Cause and Effect

"Breaking free from the Holy Grail’s control is easier said than done!" Brother Bing’s deep voice came through. "The Fallen Holy Grail is a rule-based item. I don't need to explain what 'rule-based' means, do I? Anyone controlled by the Holy Grail can never escape it for the rest of their life. Death is the only destination. "I am bound by the Holy Grail and cannot disobey the Deceitful Eye Judge's orders. Team up? Team up with the Deceitful Eye Judge to kill you, you mean?" The Demon Lord let out a chuckle. "Only rules can combat rules. I have already found a way to counter the Holy Grail and temporarily free you from its control." Brother Bing's voice quickened, carrying a slight tremor. "Really?" The Demon Lord chuckled in his raspy voice. "Within the Night Wanderer profession, there is a rule-based item—well, let's call it a rule-based item for now. It symbolizes the pinnacle of the divine power of the sun, the bane of all foulness in this world. Once I obtain it, I will be able to suppress the Fallen Holy Grail." Then came a long silence. Just as Zhang Yuanqing thought the audio was over, the Demon Lord's voice sounded again, speaking softly: "Back then, when you stumbled upon a character card and encountered the Spirit Realm, you chose to call the police. You chose to trust the Public Security Bureau. But what was the result? What awaited you was a cup of 'poisoned wine.' You placed too much trust in official authority—in every sense of the word. "You possess great talent, and your future was boundless. Yet while you were still an eaglet, the Deceitful Eye Judge snapped your wings. "Over all these years, you distanced yourself from your family and your brothers, enduring the daily corrosion of the Fallen Holy Grail, living in agony worse than death. Are you resigned to that? Cooperate with me. It is time to break free of your shackles and soar. I need your strength." "...Alright." The audio finally came to an end. Zhang Yuanqing sat before his desk, motionless for a long time. At last, he finally understood the entire cause and effect—yet he felt not the slightest bit of joy. *So you were the Deceitful Eye Judge's 'servant.' No wonder you never mentioned Spirit Realm walkers to me. No wonder you grew distant from me after going to college. No wonder your personality changed so drastically... How on earth did you survive all these years...* Zhang Yuanqing kept his head lowered, frozen in place. A dozen seconds later, he vigorously rubbed his face, forcing down the surging tide of emotion in his chest. "At least... at least Brother Bing might still be alive..." Taking a deep breath, Zhang Yuanqing regained his composure and began piecing together the sequence of events. Before entering college, Brother Bing had acquired a character card by chance and become a Spirit Realm walker. After encountering a supernatural event, what would an ordinary, rational person do? The answer was obvious: report it to the Public Security Bureau! And then, he had been brought under the control of the Deceitful Eye Judge. The Deceitful Eye Judge had planted his own people within certain branches of the Public Security Bureau. Zhao Yingjun, who was killed by Ou Xiangrong, was one such example. *But if Zhao Yingjun was also a servant of the Deceitful Eye Judge, how did he pass the grand health check? No, he might not have been a servant; he could have been a collaborator. By now, I've long understood what kind of organization the official faction really is. Its massive size inevitably makes it a mixed bag. It's impossible for everyone in it to hold justice in their hearts.* He continued sorting through his thoughts: The Demon Lord had found a way to suppress the Holy Grail—a rule-based item of the Night Wanderer profession. So something had indeed gone wrong with the Holy Grail, which was why Hei Wuchang had chosen to contact Dark Night Rose. Since the leader of that organization was a Night Wanderer, the issue with the Holy Grail could most likely only be resolved by a Night Wanderer. That detail matched up. However, the leader of Dark Night Rose wouldn't help Hei Wuchang for free; there had to be something in it for them. What benefit could Hei Wuchang offer the other party? It certainly wasn't the Fallen Holy Grail. Was it that rule-based item of the Night Wanderer? That judgment could probably only be made after uncovering the true state of the Fallen Holy Grail. Brother Bing had mailed the character card to him after the Demon Lord's death. At that point, both the Demon Lord and the Deceitful Eye Judge had already perished. Immediately after mailing the card, Brother Bing vanished. He was definitely not dead, but for some reason, he had no choice but to go into hiding. After pondering for a few moments, Zhang Yuanqing deduced that Brother Bing's disappearance was likely to suppress the corruption within his body. Even though they had succeeded in killing the Deceitful Eye Judge, the Fallen Holy Grail had fallen into Hei Wuchang's hands, and since the Holy Grail had developed a problem and could not function properly, Brother Bing was most likely still bound by its control. *Brother Bing might have a way to temporarily suppress the corruption... Well, that's just a guess and remains to be verified... But why was the mission he gave me to retrieve the roster, rather than the Holy Grail?* Suddenly, Zhang Yuanqing's pupils dilated violently as a chilling realization struck him, making his scalp tingle with dread. The Deceitful Eye Judge's roster recorded every Spirit Realm walker under his control. And Brother Bing was the Deceitful Eye Judge's "servant." If the official faction obtained the roster, learned Brother Bing's true identity, and uncovered the truth about Brother Bing and the Demon Lord hunting down the Deceitful Eye Judge, then even an idiot could figure out that the Demon Lord's successor was none other than Yuanshi Tianzun! Hei Wuchang was in possession of the roster and likely knew Brother Bing's identity, but Hei Wuchang did not know that Brother Bing had mailed a character card to his good friend. Because of that information asymmetry, Hei Wuchang wouldn't pay attention to him for the time being. However, if Hei Wuchang ever found out, his identity as the Demon Lord's successor would be completely exposed. Worst of all, Dark Night Rose, which was in secret contact with Hei Wuchang, had tentacles lurking within the official faction and already knew of the existence of the Demon Lord's successor. If the two sides ever touched upon that subject... *No wonder Brother Bing wanted me to find the roster, giving it higher priority than even the Fallen Holy Grail...* Cold sweat nearly broke out across Zhang Yuanqing's back. He felt an unprecedented sense of crisis. Previously, although he had followed Brother Bing's instructions to take part in the manhunt for Hei Wuchang, he hadn't realized how crucial the roster was and had maintained a rather passive attitude. Now, things were different. He felt as though members of the Taiyi Sect might knock on his door at any moment to check the water meter, or agents from Dark Night Rose would close in with ill intent. *I can't panic. The more anxious I get, the more disorganized my mind will become. Hunting down Hei Wuchang is a long-term task; it can't be rushed...* Zhang Yuanqing steadied his emotions and continued his analysis. *The information asymmetry among Hei Wuchang, Dark Night Rose, and the official faction is something I can exploit. After Xiahou Xin's death, Dark Night Rose will definitely speed up their cooperation with Hei Wuchang. Time is running out for me...* *I can hunt Hei Wuchang through official channels, investigate Dark Night Rose through the Palace of Halting Slaughter, and, right, I can also turn to the Wuhen Hotel for help. Evil professions should have some degree of overlap, after all.* Unless forced into a corner, he didn't really want to have dealings with the people at the Wuhen Hotel. Next, Zhang Yuanqing recalled Xiahou Xin's death earlier that day. *Night Wanderers possess the ability to glimpse fate. From what Fu Qingyang said, it seems they have to meet face-to-face to see it? Furthermore, that skill probably only reveals short-term trajectories of fate...* *Otherwise, they wouldn't have silenced Xiahou Xin right when we were about to strike. They would have silenced him the moment the Xiahou family arrived in Songhai—no, they would have told the Xiahou family to turn back home altogether.* If that was the case, it wasn't as terrifying as it seemed. At the same time, Zhang Yuanqing thought of that beautiful old crone and her profound, enigmatic smile. *Did she also peek into the trajectory of my fate? But for a long time after clearing the trial mission, nothing particularly turbulent happened to me.* *Why did she smile like that?* Zhang Yuanqing sat at his desk until five in the morning before finally slumping forward to take a brief nap. "Ah-ba, ah-ba..." In a daze, Zhang Yuanqing heard Little Doubi calling out to him. He woke up to see Little Doubi crawling onto the desk, propping his body up with short, stubby arms, looking up at him with dark, glistening eyes as if seeking praise. Perched atop his sparse baby hair was a leather wallet. *Phew, not underwear...* Zhang Yuanqing subconsciously sighed in relief, only to flare up with anger a second later. "If you're not stealing women's underwear, you're stealing wallets! Are you a child or a hooligan? Ever since you were little, haven't I taught you to be an upright kid?!" "Ah-ba..." Little Doubi tilted his head, gazing at his master with an aggrieved look, unable to understand why he was being scolded. *This wallet is pretty thick...* Zhang Yuanqing reached out, took it, and flipped it open, only to see a thick stack of crisp red banknotes. His anger instantly evaporated, replaced by a tangled expression. "Th-this is way too much..." Looking closer, he spotted an ID card. *Oh, Uncle's wallet. Never mind, then.* As his uncle's true successor, Zhang Yuanqing slipped out three one-hundred-yuan bills, placed the wallet back onto Little Doubi's little head, and whispered instructions: "Put the wallet back." "Ah-ba..." Receiving the command, Little Doubi paddled his four limbs to the edge of the desk. Like a small seal, he leaped, landed lightly on the floor, and deftly wiggled his arms and legs, slipping through the wall and vanishing. At the breakfast table, his aunt was chewing on a meat bun, her cheeks puffed out roundly, as she asked, "Mom, did you find my underwear?" His grandmother scolded, "Who knows where you tossed it? I looked all over and didn't find a thing." His aunt looked suspicious. "I distinctly remember throwing it into the bamboo basket. How could it just disappear?" She immediately fixed her glare on her nephew. "Did you take it?" Before Zhang Yuanqing could speak, his grandmother raised a hand and smacked her daughter on the crown of her head, barking furiously, "Nonsense! Why would Yuanzi take your smelly clothes? If you keep spouting this garbage, I'll beat you to death!" "Exactly! She only ever knows how to slander me!" Zhang Yuanqing said with righteous indignation. *Little Doubi was clearly the one who took it,* he added mentally. *Still, if Grandma ever finds out, I'm completely done for. She'll clean house for sure.* After finishing breakfast, Zhang Yuanqing hailed a taxi and headed for Fujia Bay. Having contacted Fu Qingyang in advance, he waited briefly at the entrance of the residential complex until yesterday's young lady arrived. "These are the access cards the Centurion prepared for you. The white one is for the complex gates, and the black one is for the villa," the long-legged young woman in black stockings said with a smile, handing over two cards, one black and one white. Zhang Yuanqing's plan for today was to first "report" his deductions to Fu Qingyang, pointing out the potential issues with the Fallen Holy Grail so Fu Qingyang would understand the full picture. Of course, he couldn't just lay it out directly; he had to frame it as a discussion. After that, he would contact the Palace of Halting Slaughter to inform them of Xiahou Xin's silencing, and finally pay a visit to the Wuhen Hotel to fish for intelligence on the Witch Doctor circle. Leading the way ahead, the young woman in black stockings smiled gently. "The Centurion was just about to get some rest, but after receiving your call, he sent me over to pick you up." "Rest?" Zhang Yuanqing paused. "The Centurion stayed up all night without sleeping. The case must have hit a bottleneck," she said with a warm, gentle smile. "I've been with the young master for a long time, and I've never seen him so troubled over an investigation before. You must help him out more." Zhang Yuanqing nodded. Soon, he arrived once more before the doors of the luxurious villa.