Chapter 98: Coming to the Door

Chapter 98 The Visit

If Steward Pang was a member of Night Rose, then killing him and interrogating his spirit would yield a wealth of information, and the hunt for Black Impermanence could accelerate... Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of joy.

The inability to find Black Impermanence for so long made him more anxious than Fu Qingyang.

"But why would he want to kill me? At this critical juncture, killing me would only stir up trouble." Zhang Yuanqing couldn't figure it out.

"He has his own reasons for wanting you dead. Once I kill him, I will learn them through spirit interrogation." Fu Qingyang opened the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of red wine and a goblet, and said, "A glass?"

So this is where Li Dongze picked up his habits... Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "Got any cola?"

Fu Qingyang put back one goblet and said flatly, "Then you'll have to wait until this is over and buy some yourself."

He sipped the tart red wine, his expression natural, as if he weren't about to go kill someone but rather heading to a private club... Only someone born into a wealthy, aristocratic family could cultivate such a calm and unruffled demeanor. Zhang Yuanqing certainly couldn't; his mind was filled with thoughts of how to finish off Steward Pang, how much information the steward knew about Night Rose, and what risks he would face if the operation failed.

On the road, neither spoke again. Fu Qingyang held his glass, gazing at the night outside the window, taking occasional sips.

Zhang Yuanqing lowered the back of his seat, lay back, and pretended to doze, restoring his energy.

About twenty minutes later, Fu Qingyang set down his glass, and at almost the same moment, the commercial van gradually slowed.

Zhang Yuanqing immediately opened his eyes, sat up, and looked out the window. The van had parked outside an upscale residential complex. The complex was extremely luxurious and stylish, with buildings covered in dark tiles arranged in an orderly fashion.

Directly facing the main gate was a plaza with a fountain pool in the center. At first glance, it looked like a high-end hotel.

They must be loaded—property prices here are at least 150k per square meter... Zhang Yuanqing marveled inwardly.

"Centurion, if we just go in like this, won't we alert the enemy? Shouldn't we make some preparations first?" Zhang Yuanqing voiced his thoughts.

Fu Qingyang said calmly, "Pang Wudi sent an evil spirit to kill you. He's surely at home waiting for news. Before the evil spirit returns, waiting patiently is the safest option. Arriving late at night catches him off guard. The more preparations we make, the easier it is for him to detect us."

Though his tone was cold, the nobleman still patiently explained to his trusted subordinate. Then he changed the subject: "But we still need to do some reconnaissance to make sure there are no other Night Rose members nearby who might sabotage our plan."

How do we reconnoiter? Zhang Yuanqing was curious.

Fu Qingyang raised his right hand, fingers together like a sword, pressing them to his brow.

In the next moment, Zhang Yuanqing vaguely saw a pale-white ripple emanate from Fu Qingyang's brow, spreading outward like waves on water. The farther it spread, the fainter the white light became, until it was imperceptible.

After a dozen seconds, Fu Qingyang opened his eyes and said, "No ambush nearby."

Seeing his trusted subordinate's astonished expression, he gave a faint smile. "Don't be surprised. This is what a Scout does."

What Zhang Yuanqing thought was: This is a real True Eye. Compared to him, Li Dongze is just a fake eye.

Fu Qingyang finished speaking, opened the car door, walked to the security booth at the complex entrance, and looked calmly at the guard. "Open the gate."

In such a wealthy residential complex, entering required swiping an access card.

The guard stared at the strikingly elegant young man in a crisp, refined white suit, with a simple short ponytail tied back, so handsome it was almost blinding.

His gaze was deep and serene, and when he looked at you, it was like a sovereign looking down from on high, elegant and noble.

The guard asked deferentially, "Sir, which residence are you from?"

Fu Qingyang said calmly, "Open the gate. Don't waste my time."

For some reason, the guard felt an inexplicable sense of awe and submission, and he nervously opened the gate.

Fu Qingyang nodded slightly, passed through the iron gate, and entered the complex.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly followed, but the guard called out, "Hey, you! Which residence are you from?"

Zhang Yuanqing recalled what had just happened, put on a stern face, made his gaze deep and calm, imitating Fu Qingyang's lofty, emperor-like demeanor, and said flatly, "Don't waste my time."

The guard gave him a once-over and waved his hand impatiently. "Get out of here, get out."

"... " Zhang Yuanqing's expression turned a little awkward. He had to resort to his charm spell to bewilder the old man and slip quietly into the complex.

Well, it wasn't that my aura couldn't match Fu Qingyang's; it's just that our professions have different abilities. There's no way he could charm an old man like I just did... He silently salvaged his dignity.

Catching up to Fu Qingyang, Zhang Yuanqing whispered in complaint, "Centurion, why didn't we just climb the wall? Going through the front door leaves traces."

The figure in white strode onward and said coolly, "Don't forget your identity. We're the authorities."

Fine. If it were Li Dongze, he'd probably say: Climbing walls isn't elegant enough. Zhang Yuanqing grumbled inwardly.

...

West residential building, 21st floor, penthouse.

In the living room, Pang Wudi, wearing a judo gi and with a square face, sat sternly at the bar counter, a glass of wine cupped in his palm.

On the marble bar before him rested a bottle of whiskey and an old-fashioned mobile phone.

Pang Wudi was waiting for the evil spirit in the phone to return.

It was now two in the morning. The evil spirit had not yet returned, meaning the target had not been eliminated.

But Pang Wudi was not anxious. He did not think that Primordial Heavenly Lord could escape the evil spirit's pursuit. Night Wanderers had no abilities in the dream domain. Once inside a dream, he would be as good as dead.

Ever since acquiring this artifact, Pang Wudi had used it to kill several enemies he couldn't deal with personally, and it had never failed.

This artifact was an assassination tool, killing without leaving a trace, revealing no clues. Even someone as keen as a Scout would find no evidence.

Its only flaw was that it was almost useless against enemies at the Saint realm, and the cost of using it was that after ten uses, the evil spirit would pursue the owner in dreams.

Of course, to Pang Wudi, a Saint realm cultivator, this was at most a minor nuisance.

"After Primordial Heavenly Lord dies, Fu Qingyang will surely fly into a rage. But it will be hard for him to suspect me. Still, that man is sharp. I'll need to be careful for the next three days..."

Pang Wudi drained his glass. Just then, an image flashed through his mind:

Fu Qingyang in his white suit, leading a handsome young man, had arrived outside the security door.

This image came from the potted plants he had placed outside the door. A Wood Sprite at the Saint realm could exchange signals with nearby plants, turning them into his "eyes."

Primordial Heavenly Lord isn't dead? And they've come to me? How is that possible?!

Pang Wudi's pupils contracted, shock and bewilderment surging through him. He quickly made a decision: leave this place.

Get out of here first, inform "Heaven's Injustice" of the assassination failure, report to his superiors, and then await orders to adapt.

In any case, he couldn't stay here now. At the very least, he had to dispose of the assassination artifact.

Having made his decision, Pang Wudi rushed to the balcony, trying to jump out the window.

"Sizzle, plop..."

The lock on the security door melted into molten iron, dripping with a soft patter.

The security door swung open, and Fu Qingyang, wearing dark red gloves, stepped inside.

"Don't go. You won't get away." Fu Qingyang looked at the figure rushing straight to the balcony and said calmly.

Pang Wudi threw out a handful of spores without looking back. These spores swelled in the wind, turning into plants resembling small octopuses, their tentacles writhing as they enveloped Fu Qingyang and Zhang Yuanqing.

Zhang Yuanqing dove to one side, dodging the incoming "octopus" plants.

He hadn't expected them to start fighting without even exchanging any pleasantries.

Fu Qingyang didn't retreat. He walked forward amidst the shower of plants, as if he had calculated the trajectories of the octopus plants. He seemed to be strolling leisurely, yet he deftly avoided all the plants lunging at him.

At the same time, Fu Qingyang flipped his right hand, producing a small, deep cyan command flag. He flicked it out with his fingers.

"Duo!" The flag embedded itself into the balcony tiles, and a bluish hazy light screen rose up, turning into a cage that trapped Pang Wudi on the balcony.

"Hmph!" Pang Wudi's body suddenly swelled up like a balloon being inflated, turning into a three-meter-tall giant. His muscles were like vines, tight and hard.

He punched the light screen heavily, causing bluish shattered light to sweep across the living room.

Meanwhile, Fu Qingyang had already reached the balcony entrance and pulled out the octagonal sword covered in copper rust from his inventory.

A flicker of fear passed through Pang Wudi's eyes, and he opened his mouth to exhale a cloud of gray mist.

The mist was filled with spores barely visible to the naked eye, floating and sinking. These spores were highly predatory; once they came into contact with a living being, they would madly grow until they drained all life force.

The thick mist rolled in, and even a scout's "prediction" could not evade this attack.

But Fu Qingyang did not retreat half a step. With his left hand, he grabbed a small white banner embroidered with a majestic white tiger.

"Roar!" The illusory roar of a tiger echoed through the room, dispersing the mist.

Fu Qingyang took a step forward and raised the octagonal bronze sword high.

Pang Wudi's massive body suddenly began to tremble. His legs seemed unable to coordinate; his left foot wanted to dodge left, his right foot wanted to flee right, and his upper body had its own ideas...

In the end, he could only summon a suit of vine armor, covering his three-meter-tall body.

Fu Qingyang slashed down with his sword.

The next moment, the vine armor split open, flesh and blood separated. The three-meter-tall giant was cleaved in two, organs falling with a splatter, and dark red blood spread across the balcony floor tiles.

Zhang Yuanqing, who had witnessed this from behind, was both shocked and overjoyed. Thoughts raced through his mind: Dead? A Saint died just like that... Why didn't he dodge? This sword strike was ordinary, was it so hard to avoid...

Fu Qingyang retrieved his bronze sword and command flag, and turned his head indifferently. "Come, interrogate the spirit."

"Okay, okay..." Zhang Yuanqing gathered his scattered thoughts and walked over quickly.