In under half a minute, Zhang Yuanqing arrived with swift, light steps, stopping at the mouth of the bridge opening. Fu Qingyang gave him a meaningful look, and Zhang Yuanqing stepped up to peer inside. Through a Night Wanderer's darkness-piercing vision, he saw a man clad in a black hooded sweatshirt slumping against the wall.
A finger-thick hole punctured the center of his forehead, blood bubbling out in gouts.
Zhang Yuanqing scrutinized him closely. With protruding brow ridges, narrow, slit-like eyes, and a thin, pointed face, the man looked every bit the villain.
*He died so easily. It seems this Tiandao Bugong, just like Hengxing Wuji, was merely a Transcendent-stage Witch Doctor…* Darkness churned in the depths of Zhang Yuanqing's eyes as he established contact with the residual spirit inside the corpse.
Then, he retrieved the Demon-Subduing Pestle and handed it to Fu Qingyang.
With his preparations complete, Zhang Yuanqing drew a deep breath, and the spirit body transformed into blue smoke that flowed into his mouth.
Foreign memories flooded in. His sea of consciousness swelled abruptly, stretching like an inflating balloon.
Scenes flickered past like a lantern slide show. Through the fragmented, scattered shards of memory, Zhang Yuanqing witnessed the general course of Tiandao Bugong's life.
His father had been a degenerate gambler, his mother had remarried, and he had been raised by his grandparents. An unhappy childhood had planted dark seeds in his heart, and growing up with no one to rely on had turned hardship into fertilizer that nourished their growth.
In the end, he had grown into an extremist, violent thug.
Amid the shifting visions, Zhang Yuanqing saw a dim bedroom. Tiandao Bugong stood beside a desk, slicing his wrist to let blood flow into a bronze bowl.
The blood boiled inside the vessel, sending up a crimson mist that congealed into a vague face. A shrill voice demanded, "How did Dark Night Rose respond?"
Tiandao Bugong said deferentially, "They agreed to assassinate Yuanshi Tianzun to avenge Hengxing Wuji. In addition, Dark Night Rose wants to obtain information on Young Soldier King in the real world."
The face formed of bloody mist fell silent for a moment before the shrill voice sounded again:
"Dark Night Rose shouldn't be interested in that fellow…"
Tiandao Bugong replied, "This subordinate does not know. They were very tight-lipped."
The crimson mist hovered over the rim of the bowl, wavering slightly. "If Dark Night Rose succeeds in assassinating Yuanshi Tianzun, tell them Young Soldier King's real name is Lei Yibing. He lives in Songhai and attends university in Jiangnan Province. His home address is…
"Before telling Dark Night Rose, make sure to find out why they are investigating Young Soldier King."
Tiandao Bugong nodded, then hesitated before adding, "This subordinate noticed Dark Night Rose treats this matter with extreme importance. They seem reluctant to disclose anything to us…"
The face in the mist wavered. "If they refuse, then forget it. The urgent priority is to take control of the Fallen Holy Grail. Everything else can wait."
Amid brilliant golden light, Zhang Yuanqing broke free from the spirit questioning state and opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was the pitch-black night sky. He realized he was lying at the mouth of the bridge underpass, the back of his head throbbing with pain.
*Hiss…* Zhang Yuanqing sat up, rubbing his head.
*Knocked unconscious again. If Fu Qingyang doesn't reward me with a bunny girl, it really won't do justice to my sacrifice…* Zhang Yuanqing looked up at the young nobleman in white standing beside him and said, "I found out a few things, but nothing too significant…"
He immediately gave Fu Qingyang a brief account of Tiandao Bugong's memories, omitting any information concerning Brother Bing.
Zhang Yuanqing said troubledly, "Hei Wuchang contacts his subordinates through an item. Tiandao Bugong doesn't know where he's hiding."
Naturally, Hei Wuchang would never reveal his hiding place to his subordinates. If any of them turned traitor or underwent spirit questioning, he would be exposed.
An experienced leader of an evil organization could never be that foolish.
*It was within expectations, but it's still disappointing. This means our only hope rests on Gu King's side…* Zhang Yuanqing sighed.
Just then, he saw Fu Qingyang reach out and pluck something from midair, drawing an item out of his inventory.
It was a crude, ugly hand puppet with a round head and a skirt-like body. At first glance, it looked like a teru teru bōzu doll.
Two black stitches formed 'X's for its eyes, and its mouth was a straight line.
Fu Qingyang asked, "Did you see his hiding place in Tiandao Bugong's memories?"
"Yes," Zhang Yuanqing replied.
Fu Qingyang nodded and slipped the ugly puppet onto his right hand. The next instant, Zhang Yuanqing saw faint, silvery threads extending from the puppet's head and hands, wrapping around Tiandao Bugong's corpse.
A few seconds later, rustling sounds echoed from beneath the bridge. Tiandao Bugong crawled out, the hole in his forehead already healed and no longer bleeding.
He had come back to life!
Looking at his dumbfounded subordinate, Fu Qingyang twitched his fingers. The corners of Tiandao Bugong's mouth curled up as a deep, hoarse voice emerged:
"This item is called the 'Soldier Puppet.' I requisitioned it from an Elder of the White Tiger Battalion. It possesses part of a Dominator-Realm puppeteer's abilities. It can replicate the details of the deceased from when they were alive—including their voice, physical habits, and skills—all under the item holder's control."
Zhang Yuanqing froze, caught between shock and delight. "You mean…"
Through Tiandao Bugong's hoarse voice, Fu Qingyang said calmly, "I will manipulate this body to contact Hei Wuchang and find out his next move."
*You can do that?!* Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed. Fu Qingyang had anticipated that Tiandao Bugong wouldn't know Hei Wuchang's whereabouts, so he had prepared the appropriate item in advance.
*This guy might be aloof and conceited, but he's truly capable. He makes an exceptionally reassuring teammate.*
Then, Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat.
He had concealed part of what he learned from the spirit questioning. What if Hei Wuchang asked about Brother Bing?
If Fu Qingyang couldn't answer, their cover might be blown, flushing all their efforts over the past few days down the drain.
Yet if he came clean about Brother Bing, Fu Qingyang was sharp enough that he would surely piece together far too much…
This was truly a case of plans failing to keep up with changes; the world was always full of such twists.
"Centurion, you are truly brilliant and wise," Zhang Yuanqing said, suppressing his anxiety and offering his customary flattery.
Tiandao Bugong's lips twitched as that deep voice said indifferently, "Next time, you can pick some more flattering words. I don't dislike it."
With that, the puppet walked up beside Fu Qingyang and hoisted his true body onto its back.
*Is that the price of using the item?* Zhang Yuanqing wondered. Right on cue, Tiandao Bugong said calmly:
"The Soldier Puppet has two drawbacks. First, it can only control the dead. Second, while controlling the puppet, my true body can neither speak nor move."
*That's a rather steep price. What is this, piggybacking yourself? If that puppet were a girl, I'd have plenty of wild ideas… No, stop thinking about that.* Zhang Yuanqing shook his head, expelling the bold thoughts from his mind.
The three returned to the business van. Following the images Zhang Yuanqing had seen in the memories, they located Tiandao Bugong's hideout.
It was an ordinary, slightly aged apartment building situated on the border between Kangyang District and Fenghui District.
The night was deep. Streetlights cast lonely pools of illumination, and shadows of trees swayed in the wind. Aside from a few twenty-four-hour convenience stores still open for business, all the other shops had shuttered.
The white van pulled up outside the building. Zhang Yuanqing got out and Charmed the elderly gatekeeper.
Carrying Fu Qingyang's body on his back, Tiandao Bugong followed Zhang Yuanqing inside.
Zhang Yuanqing led the way. Relying on his memories, he reached the third floor and stopped outside Room 302.
Manipulating Tiandao Bugong, Fu Qingyang fished out a key and unlocked the door.
Stepping inside, Zhang Yuanqing surveyed his surroundings in the dark. The apartment was roughly seventy square meters, with two bedrooms and a living room.
The furnishings were sparse. The dining table was covered with a dust cloth, and the cooking utensils had clearly gone unused for a long time, lacking any sign of everyday life.
Evidently, Tiandao Bugong had only treated this place as a temporary foothold.
"The thing used to contact Hei Wuchang is in the bedroom." Zhang Yuanqing walked ahead and pushed open the bedroom door.
The moment he entered, he caught a faint, strange odor. Immediately afterward, dizziness washed over him, his chest tightened painfully, and he couldn't help coughing.
Manipulating Tiandao Bugong, Fu Qingyang said calmly, "The bedroom is filled with toxic gas. Tell me where the communication item is, then take my body outside."
Zhang Yuanqing nodded and took several steps back. "In the wardrobe…"
Tiandao Bugong gave a nod, handed Fu Qingyang's body over to Zhang Yuanqing, and stepped into the bedroom alone.
*Bang!* The door shut.
Carrying Fu Qingyang on his back, Zhang Yuanqing retreated from the apartment and waited in the quiet corridor.
Inside the bedroom, Tiandao Bugong briefly wiped away the bloodstains on his body, opened the wooden wardrobe door, and retrieved a bronze bowl.
It felt heavy in hand. The bowl was etched with venomous creatures like snakes, bugs, and centipedes, and a slightly pungent odor wafted from its rim.
Holding the bowl, Tiandao Bugong walked to the desk, slit his wrist, and let his blood flow inside.
According to the intelligence Zhang Yuanqing had gathered from spirit questioning, the bowl required no special procedure; feeding it enough blood was sufficient.
The blood soon pooled across the bottom, filling nearly half the bowl.
Before long, the blood began to boil. Wisps of crimson mist rose and coalesced into a blurry face, emitting a shrill voice:
"How did it go?"
Tiandao Bugong lowered his head and bowed. "Boss, Yuanshi Tianzun is dead. Dark Night Rose has proved their sincerity to us."
The mist drifted as the shrill voice took on a tinge of amusement. "Very good. I will have Shaofu handle the follow-up handover. I plan to meet with Dark Night Rose's people in two days. When the time comes, come to the old place."
Tiandao Bugong bowed. "Understood!"
Just then, the misty silhouette asked, "Regarding Young Soldier King, did Dark Night Rose give any reply?"
Tiandao Bugong's body stiffened slightly.
Out in the corridor, having weighed the matter the entire way, Zhang Yuanqing finally made up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he whispered, "Centurion, this subordinate has something to report…"
Chapter 102