"Oh? So you want me to be your enforcer?" Evan Yang said with a smile.
"It's not an enforcer—it's mutual assistance," the man replied.
"I'm just worried you might run off halfway. What then?" Evan sighed.
The man looked at Evan and said, "No need to worry about that. Since I'm asking for your help, I definitely won't run. I'll swear on my soul, how about that?"
Evan glanced around this unfamiliar place—finding another person here would be difficult. Since someone was willing to guide him, it was naturally good. As long as the other party promised not to run, there was nothing to worry about. Under Evan's supervision, the man swore on his soul.
After the Soul Oath was finished, Evan smiled and said, "Let's go."
The man composed himself, then said to Evan, "My name's Howling Wolf. And you?"
"Just call me Evan Yang," Evan replied.
"Evan Yang? Hmm, come on, I'll take you to Coldheart Gorge—lots of people are waiting for me there," Howling Wolf said with a grin.
Then, taking Evan with him, Howling Wolf flew all the way to their destination. It was an icy-cold place, like a snowfield but with no snow. According to Howling Wolf, the environment here made it extremely cold, so a special kind of wood grew here—Coldheart Wood.
This time, he'd received word that the Coldheart Wood was about to mature—it could be taken in the next few days. But there was only one piece, and it was precious to everyone, so a fierce struggle was inevitable. Howling Wolf, who originally had little confidence, now felt sure of himself with Evan Yang at his side.
They walked through the icy area and found a crowd gathered beneath a tree, each person wary of the others, afraid someone else would snatch it first.
"Hey, hey, I haven't even arrived yet—what are you all so nervous about?" Howling Wolf laughed from the back of the crowd.
Hearing his laughter, the crowd turned around and spotted Howling Wolf and Evan Yang.
One man sneered, "Isn't that Brother Howling? What, you want to fight for the Coldheart Wood too?"
"That's right, Brother Luo, I'm here for the same reason. But we're all competing fairly—no need to fight just yet, right?" Howling Wolf said with a grin.
"I couldn't care less about you, but you'd better not make a move, or you know what'll happen," the man sneered.
"You all can make a move, but I can't? Well, I'm not fighting with you right now—let's see who gets it first," Howling Wolf said, still smiling.
In the eyes of the crowd, Howling Wolf wasn't much of a threat, so they ignored him and kept their attention on the tree. The tree itself was slowly changing, its bark cracking as Evan Yang watched curiously.
The tree's bark peeled away bit by bit, leaving behind a pure white wood-heart that kept shrinking. When it was nearly as tall as a person, Howling Wolf turned to Evan and said, "Help me grab it."
"Now?" Evan Yang asked.
"Wait until it completely falls from the tree," Howling Wolf replied.
Evan nodded and watched the tree. When the wood-heart shrank to the size and thickness of an arm, it finally began to drop.
As soon as this happened, the crowd rushed forward—some even struck aside their neighbors. Evan flashed ahead, reaching the front; after all, his speed rivaled that of low-level Immortal Sovereigns.
After a brief scuffle, the crowd realized someone had already seized the Coldheart Wood. When they looked at Evan, their faces showed anger.
"Howling Wolf, who is this guy?" the man from earlier demanded.
"Brother Luo, he's my friend. Not bad, huh? Haha—I'm taking this." Howling Wolf took the Coldheart Wood from Evan and stowed it away.
"Damn it, Howling Wolf, hand it over! If you don't, we'll hunt you across the world—you'd better think carefully," the man said angrily.
"I've thought it through—snatching this means I'm your enemy for a day. Sorry, everyone!" Howling Wolf laughed, then signaled Evan. The two quickly flew off, but the crowd refused to let them go and gave chase.
Evan knew Howling Wolf's speed wasn't enough to shake their pursuers, so he said, "Let me give you a lift." With that, he grabbed Howling Wolf's shoulder and, after a few flashes, vanished from the crowd's sight.
"Damn it, who's that guy beside Howling Wolf?" the man surnamed Luo said angrily.
"No idea." The others all shook their heads, equally furious.
"Damn it, I will track him down! Give me back my Coldheart Wood!" the man stormed off, and the rest followed suit.
But things didn't end there. Soon, informants scattered across the region began moving, all aiming to find Howling Wolf—everyone knew he had the Coldheart Wood.
After dropping off Howling Wolf, Evan said, "That's it."
"Not bad! Really, thanks to you, I got the Coldheart Wood," Howling Wolf said gratefully.
"What's this wood for, anyway?" Evan asked curiously.
"First, for cultivation—it's useful for water-attribute cultivators. Second, for healing: if someone's burned by flames, this can restore them," Howling Wolf explained.
"So you're...?" Evan asked.
"I'm saving someone. Come on, let me give this to her, then I'll take you where you need to go," Howling Wolf said.
Soon, Evan and Howling Wolf arrived at a cave. Inside sat a woman, veiled, with several severe burn wounds on her body.
"How are you?" Howling Wolf asked, concern in his voice as he approached the woman.
"I'm fine, Wolf. But where did you go for so long? And who's this?" the woman asked. Howling Wolf replied with a smile, "I went to find something to heal you. This is my friend—he helped me, so I could get it."
"To heal me? Don't tell me you went after the Coldheart Wood!" the woman exclaimed, shocked.
"That's right. Look." Howling Wolf took out the Coldheart Wood, its chilling aura filling the air. Seeing it, the woman was moved but still scolded Howling Wolf, "Didn't I tell you not to go? If those people find out, we're finished."
"I don't care. If they're capable, let them come find me," Howling Wolf snorted.
Seeing Howling Wolf's stubbornness, the woman could only turn to Evan and say, "Thank you."
"No need to thank me—we were just helping each other," Evan replied.
"Helping each other?" the woman asked, puzzled.
Howling Wolf said, "I brought him here to find the place he wants to go, and he helped me seize this item."
The woman understood what had happened, but she was still grateful to Evan. If Evan hadn't been kind-hearted, he could have just forced Howling Wolf to comply, without making things so fair and cooperative.
Evan felt a bit awkward, but soon Howling Wolf had the woman take the Wood-Heart Core, then took Evan away. "She and I used to be happy together, but after she was seriously injured, things changed," Howling Wolf explained to Evan on the way out.
"Was she hurt by flames?" Evan asked. "Yes, a strange flame—very hot and evil, corrosive too," Howling Wolf replied.
"So how did you escape from the person chasing you?" Evan asked.
"We hid in a dense forest and used one of my magical treasures to temporarily mask our presence. That way, he couldn't find us, so we escaped and have been hiding in this cave ever since," Howling Wolf said.
"So that's what happened," Evan replied.
"What about you? Where do you want to go? You helped me so much, I should fulfill my promise," Howling Wolf said.
"I'm looking for someone, but I don't know where to start," Evan said.
"Who?" Howling Wolf asked.
Evan showed Howling Wolf an image and said, "Her name is Lydia Quinn. I don't know exactly where she is."
"She's very beautiful—must be a remarkable person. If you want to find someone, the best place for information is the All-Trades Pavilion," Howling Wolf said.
"Oh? Then take me there," Evan said.
"The All-Trades Pavilion charges according to the value of the information, and even the cheapest is expensive. I probably don't have enough Dark Spirit Stones for you," Howling Wolf said, embarrassed.
"Dark Spirit Stones? What are those?" Evan asked curiously.
"Dark Spirit Stones are energy stones found in certain mines around here. I used to look for them when I had nothing better to do, but I don't have many," Howling Wolf explained.
Evan pondered—if that's the case, he'd have to think of another way. He asked, "Is there any way to gather Dark Spirit Stones?"
"We can try the Private Trading Hall. I could trade some of my things for Dark Spirit Stones, but it depends on luck—only if someone there has Dark Spirit Stones and wants to trade. Otherwise, there's nothing we can do," Howling Wolf said.
"Take me there first. Whether we trade or not, we'll decide when we get there," Evan thought this place was likely an auction or barter market.
So Howling Wolf brought Evan to a city. The city was distinctive—built entirely of stones from the mountains, and even the houses were made of stone.
In the city, Howling Wolf looked around nervously, as if worried about something.
"What are you worried about?" Evan asked.
"I offended one group before, and now another. If either of them targets us, we'll be in trouble," Howling Wolf said.
Evan knew who Howling Wolf meant—one group was the people who had injured the woman, the other wanted the Wood-Heart Core.
Howling Wolf led Evan through side streets, avoiding the main road, and stopped in front of an ordinary house. "Let's go in," he said.
They entered, and inside was a different scene—many people, several floors, and outside you couldn't hear a thing from inside. Evan guessed there must be sound isolation here.
"What brings you two here?" asked the doorman.
"We're here to trade," Howling Wolf replied.