The small boat sank without warning. It had suffered no attack, nor had it made any strange sound; it simply sank to the bottom of the lake, taking the yin corpse aboard with it. Watching Blood Rose vanish beneath the surface, Zhang Yuanqing felt a sharp ache in his heart.
This yin corpse had been with him the longest, accompanying him from the Extraordinary stage all the way to the Saint stage. Even though he had always treated her as an expendable asset, when Blood Rose truly departed from him, he still felt an intense pang of reluctance.
But now was not the time to grieve the loss.
"How could this happen?"
Zhang Yuanqing looked at Commandery Princess Yinyao in astonishment. She shook her head, and a hesitant voice came from her mini-speaker:
"It just sank for no reason. I didn't sense anything abnormal."
*How could this be...* Zhang Yuanqing knitted his brows in deep thought.
Was crossing by boat not the right choice? Could yin corpses not cross the water? Had the boat suddenly sprung a leak?
There were too many possibilities; the situation had suddenly grown thorny.
Just as he was puzzling over it, something suddenly floated up to the surface. Looking closely, it was the small boat that had sunk to the bottom.
The boat, with its slightly upturned bow and stern, bobbed back up, but Blood Rose was nowhere to be seen aboard it.
This made it seem as though the boat had deliberately sunk itself to do away with the person on board.
Zhang Yuanqing's expression changed. "No, taking the boat across wasn't the wrong choice, but our method was. This lake has rules. It's not as simple as just boarding the boat. We need to know what the rules are."
First of all, it was certain that the boat could float on the lake.
Choosing to use the boat to cross shouldn't be wrong, but a critical piece of information was missing—namely, the rules.
"But how are we supposed to know the rules?" Commandery Princess Yinyao said, troubled. "There's nothing in the employee handbook, and we don't have much time left."
Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself, *Princess, oh Princess, you're only piling on my anxiety right now. What good are you?*
Still, he had to admit she was right—time was running out.
Elder Dog could return at any moment, and so could the female Grand Marshal. Worst of all, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter couldn't stall for long; once the white lion returned, they would have no choice but to flee.
The operation to rescue Demonic Eye would end in complete failure.
Having come this far, if they fell short at the final hurdle, Zhang Yuanqing felt he would cough up blood from pure fury.
He had to find a way to figure out the rules of Ruoshui Lake.
Yet the employee handbook had no record of the lake's rules, and they had searched the dormitories without finding the second half of the handbook.
The Yata no Kagami's skill was on cooldown, so he couldn't create a doppelgänger, and Blood Rose was gone.
Using Greed Divine General as cannon fodder would be pure prodigal waste, and even then, it might not reveal the correct rules on the first try.
They had no low-tier yin corpses left to serve as cannon fodder for trial and error, and Ruoshui was far too dangerous to allow any margin for error.
Where else could they get the rules?
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck Zhang Yuanqing's mind. The employee handbook didn't have them, but the employees did!
Why not ask an employee?
The employees in the Zoo were desperate to help visitors.
"Find an employee. We're going to find an employee," Zhang Yuanqing said, energized as he looked at Commandery Princess Yinyao. "An employee will tell us the rules of Ruoshui Lake."
The two hurried back along the path they had come.
In the middle of the lake, Heavenly King Demonic Eye watched the two figures on the shore quickly depart and disappear into the night, unable to help frowning.
"Something's not right. Why did the boat sink?" He lifted his head and looked up at the lush canopy above him. "Old tree demon, do you know?"
The camphor tree shook its branches and leaves.
"You're saying Elder Dog will be back soon and telling me not to get cocky?" The corners of Demonic Eye's mouth curled up. "Once I break free, I'll take you to the Northwest Gobi and plant you right where Asura is in secluded cultivation."
The tree canopy shuddered violently.
Along the way, there was no sign of the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter or the white lion, but the marks of battle were glaringly obvious. Toppled trees lay strewn in all directions, bushes had been stripped bare, and fallen leaves littered the visitor paths.
*The battle is pretty fierce...* Zhang Yuanqing quickened his pace.
Finally, on the way past the Panda Garden toward the Monkey Garden, they spotted a blue-uniformed employee walking over from the direction of the Monkey Garden.
This blue-uniformed employee paid no heed to the battle damage along the way, carrying out his patrol in an orderly fashion.
*Employee patrols seem to only target anomalies and corruption; they aren't responsible for combat...* Zhang Yuanqing mused as he strode up to meet him.
Seeing visitors running toward him, the blue-uniformed employee asked the expected robotic question:
"Excuse me, do you need help?"
Zhang Yuanqing replied in a deep voice, "Yes, I do."
In that instant, the peak of the blue-uniformed employee's cap lifted a few centimeters, and his tone gained the vitality of a living human as he asked urgently:
"How may I help you? Please, how can I help you?!"
*If I say, 'Could you help me rescue Demonic Eye,' will this guy turn around and walk away?* That thought flashed through Zhang Yuanqing's mind, but deciding to prioritize caution, he said:
"Please tell me the rules of Ruoshui Lake."
The blue-uniformed employee fell silent, as if he had never encountered a visitor asking for rules. After about four or five seconds, he said:
"The small boat by the shore will take you to the center of the lake, but the boat can only carry one person."
The employee's words caused Zhang Yuanqing's expression to change drastically. He understood why Blood Rose had sunk to the bottom of the lake.
At that time, Blood Rose wasn't the only one on the boat. Something had boarded the boat with her!
Neither he nor the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter had noticed it...
Zhang Yuanqing felt a chill on his back as an indescribable dread surged in his chest.
It was just like the protagonist of a horror story coming home to enjoy a dinner cooked by family, basking in warm harmony with his wife and child, only to wake up the next day and remember that they had been dead for years.
Something had been following them all along, and from start to finish, neither he nor the Palace Master had realized it.
The blue-uniformed employee asked with brimming anticipation, "Excuse me, do you need any more help?"
Zhang Yuanqing steadied himself and said, "No, thank you."
Looking somewhat disappointed, the employee turned to Commandery Princess Yinyao. "Excuse me, do you need help?"
Commandery Princess Yinyao raised her mini-speaker. "No."
The blue-uniformed employee walked away in disappointment.
The moment he left, Zhang Yuanqing said immediately, "Something is following us!"
Commandery Princess Yinyao looked all around, her crimson pupils emitting an eerie glow.
Yet no matter how hard she tried to sense it, she could not detect a third person.
A feeling of powerlessness and dread fermented in the princess's heart.
Zhang Yuanqing took out the Ghost Mirror and swept it all around, but likewise found nothing suspicious. He immediately used Spirit Devouring, yet still gained nothing.
If only he had taken the mirror hanging in the First Emperor's underground palace back then; that mirror could reveal Night Wanderers and was far more powerful than the Ghost Mirror when it came to uncovering ghosts.
"An unknown enemy... We've encountered an unknown enemy..." A rushed voice emerged from Commandery Princess Yinyao's mini-speaker.
"Yuanshi Tianzun, my recommendation is that we leave here immediately. It must have noticed that we've discovered it. Staying here any longer might trigger some unknown development.
"And we can't even perceive it, let alone eliminate it... Give up on rescuing Demonic Eye."
This was the advice she gave after weighing the pros and cons.
Now they had figured out the rule, but they faced an even thornier dilemma, and solving it might bring who knew how many unexpected hiccups.
The time left to them was less than the time left for the national football team.
It was just too difficult.
"Don't panic, don't panic. Give me another half minute..." Zhang Yuanqing said repeatedly.
Dread of the unknown anomaly lurking beside them made it impossible to calm his mind and think, and with time running short, sweat beaded on his forehead in his agitation.
In his anxiety, he raised a hand and pressed a finger to his forehead. A milky-white halo lit up, spreading across his entire face like flowing water.
Soon, Zhang Yuanqing's face transformed into the cunning, treacherous white mask of traditional opera.
Commandery Princess Yinyao knew the white mask represented thought, so she stood quietly to the side with hands lowered, not daring to disturb him with a sound.
—Of all the women Zhang Yuanqing knew, Commandery Princess Yinyao understood him best; she knew almost every item in his arsenal.
Time slipped by quickly. After about half a minute, Zhang Yuanqing dismissed the opera mask and sneered, "I've got a way."
Under the backlash of the item, his emotions had become fickle and erratic.
"What way?" Commandery Princess Yinyao asked hurriedly.
Zhang Yuanqing turned and strode back, speaking as he walked:
"Remember what rules four and nine said? Pandas are animals worthy of respect and must be bowed to; if you encounter a colleague in a black uniform, you must shout loudly to draw managers and other colleagues.
"However, if the managers and colleagues don't respond, you can seek help from the panda and the white lion.
"This shows the panda is a positive entity. I even suspect the reason you saw the panda as ferocious was precisely because that entity had attached itself to you. The panda wasn't glaring at you—it was glaring at the anomaly beside you."
Commandery Princess Yinyao instinctively reached behind her back.
They were already between the Panda Garden and the Monkey Garden, and after jogging forward, they reached the Panda Garden in a dozen seconds.
Through the tall iron fence, Zhang Yuanqing once again saw that sluggish, dirty giant panda. It was already awake, clutching tender bamboo and gnawing on it, its fine teeth skillfully stripping away the green outer skin as it feasted heartily.
"Climb over. Don't use any skills," Zhang Yuanqing said.
—Throughout their movements in the Zoo, he had kept Yi Chuanmei maintaining an illusion to ensure the plants wouldn't memorize the clothing characteristics of anyone on their side.
One man and one corpse leaped over the tall iron fence, landing lightly.
Hearing the commotion, the giant panda sitting in the bamboo grove tilted its head and looked over.
Commandery Princess Yinyao seemed frightened, subconsciously shrinking toward Zhang Yuanqing. A trembling voice came through her mini-speaker:
"It... it's just like last time..."
*The anomaly is beside Commandery Princess Yinyao?* Zhang Yuanqing pulled her out from behind him and gently pushed her forward. "Walk over. Remember to bow."
Commandery Princess Yinyao gripped her mini-speaker tightly, hesitating for a moment before gritting her silver teeth and striding forward.
Coming to a stop outside the small bamboo grove, she bowed deeply to the panda.
At that moment, the rotund panda dropped its bamboo and walked slowly toward Commandery Princess Yinyao with steady, powerful steps.
Its beady black eyes showed a trace of solemnity as it began circling her.
With every circle it made, its expression grew a fraction more menacing. After three circles, it bared its fangs and snarled, looking utterly ferocious.
Zhang Yuanqing noticed Commandery Princess Yinyao's legs beginning to go weak, her eerie crimson pupils trembling continuously.
The panda the princess perceived was different from the one in his eyes; she was enduring immense pressure.
"Don't move!" Zhang Yuanqing called out in warning. "If you can't bear it, I can take control of your body..."
Before he could finish, the ferocious panda suddenly pounced on Commandery Princess Yinyao, pinning her down. Opening its sharp canine teeth, it bit down on her snow-white neck and delivered a lethal head shake.
*Sizzle...*
A sputtering noise like cold water poured into boiling oil erupted from Commandery Princess Yinyao's body, and thick clouds of dense black smoke billowed upward.
The black smoke did not dissipate; instead, it congealed in midair into a horrifying human face. Glaring down at the panda with resentment for a moment, it fled toward the outer perimeter of the Zoo.
The panda released its jaws, casting Commandery Princess Yinyao aside like an old shoe. Striding lazily back to its original spot, it scooped up the unfinished bamboo and devoted itself to chewing once more.
*Phew, dealt with...* Zhang Yuanqing hurried forward to check on her. He found Commandery Princess Yinyao's neck intact, marked only by two shallow rows of teeth impressions.
The panda's attack hadn't been aimed at her.
However, Commandery Princess Yinyao seemed to have developed an intense psychological trauma toward pandas. She backed away rapidly, her mini-speaker urging: "Leave at once..."
The man and corpse leaped back out of the Panda Garden, finally finding the time to discuss the black smoke:
"What was that thing?"
"An anomaly of the park."
"I know that. I'm asking what its true nature was."
"Even though I've lived centuries longer than you, I have no idea either."
"Oh, never mind then..."
Jogging back to Ruoshui Lake, they found that the small boat had returned to the shore on its own, floating quietly on the lake's surface.
*According to the boat's rules, I would have to spit out my spirit servant first to ensure only one person boards. But my soul is incomplete, woven with threads made from the Palace Master's soul. Does that count as one person or two?*
Zhang Yuanqing wasn't quite sure.
In that case, the only option was to send a yin corpse. With that in mind, he looked toward Commandery Princess Yinyao.
Commandery Princess Yinyao pretended to be a brainless yin corpse.
*Princess, your professional dedication leaves much to be desired. I'll have to write an employee handbook for you later titled 'How to Charge into Battle for Your Master' or 'How to Better Please Your Master'...* Zhang Yuanqing said testily:
"Are you going on your own, or do I take control of your body and make you go down?"
Commandery Princess Yinyao silently walked toward the small boat, her mini-speaker voicing a quiet grievance: "Men truly are heartless. One moment he showers you with favor, and the next he bestows the white silk and poisoned wine."
With a *thud*, she leaped into the boat, carefully folded her speaker, stuffed it into her pocket, and began rowing.
The boat cleaved through the tranquil water, gliding over the rippling surface. As she passed the spot where Blood Rose had sunk, Zhang Yuanqing felt Commandery Princess Yinyao's tension through the brand in his sea of consciousness.
Once the boat safely slipped past that point, the princess's anxiety turned into a modest little burst of joy.
Finally, the boat reached the camphor tree.
Zhang Yuanqing saw Commandery Princess Yinyao take out her mini-speaker and engage in dialogue with Demonic Eye. Being so far away, he couldn't make out the specifics.
Before long, however, Commandery Princess Yinyao put away her speaker. Sharp, jet-black nails suddenly shot from her ten fingertips, plunging deep into the thick trunk of the camphor tree.
As if tearing paper, she ripped open the bark and internal fibers, producing a loud racket that was clearly audible even to Zhang Yuanqing on the shore.
Wood chips flew, and bark peeled away.
Inside the trunk, Demonic Eye's body gradually emerged. In less than a dozen seconds, Demonic Eye's emaciated frame broke free of the trunk.
He was stark naked, skin stretched over bone like a terminal cancer patient.
Yet he remained agile. Pulling himself free from the trunk, he grabbed two vines and set his feet firmly inside the torn-open hollow of the trunk, holding his balance with ease.
Commandery Princess Yinyao began her return voyage.
He didn't know what Demonic Eye had said to the camphor tree, but a few seconds later, the camphor tree standing in the lake began to move, shifting toward the shore.
*Hurry, hurry, hurry...* Zhang Yuanqing prayed silently in his heart.
The closer it came to the end, the more uneasy he felt, terrified that Elder Dog's voice would suddenly come from behind him: *You traitor!*
Or the female Grand Marshal sneering: *So my brother was harboring a thief in the house after all.*
Or perhaps the white lion had killed the Palace Master and was slowly creeping up on him, ready to snap his neck.
Fortunately, none of that happened. Commandery Princess Yinyao and Demonic Eye reached the shore smoothly.
Gripping a vine, Heavenly King Demonic Eye swung lightly onto the shore. Scrutinizing Zhang Yuanqing, the corners of his mouth curled up:
"Well done, Heavenly King Ghost Blade."
After months apart, his smile was as radiant as when they first met.
Zhang Yuanqing instantly caught his meaning and nodded. "What did you say to it just now?"
Heavenly King Demonic Eye laughed.
"I told it that if it brought me back to shore, I'd spare it this once and not drag it back to the Soldier Master sect's headquarters.
"Heh, to be honest, as long as it stayed in the lake, there wasn't a damn thing I could do to it. The boat can only carry one person."
Hearing this, the camphor tree shook violently, seemingly beside itself with rage.
*It doesn't seem very bright...* Zhang Yuanqing urged, "The Grand Marshal of the White Tiger Guards and Elder Dog will be back any minute. Let's go!"
Just as he prepared to flee, an enraged roar suddenly thundered out.
Looking toward the sound, he saw the Palace Master drenched in blood, fleeing back in panic.
Behind her, the majestic white lion was in hot pursuit.
Chapter 511