Help!

Found him? Found him! Yuanshi Tianzun had been found! From under the brim of his peaked cap, eyes erupted with extreme madness and hatred. Sect Master Chunyang nearly lost control on the spot. He took a deep breath, forcing his agitated emotions to calm down, and put on an appropriate expression of joy as he pressed, "What is his name?" "I remember his surname was Zhang..." The old man furrowed his brows in deep thought, trying hard to recall. "What was his full name again? Let me think... hmm, let me think. It's been several years now..." Sect Master Chunyang waited patiently. At this juncture, he was actually in no hurry. If the old man couldn't remember, he would simply possess him to examine his memories. Possession was different from Spirit Devouring. Spirit Devouring only revealed fragmented memories after death, whereas possession involved directly consuming a living soul, granting access to a person's complete lifetime memories. After about a dozen seconds, the old man finally remembered. He slapped his hands together sharply and said, "I remember! Zhang Yuanqing. His name is Zhang Yuanqing. It should be that name." Zhang Yuanqing... Sect Master Chunyang repeated the name silently through gritted teeth, malice churning in his eyes. His voice took on a dark, sinister tone: "Do you have his home address?" "No, I don't." Without a second thought, the old man shook his head. "I taught their class math, not the homeroom teacher, so I don't know his address. However, our school gave priority admission to students from Kangyang District, and there's a strict quota every year—no less than seventy percent of the students must come from this district. So his address should be in Kangyang District." Name: Zhang Yuanqing. Address: Kangyang District... Sect Master Chunyang calculated rapidly. Knowing both the name and the residential district made pinpointing Yuanshi Tianzun's address far too easy. Government organizations like the security bureau, hospitals, and schools probably wouldn't turn up any information. But Yuanshi Tianzun had lived in Kangyang District for over twenty years; the trajectory of his life was like the strokes of a pen, already drawn across the entire map. The Five Elements Alliance could "delete" information from the internet and erase the memories of those close to him, but they could not erase all his interpersonal relationships spanning more than twenty years. That exceeded the limits of human ability. Unless a high-grade rule-based item was used, it was utterly impossible to wipe all traces of a person from the world. Sect Master Chunyang quickly organized several lines of inquiry: First, inquire about his home address from Yuanshi Tianzun's former classmates. These people, scattered across Songhai and even the whole country, could not be erased by the Songhai Branch. Second, borrow a stargazing artifact from Dark Night Rose. Given the karmic ties and intersections between Yuanshi Tianzun and himself, stargazing would surely yield revelations. Third, directly sell Yuanshi Tianzun's real name and residential compound to Dark Night Rose and the evil faction. The brat would certainly die, and his entire family would die with him. As thoughts swirled, Sect Master Chunyang saw the retired teacher opposite him hesitate, murmuring timidly, "Officer, if I may ask... what crime did he commit?" "Theft!" Sect Master Chunyang said coldly. "I already said so earlier." "What did he steal? Is it serious? How much damage was caused? If he's caught, what kind of sentencing is he looking at?" the retired teacher pressed. Sect Master Chunyang frowned. "That is not for you to know." With that, he prepared to hypnotize the elderly couple and take his leave. If he stayed any longer, he feared he wouldn't be able to resist "eating" the two retirees; his self-control was gradually slipping. Naturally, Sect Master Chunyang wasn't being merciful. Killing people would invite an investigation from the Five Elements Alliance, startling the snake and making Yuanshi Tianzun realize someone was looking into him. "Sigh, that boy's family should have been fairly well-off. How could he turn to theft? Speaking of which, he was quite pitiful," Teacher Yao sighed. Sect Master Chunyang was not one for gossip, but when it involved the past and details of his nemesis, he was willing to rein in his emotions and listen. "Pitiful?" Teacher Yao thought for a moment and said, "Back when he was in high school..." *** Jinshan City. Downtown, inside a luxury apartment—a massive 310-square-meter flat. Zhang Yuanqing was directing Little Fatty and Kou Beiyue as they carried furniture and appliances of all sizes, furnishing this newly acquired home. Xiao Yuan and Zhao Xintong held utility knives, busily unboxing furniture and appliances: a high-end refrigerator, an automatic washing machine, a smart desk lamp, a single-seat armchair, tea sets... The landlord had already moved out all personal belongings yesterday. This flat now belonged to Xie Lingxi. Zhang Yuanqing had bought it under Xie Lingxi's name and gifted it to Xiao Yuan. After weighing the options, he had concluded that neither Zhang Yuanqing nor Yuanshi Tianzun was a suitable buyer, and Guan Ya's relationship with him was known to everyone, so that wouldn't do either. Only Xie Lingxi was both safe and discreet. The little green tea was the young miss of the Xie family; for Miss Xie to purchase real estate was utterly mundane and commonplace. No one would deliberately look into it. Zhang Yuanqing was very satisfied with this apartment. Located in the city center, it had four bedrooms, two living rooms, three bathrooms, and two well-lit balconies. The price was acceptable too: fourteen million. If it were in Songhai, a three-hundred-square-meter downtown flat wouldn't even be fathomable for under fifty million. Normally, installing security cameras, smart home appliances, central air conditioning, and other equipment would require hiring professionals. But Zhang Yuanqing had borrowed a pair of Scholar class gloves and spectacles from Li Chunfeng, giving one to Kou Beiyue and the other to Little Fatty. The crude Fire Puppeteer—no, the crude Bewitching Demon—had an instant flash of genius, handling drilling, wiring, and other installation work all on his own. Watching this filled Xiao Yuan with immense relief, feeling as though her son had grown up and could stand on his own feet. She even subtly asked Zhang Yuanqing if the two Scholar items were for sale. However, Zhang Yuanqing told her that the cost of the spectacles was squeezing one's intelligence. According to the principle of conservation of intellect, Kou Beiyue's intelligence hadn't actually increased; it was merely being squeezed out. After being drained, his intelligence would decline for several days. If worn for an extended period, the decline would become irreversible. As for the gloves, they possessed faint self-awareness and despised people with low IQs. If the owner wasn't smart enough, the gloves would curse him. Curse him to become intellectually disabled. This curse would deepen with repeated use until it caused permanent mental impairment. Hearing this, Xiao Yuan sorrowfully chose to give up. Her foolish son wasn't that bright to begin with; she couldn't let him be ruined by two items. While Kou Beiyue and Little Fatty were busy in the living room and Zhao Xintong was helping out on the side, Xiao Yuan exchanged a glance with Zhang Yuanqing and walked toward the master bedroom. Zhang Yuanqing quietly followed her in and shut the door behind him. The master bedroom was spacious, complete with an en-suite bathroom and a well-lit balcony. At night, sitting on the balcony offered a view of the city's nightscape, accompanied by gentle evening breezes and a glass of wine. Then, one could smoothly spark a fire on the single-seat sofa on the balcony, or retreat into the bedroom to enjoy an intimate night. Xiao Yuan walked out to the balcony, leaned back against the railing, crossed her arms over her chest, and said flatly, "So you plan to keep me here? Hiding your mistress in a golden mansion?" The moment Zhang Yuanqing heard this, he knew she had misunderstood, thinking he bought this apartment just to keep her as a mistress. In truth, he simply had money he wanted to spend. After his mother-in-law arrived in Songhai, it took her only three days to handle the people at headquarters. She flew straight to the Capital City, barged in on the head of the Weapons Supply Department, and declared, "If headquarters doesn't want to collaborate with us, it's not too late for us to choose Heaven's Punishment." At first, the department head wasn't flustered in the slightest, saying, "Your company signed an agreement with headquarters. You cannot sell mechanism techniques to any organization outside the Five Elements Alliance." His mother-in-law smiled coldly, slapped a contract onto the table, and said, "It never said we couldn't develop them jointly." The head looked closely: the contract was a "Letter of Authorization for Joint Research on Mechanism Techniques." Just as the head tried to put up further resistance, his mother-in-law offered a captivating smile, pressed both hands on the desk, leaned in close to him, and whispered, "Settle the final payment within three days, and I'll give you a 0.5 percent kickback, wired to your overseas account." Headquarters wired the money the very next day. The first order was worth one billion. After deducting costs, the company netted five hundred million in profit, and that didn't even account for future "maintenance fees." Zhang Yuanqing held a 5% stake, earning twenty-five million. Added to the 5% faction operating fund that Fu Qingyang had sliced off from Xiahou Zhujue, Zhang Yuanqing received a total profit of fifty million in one go. The faction operating fund was naturally at the disposal of the faction leader, effectively turning it into Zhang Yuanqing's personal slush fund. Facing Xiao Yuan's misunderstanding, Zhang Yuanqing went along with it: "Unfortunately, there are three glaring third wheels around." He stepped onto the balcony and forcefully wrapped his arms around Xiao Yuan's waist, pulling her into his embrace. Xiao Yuan frowned and gave a token push, but seeing it had no effect, she yielded halfway and let him hold her. This was equivalent to sending Zhang Yuanqing a signal: I'm willing to live here, as your mistress. I don't care about status, because it's something I shouldn't have anyway. I'm just an evil class, destined never to stand in the spotlight. Zhang Yuanqing couldn't bring her into the spotlight either, and wouldn't be able to for a very long time. Thus, this relationship was destined to remain hidden in the shadows. Whether in terms of faction alignments or a third-party romance. Neither spoke, but both understood tacitly. Zhang Yuanqing lowered his head. Under the sunlight and warm breeze, her radiant face bore light makeup—not the youthful purity of an adolescent girl, but the charm and understated elegance of a mature woman. Zhang Yuanqing leaned down and took a gentle nip at her fair cheek. Xiao Yuan cast him a reproachful glance. Zhang Yuanqing took a gentle nip at her straight, delicate nose. Xiao Yuan cast him another reproachful glance. Zhang Yuanqing captured her moist, sensuous red lips. Only then did Xiao Yuan close her eyes in satisfaction and nestle into his embrace. The two embraced and kissed in the cool late-autumn breeze, kissing until both their hearts raced and their breaths quickened. Zhang Yuanqing scooped up the older woman horizontally and carried her toward the large bed. Another five minutes passed before the bedroom door was rapped sharply with a series of knocks. Kou Beiyue's voice called from outside: "Xiao Yuan, Xiao Yuan! The appliances are mostly installed! Come out and look!" "Not looking! Get lost!" "Yuanshi Tianzun, I wasn't asking you to look! I'm asking Xiao Yuan to look!" "Xiao Yuan isn't looking either! Get lost!" Kou Beiyue fell silent, but the knocking grew even more frantic. Ah, damn it... Zhang Yuanqing had no choice but to straighten up, his romantic mood interrupted. By now, the hem of Xiao Yuan's T-shirt had been shoved up to her neck, and her taut, low-body-fat abdomen along with the gentle curve of her waist offered a striking visual impact. Her lounge pants were pulled down at one hip, revealing black lace. Her cheeks were flushed as though intoxicated, her eyes alluringly hazy, and her lips glistened, moist and bright from being thoroughly tasted. Xiao Yuan pushed him away, straightened her clothes, wiped the moisture from her lips, took a deep breath, and pulled open the door. At the threshold, Kou Beiyue stood aggressively with Little Fatty and Zhao Xintong, looking as though they had come to catch an affair red-handed. "What were you two doing in the room?!" Kou Beiyue scrutinized Xiao Yuan. Though the blush still lingered on her cheeks, Xiao Yuan didn't lose an inch of her commanding aura. She said coldly, "Finished your work?" As if struck by the pressure of bloodline suppression, Kou Beiyue's arrogant momentum withered. "Not yet." "Then why aren't you working instead of staring?" Xiao Yuan looked at him expressionlessly. Behind him, Zhao Xintong, being firmly on Xiao Yuan's side, instantly betrayed Kou Beiyue: "He said the time you two spent inside was about to exceed the safety limit, and things would go wrong if it went on any longer. He said he couldn't stand by and watch Yuanshi Tianzun bully Xiao Yuan." Having suffered an unexpected backstab, Kou Beiyue blushed furiously in embarrassment and anger: "I didn't! You're making things up! Don't frame me!" Just as Xiao Yuan was about to speak, her body suddenly trembled, and her pupils lost focus. "Xiao Yuan?" Kou Beiyue keenly noticed her abnormality. "She's caught in an illusion." Little Fatty's expression turned gravely serious. His words sent a chill through everyone's hearts. Had the Southern Sect tracked them down? Right then, Xiao Yuan's pupils regained focus, her face filled with shock and joy: "Master Wuhen has returned." *** Inside a dimly lit study with tightly drawn curtains that let no sunlight through. Sitting behind the desk, the Grand Protector of Dark Night Rose heard his phone chime with a ding-dong, indicating an incoming text message. He picked up the phone to check the message. "Come to Songhai immediately. I have discovered an earth-shattering secret." The message came from an unfamiliar number, but the Grand Protector knew at a glance that it was Sect Master Chunyang because the text was in traditional Chinese characters. Only he would use traditional characters. An earth-shattering secret? Looking at the message, the Grand Protector fell into deep thought. After the failed operation to hunt down Yuanshi Tianzun, Sect Master Chunyang had parted ways with the Third Protector to act alone. This increasingly mad ancient expert seemed to have finally descended into total lunacy during yet another rebirth through body possession. Dark Night Rose had simply stopped bothering with him. Receiving a message now, the Grand Protector's first thought was: could this be a ploy by the Five Elements Alliance to draw the snake out of its hole? Sect Master Chunyang might well have already been finished off by Yuanshi Tianzun. The person sending the message on the other side of the phone might very well be that brat. Having just killed the First Elder of the Southern Sect, he was probably looking to retaliate against Dark Night Rose now. As he pondered, a second message came through: "Help!" Immediately following that was a third message: "Come to Songhai immediately. I have discovered an earth-shattering secret." Then came a fourth message: "Help!" The chime rang out without pause as the two messages repeated alternately. This... Looking at the relentlessly incoming messages, a chill actually crept into the Grand Protector's heart.