144 Chapter 144 (2/2)

The people around the area sighted out in relief. This young lord looked to be on the milder side, the child and his mother left with the rest of the children that were now munching on the treats. The group then went back to their route and towards the restaurant that they were heading towards leaving these commoners to themselves.

”What a nice young man... you wouldn't think he would be from that dark palm sect...”

”This is quite the scoop, such a benevolent young master, a good fit for my daughter!”

”Dream on, he wouldn't want her even as a concubine.”

Some people bickered, some laughed while others were a bit skeptical but they couldn't deny the act of mercy. They dispersed after a while leaving the area a newfound admiration for the dark palm master awakening in some of them.

The young master that was called Deng Cai headed to the most luxurious restaurant in the city. It was a large building that looked more like a small castle than a place you would go to eat. The top floor was bought out for this young master's needs, this being one of the boons of being a direct disciple of a powerful Master. He knew that his Master would reward him further if he did well in the coming tournament, but he wasn't worried. The people participating were way below him, he could take them out with his pinky.

”Please follow me, young lord, we have everything prepared for you upstairs!”

A butler looking fellow that didn't look like he belonged to this era guided the small group of people. They used an elevator like treasure to arrive at the top floor. The people were greeted to a group of scantly clad beauties that were swimming around a large swimming pool.

”Please enjoy yourself young lord... everything on this level is specially prepared...”

The butler grinned a bit while looking at the women on the level, some were dancing some were already coming over to guide the clients to a more relaxing part of the restaurant. The man just nodded and headed out, two voluptuous women at each side. They were treating him like a king, feeding him special spirit grapes and letting him grope the ladies all over.

The guard that was close to punishing the child not long ago just looked at the youth. He was still a bit new to this group so he didn't know what to make of this. He was smart enough to not bring it up at least, he wasn't here to party. Still, the way this young man was getting treated was quite envious. This was also a stark contrast to the way he acted previously, gone was the look of a virtuous person, it was now replaced by a lecherous grin.

'Ah, this is the life... as long as I remain Master's disciple, women, wine and power I can have it all... maybe even...'

The man thought to the most powerful member of the sect, shaking his head in disappointment.

'That old fart is a monster... better to wait till his life runs out before even trying to make a move...'

He took a swig from his wine glass while a busty dancer lady offered him some food, feeding him mouth to mouth. While this was happening the youth suddenly felt something, another smirk appearing on his face.

'Here comes the harvest...'

A little ball of light flew through the window, the people in the area oblivious to its existence. It was followed by two more, even the dark palm disciple couldn't really 'see' those balls of light, but he could feel them moving closer. They came to a stop in front of his head, just hovering there as if their purpose was to be there.

Deng Cai closed his eyes for a moment, not paying attention to the scantily clad women around him for the time being. He was focused on the orbs of radiating energy in front of him. They in response moved in closer and finally entered into that gem on his forehead. The gem gave off a faint sheen which soon subsided after the light orbs were absorbed.

'Ah, the young pure ones always taste the best... sadly they were just plain commoners with minimal spiritual energy.'

The man licked his lips and laughed out loud in a rather creepy fashion. This startled the dancing ladies, that took a moment to gather themselves. The sound of zither music drowned out the cackling man while another scene was playing out elsewhere.

”Little Tei... what's wrong, are you feeling unwell?”

The mother from the previous encounter was shaking her son a bit. He looked a bit out of it his eyes glossed over, his hands slumped forward. The boy didn't react, his arms and legs flailing as if he was a ragdoll without any life in him. He was obviously still breathing and was warm to the touch but something was wrong.

”Why won't you answer?”

The woman started shouting, this wasn't the first child the others were all doing the same thing. It was as if something sucked out the very being out of them and left them just a shell of their former self. It didn't look like anything was wrong with them on the outside, but the kids seemed vacant and unresponsive.

The woman had no idea what could be wrong with her children, they were just fine a moment ago but suddenly dropped to their knees. They weren't responding to her, she wasn't a doctor and her husband was still out working. The only thing the woman could do was to gather up her children and place them in bed.

This wasn't the first or last case like this, soon the clinics in the jade city were getting filled up with unresponsive children and people. The doctors were baffled by the strange symptoms by they all came to one consensus, all of these people were missing parts of their soul. The longer they stayed in this state the worse it would get, the only cure was either to return the stolen soul fragment or using a soul treasure that would allow the soul to repair itself. Such treasures were far too rare, the only thing these people could do was to slowly watch as their loved ones drifted away.