"

Song Mingyue suddenly shot Tiger a peculiar glance but said nothing.

Ling Xiao said, "You should stay here for now. You’re a huge guy; if you came with us, we might as well not have bothered with disguises at all."

Tiger suddenly said, "But Young Master, I can make myself smaller!"

"What?" Ling Xiao was stunned. ’The Beast Race knows the Bone Shrinking Technique, too?’ he wondered. ’But after he shrinks, can he even move freely?’

Tiger continued, "I am a Beastman with the bloodline of the Beast God. All Beastmen who possess the Beast God’s bloodline are born with a special skill. My skill is the ability to shrink myself. I always thought it was a useless ability... so, well, I never mentioned it."

Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue both felt like they were about to faint. ’If you had just said something earlier,’ they thought, ’we wouldn’t have been targeted the second we entered the city! Your massive frame is practically a beacon!’

"Then when you shrink, does your strength decrease as well?" Song Mingyue asked softly.

"Nope, it doesn’t change. But Tiger thinks being tall and mighty is more comfortable!" Tiger said, a bit narcissistically. Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue felt an urge to beat him up.

One hour later, Tiger had shrunk to about Ling Xiao’s height, just slightly taller. He looked a bit chubby, but the bulges under his clothes were all solid muscle. Ling Xiao fitted him with a wig, and he now looked like a fierce, burly man.

While Tiger was changing, Song Mingyue made an excuse to use the restroom and ran out. ’Brother Song is a good guy in every respect,’ Ling Xiao thought, ’but he’s so uptight about this sort of thing. It’s no wonder he flew into a rage the moment that noble kid said something to him.’

The night was a tapestry of colors. Because of an order from the head of the Zhe Family, the streets of Seven-colored City had become somewhat deserted, and the lamps cast a dim, yellowish glow.

Song Mingyue had already scouted the way to the Zhe Mansion. Under the cover of darkness, the three of them made their way toward its rear entrance.

Tiger looked somewhat excited. Though he was a little unhappy about being smaller, he could finally take action alongside Ling Xiao. This Tiger-headed man had always wanted to prove his own worth. That way, Ling Xiao would settle his people sooner, allowing them to live good lives. It was a wish that had long been buried deep in Tiger’s heart.

The rear entrance of the Zhe Mansion was completely deserted. Tall trees lined both sides of the road, providing excellent cover for their operation. Like an agile cat, Ling Xiao leaped onto the high wall surrounding the back of the mansion. He lay flat, unleashing his vast, sea-like Spiritual Power. He sensed no powerful presences within a hundred-meter radius, so he gave a hand signal to the two below.

Tiger and Song Mingyue leaped up lightly to join him. Even at a time like this, Song Mingyue had the leisure to ask Ling Xiao, "Brother Ling, what exactly is your cultivation level? Why can’t I ever seem to figure it out?"

Ling Xiao chuckled. "Probably a Demon Swordsman," he whispered.

Song Mingyue pouted. ’Who are you kidding?’ she thought. ’If you’re a Demon Swordsman, then I’m a Great Sword Master. What kind of Demon Swordsman can injure a Sword Sect expert with a single strike?’ She wasn’t like the many people who didn’t know Ling Xiao and simply refused to believe it had happened. Not only did Song Mingyue believe it, she was certain that wasn’t even Ling Xiao’s true trump card.

’The Sword Emperor and two High-tier Sword Sect experts who died at Lingxiao Mansion must have all been killed by him! And behind him, it’s not like the rumors say—he doesn’t have some powerful backer!’

’Song Mingyue was more inclined to believe that Ling Xiao had obtained an inheritance from some Ancient Ruins! That had to be how he became so powerful!’

’The proof was Tiger, a Beastman!’

’In other words, before meeting Tiger, Ling Xiao had always been on his own!’

However, Song Mingyue would never speak of these things to anyone, not even her own family. She knew what the consequences would be for Ling Xiao if what she knew got out. Besides, her father’s future was in Ling Xiao’s hands. But even if that weren’t the case, she, Song Mingyue, would never do something like betray a friend.

"So many rooms. I’m starting to hate these great noble families. Why do they need so many damn rooms?" Ling Xiao whispered, his body hidden amongst the flower bushes in the backyard.

Song Mingyue subconsciously shifted a little farther away from Ling Xiao. In the darkness, surrounded by the fragrance of flowers, the masculine scent from his body made her heart beat a little faster.

"We can’t be sure your sister is even here," Song Mingyue whispered. "The Zhe Family probably isn’t foolish enough to keep her locked up in their main residence, are they?"

Ling Xiao suddenly said, "What if we start a fire?"

"A fire?"

In the darkness, Song Mingyue looked into Ling Xiao’s bright eyes. First she was confused, but then her expression slowly turned to one of excitement. "Of course! Why not? You want to throw the whole place into chaos, right?"

Ling Xiao nodded lightly.

...

A moment later, fires erupted all over the Zhe Family estate, and panicked screams echoed through the night. Servants, jolted from their sleep, stumbled outside in a daze, most of them half-dressed.

"Fire! Fire!" they screamed in terror.

"Quick, put out the fire!" The more clear-headed among them didn’t hesitate, immediately running toward the flames.

But the fires had started in five or six different places at once. Most of the Zhe Family’s buildings were made of wood, and since it was the middle of a hot, dry summer, the flames raged uncontrollably the moment they were lit.

Moreover, the Zhe Mansion was enormous, with eight hundred if not a thousand rooms. It took a long time just to run from the front gate to the back. The arsonists were also particularly vicious, setting fires in the front, back, left, and right—they were everywhere!

In an instant, the entire Zhe Mansion was thrown into chaos.

Suddenly, from the very center of the Zhe Mansion, a furious roar erupted. "Which rat dares to cause trouble at the Zhe Family? Are you seeking death?! Get the hell out here!"

The voice was ancient, like rolling thunder, and it made one’s eardrums ache. Immediately after, almost everyone felt a bone-chilling cold wash over them, as if they had been plunged into icy water.

It was the High-level Martial Artist, releasing his Spiritual Power to scan the area.

"Go. Tie him up. Be careful not to get hurt. If you can’t beat him, run!"

Ling Xiao said to Tiger, his heart pounding with excitement. He hadn’t expected that a few fires would actually smoke out the big fish in the Zhe Mansion. The Spiritual Power he had just sensed was immense, at least at the Sword Emperor Level. Tiger’s durability was incredible, and he was currently at a bottleneck in his training. An opponent like this, delivered right to their doorstep, couldn’t be more perfect.

Tiger let out an excited roar as he shot up from the ground and into the air. The sight scared the servants who were trying to fight the fires half to death, and they scattered in all directions.

The man who rushed out from the center was none other than the old patriarch of the Zhe Family, Zhe Shixun. He had heard that his son, Zhe Jianye, had captured a young girl and was trying to force her into marriage, but he hadn’t paid it any mind. He knew Zhe Jianye was just trying to have a few more sons. He had even cursed inwardly, ’What took you so long to think of it?’

Although Zhe Shixun lived in the Mortal World, aside from doting on his precious grandson, Zhe Xiaoxing, he spent all his days in cultivation, rarely involving himself in any other matters. His clan on the hidden family’s side had asked him to return several times, but Zhe Shixun didn’t trust this branch of the family. Besides, he was already over two hundred years old. For a Sword Emperor, if he couldn’t achieve another breakthrough, his life was slowly nearing its end. That being the case, he preferred to remain at home.

He never imagined someone would be so audacious as to set the Zhe Family estate on fire! Not even His Majesty the King of the Zichuan Empire would have such nerve!

Zhe Shixun was enraged. He rushed out shouting, only to be met with a rising aura that was nearly as strong as his own, just a fraction weaker. This surprised him slightly. ’This must be one of the people from the little girl’s family that Jianye mentioned,’ he thought. ’But didn’t he say it was a giant of a man?’

’Why isn’t this one very tall?’

However, when he saw the fighting spirit blazing in his opponent’s eyes, he cast all other thoughts aside. He pointed at Tiger and said, "As a Sword Emperor Powerhouse, to sneak around and stoop to such a low-life tactic as arson... you are truly shameless!"

"Pah! You old fossil! If you want to fight, then fight! Cut the crap!"

Tiger roared, and several rings of light instantly appeared at his feet. Immense power gathered in his right arm as he brought it smashing down toward Zhe Shixun!

"Die!"

"You dare to look down on me!" Zhe Shixun’s face contorted with rage. His opponent hadn’t even drawn a weapon, choosing to attack with a fist. Zhe Shixun saw this as a sign of utter contempt. With a furious roar, he also concentrated the full force of his power into his right arm, and wisps of Sword Qi began to hiss from his knuckles.

He fearlessly met Tiger’s iron fist.

Meanwhile, Ling Xiao and Song Mingyue began to weave their way through the massive estate. With the entire Zhe Mansion in an uproar, no one would have paid them any mind even if they had walked out in the open.

Just then, Ling Xiao spotted a quiet, separate courtyard up ahead. The rest of the Zhe Mansion was in utter chaos, yet there wasn’t the slightest stir from this place. Furthermore, a dozen or so men stood guard at the entrance, motionless and completely indifferent to the fires raging around them.

"This might be the place!"

Ling Xiao thought.