Fishing

Zhao Xintong was certain she had heard this voice before. Everyone's timbre was distinct, like fingerprints—there might be similarities, but no two were identical. Yet she couldn't recall where she had heard it. After turning it over in her mind, she decided the voice belonged to someone she didn't know well, but who carried a special significance, which was why it had stuck in her memory. Who could it be—someone unfamiliar, yet uniquely meaningful? Just as Zhao Xintong knitted her delicate brows in bewilderment, she heard the person say mildly: "Spirit Realm ID Zhao Xintong, birth name Zhao Xintong, fourteen years old, enrolled at Baila Municipal Third Middle School... Heh, still a minor. It's nice to be young. Unlike me—a poor, miserable wretch torn into pieces." Torn into pieces?! Zhao Xintong's eyes snapped wide, sudden illumination dawning on her. She knew who this interrogator was. Yuanshi Tianzun of the Songhai Branch! That pitiful soul whom everyone occasionally discussed in their small group chat! He had injected a shot of fierce inspiration into the redeemer members of their group. Whenever everyone felt life was too bitter and the human world too ugly, they would think of Yuanshi Tianzun and encourage one another in the group: *If even Yuanshi Tianzun can stay strong and keep living, what right do we have to be pessimistic?!* Is he here to save me? Can he save me? A spark of life surged into Zhao Xintong's weary eyes. "You're lucky. The student you pushed down the stairs isn't in critical danger and won't be paralyzed in bed, but her leg bones, pelvis, and ribs were fractured, and she suffered internal organ bleeding. She just came out of the ICU." Zhang Yuanqing resumed his low, hoarse voice. "If she had died, then even though you're a minor, the authorities would have sent you straight back to the Spirit Realm. As you know, secular laws don't apply to our community; you won't be shielded by the Minors' Protection Law." Zhao Xintong went silent for a second, then said indifferently, "My actions were a bit extreme, but even if she had died, I wouldn't regret it." *Hey, hey, even if the camera's off, there are people watching behind the one-way mirror...* Zhang Yuanqing thought. Victoria and Lingjun were right next door, watching Zhao Xintong through the one-way glass. Ignoring Zhao Xintong's words, Zhang Yuanqing put on a solemn face and said, "Zhao Xintong, you need to confess a few things right now. This is crucial. I don't want to hear emotional outbursts, and you'd better not act defiant in front of me. If you don't cooperate properly, I will drop this interrogation." Against anyone else, the girl might have snapped back with a few defiant remarks. But seeing Yuanshi Tianzun assume such a grave expression, Zhao Xintong didn't dare act rashly. This guy torn into pieces had the worst sickness of them all. If she upset him, he would walk out without a second thought, regardless of whether she was a companion or not. When dealing with a mental patient like this, it was best just to humor him. Just as in an asylum, even the lunatics feared the craziest of them all. "All right!" Zhao Xintong nodded meekly. *Huh, she's actually pretty docile.* Zhang Yuanqing immediately drew out a rust-mottled token and held it in his hand. He took off his sunglasses, his eyes blazing with clear white light that radiated an aura commanding dread and conviction. "First: outside of instances, have you ever killed an orthodox profession walker, an official walker, or an ordinary person?" "No." "Have you committed theft, robbery, intentional assault, or similar acts?" "Except for what happened the day before yesterday... normally, I'd occasionally use gu poison to get back at classmates, but only after they bullied me first. The gu poison I used wasn't lethal, at most tormenting them for a few days." "Why did they bully you?" Zhao Xintong bit her lip and remained silent. Zhang Yuanqing continued, "Regarding your background, the Baila Branch has already completed its investigation. Now I am personally verifying the details with you. I hope you won't conceal anything; this directly affects the Baila Branch's assessment of you." The evaluator was right next door: Shimu Victoria. Even with Lingjun acting as an intermediary, Victoria would never lightly release an evil profession walker. However, Zhang Yuanqing had repeatedly vouched that Zhao Xintong was a kind, clean evil walker. For the sake of her young lover, Victoria had said that if the child truly had done no evil, she would spare her this once. Hence, this interrogation. Zhang Yuanqing flipped open Zhao Xintong's dossier and read, "When you were six years old, your father committed suicide by jumping from a building. You lived with your mother and stepfather. When you were nine, a fire broke out in your home, and both your mother and stepfather perished. From then on, you lived with your widowed grandfather, up until the present day. "Now, answer me: when did you become a Spirit Realm walker?" Zhao Xintong looked at him and said, "When I was nine." Zhang Yuanqing raised a brow. "The year your mother and stepfather died in the fire?" "Yes!" Zhao Xintong said in a low voice. "I was the one who set the fire and burned them to death. Not long after killing them, I obtained a character card and became a Witch Doctor." *What in the world? Sacrificing parents for boundless power?!* Zhang Yuanqing's heart sank, and he cast an imperceptible glance toward the one-way mirror. A child who had burned her biological mother and stepfather to death—anyone with standard morals would sentence her to death. Victoria might have slept with her foster son, but her values were surely conventional. "Can you tell me the reason?" Zhang Yuanqing thought to himself: *This is your last chance.* "Reason?" A cold sneer curled Zhao Xintong's lips. "Does avenging my father count as a reason? Does escaping a horrific household count as a reason? My dad ran a business. When I was small, our family was very well-off, and my dad doted on me. Before I was six, my life was nothing but happiness and joy. But when I was six, that bitch had an affair with my father's business partner, swindled away all of Dad's money, and took out massive bank loans in his name. "Dad lost everything overnight and was saddled with debts he could never repay. Feeling there was no hope left for the future, he chose to jump to his death. That bitch brought me into a new household, but that pair of dogs treated me terribly. The man beat me, whipping me with his belt. My own biological mother cursed me as a worthless mutt and told me I should have jumped off the building with my father. The only reason they took me in was to protect their reputation and fulfill their legal obligation of support. "I endured them for three years. One day, I dissolved the house's sleeping pills into their liquor. After they drank it, I set that sickening home ablaze. They died, and I gained a new life." Zhao Xintong began to laugh, her laughter venomous and sorrowful. Zhang Yuanqing watched her for a long time, then let out a sigh. "Traumatized by your father's suicide, warped by long-term domestic violence and personal humiliation... it makes sense that you became an evil profession. So, what made you change?" That last sentence was spoken for Victoria's ears. Zhao Xintong said quietly, "I haven't changed. I just want to change. Living with my grandfather these past few years, I've been fairly happy. Grandfather treats me very well. His pension was barely enough for us to scrape by, but in order to raise me, he spent three months every year doing manual labor outside. "A respected senior once told me that the human heart is the filthiest thing in existence. It pollutes society and pollutes the world. But human nature also holds truth, goodness, and beauty. We have to learn to be grateful for the beauty in humanity and tolerate its ugliness. "For Grandfather's sake, I wanted to try tolerating human ugliness. But even now, I haven't succeeded. I can't forget the harm the past inflicted on me. That senior said, 'Put down the butcher's blade and attain Buddhahood on the spot.' But for people like us, putting down the blade is the hardest thing in the world. It isn't something achieved with empty words; it takes profound enlightenment." "I understand your situation," Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "A few final questions. You mentioned earlier that you occasionally used gu poison to get back at classmates. Did they frequently bully you? Since you usually retaliated with gu, why did you choose the most violent method the day before yesterday?" Zhao Xintong looked at him and smiled coldly. "Have you ever gone to school?" Zhang Yuanqing acted as though his pride had been challenged. "Let me tell you clearly: back then, the presidents of Tsinghua and Peking University nearly beat each other's brains out over me. Cambridge and Harvard sent special envoys just to admit me, and I coldly informed them that I was a student they were destined never to have. Against such a background, even MIT lacked the courage to send me an acceptance letter." Zhao Xintong automatically filtered out his rambling. "Since you've had schooling, you should know that pretty, good grades, aloof personality, and poor—combine all those, and aren't you the prime target for school bullying? Most of the time I can bear it, but occasionally I lose control. Take that girl I pushed down the stairs: she called me a parentless bastard who deserved to have her mom and dad die. And the only reason she spat such venom was because the boy she liked wrote me a love letter. "Why should I endure such scum? I clearly hold the power to destroy the entire school, yet I have to be bullied by them over and over. It's the so-called 'order' that forces me to swallow the humiliation. So I often wonder: why should I make peace with a world like this?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at the defiant young girl. He had originally planned to adopt the tone of an experienced elder to lecture her, but words he had once said to Doctor Sun abruptly surfaced in his mind: *Why should I coexist with it?* Why must one coexist with the dark side of human nature! With a sigh, he stood up. "I'm done questioning. Wait here for news." Leaving the interrogation room, he walked into the observation room next door. Lingjun and Victoria stood side by side before the one-way glass, gazing at the middle-school girl. Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun enter, Victoria kept her hands behind her back without turning around, remarking calmly, "I will verify what she said. If it's the truth, I can make the call to give her a chance. Going through the formalities will take about three days." Zhang Yuanqing exhaled in relief. "Thank you. I owe you a favor." Zhao Xintong wouldn't lie; none of Master Wuhen's team members were wicked villains. Victoria was merely re-checking out of caution, but the outcome would not change. "Lingjun owes you far more favors; consider it settled on his behalf." Victoria looked radiant yet aloof as she added, "A word of advice: don't get too entangled with evil professions, especially those with understandable excuses." Zhang Yuanqing bowed slightly. "Thank you for the reminder." After chatting briefly with Lingjun, he departed the Baila Branch. "The girl has more guts than me," Lingjun said with a grin. "I never had the resolve or courage to cut down my own old man's dog head." Victoria ignored his banter and frowned. "Yuanshi Tianzun is getting far too entangled with these evil professions. If this continues, disaster will strike sooner or later. You'd better warn him. If he won't listen, cut ties with him as early as possible." Lingjun answered perfunctorily, "Got it, got it." Victoria glared at him. "I'm not joking with you." "When I make friends, I look at the person, not status or profit. As long as I can still respect who he is, he'll always be my brother. If the day comes when he loses his true heart and strays onto the wrong path, I'll break ties with him without you needing to remind me." Lingjun yawned. "Help me take care of this matter; I'm heading back to catch up on sleep." *** The Gulfstream soared above a sea of clouds, the roar of the jet engines shut out beyond the cabin. Zhang Yuanqing reclined in a plush, luxurious seat, holding his phone to call Xiao Yuan. "Zhao Xintong's matter is settled. The Baila Branch will release her in three days, and she'll contact you to report that she's safe. I'm heading back to Songhai first. I'll probably enter an instance within two days, so it looks like I won't have time to visit you." Xiao Yuan let out an "mm," her tone unexpectedly tender. "Focus on your business." Hearing the warmth hidden within the cold, glamorous older woman's voice, Zhang Yuanqing's heart began to stir. He sighed. "What a heartless woman. I've been running myself ragged for you, slaving away like an ox and a horse, yet you won't even grant me a meeting..." Xiao Yuan's tone turned frosty. "Speak properly. Drop the sarcasm." "Even if I don't have time to visit the Wuhen Hotel, you can come to Songhai to see me," Zhang Yuanqing pressed his long-held desire. "I want to show you around Songhai." "Does your girlfriend approve?" "..." Zhang Yuanqing choked at once. If it had been Lingjun, he would probably have smooth-talked: *My girlfriend has my heart, but my body belongs to you.* Or: *I cruelly tore my heart in two, only willing to give her half, because I knew the other half already had its owner.* Yet he ultimately wasn't scummy enough, truly unable to bring himself to say such things. Right at that moment, Zhang Yuanqing suddenly noticed the sky outside darkening. The azure heavens turned abyssal and pitch-black, as though draped in a layer of black velvet. The blazing sun had vanished. Just a moment ago it had been a bright day with clear skies for thousands of miles, yet in the blink of an eye, it had plunged into lightless night. *What's going on?* Zhang Yuanqing's heart seized. Then, he saw a tall, gorgeous air stewardess step out of the service galley. Standing five or six meters away, she locked eyes with him. A bizarre, deranged gleam danced within her beautiful eyes, and a frantic, neurotic smile crept onto her lips. "I really did manage to fish you out, Yuanshi Tianzun!" *Pure Yang Sect Master?* From that gaze alone, Zhang Yuanqing recognized him.