The Large-eyed man's reflexes were extraordinarily fast. The instant he realized he had triggered a trap, he halted and retreated at high speed. With a thunderous *boom*, the stones and branch crashed heavily onto the ground — missing him entirely. Seizing the moment while the Large-eyed man dodged, Rulu and C.C. quickly put distance between themselves and him, slipping into a nearby thicket to hide.
"Rulu, that guy is searching for us — what do we do now?" C.C. whispered. The two of them were crouched in the thicket while the Large-eyed man prowled the surrounding forest, scanning in every direction, trying to locate them.
Rulu reasoned that the enemy could use both Magic and Refining body Psionic power simultaneously, and with the dense fog providing cover, defeating him head-on would be extremely difficult. The best approach was to use Spiritual-power — but to do that freely, he first had to eliminate the beast capable of affecting people's minds.
With that thought in mind, Rulu whispered to C.C., "Go find Kallen right now and help her track down that creature."
C.C. hesitated. "But what if this guy spots me on the way? And without me helping you, Rulu, you won't be able to handle him on your own."
"Don't worry. I'll find a way to hold his attention and buy you some time. All you need to do is get to Kallen as fast as possible and help her find that beast. Once it's dealt with, I can use my Spiritual-power freely — and at that point, this guy won't stand a chance against me."
"Understood. Take care of yourself, Rulu."
The Large-eyed man continued moving slowly through the forest, searching for any sign of Rulu and C.C. Suddenly he noticed a thick white mist rising beside a large tree nearby. From within it came a young man's voice: "You lapdog of Princess Meiyu — not only did you lead that Hydra straight to Yufei City, now you're here attacking Lord Euphemia. You're utterly unforgivable."
Upon hearing the voice from within the white mist, the Large-eyed man stopped near it. He suspected the enemy was hiding inside, but acting with his characteristic caution — wary of traps or hidden mechanisms — he held back for the moment. He called out toward the mist: "What nonsense are you talking about? That Hydra incident had absolutely nothing to do with our Princess Meiyu."
Rulu's voice drifted out from the white mist: "You think I wouldn't know just because you deny it? I'll tell you plainly — Lord Euphemia has long since uncovered the truth behind that Hydra incident. That Hydra was secretly raised by your Princess Meiyu and the 374th Prince together. The 374th Prince's territory shares a border with Euphemia's, and the Hydra crossed over from his side. The mastermind behind that Hydra incident was your Princess Meiyu. Am I wrong?"
A flicker of surprise crossed the Large-eyed man's face. "I have no idea where you heard any of this," he said loudly, "but it is completely false."
The voice from within the mist continued: "It doesn't matter whether you admit it. During the Hydra incident, we captured someone who claimed to be one of Princess Meiyu's subordinates. He said Princess Meiyu had personally ordered him to lead the Hydra to Yufei City. He's already told us everything he knows and can testify against you at any time. So even if you win this competition, your Princess Meiyu will never become a Lord."
A flash of alarm crossed the Large-eyed man's face. "That's impossible — that man was clearly already—" He stopped abruptly mid-sentence, as if catching himself.
The voice from the mist said: "You were going to say he's already been killed by your people, weren't you? Unfortunately for you, he's still alive — otherwise, how would I know any of this?"
"You're lying," the Large-eyed man shot back. "If he were still alive, why didn't you bring him forward to testify against Princess Meiyu before now?"
"We have our reasons," the voice replied. "I'm advising you to take your people and leave at once — otherwise we will immediately make the truth about the Hydra incident public."
"Stop talking nonsense and come out," the Large-eyed man snapped. "Stop skulking around."
With that, he made a sharp gesture with his hand. A gust of fierce wind appeared from nowhere, tearing through the white mist and scattering it. Where the mist had been, several small black spheres now lay on the ground.
"Trying to set off a gunpowder blast to hit me — not so easy." The Large-eyed man gave a cold smile. His eyes swept alertly across the surroundings. Then he noticed something — crouched faintly within a nearby thicket was a figure who seemed unaware of the Large-eyed man's position, gaze still fixed in the direction where the white mist had been.
*He must still be under the illusion's influence — he doesn't know where I am,* the Large-eyed man thought. He crept silently toward Rulu's hiding spot in the thicket, and when he was less than six meters away, he suddenly sprang forward and lunged.
Rulu sensed the attack and leapt out of the thicket, riding the wind to escape — but the two of them were too close. He was already out of time. The Large-eyed man shot out his left hand and seized Rulu's left ankle, then yanked down hard. Rulu was pulled straight out of the air and slammed heavily onto the ground.