Playing Hard to Get

Zhang Yuanqing had good reason for his bold claim; it was by no means the arrogant raving of an ignorant fool. First, he was shielded by the Lunar Origin, meaning that no Day Wanderer could divine his thoughts or plans. In other words, whatever he set out to do, others could not obtain early warning through skills or spells. Second, he had the Five Elements Power Trial Card, the Form and Spirit Obliteration Saber, and the Tiger Tally given to him by his cousin. His cousin had not lent him the Tiger Tally merely to administer a lie detector test to Little Fatty. Before arriving at the Wuhen Hotel, Zhang Yuanqing had bowed in humble reverence through his phone, weeping profusely as he cried: "Cousin, I was ambushed on my way home from school! They almost knocked my brains out! You have to stand up for me!" As he wailed his grievances, drawing on his past experience, he frantically sent a deluge of cartoon emojis depicting a "weak, helpless, and pitiful" creature. Seeing how aptly chosen the memes were, his cousin replied: "Busy. I don't have time to help you beat up little kids." Seeing that she had answered, Zhang Yuanqing seized the opportunity and climbed right up the pole: "Cousin, there is no need for you to intervene yourself; I'll hit back on my own. But you have to lend me an item." The Grand Marshal asked what he wanted to borrow. Zhang Yuanqing made an exorbitant demand: "The Tiger Tally!" The Grand Marshal did not reply. Yet ten-odd minutes later, Elder Huangsha Baizhan of the White Tiger Guards had arrived at his door, holding the Tiger Tally with an expression that screamed, "I must be seeing a ghost." Zhang Yuanqing had worn the exact same expression: "Holy shit, she actually gave it to me?" The Grand Marshal doesn't really care about the Tiger Tally—that was the very first thought that had crossed Zhang Yuanqing's mind upon receiving the demigod-tier rule-based item. He had truly only been shooting for the moon. If the Grand Marshal refused, it would make asking for a Dominator-tier item much easier afterward. Who would have guessed that the Tiger Tally would actually be sent over? It was utterly absurd! Utterly absurd! Zhang Yuanqing repeated to himself internally. Later, Zhang Yuanqing gave it some thought and recalled how, when Fu Qingyang had categorized various individuals as "trash," he had suffered quite a headache over where to file the Grand Marshal. In the end, he had sorted her into the category of "works somewhat hard, but not by much." She was indeed extremely hardworking when it came to swordsmanship. But once her sword arts reached a bottleneck, she simply started slacking off. The reason this woman had been able to ascend to demigod at the age of thirty was entirely because she was obsessed solely with the sword. She poured all her time and energy into the Way of the Sword, abandoning the use of spells, skills, and items. Otherwise, even if someone had started clearing instances right from their mother's womb, they still could not have become the new Marshal White Tiger by the age of thirty. To Fu Qingxuan, who was infatuated with the sword, the Tiger Tally was merely a symbol of her status—and nothing more than a symbol. The Grand Marshal truly did not care about the Tiger Tally. In fact, she did not care about items at all. Returning to the matter at hand, in addition to the trump cards mentioned above, Zhang Yuanqing also held the old crone's Demon-Subduing Pestle. That weapon possessed purification properties, making it the perfect counter against illusions and emotional manipulation. Armed with so many divine artifacts, if he still couldn't kill the Sixth Elder, Zhang Yuanqing felt he might as well return to the Spirit Realm ahead of schedule. "D-Don't be impulsive." Xiao Yuan's expression turned frantic. She subconsciously grabbed Yuanshi Tianzun's arm, her voice hurried and heavy. "Hunting a Dominator is no child's play. You barely escaped with your life. How could you be so... so..." So foolish? This was completely unlike Yuanshi Tianzun's usual conduct. "Are you out of your mind? With those scrawny arms and legs of yours, you want to solo a Dominator?" Kou Beiyue spoke whatever crossed his mind. Is Yuanshi Tianzun having an episode? Zhao Xintong eyed the young genius of the Five Elements Alliance with deep suspicion. Because they were not well acquainted, she couldn't tell whether Yuanshi Tianzun was always like this or merely suffering from intermittent bouts of lunacy. Someone that unhinged was bound to have an episode once in a while. "I don't do things without measure. I said this wasn't an official operation, but I never said I lacked helpers at the Dominator stage," Zhang Yuanqing consoled them. Xiao Yuan relaxed slightly, turning her gaze toward Little Fatty. "But how can you trust him? Just because he didn't betray us doesn't mean he's willing to betray the Southern Sect." Little Fatty shook his head frantically. "I won't betray the Southern Sect! I... I don't want to get involved in this!" Zhang Yuanqing revealed an eerie smile. "I never planned on asking for your permission." Under everyone's bewildered gazes, he retrieved a pocket watch from his inventory. With a soft click, he popped open the watch cover. Holding the golden chain between his fingers, he suspended the pocket watch right in front of Little Fatty's eyes. Before Little Fatty could even react, his gaze instantly turned blank, completely losing its luster. This was an item Zhang Yuanqing had borrowed from the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, known as the Hypnosis Pocket Watch. It could hypnotize Spirit Realm walkers beneath the Dominator stage. The dangling pocket watch swayed gently. Zhang Yuanqing's voice carried an enchanting magic that bewitched the soul: "The Southern Sect used you to pry into the members of Master Wuhen's crew, plunging you into disloyalty and disgrace. Kou Beiyue now resents you. You hate the Southern Sect. You hate the First Elder. And so, you have decided to assist Yuanshi Tianzun in hunting down the Sixth Elder." After the same words were repeated several times, Little Fatty began to murmur them in repetition, as though deepening the imprint and engraving the thought into his mind. Once the watch's hand completed a full revolution, Zhang Yuanqing snapped the cover shut with a crisp click. "Awaken!" Little Fatty snapped awake as if from a dream. Before he could fully process what had happened, he heard Yuanshi Tianzun speak: "Liangchen, our plan is this: because Zhao Xintong's information was leaked, the people at the Wuhen Hotel grew suspicious of you. Having keenly sensed Kou Beiyue's hostility, you will secretly slip back to the Southern Sect to protect yourself, where you will indignantly question the First Elder on whether he secretly extracted intel from you. "You are a Saint; once you return, the Southern Sect will definitely take you back. All you need to do is lie low within the Southern Sect, ascertain the Sixth Elder's location as quickly as possible, and notify me. You don't need to worry about anything else." Little Fatty readily stepped into the scenario, musing thoughtfully, "With Zhao Xintong's identity exposed, the Wuhen Hotel would certainly conduct an internal investigation. The only person who could have leaked the information was me. As long as I'm not stupid, I would definitely go into hiding and then seek confirmation from the First Elder. "Even though the boss is a Bewitching Demon, he's fundamentally a Fire Master at heart. It makes complete sense that he would show overt hostility." Kou Beiyue refused to take that lying down. "If I were a Fire Master, you would've been stabbed to death just now!" "Fire Master, shut up!" Zhang Yuanqing waved Kou Beiyue aside, then asked, "Now that you hold hostility toward the Southern Sect, will there be any flaws in your emotions?" "Emotions are the least trustworthy thing when it comes to an Illusionist," Little Fatty said with absolute confidence. "I can manipulate my own feelings at will. It is easy for the elders to manipulate and puppet me, but they will never be able to see the true baseline of my emotions." "Very good!" Zhang Yuanqing nodded. "Don't bother taking any of your belongings. Leave right away." With that, he sliced through the hemp ropes binding Little Fatty, brought out the Mountain God Scepter, and cleansed the toxins from his body. Little Fatty got to his feet, stretched his limbs, and looked toward Kou Beiyue with a guilty expression. "Don't worry, Boss. I will definitely make the Southern Sect pay the price and atone for the mistake I made. Huh? Boss, why is your emotional aura filled with so much pity?" "No time to waste! Hurry up and get lost!" Zhang Yuanqing kicked Little Fatty, shooing him right out of the Wuhen Hotel. Once the hundred-and-eighty-kilogram fat man had ridden away on his electric scooter, Kou Beiyue stared at Zhang Yuanqing with a peculiar look. "Let me tell you, don't you dare use that kind of thing on me in the future, or I'll fight you to the death!" "You're not worthy!" Zhang Yuanqing gave him a sideways glance. Next, he turned toward Zhao Xintong and said, "For the time being, do not go home to see your grandfather. Right now, not only are the evil classes keeping an eye on him, but the authorities are very likely watching him as well. If you refuse to listen to my advice, I won't save you the next time something like this happens. "My tolerance for fools is very low. You aren't worthy of having me risk my neck again and again either." To Zhao Xintong's ears, these words sounded perfectly reasonable and aroused no resentment whatsoever. But in Xiao Yuan's ears, it sounded like Yuanshi Tianzun was tactfully telling them: don't come looking for me next time something like this happens. Zhao Xintong bobbed her head like a pecking bird. "Thank you for your help. Everyone else is very grateful to you too, but they're scattered all across the country and couldn't come to the Wuhen Hotel. When they learned you had gone missing, Aunt Fang and the others were all extremely worried and guilt-ridden." "Since we are comrades, there is no need for guilt or thanks," Zhang Yuanqing said calmly. "Back when I met Mortal Vagabond in Bagui Province, he agreed to help me without any preconditions whatsoever." Even though he didn't end up being of any help at all... Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. A smile broke across the young girl's normally aloof face. "If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I still have a barbecue to attend tonight." Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Xiao Yuan. Seeing her remain silent, he snapped his fingers and vanished into a streak of starlight. Xiao Yuan's expression dimmed, and she let out a gentle sigh. *** The sun sank toward the west, dyeing the clouds golden. On a rooftop fifty meters away from the Wuhen Hotel, a curly-haired toy poodle floated in midair, its button-like eyes calmly watching the hotel building. A beam of starlight rose behind it. "Are you sure you don't need my help?" Elder Dog asked. "Even with the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter involved, hunting a Voidwalker carries immense risk." Zhang Yuanqing had actually considered hunting the Third Protector of the Dark Night Rose as well. To that end, he had proactively contacted Heavenly King Demonic Eye to inquire about the Third Protector's whereabouts. Heavenly King Demonic Eye had replied: I'm looking for him too. Since that bastard dared to try killing you, I'm going to kill him. However, the top brass of the Dark Night Rose had erratic whereabouts and were shielded by concealment. Even the gods themselves would struggle to find them. "I want to do this with my own hands. I want the evil organizations and Dark Night Rose to understand that hunting Yuanshi Tianzun comes with a steep price. Otherwise, today it's the Southern Sect's Sixth Protector, and tomorrow it might be the Northern Sect's Sixth Protector," Zhang Yuanqing said, resting both hands on the parapet railing. "If you intervene, the deterrent effect will be drastically diminished. Besides, I also want to test whether I have what it takes to slay a Dominator with my current capabilities. If it succeeds, it will certainly be quite entertaining." Elder Dog chuckled. "It would certainly make international headlines." Pausing briefly, he added, "I don't have to strike, but I must stand guard for you to guard against unexpected mishaps." If you do that, how am I supposed to use the Form and Spirit Obliteration Saber? Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a few seconds before suddenly remarking, "Elder Dog, you take far too good care of me." "You are a key talent being nurtured by the Five Elements Alliance, the future sixth leader. Of course I will take care of you." Zhang Yuanqing nearly blurted out: Stop pretending; I know all about your relationship with my father. Yet he managed to hold his tongue. Just then, he saw Kou Beiyue put on a helmet and ride his little scooter out to deliver food. He immediately spoke up: "Elder Dog, want to come over to the villa for barbecue tonight?" "You young folks go ahead and enjoy yourselves." Elder Dog shook his head in refusal. Zhang Yuanqing nodded, taking the opportunity to say, "Then please head back first. Now that I think about it, I still have some business left to attend to. I need to make another trip to the hotel." "There is no danger nearby. I've already swept the area. However, it's best not to linger outside for too long." Elder Dog transformed into a streak of green light and vanished. Zhang Yuanqing gazed in the direction he had disappeared. He thought to himself that if things went smoothly, he wouldn't be back for quite a few hours. His mentor had taught him that playing hard to get was a tried-and-true trick for teasing women. You couldn't just cater to their every whim. Things gained too easily were never cherished, and a simp was never appreciated. Xiao Yuan was currently wracked with guilt and gratitude. If he foolishly simped over her right now and said, "It doesn't matter, I did it all willingly!" That would be utterly moronic. One had to deliberately adopt a distant attitude—offering no promises and taking no stand, neither forgiving nor reproaching, leaving her to agonize in her own mental friction. Once her torment was nearly complete, you would suddenly double back with a surprise return. She would feel exceptionally delighted and pleasantly surprised. At that moment, making a few unreasonable demands of her would almost certainly succeed. And so, Zhang Yuanqing planned to turn right around and make a few unreasonable demands of Xiao Yuan—such as becoming her dedicated simp. "Sigh, my mentor truly led me astray." Amid his sigh, Zhang Yuanqing snapped his fingers and dissolved into starlight, vanishing on the spot.