Idiot

"People change. Who can guarantee they will only ever do good their entire life? A peak Dominator shouting every day about saving the world is inherently terrifying in itself," Elder Sun said faintly. "Terrifying?" Victoria frowned. Elder Sun let out a scoff. "Are obsessive zealots not terrifying?" He swayed gently along with the rocking chair. Amidst its creaks, the brilliance in his eyes drifted away. Elder Sun gazed up at the sky, his focus dissolving into distant memories. "Among the elders of the Taiyi Sect, Shanhe Yongcun was closest to Ling Tuo. He became a spirit realm walker in the twilight of the Republic era, born during a time of war when country and homes were destroyed, so he greatly appreciated Ling Tuo's ideals about saving the world. "In the eyes of the other elders, however, this Seventeenth Young Master seemed a bit overly theatrical. Well, back then the word didn't exist yet, but although he was extraordinarily gifted, carrying himself like that as the Sect Master's son made him look unsettled and unfit for weighty responsibilities. Managing an official organization is not the same as fighting and killing. "Even so, Ling Tuo's focus never lay with the Taiyi Sect. He secretly joined an organization called Xiaoyao, became one of the Twin Dark Shadows, and joined four so-called like-minded friends in hunting down evil classes to uphold world peace. "Taiyi Sect disciples were forbidden from joining other organizations, but those young men had a solid track record, so we kept pretending not to notice. Of course, objecting wouldn't have accomplished anything anyway; banded together, those kids could have taken on a whole group of us old fogies. "Until that year, when Xiaoyao joined the former Grand Marshal in the battle for the Compass of Light. The Grand Marshal perished, and Xiaoyao took away the most critical core fragment. "Afterward, the Sect Master demanded that he hand over the core fragment. Ling Tuo refused. The two even came to blows over it, parting on terrible terms." Lingjun blurted out, "How could a mere peak Dominator trade blows with that stallion?" Elder Sun shook his head. "Perhaps because the core fragment wasn't on him, the Sect Master didn't press him hard. But from then on, Ling Tuo rarely returned to the Taiyi Sect. The following year, in 1999, Shanhe Yongcun suddenly told me one day that Ling Tuo was about to carry out a monumental endeavor. If it succeeded, it would unravel the secrets of the spirit realm and the truth behind the extinction of ancient cultivators, freeing spirit realm walkers from their doom." "What was the secret of the spirit realm?" Victoria stubbed out her cigarette and straightened up. Amidst the creaking of the rocking chair, Elder Sun answered: "No one knows. Ling Tuo never came back. He died—or so the Sect Master claimed. Soon after, Chiri Xingguan erased Ling Tuo's files. "Shanhe Yongcun sank into depression for a time. Half a year later, he suddenly approached me and said something utterly incomprehensible..." Here he paused, confusion and bewilderment surfacing in his eyes. Even after all these years, those words remained an unsolved enigma in his heart. Neither Lingjun nor Victoria pressed him, watching him in silence. Elder Sun continued slowly: "He said the ultimate end of the orthodox path was collapse, destruction, and coldness. Everything was wrong; the evil faction was the true orthodox order, and the current orthodox faction was defying nature itself. "He invited me to leave the Taiyi Sect and establish a new organization called Dark Night Rose!" Evil was the true orthodox order? And the orthodox faction was actually evil? Lingjun and Victoria exchanged startled glances. Lingjun muttered, "Was he insane?" It was meant as casual ridicule, but Elder Sun surprisingly nodded. "Yes, he had gone mad. His mental state was completely unhinged, so I refused him. I wanted to notify the Grand Elder, but he suddenly flew into a frenzy and engaged me in a fierce battle. The child I adopted..." Elder Sun turned his head toward the pagoda tree, guilt flickering in his eyes. "...was burned to death right then." Leaves on the pagoda tree rustled gently without any wind, swaying as if to comfort him. Elder Sun pulled his gaze back and went on: "I was no match for him and failed to keep him here. He left the Taiyi Sect and never appeared again. Grand Elder Chiri Xingguan erased his records and announced to the public that Shanhe Yongcun had returned to the spirit realm. "Two years later, the Chu family was slaughtered by the Soldier Master sect and Dark Night Rose, and the rule-based item Mother Goddess's Womb was lost." Lingjun slumped, murmuring: "Seventeenth Brother... no, Ling Tuo was resurrected back then? He and Chu Shang of the Chu family were as close as brothers. If he wanted to use a rule-based item, there was no need to wipe out the family at all. This... this makes no sense..." This was completely different from what he had envisioned. In his mind, Seventeenth Brother should have been a hero, and their stallion father was supposed to be the great villain. As if recalling something, Lingjun snapped his gaze back toward Elder Sun, his eyes sharp: "Wait! Last time I asked you if he was the one who killed Ling Tuo, you gave a tacit confirmation!" Elder Sun replied calmly, "That was only to stop you from investigating further. Haven't you realized it yet? This old affair is shrouded in thick fog." Victoria murmured in agreement, looking at her younger lover. "The Sect Master has little regard for blood ties and is certainly not one to spoil his sons. If he wanted the core fragment of the Compass of Light, he would have taken it. Why would he just let Ling Tuo walk away? "The condition for using the Mother Goddess's Womb requires preparing a blood bag and a blood relative. Ling Tuo seemed to anticipate his own death! "Just as you said, Ling Tuo and Chu Shang were closer than brothers. If he needed the Mother Goddess's Womb for resurrection, why wipe out the family? "How did Shanhe Yongcun lose his mind? Who fed him those upside-down claims? All of these are questionable. We cannot be sure what role the Sect Master played in it. Elder Sun was right to stop you from digging." Lingjun stood frozen, his expression blank. *** "So Ling Tuo is the leader of Dark Night Rose?" Grand Elder Dihong's voice was heavier than ever before. "No wonder. A Dark Night Rose popped out of nowhere with a high-status Night Walker as its head. Aside from an internal fracture in your Taiyi Sect, where else could he have come from?" Though his tone sounded grave, he showed little true shock or astonishment. Evidently, as a Grand Elder of the Five Elements Alliance, he had already considered this possibility. This was merely confirmation. Elder Dog remarked with emotion, "Before the Chu family was exterminated, Dark Night Rose had no leader... To this day, I finally understand what Demonic Eye meant by that." "The Taiyi Sect must take responsibility for this," Fu Qingyang said coldly. "How should we take responsibility? If you mean capturing Ling Tuo, we have been doing that all these years," Elder Zhao responded indifferently. "Explain the matter clearly," Grand Elder Dihong stated. "There are many suspicious points in what you just said. How did Ling Tuo die? Why did Shanhe Yongcun defect from the Taiyi Sect? Why did you strip Elder Sun of his authority?" Facing the interrogation from the Five Elements Alliance Grand Elder, the microphone over Elder Zhao's avatar flickered as he answered in a detached tone: "There are things even we do not know. Some things are known only to the Sect Master. When a demigod chooses not to speak, no one can force him. "In truth, today's meeting is meaningless. We merely learned our enemy's true identity. But does it matter who heads Dark Night Rose? Are we supposed to uncover his identity, master every case detail, and then bring him to justice? "We may enforce order, but we are not police officers; we are spirit realm walkers. Most of the time, when confronting enemies and evil, we do not need evidence or justifications—only eradication. "All you need to know is that Ling Tuo became a fallen one and betrayed our faction. That is enough. "Identity is irrelevant. Even if he were actually a dog, he is still a demigod, a terrifying foe capable of matching our Sect Master and the five Alliance Chiefs. "Our confrontation with Dark Night Rose will proceed unchanged regardless of who its leader is. Merely knowing the identity of a secret society's head won't help capture him." Fu Qingyang sneered. "Don't play word games. Intelligence is paramount at all times. The Taiyi Sect refuses to disclose anything, yet expects the Five Elements Alliance to wipe your asses for you?" Elder Zhao was equally uncompromising: "First, we don't need you to clean up after the Taiyi Sect. Go ask your Alliance Chiefs why the leader of Dark Night Rose never shows his face. Second, if you don't oppose Dark Night Rose, does that mean it won't corrode the Five Elements Alliance? "I already said that what demigods wish to hide cannot be forced out. Do you really believe the five Alliance Chiefs know nothing? At most, they were unaware of Ling Tuo's involvement. But do the Chiefs care whether the leader of Dark Night Rose is Ling Tuo or a dog?" The meeting fell into temporary silence. Elder Dog cleared his throat. "If it is Ling Tuo, then everything makes sense. The reason I was lured away wasn't just that phone call, but also the handwriting left behind by Celestial Master Zhang. Ling Tuo was one of the Twin Dark Shadows; he was bound to be familiar with Celestial Master Zhang's handwriting." By this point, however, no one cared about such minor details, or rather, everyone concurred with the reasoning and saw no need to discuss it further. Grand Elder Dihong said coldly, "Meeting adjourned!" *** Inside the grand study of Fujia Bay Villa. "The matter has been clarified. The leader of Dark Night Rose is Ling Tuo, the seventeenth son of the Taiyi Sect Master. Knowing you won't bother reading the files, he was part of the Xiaoyao organization..." Fu Qingyang laid out the information expressionlessly, detailed and meticulous. On the other end of the line, however, the woman kept offering vague hums of acknowledgment, entirely perfunctory. "Are you even listening to me?" "Oh, so it's Ling Tuo. Then I get it..." "What do you get? What did Shanhe Yongcun's words mean? How much do you know about Ling Tuo—no, the leader of Dark Night Rose?" Fu Qingyang caught the faint rustle of fabric through the speaker. "Ask less about demigod affairs; you don't have the clearance to know." Fu Qingxuan had that foul temper most of the time. Before Fu Qingyang could reply, she said with delight, "What a fine treasure. It amplifies all my skills below demigod level, including passives. My combat power goes up by at least twenty percent." Fu Qingyang's aloof face twitched violently. It felt like watching his wife and her lover openly displaying affection right in front of him. "I'll let you play with it for a few days at most." "Spring, summer, autumn, and winter." "Fu Qingxuan!" The Money Prince erupted in fury, finally unable to hold back. "You haven't entered any dungeon since advancing to Dominator, and a Level 7 dungeon couldn't possibly yield such a top-grade item. Who gave it to you?" Fu Qingxuan asked curiously. Fu Qingyang ignored her. "It was Yuanshi Tianzun, wasn't it?" Fu Qingxuan's cool voice carried a chuckle. "I could tell back in Ghost City. Tsk tsk, how much did you pay him for it? Sell it to me for double." "It was a gift!" The female Grand Marshal went still on the other end, quiet for a long while. After an extended pause, she turned solemn: "Your bond is deeper than I imagined. I will return it after studying it for a week. Yuanshi Tianzun can become your right-hand man in the future, someone you can entrust with your life." "Are you telling me what to do?" As haughty as ever, the Money Prince hung up. *Ding!* His phone sounded with an incoming notification. The screen displayed a message from Fu Qingxuan. The Money Prince tapped it open, and his face changed drastically. [Fu Qingxuan: Nice avatar.] The profile picture had switched from a white-haired beauty to a shot of them sleeping together on a large heated kang bed. [Fu Qingyang: Change it back.] [Fu Qingxuan: Are you telling me what to do?] [Fu Qingyang: An extra week with the cloak.] The Grand Marshal quietly changed the avatar back. *** At dusk, Fu Qingyang sat behind the desk while Zhang Yuanqing stood before it. Both kept their eyes fixed on the phone atop the desk, which displayed an active call with Lingjun! "...That's all the intelligence I managed to gather. Elder Sun isn't too clear on the various questionable points behind this either, and Victoria believes he genuinely doesn't know," Lingjun said in a dejected tone. This revelation had struck him hard. "Fu Qingyang, what came of the meeting? Do you have anything to add?" Lingjun asked. "What I know is even less detailed than what you gathered," Fu Qingyang replied coldly. "Elder Zhao refused to disclose any information. As a peak Dominator, he should know more than Elder Sun, but combining that with your information, I don't think he necessarily understands everything behind it either." "Evil is the true orthodox order... That's insane. Ling Tuo was already dead back then. Who fed Shanhe Yongcun such worldview-shattering claims?" Zhang Yuanqing murmured in contemplation. "Are you suggesting that stallion orchestrated all of this from behind the scenes?" Being sharp, Lingjun grasped the implication at once. "Who knows? Set your stallion father aside for now and let's sort through the timeline," Zhang Yuanqing said, leaning both hands on the desk and staring down at the phone. "After the battle for the Compass of Light ended, the four Xiaoyao members—who were already close to the truth of the spirit realm—gained massive inspiration from the core fragment. They decided to undertake a major venture, likely aiming to uncover the secrets of the spirit realm once and for all. "Knowing full well their lives would be in grave danger, they prepared blood bags and blood relatives in advance for resurrection." Lingjun cut in immediately, "Wait, using blood relatives for resurrection sounds like something a villain would do. Did the Xiaoyao organization collectively fall into madness back then?" Fu Qingyang also interrupted him, resting his elbows on the desk with fingers interlaced. "It wouldn't necessarily have to be a true blood relative; a clone would work just as well. Chu Shang was an Arbiter of Fate; creating a clone was hardly difficult for him. He could have even made the other three Xiaoyao members give birth to 'blood relatives.'" Zhang Yuanqing instinctively clutched his lower abdomen before letting go, then continued: "During that incident, Ling Tuo died. For some reason, the other three chose not to resurrect him. That forced Ling Tuo's supporter, Shanhe Yongcun, to turn to the Soldier Master sect, joining forces with them to wipe out the Chu family and bring Ling Tuo back." "Why didn't the other three resurrect Ling Tuo?" Lingjun countered. "I don't know," Zhang Yuanqing answered. "That's the core mystery. Without knowing what occurred back then, we'll never figure it out." "Then there's no way to investigate," Lingjun sighed. "What do you think, Boss?" Zhang Yuanqing glanced up at Fu Qingyang. With a cold face, Fu Qingyang ignored him. "Boss, you've suddenly turned cold toward me." Fu Qingyang sneered. "You'd better pray Fu Qingxuan doesn't spread that photograph around." "What photograph?" Lingjun asked curiously over the phone. Neither Zhang Yuanqing nor Fu Qingyang paid him any mind. Lowering his elbows, Fu Qingyang leaned back against his chair, tapping a finger lightly against the desk as he spoke slowly: "If we want to understand what happened back then, we naturally have to ask someone who knew about it. There is one person—no, one item—that might know." "What item?" Lingjun asked. Zhang Yuanqing's heart skipped a beat, and then he heard Fu Qingyang's deep voice: "The Zoo! "According to what Elder Dog disclosed at the meeting, the previous owner of the Zoo was Celestial Master Zhang, one of the Twin Blazing Suns in Xiaoyao, who later gifted it to Elder Dog. "After the meeting, I checked the records and discovered Elder Dog reported it to headquarters on October 12, 2000, while Ling Tuo died in 1999. "In other words, Celestial Master Zhang gave the Zoo to Elder Dog after that incident. An item is a spirit realm walker's closest companion. An artifact with an item spirit knows everything about its master. "It might know what happened back then." Lingjun's spirits lifted. "Have Elder Dog communicate with the item spirit!" Fu Qingyang shook his head slightly. "Elder Dog is no fool; he has most likely realized this already. But he hasn't called a meeting or reported anything to headquarters, which means the item spirit refused to tell him." "Then that's no help at all. Well, I suppose it's still a direction," Lingjun grumbled. At that moment, Zhang Yuanqing quietly moved toward the liquor cabinet, pretending to pour a drink to avoid Fu Qingyang's searching eyes. He had thought of a way. —Re-enter the Zoo disguised as Zhang Zizhen and extract the intelligence from the item spirit. However, his parentage was a crucial secret that could not be revealed to anyone, and Fu Qingyang was far too perceptive. Zhang Yuanqing poured two glasses of whisky. By the time he walked back to the desk, he had suppressed all thoughts regarding the Zoo and Zhang Zizhen. Sipping the liquor, he sighed: "There's no breakthrough for now, so let's shelve this for the moment. I need to sort through the intelligence. Mentor, don't touch this case for now. Once we have a lead, we'll get in touch." He set down his glass. "Boss, I'm heading back to keep Sister Guan Ya company, and while I'm at it, I'll refine the yin corpse and spirit servant my cousin gave me." He would make his move tonight. Fu Qingyang nodded. "I will have the materials arranged for you before dark." Zhang Yuanqing bowed deeply. "Thank you, Boss!" Immediately, he dissolved into starlight and vanished. Fu Qingyang held his glass in his palm. After several seconds of silence, his eyes fell upon the glass Zhang Yuanqing had only taken a single sip from, and his gaze turned profound. "You only drink cola, you idiot!"