At the same time Aunt Xiao Yuan shouted her urgent warning, Zhang Yuanqing had already caught the faint rush of wind overhead and sensed an abnormal disturbance in the airflow. Without a second thought, he threw himself to the side.
Crash!
A loud shatter echoed behind him as porcelain broke into fragments, accompanied by flying clumps of dirt.
Having lunged clear, Zhang Yuanqing rolled over, planted a palm on the ground, leaped to his feet, and turned to look back once he had steadied his footing.
What had smashed down was a potted plant.
"Fuck," Zhang Yuanqing blurted out, staring at the debris of shattered porcelain and scattered soil across the pavement.
If this thing had hit him in the head, even a Night Wanderer like him would have ended up battered and bleeding. If it had been an ordinary person, they wouldn't have even had a chance to be resuscitated—they would have died on the spot.
*My bad luck is getting more and more ridiculous. The car accident this morning at least gave me clear warning, offering a chance to react.*
His heart grew heavy.
"Beep, beep—"
Just then, the white car not far away honked its horn. Xiao Yuan poked her bright, striking face out of the window and said flatly, "Get in!"
Zhang Yuanqing stopped dwelling on the falling object and jogged over, slipping into the passenger seat.
It was the evening rush hour, and many residents of the compound—mostly middle-aged and elderly folks—were walking around. Startled by the loud crash of the potted plant, they glanced over in curiosity.
*I just hope rumors don't start circulating tomorrow that the retired inspector's grandson hooked up with another rich cougar...* Zhang Yuanqing prayed silently as he slammed the car door shut.
Xiao Yuan stepped on the gas and sped off.
Instead of leaving the residential compound, the car wound around and pulled into a secluded parking spot.
Zhang Yuanqing turned his head to admire her profile. Her side profile was gorgeous—her nose was tall and delicate, her chin slightly upturned, and the line of her cheek possessed an elegant curve.
Whether a person's facial features were three-dimensional depended largely on their nose, while the beauty of their facial structure relied on the contour of their chin.
From this angle, he could clearly see her long, curled eyelashes.
Her beauty was different from his aunt's sweet loveliness, Guan Ya's exquisite allure, or Little Green Tea's pure elegance. Her features were strikingly radiant and commanding—the kind of face where, if she were pushed onto the stage as a leader, nobody below would whisper behind her back that a woman shouldn't take charge.
This was an aura that many bewitching, delicate, charming, or docile women lacked.
Moreover, Xiao Yuan was an "unadorned" woman. Her expressions, her temperament, her personality—all of them were austere.
Aloof and cold.
Xiao Yuan shifted into neutral, pulled the handbrake, and said coldly, "Want me to gouge your eyeballs out?"
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing realize that under his burning gaze, Aunt Xiao Yuan's body had stiffened slightly, and her expression was rather tense.
*Don't be so nervous, the bet was just a joke...* Zhang Yuanqing cleared his throat and got down to business, his tone turning somewhat somber: "Aunt Xiao Yuan, have I been cursed?"
Seeing that he made no mention of the bet, Xiao Yuan's expression remained aloof, but the tension in her face eased slightly. She said calmly, "Fortune Diminishment. It's a type of curse.
"Compared to a death curse, its manifestation is gentler. The afflicted will be plagued by misfortune for a period of time, encountering bad luck in everything they do, until they finally die in an accident."
From her observation just now and the falling potted plant, she already knew what curse Yuanshi Tianzun was under.
"The space between your eyebrows is darkened, and your spirit body is coiled in black mist. This is a Saint-stage curse. Your misfortune will grow progressively more terrible, and in at most three days, you will die an unnatural death."
*It really is a curse. At most three days before I die an unnatural death...* Chilled to the bone, Zhang Yuanqing decisively summoned the Demon-Subduing Pestle.
With a flash of yellow light, the heavy bronze pestle settled into his palm.
Instead of rushing to dispel the curse, he asked, "Is there any way to reverse-track the caster? Also, I recall that curses have different effects depending on the medium used. For a curse capable of hounding me to death, they probably have my flesh or blood, right?"
He was no longer the wet-behind-the-ears novice he had once been.
Dispelling the curse was simple, but the crux of the matter wasn't removing it; it was finding the caster.
He needed to understand what medium the caster had used to place the curse. If it was his flesh and blood, next time they might just curse him to death outright.
He couldn't keep himself in a purified state constantly. If he tried, before the curse could kill him, the Demon-Subduing Pestle would drain him into a dried husk.
Besides, he could stay on guard while awake, but what about when he slept?
A death curse struck in an instant; there would be no time to react in his sleep.
A look of approval flashed in Xiao Yuan's eyes, but she immediately shook her head. "No such method exists. You'd be better off thinking about who you've offended recently."
*I can't reverse-track the caster...* Zhang Yuanqing frowned. That meant he had to identify the caster in a short time.
Looking at the contemplative Yuanshi Tianzun, she proceeded to answer his second question: "The curse placed on you is extremely potent. The caster likely obtained your flesh, blood, or hair to use as a medium, rather than just a photograph or your Eight Characters of birth."
With his suspicion confirmed, Zhang Yuanqing's heart grew even heavier.
"Aside from Hei Wuchang, I haven't crossed anyone in the Spirit Society. Of course, with my current fame, the Spirit Society wouldn't need a reason to kill me. I have too many enemies; it's practically impossible to narrow them down..."
Xiao Yuan concealed the worry in her eyes and said calmly, "Change your angle of thought. Why didn't the caster curse you to death directly? Do they have another objective, or are they wary of something? Have you been injured and bled recently? Who had the chance to obtain your blood?"
As a Witch Doctor, her understanding of her own class far exceeded Yuanshi Tianzun's, and her reasoning was much clearer.
Zhang Yuanqing leaned back against the seat, lowering his head in thought.
*If the person cursing me belongs to an evil class, they would have cursed me to death directly. I've never heard of an evil class needing a severed head to collect a bounty... If it's not an evil class, then they must possess a curse item. Diminishing my fortune instead of killing me outright... Yes, dying from diminished fortune is far more inconspicuous.*
*Then their identity is very likely an orthodox class, perhaps even someone within the official organization, afraid that directly cursing me to death would draw the attention of the Songhai branch's higher-ups.*
*After all, given my current status, even the elders are paying close attention to me. If I were inexplicably struck dead by a curse, the elders would definitely investigate. Dying from diminished fortune is subtler, making it much harder to detect any clues.*
*Aside from the arena tournament over the past few days, I haven't been injured. During the tournament, who came into contact with my flesh and blood...?*
Zhang Yuanqing quickly narrowed it down to three suspects: Maoshan Daoist, Zhao Chenghuang, and Qingsongzi.
Among the three, Zhao Chenghuang was the most suspicious, Maoshan Daoist was second, and Qingsongzi was the least likely.
The latter two probably didn't have Saint-grade Witch Doctor items, and their grudges against him hadn't reached such an extreme level.
*If the one trying to harm me is Zhao Chenghuang, I need to report this to Fu Qingyang and let him step forward or take it to the elders...* Zhang Yuanqing already had a plan.
"If you need my help, don't hesitate to ask," Xiao Yuan said. Seeing his eyes light up, she knew he had figured things out completely.
"No need! Providing me with accurate answers is already the greatest help you could give. I'll handle it myself," Zhang Yuanqing said.
If it involved the Taiyi Sect, Xiao Yuan wouldn't be able to intervene.
Xiao Yuan nodded. "Whether this gets resolved or not, remember to let me know."
"Will do!" Zhang Yuanqing opened the car door. Just as he was about to say goodbye and leave, Xiao Yuan suddenly asked, "How are things going with Kou Beiyue?"
"I haven't forgotten. The higher-ups told me to wait for word, and there's been no reply yet." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at her. "Once there's news, I'll let you know."
With that, he slipped out of the car and gently closed the door.
He had only taken two steps when Xiao Yuan's smiling voice drifted out from the car window behind him: "Congratulations on winning the championship!"
Back in his bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing locked the door and dialed Fu Qingyang's number: "Centurion, I've been cursed."
"What happened?" The voice over the phone deepened.
He recounted in full detail his bizarre streak of bad luck today and how he had specifically consulted a Witch Doctor from the Wuhen Hotel.
Naturally, he also shared his list of three suspects.
Fu Qingyang pondered for a few seconds before speaking slowly, "I understand. I will give you an answer by tomorrow at the latest."
"Okay!"
Having said that, Zhang Yuanqing waited for the other party to hang up, but after a few seconds, Fu Qingyang still hadn't ended the call.
Zhang Yuanqing immediately rattled off: "Thank you, Centurion! May the Centurion overpower his peers, look down upon Taiyi, enjoy longevity as boundless as the heavens, and unify the Five Elements!"
"Beep, beep—"
The other end hung up.
With his grandmother's dinner not quite ready yet, Zhang Yuanqing sat in his ergonomic chair, his fingers tapping against the desk.
*In at most ten days, the killing trial will begin. My second exclusive Spirit Realm is also drawing near. An exclusive Spirit Realm and a killing trial don't conflict with each other, though I don't know which will come first.*
Over the past few days, the arena tournament had slowed down his pace of reading walkthrough guides. Now that he had won the championship, he had to get back to his homework.
*Solo Spirit Realms are fraught with unpredictable perils. With this character card's hidden rating, I'm very likely to run into another S-rank or A-rank trial, so I don't need to bother reading guides for anything below A-rank.*
*Sigh, every time I enter a solo Spirit Realm, the Songhai branch has to spend a fortune buying guides from the Taiyi Sect. It feels a bit embarrassing...*
The Five Elements Alliance didn't have Night Wanderers, so guides for the class's exclusive Spirit Realms were exceedingly rare.
They only had a scattering of trial missions or guides for very low-level realms.
Therefore, before his second exclusive Spirit Realm opened, the Songhai branch had purchased many high-difficulty Night Wanderer guides from the Taiyi Sect.
Although the two S-rank realms Zhang Yuanqing had cleared fetched a good price and offset part of the cost, the Songhai branch still spent an enormous sum of money and a fair number of items.
Besides, it was manageable at the Transcendent stage, but once he reached the Saint stage later on, the value of realm guides would soar dramatically, and the Taiyi Sect would undoubtedly demand an exorbitant sum.
This was the advantage of having high merits: the organization would spare no effort or expense to nurture him. An ordinary Night Wanderer, by contrast, would likely have to leave their fate to the heavens.
*Solo Spirit Realms are too dangerous. Even with my current strength, I can't let down my guard. I need to get myself an extra layer of insurance.*
With that in mind, he took out his phone and sent a message to Xie Lingxi.
Yuanshi Tianzun: "Sister Lingxi, I need to see the Palace Master about something."
Little Green Tea: "Oki-doki! I'll pass the message on for you."
Zhang Yuanqing wanted to buy some Life Essence from the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter. This stuff was a strategic resource and exceptionally precious. With limited production from the two Musician families, only Deacons within the Five Elements Alliance were eligible to apply for its use.
Even then, they could only apply for diluted Life Essence.
Although Zhang Yuanqing had accumulated high merits, he wasn't a Deacon yet, so by regulation he couldn't apply for it.
While he could ask Fu Qingyang for help, if the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter could provide him with concentrated Life Essence, why settle for requesting the diluted version?
He chatted with Little Green Tea until his grandmother called him for dinner from the living room, at which point he finally received a confirmed reply:
Little Green Tea: "Palace Master Big Sis said, midnight, the usual spot. Hmph, you two already have a secret rendezvous spot. I'm unhappy, so unhappy! [Hands on hips, pouting]"
Yuanshi Tianzun: "Once you're an adult, you can come along with Palace Master Big Sis."
He locked his phone screen and stepped out to eat.
At the dining table, his aunt chattered endlessly to his grandparents about their shopping trip earlier that day.
Grandmother frowned as she listened, then looked toward her grandson. "If someone provokes you in the future, never get into a fight. Just call your cousin right away."
She then turned and instructed her daughter, "You too!"
In a place like Songhai, being hit on because of good looks was common, but being physically attacked for ignoring someone's advances was quite rare.
After dinner, Zhang Yuanqing received a call from Fu Qingyang.
"The person who cursed you has been identified. It's Zhu Rong, Chi Yue'an's wife."
"Zhu Rong?" Zhang Yuanqing blurted out in surprise.
This outcome was completely beyond his expectations.
Zhang Yuanqing asked in astonishment, "How did she get her hands on my blood?"
Fu Qingyang said, "It was Qingsongzi. He lashed you with a whip during the tournament trial, and that was when he harvested your blood and preserved it in an item.
"He had a deal with Zhu Rong: if he obtained your blood, Zhu Rong would become his mistress. As a Wood Demon, Qingsongzi couldn't resist such temptation.
"According to Qingsongzi's confession, Zhu Rong's goal was to train you into her male paramour."
Zhang Yuanqing: "???"
Along with his shock, he felt profoundly insulted.
The reason he had considered Qingsongzi the least suspicious was mainly that Qingsongzi lacked a motive; he had no idea the two had struck a secret agreement.
*Chi Yue'an really was killed by a curse. Looking at it now, the person who killed him back then was Zhu Rong... Did she want revenge because I destroyed her illicit revenue channel? Or did the attitude I showed that day—insisting on pursuing the matter to the very end—make her perceive a threat?*
*Cursing me just to train me into a male paramour? That's an outright humiliation.*
Fu Qingyang said, "I've already deployed personnel to head for the Zhu family overnight. We can execute the arrest by tomorrow morning at the latest. If what Qingsongzi confessed is true, our options for penalizing Zhu Rong will be quite limited."
The Five Elements Alliance had ways to make Zhu Rong speak the truth. If Qingsongzi was indeed telling the truth... cursing Yuanshi Tianzun to death versus wanting to sleep with Yuanshi Tianzun were two entirely different matters.
If a direct descendant of the Zhu family sought to murder Yuanshi Tianzun, the Five Elements Alliance would surely punish them severely; life imprisonment would be the bare minimum.
Yet if a direct daughter of the Zhu family merely wanted to sleep with Yuanshi Tianzun... The Zhu family was a prominent Spirit Realm clan, not some vagrant gang that could be bullied at will, and they maintained close ties and deep-seated interests with the authorities.
The Five Elements Alliance would certainly mete out punishment, but they wouldn't execute a direct daughter of the Zhu family over it.
"The higher-ups will naturally discuss how to punish her. Centurion, the most important thing right now is recovering the curse medium. Also, we can use this opportunity to investigate the Bronze Sparrow Tower case," Zhang Yuanqing said.
"Naturally!"
With that, Fu Qingyang ended the call.
*This happens to be a good opportunity to bring the Bronze Sparrow Tower case to a close.*
*What the bloody hell, wanting to sleep with me? If you wanted to sleep with me, you should've just said so! Wouldn't giving me a hotel room number have been enough?!* With a dark expression, Zhang Yuanqing hurled his phone onto the bed.
Midnight.
A café across from the Kangyang District Security Bureau.
Zhang Yuanqing sat beside a small round table and looked at the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter opposite him. "Palace Master, I'd like to buy a few vials of Life Essence."
Her pale hand holding a silver spoon, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter stirred gently and said, "Life Essence is extremely difficult to produce, and the ingredients are rare and precious. I can give you two vials at most, one hundred thousand each."
Diluted Life Essence could fetch two to three million on the black market, and even then, demand often exceeded supply.
*One hundred thousand a vial isn't even a fire-sale price anymore—it's an illicit-lovers' discount...* Zhang Yuanqing immediately replied, "Deal!"
Once the deal was struck, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter took a sip of her coffee and chuckled softly. "The space between your eyebrows is dark. Have you been plagued by bad luck lately?"
*She can actually tell...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded and told her about being cursed by Zhu Rong, leaving out the part about the male paramour.
After all, he had some pride to keep.
The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter gave an "Oh" and curled her lips into a smirk. "Ever since that woman was tamed by the Demon Lord, her mind has been twisted. She particularly loathes Night Wanderers. No wonder she used Fortune Diminishment instead of a death curse. Presumably in a day or two, she would have contacted you, using the curse as a threat and her feminine charms as temptation, all to train you into an obedient male paramour. Tsk, tsk..."
*You really didn't need to bring that up...* Zhang Yuanqing forced a smile.
*She won't get that chance anymore. My brother-in-law is already on the move!*
Chapter 220