Chapter 165: Burn

Chapter 165: Burning

Xiaoyuan finished speaking, waited silently for two seconds, then grasped the doorknob and gently turned it open.

The scenery before her shifted accordingly; the hotel corridor twisted in a ripple-like distortion, transforming into an ancient, solemn Buddhist hall. A towering Buddha statue sat with a flower pinched between its fingers, brows lowered, its eyes half-closed, half-open—both benevolent and ferocious.

Xiaoyuan scrutinized the Buddha statue for a moment, then quietly averted her gaze.

The temple was an illusory realm, born from the illusion in Master Wuxin's heart, not truly existent.

That statue, seeming both compassionate and wrathful, was a manifestation of Master Wuxin's inner self; he had conjured this temple and trapped himself within it.

The statue symbolized Master Wuxin's heart; so long as the statue remained still, Master Wuxin would not lose control.

The day the statue withdrew its benevolence and adopted the wrathful glare of a Vajra would prove that Master Wuxin could no longer contain the murderous intent in his heart.

"Master Wuxin, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable has aided Kou Beiyue in exacting her revenge. This child's past karma is settled; she wishes to return to your seat and cultivate anew," Xiaoyuan spoke sincerely:

"Please accept her."

The Buddhist hall fell silent; the blue-robed back remained towering and unmoving. After a dozen seconds, Master Wuxin's painfully suppressed voice echoed:

"Once is permissible, twice is not!"

Xiaoyuan breathed a sigh of relief, joy blooming in her voice: "Yes!"

She hurriedly lowered her head, pressed her palms together, and bowed to the Buddha statue.

Just as she was about to withdraw from the hall, a low, pained voice rang out by her ear once more:

"Have the Primordial Heavenly Venerable help search for evil professionals with good intentions in their hearts."

Entrust such an important matter to the Primordial Heavenly Venerable? Has Master Wuxin fully acknowledged him? Xiaoyuan froze, an indescribable surprise welling up in her heart.

When she agreed to join the "Return of the Dead" guild, Master Wuxin's reply had been: Then go verify it yourself.

This showed that Master Wuxin also cared deeply whether the Primordial Heavenly Venerable's philosophy was merely a superficial slogan; now, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable had finally proven his philosophy with concrete action.

Master Wuxin had fully accepted him, acknowledged him.

This small team had finally welcomed its first lawful professional.

"Good!"

A smile curved Xiaoyuan's lips.

...

*Ding!*

In the first-floor hall of the Fu Family Bay, on the expensive genuine leather sofa, Zhang Yuanqing fished out his phone; having read the message, he hurriedly looked toward Fu Qingyang opposite him:

"Centurion, Master Wuxin's side has replied. As expected, your foresight is divine—they've truly accepted me."

He flattered him without a trace of artifice.

Xiaoyuan had sent a message expressing gratitude and relaying Master Wuxin's request—to help find evil professionals inclined toward good.

This was effectively telling him that Master Wuxin regarded him as one of their own.

Finally, I can seek out Master Wuhen with a clear conscience. Even if I encounter the Demon-Eye Heavenly King, I’ll have the power to protect myself. On top of that, there’s the reward of two thousand Merit Points. Though I didn’t overly calculate the gains while doing these things, the returns are indeed high enough to be deeply gratifying…

Zhang Yuanqing rejoiced in his heart.

Fu Qingyang lifted his porcelain cup, took a sip of tea, rose, and said, “Good. Come with me to interrogate Chi Yue’an.”

Zhang Yuanqing hurried to his feet and followed. The two descended the double-flight staircase, returning once more to the first basement level.

“Centurion, last time you got Elder Dog’s permission to kill Steward Pang.”

They had just discussed Chi Yue’an’s case in the drawing room, and only then did he learn that Chi Yue’an had amassed over two billion in recent years, with more than half the funds flowing to unknown destinations—suspected to be the work of a bigger fish behind the scenes.

Zhang Yuanqing was more inclined to simply kill Chi Yue’an and question his spirit.

He was now a Level 3 Night Wanderer; combined with the Demon-Subduing Pestle, he could withstand the mental corruption of a Level 4 Orderly.

“That was an extraordinary period. How could the Copper Sparrow Tower compare to the importance of the Fallen Holy Grail and the Night Rose?” Fu Qingyang said indifferently.

Oh, so our rules and bottom lines are quite flexible… Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly.

Fu Qingyang, expressionless, said, “You were bad-mouthing me in your head?”

…Zhang Yuanqing hastily denied it: “No, no… Centurion, do you think Chi Yue’an might be a money-laundering tool for the Zhu clan?”

“Not the Zhu clan.” Fu Qingyang said indifferently.

Not the Zhu clan?

The tall, straight Centurion strode elegantly, explaining:

“The Zhu clan sells Life Essence to the Five Elements Alliance every year, netting profits of over ten billion, not counting the clan’s other industries. They can earn their money cleanly; why would they court a whole mess of trouble for such paltry gains? But the Zhu clan is a great clan, rife with factions. There are always some who, for the sake of profit, will worm their way into crooked paths…”

Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized: “You mean Chi Yue’an’s ex-wife?”

Fu Qingyang said indifferently: “It’s also possible Chi Yue’an is a member of another organization. We’ll only know after the interrogation. A pity the Tiger Tally has been sent back to Headquarters. And my lie-detection artifact has little effect on a Saint.”

No matter who is behind this, they must be rooted out. Such heinous cruelty cannot be forgiven! Zhang Yuanqing’s heart still “burned with lingering anger.”

Walking and talking, the two passed through a long corridor lined with cells, finally stopping at the very end.

Chi Yue’an was locked in this last cell.

He still wore his white suit, but it was wrinkled and stained. His slicked-back hair hung in disarray. A wooden cangue locked around his neck, and shackles bound his ankles.

He lay weakly on the bed.

The cangue and shackles were artifacts, but restraining a Saint was a stretch, so Ling Jun had additionally injected him with a vial of biotoxin.

Worth noting: artifacts can be brought into the Spirit Realm. In this state, if Chi Yue’an entered a dungeon instance, it would be certain death.

Hearing footsteps, Chi Yue’an immediately turned his head. He ignored Fu Qingyang, his gaze locking onto Zhang Yuanqing’s face.

A flash of fury and hatred crossed the Fire Master’s features. He gritted his teeth, enunciating each word:

“Yuan Shi Tian Zun!”

If one asked whom he hated most, it was undoubtedly Yuan Shi Tian Zun. Chi Yue’an didn’t even hate that Bewitching Fiend, because that guy was a nobody, incapable of making waves, posing no threat to him.

It was all because Yuan Shi Tian Zun meddled that the Copper Sparrow Tower was sealed, and he was reduced to a prisoner.

"I still preferred you last night, arrogant and overbearing as you were," Zhang Yuanqing sneered. "Look at yourself now—like a cur."

Hot-tempered as the Fire Master was, how could he stomach such mockery and provocation? Chiyue An's forehead bulged with veins, his eyeballs near popping from their sockets.

He tamped down the rage in his heart and suddenly let out a cold laugh:

"How long do you think your smugness will last? Colluding with an Evil class, investigating a case without authorization—even if you are the Primordial Heavenly Venerate, the Council of Elders will not let you off."

In a standoff where Order and Evil are locked in a death struggle, consorting with an Evil class is a heinous felony.

The Primordial Heavenly Venerate has no backing; no matter how great his merits, he cannot hope to escape accountability.

"Oh, that Evil class just left," Zhang Yuanqing said. "The Council of Elders says I'm innocent!"

Chiyue An sneered. "Keep up your bluster, then."

Fu Qingyang spoke blandly. "He is indeed innocent."

Hearing his endorsement, Chiyue An's face instantly stiffened, and he shouted, "Impossible! Consorting with an Evil class is a capital crime. You also severely injured and killed Enforcers..."

He refused to believe the powers behind the scenes would meekly await slaughter; they would surely step into the fray.

As a Steward, the Five Elements Alliance could dispose of him at will, but those magnates were not something the Five Elements Alliance could handle—even the Songhai Government would have to report to the Capital to deal with such people.

Before the Capital made its stance known, the magnates of Shakou District would naturally maneuver, and the violent enforcement by the Kangyang District Walkers' Squad was the perfect opening.

"Consorting with an Evil class was permitted by the Council of Elders. As for severely injuring Enforcers—sorry, that wasn't me," Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile.

What difference does that make? Chiyue An glared murderously.

"That guy's name is Ling Jun!" Zhang Yuanqing spat out the scoundrel's name.

Ling Jun... Chiyue An froze for a moment, his furious expression suddenly locking in place.

He knew this name—one of the Four Official Scions, the progeny of the Taichi Sect Master, his maternal grandfather the Grand Elder of the Hundred Flowers Society; in terms of lineage and background, he slightly surpassed even Fu Qingyang.

How could the magnates of Shakou District possibly use this as leverage against a Crown Prince of such standing? They lacked the capability.

Despair blanketed Chiyue An's heart.

Even more despairing, Zhang Yuanqing's voice came from beyond the iron door: "The Council of Elders' sentence for you is—death! Once headquarters approves, your death date arrives."

Chiyue An's whole being seemed to collapse, his gaze turning dull.

He had anticipated this, yet hearing it firsthand was still hard to accept; irrepressible despair and fear surged up.

Zhang Yuanqing shifted tack: "Chiyue An, you still have a chance. Confess the mastermind behind this, and we'll plead with the Council of Elders for life imprisonment—though you'll lose your freedom, it's better than death."

At these words, a spark of hope flared in Chiyue An's ashen pupils.

But the next second, Chiyue An sneered: "There is no mastermind. I did it alone. It has nothing to do with anyone else."

Zhang Yuanqing immediately looked to Fu Qingyang; interrogation was not his forte—he was a complete novice at it. Chiyue An was a Steward; he couldn't be hoodwinked with a few words.

This had to be left to a professional.

Sensing his subordinate's gaze, Fu Qingyang spoke evenly:

"Chiyue An, I've read your psychological evaluation—violent tendencies, sadistic inclinations. Every pathology has a cause. You were once the live-in son-in-law of the Zhu family, and that old matriarch of the Zhu clan shared the same sadistic proclivities. You suffered terribly at her hands, didn't you?"

After staying in that kind of environment for long, one usually develops mental issues—either a nervous breakdown, or conditioned into a masochist.

But you are a Fire Master; a Fire Master would never willingly submit to bullying.

"Thus, you came to hate women, to loathe women, deriving pleasure from tormenting them sexually.

After you left the Zhu Family and joined the Five Elements Alliance, you thought you were finally free, yet you gradually discovered that years of accumulated abuse had thoroughly twisted your psyche.

"And so, with your tacit approval and protection, the Copper Sparrow Tower came into being—a place to vent your pathological desires; upon that pitiable woman, you reclaimed your dignity, reclaimed your joy. How tragic. I never pity anyone, yet for you, I feel immense sympathy.”

Truly vicious, killing the heart... Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Fu Qingyang, recalled he was a high-level Scout, and hastily averted his gaze.

Chi Yue'an's eyes were bloodshot, veins webbed across them; his fists clenched unconsciously, blue veins bulging, his face twisted into a savage mask.

Fu Qingyang's tone remained calm as ever, as if he weren't the one dealing the damage, and he continued:

"Your past... I have not yet made public. If you don't mind, I can broadcast it far and wide.

Perhaps you'd garner a wave of sympathy; escaping the death penalty isn't impossible.”

"..." Chi Yue'an's lips moved, instinctively wanting to speak, but he held back.

He drew a deep breath: "If you really want answers, bring the Elder. I won't trust you lot."

Tough mouth, huh! Zhang Yuanqing exhaled in relief, concealing his joy.

This was exactly what they wanted; they never intended to extract the result directly, so during the discussion in the hall earlier, the goal was set: make Chi Yue'an loosen his tongue.

Fu Qingyang wore an expression of everything being under control, and said:

"I will report to the Elder."

Chi Yue'an lowered his head slightly, let out a breath, then snapped it up, grinding out through gritted teeth:

"Primordial Heavenly Venerate, why?"

…

In the dim secret chamber.

A long table draped in yellow silk stood at the center, two candelabras atop it, red candles burning in quiet stillness.

On the tabletop sat a copper basin filled with glutinous rice, copper coins strung on red thread, yellow paper talismans drawn in cinnabar... and a palm-sized wooden figurine.

This figurine had no features, the crudest human shape.

A talisman paper was affixed to its chest, inscribed not with incantations but with the name "Chi Yue'an," and his birth date and time.

A pair of hands, translucent white as jade, pinched a syringe, pushing the fresh blood within into a small white porcelain bowl, then pouring in a black liquid, scattering in glutinous rice, then pinching the paper talisman to burn it to ash, tossing it into the bowl.

With all this done, those jade-white fingers dipped a touch of the bowl's liquid, and on the figurine's featureless face, lightly dotted twice, drawing eyes.

The deep black liquid was absorbed by the figurine, and Chi Yue'an's features coalesced into being.

The jade-white hands lifted the figurine, then elegantly pinched a silver needle, suddenly driving it into the figurine's brow center.

"Sizzle..."

Green smoke rose straight from the brow center.

…

"Why why?" Zhang Yuanqing countered.

Chi Yue'an shouted harshly: "We have no grievances, no enmity; why do you cross me?

Why risk your life to infiltrate the Copper Sparrow Tower? Just for a bewitching demon?"

His emotions spiraled higher with every word, shifting from accusation to a roar that reverberated through the cramped corridor.

Fu Qingyang turned as well, his gaze locking onto Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a beat, his voice level:

"Because of rage. Because of loathing. Because of youth. Because... I was born human."

Chi Yue'an seemed to take it as an insult, a slight against his very person, and burst into wild laughter:

"You're something else, aren't you? So high and mighty. Yuan Shi Tianzun, you've made too many enemies; sooner or later, you'll die without a burial ground..."

Amidst the furious cursing, a wisp of green smoke suddenly curled from Chi Yue'an's brow. Then, with a *whoosh*, black flames erupted. His flesh dissolved rapidly in the fire, followed by his bones.

In under two seconds, the seven-foot-tall brute had been burned clean away, yet his clothes, trousers, and the wooden cangue and shackles remained perfectly intact.

It was as if he had simply been erased from existence.

Dead. He was dead? Zhang Yuanqing's pupils contracted sharply, a bone-deep chill crawling over him at the sight.