The gathering was held at a large riverside villa in Manhattan. The dark river reflected the metropolis's brilliant neon lights. In the night breeze, the river's surface sparkled as illuminated cruise ships and cargo vessels glided slowly past.
Four vans allocated by Heaven's Punishment pulled smoothly to a halt in the parking area outside the villa. The door of the lead vehicle slid open, and Zhang Yuanqing, dressed in a black formal suit, stepped out first. He turned and, with absolute gentility, offered a hand to help Guan Ya down behind him.
Sun Miaomiao and the others stepped out of their vehicles in turn and gathered toward the two.
The men were all dressed in uniform black suits, but the women's evening dresses were far more varied and dazzling.
Guan Ya wore an off-the-shoulder gown of sky blue. Its pleated hem trailed along the ground, with a slit up the front that offered glimpses of her long, fair legs as she walked. Simple, poised, and elegant, it suited her twenty-seven years perfectly.
Asano Ryo wore a white gown styled like a princess dress, with lace accents adorning her shoulders, radiating the gentle, demure charm of an obedient little princess.
Sun Miaomiao wore a black short-sleeved chiffon dress with a knee-length tulle skirt, paired with low-heeled sandals. It blended maturity with elegance, and elegance with an earthy, bohemian cuteness.
Led by the greeters, the group crossed a courtyard graced with a fountain and entered a brightly lit hall.
The villa appeared to be designed specifically for hosting galas. The hall had no interior dividing walls, just nine pillars supporting the ceiling, while exquisite crystal chandeliers cast a brilliant radiance over the room.
Dining tables draped in white cloths were laid out with delicacies, fruits, and drinks. Waiters in wine-red, V-neck uniforms shuttled back and forth carrying trays, serving glasses of champagne and platters of food.
By the windows were sofas and round tables where guests could rest, and on the left side were four open-air balconies for taking in the view, smoking, or enjoying the evening breeze.
Assistant Emma, dressed in a professional business suit, was inspecting the event arrangements piece by piece. She sampled desserts, scoops of ice cream, and dishes; anything that fell short of her standards was promptly sent back with the servers for the chefs to recook or remake.
Spotting Zhang Yuanqing and his group from afar, she came forward with a smile to greet them.
"The party officially begins in three minutes, though guests usually arrive a few minutes late. Please, have a seat."
Looking at Zhang Yuanqing, she added with loaded meaning, "You seem in great shape today. Minister Winni values you very highly. Don't let her down."
*Is she prodding me to fight Julian? Makes sense. If I win, Executive Officer Sean loses all face. If I lose, Winni loses nothing—after all, I belong to the Five Elements Alliance...* Zhang Yuanqing returned a smile.
"A Wood Monster's condition is never poor."
While they spoke, Brother Red Chicken had already picked up a glass and was alternating gulps of champagne with bites of salt-baked lobster.
The corner of Tianxia Guihuo's mouth twitched. "The party hasn't even started. Mind your manners and stop embarrassing us."
Assistant Emma gave a soft smile. "He's a Fire Master. Don't hold him to such high standards."
Tianxia Guihuo's mouth twitched again, feeling thoroughly discriminated against.
As the minutes ticked by, the first batch of guests soon arrived. Leading them was a middle-aged man around forty in a light blue suit. His dark blond hair was slicked back, his sideburns and beard neatly trimmed, and faint crow's feet crinkled around his eyes. He radiated meticulous sophistication from head to toe.
Emma walked over to Guan Ya and the others with glass in hand, gazing ahead as she said with a smile, "That's Reilly Eugene, a Senior Deacon of the Merchant Guild. The Profit faction!"
"Profit faction?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
"The Merchant Guild is divided into the Integrity faction and the Profit faction," Emma explained with a smile. "The Integrity faction adheres strictly to the spirit of contract and prizes honesty above all. The Profit faction's philosophy is that 'only profit is eternal.' They care nothing for honesty and pursue profit alone; they'll even do business with evil classes. Reilly Eugene is one of the pillars of the Profit faction."
*So the Profit faction is guaranteed to breed traitors...* Zhang Yuanqing mused inwardly.
Assistant Emma led them forward to make introductions. Shrewd worldly calculation flashed in the Profit pillar's pale blue eyes as he beamed warmly.
"I am a merchant—a merchant driven purely by profit. So long as the price is right, anyone is my God. If you have any needs, feel free to come to me."
Reilly Eugene smiled genially. "For example, intel on Julian Meade. This information, I can give you for free."
Zhang Yuanqing had intended to offer a perfunctory refusal, but hearing a chance to get something for nothing, he said, "Then we'll be all ears."
"'All ears'? Haha, you have quite a way with words. What was your name again? Ah, Jumang, right?" Reilly Eugene leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:
"Julian Meade has a deeply polarizing reputation at Heaven's Punishment headquarters. He was once investigated by the Internal Affairs Department on charges of colluding with evil classes and accepting bribes from them. In the eyes of certain upstanding figures, he is derelict in his duties. His flaws are that he holds grudges, is petty, retaliates over the slightest slight, and is a shameless womanizer.
"Yet he has strengths as well. He has immense execution ability and remarkable talent, and when it comes to managing subordinates and navigating interpersonal relations, he is exceptionally capable. To his subordinates and friends, he is a fiercely loyal leader, willing to stick his neck out for them. Much like..."
He glanced across the Five Elements Alliance group with a smile that screamed, *You know what I mean.*
Guan Ya smiled. "Thank you for the heads-up. We'll certainly look forward to working together if the opportunity arises."
After exchanging pleasantries, Reilly Eugene led his subordinates toward the dining tables to sample the food and drinks.
Not long after, another group of guests arrived. Walking in front was a dark-chocolate lady in a dark gown.
She possessed sexy dark skin and full, alluring lips, paired with narrow cheeks and prominent cheekbones. Her black hair, remarkably smooth and lustrous, was pinned up in a high coif.
"Ms. Dubagan Bauer, Senior Deacon of the Merchant Guild, from the Integrity faction," Emma introduced.
The Black woman in the dark dress gazed at Reilly Eugene in the distance, shrugged, and teased, "I bet Reilly Eugene just told you: 'Anyone who does business with me is my God.'
"Oh, good grief. Those people have no professional ethics whatsoever. Reputation and the spirit of the contract are the most sacred things for a merchant."
Guan Ya nodded with a smile. "Ms. Bauer, I feel the exact same way. Besides, your Chinese is excellent."
"Thank you for the compliment. Fluency in multiple languages is an essential skill for any merchant." Ms. Bauer smiled warmly, leaning closer to Guan Ya to whisper, "Julian Meade is not easy to handle, but he is a renowned playboy. For a beautiful lady like you, a single drink would be enough to quench his anger. Don't you Chinese have a saying... ah, yes, 'turn weapons of war into gifts of jade and silk'?"
Guan Ya's smile remained unchanged. "Encouraging a woman to leverage her looks is hardly a virtuous quality."
Bauer's smile vanished, and she shrugged. "Pursuing profit and mitigating risk are the virtues true merchants ought to possess."
Her expression turned frosty in an instant. Paying no further heed to the Five Elements Alliance members, she led her subordinates straight ahead.
Zhang Yuanqing's ears twitched. He caught Dubagan Bauer muttering, "These Chinese are so arrogant and conceited, unable to take well-meaning advice. In their own words, they simply don't know what's good for them!"
She had uttered "don't know what's good for them" in Chinese.
Her subordinate chuckled. "Indeed. I hope Julian Meade teaches them a proper lesson, or this party will be terribly dull."
The members of Return of the Dead all frowned. Except for Brother Red Chicken, who couldn't understand foreign languages, everyone felt a wave of displeasure.
At that moment, another group entered from outside the villa. Their attire was rather unusual—not the formal wear expected of a gala, but casual clothes.
Leading them was a hulking man standing 1.9 meters tall, sporting a protruding beer belly, a full beard, and a mop of unkempt curls. Disheveled and smelling faintly of the sea, he held a bottle of beer in his hand.
Had Zhang Yuanqing not encountered him in a setting like this, his immediate impression would have been of a harbor tramp foraging for food.
His subordinates were similarly scruffy, yet their gazes were remarkably haughty, resembling a pack of shiftless, lawless thugs.
"Kraken, Senior Deacon of the Sea God Church," Emma introduced as usual.
"I heard you beat up Brady Meade? I like you folks. That brat's always acted so cocky. Last year he slept with one of my girls at my harbor nightclub and skipped out on the bill, so I can't stand him. But don't expect me to help you out. I don't feel like getting into a brawl with Julian—that punk's trouble. I'm just here to watch the show. Even if you shower compliments on my Spirit Realm ID, I won't even think about helping."
This Kraken guzzled his beer, exuding the distinct arrogance of a Siren alongside a pronounced, garrulous chattiness.
Emma chuckled and said, "Kraken is the mythical Nordic sea monster. He's always been thoroughly pleased with himself for registering that ID."
Rude, arrogant, and irritating, but without any overt hostility—that was the shared impression among the Return of the Dead members.
*Why hasn't Julian shown up yet? Wasn't he supposed to come looking for trouble?* Zhang Yuanqing watched wave after wave of guests arrive, including members of Heaven's Punishment's Enforcement Department as well as local grassroots organizations.
The members of Heaven's Punishment's Enforcement Department ignored Zhang Yuanqing and his group entirely, not sparing them so much as a glance. Their stance was unmistakable, practically spelling out *You're in for it* across their faces.
Among the grassroots organizations, there were groups composed of Black spirit walkers as well as Chinatown's Chinese organizations: the Hong Gang, Baolin Hall, and the Black Dragon Hall.
The several Chinese organizations likewise ignored the Five Elements Alliance contingent, making it plain they wanted nothing to do with them.
As the first among them to have entered Heaven's Punishment, Asano Ryo explained in a whisper:
"The grassroots organizations are all close to the Enforcement Department because Enforcement is their direct overseer. The Internal Affairs Department mostly handles internal disciplinary investigations."
She meant that since they had offended the Enforcement Department, no grassroots organization would dare show them any goodwill.
As they spoke, Zhang Yuanqing spotted a familiar face entering the room—a handsome, refined young man.
It was none other than Wings of the Wind God from the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance.
Behind Wings of the Wind God trailed six subordinates, one of whom was the Group Six leader whose Spirit Realm ID was Ceaseless Self-Improvement.
*They came too? Makes sense. The Anti-Black-and-White Alliance is a major Chinese organization, and Wings of the Wind God is one of the key successors groomed by their faction, so sending him is only natural...* Zhang Yuanqing watched Wings of the Wind God scan the hall before heading straight toward them.
"Wings of the Wind God, Senior Deacon of the Chinatown Anti-Black-and-White Alliance." He nodded to Guan Ya and the others, speaking in Chinese marked with a Soup-Brewing Province accent:
"I heard Julian Meade wants to make trouble for you. My advice is to ignore him. If you really can't avoid it and none of you are Level 6, I can fight in your place. However, Julian has far more experience points than I do, so I have no guarantee of victory either."
This sudden display of goodwill caught Guan Ya and the others by surprise.
Wings of the Wind God smiled. "We're all compatriots. No need to be polite. It doesn't matter if I lose; I only represent the Anti-Black-and-White Alliance. But you represent the Five Elements Alliance—the official authority of the Second District."
"Thank you!" Guan Ya nodded with a smile, accepting his kind offer.
Hearing the man's familiar accent and seeing how considerate he was, Brother Red Chicken instantly slung an arm around his shoulder in camaraderie, dragging Wings of the Wind God aside for drinks.
As time passed, more and more guests arrived. Ladies in glamorous evening dresses and gentlemen in black suits held their glasses, chatting with poised elegance.
The Five Elements Alliance delegation stood holding their glasses, clustered somewhat awkwardly together.
Aside from the Association of the God of Beauty, who had yet to arrive, the Enforcement Department was hostile, the Merchant Guild's Integrity faction was hostile, and the various grassroots groups gave them cold shoulders as well.
Guan Ya and the others had no desire to fawn over people who gave them the cold shoulder, so they could only stick together and talk amongst themselves.
Many of the First District walkers present had come purely for the spectacle. Watching drama unfold was human nature—who didn't love seeing Senior Deacons clash?
Especially when the other side consisted of members from the Second District's official organization.
Back when the Demon Hunter led a team to the Five Elements Alliance, the three Saints under him had been thrashed by Yuanshi Tianzun, losing all face. Now the tables had turned; it was high time to show these Five Elements Alliance people what the Free Confederation was made of.
Just then, the members of the Association of the God of Beauty, eagerly anticipated by every man in the room, finally arrived fashionably late.
The woman leading them wore a pure black gown and shimmering jewels, resembling an enchantress of the night or a sprite beneath the moon.
Her facial features were breathtakingly exquisite, like a masterpiece sculpted by God Himself. Her figure was sultry and voluptuous, the pure black fabric clinging to her lush, tempting curves—peachy hips, a slender S-curved waist, and a full, perky bust, while the slit skirt revealed a pair of porcelain-white legs.
Her body possessed the most flawless golden ratio.
Glamorous, mature, and impossible to place an age on.
The moment she stepped in, even the chandeliers in the hall seemed to dim. Men and women alike wore dazed, greedy expressions, as though gazing upon the most precious work of art in existence.
The sound of gulping echoed softly through the room.
Zhang Yuanqing forcibly focused his mind, suppressing the waves of adoration, desire, and pity until clarity returned to his consciousness.
Details about this woman surfaced in his memory: Donna Caroline, President of the Association of the God of Beauty's New York County branch, a Level 8 Dominator hailed as the foremost beauty of New York County, possessing a charm no ordinary mortal could resist.
Her roster of lovers matched her allure. Prominent politicians, top tycoons, powerful executives in orthodox organizations, and even major figures in the evil camp were said to have shared her bed.
At the same time, President Donna was very keen on mentoring rising stars, occasionally inviting talented young men from various organizations home for the night.
In this conflict between the orthodox and evil camps, the Association of the God of Beauty stood with the orthodox side, yet they suffered none of the backlash or attacks from the evil camp.
No one could resist the charm of Desire, and no one would bring themselves to harm them.
Behind Donna Caroline followed eight enchantingly posed Desire practitioners with angelic faces and devilish figures. Among them, Zhang Yuanqing spotted Annie.
Annie was an exceptionally striking beauty herself, with pinned-up golden hair and limpid azure eyes brimming with tender allure. Even among a crowd of Desire practitioners, she stood out like a crane among chickens.
Yet following behind President Donna now, she was reduced to a mere foil.
As Zhang Yuanqing watched, a surge of intense affection and lust rose within him once more. He felt an overwhelming urge to confess his love to that fairy-like beauty right then and there, and spend the night with her—and if she refused, he'd risk everything to take her by force.
*Calm down, calm down...* He hastily reined in his emotions and expelled the stray thoughts, marveling internally:
*The Desire class is practically a foul in itself. Even knowing this public bus is hopelessly packed, you still want to squeeze in with all your might. Even knowing this road is bumper to bumper with traffic, you still drive toward it tirelessly, losing yourself in the scenery along the way.*
At that point, Annie stepped forward and whispered a few words into President Donna's ear.
Donna smiled gently. Reaching into thin air with her black lace-gloved right hand, she pulled out a gossamer-thin cloak and draped it over her shoulders.
Instantly, as if her form had been shielded by a dark veil, her unrestrained magnetism was drawn back. She became an extraordinary beauty of supreme face and figure, but one who no longer robbed onlookers of their wits.
The men and women intoxicated by her beauty came to their senses one by one. Lingering in longing or harboring quiet irritation, they watched with conflicted expressions as President Donna, smiling faintly, led her subordinates toward the window-side lounge area.
The men present quickly crowded forward with their glasses, each displaying impeccable manners and polished wit like peacocks flaunting their feathers.
President Donna socialized with easy smiles. Every man received gentle, sweet-voiced greetings and inquiries, stepping aside in a daze yet unwilling to wander too far.
Yet none received any special favor.
Brother Red Chicken muttered, "Damn, she's gorgeous. I wanna sleep with her!"
Tianxia Guihuo frowned. "Watch what you say. Stop embarrassing us."
Having said that, he quietly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
Guan Ya and Sun Miaomiao curled their lips, and Asano Ryo also pouted discreetly. With the overpowering charm subdued, women harbored an innate resistance and wariness toward the Desire class.
"Honestly, I think they're pretty average!" Feeling Sun Miaomiao and Guan Ya's eyes on him, Zhang Yuanqing hastily offered a righteous opinion.
Emma walked over and said with a smile, "Go say hello. President Donna was invited by Minister Winni. With her present, the mobilization rally will go smoothly, and the orthodox faction can truly unite."
Having said that, she cast a knowing smile over the men in the team. "Executive Officer Sean will be attending the gathering later. Tonight, President Donna belongs to him."
She was subtly hinting that the men shouldn't let lust get the better of them, lest they anger the Chief Executive Officer.
Tianxia Guihuo nodded. "Will Julian Meade be coming along with his father?"
It wasn't just Zhang Yuanqing waiting for that fellow; the Saints of Return of the Dead were waiting as well.
In the lounge area by the windows, President Donna turned her head to Annie, her voice gentle:
"You haven't been to New York County before. Aside from the men of the Sea God Church, who tend to be rather uncouth, the young men from the other organizations are all quite exceptional. You could try picking one to date. Has anyone caught your eye?"
Chapter 681