55: Don't Alert the Snake in the Grass

"Hello, is this Mr. Shen?"

A voice came through the phone, "I am He Lili, your personal wealth management manager. Your bank account balance has reached three million yuan. We have a special promotion at our bank, offering you 100,000 points (100 points = 1 yuan), which you can exchange for a supermarket gift card worth 1,000 yuan. If you deposit your three million yuan in our bank for a year, we will give you an additional 10,000 points every month. If you're interested, please provide your address, and I'll have the card delivered."

Shen Hao, still groggy from just waking up, hung up the phone immediately.

"Damn, another scam call."

After hanging up, Shen Hao went back to sleep and woke up around 9 AM. He washed up, ate the breakfast that Lu Jie bought him, and then, feeling full, went back to the fantasy world.

In the fantasy world, it was still dark.

Shen Hao had once again found himself lying between Ji Dongge and Song Yongchi. He'd gotten a full night's sleep in the real world and now felt completely refreshed.

Under the bed, the one-eyed white cat was sleeping. When it noticed Shen Hao and their eyes met, it was startled and quickly retreated under the bed.

The white cat, once a mighty creature, was now hiding like a coward. It remembered well that Shen Hao wasn't fond of it and feared he might roast it for dinner.

'How could a fallen tiger be so humiliated? When will I regain my strength?'

'A mere mortal in the innate realm… Back then, one swipe of my paw could have taken him down. Now, I have to tolerate this!'

The white cat paused as it thought back. 'Wait… Innate realm? Wasn't he at the third level of the acquired realm just yesterday? How did he suddenly breakthrough to the first level of the innate realm overnight? Has he been secretly using drugs?'

Curiosity piqued, the white cat wanted to sneak out and check, but it was terrified that Shen Hao might catch it and throw it out. Now weak as a kitten, it could hardly defend itself.

'Fine, let him be arrogant for a while longer. I'll let it slide.'

Shen Hao had spent three days in the real world, during which he had been inundated with short videos—mostly of people wearing tight clothes, showing off their bodies. They were all suggestive content, and Shen Hao had little willpower to resist.

So, he asked the maid for help, much to the frustration of the one-eyed cat lying under the bed. The cat could hear all the noise upstairs and was deeply annoyed, curling up to cover its ears.

Later that night, Shen Hao visited Liu Baoshan's old mansion, only to find that it had been replaced by the Li residence. Not only was it well-lit, but there were soldiers patrolling.

Shen Hao waited until the patrol passed and sneaked into the Li residence.

His purpose was to find the beast's core that had been stored in Liu Baoshan's memory. It was a precious item.

Shen Hao crept through the dark, following Liu Baoshan's memory. He reached the study, but to his surprise, the mansion was heavily guarded. At least twenty soldiers patrolled, their eyes fierce and watchful.

Peering through the light, he spotted two figures entering.

Shen Hao thought it was odd. The Li family was involved in this?

Suddenly, a memory surfaced in Shen Hao's mind from the memories of Shen Tu Lie.

"This is the residence of the governor of Yangling, Li Chongyan's nephew, Li Zhikun."

According to Shen Tu Lie's memories, Li Zhikun was a practitioner at the third level of the innate realm, while his father, Li Chongyan, was at the seventh level.

"Damn it, this is just going to make things more difficult," Shen Hao muttered to himself.

Just as he prepared to leave, he overheard voices from inside.

"Monitor everyone in the Lu family's Escort Bureau. Don't let anyone slip through," said one voice.

"Governor, why not strike tonight?"

"Fool!" Li Zhikun growled angrily before calming himself and replying, "We need to act strategically. We cannot alert the enemy too soon. We don't yet know how many people are aware of the situation. If we act, we need to capture everyone, no one can escape."

Shen Hao listened, feeling anxious. 'What the hell? These idiots killed Shen Tu Lie, a master at the seventh level of the innate realm, and they think they can pull this off?'

His mind raced. 'This isn't a good situation. I have to warn Lu Junsheng.'

Shen Hao decided to leave the Li residence and find Lu Junsheng to inform him of the impending danger. After half an hour of searching through the city, he finally found Lu Junsheng.

To Shen Hao's surprise, Ma Laoliu was with him—seemingly tagging along for the ride.

Shen Hao quickly filled Lu Junsheng in on what he had overheard. Lu Junsheng's face turned pale.

"Get rid of the valuables, we need to flee the city immediately!" he ordered, turning to the members of the Lu family Escort Bureau.

Though the city gates were closed, to someone of the innate realm, the soldiers guarding them were no match. The gatekeepers were swiftly killed with a slash to the throat.

Once the gates were open, Lu Junsheng turned to Shen Hao, deeply grateful.

"Shen Gongzi, you've saved us. I cannot thank you enough. Should you ever need anything, I will lay down my life to repay this favor."

Shen Hao shook his head. "No need for the formalities. Where are you headed?"

Lu Junsheng responded, "We'll head to the capital. With Li Chongyan colluding with the North Wilderness, we'll be safe there."

Shen Hao agreed, "Heading south to the capital sounds like a good plan."

"What about you, Shen brother? When will you leave?" Lu Junsheng asked.

Shen Hao nodded, "Don't worry, I'll leave soon."

With that, the two parted ways.

However, as Shen Hao was about to leave, he noticed that Ma Laoliu had not yet departed.

"Old Liu, why aren't you leaving?" Shen Hao asked.

Ma Laoliu explained, "I need to return to Yangguan Town. My wife and child are still there."

Shen Hao frowned. "You know that going back is dangerous, right? You may never return."

"Even if it's dangerous, I have to go. Please, Gongzi, I must go," Ma Laoliu insisted.

Shen Hao sighed and said, "If you must go, just shout about Li Chongyan's plans to rebel as soon as you're in the streets. Someone will hear you. Maybe you'll still have a chance."

Ma Laoliu nodded, deeply grateful. He bowed down to Shen Hao.

"Thank you, Shen Gongzi. I will never forget your kindness."

"Enough, stop wasting time and go," Shen Hao urged.

An hour later, Shen Hao returned to the city.

He left the bodies of the gatekeepers at the Li residence and waited for the patrol soldiers to find them.

Soon, the guards discovered the bodies.

"Damn it, these are the city gate guards. Something's wrong. Go report to the governor!" one soldier shouted.