On April 29th, a message from the Disposal Bureau arrived on Chen Chuan's boundary credential, summoning him to headquarters for questioning regarding an ongoing matter.
*Has it finally come?* he thought.
He had expected the bureau to come looking for him within a day or two after Zhao Qian's death. He had not anticipated that several days would pass first. Perhaps they had simply discovered it late?
Just then, the boundary credential chimed again. Seeing that Ni Xixi was calling, he accepted the connection. "Sister Ni?"
"Did you receive the notice from the bureau calling you in for questioning?" Ni Xixi asked.
"I did. Do you know what they want to ask about?"
"Zhao Qian, of course. Zhao Qian has gone missing. Did you know?"
Chen Chuan was somewhat surprised. "Missing?" He knew Zhao Qian was dead, but he genuinely had no idea about any report of him being missing.
"Yes, that's the matter,"
Ni Xixi said. "Didn't you formally accuse him of hiring people to ambush you? Because of that bad blood, some people in the bureau suspect his disappearance is connected to you."
Chen Chuan said sincerely, "His disappearance really has nothing to do with me."
"Even if it did, it wouldn't matter,"
Ni Xixi said with clear disdain. "The evidence you provided is sitting right there. Instead of backing up one of their own, some people are only thinking about how to exploit the situation, without offering you so much as a word of comfort. Since they don't treat you like one of their own, there's no need for you to take them seriously either."
Chen Chuan understood her point. He asked, "Sister Ni, is there anything specific I should watch out for during the questioning?"
"Nothing at all. What can they actually do to you?" Ni Xixi said. "Let them ask their questions, and just give your answers. That's all there is to it."
"Understood. Thank you, Sister Ni."
After ending the call, he changed his clothes and arrived at the Disposal Bureau's headquarters in Wuding District at the appointed time. As soon as he arrived, an attendant escorted him to an office, poured him a cup of tea, and asked him a few routine questions. On the surface, they were quite polite and kept the atmosphere from becoming overly tense.
In less than half an hour, he was seen out.
Once outside, Chen Chuan headed toward the parking lot to retrieve his car. Along the way, he said to Gao Ming, "Gao Ming, I'm out. They did bring up those questions, but they didn't probe deeply, just as you deduced."
Gao Ming's voice came through. "Cousin, calling you in for questioning was mostly just to have an internal review on record. That way, they have something to show whoever comes asking.
"In truth, even if they had direct evidence, they wouldn't tear open the truth to target you—a student they invested in themselves. After all, Zhao Qian is dead, and you're undeniably far more valuable right now, Cousin. Once you achieve the third limit, they'll treat this whole matter as though it never happened.
"No matter how you look at it, the third limit is a watershed."
Chen Chuan nodded. "It won't be long."
Inside the Disposal Bureau building, a sharp-eyed middle-aged man wearing a crisp uniform and a peaked service cap stood beside a high window, watching Chen Chuan walk toward the exit.
A subordinate behind him spoke up. "Director Wu, this matter is definitely connected to him."
Director Wu replied, "Zhao Qian is already dead. Probing deeper serves no purpose. Besides, if Zhao Qian truly was killed by him, we should celebrate the fact that we'll soon gain an exceptionally capable comrade-in-arms."
The man behind him expressed doubt. "Will he truly be our comrade? To me, it looks far more likely he'll join the State Administration Bureau."
Director Wu said, "Comrades are those who share our ideals, regardless of where they are stationed. I can sense that over the next few years, the returns he brings to the Disposal Bureau will far exceed the resources we've invested in him."
The subordinate said nothing more.
Watching Chen Chuan drive away, Director Wu asked in a low voice, "What did Lianwei Heavy Control Company say?"
The man immediately answered, "No response from them for the time being."
"It seems they had long planned to write off Zhao Qian. In that case, let the matter end here."
Director Wu glanced at his boundary credential, which displayed an image—a photograph of Zhao Qian's severed head. In a grave voice, he ordered, "Send a dispatch up top. Confirm that Zhao Qian, a member of the Zhao clan of Yangzhi City, is deceased. Enter it into the dossier and seal the case."
"Understood."
On the drive back, Ni Xixi contacted Chen Chuan again. "Got some good news for you. The bureau just decided to increase your monthly radiant light quota by another hour."
Chen Chuan was slightly surprised. "What's the stated reason?"
Ni Xixi curled her lip. "A whack with a stick, then a sweet date."
Chen Chuan considered this, then said earnestly, "They're welcome to hit me a few more times, then."
Ni Xixi couldn't help giggling. Knowing how easily she found things amusing, Chen Chuan calmly waited.
After a good moment, Ni Xixi finally composed herself. "Right, something else. That exchange gathering went quite well. I hear those youngsters still aren't willing to admit defeat and want a rematch—fistfights or weapons, anything goes. As usual, there'll be payment, and definitely more than last time. Think it over and see if you want to go."
Chen Chuan nodded. "All right, Sister Ni. I'll consider it."
***
On the top floor of the Xuan Palace Building, Assistant Ling sat in the garden atrium, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the arm of his chair as he communicated with someone over his boundary credential. "Yes, that's right. Zhao Qian has gone missing."
He smiled faintly. "There aren't that many coincidences in this world. Whether he pulled it off with stimulants or possessed that strength naturally, it proves he's well-suited to join our plan."
Watching several simulated, brightly plumed birds flutter past and alight on the ground with folding wings, he said with a faint smile, "Naturally, not right now. Only when one has truly entered the third limit are they qualified to face reality."
***
Returning to his dormitory, Chen Chuan felt considerably lighter. Zhao Qian had not only been an immediate threat, but also a lingering continuation of the events back in Yangzhi City.
Zhao Qian's death meant this chapter was finally closed.
However, he suspected that someone had deliberately leaked his information to Zhao Qian. While he couldn't be entirely certain who it was, one particular figure inevitably sprang to mind.
Remembering Instructor Wu's warning before his death, Chen Chuan knew he had to remain vigilant.
Then there was the matter concerning Senior Shen's younger sister. Zhao Qian was dead, but clues might still be recovered from his implanted credential. Now it was just a matter of waiting for news from Wu Bei. If nothing turned up there, other avenues could be explored. At the very least, without Zhao Qian in the way, investigating would be much easier.
Over the next ten-odd days, Chen Chuan continued his daily training and studies. With his elevated evaluation score, a wealth of restricted materials and books was made available to him, including historical records from the old era and rare, valuable volumes. Whenever he had spare time, he went to study them.
In early May, on the day before his scheduled rest day, Uncle Ding, Cao Guixi's butler, contacted him.
"The young master has already been in touch with the people from the Secret Snake Cult. Due to the unique nature of their services, they will send a representative to speak with you in person, Brother Chen. Whenever you have free time, we can arrange an appointment."
Chen Chuan considered it briefly, then said, "Tomorrow works for me."
Uncle Ding said, "Tomorrow it is, then. Tomorrow is a rest day. Two in the afternoon, if it's convenient for you, Brother Chen."
Chen Chuan agreed, confirming the time.
The following afternoon, he drove to Mount Motie. The representative sent by the Secret Snake Cult had already arrived ahead of time.
He was an exquisitely handsome man with skin like polished jade, though visible embedded seam lines ran across his exposed face and neck—clear marks of implants. Both of his eyes had been replaced with vertical, slit-like serpentine pupils, and his hair was gathered in an elegant bun. Had Chen Chuan not been told beforehand, at first glance he might have mistaken the figure for a woman.
Upon meeting, the man introduced himself. "I am Zou Handan, a disciple of the Secret Snake Cult. Through Mr. Cao's recommendation and guarantee, I am here to oversee this service project for you, Mr. Chen."
His voice carried a slight operatic resonance and an unusual cadence, giving the impression of an actor speaking from a stage.
"However, I must inform Mr. Chen in advance: while this service of our Secret Snake Cult boasts a high success rate, it also carries a degree of danger. Without proper care or adequate protection, it can prove fatal. Therefore, we provide materials for Mr. Chen to review and reconfirm your consent."
With that, he picked up a scroll laid out on the low table and pushed it forward. "This contains the documentation we provide. Please look it over, Mr. Chen. If you agree, simply sign at the end after reading."
Chen Chuan took the scroll, untied its ribbon, and unfurled it before him. The content consisted of alternating illustrations and text, detailing everything from the technique's historical origins to its modern evolution in clear, accessible detail.
Fighters in the early days did not enjoy the conveniences available today; they often spent their entire lives pursuing and battling over secret medicines. To break free of those shackles, the Secret Snake Cult had conceived an idea far back in the old era: breeding a specialized breed of serpent to assist fighters in their cultivation.
Yet through generations of persistent trials, no matter how long they spent selectively breeding the bloodlines, the results remained unsatisfactory. It was not until the new era, when the Algae Solution Revolution brought breakthroughs in biotechnology, that the method was finally perfected.
The scroll was accompanied by traditional line drawings. The first illustration depicted the gathering of snakes, showing Secret Snake Cult ancestors with snake baskets strapped to their backs, venturing deep into remote mountains to hook and capture serpents.
The snakes in the drawings were depicted in wildly exaggerated forms—some grotesque, some titanic, others bearing pairs of wings on their backs. The cult's ancestors were often hard-pressed to contend with them, enduring immense hardships before capturing suitable specimens.
The second illustration depicted snake refinement, showing serpents being fed various rare medicinal herbs, as well as old-era practices like feeding the serpents with human blood and sacrificing bodies to nourish them.
The third illustration showed a human being swallowed whole into a snake's belly. The fourth depicted the snake lying dead on the ground, while the human tore through its skin from within to emerge.
"The Snake Shedding Method,"
Zou Handan said softly once Chen Chuan reached that part of the scroll. "The founding masters of the Secret Snake Cult believed that by shedding its skin, a serpent attains new life. After nine times nine sheddings, upon meeting thunder, it transforms into a dragon. And if a man takes the serpent as his skin, shedding it to undergo transformation, he too may claim that renewed vitality."
He fixed his serpentine gaze on Chen Chuan. "As Mr. Chen can see, this service requires an anomalous serpent bred by our cult to swallow you whole. You must remain within the serpent's belly for a set period of time to achieve the effects of this service. I wonder, Mr. Chen... are you willing?"
Chapter 309