"So, you're the baby thief!"
Duke widened his eyes, staring at the bundle behind the yellow creature, his teeth clenched in anger.
Seeing the bundle behind the creature, Duke couldn't pretend not to understand anymore. The creature he had come across was indeed the trafficker who stole babies throughout the city.
But who could have imagined that the notorious kidnapper everyone was searching for in the city turned out to be a ghost?!
Wait!
Another thought occurred to Duke. If this creature in front of him was the mastermind behind the baby thefts, then what was the reason for Qian Suisui leaving the city to pursue?
To lure the enemy away?
At this realization, Duke couldn't help but click his tongue. It seemed that this baby-stealing creature had an organization, a gang, and a plan.
But what enabled this creature to evade the entire city's search and successfully steal children?
Just as Duke was pondering, the yellow creature suddenly let out a low growl, followed by a series of shivers.
Meanwhile, the shepherd's corpse deflated like a deflating balloon, quickly turning into a shriveled human skin.
The creature took a few steps back, and from its throat came a suppressed yet satisfying growl.
"Roar~"
Hearing this low growl, Duke's hair stood on end.
The growl was unnervingly menacing.
But the yellow creature didn't look in his direction; it merely grabbed the human skin from the ground, opened its mouth, and swallowed it whole.
Satisfied with devouring the skin, the creature patted its belly and then, carrying the bundle, swiftly sank into the ground.
Duke watched this scene with wide eyes. No wonder no one could find the trace of this creature—apparently, it relied on underground movement.
As soon as he saw the creature disappear underground, Duke quickly took a deep breath and captured a trace of its spiritual aura, storing it in his mind.
But as soon as the yellow creature completely vanished into the earth, Duke sensed its spiritual aura rapidly heading towards the outskirts of the city.
"Damn, so fast?"
Duke cursed inwardly, "Aren't you afraid of smashing into a granite layer in the ground and getting yourself killed?"
He had initially intended to call Stuffy Gourd and track the creature together.
However, the creature's speed exceeded Duke's imagination. If he turned back to call Stuffy Gourd, the creature would have long vanished without a trace. Even if Duke captured its spiritual aura, it would be useless.
Realizing this, Duke dismounted from Thirteen's back and said to him, "Thirteen, go home and inform Old Li that the baby thief is a yellow creature. Tell him to find Stuffy Gourd. I'll go ahead and chase after it. You and Stuffy Gourd can catch up with me later."
With these words, Duke leaped from Thirteen's back, following the spiritual aura of the creature, scaling walls and leaping rooftops, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Seeing White Cat leave so quickly, Thirteen was momentarily stunned but quickly turned and trotted towards his own home.
He needed to deliver the message quickly.
Following the familiar scent, Thirteen ran fast all the way.
Old Li's house was about a market's distance away from the desolate courtyard, yet Thirteen managed to return home within the time it takes to brew a pot of tea.
Facing the closed gate, Thirteen didn't bother knocking. Instead, he quickly jumped up, climbed the wall, and entered the house.
Then Thirteen rushed forward, bursting into Old Li's room without stopping, and leaped high, smashing down towards Old Li on the bed.
In that instant when Thirteen was about to strike, Old Li opened his eyes and raised his hand to catch Thirteen as he came down, and at the same time asked, "What happened?"
"Woof... Arf!"
Thirteen barked and conveyed the message from the White Cat to Old Li. After Old Li sensed Thirteen's meaning through his spiritual perception, before he could react, Thirteen broke free from Old Li's grasp and rushed out of the room, leaping over the wall and leaving.
Seeing the dog run so fast, Old Li sighed and said, "He runs so fast, truly worthy of a dog from the north."
As he spoke, Old Li sat up and pulled out a wooden box from under his bed.
Old Li opened the box and took out a small saddle, which he tossed out directly.
After the saddle was thrown by Old Li, it flew straight out of the room, chasing after Little Ha who had already run out of the house.
"Although it should have been given to them when they left, it seems it's not too early to send it out now!"
Old Li muttered to himself while looking at the remaining items in the wooden box.
Among them were a bell, a damaged embroidered ball, and a long sword with a broken scabbard in the middle. The appearance of the sword was ordinary, but it was broken along with the scabbard.
Looking at the broken sword and the damaged embroidered ball in the box, Old Li lowered his eyelids and took out the bell from the wooden box, rubbing it in the palm of his hand.
"I intended to give him the White Steed Bell, but it seems he prefers the crown given by the common people during the day, so let's change it!"
As Old Li spoke, the bell quickly melted into a pool of molten iron, flowing through his fingers and falling into the box, turning into ingots of iron sparkling with speckled starlight.
"Besides, I should also make a move, so that people don't forget that there is an old fellow like me in Mao City."
Old Li closed the wooden box and pushed it under the bed, then took some clothes from the side and put them on.
At the same time, Thirteen was running madly in the darkness.
With all his strength urging him on, his eyes shimmered with a different radiance. Although he was still a young pup, when he ran, he was even faster than an adult dog.
Thirteen, who was like a gust of wind sweeping through the streets, did not notice that there was a streak of flowing light chasing after him from behind.
In the instant that the flowing light closed in on him, it melted directly and quickly wrapped around Thirteen.
When the light faded, Thirteen had a saddle on his back.
Thirteen, who only glanced at the change on his body, suddenly felt an immense power surging within him, as if he could tread upon the sky.
With the surge of power, Thirteen leaped and landed on the roof of a nearby house, swiftly running along the eaves.
Lord Cat, wait for me, woof woof, I'm coming soon!
...........
"What the hell is this creature? How can it run so fast?"
Du Ke, who was continuously leaping and running on rooftops, sensed the increasingly distant spiritual aura of the creature and couldn't help but curse.
"I don't believe I can't catch up with you!"
Du Ke made up his mind and mobilized his internal energy, infusing his limbs and body, causing his speed to increase even more.
The city wall was now within sight, but the speed of the yellow ghostly creature showed no signs of slowing down.
In Du Ke's perception, the yellow creature went straight through the city wall and headed outside the city, erupting with even greater speed than before.
"Howl!"
Suddenly, a wolf's howl echoed.
Following the sound, the White Cat looked over and saw a silly dog wearing a tiger head hat and a red saddle on its back, rushing towards them at an incredibly fast speed.
"Didn't I tell you to go get someone?" Du Ke growled upon seeing that only the dog had arrived, and the dog responded with a howl.
Indeed, the dog had gone to fetch someone.
But being away from the White Cat, Wang Wang didn't feel at ease!
"Silly dog!"
Du Ke paused for a moment, understanding the dog's intention, and helplessly laughed as he scolded. But he also leaped high, and in that instant of the White Cat's leap, Thirteen swiftly arrived beneath the White Cat.
As Du Ke descended, he landed directly on the saddle on Thirteen's back.
The moment Du Ke's hand touched the saddle, his eyes widened. Unexpectedly, the saddle fit him perfectly.
And the saddle had grooves for his limbs to fit into.
Leaning on the saddle, Du Ke closed his eyes and sensed the already thinning spiritual aura, saying, "Can we leap over the city wall?"
As soon as the White Cat spoke, the silly dog immediately responded with action.
The dog exerted great force and leaped directly onto the city wall. While its paws deeply sank into the wall, it also rushed upwards along the vertical wall at a ninety-degree angle.
In just an instant, the dog had leaped over the city wall.
The soldiers guarding the city wall, upon hearing the sound and seeing a shadow flash past above their heads, witnessed it land on the road outside the city and head towards the distance.
"What in the world was that that just ran past?" one soldier squinted his eyes, trying hard to see, while another soldier, with a puzzled expression, said, "I don't know."
"Yeah, didn't see it clearly."
"It just whooshed by."
"You guys stay here and guard. I'll go report!"
"Alright!"
...
Just as the soldiers went to report, Thirteen had already taken Du Ke and run a distance of over ten miles.
Du Ke, lying on the saddle, tugged at his ear and guided the silly dog, marveling inwardly.
How did this dog run so fast?
And where did this saddle come from?
Was it a gift from Old Li?!
If it was from Old Li, it definitely wouldn't be something ordinary.
A magical tool? A spiritual tool? A treasure?
Forget it, no need to think too much. In any case, it's a good thing.
However, what puzzled Du Ke was that in his impression, the dog had never cultivated, but the abilities it displayed now were not something an ordinary young dog could possess.
Could it be that Old Li secretly taught the dog some cultivation techniques?
With this thought in mind, Du Ke also glanced at the dog. At this moment, the dog was focused on looking ahead, running swiftly like the wind.
If it was only the effect brought by the saddle, the white cat didn't believe it.
"It seems like I'll have to find an opportunity to ask Old Li about this!"
With that in mind, Du Ke's expression changed slightly because the yellow ghost creature had stopped, seemingly waiting for something.
"Did it spot us?"
Du Ke was startled. "Thirteen, stop, don't go any further!"
Upon receiving the cat's command, the dog immediately stopped. But with its previous speed, it wasn't something that could just stop on a whim.
The dog's four legs halted, plowing a shallow trench about seven or eight meters long in the soil.
Du Ke looked at the shallow trench formed by the upturned soil, feeling astonished.
Just how fast did the dog run earlier?
Moreover, they should now be at least a hundred miles away from Mao City!
Thinking this, the white cat took out handfuls of Moonlight Pills and Blood Feast Pills from the Black Cauldron space, feeding them to the dog. It also brought out Water Cleansing Pills for the dog to lick.
After making sure the dog was settled, Du Ke's figure disappeared from sight, activating his innate divine power and heading towards the spot where the yellow ghost creature had paused.
In just a few breaths, Du Ke arrived at the place where the yellow ghost creature had stopped.
Surprisingly, it was an open space in the woods. The newly sprouted trees didn't emit the vibrant feeling of spring in the dark night. Instead, they seemed like menacing demons.
As the yellow ghost creature rose from the ground, it also removed the bundle from its back.
In front of it, a person dressed as a Taoist walked out of the woods and took the bundle from the ghost creature's hand.
"Why is there only one tonight?"
The Taoist glanced at the bundle, scolding the ghost creature. It roared in response, showing no intention to argue.
Seeing the ghost creature's attitude, the Taoist coldly snorted, "It would be best if you find more of these Human Returning Pellets. Master is in urgent need."
"The Heavenly Dog is about to eat the moon, and if you delay, be careful of your own skin!"