Confession

Early in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing sat at the dining table, enjoying the breakfast prepared by the bunny girl. Tilting his head, he wedged his phone between his ear and shoulder, slicing sausages with one hand while dunking a fried dough stick into soy milk with the other. "Haven't you wrapped up your mission yet? Do you need me to come give you a hand?" Zhang Yuanqing grumbled in rapid succession. "If you don't come home soon, I'm finding myself a new lover." For a young man who had just gotten a girlfriend and was at the stage of having just tasted the sweetness of intimacy, nothing was more agonizing than virtue going unrewarded. Guan Ya chuckled softly. "It's a good chance for you to practice your rusty handcraft." She wasn't worried in the slightest about Yuanshi Tianzun fooling around outside. The kid came from a decent family and was handsome to boot—would it be hard for him to find a girlfriend? Not in the least. Yet it was truly only that night that he had transformed from a boy into a man under her welcoming embrace. Guan Ya had seen through Yuanshi long ago. On the surface, he was optimistic and outgoing, but deep down he was a loner. He could play along for the sake of appearances, but he wouldn't expend the energy to deal with girls. Before, he hadn't had a girlfriend simply because he had never wanted one. "To be honest, self-reliance feels much better than rolling around in the sheets with you," Zhang Yuanqing grumbled through gritted teeth. Guan Ya giggled. "Then do it a few more times yourself... I've finished breakfast. I have a meeting in a bit. The guy this time is pretty tricky. If we still haven't caught him within a week, I'll take the team back to Songhai." The success rate of capturing wanted criminals had never been high. Unless they were pinpointed and surrounded right away, most evil classes could rely on their skills to slip away leisurely amidst the official manhunt. Evil classes had always been difficult to apprehend. The one Guan Ya was trying to capture this time was a Mist Lord. This wanted criminal was exceptionally brutal, killing for sport, and whenever his Morality Points ran low, he would attack official members. He had committed crimes in Jiangnan Province this time, and his trail was uncovered by official walkers of the Hang City branch. Zhang Yuanqing hung up. Before he could even set the phone down, an incoming call from Fu Qingyang immediately followed. He answered, "Boss?" "Your killing of Cai Longshen has been exposed. Headquarters investigators questioned Huang Taiji this morning with the Tiger Tally. I received word that the investigation team is already on its way to Songhai." Fu Qingyang's words struck Zhang Yuanqing's heart like a heavy hammer. *It just had to happen at the critical juncture when I'm about to rescue Demonic Eye...* Putting down his knife and fork, his expression turned grim. "What should I do?" Because he had contingency plans and mental preparation, he wasn't thrown into a complete panic despite being caught off guard. "Cooperate with the investigation," Fu Qingyang said in a low voice. "I told you before that this matter can be haggled over and maneuvered, but you must not act too extreme. Do not let the headquarters elders think you have a rebellious bone in your body. All you need to do is endure and cooperate with headquarters' investigation. Leave the rest to me." Zhang Yuanqing gave an "Mm," then asked, "Is Huang Taiji all right?" Fu Qingyang replied indifferently, "He is the grandson of Grand Elder Dihong. What could happen to him?" At most, he would receive a circular of criticism and a disciplinary demerit on his record. The one in real trouble was Yuanshi. Although the mentally ill weren't held criminally liable for murder, that applied only to commoners of the same social tier. If the one killed was a crown prince, mental illness didn't matter in the least—even if you were an idiot, they would still have you humanely destroyed. And Yuanshi Tianzun had killed a crown prince. As one of the headquarters' Ten Elders, would Elder Cai easily spare the person who murdered his grandson? Even though Fu Qingyang claimed they could wrangle over it, things were never that simple. After ending the call, Zhang Yuanqing put down his phone and unhurriedly continued eating. Once breakfast was finished, he returned to his room, opened the chat app on his phone, exited the "Protagonist Squad Striving Group," and deleted contacts such as "Xiao Yuan" and "Fear Heavenly King." Then he removed the SIM card and put it into a new phone. Next, he packed the old phone and the Elvis speaker into a backpack and stored them in Little Red Riding Hood's space. Having taken care of those two items, he placed the three yin corpses—Commandery Princess Yinyao, Greed Divine General, and Bai Ren Zhan—into the red hood as well, leaving behind only Blood Rose. He couldn't let headquarters know for the time being that he possessed three Level 6 yin corpses; the Wanbao House incident in Du hadn't blown over yet. Next, Zhang Yuanqing went next door into the study. At a glance, he saw the Money Prince sitting behind the desk, frowning in deep contemplation. He said, "Sister Guan Ya is still on a mission. Don't let her know for now, or she'll be distracted." "It's not a question of whether we tell her," Fu Qingyang said, brushing past the topic with a pointed look. "Take care of anything that needs to be handled." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Everything's been handled." Fu Qingyang said slowly, "People from the Investigation Department will be here shortly to look for you. You know about the Investigation Department, right?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. The Investigation Department was an inspection and supervisory body established by headquarters, an important department that held sway over the various branches and possessed immense authority. The head of the Investigation Department was the Grand Elder of the White Tiger Guards, and the deputy head was none other than Elder Cai of the Water God Palace. Each of headquarters' Ten Elders wielded tremendous power, none of which branch elders could compare to. If the Five Elements Alliance were likened to a jianghu syndicate, the Ten Elders of headquarters would be the ten major factions dividing power, while branch elders were mere underlings to the Ten Elders. For example, Elder Luo Shen of the Water God Palace in the Songhai branch belonged to Elder Cai's faction. "Your only advantage is your talent," Fu Qingyang said. "I will find ways to mediate on your behalf and strive for lenient treatment." Any ordinary prodigy without a powerful background would never survive this ordeal. As one of headquarters' Ten Elders, handling a prodigy was child's play for Elder Cai. No one would stand against one of the Ten Elders for the sake of an inconsequential nobody. That included the other Ten Elders. However, Yuanshi Tianzun was different. His fame was too resounding. Now that he was Level 6, Dominator was merely his floor, and having the potential of an Alliance Master was no longer just a joke. Even for the Ten Elders, so long as Yuanshi Tianzun didn't court death himself, it was hard to punish him purely out of personal whim. Yet Yuanshi Tianzun had killed Cai Longshen after all; coming out completely unscathed was practically impossible. "Lenient treatment..." Zhang Yuanqing shrugged. "If they push me too far, I'll just quit the Five Elements Alliance and work exclusively for you in the White Tiger Guards." "Do not speak in anger," Fu Qingyang said coldly. The two spoke no further, waiting in silence. The sunlight grew stronger. The End of Heat sun was as scorching as midsummer. In the garden, the gardener pruned lush foliage and scooped fallen leaves from the pond. Near noon, the bunny girl knocked on the study door. "Young Master, investigators from headquarters have arrived." Fu Qingyang gave a slight nod. "Send them in." The bunny girl withdrew. A moment later, she returned leading three men dressed in sharp suits—one middle-aged man and two young men. The middle-aged man produced his credentials and bowed slightly. "Elder Fu, by order of Minister Elder Cai, we are here to escort Yuanshi Tianzun back to the capital for questioning. Here is the detention document from headquarters." "Take him to the capital?" Fu Qingyang frowned slightly, glancing at the identification, which bore the man's title and Spirit Realm ID. Taking the folder, he read it carefully. "Understood." He handed the document back, looked at Zhang Yuanqing, and said, "Cooperate with headquarters' investigation." "Yes!" Zhang Yuanqing responded with meek deference, then turned to the middle-aged man. "Do I need handcuffs?" The middle-aged man scrutinized the renowned Yuanshi Tianzun, a flash of surprise in his eyes. Rumor had it that this favored darling of heaven was recalcitrant and arrogant, killing colleagues with utter disregard for discipline and defying headquarters without heed for the organization. The middle-aged man hadn't been surprised in the slightest that he had done such a thing in an instance. He had expected Yuanshi Tianzun to put on a defiant stance and refuse to cooperate upon seeing them arrive. He hadn't anticipated him being so remarkably docile. "Handcuffs won't be necessary, but Elder Cai instructed us to thoroughly inspect your residence," the middle-aged man said with a slight smile. "It's right next door," Zhang Yuanqing said, his expression unchanged. Fu Qingyang looked at the bunny girl. "Take them over." The two young men left with the bunny girl. Fu Qingyang watched the three walk out of the study, then looked at the middle-aged man. "Did Elder Cai send a Saint like you hoping that Yuanshi Tianzun would resist orders?" The middle-aged man was all smiles, his response airtight: "Who knows? I'm merely following orders from above." Half an hour later, the two young men returned to the study and shook their heads at their superior. The middle-aged man said at once, "Elder Fu, we won't disturb you any longer. Yuanshi Tianzun, come with us." Zhang Yuanqing looked at Fu Qingyang, who said calmly, "Remember what I told you." *Cooperate with the investigation. Don't let headquarters think I have a rebellious streak...* Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and smiled. "I hope headquarters' interrogation room doesn't feature the ten great tortures of the Qing dynasty." *** At 2:00 PM, Zhang Yuanqing arrived in Capital City aboard a private jet. As soon as he stepped off the plane, he was ushered straight into a private car and brought to the Investigation Department's office building. Inside the interrogation room, Zhang Yuanqing sat on the interrogation chair. Above him were blazing white lights and surveillance cameras; the long table before him was unoccupied. The interrogation room wasn't large, and he was the only one inside. Amidst the quiet waiting, the door of the interrogation room clicked open. An elderly man clad in a black robe walked in, followed by an assistant carrying a tray. The black-robed elder was pale and beardless, with white hair and corners of his eyes and forehead etched with wrinkles. His expression was chilly. He pulled out a chair and sat down, while the assistant respectfully placed the tray on the table. The black-robed elder unveiled the red silk cloth, took hold of the Tiger Tally, and looked at Zhang Yuanqing in the interrogation chair, his tone cold: "Spirit Realm ID!" A terrifying pressure bore down on him. Accompanied by a tiger's roar, the majestic White Tiger appeared once more within his sea of consciousness. A pitch-black full moon surfaced in tandem, casting a chilly glow that shielded Zhang Yuanqing's soul. "Yuanshi Tianzun," he said, maintaining a deathly pale face. "In the instance Chaos of the Five Elements, a Spirit Medium turned against the evil faction for your sake. Is this true?" the black-robed elder asked. "Yes, but her identity—" Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to explain, he was coldly cut off by the black-robed elder: "You only need to answer yes or no. You don't need to say anything else." Helpless, Zhang Yuanqing shut his mouth. The black-robed elder asked again, "Did you kill Cai Longshen?" "Yes..." "When you killed him, was your consciousness clear?" "At the time, I—" The black-robed elder cut him off once more, demanding sternly, "Answer yes or no." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at the Tiger Tally. "Yes." Under the deterrence of the Tiger Tally, he could not put up a vehement argument; doing so would reveal that he was immune to the Tiger Tally's coercion. The black-robed elder nodded in satisfaction. Putting away the Tiger Tally, he said to the assistant, "Turn off the surveillance." The assistant nodded and stepped out of the interrogation room. A dozen seconds later, he returned to the room with a document in hand. Sitting upright behind the table, the black-robed elder signaled with his eyes for the assistant to hand over the document. The document was placed before Zhang Yuanqing. Looking closely, he saw that it was a written confession. The contents stated that Yuanshi Tianzun had colluded with evil classes, and dissatisfied with the distribution of spoils, had relied on stolen boss power to murderously strike down his comrade. The document made no mention of Cai Longshen attempting to pocket all the spoils—the very fuse of the incident—nor of Zhang Yuanqing risking everything to devour the boss's soul to save his companions, which had driven him mentally deranged. Still less did it mention Cai Longshen cowering from battle, watching his colleagues die before his eyes, and then shamelessly trying to share the spoils afterward. The only focal point was: Yuanshi Tianzun was dissatisfied with the distribution of spoils and killed in fury. "I'm not signing. You're framing me." Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath. "I want to see Fu Qingyang." He suddenly realized that in the entire official organization, the only one he could rely on was the Money Prince. The black-robed elder said indifferently, "He has no authority to intervene in the affairs of the Investigation Department. Sign it." With those words, a stream of clear water shot from his sleeve and crashed down onto Zhang Yuanqing's back with a splash. *Bang!* His face was smashed right against the crossbar of the interrogation chair. This was a Dominator—a Dominator of the Water Ghost class. The flowing water clung to Zhang Yuanqing's back, arms, and legs like a possession, controlling him to raise his hand. The assistant handed over a prepared pen. Uncontrolled, Zhang Yuanqing gripped the pen... His pupils constricted sharply, radiating intense hostility. He opened his inventory, his gaze falling upon the Heaven-Worship Set and the "Power of the Five Elements" trial card. Yet Fu Qingyang's words surfaced in his mind once again. *—Do not let headquarters think I have a rebellious bone in my body.* From the standpoint of headquarters' elders, the case itself didn't matter. The one who died was Elder Cai's grandson, not theirs. However, his attitude mattered immensely. If Yuanshi Tianzun were an obedient subordinate who followed orders, even if he truly killed Cai Longshen over a conflict of interest, the elders of headquarters would still protect him. Conversely, if Yuanshi Tianzun were uncontrollable, they would pin him beneath the Five Elements Mountain to wear down his sharp edges and rebellious nature, transforming him from the Great Sage Equaling Heaven into the Victorious Fighting Buddha. The mindset of those in power was fundamentally different from ordinary people; justice and righteousness were never their top priorities... *Elder Cai is also one of those in power. He wants to enrage me, to bait out my rebellious streak just like when I killed Wei Yuanzhou. He wants headquarters' elders to see that I am uncontrollable...* Zhang Yuanqing instantly understood Fu Qingyang's reminder. *Headquarters won't convict me based on a confession alone. Now is not the best time to resist; I cannot fall into Elder Cai's trap...* Suppressing the churning fury in his chest, Zhang Yuanqing closed his inventory. He gave up resisting, letting the black-robed elder manipulate him into signing the confession. *Yuanshi Tianzun.* As the four characters were completed, the water clinging to his back rolled up the document and returned behind the black-robed elder. A flash of surprise crossed the black-robed elder's eyes. Without a word, he rose, took the confession, and left. *** 4:00 PM. On the official forum, the thread about Yuanshi Tianzun advancing two levels consecutively was quietly deleted by moderators. Another post, pinned and highlighted in red, appeared in the most prominent position: #Dissatisfied with Distribution of Spoils, Yuanshi Tianzun Murdered Colleague in Instance; Investigation Department Also Discovered Close Ties to Evil Classes, Now Apprehended by Headquarters# The post struck the official forum like an earthquake. Countless official walkers clicked on the post in bewilderment and shock, reading its contents. The post briefly outlined the sequence of events and attached Yuanshi Tianzun's written confession. After reading it, official members across various branches found it hard to believe. Just a few days ago, they had been marveling at Yuanshi Tianzun's monumental achievements. In the blink of an eye, this favored darling of heaven had been knocked off his pedestal, branded a despicable villain who murdered a colleague? "Could there be a mistake? I don't believe Yuanshi Tianzun would do something like this." "Uh, I actually heard Cai Longshen returned to the Spirit Realm." "There's even a confession letter. How could it be fake?" "It's not the first time Yuanshi Tianzun killed a colleague. He's got some serious nerve—Cai Longshen is Elder Cai's grandson!" "The guy above is an idiot. Which branch are you from? State your name." "Yuanshi Tianzun is finished. Those whom heaven wishes to destroy, it first makes mad." "I don't believe Yuanshi Tianzun would do this. Headquarters is full of idiots." Replies to the post exploded. All at once, private chats and work groups across the Five Elements Alliance's various branches forwarded the post, sending discussion levels through the roof. Most people remained skeptical, but the written confession left them speechless, allowing a small faction of gloaters to become the active mainstream in the comment section. It created the illusion of polarized public opinion and a completely shattered persona. *** Capital City. Inside a suite at a five-star hotel. Lingjun scrolled through the comment section, taking a sharp breath. "Yuanshi confessed? That doesn't sound like him." Fu Qingyang sat upright on an armchair and said calmly, "It shows he took my words to heart. Elder Cai failed to achieve his objective, which is why he put up the post to ruin his reputation and whip up public opinion. But the other elders at headquarters won't let him keep doing this. The post will be taken down shortly." Lingjun remained deeply worried. "Elder Cai is trying to trample his reputation into the mud. Even if we mention 'mental derangement' later, he won't be able to clear his name." As he spoke, he refreshed the page and found that the post had already been removed. "It really got deleted." Lingjun put down his phone. "Cai Longshen's death alone isn't enough to sentence Yuanshi to death. Elder Cai will likely target his collusion with evil classes next." Fu Qingyang glanced at his wristwatch. "Let's go. Come with me to pay your grandfather a visit." He intended to visit the Nine Elders one by one to pull strings for Yuanshi Tianzun.