Evidence of Yuanshi Tianzun committing crimes?
Such a demand stunned the gathered evil professions. They couldn't fathom the intent behind it. Find evidence of Yuanshi Tianzun's crimes and then report him to the Five Elements Alliance so the authorities could sanction him? Wouldn't it be far simpler and more convenient to just track him down and kill him directly? Why take off your pants just to fart?
Among the crowd, Auntie Xiao Yuan raised a hand and said indifferently, "The Yuanshi Tianzun you're talking about is the one who killed Li Xianzong, right? Why gather evidence of his crimes? Wouldn't killing him directly save much more trouble?"
Heavenly King Demonic Eye looked over and smiled faintly. "You don't need to know. Just do as you're told."
Auntie Xiao Yuan gave a slight nod and asked again, "What kind of criminal evidence?"
A nearby evil profession chimed in, "He killed Li Xianzong, Ou Xiangrong, and Hei Wuchang. Do those count?"
"No, no, no!" Heavenly King Demonic Eye wagged a finger, a bright and cheerful smile spreading across his face. "That isn't crime; that's punishing evil and promoting good. The evidence I want is bribery, abuse of authority, bullying the weak, molesting or raping women. Any act that breaks the law—I want it all."
The evil walkers exchanged bewildered glances, thinking to themselves: *Is the Soldier Master Sect's new spokesperson out of his mind?*
They had heard of evil professions murdering and committing arson, but never of collecting criminal evidence on an enemy. What use was that?
"What's the reward?" someone called out loudly.
"Two hundred thousand per piece of evidence. If it's a particularly serious crime, five hundred thousand," Heavenly King Demonic Eye said with a smile, the sports headband wrapped around his forehead.
*It looks like the Soldier Master Sect is targeting Yuanshi Tianzun over Li Xianzong's death. Sore losers. Still, evil professions hunt orthodox professions with or without reason; even without Li Xianzong's death, the Soldier Master Sect would hunt Yuanshi Tianzun just the same...* Auntie Xiao Yuan pondered for a moment, then raised her hand again and asked coldly, "What's the reward for killing Yuanshi Tianzun directly?"
Heavenly King Demonic Eye shook his head. "None whatsoever. I only require you to gather criminal evidence. Whether he dies or not is my business."
***
After eating and drinking their fill, Zhang Yuanqing and Xie Lingxi walked out of the restaurant side by side. Arriving at the elevator lobby, he took the opportunity to say his goodbyes:
"Sister Lingxi, when are you heading back to Sanzhuang Province?"
"Why go back to Sanzhuang Province?" Xie Lingxi said with a pitiful pout. "If I go back, I'll miss Brother Yuanshi. I can't bear to leave you, Brother~"
She added, "I plan to stay in Songhai until autumn, until the crabs are plump and fat, before going back. Every year, the Xie family hosts a river crab banquet. Brother Yuanshi, come with me to the Xie family once autumn arrives. My mom and dad want to meet you."
As she spoke, she put on a bashful expression, as if inviting a sweetheart to meet her parents.
*Her green tea skills are truly top-tier... You should count yourself lucky you're only seventeen. If you dare talk to me like this next year, you'll find out just how terrifying an opportunistic big brother can be!* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled irritably in his mind.
As they spoke, his phone rang. The caller ID displayed: *Magical Auntie Xiao Yuan!*
Zhang Yuanqing rejected the call and stepped into the elevator with Xie Lingxi. The elevator descended, and Xie Lingxi reached her floor. Stepping out, she looked back and waved.
"Bye-bye~"
Zhang Yuanqing gave an "Mm," and closed the elevator doors.
After exiting the hotel, he pulled out his phone and called Xiao Yuan back.
"Auntie Xiao Yuan?"
"Someone from the Soldier Master Sect is looking for you. They've put a bounty out for evidence of your crimes."
"What?" Zhang Yuanqing couldn't process it for a second. It wasn't that he was surprised by the Soldier Master Sect putting a bounty on him—that was inevitable—but what kind of nonsense was putting a bounty on evidence of crimes?
*I'm a frail college student who feels guilty just farting in public. What criminal evidence could I possibly have?*
Zhang Yuanqing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "What's going on?"
Auntie Xiao Yuan briefly recounted how the black market had reopened and how the Soldier Master Sect's spokesperson had placed bounties on the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter and Yuanshi Tianzun.
*A young man wearing a sports headband? Placing a bounty on evidence of my crimes?* Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized something, and his smile slowly faded.
*Heavenly King Demonic Eye recently arrived in Songhai. He has a vertical eye on his forehead. He's an extremist, a diehard zealot...* Zhang Yuanqing swallowed hard, a single thought looping frantically through his mind:
*What do I do? A big-shot Dominator has put a bounty on me! Waiting online, urgent!*
Though he knew Heavenly King Demonic Eye would eventually come after him, he hadn't expected it to happen so fast. Furthermore, it wasn't a passive "kill him if I run into him, forget it if I don't" attitude; it was a hefty bounty.
Being targeted by such a terrifying powerhouse imposed immense psychological pressure.
"Auntie Xiao Yuan, I think I know who that person is," Zhang Yuanqing said.
"Who?" Xiao Yuan frowned, sensing something amiss in his tone.
"It's Heavenly King Demonic Eye from the Soldier Master Sect."
"Him?!" Auntie Xiao Yuan's voice grew shrill.
With utter desolation, Zhang Yuanqing murmured an "Mm." "I killed Li Xianzong. He wants payback."
Auntie Xiao Yuan fell silent for a long moment, her tone conflicted. "As expected of a genius. Your past two months have been more eventful and turbulent than other people's past two years."
He had just barely survived Li Xianzong's hunt and turned the tables, only to have the elder monster arrive right after killing the young one.
"Auntie Xiao Yuan, stop teasing me," Zhang Yuanqing smiled bitterly.
The corners of Xiao Yuan's lips curled into a fleeting smile before vanishing. "This is only the beginning," she said indifferently. "The more famous you get, the more evil professions will want to kill you. That's the fate of every genius—unless you can do what Fu Qingyang did."
"What did he do?"
"Slaughter them until nobody dares to mess with you. Dominator-stage walkers can be counted on one hand; they usually don't hunt low-level walkers. As long as you can become invincible in the Saint stage and avoid provoking Dominators, you'll generally be safe."
*That's way too hard. Out of all the Spirit Realm walkers out there, how many are like Fu Qingyang?* Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Auntie Xiao Yuan, can Master Wuhen match Heavenly King Demonic Eye?"
"I don't know!"
"You don't know?"
Auntie Xiao Yuan snapped, "I've never seen Master Wuhen fight. Besides, he can't make a move recklessly. You've met him a few times; you should know something is off with his condition."
At the mention of this, Zhang Yuanqing perked up. "What's wrong with Master Wuhen's condition?"
"...You don't need to know, nor are you qualified to know," Auntie Xiao Yuan said, resuming her cold, haughty demeanor.
Zhang Yuanqing pressed no further, choosing his words carefully. "Auntie Xiao Yuan, I want to report the black market's location to the branch executives and have the Elders deal with him. What do you think?"
"Terrible idea!" Xiao Yuan scoffed.
"First, since Heavenly King Demonic Eye showed himself publicly there, he won't make a direct appearance again anytime soon. He'll most likely control things from behind the scenes. Don't underestimate a Dominator's intellect and caution.
"Second, the black market has records of every evil profession invited today. If Heavenly King Demonic Eye discovers the black market has been raided, his prime suspects will naturally be those who attended today, which would put me in grave danger.
"Lastly, how do you know Demonic Eye isn't fishing for targets?"
Zhang Yuanqing frowned in thought.
Xiao Yuan changed the subject. "Ambushing him isn't impossible, but we have to wait for the right opportunity."
*It's not feasible at this stage.* Zhang Yuanqing said, "Understood. Auntie Xiao Yuan, have you considered joining the faction?"
Xiao Yuan hesitated reservedly. "Let me think about it more. To be honest, I'm not very keen on it. Besides, Master Wuhen doesn't want me associating too closely with you."
*Master Wuhen doesn't approve? Sigh, big shots of that caliber are extraordinarily difficult to butter up. But if I can get on his good side, I'll have guaranteed protection in the future.*
After thanking her, Zhang Yuanqing hung up the phone.
***
Wuhen Hotel.
Xiao Yuan parked her car in a parking spot outside the hotel, took out her key, and unlocked the U-lock.
She entered the dressing room behind the front desk and stripped off her casual clothes and pants. Inside the dressing room stood a full-length mirror, reflecting a voluptuous figure clad in black lace lingerie.
A wasp waist, pert hips, rounded and slender shapely legs, and a bra lifting a deep, porcelain-white cleavage, paired with coldly gorgeous facial features.
Any man with the slightest interest in women would likely feel his pulse race at the sight. Yet Auntie Xiao Yuan couldn't care less; she didn't cast a single glance at the full-length mirror as she briskly changed into the hotel attendant uniform. Only then did she look into the mirror and straighten her collar.
Leaving the dressing room, Xiao Yuan walked past the reception desk, grabbed her staff keycard, and took the elevator up.
The elevator stopped on the third floor. She stepped out and swiped open the door to Room 306. The moment her hand gripped the handle, Auntie Xiao Yuan's expression changed slightly. She tilted her ear to listen for a few seconds, then rushed inside.
The room was completely empty. The pristine white bedding was neatly made, resembling an unoccupied guest room.
Xiao Yuan looked around. On the small table by the window, a bottle of mineral water pinned down a note.
With a darkened face, she walked over to the table and picked up the note. Written in neat handwriting were the words:
"Xiao Yuan, I've gone to Songhai for revenge. Don't look for me, and don't stop me. I will prepare thoroughly this time; I'm not going to throw my life away."
"You reckless fool..."
Xiao Yuan's chest heaved violently. She took several deep breaths before suppressing the surge of anger and worry inside her.
***
At dinner, Zhang Yuanqing glanced at his preoccupied cousin and said, "Bro, if you knit your brows any tighter, I'll have to start calling you Grandpa."
The words had barely left his mouth when his grandmother smacked the back of his head.
"Did you run into a tough case?" his aunt chimed in between mouthfuls of food.
Chen Yuanjun's brows remained tightly furrowed as he sighed. "We did get a case recently. Someone reported our bureau director for accepting bribes and providing protection to several financial companies. They specifically target students and desperate people for financing... well, loan sharking.
"Over the past few years, they've already driven six people to suicide. They even coerced female students who couldn't pay back the money into prostitution... Let's not talk about it, let's not talk about it."
Zhang Yuanqing bristled, his brows knitting sharply. "Report it to the higher-ups then. What's there to brood over?"
Chen Yuanjun glanced at him and remained silent.
"You already reported it, and it was useless, right?" his usually taciturn grandfather scoffed.
Chen Yuanjun nodded. "Yuanzi, Grandfather did the exact same thing back in his day. The report failed, and his superior gave him hell for it."
Zhang Yuanqing recalled that this had indeed happened. He had been quite young at the time and didn't understand the full story, only remembering his grandfather cursing furiously at home and smashing several bowls.
Grandfather said impassively, "What Yuanjun described is probably only the tip of the iceberg; there must be far more serious cases behind it. The reports don't work because too many parties share in the kickbacks... You'll get used to it."
Grandfather spoke calmly, but Zhang Yuanqing could hear profound weariness and disillusionment in those last words.
Having spent more than half his life in the Public Security Bureau, Grandfather understood the inner workings better than anyone.
"Bro, what's your bureau director's name?" Zhang Yuanqing asked casually.
"Zhou Yan."
"Oh!"
He quietly lowered his head and ate, committing the name to memory.
Although the Five Elements Alliance and the Public Security Bureau belonged to different power structures and operated independently—making it virtually impossible for him to investigate Director Zhou through official channels—he could use his Spirit Realm walker abilities to investigate in secret and gather evidence.
Unfortunately, he had to lay low at home recently and couldn't go to work...
After dinner, his uncle knocked on the door. The nightclub aficionado was still dressed in his flashy, flirtatious getup.
"Yuanzi, come over here a sec."
Uncle waved his nephew over to sit by the dining table, pulled out his wallet, and extracted one thousand yuan in crisp red banknotes.
"This is from your aunt. Don't know what got into her; she suddenly said she wanted to treat you better, and even claimed I suggested it. Strange, I definitely never said that."
"Thanks, Uncle!" Zhang Yuanqing happily took the money, pretending not to hear the second half of the sentence.
Uncle said cheerfully, "Come on, let's head over to my place and dance! Oh, right, I'm not sure if I'm remembering wrong, but lately I keep feeling like money is constantly vanishing from my wallet. It's barely enough to spend."
*Uncle is truly an innocent fool. Even now, he hasn't realized his wallet gets pilfered every single day...* Even as guilt prickled at him, Zhang Yuanqing mocked his uncle internally.
"So, lend your uncle five hundred from the money your aunt gave you," Uncle said, clapping his nephew vigorously on the shoulder. "After all, your uncle worked hard raising you with his own two hands, right?"
"No way," Zhang Yuanqing refused coldly and heartlessly, guarding his money.
Uncle looked at him. "You've already lent it."
*Already lent it?* Zhang Yuanqing blinked, then realization struck like lightning: *Aunt actually gave fifteen hundred? This dog of an uncle already scammed me out of five hundred?!*
Uncle patted his nephew's shoulder with satisfaction. "Don't make that face. I'll pay you back next month. I'm heading back first; drop by when you're free to exchange dance moves."
*No need to pay me back. My son will avenge me...* Zhang Yuanqing thought through gritted teeth.
Watching his uncle leave, Zhang Yuanqing walked over to his aunt's bedroom door, knocked twice, and called out, "Auntie, want to come over to my room and play games tonight?"
"Sure, sure!" his aunt replied sweetly.
Grandmother poked her head out from the kitchen where she was washing dishes, glared at her grandson, and then yelled toward her daughter's door, "Yu'er, let Mom play along too."
"Huh?" Aunt said in surprise. "Mom, you don't even know how to play video games..."
Grandmother gave a cold laugh. "You play video games; I'll beat the two of you."
Silence abruptly fell over the room. Zhang Yuanqing turned around and quietly walked away.
Returning to his bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing flopped onto the bed, contemplating how to deal with Heavenly King Demonic Eye.
*Letting Demonic Eye roam free in Songhai isn't safe at all. I can't shake this dread that someone could show up at my door at any minute.*
Zhang Yuanqing pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on.
Being targeted by a formidable Dominator was bound to make anyone feel insecure. While Songhai had a massive population and the odds of running into him seemed slim, what if?
That was a Dominator. Who knew what methods he possessed?
*There is only one chance for a preemptive strike: when he appears at the black market, the five Elders can swarm him together and join forces to kill Demonic Eye. Add the crazy Palace Master of Halting Slaughter to the mix, and six Dominators killing one Demonic Eye shouldn't be an issue, right?
If that still isn't enough, I can borrow the Dream-Traversing Jade Talisman from Little Green Tea to summon Master Wuhen. If Demonic Eye doesn't die after all that, there's no justice in the world. I'll need to contact the five Elders beforehand and draw up a detailed plan, then wait by the stump for the rabbit to crash into it. I can ask Fu Qingyang to step forward for this.
Sigh, what a sin. It's bad enough facing deadly peril inside instances, but back in reality, I'm still treading on thin ice. Becoming too famous really isn't a good thing; it makes you an easy target for evil people.*
***
Puning District.
Night hung deep and heavy; a gentle evening breeze stirred.
Inside a dilapidated residential building, a young man wearing a sports headband climbed the stairs to the fifth floor and knocked on a worn security door.
"Who are you?"
Inside the door stood a middle-aged man with graying hair and a grim expression.
Heavenly King Demonic Eye said with a smile, "You're the one who reported Ms. Zhou Yan for taking bribes, serving as a protective umbrella for loan shark syndicates, and controlling and extorting dozens of students and ordinary citizens, aren't you?
"In addition, she abused her power for personal gain, giving green lights to her spouse and relatives to scalp project contracts, illegally reaping hundreds of millions."
The middle-aged man's face turned pale. He slammed the door shut, but halfway through, a foot wedged it open.
"Wh-what do you want? Let me tell you, the neighbors are all around, don't you try anything!" Gripped by fear, fury, and humiliation, the middle-aged man yelled, "You already broke my leg! What more do you want? What more do you want?! If you lay a single finger on me, I'll fight you to the death!"
He displayed the desperate resolve of an ordinary, powerless man backed into a corner.
Heavenly King Demonic Eye's smile remained unchanged. "I am currently gathering evidence of Zhou Yan's crimes. If you don't mind, let's step inside and talk."
Chapter 148