The Heaven's Punishment organization had two objectives in visiting the island nation this time: first, Pluto, and second, investigating the Demon Lord's successor.
They wouldn't abandon testing him just because there were few suspicious points, nor would they give up investigating him just because Pluto was their primary target. Harboring wishful thinking at a time like this was simply deceiving himself.
More importantly, they didn't even need to investigate him. As long as they published that dossier to the Five Elements Alliance, everything would be finished.
The Taiyi Sect Master knew the Demon Lord possessed the Lunar Origin; otherwise, he wouldn't be searching for the Demon Lord's successor. And if the Sect Master knew, could Ling Tuo possibly be in the dark?
Once his identity as the Demon Lord's successor was exposed, the Taiyi Sect Master and Ling Tuo would likely strike against him directly. Not even the Five Elements Alliance would be able to protect him.
On the surface, Zhang Yuanqing appeared calm, but his mind raced at full speed, swiftly formulating two plans:
First, make a run for it! Break away from the official faction, wander to the ends of the earth, and live as an independent rogue cultivator.
Second, use Pluto as a bargaining chip to strike a private "reconciliation" with Heaven's Punishment.
Both plans carried massive fallout and seemed scarcely viable... Zhang Yuanqing sighed softly and said:
"In a few days, once the guild members exit their instance, I will immediately open the third instance. Get ready, and don't accompany the Thousand Cranes Group on their visit to China. It wouldn't do if someone from Heaven's Punishment got an itch and used a lie-detecting item on you... No, enter the Mohist Mechanist City tomorrow and stay there for a day to lay low."
Asano Ryo pondered for a few seconds. "Understood. Before Heaven's Punishment arrived, I already told the squad leader I'd be entering a guild instance, so this won't seem sudden."
Zhang Yuanqing approved, "Good job, Ryo-chan. You're a core member of Return of the Dead. I'll make sure to nurture you well."
Though her temperament was somewhat meek, her intelligence was sharp, making her fairly reliable.
Asano Ryo replied with delight, "I won't let down Yuanshi-kun's trust!"
Seeing her eyes shining with excitement, Zhang Yuanqing mused privately that this girl was cut from the same cloth as Xiahou Aotian—the latter yearned to stand in the spotlight and be seen by all.
Asano Ryo likewise yearned to be entrusted with major responsibilities rather than being kept as a mascot in the Thousand Cranes Group.
As long as one grasped what a person craved or exploited their character flaws, they could be steered effectively. That Fu Qingyang was so adept at manipulating human nature and political games was partly innate talent, but the Scout's Insight technique was undoubtedly a massive factor.
"I'll head back first, then." Zhang Yuanqing tossed Little Red Riding Hood to Asano Ryo and withdrew from the yin corpse's sea of consciousness.
Fujia Bay Villa.
Beside the messy dining table cluttered with dishes and glasses, Zhang Yuanqing sat with his head bowed. His face was coated in a layer of white paint, his eyes gleaming with cunning and trickery. A corner of his mouth twitched upward from time to time as his eyes darted about, looking every bit the villain brewing a wicked plot.
A few minutes later, he received Asano Ryo's application to return Little Red Riding Hood.
The white paint on Zhang Yuanqing's face receded. He pulled the Ghost Mirror from his inventory to suppress the Military Soul Mask's drawback of a "capricious temperament."
Then he opened the guild storage, withdrew Little Red Riding Hood, and after confirming that everything had been returned intact, safely stored it away with ease of mind.
"Even the White Face couldn't come up with a flawless solution. This is getting tricky." Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds, rose from the dining room, and headed straight for the training room.
Tap, tap...
His footsteps echoed through the mirror-polished hallway, soon bringing him outside the annex's training room.
Through the floor-to-ceiling glass, so clear it seemed nonexistent, Fu Qingyang gripped a wooden sword with both hands, lunging in a bow stance and executing slash after slash.
There was nothing profound to it, nor were there special effects or phenomena—just ordinary, straightforward vertical cuts. It lacked the sublime grace of skill bordering on the Dao, resembling instead the practice of a novice.
Zhang Yuanqing stood beside the window, quietly watching the scene.
Inside the training room, Fu Qingyang seemed entirely oblivious to his presence, hacking away with tireless perseverance. Time slipped by until three in the morning, when Fu Qingyang lowered his sword, stood straight, and turned his head toward the window.
Only then did Zhang Yuanqing snap his fingers, dissolving into starlight to enter the room.
"Boss, can practicing like this really cultivate rule-level power? Is it too late for me to start now?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"Anything, if pursued with perseverance, can lead to the Dao!" Fu Qingyang sat cross-legged, resting the sword across his knees. "This is my Dao, not yours. He who copies me perishes; he who takes inspiration survives."
"Truly enlightening," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. "Then what kind of Dao do you think suits me, Boss? Please don't say a shady trail covered in white frost, or I'll suspect you're making a dirty joke. Of course, I'm not a fan of crowded, heavily trafficked avenues either."
Fu Qingyang ignored his trusted subordinate's crude banter. "Your expression tells me you seem to have run into some trouble."
"You're quite dull, Boss, never playing along with jokes." Zhang Yuanqing sighed. "It's not about me. I have a friend..."
"When people have embarrassing secrets they cannot voice, they usually use 'I have a friend' as cover." Fu Qingyang nodded solemnly, indicating he had picked up on the joke.
Zhang Yuanqing was suddenly at a loss for words; now he was the one who couldn't keep up.
His identity as the Demon Lord's successor was something he and Fu Qingyang understood tacitly: as long as you don't say it, I'll pretend not to know.
If trouble arose in the future, it would at most be deemed a failure of oversight. But once spoken aloud, it would force Fu Qingyang to take a stand. As an official Elder, would he report it or cover it up?
Really, why had Boss suddenly started playing along with jokes? It was completely out of character. Had something stimulated him recently to suddenly spark an interest in such things?
Zhang Yuanqing thought for a moment, then said:
"I have an uncle. When he was young, he was a real delinquent—permed hair, smoked cigarettes, wore bell-bottoms, played in a band. We all called him the family scum. Just recently, I found out that back then, he had an illegitimate son outside. Now that mother and son have come all the way to Songhai looking for him. It's his own fault, really—he just had to go online, singing, dancing, and rapping without keeping a low profile at all. That's how the illegitimate son found out he lives in Songhai."
Fu Qingyang paused, scrutinizing him with a deep gaze for a moment. "Does the illegitimate son know your uncle's address?"
"Not that," Zhang Yuanqing replied. "They're just searching blindly in Songhai without a clear target. But the illegitimate son has a photo of my uncle. If he takes that photo and starts asking acquaintances, my uncle will be exposed. It feels like an impossible dead end."
Fu Qingyang's expression turned grave at once, his thick, sword-like brows knitting tight.
Zhang Yuanqing lowered his voice. "Boss, what if I ambush and kill the illegitimate son along the way? Would that solve the problem once and for all?"
Fu Qingyang glanced at him. "If the illegitimate son comes knocking, the worst that happens is your uncle gets a divorce and has his reputation ruined. But if you commit murder, that is a capital crime punishable by death. Don't use a grave mistake to patch up a minor one. It's foolish."
"Then what should be done?"
"Can you give your uncle's friends a heads-up?"
"That's difficult. After all, among those friends, there are also people secretly hoping for his downfall; they aren't all good buddies. Boss, what about offering a sum of money to send the illegitimate son packing?"
"He came specifically to claim a share of your uncle's fortune. You cannot buy off a greedy person with money; you will only feed a leech that drains you down to the marrow."
"Not me, not me—it's my uncle."
"This matter is rather thorny. Even I cannot devise a foolproof plan, but there is one stalling tactic."
"Please tell me, Boss!" Zhang Yuanqing perked up, straightening his back.
Fu Qingyang said calmly:
"Before the illegitimate son finds your uncle, hire someone to disguise himself as your uncle and stir up trouble. The heat will naturally shift to the fake uncle. However, this method is exceedingly difficult because the timing is too coincidental, so there must be a plausible reason. The fake uncle's safety is also an issue; the illegitimate son is young and strong, likely very capable in a fight, and will have bystanders helping him."
Zhang Yuanqing sank into contemplation.
Did Boss mean for him to push out a fake Demon Lord's successor?
That was indeed a good idea. If the Demon Lord's successor revealed himself, would Heaven's Punishment still have any reason to investigate whether Yuanshi Tianzun was the successor?
However, of all times, why would the Demon Lord's successor show up right now? Without a plausible reason, it would hardly convince Heaven's Punishment.
He remained silent in thought, sparks of inspiration flashing through his mind as ideas surged and settled.
Right then, Fu Qingyang spoke:
"The neighboring villa—I plan to use it as the company's headquarters, where the core components of the mechanisms will be manufactured. As for the auxiliary parts, they will require a larger factory.
"I purchased a factory on the outskirts of Songhai and used my connections to order a large batch of high-precision equipment along with raw materials for mechanist weapons. It will take time for Fu Xue to raise the funds, so I will host a banquet to invite the younger generation from the official faction over to socialize and raise money from them in the process. However, the date for the banquet has not yet been set.
"I recall that Teng'er has quite a talent for commerce and is wealthy. I will invite her."
Having said this, he gripped his sword and rose. "Break time is over. Get out."
Zhang Yuanqing hadn't thought of a plausible reason for the Demon Lord's successor to appear and had been listening absentmindedly. Seeing his boss show him the door, he could only take his leave helplessly.
He used Star Escape to return to the villa, took a shower, lay down in bed, and continued to ponder.
"The people from Heaven's Punishment will be here soon, most likely tomorrow. I only have one day."
Lying in bed, he suddenly missed Guan Ya a little.
When troubled, having someone beside you to offer comfort and guidance was true bliss. People were just like that: once they tasted love, they no longer wished to be alone.
"Disguising someone as the Demon Lord's successor is actually tricky too. Among the inheritances I received from the Demon Lord so far, the Charm Ring, Endurance Spray, and digital watch aren't suited for combat. Deliberately bringing them out in front of enemies would look far too staged.
"Only the Gale Gloves can be used, but Huang Taiji and a few others have seen me use them. Taking out the Gale Gloves would practically be confessing.
"And that cheeky audio from the Elvis Presley speaker is already familiar to quite a few people."
Zhang Yuanqing suddenly realized that proving one was the Demon Lord's successor was actually quite difficult. Yet without proof, they couldn't convince Heaven's Punishment and the official faction.
"Unless someone can testify for me, proving that I am the Demon Lord's successor..."
Zhang Yuanqing froze, his expression locking on his face.
He understood!
He grasped the hint in Fu Qingyang's final words!
Miao Teng'er!
Miao Teng'er was the key to breaking this deadlock! The Endurance Spray and Charm Ring couldn't be displayed in public, but they could be shown to Miao Teng'er.
She was the Demon Lord's lover and knew about those items.
Miao Teng'er would be his living witness.
"Disguise as the Demon Lord's successor, abduct Miao Teng'er at tomorrow night's banquet, deliberately humiliate her, show her the Endurance Spray and Charm Ring, and then claim to be the Demon Lord's successor who has come to claim all of the Demon Lord's legacy.
"As everyone knows, the widow is also part of the inheritance.
"Once Miao Teng'er is rescued, she will testify on my behalf that I am the Demon Lord's successor...
"Brilliant!! Fu Qingyang, you sly bastard, plotting against your own good buddy's cousin! I like it, hehehe..."
Zhang Yuanqing rolled over and sat up, pulled out his phone, and sent a message to Asano Ryo: "I need your squad leader's phone number."
The next morning.
Fu Qingyang woke up, picked up the landline phone by his bed, dialed downstairs, and instructed:
"Bring my computer from the study."
He hung up and went to the bathroom to wash up.
When he finished and returned to the master bedroom, the desk by the window held his office phone and a steaming cup of coffee.
Fu Qingyang picked up the coffee with one hand, opened the laptop with the other, entered his password, and accessed his inbox.
# One Unread Message #
He clicked the email, which contained a brief message:
"The Thousand Cranes Group arrives in Capital City tonight at eight o'clock."
Fu Qingyang quietly deleted the email, picked up the bedside phone once more, and dialed downstairs:
"Set the banquet for eight o'clock tonight."
As night fell, a silver Gulfstream broke through the cloud layer and touched down at Capital City International Airport with a roaring boom.
As the plane taxied, a frivolous, arrogant young man chuckled:
"Enforcer Demon Hunter, since we're here to play around, you don't mind if I pick a fight with Jiang Ju, do you?"
Demon Hunter replied mildly:
"As long as it doesn't interfere with business, feel free."
Another indolent young man shrugged.
"What's the point of fighting him? Jiang Ju is the scion of a demigod, born on par with peak classes. During the exchange two years ago, he nearly beat you to death. When Fire Masters start fighting, they throw their brains out the window and hold nothing back."
Demon Hunter shook his head. "Osmond acquired the Heart of the Ocean in the Sea God Palace last month; he is different from before. Mainland Fire Masters don't like relying heavily on items in combat. In terms of overall strength, Jiang Ju is no longer his match. Osmond is here to wipe clean his past disgrace."
The frivolous, arrogant young man grinned. "Lord Enforcer, don't expose all my cards. It ruins the fun when you spell it out."
As they spoke, the taxiing aircraft came to a slow stop.
With a handsome full beard and deep blue eyes, Demon Hunter led the three young men and the Thousand Cranes Group cadres down the airstair. Under the guidance of the reception staff, they boarded private cars and departed the airport.
Capital City's traffic was congested. The three luxury business vans inched forward in a stop-and-go crawl, slowly heading toward the grand restaurant the Five Elements Alliance used for receiving distinguished guests.
At the same time, in Songhai's Fujia Bay.
At Fu Qingyang's grand villa, luxury cars came and went as second-, third-, and fourth-generation heirs arrived in formal suits and evening dresses for the banquet.
Assigned to greet guests at the villa entrance, Zhang Yuanqing watched a man in his early thirties step down from a black business van.
His facial features were not strikingly handsome, yet very pleasing to the eye, carved with clean lines that were firm without being harsh. Dressed in a tailored suit, he possessed a gentle, restrained temperament—upright, dignified, and solemn without being stern, looking every bit like a promising young entrepreneur.
Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed. Spreading his arms, he rushed forward to welcome him, shouting at the top of his lungs:
"Godfather!!"
The young masters and ladies walking into the villa stopped in astonishment, turning their heads to look back.
Godfather? Yuanshi Tianzun had a godfather?
Who was he?
Huang Taiji's expression froze.
Chapter 560