Meeting Demon Eye

"Huh? Demon Eye wants to see me, and Elder Dog actually agreed? Can I just not go?" Zhang Yuanqing was astonished. He had never expected that even after the whole business with Demon Eye was over, their paths would cross again. That lunatic had traumatized him deeply; truth be told, Zhang Yuanqing had no desire to see him. "Why bring me to see Heavenly King Demonic Eye? I don't feel like I have any deep connection with him," Zhang Yuanqing voiced his confusion. Heavenly King Demonic Eye's purpose in coming to Songhai had been to hunt down the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter; Yuanshi Tianzun was merely a bonus on the side. Demon Eye had no reason to pursue him so relentlessly. Fu Qingyang replied indifferently, "Elder Dog questioned him about the details of the Chu family massacre. Demon Eye named a condition—he demanded to see you by name. You don't have to worry about safety. He is imprisoned in the Zoo, his skills completely sealed. Elder Dog will be watching as well." *Demanded to see me by name? What did this Tianzun ever do to deserve such high regard from Lord Demon Eye?* Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. "If my safety can be guaranteed, I can go see him." The details of the Chu family massacre intrigued him. That crazy broad, the Palace Master, was obsessed with the Chu family's past destruction. Though that lunatic woman often messed with him, she had treated him quite well. With an opportunity like this, Zhang Yuanqing felt he ought to give it a shot. Hanging up the phone, Zhang Yuanqing put on a baseball cap and a face mask, then slipped out of his house. Forty minutes later, his cab arrived outside Fujia Bay Villa. An extended luxury limousine was already waiting at the entrance of the villa community. The door slid open smoothly. Zhang Yuanqing hurried over and climbed inside. Fu Qingyang, dressed in a white suit with his handsome short ponytail, sat expressionlessly on a soft leather seat. "Centurion!" Zhang Yuanqing greeted him, looking over the vehicle's luxurious interior. Fu Qingyang owned many cars. This was one of the few whose price Zhang Yuanqing actually knew—between seven and nine million RMB on the road. It featured an onboard refrigerator, spacious and comfortable seats, and a small table between them holding a cigar punch, a torch lighter, goblets, and other accessories. A plush rug lay beneath their feet, all the windows were fitted with curtains, and reclining the backrest turned it into a soft, cozy bed. The handsome young scion toyed with a parejo cigar in his hand and said, "Let's go." The luxury vehicle started smoothly and accelerated, so silky that one could acutely feel the chasm between a luxury car and an economy car. Fu Qingyang picked up the cigar punch from the small table, cut the head with a click, and held it out. "Want one?" Zhang Yuanqing waved his hand. "I don't smoke, cigars or otherwise." He didn't dislike smoking, but he felt that at his age, any brooding was at most manufacturing sorrow for the sake of poetry—he was far from needing smoke to soothe actual despair. The only time he had ever smoked was when he came out of that police captain's home with Kou Beiyue—he had already forgotten the man's name. Fu Qingyang sneered. "If you can't even smoke a cigar, how will you become a son-in-law to the Fu family—my, Fu Qingyang's, cousin-in-law?" "! ! !" In that instant, Zhang Yuanqing had no idea what expression to make in the face of Fu Qingyang's sneer, so he simply made none at all. Fu Qingyang held the cigar between his lips and stared at him blankly. Catching the hint, Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly grabbed the torch lighter from the table and lit it for the boss. Fu Qingyang took the cigar from his mouth, watching his trusted henchman light it, and said slowly, "Guan Ya has a fiancé." Head bowed while lighting the cigar, Zhang Yuanqing felt his heart sink. He handed back the cigar, its tip glowing red. Fu Qingyang took it and exhaled a thick cloud of white smoke as he said, "In the Spirit Realm aristocracy, younger generations with high status and good looks are usually subject to the family's arrangements. In older terms, it's called political marriage. Only a select few with exceptional talent can decide for themselves. "Guan Ya originally had that opportunity, but she gave it up. Accordingly, she has to accept the family's arrangements. Her mother—my aunt—found her a fiancé." Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment and probed, "Is the other party from an aristocratic Spirit Realm family too? An internal family within the Five Elements Alliance, or from a Musician or Scholar family?" Fu Qingyang shook his head. "An overseas Spirit Realm aristocratic family. That family holds significant power within the 'Heaven's Punishers' organization." Only then did Zhang Yuanqing recall that the Fu family was a massive transnational conglomerate with vast domestic and overseas holdings. Both Fu Qingyang and Guan Ya had spent their childhoods and half their adolescence abroad. Guan Ya was indeed of mixed blood; one of her parents had to be foreign. Since her cousin Fu Qingyang showed no mixed heritage, their grandparents' bloodline was pure Chinese. *Heaven's Punishers?* While planning to look into the organization later, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "What is Guan Ya's own attitude?" Fu Qingyang glanced at him. "Naturally, she resists it. If she were satisfied with the marriage, would she be flirting with you?" Having her cousin put it so bluntly left Zhang Yuanqing feeling rather awkward. "So, becoming my cousin-in-law is going to take some doing," Fu Qingyang said indifferently. Zhang Yuanqing played dumb and kept silent, wondering what Fu Qingyang meant. Was he warning him off his cousin? Or coaching him to try harder? Or was Fu Qingyang himself conflicted? Without them realizing, the luxury car had left the urban center. The density of skyscrapers sharply dropped, replaced by an increasing number of industrial plants. In a place like Songhai, both downtown and suburbs were packed with people. The way to tell them apart was that downtown was filled with CBDs, while the suburbs were clustered with factory workshops. After another half hour of driving, even the factories grew sparse; overpasses and undeveloped land replaced residential buildings and workshops. Finally, the luxury car pulled up outside a zoo. This zoo had an old-fashioned motorized gate. The ticket booth by the entrance looked dilapidated, and a large upright stone bore the characters for "Zoo," its red paint peeling and faded. The two stepped out of the car. Standing at the entrance and gazing into the dark, silent Zoo, Fu Qingyang said, "Before we go in, there are a few rules you must keep in mind. First, do not speak the word 'animal.' Second, if you see a rabbit approach, do not pay any attention to it under any circumstances. Third, if a staff member comes over to talk to you, pay close attention to their uniform. "If the staff member is in a black uniform, do not respond. Whatever you do, never respond. If they are in a blue uniform, you must say: 'I am fine, I don't need help.'" Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback at first, then realization dawned. Hesitantly, he said, "This zoo is..." Fu Qingyang nodded. "It is a rule-based item at the Dominator level. During the day, it is asleep, so the rules don't need to be followed; that is why the zoo is open to regular tourists by day. After dusk, everyone must leave." *A Dominator-level rule-based item—that's basically the ceiling of the Spirit Realm world, or very close to it. Come to think of it, the entire zoo is an item?* Zhang Yuanqing said, "Got it." Fu Qingyang walked up to the motorized gate and commanded, "Open!" Incredibly, the motorized gate started up, sliding open slowly. Fu Qingyang strode into the park, and Zhang Yuanqing hurried to follow. Just as he passed through the gate and entered the Zoo, he suddenly felt a faint, indistinct gaze descending upon him from the unseen void. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked up. The night sky was dark and lightless, vast and remote, with not a stir of motion. "What is it?" Fu Qingyang halted and glanced back. *Who's watching me? That couldn't have been an illusion...* Zhang Yuanqing frowned. "I feel like someone's spying on me." He pointed toward the sky. Hearing this, Fu Qingyang glanced up at the sky, pondered for a few seconds, and said impassively, "Pay it no mind!" The two walked along the wide main path. Dim yellow streetlights lined both sides, their bulbs low-wattage and spaced four to five meters apart, causing each to cast only a circular pool of light directly underneath. Between each light stretched eerie, quiet darkness. *A classic horror movie setting. No, compared to a Dominator-level rule-based item, ordinary supernatural tropes are nothing...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered to himself. Fu Qingyang's tall, straight back in his white suit gave him an immense sense of security. This wealthy scion was calm, powerful, and ever confident. After walking for about five minutes, a fork appeared ahead, marked by a sign. A picture of a lion was painted on it. Fu Qingyang turned onto the branch path, leading the way. Zhang Yuanqing followed down the path toward the lion enclosure. Just then, an airy voice came from behind: "Excuse me, do you need help?" Zhang Yuanqing looked back. Standing in the halo of a streetlight was a figure in a black uniform, wearing a baseball cap whose brim cast a shadow obscuring their face. *A black-uniformed employee—don't respond.* Zhang Yuanqing immediately turned his head and quickened his pace to keep up with Fu Qingyang. Seeing that Zhang Yuanqing didn't respond, the figure under the streetlight grew frantic and rushed after him, their voice growing even more ethereal as they pressed, "Excuse me, do you need help?" Hearing the rushing footsteps of the black-uniformed employee, Zhang Yuanqing almost bolted, but remembering Fu Qingyang's instructions, he forced himself to stay calm, refusing to respond or pay any attention. The footsteps drew nearer and nearer, but just as they were about to reach his back, they vanished mysteriously. *Gone?* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a silent sigh of relief. Suddenly, another whisper sounded right by his ear: "You're here... You've finally come to see me~" *Who's talking?* A chill ran down Zhang Yuanqing's spine, every muscle in his body tensing in alarm. Without making any sudden movements, he swept his eyes across his surroundings. The streetlights were dim, and the silhouettes of vegetation and rockeries lurked in the dark, dead silent. Walking ahead, Fu Qingyang said calmly, "Don't look around. Keep walking!" Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath, banished all stray thoughts, and followed closely behind Fu Qingyang. Fortunately, nothing strange happened after that. A few minutes later, the two arrived at the lion enclosure. Looking through the tall iron railings, Zhang Yuanqing saw only a single white lion in the spacious area, lounging lazily on an elevated platform in the center. It had a sleek, powerful build, and its white mane was exceptionally magnificent, exuding the natural majesty of a king of the savannah. The white male lion's gaze was profound. Through the iron railings, it quietly watched the two "visitors." In a cell next to the lion enclosure, Zhang Yuanqing saw Heavenly King Demonic Eye. He was encased within a camphor tree growing indoors, his hands, feet, and lower body seemingly grown into the trunk. The camphor tree was not tall, but its trunk was extraordinarily thick and gnarled, with vines hanging down from its lush foliage. Squatting beneath the tree was a curly-haired poodle. Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun enter, Heavenly King Demonic Eye's eyes lit up.