A Walking Eight Million

Zhang Yuanqing regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth. Logically speaking, it was impossible for him to have met Diana before. She was a department head in the Association of God of Beauty, likely older than him, while he had lived in Songhai his whole life and had been a Spirit Realm walker for only six months. Before that, he had just been an ordinary college student. They belonged to entirely different worlds, like two parallel lines that would never intersect. Yet Zhang Yuanqing couldn't shake the sense of familiarity, even though he couldn't remember where he might have seen her. Diana smiled faintly. "If you had seen me before, you wouldn't have forgotten." Zhang Yuanqing was left speechless. A peerless beauty of her caliber—seeing her once would probably leave a deeper impression than one's first love. "Perhaps... my memory is playing tricks on me," Zhang Yuanqing said with a smile. Turning to the President, he asked, "Could you sell me a teleportation item?" "I don't have permanent teleportation items, but I do have a few single-use consumables," the President replied, shrugging. "Give me a piece of that jade you gave Annie," Zhang Yuanqing said. His true motive was actually to establish a "purchase record." If the Five Elements Alliance headquarters ever thoroughly investigated the origin of his teleportation jade talismans, today's purchase record would serve as the perfect cover. Of course, the Merchant President was elusive; headquarters likely wouldn't be able to track him down anyway. If not for the Dionysus Club incident, the Five Elements Alliance wouldn't even have had contact with this President in the first place. As for teleportation items themselves, reusable ones were exceedingly rare and exorbitantly expensive. He already had the teleportation jade case, which stably produced one teleportation jade talisman per month, so there was no need to waste money buying another. The silver-masked President opened his palm, and a piece of black jade appeared. He tossed it lightly over. "Three hundred thousand federal dollars." Zhang Yuanqing caught the jade, stored it in his inventory, then took out Little Red Riding Hood and collected the neatly stacked pile of light green banknotes in the corner, leaving behind thirty stacks. The Merchant President raised his hand and snapped his fingers with a crisp *snap*. "Banishment!" Annie and Zhang Yuanqing vanished from the private room simultaneously. Diana tilted her head, watching the President beside her with a faint smile. "He seemed to recognize me." The President suddenly snorted coldly, as if reminded of something unpleasant. *** Back in the small villa, Zhang Yuanqing looked at Annie and smiled. "Disappointed?" Annie gave a wry smile. "A little." Zhang Yuanqing rubbed his chin and said, "Given the style of your Desire class, even if I refused to let you charm me, I wouldn't have been able to resist if you'd really used it. Annie, Minister Diana said you're still clean, which shows you're not like the Demon Lord's lover—you don't want to use sex to serve men." Annie fell silent for a moment, then playfully winked and smiled. "Are you disappointed?" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "A little." Annie couldn't help but laugh. Leaning in close, she whispered, "Mr. Yuanshi, you really are quite tempting to me. But I don't want you to look down on me because of my class." With that, she gave a slight bow. "I'll take my leave now." Zhang Yuanqing watched her leave, then headed straight upstairs back to his room. *I definitely met her before. I must have seen her...* Zhang Yuanqing opened the bedside drawer, took out a bottle of little blue pills, poured the entire bottle into his palm, and lay down on the bed, beginning to recall his father's face. He smoothly brought his brainpower to a boiling point. Meaningless noise and shattered fragments of imagery replayed like a revolving lantern. Zhang Yuanqing's memory rewound like a videotape, pulling time back to yesterday, the day before yesterday, a week ago, a month ago... continuing its relentless backward surge. Such an intense retrospection would have killed him from brain burnout in the past, but now he was at the peak of the Saint stage; his mental CPU had grown extraordinarily powerful through iteration after iteration. One month, two months, three months, four months, five months, six months... Suddenly, two jets of blood spurted from Zhang Yuanqing's nostrils. The imagery broke off on the morning he received the character card mailed by Brother Bing. A soul-rending pain struck him. Zhang Yuanqing hurriedly swallowed the entire bottle of little blue pills, his trembling hand grabbing a vial of life fluid from his inventory and injecting twenty milliliters. "Hah... hah..." Drenched in sweat, he lay on the bed, panting heavily as the agonizing pain slowly subsided. *I can only trace back six months. Is that my limit? Hmm, I didn't see her. In the six months since I became a Spirit Realm walker, I never met Diana. Which means if I truly have seen her, it must have been before I became a Spirit Realm walker.* *Hiss, that's bizarre. If even Yuanshi Tianzun has never seen such an exquisite stunner, how could Zhang Yuanqing have had the honor? Could I really just be misremembering?* *This retrospection made me recall many details I'd overlooked in the past. Damn it, Sect Master Chunyang knows I possess the power of a Human Immortal. He's been flirting back and forth with Dark Night Rose—does Ling Tuo know the Fragment of Taiyin Origin is on me?* *No. If that were the case, I'd have been finished long ago. The fact that I'm still alive means Sect Master Chunyang concealed the Human Immortal's power. He wants to monopolize the treasures on me, so he'll definitely do everything he can to kill me...* *I also know who the mysterious figure investing in the Demon Lord was—it was that damn President! The Demon Lord hooking up with the Association of God of Beauty later on was most likely orchestrated by him too, and now he wants to broker ties between me and the Association of God of Beauty...* He recalled countless details—things he had previously forgotten—and realized suspicious things about many people. Zhang Yuanqing lay on the bed, staring blankly into space for a long time. Once the sweat on his body had dried completely, he let out a sigh, got up, buried those suspicions and discoveries deep in his heart, and went next door. Entering the study, he saw Fu Qingyang and reported their recent conversation, leaving out a few insignificant details—such as the Association of God of Beauty asking him to sleep with Annie, or inviting him to visit their headquarters next year. Fu Qingyang's handsome face remained expressionless. "As long as the Association of God of Beauty pays your reward, it doesn't matter what channel they used to get the list. Headquarters just emailed me instructing me to escort Pluto to the capital tomorrow. So prepare yourself; there's a meeting at nine o'clock tonight you need to attend." Looking at that handsome face, Zhang Yuanqing sighed again. If he had to name someone who treated him sincerely and had never deceived him, it was actually Fu Qingyang... "Did something happen?" "Ah? Nothing..." "Your face looks like your girlfriend ran off with your best buddy, took all your money, and then you found out your parents aren't your real parents and took out unpayable shark loans under your name," Fu Qingyang said. *Do I really look that miserable?* Zhang Yuanqing thought. "Even if the whole world betrayed me, Boss, I believe you are truly sincere," Zhang Yuanqing said, his conversational technique bordering on art. A smile touched Fu Qingyang's lips, and he moved past the topic. "Heaven's Punishment wants to redeem those items, and headquarters wants to ask how you plan to sell Pluto. You can try asking for things you normally want but can't get." Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a moment. "Rule-based items?" "Why not?" The smile on Fu Qingyang's lips deepened. Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of excitement. The gloom of his girlfriend running off with his buddy and his fake parents borrowing shark loans instantly vanished into thin air. In high spirits, he took out the black jade sold to him by the Merchant President and presented it with both hands. "Boss, I remembered you don't seem to have a teleportation item. I specifically begged the President for this. That old fellow was adamantly refusing to sell it, and I had to beg for ages." Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head, holding it up high. —Mainly to prevent Fu Qingyang from catching him in a lie. Fu Qingyang froze, clearly not expecting him to remember such a "small matter." After a brief silence, he said calmly: "You have too much on your mind. I won't pry, but you can always trust me." *Better make sure Guan Ya doesn't hear you say that...* Zhang Yuanqing murmured in amusement. "Thank you, Boss." *** The Freedom Federation. In the banquet hall of a certain manor, Chen Shu, dressed in a light-colored tulle dress, finished socializing with a business partner. Holding her wine glass, she glanced sideways toward the sofas. There, surrounded like a queen, sat a glamorous woman. Her gown was modest yet elegant, exposing well-rounded shoulders, her skin and complexion no worse than the young ladies at the party. "Yuanshi Tianzun is my daughter's boyfriend. I'm actually preparing to hold a wedding for them next year..." "He himself yearns deeply for Heaven's Punishment and the Federation. It's just that Osmond was far too arrogant and provoked my son-in-law's displeasure." "I don't know where his limits lie either; he is a creator of miracles... Yes, he's an exceptionally prideful man, yet he shows nothing but the utmost respect to me. My daughter often worries that my charm is too great. Ha, it troubles me so." With an elegant smile on her face, Fu Xue chatted and laughed merrily with the friends gathered around her. This was a private banquet hosted by a Level 2 Silver Prosecutor of Heaven's Punishment—equivalent to a Level 5 Saint. The guests were of no ordinary background: either scions of prominent Spirit Realm families, internal members of various Orderly organizations, or affiliates of pro-official civil organizations. There were also socialites like Chen Shu who had mingled into the Spirit Realm walker circle. Fu Xue had naturally become the center of attention because she claimed to be Yuanshi Tianzun's mother-in-law. Chen Shu harbored a wave of irritation. On one hand, she disliked Fu Xue using her son to show off; on the other, she felt Fu Xue was usurping what rightfully belonged to her. A mere mother-in-law flaunting her borrowed feathers, while his real mother had to conceal her name and identity. At that moment, the host of the party, Ivan Charles, walked up to Fu Xue with a glass of red wine, smiling. "Xue, Will told me that you favored Yuanshi Tianzun more, which was why you rejected the marriage alliance with the Miller family. Your vision was spot-on, though Will seems rather unhappy." Fu Xue maintained an elegant smile. "His feelings aren't within my consideration." Charles brushed past the subject and asked curiously, "Xue, does Yuanshi Tianzun really listen to you so obediently?" "Of course!" Fu Xue lifted her sharp chin. "Does he truly yearn for Heaven's Punishment?" "He yearns for the air of freedom here." Not far away, the corner of Chen Shu's mouth twitched. Delighted, Charles said, "Wonderful! Here's the thing: Will and I intend to personally sponsor Yuanshi Tianzun with eight million federal dollars. We hope you can help bridge the connection." Pay-to-win was Heaven's Punishment's traditional specialty. In their financial budget, there was a specific fund dedicated to donating to Orderly profession elites across the globe. "Of course!" Fu Xue smiled. "I will relay Heaven's Punishment's goodwill." *Just relay it!* she thought. Charles smiled. "We will also provide a finder's fee for you." The two clinked their glasses happily. When the banquet concluded, Fu Xue, flanked by bodyguards, swayed her slender waist with seductive grace toward her car. From a distance, she spotted Chen Shu leaning against the car hood, holding a lady's cigarette between her fingers, waiting expressionlessly. Fu Xue waved her bodyguards back and walked forward alone, asking with a triumphant smile, "Is there something you couldn't say inside?" Chen Shu sneered, "Now I finally understand what it means to be a dog riding on someone else's coattails." Fu Xue giggled. "And now I know what it means when jealousy makes someone ugly. Chen Shu, are you turning green with envy? Sigh, I suppose this is just my destiny. Last year on the mainland, I had a diviner read my fortune. He said I would rise to great wealth and prominence after forty-five. How accurate! Being jealous won't help you. I remember you have a son on the mainland, right? What a pity you don't have a daughter." Chen Shu narrowed her eyes, giving a cold, artificial smile. "Indeed, mine is an unfilial brat who can't compare to your son-in-law. I won't waste words with you—I also want to sponsor Yuanshi Tianzun. Put me in touch with him." Fu Xue readily agreed. *** "Heaven's Punishment wants to sponsor me?" Looking at the message sent by his mother-in-law, Zhang Yuanqing frowned deeply. The sum was certainly substantial, but if he accepted, wouldn't he become a walking eight million? Would Heaven's Punishment force him to post statements slandering the Five Elements Alliance later on? Zhang Yuanqing couldn't help grumbling internally. He typed a reply: [Not interested!] *Am I the kind of person who would sell out my organization for eight million? Not unless they add a zero.* [Fu Xue: Don't be so quick to refuse. Hasn't Fu Qingyang told you that maintaining close ties and shared interests with overseas factions helps secure your position in the Five Elements Alliance?] [Yuanshi Tianzun: What do you mean?] [Fu Xue: You're a smart guy. Think about it: if you have strong financial ties with Heaven's Punishment—like supplying them with mechanical weaponry or opening doors for the capital behind Heaven's Punishment to make money in the Five Elements Alliance—would Heaven's Punishment just sit by and watch if headquarters ever tries to move against you in the future?] [Yuanshi Tianzun: If I had such close ties with Heaven's Punishment, the Five Elements Alliance wouldn't let me hold a high position in the first place.] [Fu Xue: My silly boy, why do you think some elders in the Five Elements Alliance got so close to Heaven's Punishment over the past years? Do you think the ten elders at headquarters don't have partners within Heaven's Punishment? Without external allies, if you lose an internal power struggle, you won't even have a chance to turn the tables. Your enemies would wipe out everything you have without breaking a sweat.] [Yuanshi Tianzun: Then what kind of organization is the Relief Society?] [Fu Xue: A large overseas civilian organization with massive influence, its members spread across all walks of life. While it can't compare to official organizations like Heaven's Punishment, the Sea God Church, or the Association of God of Beauty, it ranks among the very best of civilian groups.] *Mother-in-law, you really have no brains,* Zhang Yuanqing thought. *Recommending some shady, dubious faction to me... You're as much of a liability as Li Gang's son.* [Yuanshi Tianzun: I'll think about it.] He closed the messaging app. *** That evening, in Fu Qingyang's study. Zhang Yuanqing sat straight-backed behind the Money Prince's desk, waiting with great anticipation. Fu Qingyang had said that the bargaining chips in his hands were sufficient to trade for a rule-based item, but Heaven's Punishment would never hand one over willingly. There would inevitably be plenty of wrangling in the meeting. As long as he could withstand the pressure, he would make a killing. Tonight's online conference was a 3D projection meeting, and such sophisticated high-end equipment was only allotted to elders. Thus, Fu Qingyang had lent his study to his trusted subordinate and moved to the small study inside the master bedroom. The Money Prince was a fastidious nobleman who disliked others entering his private quarters, even if that person was Zhang Yuanqing. When the clock struck nine, the three projectors on the ceiling beeped, their yellow lights flashing. The central terminal emitted infrared beams to scan Zhang Yuanqing, followed immediately by the extension of metal probes from the three projectors, casting intense, bright blue beams of light. The three beams converged in the center of the study, projecting a spacious conference table. Zhang Yuanqing scanned the room and saw sitting around the table: Elder Miao; Secretary Zhou (Secretary to Elder Cai); Secretary Li (Secretary to Grand Elder Di Hong); the Demon Hunter from Heaven's Punishment; the three defeated challengers; and Fu Qingyang. Osmond, Hoover, and Chazo all looked over at the same time. The first two wore slightly darkened expressions, their eyes harboring hostility and fury. Chazo remained expressionless. No matter how upright a Knight might be, getting beaten would still ruffle their feathers, so Chazo chose to ignore Yuanshi Tianzun altogether. "Yo, my defeated opponents, we meet again," Zhang Yuanqing greeted cheerfully, as if they were old friends.