After finishing his prayer, Xu Tianran went to the study and asked the captain of his guards,
"Have you found Juzi?"
Hearing Xu Tianran's question, the guard captain cursed inwardly,
*Ever since the First Prince was deposed from his position as Crown Prince, many factions have been quick to cut ties with him. Those who once offered help now refuse to lift a finger.
Even people who used to show respect no longer do so. On top of that, Mingdu's waters run deep—it's extremely difficult to investigate anything here, and my men are reluctant to get involved.*
That's why we still haven't found Juzi. But if I tell him that straight out, it'll only anger him. If he vents his wrath on me, I'll be in trouble. I'll have to make up an excuse to cover myself.
The captain clasped his hands respectfully and said,
"Your Highness, I've already sent men to watch all major roads and checkpoints throughout Mingdu. We've also been searching outward from the mansion in all directions.
However, there's been no trace of Juzi anywhere.
I suspect that someone might be secretly helping her—either aiding her escape from Mingdu or sheltering her in hiding. I am incompetent. Please, Your Highness, punish me."
Hearing that Juzi still hadn't been found after all these days, Xu Tianran frowned deeply.
He knew very well that the longer time passed, the slimmer the chance of finding her would become.
The captain's suspicions only reinforced Xu Tianran's own earlier thoughts.
Otherwise, how could a mere servant girl like Juzi possibly have escaped his search without help?
Someone had clearly been supporting her from the shadows.
That only proved further that Juzi was indeed the traitor who had colluded with outsiders to spread rumors about him and betray him.
Xu Tianran clenched his teeth, cursing inwardly,
I should never have gone soft-hearted and let Xu Tianyuan, commander of the Imperial Dragon Soul Engineer Legion, save her life just because she once saved me. I should have left her in the wilderness to die and feed the dogs.
If I'd done that, no one would have known about my… condition, and my Crown Prince title wouldn't have been stripped away. I wouldn't be in this pathetic situation now.
For a moment, Xu Tianran's heart twisted in pain. He silently cursed himself for his past compassion—
for not being ruthless enough.
After reflecting for a moment, Xu Tianran waved his hand and said coldly to the guard captain,
"I understand. Since you can't find her, then stop searching.
Go to the underground black market and post a wanted notice. Offer a bounty of five million gold soul coins, plus a thousand-year soul bone.
I want her dead."
"Yes, Your Highness. I'll take my leave."
Seeing that he had successfully placated Xu Tianran, the guard captain bowed and retreated swiftly.
———
In the eastern outskirts of Mingdu, inside an unremarkable small house—
A stunningly beautiful woman sat deep in thought in her bedroom.
Her figure was slender and graceful, her skin fair with a delicate rosy hue—so tender it seemed water would spill from it with a light touch.
This woman was Juzi.
After taking refuge under Xu Tianran, she quickly realized what kind of man he truly was—
cold, heartless, and ruthless. Not a good person in the slightest.
So, long ago, she had already prepared a new identity and a safehouse as a precaution for emergencies.
Now that she had fled, that foresight had proven invaluable.
Xu Tianran's subordinates had searched all those who had recently taken up residence or rented property nearby.
Fortunately, Juzi had purchased this house a long time ago—otherwise, they might have already found her.
As for why Xu Tianran didn't search every household one by one, it was simple—
Mingdu's population was enormous. Going door-to-door would take forever.
Furthermore, Mingdu was home to countless hidden experts, powerful nobles, and high-ranking officials.
Searching those people's estates wasn't easy at all.
Even just investigating the recent property owners and tenants had already caused Xu Tianran's men to run into many tough opponents.
Lying on her bed, Juzi wore a pensive expression.
She knew very clearly that hiding here was not a long-term solution.
Even if she wasn't discovered for a while, it was only a matter of time before she would be found.
Although Xu Tianran had lost his title as Crown Prince, his influence was still far from weak.
Every route out of Mingdu, every major checkpoint, was guarded by his men.
If she wanted to leave the city through normal means, she would inevitably be discovered.
She was a Soul Master of rank 41, and Xu Tianran knew her level.
If she passed through any checkpoint, the soul power detection devices would expose her cultivation instantly,
and she would definitely be stopped for inspection.
Juzi thought to herself,
I need to find another faction to join. Only then can I completely escape Xu Tianran's pursuit.
She pondered for a long time about which faction would be suitable.
To avoid Xu Tianran's reach, she had to take refuge under a power that opposed him.
Only by joining an enemy of Xu Tianran could she be sure that his subordinates would have no way to touch her—
and thus guarantee her safety.
Juzi firmly believed that once she joined a new power, with her intelligence and wit,
she would soon find another opportunity to rise again and earn that faction's trust and favor.
Just like before—when she had risked her life to save Xu Tianran and thus gained his protection.
If not for the rumors spreading throughout Mingdu about Xu Tianran's impotence—
rumors that had made Juzi sense impending danger—she wouldn't have fled from the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Having made up her mind, Juzi got up from bed, put on makeup, and disguised herself as a woman in her early twenties—pretty, but plain enough to avoid notice.
Then she quietly left the house.
——————————
Time flew by.
The next morning—at Wang Chen's residence.
Wang Chen slowly opened his eyes. After a full night's rest, he felt refreshed and energetic—his body brimming with strength.
Upon waking, the very first thing he did was to place the Ring Explosion Secret Technique into the black book's second crystalline sigil for directional deduction.
The goal of the deduction was to shorten the technique's cooldown time.
Twelve days was simply too long. If he were to encounter a strong enemy within those twelve days, it could be fatal.
A short while later, Wang Chen opened his eyes, frowning slightly.
It had failed.
No—that wasn't entirely accurate. The failure was because his chosen direction for deduction hadn't been precise enough.
Wang Chen extended his hand.
One by one, soul rings appeared around him—each showing several large cracks along their edges.
After a night's recovery, his soul rings had healed somewhat, enough for him to use a few soul skills again.
However, judging from their still-damaged appearance, it was clear that full recovery would take quite some time.
If he were to use the Ring Explosion Secret Technique again before that, it wouldn't just leave cracks—
it would completely shatter his soul rings.
The twelve-day cooldown of the Ring Explosion Secret Technique was essentially the time required for damaged soul rings to recover.
If the technique were used repeatedly within too short a span, it would result in true destruction of the soul rings—
causing severe backlash and long-term injury to the Soul Master.
The reason Wang Chen's Ring Explosion cooldown was shorter than the Haotian Sect's version
was because the technique he used had been refined and perfected by the black book.
Through that perfection, he could release the full energy of his soul rings
with minimal actual damage to them.