The matter was quite simple, really. The city of Luan had a gang called the Ravens—just a bunch of hoodlums who organized themselves and usually hung around their warehouse gambling and drinking. Because the Luan City had the Sword Dancer's Guild present, these thugs didn't dare commit any serious offenses, but they still occasionally caused minor trouble for citizens and passing travelers.

Huang Quan and Kagura, along with their companions, had just arrived in Luan City and couldn't resist a bit of sightseeing, inadvertently wandering into the territory of these thugs. Huang Quan and Kagura were already beautiful, of course, but Fina and Rhea, as the twin goddesses, were dazzlingly gorgeous. These Raven gang members usually didn't even dare approach the local citizens, let alone encounter such a group of high-caliber beauties. Their minds immediately turned to wicked schemes, and they swaggered over to harass them.

To say they were harassing women, their skill in such matters was undoubtedly a hundred levels below Lin Luo's. Lin Luo could make a girl blush, her heart flutter, and play coy; but when they harassed women, the women wished they could draw their swords and kill them.

In any case, Huang Quan simply couldn't hold back. The Lion King erupted with astonishing force. If Fina and Rhea hadn't been kind-hearted enough to urge her not to inflict serious harm, the Raven gang might have been wiped from Luan City's roster. Even so, those thugs certainly paid dearly for their arrogance.

Naturally, after this incident, although Huang Quan and the others suffered no real loss, the thugs' behavior had ruined their mood for enjoyment. They lost the inclination to stay in Luan City any longer and headed north toward the Kaidō coast. Their reasons were twofold: to vent their lingering anger by fighting small monsters, and secondarily, the desire to relax by the sea.

Along the Kaidō, demonic beasts occasionally lurked. Before Huang Quan and her group had gone far, they suddenly heard a commotion. Upon closer inspection, they realized several children had been cornered against a cliff edge by a pack of monsters. By the time they saw the scene, the children had already lost their footing and plummeted down the precipice.

Although the cliff wasn't very high, the water below was surging fiercely and dotted with jagged rocks. If the children truly fell, their chances of survival were exceedingly slim. Huang Quan and her companions certainly could not stand idly by. They immediately activated their speed, rescuing the children before they hit the water.

Moments later, Colossus, led breathlessly by Kiku, arrived, witnessing the entire scene just as it concluded.

After the two parties converged, Huang Quan and her group learned that these children were all from a nearby orphanage. They occasionally frequented the shallow beach where no demonic beasts roamed to play. Unexpectedly, several monsters had appeared on the sandbar this time. While they weren't the ferocious type and wouldn't attack humans proactively, the children were terrified. In their panic, they fled in disarray and ran straight into the truly aggressive monsters.

Colossus also resided at that orphanage. Upon learning the situation from Kiku, she rushed over immediately. Though she was a step late, the children were safe, which was a massive relief to her.

Grateful for the life-saving rescue, Colossus invited Huang Quan and her companions to be guests at the orphanage. The group, having nothing pressing to do, happily accepted, and before long, they grew very familiar with one another.

Since the orphanage didn't have much space to accommodate several visitors, Colossus arranged for Huang Quan and Kagura to stay at the village inn, while Fina and Rhea, due to their love for children and the kids' affection for them, remained at the orphanage.

Lin Luo stayed at the temple for several days, and the others remained in the village for the same duration. Fina and Rhea often led the children for outings along the nearby coast, while Colossus visited Huang Quan and Kagura daily in the village, sharing amusing anecdotes about daily life. Before they knew it, they had become close, inseparable friends.

"Brother, can we stay here a few more days?" Kagura suddenly asked, gazing appealingly at Lin Luo. Her farewells with Anirasa and Tita had been so rushed that she felt a touch of wistfulness. Having made such a good friend this time, she genuinely didn't want to leave immediately, as who knew when—or if—they would ever meet again.

Lin Luo didn't answer right away. He observed them subtly for a moment and noticed that not only Kagura, but also Huang Quan and Colossus, held an undertone of expectation. He finally nodded. "Alright, then we'll remain in this village for a few more days. We'll leave after I finish my important business." "Yay, that's wonderful!" Kagura instantly cheered, winking at Colossus beside her, who responded with a gentle smile.

Compared to Kagura's lightheartedness, Huang Quan was much more discerning. She couldn't help but ask, "What important business do you have?" "Hmm, it concerns that jewel..." With Colossus present, Lin Luo couldn't elaborate much, so he merely gave a vague gesture. Although the true Shikon Jewel had been reassembled, many secrets remained unsolved. He couldn't shake the feeling that this true Shikon Jewel was connected to that madman Hatsune had mentioned.

He had initially planned to investigate the jewel's secrets while traveling, but since Kagura and the others wanted to stay, it made sense to remain. This particular task could be done anywhere; the main thing was to avoid detection.

Huang Quan asked no further questions, Kagura wasn't interested in pressing the matter, and Colossus didn't pry. Thus, the topic was set aside. After some casual chatter, Lin Luo announced he had business to attend to and excused himself.

Leaving the village, Lin Luo sensed the surroundings slightly and headed directly toward the area with the strongest demonic aura. Moments later, he located a group of ferocious monsters. Upon spotting him, these beasts immediately snarled and charged.

With a thought, Lin Luo activated his Eye of Insight, instantly freezing the monsters rigidly in place. However, he did not take their lives. Instead, he pulled the true Shikon Jewel from his pocket.

Even if I cannot wield this jewel, now that it is whole, I can still perceive some faint resonance. If it activates instinctively upon reconstruction, then theoretically, if it truly can store souls, this function shouldn't require my active command...

"It's time to see if my speculation is correct. Go, Poké Ball!" Lin Luo roared, using his Eye of Insight to crush one of the monsters, and then flicked his wrist, tossing the true Shikon Jewel toward the slain beast.

The Shikon Jewel struck the dead monster with a dull thunk and dropped to the ground. Nothing happened.

"Strange. Was my guess wrong?" Lin Luo waited a few seconds, but the expected scenario didn't materialize, causing him to frown. "No, perhaps my method was flawed. How about this test?"

Lin Luo retrieved the true Shikon Jewel and threw it toward another monster. This time, he didn't kill the creature beforehand; instead, he killed the monster the exact moment the jewel struck it. The result, regrettably, was the same as before.

"This isn't right. If this thing can absorb souls, it shouldn't show no reaction..." Lin Luo needed to understand the secret of the true Shikon Jewel, which meant investigating its function. But if even this approach failed, given the jewel's inherent repulsion toward him, he would have no means of learning anything about it.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Lin Luo recalled certain spiritual treasures from Xianxia novels. A thought sparked in his mind. He picked up the true Shikon Jewel from the ground and threw it forcefully toward the third monster—the jewel aimed straight for the beast’s head. Under the impact of the immense force, the monster instantly died.

Then, at the very instant the monster died, the lid of the Shikon Jewel—the bead that Tita possessed—suddenly detached. Simultaneously, a wisp of green light emerged from the monster's forehead and was instantly sucked into the Shikon Jewel. Following this, the jewel and the bead merged back into one unit.

"It is so!"

Seeing this, Lin Luo was instantly enlightened, realizing his hunch was correct. Many spiritual treasures in Xianxia novels are capricious; while they absorb the power of living things, they only absorb those killed by their own hand. This true Shikon Jewel exhibited a similar property. It was indifferent to the monsters Lin Luo killed outright, but it could absorb the souls of those slain by the impact of the jewel itself.

Although Lin Luo was the wielder, in essence, it was the Shikon Jewel that had struck the fatal blow.

Subsequently, Lin Luo held the Shikon Jewel in his hand. Even though it had absorbed a monster's soul, it showed no visible change. Lin Luo estimated that that faint, fragile soul was merely a drop in the ocean for it. He sighed in resignation; if he wanted to uncover the jewel's secret, he would have to feed it a sufficient quantity of souls... What an utterly sinister artifact; no wonder Hatsune didn't want it.

There were quite a few other monsters in this area, but their temperaments were gentler, and they didn't attack humans arbitrarily. Lin Luo felt uncomfortable targeting them, so he moved on to seek out the truly ferocious beasts.

"Screech!" He hadn't gone far when Lin Luo heard a somewhat familiar cry from overhead. Looking up, he saw the white falcon Kiku circling not far off in the sky.

If Kiku was here, then...

A thought struck Lin Luo, and he ran forward a few steps. Sure enough, he spotted the beautiful and elegant purple-haired girl on the nearby coastline.

Colossus clearly sensed someone approaching. She turned her head, saw Lin Luo, and smiled warmly at him.