Surging Undercurrents

Wuhen Hotel. A white car pulled up in front of the hotel entrance. Kou Beiyue hurried out, fished out his keys, and unlocked the rolling shutter door. Xiao Yuan, Zhang Yuanqing, and the others got out one after another, entered the hotel, and took the elevator up to Room 404. *Knock, knock!* Xiao Yuan knocked on the door and said in a low voice, "Master Wuhen, we're back." With that, she took hold of the doorknob and turned it with a click. The scene before their eyes shifted. The carpeted corridor was replaced by cold black flagstones, the ceiling transformed into a caisson painted with gods and Buddhas, and the walls gave way to pillars and latticed doors. Everyone, Zhang Yuanqing included, instinctively looked toward the giant Buddha statue that reached all the way to the caisson ceiling. With lowered brows and downcast eyes, the Buddha appeared compassionate, yet concealed a vicious menace. *Still the same as ever. Good, thank goodness...* Zhang Yuanqing breathed a silent sigh of relief. Glancing at the others, he saw that they all wore looks of relief as well. Clearly, every instance run for Master Wuhen—who was forbidden from taking life—was a trial between life and death. In the entire team, the one most prone to losing their sanity was neither eccentric Aunt Fang, nor rebellious Tongtong, nor pugnacious Lin Chong, but Master Wuhen himself. He possessed the highest status and had accumulated the most madness; for twenty years, he had been walking a tightrope day and night. Once he lost control and went mad, he would be far more terrifying than the demigods of the evil faction, because those demigods never suppressed their evil urges and vented their malice regularly, making them comparatively more stable. "Master," Xiao Yuan bowed in greeting and said, "after you entered the instance, Dark Night Rose and the Southern Sect joined forces to hunt Yuanshi Tianzun. The Southern Sect's First Elder obtained information about the hotel's members from Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay..." She recounted the entire assassination attempt from beginning to end, along with Yuanshi Tianzun's retaliation and the reason everyone had evacuated the Wuhen Hotel. "You can already slay Dominators in battle?" Master Wuhen's voice, though thick with suppressed agony, carried a hint of gratification. "Good. Your growth brings me great joy. Very good." Zhang Yuanqing was taken aback. The delight in Master Wuhen's tone caught him off guard. After all, when the master had learned that Yuanshi Tianzun was the son of an old acquaintance, he had shown more wistfulness than joy. Could finding a long-lost nephew really bring less joy than seeing that nephew score a hundred percent on a test? That clearly made no sense. "Master, does my growth really please you that much?" Zhang Yuanqing asked, having no hesitation about speaking up when puzzled. Master Wuhen did not answer. Instead, he said, "In the instance, I obtained the key item needed to advance to demigod." The words detonated like a clap of thunder in everyone's ears, shocking Zhang Yuanqing so thoroughly that he forgot to press his previous question. *H-He's about to advance to demigod? Am I witnessing the birth of a demigod? Wait, is advancing to demigod that easy? Didn't he say he'd been suppressing his experience points and lowering his dungeon ratings?* *Isn't he supposed to be among the weaker peak Dominators? How can he suddenly be advancing to demigod?* Zhang Yuanqing was completely stunned, without the slightest mental preparation. It felt as though he had walked through the front door one day, only for his uncle to beam at him and say, *Yuanzi, you're actually my biological son; your mother and I have just been playing a baby-swapping game all these years.* Or as if his grandmother had suddenly announced, *Yuanzi, your aunt isn't actually your aunt—she was born to your mother too, so she's your older sister.* The sheer shock was just about on that level. In contrast to Yuanshi Tianzun's shock and surprise, Xiao Yuan, Kou Beiyue, and Zhao Xintong's faces drained of color. "Master..." Xiao Yuan said, her face pale. "Are—are you truly all right? You once said that one step further was the abyss." The higher the level of an evil class, the stronger their evil thoughts became. Master Wuhen had already been walking a tightrope before; advancing to demigod now would be like walking on the edge of a blade. How could he possibly suppress his own madness then? That was simply courting death! What was Master thinking? The three felt not the slightest bit of joy, only panic and bewilderment. Little Fatty felt the exact same way. Having run with the Southern Sect, he knew the ironclad rule that higher levels brought fiercer evil urges. The moment he heard Master Wuhen was going to advance to demigod, he nearly pissed his pants. He had never seen a single demigod-level evil class who possessed a shred of kindness. Master Wuhen said slowly, "As long as one reaches level 9, one is qualified to attempt the breakthrough to the demigod stage. The amount of experience points reflects the probability of success, not the qualification itself. Of course, evil classes do not actually have a 'demigod' stage; once you obtain a specific item, you gain power on par with a demigod." This was an answer to Yuanshi Tianzun's confusion. As a top-tier Illusionist, every shift in everyone's emotions lay within his perception. Master Wuhen continued, "I have my own plans. There is no need for worry. Going forward, I will enter a lengthy seclusion to refine that item and charge for the demigod realm. "We must guard against retaliation from the Southern Sect. Xiao Yuan, suspend the hotel's operations. Have everyone go into hiding and await word from me." Xiao Yuan hesitated for a moment before answering helplessly, "Understood, Master!" The other three bowed one after another, choosing to obey Master Wuhen's arrangements. Immediately afterward, the four vanished from the Buddha hall, dismissed by Master Wuhen. Zhang Yuanqing remained in the Buddha hall. Looking around, he finally fixed his gaze on Master Wuhen's back. "Do you have something you wish to tell me in private?" Master Wuhen sat cross-legged beneath the Buddha statue and said quietly, "Xiao Yuan loves you deeply. Ever since she returned from the Chaos of the Five Elements instance, her fondness for you transformed into romantic love, and by now, those feelings have taken deep root. During this recent period, your relationship must have grown closer." "I feel indebted to her," Zhang Yuanqing said. He was referring to Xiao Yuan's willingness to stay by his side as a mistress—even though, so far, they hadn't experienced so much as rubbing against each other. "Master, you surely didn't keep me behind alone just for this, did you?" Zhang Yuanqing probed. Master Wuhen said, "The length of my seclusion is uncertain—at shortest several months, at longest several years. In the meantime, the team must have a leader. Xiao Yuan is my disciple and manages the group on my behalf. You are the man in her heart and also the son of Celestial Master Zhang, which is why I want to entrust the leadership of the team to you. "I will tell you the background of every member in the group. As for whether you accept, you may decide for yourself." Zhang Yuanqing fell silent for a moment before saying, "I already know the backgrounds of Kou Beiyue, Zhao Xintong, Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay, and Wanderer of the Mortal Realm. As for Xiao Yuan's past, I'd prefer she tell me herself." Facing away from him, Master Wuhen nodded slightly and began recounting in a calm, slow voice: "Uncle Yang, Spirit Realm ID: A Paragon of Virtue. His real name is Yang Xuehai. He was a middle school teacher. In his youth, several female students falsely accused him of sexual assault, and he was sentenced to ten years in prison. He had no way to clear his name. Overnight, he went from a revered teacher to a reviled beast despised by all, the reputation of half a lifetime destroyed in an instant. "While behind bars, he never gave up hope. After regaining his freedom, he continuously gathered evidence in hopes of exonerating himself, only to come back empty-handed again and again, returning disappointed each time. For him, the word 'innocence' became an unreachable luxury. "Years of accumulated grievances and rage, the discrimination and abuse he endured in prison, the dual weight of physical and psychological pressure—all of it finally erupted completely amid endless despair. He broke. "He took justice into his own hands and shed blood, becoming an evil class. Yet he felt not an ounce of joy. Ending his grievances that way had never been what he wanted. He didn't want to fall into darkness, because he firmly believed justice truly existed in the world. Still, over a decade of torment had left him with indelible scars. He has been striving to right himself, to redeem himself." *How could overturning a wrongful conviction ever be easy? Too many people would have to take the fall. Between one's own future and an unrelated stranger's innocence, even a fool would know which to choose. Sigh...* Zhang Yuanqing sighed inwardly. He recalled the day they listened to the Buddhist scriptures, when Uncle Yang noticed Zhao Xintong's hostility worsening and asked in confusion how a school full of students and teachers could intensify her hostility. Even after all that, he still held beautiful expectations for students and teachers. Master Wuhen's narration continued: "Spirit Realm ID: Fangfang. Real name: Niu Tianfang. The team members call her Aunt Fang. For years, she endured domestic abuse from her husband, being hospitalized multiple times with severe injuries. Countless times she wanted a divorce, but her alcoholic husband threatened that if she dared divorce him, he would murder their child and kill her parents. Specialists and mediators visited repeatedly, lecturing her on the costs of divorce, counseling her, and applying mental pressure. Those people spouted platitudes about how it was better to tear down ten temples than break up a single marriage, reaping a sense of accomplishment and self-affirmation from 'successful mediations'—inadvertently playing into the abusive husband's hands and driving Niu Tianfang step by step into a corner. "Finally, after yet another beating from her alcoholic husband, she could bear the agonizing situation no longer. While her husband was asleep, she stabbed him to death, then took her own life. However, the Spirit Realm revived her, and she became an evil class. To this day, she still cannot forget the horrors of those years, and her heart remains weighed down by deep malice. "General Instructor Lin Chong, real name Lin Zichong, came from the countryside. His father died in a clash when someone hired street thugs who beat him to death. Lin Zichong tried to petition higher authorities to make a scene, but was intercepted and had his legs broken. To keep him from causing endless trouble, the gang of criminals moved into his home, humiliating and intimidating him while forcing his elderly mother to cook for them. Unable to bear the humiliation, his elderly mother drank pesticide and committed suicide. "Sweet Red Demon, real name Xiao Zhishan. During her school days, she was violated by several male classmates. Those boys were repeat offenders from influential families with strong connections. Through a series of shady deals, they framed the incident as 'voluntarily engaging in relations with multiple men out of greed for money,' and manipulated the system to suppress the entire matter. "Those boys didn't let her go after that. They took many indecent photos of Xiao Zhishan and used them for blackmail, threatening her parents' lives to terrorize and bully her for an entire year. In the end, driven past endurance, she poisoned them to death. From then on, she became a fugitive and never saw her parents again. Even after becoming an evil class, she never returned home; she could not forget the past, feeling too ashamed to face them. "Farewell My Concubine—his experience is similar to that of Good Minister Chooses His Master to Slay. He endured prolonged bullying from classmates. His timid parents gave him no help, and the school teachers preferred turning a blind eye to avoid trouble. Gradually, he grew to detest men, and amid despair and agony, began fantasizing that he was a woman..." Master Wuhen recounted the pasts of the team members in a calm, flat tone devoid of inflection, yet laden with their blood and tears. Oppressed by power, with nowhere to turn for justice, subjected to every indignity, driven mad by hatred. Tragic lives were all alike in their sorrow. Zhang Yuanqing had still furrowed his brows while listening to Uncle Yang's plight, but by the end, his expression had gone numb. "Master..." Zhang Yuanqing smiled bitterly. "You didn't need to tell me all this. I already accepted them long ago." Master Wuhen shook his head. "Their lives are extraordinarily tragic, yet compared to the living masses, they are merely part of the unfortunate. Those just as unfortunate are everywhere, and those far more unfortunate are beyond count. They were able to become evil classes precisely because they made their abusers pay with their lives. Every single one of them is a criminal, and every single one has blood on their hands. What you must consider, therefore, is whether these sinners deserve the chance and the right to turn over a new leaf. "Yuanshi, I know you agree with the team's philosophy and accept them. But accepting them allows you to do nothing, whereas acting as their leader requires you to take responsibility for them. There is no need to tell me your decision. Once you have made up your mind, act on it. If you are unwilling, treat today's conversation as though it never happened." Before Zhang Yuanqing could reply, Master Wuhen gave a gentle wave of his hand. The next second, Zhang Yuanqing was back in the hotel, looking at Xiao Yuan and the others waiting by the door. *I haven't even asked why evil classes don't have a demigod stage yet...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered inwardly. "What did Master tell you?" Kou Beiyue was the first to ask. Zhang Yuanqing glanced at him and scoffed, "Master told me to treat Xiao Yuan well from now on and strive to have a kid next year so our hotel can branch out and thrive." Kou Beiyue grew furious. "Master has gone muddleheaded!" "You actually believe him?" Xiao Yuan shot Kou Beiyue a cold glare. She then turned to inspect Zhang Yuanqing, furrowing her brows. "Did Master tell you why he insists on advancing to demigod?" "No. He just asked me to look after the team and take you all away from the hotel. Advancing to demigod will take time, so all team members need to lie low for the time being. If anyone runs into trouble, they should come to the two of us." Zhang Yuanqing added, "Xiao Yuan, post an announcement in the group chat later." Xiao Yuan let out a helpless "Mm." At four in the afternoon, Zhang Yuanqing altered his appearance and took a taxi back to Fujia Bay Villa. On the way, the more he thought about it, the more off it felt. Even without that talk, he would have helped if the team ran into trouble. As a top-tier Illusionist who observed everyone's emotional state, how could Master Wuhen fail to realize that? That heart-to-heart conversation felt somewhat redundant... almost like entrusting an orphan on one's deathbed. *Is he worried he'll fail his attempt at reaching demigod? Right, Master belongs to the self-redemption camp. Attempting a demigod breakthrough certainly carries risks, so entrusting the team to me in advance makes sense.* *I just don't know whether failure means returning to the Spirit Realm or descending completely into madness. If it's the latter, things will get ugly. Boss isn't around, so I should inform Elder Dog just to be safe...* Arriving at Fujia Bay Villa, Zhang Yuanqing walked into the living room and immediately saw Little Green Tea sitting anxiously by the table with knit brows. "Bullying from your green tea mom again?" Zhang Yuanqing walked over and patted Little Green Tea's head. Xie Lingxi's brow remained tightly furrowed. "Brother, my dad entered an instance quite a while ago, and he still hasn't returned." Songhai, a hotel room. Sect Master Chunyang, currently soaking in a bathtub, received a call from the Grand Protector. "Contact has been made with the Leader. He is very interested in the identity of that retired teacher. The Leader's price: he will assist you in returning to your peak." The Grand Protector's hoarse voice came through the speaker. The corners of Sect Master Chunyang's mouth curled up. "I find your offer very agreeable. Deal! But there must be a deadline." "Soon!" The Grand Protector chuckled. "The Leader said you may pay us after you have returned to your peak." …… PS: The instance number for the Palace of the Arbiter of Fate was written incorrectly; it should have been two digits, not three. That was a clerical error. Thank you to the readers who pointed it out; it has been corrected. In addition, to clarify: the First District and the Second District are separate. For example, if the First District has 9,999 Extraordinary instances, the Second District also has 9,999 instances—the two districts do not share 9,999 between them.