"Beep, beep—"
After the yellow lights flickered and went out, the lenses of the three projection devices slowly retracted, and the holographic projections in the study dissipated along with them.
*Now all that's left is waiting for Heaven's Punishment's reply. Hopefully it gets sorted out before I enter the solo Spirit Realm,* Zhang Yuanqing thought. Just then, he heard the study door push open. Fu Qingyang, dressed in white, walked in, glanced at him, and remarked indifferently:
"Your posture won't do. Keep your back straight, angle your gaze forty-five degrees downward, and show no expression on your face. That way, you'll project more presence and exert greater pressure."
Zhang Yuanqing hastily stood up. "Boss, what are you saying? How could I copy you? Wouldn't that be usurping power? I just need to follow you. Sticking with the boss guarantees plenty of meat to eat."
Fu Qingyang gave a dry chuckle, sounding uncharacteristically sarcastic. "By next year, I might be the one calling you Boss."
*Did I level up too fast and put pressure on him?* Zhang Yuanqing thought.
"There is a bit of pressure," Fu Qingyang said, returning to his high-backed chair. "So I'm taking an extended leave to train in the White Tiger Guards' faction instance. For the coming period, you probably won't be seeing me."
The instance cycle for Dominators was exceedingly long. Since advancing to Dominator, Fu Qingyang had only entered an instance once, and the next one was nowhere in sight.
Moreover, he had already cleared all the White Tiger Guards instances available to him. If he wanted to level up, his only choice was to emulate the Grand Marshal.
"Enter an instance for a year like the Grand Marshal?" Zhang Yuanqing frowned.
Fu Qingyang looked at him. "You sound as if you're mocking me."
"?"
Fu Qingyang said coldly, "Who could possibly train in an instance for an entire year like her? The goal I set for myself is Level 8. Even with my combat prowess and the Sword Master Cloak, the mortality rate will still be as high as seventy percent. As for the duration, at most three months, at shortest one."
Zhang Yuanqing's brows knit tight. "When are you entering the faction instance?"
Fu Qingyang pondered before answering:
"As soon as Heaven's Punishment's compensation arrives, I'll enter the faction instance right away. Yuanshi, I've had the thought of entering the White Tiger Guards' instance for a long time, but back then, you were only a Level 4 Saint. You had no self-preservation capability against true powerhouses, yet carried yourself far too conspicuously. There were too many evil classes who wanted you dead, so I couldn't rest easy.
"Now, you are unrivaled beneath the Dominator realm. Moreover, you possess the Five Elements Power Trial Card; even against a Level 7 Dominator, you can contend, and you have the ability to protect yourself before a Level 8 Dominator.
"You are no longer a sapling that needs looking after."
Zhang Yuanqing stared at him blankly for a few seconds. Then, taking a deep breath, he grinned. "Boss, listen to you. I never needed looking after anyway, all right? Just focus on leveling up. Just don't go dying inside the instance, that's all."
A seventy percent mortality rate was fine. No big deal.
Fu Qingyang nodded. "While I'm away, Elder Dog will keep watch over this place. All the plants in the garden are his eyes and ears. When necessary, he can descend using the flora as a medium.
"Furthermore, Heaven's Punishment will most likely give their response tomorrow. Since you're only willing to return three items and named a rather steep price, they will definitely haggle. If it's reasonable enough, accept it; there's no need to be overly calculative."
"Understood!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded.
Fu Qingyang added, "By the way, you and Guan Ya can move over here to live. There are plenty of bunny girls in the villa. They're professionally trained and can assist you with everything from daily life to official duties."
*Boss, leave the bunny girls to me with complete peace of mind. I'll definitely put them to better use than you do,* Zhang Yuanqing quipped inwardly.
The next day, Zhang Yuanqing woke to Xie Lingxi's crisp voice: "Brother, we're back!"
Dressed in his pajamas, he stepped out into the living room and saw Queen and the Little Green Tea dragging their suitcases, collapsed unladylike on the sofa and covered in the dust of travel.
"You two are so slow," Zhang Yuanqing grumbled.
Driving back to Songhai from Bagui Province only took around twenty hours; they should have returned yesterday.
"We wanted to have some fun along the way, too," Xie Lingxi said, coming over to cling to his arm.
"Did the Pluto matter get resolved? Heaven's Punishment didn't give you trouble, did they?" Queen asked.
Zhang Yuanqing recounted the course of the negotiations to them.
"Yay, dividend time! Dividend time!" Xie Lingxi hopped with delight.
Zhang Yuanqing pressed her forehead and shoved her firmly back onto the sofa. "You didn't do jack. What dividend do you think you're getting?"
"Even if we didn't achieve anything grand, we still put in the hard work!" Xie Lingxi pouted.
"Well, I originally planned to give each of you a Saint-grade item, but that would make you rely too heavily on items. Besides, mechanism weapons will be popularized soon, so neither of you will lack external support—"
Before Zhang Yuanqing could finish, he heard Xie Lingxi mutter under her breath, "You seem to have forgotten your own nickname, haven't you, Item Tianzun?"
Zhang Yuanqing rapped her on the head with his knuckles. "Five hundred thousand federal dollars each. It's decided."
Queen instantly beamed. Cash was wonderful too.
She was usually loose with money, and her salary and bonuses barely covered her expenses. On this trip, she had first received a share of one million in seized dirty funds, and now another five hundred thousand federal dollars, bringing her total earnings to just shy of five million.
Just as Zhang Yuanqing was about to transfer the money, his phone suddenly rang. It was Fu Qingyang.
"Hello?" he answered.
"Come over for the meeting!" Fu Qingyang said.
Zhang Yuanqing's spirits lifted. With a snap of his fingers, he vanished into thin air, teleporting next door.
Inside the spacious, luxurious study, the three projection devices were already running. Three fluorescent blue beams projected the wide conference table and the attendees seated around it, exactly like before.
Zhang Yuanqing passed through the figures, took a seat behind the desk, and his own avatar instantly appeared at the edge of the conference table.
Every pair of eyes turned toward him at once.
Elder Miao spoke first. "Yuanshi Tianzun, Heaven's Punishment has given their response."
He looked toward Demon Hunter.
After a moment of silence, Demon Hunter spoke in a clear voice:
"Following deliberations by the board of directors, Heaven's Punishment is willing to provide one Saint-stage rule-based item and one Dominator-grade material. You may keep the Seal of the Thunder God and Charming Perfume, but you must return the Heart of the Ocean, the Dysfunctional Puppet, and the Sword of Judgment."
The Dominator-grade materials had been reduced from three to one.
Zhang Yuanqing pondered for a few seconds before declaring:
"Deal!"
Osmond and Chazo breathed sighs of relief.
"May I ask about the properties of the rule-based item?" he asked curiously.
Demon Hunter fixed him with a cold stare. "You may choose not to trade, but you do not have the right to choose when it comes to the rule-based item. Whatever we give you is what you get."
The words were blunt, but Zhang Yuanqing did not argue. He shrugged. "As long as it's the right grade."
Rule-based items weren't cheap cabbage. A Saint-stage rule-based item was rarer than a Dominator-grade item; Zhang Yuanqing never expected to have the luxury of picking and choosing.
Elder Miao said at once, "After the meeting concludes, will Your Excellency Demon Hunter please deliver the compensation for emotional distress and property damage to me. Yuanshi Tianzun, you need only hand over the returned items to Fu Qingyang. If there are no objections, meeting adjourned!"
Elder Miao vanished from the beam of light first, and the rest departed their seats in succession.
Zhang Yuanqing rose immediately. Snapping his fingers, he appeared at the basement entrance—the basement was sealed with arrays, preventing anyone from infiltrating using movement techniques.
Swiping open the iron door with an access card, he walked to the sixth room on the left.
On the single cot, Pluto sat leaning against the wall. He turned his head and looked over. "Am I being handed over to Heaven's Punishment, or to your Five Elements Alliance headquarters?"
"It's all the same." Zhang Yuanqing unlocked the iron door and made a polite gesture. "After you."
He brought Pluto up to the first-floor lounge, where Fu Qingyang was already waiting on the plush sofa.
Zhang Yuanqing opened the Return of the Dead faction warehouse, retrieved the Heart of the Ocean and the other two items, and handed them over to Fu Qingyang.
The Money Prince didn't even bother examining them, stowing them straight into his warehouse. Placing a hand on Pluto's shoulder, he looked at his trusted subordinate and said:
"Once the trade is concluded, I will deposit the items and materials into the White Tiger Guards' warehouse. Just submit an application to claim them. I won't be returning here..."
He looked deeply at Zhang Yuanqing. "I will do my utmost to come out before October."
With that, he transformed into a streak of sword light, bursting out of the hall and soaring straight into the clouds.
Zhang Yuanqing stood frozen in place for several seconds before the meaning behind Fu Qingyang's parting words hit him.
October was the deadline when his death calamity would descend.
Something seemed to catch in Zhang Yuanqing's throat. He bolted out of the living room, but the sky was azure blue, and that figure in white was nowhere to be seen.
At eleven in the morning, Zhang Yuanqing received a text from Fu Qingyang:
"Last two rows of the warehouse. The Saint-grade materials are too numerous; retrieve them in batches."
In his bedroom, Zhang Yuanqing bounced up from the bed, sat down by his desk, and opened the White Tiger Guards' faction warehouse with suppressed excitement. Scanning the final two rows of materials and items, he submitted retrieval requests one by one.
The forty Saint-grade items took him three full batches to withdraw, piling high across the bedroom floor.
With Fu Qingyang vetting them, he didn't bother inspecting their quality, stowing them directly into Little Red Riding Hood—neither the faction warehouse nor his personal inventory could hold so many materials.
Next came the four Dominator-grade materials from headquarters, followed by the one Dominator-grade material from Heaven's Punishment.
Once he finished receiving all the materials, Fu Qingyang sent another message:
"Swordsman item!"
Zhang Yuanqing opened the faction warehouse immediately. Once the application went through, he retrieved a blood-red armguard. After waiting a few seconds, the item's attributes surfaced:
【Name: Armguard of Despair】
【Type: Armor】
【Function: Potential】
【Description: It belonged to a famous one-armed swordsman. From childhood, the one-armed swordsman was frail, sickly, and constitutionally deficient; thus, in every battle, he staked everything and burned his boats. Over time, this armguard was imbued with his will. For a swordsman wearing this armguard, the effect of Burn the Boats is doubled, lasting five minutes.】
【Remarks: In accordance with the law of conservation of energy, strength is not born out of thin air. Every burst of power demands a price.】
Burn the Boats was a Swordsman's desperate, all-out skill, similar to a Night Walker's Howl at the Moon. But while Howl at the Moon enhanced a Night Walker's class skills, Burn the Boats was an all-around enhancement.
Doubling the effect of Burn the Boats was a terrifying buff.
This was an exceptional item that would allow Guan Ya to fight above her level.
The price was that after five minutes, the user would fall into a weakened state.
*This will last Guan Ya all the way to Level 6.* Satisfied, Zhang Yuanqing stowed it into his inventory. Finally, he submitted an application to Fu Qingyang for the rule-based item.
Once approval was granted, a crude matchbox rolled onto the desk.
*A matchbox? This clearly isn't for combat. Strike a match and scald the enemy with a blister?* With an odd expression, Zhang Yuanqing picked it up, held it in his hand, and read the item attributes:
【Name: The Little Match Girl's Matchbox】
【Type: Solid Fuel】
【Function: Wishing】
【Description: The matchbox of a certain famous little girl. Strike a match and make a wish facing the flame, and your wish will come true. This is a rule.】
【Remark 1: The little girl never actually received a roast goose or a Christmas tree. Do you understand what that means?】
【Remark 2: Whatever you do, never strike a third match, or you will see Grandmother.】
【Remark 3: The matches in the box refresh once every twenty-four hours.】
【Remark 4: Although wishes are guaranteed to come true, it will not grant just any wish for you.】
【Remark 5: When the matchbox grants your wish, you must also grant a wish for someone else.】
Seeing the "Description," Zhang Yuanqing's first reaction was: *Holy crap, I hit the jackpot!*
Yet he quickly sensed something was off, because an ability where every wish was guaranteed to come true was far too broken and completely illogical.
Taking a second look at Remark 1, his heart sank.
Clearly, wishing came with limitations, but Remark 1 was too vague. To truly understand how to use the item, he would have to store it in his inventory to complete the binding process.
Remarks 2, 3, and 5 were easy enough to comprehend: he could not make more than three wishes in a single day, or he would meet his deceased grandmother in heaven; the matches refreshed after twenty-four hours; and he had to fulfill someone else's wish.
As for Remark 4, he didn't understand it yet.
Zhang Yuanqing stowed the matchbox into his inventory. Instantly, an understanding of how to use this rule-based item bloomed in his mind, and the meanings behind Remark 1 and Remark 4 became clear.
Chapter 594