Chapter 121: The Eerie Old Woman

Chapter 121: Chapter 121: The Eerie Old Woman

Lin Ji’s gaze swept over the crowd.

He raised his hand, pointing toward a middle-aged woman standing at the edge.

"Her."

The woman’s expression changed.

"And her."

Lin Ji then pointed to a short, plump young girl with freckles on her face.

"Her."

"Her."

"The one in gray."

Lin Ji’s finger moved quickly.

Soon, seven or eight women had been singled out from the crowd.

These women were generally older, plain-looking, or even somewhat unattractive.

Due to their appearance and other factors, they had been rather fortunate when awakening their talent—all were C-grade, and two even reached B-grade.

Within the Rose Society, these individuals formed the backbone, responsible for various specific tasks.

The women who had been pointed out wore panicked expressions.

"President! We’ve been wronged!"

"I didn’t do it! He’s lying!"

"President, you can’t believe an outsider’s words!"

"He has ill intentions toward our Rose Society—this is an attempt to sow discord!"

They cried out in protest, their voices trembling with sobs.

Ye Xinglan watched them coldly.

Truthfully, she had harbored some suspicions about these people.

But without evidence before, and with the vice president—that fat man—stirring trouble in the middle, she hadn’t been able to take action.

Now...

Lin Ji withdrew his hand.

He looked at Ye Xinglan, his expression calm.

"I’ve rooted them out for you."

"Whether you believe it or not, and how you deal with it, is your own business."

He paused.

"Shouldn’t you give me those ten LV3 Crystal Cores now?"

Ye Xinglan nodded.

"What’s owed to you, I won’t withhold."

After speaking, she turned her gaze to the women who had been singled out.

Ye Xinglan’s eyes instantly turned icy.

A dangerous aura began to emanate from her.

"Traitors!"

Just two simple words.

The moment the words fell, Ye Xinglan raised her hand.

Hum—

An invisible ripple spread out from her as the center.

The seven or eight women who had been pointed out suddenly stiffened.

They felt as if the air around them had turned into solidified glue, trapping them firmly in place.

Not even a finger could move.

Spatial Imprisonment.

This was the power of Ye Xinglan’s A+ grade Spatial Talent.

"President! You believe him over us?"

"Ye Xinglan! Are you trying to drive us to our deaths?"

"We haven’t betrayed you!"

The women cried out.

But Ye Xinglan’s expression remained unwavering.

She looked toward the loyal confidants standing behind her.

"Tie them all up."

The confidants immediately sprang into action.

They took out specially made ropes and securely bound the seven or eight women.

Once this was done, Ye Xinglan turned and looked toward an old woman who had been standing quietly behind and to her side.

The old woman appeared to be in her seventies, her face covered with deep wrinkles, her back hunched, and leaning on a dark red wooden cane.

She had been standing there quietly, almost unnoticeable.

"Aunt Fu."

Ye Xinglan said softly.

"I’ll trouble you. Use Neurotoxin on them to seal their abilities."

The old woman slowly raised her head.

On her wrinkled face, a smile appeared.

The smile seemed kindly, but for some reason, it sent a chill down one’s spine.

"Hehehe..."

The old woman’s laughter was soft, carrying the hoarseness unique to the elderly.

"Rest assured, Guild Leader. This old woman will add a little something extra for them right away."

Leaning on her wooden cane, she tottered unsteadily toward the bound women.

Each step was taken slowly, making her truly appear like an ordinary old lady on the verge of death.

But Lin Ji’s pupils contracted slightly the moment he saw her move.

Within the vision of the Eye of Insight...

The energy fluctuations emanating from this Aunt Fu...

were terrifyingly profound.

It was a viscous, cold darkness, as if sedimented over countless ages.

The intensity of the fluctuations wasn’t particularly outwardly explosive, but their quality was alarmingly high.

They were even more unsettling than the spatial fluctuations emanating from Ye Xinglan.

A fine layer of cold sweat instantly broke out on Lin Ji’s back.

His brow furrowed tightly, his gaze locked firmly on the old woman leisurely approaching the captives.

This old woman...

was absolutely not simple.

The old woman walked up to the group of restrained women.

Although their bodies couldn’t move, their eyes were filled with terror, their pupils contracting violently.

Aunt Fu extended her withered fingers.

From within her robes, she pulled out several bone needles shimmering with an eerie green light.

"Shh... girls, don’t be afraid."

The old woman’s voice was as hoarse as nails scraping a blackboard, sending shivers down one’s spine.

"It’ll only hurt for a moment. You’ll lose feeling soon enough."

As soon as the words fell.

Aunt Fu’s hand suddenly moved.

The speed was so fast Lin Ji almost missed it!

The arm that had been trembling unsteadily a moment ago instantly transformed into several afterimages.

Those bone needles pierced with pinpoint accuracy into the carotid arteries of those seven or eight women!

Painful whimpers escaped the women’s throats.

Visible to the naked eye, several black venomous lines rapidly spread from their necks across their entire bodies.

In the blink of an eye, these members who had been struggling violently moments ago.

Their bodies went limp like mud.

The expressions on their faces contorted, clearly enduring considerable pain.

Neurotoxin, ability suppression!

After doing all this.

Aunt Fu didn’t even breathe heavily.

She slowly pulled out the bone needles, wiped them on her clothes, and tucked them back into her robes.

Then, the old woman slowly turned around.

Her murky eyes looked toward Lin Ji, who stood not far away.

"Ahem..."

Aunt Fu stood there somewhat hunched, offering Lin Ji a chilling smile.

"This young Captain has quite a sharp eye."

The moment he was fixed by those lifeless eyes.

Lin Ji felt all the muscles in his body instinctively tense up.

In his mind, the system actually transmitted a rare alert sound!

[Warning! Target possesses unknown high-level Energy Shielding!]

[Preliminary assessment: At least an A+ rank hidden profession or special Mutated Constitution.]

[Danger level: Extremely high!]

Lin Ji’s gaze turned completely cold.

He didn’t retreat, his hand still resting steadily on the hilt of his bone knife.

However, he didn’t act recklessly either.

Because the old woman before him gave him a sense of deadly threat, as if facing an abyss.

Even Ye Xinglan, an A+ grade Spatial Talent user, had never given him such immense pressure.

Just as the atmosphere on the deck grew oppressive and tense.

Ye Xinglan’s cool voice broke the silence.

"Aunt Fu, thank you for your hard work. Go and rest."

Aunt Fu withdrew her gaze.

"As you command."

Leaning on her wooden cane, she resumed her frail, tottering gait.

Slowly retreating behind Ye Xinglan, she withdrew all her presence.

As if she were truly just an ordinary old woman.

Ye Xinglan looked at Lin Ji.

The anger from earlier was gone from her eyes, replaced instead by a serious, appraising gaze.

"Captain Lin, your methods truly astonish me."

With a wave of her hand.

A trusted subordinate behind her immediately stepped forward and tossed over an exquisite cloth pouch.

"These are ten Level 3 Crystal Cores, the promised reward for exposing the traitor."

Lin Ji caught the pouch, casually weighing it in his hand.

The energy fluctuations were correct, and the count matched.

He tucked the pouch into his coat, his expression softening slightly.

"Now that the mole has been dealt with."

Lin Ji looked at Ye Xinglan’s stunning face.

"Shall we discuss our cooperation in landing on the island?"