A Night Meeting

Zhang Yuanqing typed a message in reply: "Palace Master?" A few seconds later, she sent back a simple "Mhm," followed by silence. Zhang Yuanqing opened the chat app and tapped on Xiao Yuan's profile icon. The woman still hadn't replied. *Forget it, I'll find time to drop by Wuhen Hotel,* Zhang Yuanqing muttered. Logging onto the official forum, he saw, as expected, an announcement posted by the Songhai branch. #Lust Divine General Lurking in Songhai; All Teams Enter Level-One Combat Readiness# Back when Demonic Eye had wreaked havoc in Songhai, the branch hadn't even declared a "level-one combat readiness." The alert level was determined by the degree of danger. While a spirit walker's level was directly tied to the threat they posed, there were always exceptions. The greatest difference between Demonic Eye and Lust Divine General was that although the former was a fanatic, he did not kill indiscriminately and posed no grave threat to low- to mid-level spirit walkers or ordinary citizens. —After all, bullies and scoundrels were only a tiny minority among the general public. Lust Divine General was different. He lacked any moral bottom line, and his habit of bewitching women to use as playthings was utterly vile. [Affectionate Jenny: Holy crap, Lust Divine General went to Songhai? Sisters in Songhai, be careful! That guy has zero humanity.] [Qingteng: Already trembling in my boots.] [Please Call Me Queen: Ah, this... I was just planning to submit a transfer request to work in Songhai in the second half of the year, but now I don't dare go.] [Youyou: You still want to transfer here? I was so spooked today that I almost applied for a business trip to neighboring Jiangnan Province just to lay low.] [Lairifangzhang: Does the Soldier Master sect have some kind of beef with Songhai? First Demonic Eye, now Lust. By the way, I don't know much about Lust. Judging by his title, he's an erotic fiend, right?] [Niu Xiaomei: The official files only describe Lust Divine General as debauched and brutal. At first glance, he might seem less dangerous than those bloodthirsty generals, but in reality, he is the vilest of the Soldier Master sect's Eight Divine Generals. Active in the north, he targets young, beautiful, high-value women, capturing and keeping them in captivity as playthings. He bewitches his victims and alters their cognition. Any woman abducted by Lust Divine General can hardly function in society even if rescued in the end, because their self-perception has been warped.] [Niu Xiaomei: Some are conditioned into servants; others into tools for venting desire or bribing targets... Even if rescued, they can only spend the rest of their lives in psychiatric hospitals, because their distorted cognition would only subject them to far worse misery in normal society.] [Niu Xiaomei: Lust Divine General rarely kills the women he keeps captive. He views those pitiful women as assets. He grooms the prime playthings and gifts them to dignitaries, evil-faction heavyweights, and business elites. Through this method, he has amassed unimaginable wealth and connections. Then he uses that wealth and influence to do charity, accumulating Morality Points to extinguish the 'karmic fire' generated from abducting women. It's practically a perfect closed loop.] [Peony Fairy: What a scumbag who deserves a thousand cuts. How do you know this so clearly?] [Niu Xiaomei: I'm from the north, of course I know. One of my former subordinates was abducted by Lust Divine General. Years later, while investigating a case involving collusion between a wealthy merchant and evil classes, I found her. She was that merchant's personal plaything at the time. Before ending up with him, she had been handed off at least three times, forcibly impregnated, and given birth to two children.] [Niu Xiaomei: Honestly, I'm kind of glad Lust Divine General went to Songhai. Don't get me wrong, I'm not gloating. It's just that Songhai has more experts—six elders, elite deacons, and Yuanshi Tianzun. I hope the Songhai branch can hunt Lust Divine General down and rid us of this scourge. Still, he is extremely vindictive, so when dealing with him, you must be extraordinarily careful.] [Qingteng: What you say makes sense, but how can someone at the divine general tier be that easy to deal with? A peak Level 6 evil class could probably escape even against a Level 7 Order Elder.] Female colleagues from the Songhai branch were panicking, voicing their worries in the comments. Colleagues from other branches strongly condemned Lust Divine General. Zhang Yuanqing silently exited the forum, his mood turning heavy. *Queen wanting to come to Songhai suits me just fine, but with Lust Divine General lurking here, I'd better hold off on recruiting her for now. Same goes for Little Green Tea. Putting together the team will have to wait until Lust Divine General is dealt with.* Niu Xiaomei's comments caused his threat assessment of Lust Divine General to skyrocket almost exponentially. Sharing a city with such a despicable monster made it impossible to rest easy. His family and friends were all in danger. *** In the early hours of the morning, Zhang Yuanqing, disguised as Wang Tai, walked along the desolate street. Before long, he arrived at the cafe across from the Kangyang District Police Station. The shops along the street were long closed; only the cafe was brightly lit, its doors wide open. Zhang Yuanqing stepped inside and habitually glanced toward the counter. It was deserted, and the espresso machine on it sat silent and idle. *The Palace Master isn't even in the mood to brew coffee. I'd better watch my tongue later, lest she string me up and beat me.* Zhang Yuanqing stayed on high alert internally. A lunatic in a foul mood and a lunatic in a normal state were two completely different beasts. Sweeping his gaze across the dining area filled with empty tables and chairs, he spotted a young woman at a corner table, draped in a crimson dress and wearing a silver mask. The silver mask on her face had reverted to the original version—the one that covered her entire face. "Palace Master!" Zhang Yuanqing sat down at the neighboring round table. "About Lizhi... I'm sorry." Leaning languidly against the back of her chair, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter replied indifferently, "From the moment she became Lust's captive, death was a release for her." Her tone was flat, but beneath the mask, Zhang Yuanqing saw eyes as cold and dark as a frozen pool. "How does the Songhai branch plan to act?" the Palace Master got straight to the point. Zhang Yuanqing deliberated for a few seconds before answering: "Four directions. First, using the fingerprints collected from the bar to track down the evil classes who were present that night, arresting them to see if we can make a breakthrough there. Second, posting a commission on the black market with a bounty on Lust Divine General's whereabouts. Many rogue cultivators have wild connections and know people in the evil classes, who have no loyalty and are driven by greed. Third, waiting for him to slip up; Fu Qingyang has requisitioned a secret item from headquarters. "Fourth, indiscriminate monitoring and surveillance of phone calls, chat messages, and texts across Songhai, filtering for keywords like 'Soldier Master sect,' 'Divine General,' 'Lust,' and 'Heavenly King' through big-data capture." Hearing this, the Palace Master nodded slightly. "I will try to track down Lust Divine General, but the Palace of Halting Slaughter is a non-governmental organization after all. A large-scale dragnet still depends on you in the official faction. If you find any leads on him, inform me immediately." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Business concluded, the Palace Master suddenly asked, "Gotten yourself a girlfriend recently?" Zhang Yuanqing froze. "How did you know?" She scoffed. "A Musician at the Saint stage is called a 'Red Phoenix Starlord.' There is a red string connected to you now, though it's somewhat illusory and dim, which shows the relationship isn't solid yet." *A Red Phoenix Starlord can see these so-called 'red strings'? Why does that sound like the Matchmaker God...* A smile crept across Zhang Yuanqing's face, but just as he was about to speak, the Palace Master said coldly: "Now get lost!" *** The following morning, at the breakfast table, Zhang Yuanqing received Xiao Yuan's reply: "I'll keep an eye out!" This delighted him. Every rat had its hole, and every snake its trail. For the authorities to hunt down evil classes was exceedingly difficult, but for evil classes to seek out their own kind was far easier. Even though Lust Divine General was bound to lie low for the time being, Zhang Yuanqing didn't expect Xiao Yuan to definitely locate him; providing some clues would be enough. In high spirits, he set down his phone, snatched a meat bun with his teeth, and quietly opened his Star Eyes to examine his family's physiognomy. Ever since spotting signs of bloody calamity on his cousin's face, he made a point to inspect his family's faces daily. With Lust Divine General now hiding in Songhai, he certainly couldn't afford to slack off. *Cousin's physiognomy looks normal. No danger or great fortune in the near future, just a slight cloudiness over his Palace of Toil—his health isn't great, and he'll probably be overworked lately...* He glanced at his maternal grandmother and grandfather; everything was normal. Finally, he looked toward Jiang Yu'er. *Huh, Auntie's Palace of Affinity is somewhat clouded. She might face setbacks in her love life or social circle recently... and her mood is awful right now...* Jiang Yu'er, nibbling on a meat bun, glared at him. "What are you staring at? Never seen an aunt this pretty?" *Tsk, her mood is clearly in the dumps, yet she insists on acting carefree.* Zhang Yuanqing paused for a moment before saying, "Auntie, let me walk you to work today." Jiang Yu'er blinked, her eyes subtly lighting up, though she retorted, "What for? Trying to borrow money?" "Never mind then!" "Walk me, walk me! And you have to pick me up after work too." Happily gulping down her soy milk, Jiang Yu'er grabbed Zhang Yuanqing and dragged him toward the door, calling out sweetly: "Mom, I'm off to work!" Inside the elevator, Zhang Yuanqing opened his Star Eyes again, only to find that Jiang Yu'er's Palace of Affinity had brightened considerably, no longer as dim as before. "Did your conscience finally kick in today?" Jiang Yu'er tidied her hair and checked her makeup in the reflective elevator door, completely unaware that her nephew was scrutinizing her. "Mistaking good intentions for ill will, why don't you. I'm just worried it's not safe for you commuting alone." Zhang Yuanqing deactivated his Star Eyes. "Heh, aren't you worried about your girlfriend?" "I can have many girlfriends, but I only have one aunt." Jiang Yu'er turned her gaze away from the elevator doors and fixed it on Zhang Yuanqing, an odd expression on her face. "What kind of scumbag quote is that? Zhang Yuanqing, did you turn bad or something?" Yet as they stepped outside, she happily hooked her arm around her nephew's, taking light, bouncy steps. *** Jinshan City. Inside the deserted logistics company, the baby-faced Human Blood Bun shut his bedroom door, pulled the curtains closed, and retrieved a bronze bowl engraved with venomous vermin and beasts from his inventory. He placed the bronze bowl on the table, sliced his palm with a dagger, and held it over the rim, letting trickles of crimson blood drain into it. Soon, a small pool of blood gathered at the bottom. Prostrating himself on the floor, he activated the item. At once, a thick mist of blood rose from the bowl, slowly coalescing into a blurred face. "President, I have intelligence to report," Human Blood Bun said. "Speak!" the face spoke, its voice grand yet slightly distorted. "Kou Beiyue, who's on the Mortal Ranking bounty list... I know him, and he is right here in Jinshan City," Human Blood Bun said.