The fact that soul possession could also unseal the original body's strength was something Li Chonglou had never anticipated. This meant he had more trump cards!
After all, there were more than just one or two souls stored in the Soul Bottle. If he truly encountered any danger, he wouldn't need to forcibly break through the curse power. Who knew if doing so would bring about any irreversible harm!
"Brother Li, what's wrong?"
Yali Li, standing beside him, couldn't help but ask in confusion as she saw Li Chonglou suddenly stop.
A smile curved Li Chonglou's lips as he said, "We're not leaving. Let's participate."
"Ah?"
Yali Li's expression immediately froze. However, Li Chonglou offered no explanation. Instead, he turned around and began to survey his surroundings.
His earlier survey had been of the environment and layout. This time, however, he was observing people.
Yali Li quickly noticed the change and spoke again, "Brother Li, are you looking for someone?"
Li Chonglou nodded, simultaneously communicating with Shi Tou in his mind.
"How do we determine who is your descendant?"
"You walk around first. I only have a vague feeling that they are nearby, but I haven't been able to pinpoint the exact direction yet."
"Alright."
After finishing his communication with Shi Tou, Li Chonglou looked down at Yali Li.
"Wait for me here for a while. I'm going to take a walk."
With that, he walked towards the most crowded area. Yali Li obediently stayed put, but as she watched Li Chonglou's retreating back, a look of confusion appeared on her face.
Did Brother Li actually know other people here?
In Yali Li's impression, Li Chonglou had always been a reclusive peerless master. Even the mysterious friends he knew were mostly hidden companions. This was the first time she had encountered a friend of Brother Li's in an occasion like this, among people of such status.
"So, who could it be? A man or a woman?"
Yali Li's confusion soon turned into curiosity, but this emotion didn't last long before it was interrupted by someone.
"Oh, Miss Ya, where is your blockhead? Why did he leave you here alone? That bodyguard is too irresponsible."
It was Liu Qiang, still accompanied by Shen Yi and Shen Er, whom he always mentioned.
Yali Li's delicate eyebrows rose. She completely ignored the pleasantries and walked towards another side.
Met with a closed door, Liu Qiang's expression couldn't help but turn a bit unpleasant.
"Hmph, just wait until the competition starts. See how I toy with your bodyguard!"
Liu Qiang had already realized that the relationship between Yali Li and Li Chonglou was unusual, at least definitely not a normal employer-employee relationship. Therefore, after being rebuffed, Liu Qiang immediately decided to reclaim his prize on the擂台.
"If their relationship is truly unusual, perhaps I could even..."
Liu Qiang suddenly chuckled, his expression so lewd that even Shen Er Yan Bao couldn't stand it and turned his head away.
So vulgar!
As Yali Li walked further away, she was suddenly blocked by another figure.
"Beauty, can we get acquainted?"
Yali Li looked at the other person in astonishment, momentarily unable to react. This was because the woman standing before her was also a woman, wearing an evening gown, a strapless dress, and had short hair cut to her ears, appearing quite heroic and spirited.
However, the words "beauty" that came out of her mouth made Yali Li feel surprised. She had never encountered such a forward same-sex person before.
"Hello, hello."
Out of politeness, Yali Li, having regained her senses, nodded slightly to the other person. The short-haired woman's eyes suddenly lit up, and she walked over to affectionately link arms with Yali Li.
"Hello, I'm Hua Yin. There are many perverts here. Let's stick together, so they don't bother us."
Suddenly having her arm linked by a stranger, Yali Li instinctively wanted to break free. But upon hearing Hua Yin's words, she also felt they made sense.
If she were alone, it would indeed be easy for others to strike up a conversation. Having a companion could deter at least ninety percent of them. Yali Li thought for a moment and finally restrained herself.
"Hello, my name is Yali Li."
"Ah, are you from the Ya Group?"
"You've heard of me?"
Yali Li looked at Hua Yin with confusion. The other woman smiled slightly and nodded.
"I've heard a little. In that case, I must be a bit older than you, so can I call you Xiao Li from now on?"
"Yes, you can. But I really didn't expect you to have heard of me."
Yali Li felt extremely surprised because her return had been suppressed by Old Master Ya, and not many people in the circle knew about it, except for some banquets she absolutely had to attend.
And the surname Hua Yin, the moment she heard it, she understood that the other party was also one of the sixteen prominent families of Shangjing, and their family ranking was even higher than her Ya family's. For someone in this circle to know about her affairs, how could Yali Li not feel surprised?
However, Hua Yin offered no explanation and instead changed the topic. The two quickly became familiar with each other.
Hua Yin had a naturally outgoing personality, and Yali Li was also very easygoing. Under Hua Yin's initiative, the two hit it off immediately and soon became good friends.
Meanwhile, Li Chonglou had walked to the other side of the hall. However, throughout his walk, he had received no response from Shi Tou in his mind, until he reached the edge.
"Still no reaction?"
After a long pause, Shi Tou's voice finally echoed in his mind.
"It seems to have weakened further. Try walking back again?"
Whether it was uncertainty or something else, Shi Tou's tone was a little timid at the moment.
"Has this never happened before?"
Li Chonglou asked instinctively, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he realized he had asked a redundant question. Old Lin and the others had been trapped in the beast arena all along. This was their first time out, so it was naturally their first time encountering such a situation.
However, upon thinking of this, Li Chonglou suddenly recalled what Elder An had told him.
"Elder An, have you left the Lost Land before?"
He finally understood. If everyone truly was leaving for the first time, then why did Elder An know so much? And how did he know that after a soul body merged with a person, it could unseal the curse power?
"I'll explain this to you when there's an opportunity later."
Elder An quickly replied, but this answer made Li Chonglou somewhat uneasy.
What was he hiding?
The unknown was the most terrifying. Li Chonglou's heart immediately raised its vigilance towards Elder An.
Perhaps sensing his emotional change, Elder An explained.
"Little Li, don't misunderstand me. I have no ill intentions. This is actually not a big deal, but due to some personal reasons, I don't wish to mention it yet."
The communication between the soul body and him was public within the Soul Bottle, meaning other soul bodies could also hear their conversation.