161: Chapter 161 The Old Fox

"Hello there, little fellow. Have we met before?"

Moss leaned slightly toward Hu Wang, speaking with a faint smile.

"Or to put it another way... should I know you?"

From Xing Yaoyan's perspective, the white fox's body froze for a moment, but he quickly masked his shocked expression and said emotionlessly:

"No... it's just that you look a bit like an acquaintance of mine. He was also named Moss... Mr. 'Actor'."

Xing Yaoyan glanced at Hu Wang. She could sense the shock in his words just now.

Who was Senior Hu Wang? He was a Reincarnation of a Great Demon. With his eyesight, how could he possibly mistake someone so easily?

Combining this with what Moss had said earlier, an extremely bold guess formed in Xing Yaoyan's heart—could it be that the original owner of this so-called Moss's body was an acquaintance from Hu Wang's past life?

Interesting...

Xing Yaoyan withdrew her gaze. Her current persona didn't allow her to pay too much attention to Hu Wang, and given that old fox's strength, she was truly afraid of being recognized by him.

"Moss, focusing on the task at hand is more important."

Xing Yaoyan reminded him softly, not wanting to get too entangled with Hu Wang and the others.

"I am doing the task right now~"

Xing Yaoyan suddenly turned her head to look at Xiao Meng and Hu Wang again, her shock beyond words.

Could it be... this newcomer is Xiao Meng?!

But she quickly realized:

Right, Senior Hu Wang just called out Moss's code name from the Bridge of Worlds...

"Hello, Mr. 'Actor'. New organization member 'Yi Meng' reporting to you."

The young girl in the white training suit suddenly spoke up.

It seemed she had seen Hu Wang's predicament and was trying to bail him out.

"Not bad, not bad..."

Moss clapped his hands lightly, then casually pressed down the brim of his top hat and turned to walk back.

"Now that we've picked up the person, let's go..."

Suddenly, after taking just one step, Moss turned his head slightly.

"Young Miss Yi Meng, please keep your Star Beast under control. Also, your disguises won't do... It seems I'll have to have you learn some camouflage techniques from 'Phantom Butterfly' later so you aren't discovered so easily during missions..."

Xing Yaoyan smiled knowingly upon hearing this.

It seemed Senior Hu Wang had been too excited and had actually spoken out loud, directly exposing his identity...

"Huh? Did Little White do something just now... I only saw you suddenly lean in, and I thought it was strange?"

Xiao Meng's words instantly froze the two who were about to leave.

Right! Voice Transmission! So Hu Wang only pretended to open his mouth, but actually used Voice Transmission... everything that just happened was his test...

Xing Yaoyan whipped her head back to look at the white fox already lying on Xiao Meng's shoulder with squinted eyes, waves of shock crashing through her heart.

It was one thing for her not to notice the transmission, but more importantly, even this seven-mark Star Beast beside her hadn't noticed a thing. That was truly astonishing.

To have such a bizarre Move at only the third rank...

Unknowingly, Xing Yaoyan felt a chill.

"As expected of a mythical grade Beastmaster's Star Beast... it's truly special..."

Moss's face still held that somewhat perfect smile, but Xing Yaoyan could sense a slight stiffness in it.

This old fox...

Xing Yaoyan shook her head.

I hope he didn't see through anything on my end...

...

An underground bar in Kyoto.

The surroundings were filled with garish, blinding lights, girls performing vigorously in cages, and a DJ covered in piercings on the high platform...

Visiting such a place for the first time, Xing Yaoyan only felt a wave of discomfort.

"It's so noisy... why is the organization's base in a place like this..."

Following behind, Xiao Meng covered her ears and moved cautiously, afraid of bumping into the guests who were dancing and reeking of alcohol.

"It's hidden enough, and with so many people, it's perfect for dealing with Enforcers on routine inspections. Of course, they're usually too lazy to enter a place like this..."

Hu Wang explained considerately.

He didn't use Voice Transmission this time; the music in the bar was so loud that no one would notice his words anyway.

Suddenly, Xiao Meng felt a dark shadow flash before her eyes.

Thump!

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."

Realizing she had accidentally bumped into someone, the girl quickly apologized.

"Hmm?"

The burly man turned around, struggling to open his hazy, drunken eyes to look at the petite figure before him, and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Yo! What a pretty little thing. Looking at you, you must still be a student, so fresh and tender..."

"You!"

Xiao Meng had never heard such filthy words before and for a moment didn't know how to talk back.

"Aiya, coming to a place like this at your age, everyone knows what you're here for... I bet today's your first day. How about this, I just opened a private room, come with me. I'll give you a hundred Spirit Crystals for one time, that's ten thousand Credits!"

"I..."

Xiao Meng backed away in fear.

Seeing the girl's 'playing hard to get' appearance, the drunkard grabbed for her wrist.

"Don't be afraid, I'll be very gentle... Ah!"

As if touched by something, the drunkard whipped his hand back.

Three deep scratches, visible to the bone, had appeared on the back of his greasy hand.

He was first startled, then lowered his head to glare angrily at the culprit who caused his injury.

"I didn't notice this beast just now!"

It turned out that Hu Wang, who had been staying in the girl's spirit rune, had come out at some point and was now crouched fiercely in front of her, shielding her.

His claws were stained with red blood, and bits of flesh could be seen clinging to his talons. It was clear how vicious that strike had been.

Sensing the faint third-rank aura emanating from the white fox, the drunkard chuckled.

In the next moment, a massive surge of spiritual energy erupted from his bloated body.

Fourth rank!

Hu Wang's brow furrowed slightly. At the same time, violent spiritual power manifested around his body.

The red spiritual power was almost tangible. Although its aura wasn't as strong as the drunkard's, the quality of the spiritual power undoubtedly far surpassed his opponent's.

"Little White, I'll help too!"

Xiao Meng also reacted quickly, circulating the spiritual power in her body with all her might.

"Look, isn't that the Little Tyrant, Liu Jia! This is the first time I've seen a girl dare to resist him. He's a fourth-rank Esper!"

"Don't say that, the girl isn't weak either. Plus, she seems to be a Beastmaster. Two third-ranks might not necessarily fail to escape him."

"Hahaha... anyway, there's a good show to watch!"