Ordered to Seduce

"What happened to your face?" Brother Red Chicken asked the guild leader as he leapt down from the attic, pretending not to know the answer. Zhang Yuanqing touched the deep claw marks and rolled his eyes at the Fire Master. "What do you think!" He then excitedly held up the fan-shaped bronze piece in his hand. "The Holy Plate fragment is ours. Time to get out of here." Guan Ya and the others beamed. At last, they could leave this godforsaken place. The group immediately returned to the ground-floor hall. Zhang Yuanqing took out the Mountain God Scepter and pressed it against Zhai Cai's forehead, causing the emerald gem at the tip to radiate a soft, clear light. After a moment, he put away the scepter and shook Zhai Cai awake. Zhai Cai opened his eyes wearily and sat up. He checked his physical condition; aside from feeling weak, he was largely unharmed. The Knight sighed in relief. "You actually managed to revive me? What kind of pill did you use? I can compensate you." To his mind, a curse or poison capable of killing a Dominator would require an elixir of the same level to neutralize. Dominator-grade items—whether materials, props, or pills—were priceless. "Just wire ten billion federal dollars to my account later," Zhang Yuanqing said. "???" Zhai Cai replied blankly, "I take back what I just said." Zhang Yuanqing scoffed. "Then drop the fake politeness." As companions, supporting each other was only natural. At least until they escaped Pan's Labyrinth, they were comrades trusting each other with their lives. Zhai Cai nodded slightly, pressed his hands against his knees, and stood up. Rubbing his forehead, he sucked in a breath of cold air. "Time to find the Holy Plate fragment... Hiss, I just dreamed someone was beating me, and my forehead actually hurts now that I'm awake." Brother Red Chicken pretended to admire the surrounding scenery. Zhang Yuanqing pulled out the Holy Plate fragment and tossed it to Zhai Cai. "Already found it! As agreed, this piece is for you to look after." Zhai Cai caught it instinctively and froze, staring blankly at the fragment in his hands. After a long while, he put it away and let out an appreciative chuckle. "Nicely done!" His smile faded just as quickly. He stared at the fragment, his expression neither joyful nor sorrowful. "Thank you," Zhai Cai said in a low voice after a pause. Zhang Yuanqing probed, "We'll do our best to get the final fragment from the Covenant of Freedom. Elder Fu already has a detailed plan, so it won't take too long. When do we open the Holy See treasure?" "Won't take too long..." Zhai Cai murmured wistfully. "Snatching food from the tiger's maw that is the Covenant of Freedom won't be easy. Fu Qingyang truly lives up to his reputation as the Five Elements Alliance's youngest authority figure." He stowed the fragment and straightened his expression. "There's no rush for the last fragment; I'm not ready yet. Do you know why generations of Knights never opened the Holy See treasure? Because our founding master warned that opening it requires at least Level 8. Only at Level 8 can one barely wield the demigod power of the Knight class. Otherwise, it's like a toddler walking through a bustling market carrying gold—asking for death! "And Knights throughout history have died young. To this day, no one has reached Level 8. Even I, the standout among the Knight inheritors, am only Level 7." Seeing Jumang's brow furrow, Zhai Cai added, "Of course, I'm already in the late stage of Level 7. I just need to clear one more instance to reach Level 8." "But Dominator instances have very long intervals," Zhang Yuanqing said grimly. "It's been seven months since I was last matched for an instance! A Level 7 Dominator must enter the Spirit Realm at least once a year, which means within three months, I'm guaranteed to enter one. If I'm lucky, a month or two will do." *It's November now. In another month and a half, I'll be entering the killing trial...* Zhang Yuanqing considered it. There was still time! Zhang Yuanqing looked toward the tabby cat. "Lady JoJo, what do you plan to do next?" This cat had crossed the ocean a century ago to live in a foreign land. After Lu Yueshuang and Huo Zhengkui died, it had guarded its master's manor day after day, enduring decades of loneliness. Now that the Holy Plate fragment was returned to the Holy See's Knight successor, its mission was complete. A flicker of bewilderment crossed the tabby's eyes. "I don't know either. The outside world is completely foreign to me. I've stayed here for sixty years; I don't know where I can go. I'll probably leave here and live with Old Berent for a while. Without a Dominator-level Wood Monster to nourish me, I probably have about twenty years of life left. Twenty years is enough to do a lot of things. I'll go to the seaside to eat dried fish, have Old Berent take me out on a boat, and when I have free time, I can check out New York County. A cycle of sixty years has passed; the outside must have changed immensely..." The more it spoke, the brighter its eyes grew, as though it had rediscovered the joy of living and begun to look forward to the future. *That's great!* Zhang Yuanqing smiled and asked, "I know quite a few Dominator-level Wood Monsters. Would you be interested in leaving with me?" The tabby hesitated, tempted yet reluctant to part with this place. After a moment's thought, it said, "We'll see later. Once I get tired of staying with Old Berent, I might consider returning to the motherland." "Winnie knows how to reach me. Just contact her." Zhang Yuanqing bowed with hands clasped. "We'll take our leave now. Until our paths cross again! By the way, Senior, please make sure not to reveal the contents of today's conversation." The tabby ignored him, seemingly still annoyed that he had ruined its bed, and refused to offer a promise. Zhang Yuanqing said, "Both Lu Yueshuang and Huo Zhengkui were noble individuals of great loyalty and righteous heart. As their family, you must surely possess the same lofty integrity." The tabby gave a grudging nod. Relieved, Zhang Yuanqing strode to the door and pulled open the two wooden panels. "Wait!" the tabby called out suddenly. "Do you know the correct route to leave the labyrinth?" Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "We fought our way in." The tabby snorted. "The safe route is 404, 303, 201, 106." Zhang Yuanqing was delighted. "Mr. JoJo truly is a gentleman of lofty character." The tabby lifted its head proudly. "You do have a way with words." In the era it was familiar with, "Mister" was a deeply respectful form of address. After bowing in farewell once more, Zhai Cai, still rather weak, summoned his spirits and stepped into the courtyard. Leaning on his sword, he declared in a low voice: "The local rule is: Plants are forbidden from possessing self-awareness." Ripples of brass-colored light spread outward. A decree was issued; the rule descended. Zhai Cai sheathed his knight's sword. His body swayed violently as if enduring heavy backlash. "Charge through!" The party sprinted across the front yard. The soil of the garden beds on both sides cracked open, and limp, feeble tree roots broke through, attempting to entangle and obstruct them. The seven made their way out of Room 503 without any real danger and returned to the corridor. Following the safe route provided by Lady JoJo, they passed through rooms 404, 303, 201, and 106 in sequence before finally pushing open the labyrinth's entrance door to return smoothly to reality. The villa was pitch-black. It was eight in the evening, and the unconscious servants had naturally not turned on the lights. They had been inside the labyrinth for a full day. After a day of high-strung tension, returning to reality brought a torrential wave of exhaustion. Outside Old Berent's villa, Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Sir Knight, what are your plans now?" "Run, of course. I can't stay at Old Berent's place any longer. That old codger isn't someone to mess with—even if the Hunter Guild President came, he'd have to carry out two bags of trash on his way out. I'll leave New York County for a while to lie low," Zhai Cai said. "To dodge Old Berent's wrath and stay off the evil faction's radar." Having achieved his purpose in coming to New York County, he could depart. Zhang Yuanqing quietly opened his inventory, retrieved the disguise ring, and tossed it to Zhai Cai. "Hold onto this. It should come in handy." Zhai Cai caught the ring, read its item description, and lit up with delight. This solved his most pressing dilemma. Illusionist props were quite rare in the Second District. While they could be purchased on the black market, participating in evil-class black markets was an ordeal in itself. "This is a relic of Yuanshi Tianzun. After he returned to the Spirit Realm, it was left to Elder Fu, and Elder Fu gave it to me," Zhang Yuanqing warned. "And its owner before that was the Demon Lord. So you understand—if you wear it, make sure you wear gloves." Zhai Cai immediately felt as if he were holding a hot potato. "Still a great item. Thanks!" The two parted ways at the villa gates. Leading his teammates, Zhang Yuanqing boarded the yacht they had arrived on and left Ping Island, sailing toward the brightly lit New York County. *** At the break of dawn, a shuttle cart drove along the wide road of the villa district toward the estate. The driver was a handsome old man dressed in a denim jacket and jeans, his slicked-back hair impeccably combed. Tall and burly, his wrinkle-lined face still showed the dashing valor of his youth, and the gray at his temples did nothing to diminish his charm. Tied to the back of the shuttle cart were a tent, fishing gear, and a shotgun. In the passenger seat sat Winnie, wearing a black shirt and white jodhpurs. She wore sunglasses, her face pale, her chin sharp, and her chestnut hair fluttering in the breeze. "Why is the gate open?" Old Berent muttered. "Did that kid Zhai Cai go out?" Winnie showed no expression. Old Berent drove the cart into the courtyard, parked beside the lawn, took his blind granddaughter by the hand, and walked back into the villa. The moment he entered, he spotted the unconscious servants. "An enemy?" Old Berent's gaze instantly turned sharp, and spheres of lightning materialized out of thin air, filling the entire hall. He strode over to an unconscious servant, checked their pulse and breathing, and let out a breath upon confirming they were merely knocked out. The irritable Old Berent raised his hand and slapped the servant twice to wake him. "What happened?" The servant came to groggily, looking bewildered. "I... why was I sleeping here..." Old Berent pondered for a few seconds, and his expression shifted. "Not good! It's the Church of Eternal Night!" He turned to Winnie at once. "Winnie, follow me into the labyrinth..." Winnie stood motionless by the doorway and said, "No need to panic. It wasn't the Church of Eternal Night. Zhai Cai did this." "Zhai Cai?" Old Berent froze. Winnie explained, "Zhai Cai wanted one of Huo Zhengkui's relics, but you refused to sell it. So he collaborated with me in secret to help deal with Channing Lu, and in exchange, I gave him the safe route through the first two floors of the labyrinth." Caught completely off guard by the double betrayal of his granddaughter and his friend, Old Berent stood frozen on the spot. *** The following day. Having slept until broad daylight, Zhang Yuanqing got out of bed feeling thoroughly revitalized. After breakfast, he left the New York County Bank building, found an empty house, and reported the events of Pan's Labyrinth to the President. The President replied: [Acceptable. The contents of the Holy See treasure aren't urgently needed right now. It's actually better to wait until that kid can wield the Knight's demigod power before going in. That would mean we gain a quasi-demigod ally.] The Holy See treasure could serve as an ace up their sleeve. Zhang Yuanqing replied: [But I feel the Covenant of Freedom won't let Tongtian Jiaozhu keep the Holy Plate fragment for long.] The President: [Which is why you need to hurry up and seduce Donna. The Covenant of Freedom still needs you to carry out their plan, so they won't pressure you just yet. Once you seduce Donna and trick her into the Covenant of Freedom's secret gathering, we can mobilize our forces to wipe out several of their high-ranking leaders in one fell swoop. At that point, you can abandon the identity of Tongtian Jiaozhu.] *If Donna really has her eye on Jumang, seducing her wouldn't be hard. But as a Dominator, how could she be so easily fooled?* Zhang Yuanqing: [Mr. President, please don't let word of this get out. I have a family, and whatever you do, don't tell my mom.] While he didn't care much about what Chen Shu thought, Lord Tianzun still cared about his dignity. Having his mother find out her son was sleeping with high-ranking Desire class members every day would be profoundly awkward. The President: [Understood! No matter how wildly a man fools around outside, there are two women he must keep in the dark: his wife and his mother.] Zhang Yuanqing quietly deleted his chat history with the President, retrieved his spare phone, turned it on, and saw a message from Catherine: [Tonight at seven, Donna will be dining at Tartar Restaurant.]