Face-to-Face Meeting

"Meet with me?" The reply caught Zhang Yuanqing completely off guard. He had assumed the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter would contact him via a phone call. And even a phone call filled him with apprehension, let alone a face-to-face meeting. *Everyone in the Palace of Halting Slaughter is an extremist... and their Palace Master is a lunatic at the peak of the Saint stage.* Thoughts raced through his mind, and Zhang Yuanqing blurted out: "No, that's against the rules! "I have no desire to meet your Palace Master in person. Keeping some distance is better for all of us." What was a lunatic? It was the kind of person who said "I love you most, big brother" one second, and in the next pulled out a hatchet to chop off his head and drift across the ocean together. Zhang Yuanqing considered himself skilled at socializing, but he could never handle yanderes and lunatics. He instinctively shrank from dealing with such people. Mad Love Great Sage hesitated for a moment before saying, "The Palace Master said that if you want to know the secrets of the Xiahou family, you must meet face-to-face. She will not speak of it over the phone, and certainly not via text. Furthermore, you must go alone." A secret regarding the Xiahou family that required a face-to-face meeting meant it carried serious weight! Zhang Yuanqing lapsed into silent contemplation. Seeing Yuanshi Tianzun fall silent, Mad Love Great Sage added, "Our Palace Master heard about what you've done, and she admires you very much." *Being admired by a lunatic isn't a good thing...* Zhang Yuanqing grumbled internally. Weighing his options for a moment, he said, "Fine. When and where?" Relieved, Mad Love Great Sage immediately replied, "The Palace Master said the location will be the cafe across from the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau." *She's signaling goodwill!* Zhang Yuanqing said, "No problem." Right now, he urgently needed leverage against the Xiahou family; it would be too much of a shame to pass this up. Though he privately muttered about the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter being a lunatic, Zhang Yuanqing believed that for the time being, the Palace of Halting Slaughter was a friend rather than a foe. In the Wang Qian incident, he had even done them a favor. At four-thirty in the morning, the streets were empty and chilly. The duck-down yellow glow of the streetlights stretched along the road far into the distance. Drawing close to the Kangyang District Public Security Bureau, Zhang Yuanqing took out his phone. Using the screen as a mirror, he inspected his appearance beneath the streetlight. His features were ordinary and somewhat stiff. He had disguised himself as Wang Tai. *Looking like Wang Tai feels so much safer. My own face is far too handsome and eye-catching...* Zhang Yuanqing pocketed his phone and walked toward the Public Security Bureau. The clatter of his footsteps echoed through the deserted street. Three minutes later, he spotted the cafe across from the Public Security Bureau in the distance; its front door was wide open, casting a soft glow outside. After hesitating at the entrance for a moment, Zhang Yuanqing steeled his resolve and stepped inside. The interior was desolate; not a soul was in sight. *Where is she? Hasn't arrived yet?* Zhang Yuanqing looked around and casually picked a seat. The moment he sat down, a silvery, bell-like chuckle came from not far to his side: "Wang Qian said you were good-looking, but I think you're quite plain. He lied to me. When I get back, I'm going to hang him up and give him a beating." Zhang Yuanqing's spine went taut in an instant before he slowly forced himself to relax. He turned his head to look. Two tables away, without him ever noticing when she had appeared, sat a striking silhouette dressed in vibrant red. She wore a lavish Han-style palace gown of deep crimson. Along the chest, the hem, and the flowing sleeves, cloud patterns and dragon motifs were embroidered in gold thread. The crimson hem trailed upon the floor, slit up to the calf. She leaned languidly against the back of the chair with her legs crossed. She wore no shoes; her bare feet were as white as snow, and around her delicate, graceful ankle was a golden anklet. She wore a silver mask, her lively, beautiful eyes appraising Zhang Yuanqing from behind it. Alluring, uninhibited, noble, dignified... In that single glance, Zhang Yuanqing saw an array of contrasting airs in her demeanor. *Those legs are quite nice!* Zhang Yuanqing stole a few glances, not daring to stare too long, and ventured, "Palace Master?" Beneath the mask, those beautiful eyes curved in a smile by way of an answer. "I've heard about what you did. Thank you for helping the Palace of Halting Slaughter. Provided it doesn't violate my morals and is within my power, I can grant you one request." Resting her chin in her palm, she chuckled softly. *Can I get three instead?...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded calmly. "Much obliged! I heard from Mad Love Great Sage that you entered an instance over the past couple of days, Palace Master, which was why you hadn't moved against the Xiahou family?" The red-gowned Palace Master nodded slightly. "I have advanced to the Dominator Realm." *Fuck, Dominator?* Zhang Yuanqing hastily showed his goodwill and said, "Do I need to proclaim: 'May the Palace Master live for thousands of autumns and myriad generations, unifying all the martial world'?" The red-robed woman giggled playfully. "I'd much rather peel off your facial skin to see what you really look like." *She saw through my disguise? Peeling skin... she really is a lunatic.* Under normal circumstances, he would have quipped: *It would be my honor.* Now, however, he didn't dare say it, terrified she might actually follow through. Zhang Yuanqing turned solemn. "Xiahou Tianyuan is finished, but Xiahou Xin and Xiahou Chi are still out there. What can I do for you, Palace Master?" Speech was an art. The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter pondered for a few seconds before speaking slowly, "You're close with that girl Xie Lingxi. You must know who I am." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. The corner of her lips curled. "Ha. So she really did talk to an outsider about my background. I'm going to strip her naked, hang her up, and give her a thrashing." *Uh... did I just accidentally screw over Xie Lingxi?* Zhang Yuanqing was stunned, caught completely unprepared for this turn of conversation. He found it rather difficult to keep up with this Palace Master's train of thought. The Palace Master's sweet, silvery voice continued: "Twenty-one years ago, the Chu family—one of the three Musician clans—suffered a sneak attack by the Soldier Master Sect. Their core members were wiped out, and only ordinary clansmen managed to escape. I was still young then and had not yet become a Spirit Realm walker. Under the protection of my clansmen, I was fortunate enough to survive. "The reasons behind the Chu family's downfall back then are complicated, so I won't go into detail. My clansmen brought me to settle in Songhai. After I grew up, I received a character card and became a Spirit Realm walker. "I began secretly investigating the truth behind the destruction of the Chu family. After years of effort, I finally uncovered something. I discovered that back then, a faction had been orchestrating everything from the shadows." "What faction?" Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously. "Have you heard of Dark Night Rose?" *Dark Night Rose?!* Zhang Yuanqing was jolted inside. "I have." A flicker of surprise flashed in the lovely eyes behind the silver mask, and then she laughed. "You know far too much. You hardly seem like a newcomer." *Geniuses are always special!* Zhang Yuanqing silently praised himself, yet he didn't dare chime in casually. What if she said: *I like geniuses, so I've decided to peel your face off*? Wiping away her smile, the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter turned her gaze toward the cashier counter and said in a calm voice: "Dark Night Rose is a covert organization known to very few. But my investigation revealed that they have infiltrated deeply into the major Spirit Realm clans and official organizations. Many who hold high positions in the official ranks are secretly members of Dark Night Rose. "This includes Xiahou Chi's lineage. The furthest my investigation could reach was Xiahou Chi; whether the Xiahou family's Council of Elders is involved with Dark Night Rose remains unknown." Hearing this, a flash of insight burst in Zhang Yuanqing's mind, finally stringing together the causes and effects. "You nearly killed Xiahou Tianwen to investigate Dark Night Rose, and Xiahou Chi traveled thousands of li to Songhai ostensibly to avenge his grandson, but actually to silence you?" No wonder the Xiahou family had acted with such aggression and dominance in the Halting Slaughter incident. The Palace Master uttered an "Mm." "Quite clever, aren't you?" "Then why haven't you reported this to the Five Elements Alliance?" "I don't trust the officials." She shook her head. "How do you know the person you trust isn't a member of Dark Night Rose? Unless I could directly meet with the five Elders of Songhai, but I have no way of reaching them. Xiahou Chi is of no concern, but I still have to guard against Dark Night Rose intervening to silence me." Zhang Yuanqing pondered for several seconds. "Telling me this now—are you hoping to report it up the chain through me?" The Palace Master broke into a chuckle. "You're a newcomer with a clean record, which is why I shared this with you. As for what you plan to do after hearing it, that's your own business. I don't need you to eradicate the Xiahou family. As Xiahou Chi is now, I can extinguish him with a snap of my fingers." Zhang Yuanqing probed, "Do you know Fu Qingyang?" "Not well." The eyes behind the silver mask looked over at him. "You want to tell him?" She considered it for a few seconds before remarking, "Half of the Fu family's members are abroad, and Fu Qingyang grew up overseas as well." *She trusts Fu Qingyang relatively speaking...* Zhang Yuanqing nodded, thinking to himself: *The Palace Master of Halting Slaughter is investigating Dark Night Rose too, and Dark Night Rose is currently preparing to meet with Hei Wuchang.* *If I can develop this Palace Master into an informant, my plan to track down Hei Wuchang and obtain the roster will go much smoother.* After a dozen seconds of silence, he spoke: "I have a piece of intelligence regarding Dark Night Rose. Are you interested?" Hearing this, the Palace Master suddenly straightened her waist and sat upright. She stared at Zhang Yuanqing with surprise: "What intelligence?" "Not long ago, I took part in an operation to hunt down subordinates of Hei Wuchang. Well, you know about the Hei Wuchang case, right...?" Seeing her nod, he continued, "From the memory of that Witch Doctor, I discovered the reason Hei Wuchang is lying low in Songhai is that he's waiting for the leader of Dark Night Rose." As he said this, he faintly noticed that the Palace Master's breath quickened for an instant. "The leader of Dark Night Rose is coming to Songhai?" Her tone revealed neither joy nor anger. "Yes." Zhang Yuanqing struck while the iron was hot. "We can cooperate." Taking a deep breath, the Palace Master regained her composure. "Very well. I will investigate the Witch Doctors of the Spirit Society. If there's any news, I'll notify you. If you uncover any clues about Dark Night Rose, contact Wang Qian." "Understood." Zhang Yuanqing smiled. After a moment, the Palace Master broke the silence. "If there's nothing else, we'll leave it here for today." Zhang Yuanqing rose and took his leave. He stepped out of the cafe. After a few paces, he couldn't resist looking back over his shoulder. The cafe door was locked tight. Behind the floor-to-ceiling windows, all was pitch-black; clearly, the place had never been open for business at all. Everything that had just transpired felt like an illusion. *In a supernatural novel, this would definitely be a ghost encounter...* Zhang Yuanqing muttered under his breath. *Fortunately, although this Palace Master's personality is somewhat eccentric, she isn't as yandere or crazy as the rumors made her out to be. Well, let's hope I don't end up eating my words.* He kept walking, meticulously replaying the conversation in his head. *So Xiahou Chi's lineage secretly colluded with Dark Night Rose. This is enough to checkmate the Xiahou father and son. On top of that, they must possess intelligence on Dark Night Rose, its members, and so forth.* *Hei Wuchang is hiding out like a turtle in Songhai, making him difficult to track down. But if we can trace things along the Dark Night Rose lead, we might find a breakthrough.* *I need to report this news to Fu Qingyang.* Zhang Yuanqing trusted him relatively well. For one thing, in the Hengxing Wuji incident, Fu Qingyang had already learned about the existence of Dark Night Rose. If Fu Qingyang were an operative of Dark Night Rose, he wouldn't have aided him in the Xiahou Tianyuan incident. Instead, he would have added fuel to the fire to get rid of a subordinate who knew about Dark Night Rose. For another, the highest-ranking superior he had access to was Centurion Fu Qingyang; he had no other choice. With this in mind, Zhang Yuanqing scanned his surroundings. Seeing no one around, he quietly retrieved his phone and dialed Fu Qingyang's number.