Chapter 110: Pit-Father Item

Chapter 110: A Pit-Fall of an Item

“Zzzt…”

The Elvis speaker emitted a crackle of static, then lapsed into silence.

Zhang Yuanqing sat in a daze before his desk, but something within his mind was boiling, a thousand tangled threads, a churning sea, a chaotic mess.

After an indeterminate length of time, he finally broke free from the chaotic emotions, pinching the bridge of his nose as he sighed:

“Honestly, to think even you were a servant of the Crimson Eye Magistrate…”

Once the initial shock passed, those past clues and details converged in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, gradually piecing together the truth of the matter.

——The Demon Lord was a servant of the Crimson Eye Magistrate, and he had been controlled by the Crimson Eye Magistrate back when he was still very weak.

A certain audio recording from the past could bear witness; the Demon Lord had a mission every month to hunt Orderly Celestials, so who issued the mission?

Before this, Zhang Yuanqing had not understood, but if the Demon Lord was a servant of the Crimson Eye Magistrate, then the logic fell into place. The Crimson Eye Magistrate was a powerhouse within the Evil Profession faction, naturally opposed to the Orderly faction.

Arranging for a “servant” under his hand to suppress the Orderly Celestials within his jurisdiction (the East District Branch of the Psychic Society) was perfectly reasonable.

Yuan Ting of the Taiyi Sect had said that the Demon Lord was capricious and of an unyielding temperament, stewing Orderly and Evil professions in the same pot. This was because Night Walkers belonged to the Orderly profession; if Orderly killed Orderly, and if they encountered someone with reputation points, the Demon Lord would have his morality points deducted.

Therefore, the Demon Lord had to hunt the Evil professions to ensure he would not be wanted by the Spirit Realm.

“When the Demon Lord was very weak, he was controlled by the Crimson Eye Magistrate. He struggled to survive, working hard to find a way to break the control of the Holy Grail, until he was about to reach the supreme peak and finally saw hope.

“Then, together with Brother Bing, who was also a servant, they hunted the Crimson Eye Magistrate together… All the information I obtained before can verify this deduction. The motive and logic match perfectly.”

Zhang Yuanqing continued to ponder, and now having clarified the Demon Lord's motive for hunting the Crimson Eye Magistrate, combining it with the mysterious person…

His expression suddenly turned grim, an eerie, spine-chilling deduction surfacing in his mind:

If the Demon Lord was a servant of the Crimson Eye Magistrate, then his identity profile must have been recorded on the roster.

If, if that mysterious person was one of the Demon Lord's people, the purpose of tearing out a page of the roster was not to cover up Brother Bing's identity information, but rather, by coincidence, Brother Bing and he were recorded on the very same page.

“It shouldn't be. If the Demon Lord isn't dead, how did Brother Bing get his character card? Come to think of it, Li Dongze once said that character cards are issued by the Spirit Realm, but my character card was given to me by Brother Bing…”

Thinking of this, Zhang Yuanqing's scalp suddenly went numb.

“If it really is the Demon Lord, then his reason for not killing me is terrifying to think about. No, I must confirm whether he is dead or not.”

Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his face to steady his mind, pulled a notebook from the drawer, and wrote down:

“How does a Spirit Realm Celestial break a character card?”

“How do you obtain someone else's character card?”

Once I figure out these two questions, I can probably deduce a lot of things, but I absolutely cannot ask the official organization, especially Fu Qingyang—he knows too much… Zhang Yuanqing twirled his ballpoint pen, targeting an individual in his mind.

Master Wuhen!

Master Wuhen belonged to the Evil profession, a faction completely severed from the Orderly professions, and because he belonged to the Chaotic Good camp, he would not harbor malice or pose a threat to him. Furthermore, Master Wuhen's level was high enough.

Inquiring of him was better than inquiring of the Palace Master of Zhisha.

Although the Palace Master belonged to the Orderly camp, one couldn't overlook the fact that she was a total psycho.

“Whether there's business or not, I can go show my face at Master Wuhen's place, cling to his thighs, and shamelessly beg for an income-dream jade talisman, unless he explicitly tells me not to come back…”

Zhang Yuanqing still had plenty of confidence in his social skills and thick skin.

Having made up his mind, he put away the Elvis speaker, pulled up the blanket, and fell into a deep sleep.

…

The next day, Zhang Yuanqing woke up to his grandmother's repeated calls, lying spread-eagled on the bed as he stretched his back.

After a night's rest, his condition had completely recovered.

Coming into the living room, his cousin Chen Yuanjun had just finished breakfast, pulling out a tissue to wipe his mouth as he nodded to his younger cousin, then said:

“Grandma, I'm heading to work.”

Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback: “Brother, today is Sunday.”

Chen Yuanjun said helplessly: “Something came up over at the Third Primary School. We have to cordone off the scene and maintain order… An old man also died in a nearby neighborhood. My colleagues said it was an accidental fall from the building, but the next-door neighbors said someone was fighting downstairs that night.

“The deceased's family believes he was murdered, and they've been making a scene at the security bureau since early morning. There's a lot to do today…”

He really was murdered. A single yell left the Black Impermanence dazed from the scolding, and I didn't even have time to save him… Zhang Yuanqing sighed silently.

The old men and old ladies of Songhai had always possessed fierce tempers; if anyone displeased them, they would dare point at the nose of the Jade Emperor himself to scold him. Unfortunately, his luck was bad, running into a tough nut like the Black Impermanence.

Once Chen Yuanjun left for work, Zhang Yuanqing picked up a bun and took a bite, asking as he ate:

“Grandma, where's Auntie?”

“Sleeping in her room. Today's Sunday, I can't be bothered to manage her.” Grandma placed a fried dough stick into her grandson's bowl, then fished out five hundred yuan in paper bills from her pocket, saying:

“Living expenses for next week.”

“Thank you, Grandma.”

Zhang Yuanqing was a big shot worth five hundred thousand now, but it wasn't good to refuse the living expenses given by his family. He couldn't exactly say: Your grandson licks blood from the blade all day, killing people and seizing goods, and is no longer short on money now.

Grandma grandly slapped down the five hundred yuan and went out to the balcony to water the flowers. At this moment, his aunt, wearing pink cotton pajamas with a Pikachu printed across the chest, shuffled out in slippers.

She narrowed her eyes listlessly, her beautiful hair tossed in a messy tangle, exuding an air of laziness.

Come to think of it, although his aunt was the sweet and obedient type, her figure was still very formidable; the Pikachu had filled out quite a bit.

Jiang Yu'er sat down beside her nephew and shouted: “Mom, where's my porridge!”

“Can't you go to the kitchen and scoop it yourself?” Grandma scolded.

Jiang Yu'er acted spoiled: “Mom, don't you love me anymore.”

“Beat it!”

“…” She went into the kitchen crestfallen.

Zhang Yuanqing waited for his aunt to return carrying the white porridge, then asked: “We didn't play video games last night, why did you sleep so late?”

“My aunt came to visit!”

“Does your aunt visit twice a month?”

“Mind your business!” His aunt raised her hand, a fierce hand-chop landing with a thud right on her nephew's noggin: “Since when is it a junior's turn to lecture in front of an aunt.”

The aunt who had just displayed her might was immediately pinned down on the dining table, her hands twisted behind her back by her nephew.

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his aunt's upturned, curvaceous rear, and a thought uncontrollably flashed through his mind: Such a beautiful backside, what a pity it doesn't grow a pig's tail…

Fuck!

He swore in his mind, immediately letting go of his aunt and sitting up straight with formal propriety.

Jiang Yu'er, who was just about to call for her mother to see how her nephew was bullying her, froze for a moment: “Why did you wimp out?”

Zhang Yuanqing sneered: “Woman, you can no longer attract me.”

Then, he added tearfully in his heart: Sows have gradually entered my field of vision…

“Want to go shopping in a bit?” Jiang Yu'er said.

“No, I have things to do this morning. I'll see about this afternoon depending on the time.”

……

In the dim room, an orange desk lamp cast a faint glow.

Before a solid brown wooden desk, a burly, strapping man made a "pop" sound as he uncorked a glass test tube and drank the pale gold liquid in one gulp.

He let out a sigh of satisfaction as the sword gashes and claw marks covering his body healed rapidly, leaving no scars.

Then, this Fire Master looked toward the black-robed Great Protector standing by the window watching the rain, speaking in a deep voice:

"I just received news that Black Impermanence has been killed, and the Holy Grail has fallen into the hands of the Songhai branch. Great Protector, we have no chance left."

By the window, the Great Protector watched the rain quietly. After a long silence, he spoke in a raspy voice:

"Who killed Black Impermanence?"

The Fire Master snorted coldly, "Yuan Shi Tian Zun. The official database shows he just received an A-class merit. Heh, an A-class merit. I remember that to become an elder, besides having a high enough level, one needs at least one A-class merit. If Black Impermanence wasn't killed by him, on what grounds did he get an A-class?"

The Great Protector said, "Find a way to kill him. Additionally, release the news that Black Impermanence has been eliminated and the roster has fallen into the hands of the Five Elements Alliance, to stimulate the fallen ones on the roster."

……

At nine-thirty in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing walked into the lobby of the "Wuhen Hotel" with a backpack on his back and a face full of smiles, heading straight for the front desk.

"Auntie Xiao Yuan, I'm here again." Zhang Yuanqing leaned closer to the front desk.

The glamorous auntie, dressed in a wine-red small suit paired with a white shirt, glanced at him and said flatly, "What is it this time?"

"I came to thank Auntie Xiao Yuan for your help last time. Black Impermanence has been eliminated, and the Holy Grail incident is resolved." As Zhang Yuanqing spoke, he unzipped his backpack, took out a stack of paper currency, and placed it on the counter:

"Here is one hundred thousand. The extra fifty thousand is my personal token of appreciation."

"Black Impermanence is dead?" Auntie Xiao Yuan raised an eyebrow, a flash of surprise passing through her cold eyes, followed by wariness.

The capability of the Five Elements Alliance had exceeded her expectations; they had actually rooted out and killed Black Impermanence in such a short time.

She knit her exquisite brows and said, "I recall that the one responsible for this matter was the deacon of Kangyang District, Fu Qingyang of the White Tiger Troops."

Zhang Yuanqing said, "It was him, but in this incident, I am the one who deserves the top credit."

Xiao Yuan completely ignored his words, her wariness of Fu Qingyang deepening in her heart.

Directly after, she shifted her attention to the thick stack of cash, fell silent for a moment, and accepted the one hundred thousand.

For a group like theirs living in the cracks, with the constraints of moral values and hunts by official walkers, their sources of income were extremely limited. Their life could not be called destitute, but it was absolutely far from wealthy, and a lack of funds would cause great inconvenience.

Maintaining channels, scouting for information, trading, and so on, all required money.

Spiritual Realm Walkers needed to live too.

Seeing Auntie Xiao Yuan accept the money, Zhang Yuanqing immediately said, "Actually, I have one more presumptuous request."

……Auntie Xiao Yuan’s heart sank.

"I want to meet Master Wuhen." Zhang Yuanqing had a sincere look on his face.

Xiao Yuan looked down at the money in her hand, her eye twitching slightly, and said with a cold face, "Wait a moment! I can only ask on your behalf. Whether he sees you or not is Master Wuhen's business."

With that, she stepped into her high heels and walked toward the elevator.

A minutes later, the elevator descended, and Auntie Xiao Yuan returned, nodding:

"Go on up!"

Zhang Yuanqing took the elevator to the fourth floor and stopped in front of the second door on the left, which was Room "404".

He grabbed the doorknob and gently turned it open.

The scene before his eyes distorted like ripples of water, the door disappeared, and the hotel corridor turned into a simple yet spacious grand hall. The red carpet beneath his feet became mottled stone bricks. Under the caisson ceiling painted with gods and Buddhas across the sky, a large golden Buddha lowered its eyes while holding a flower, its expression seemingly compassionate, majestic, and stern all at once.

Zhang Yuanqing pressed his palms together and bowed to the figure on the futon: "Master Wuhen."

"What is the matter?"

An ethereal, deep voice carrying endured pain echoed out.

"This junior has two doubts and wishes to ask for Master's guidance." Zhang Yuanqing said, "How can a Spiritual Realm Walker unbind a character card without dying? How can I obtain someone else's character card?"

Master Wuhen pondered for two or three seconds and slowly said:

"For any Spiritual Realm Walker, only death can unbind a character card. Even the five alliance chiefs of the Five Elements Alliance and the supreme leaders of evil organizations are no exception.

"As for how to obtain another person's character card, I have never heard of such a method. However, based on my meager knowledge, there must be a prerequisite, which is being inside the Spiritual Realm."

Even the five alliance chiefs cannot unbind a character card? Given Master Wuhen's level and status, since he dared to say so, he must be certain.

So the Demon Lord is truly dead?

Only inside the Spiritual Realm can one obtain someone else's character card; this I can understand, because after a walker dies, the Spiritual Realm reclaims the character card. To "intercept" it, one must definitely be inside the Spiritual Realm.

Even Master Wuhen is unaware of such a method, yet Brother Bing managed to do it... Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and asked again:

"High-level Night Wanderers have immortal souls. Is there a possibility of feigning death?"

"Feigning death makes it impossible to unbind a character card. If the character card is unbound, they must be dead," Master Wuhen said.

Hearing this, the suspicion in Zhang Yuanqing's heart began to waver.

The sect master of Taiyi said the Demon Lord was dead, and Master Wuhen also said unbinding the character card meant death. Could his own deduction be more reliable than

Zhang Yuanqing's demeanor shifted, like a man long plagued by a chronic illness finding a skilled physician, and he spoke at breakneck speed:

"It's like this, Aunt Xiaoyuan. I recently obtained a piece of equipment for the Witch Doctor profession. Its cost is a gradual change in sexual orientation—no, in species orientation. To be honest, today when I looked at my aunt, I felt it was a shame she wasn't a pig.

"But I haven't used it; I just placed it in my inventory."

Aunt Xiaoyuan's eyes held a glint of pity:

"Some item costs are slow-acting but never cease. The moment you put it in your inventory, it recognizes you as its master, and the effect has already begun.

"Some item costs are visible and straightforward; you pay after use and need not consider them beforehand.

"The degradation of the Witch Doctor profession belongs to the former category."

Zhang Yuanqing, listening with a trembling heart, immediately said, "Aunt Xiaoyuan, I plan to sell it to you cheap."

Aunt Xiaoyuan sneered. "What would I want it for? To gradually develop an interest in boars?"

Keep it for yourself.

Zhang Yuanqing's face was full of despair.

…

What a bloody nuisance, even more infuriating than the Heavenly Toad Incense Burner that poisoned an entire tribe… Zhang Yuanqing walked out of the hotel, deeply vexed by how to deal with the "Scarecrow."

This item was undoubtedly very powerful, capable of tainting and corroding even the Red Dancing Shoes, making it a strategic-level weapon in peer combat.

But the cost was truly unbearable. Black Wuchang was an evil profession, rotten to the core, and had no concern whatsoever about changing species orientation. As for why Aunt Xiaoyuan didn't want it, it was probably because she didn't consider herself evil; she had a heart that yearned for good.

Therefore, she would rather give up the chance to strengthen herself.

I, too, have a heart that yearns for good… Zhang Yuanqing made his decision: "The best course is to hand it over to the organization and exchange it for an item."

Just as he was thinking, his phone rang. It was Fu Qingyang calling.

"Hello, Centurion?" Zhang Yuanqing answered the phone.

"Come over to my place. The branch has determined your reward. In addition to merits and a bonus, the elders have decided to reward you with two items, chosen from ten items."

Fu Qingyang's voice was still cold, but to Zhang Yuanqing's ears, he was like a veritable harbinger of wealth.

"Yes, Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed.