Chapter 173: Into the Trap

Fu Qingyang had clearly been waiting for the call. It was barely two rings before the line connected, and Fu Qingyang's urgent voice came across immediately.

—How did it go? Did Wuhen agree to help?

Zhang Yuanqing glanced at Xiao Yuan as she turned and stepped into the elevator. He waited until the doors slid shut before speaking.

"I told Master Wuhen that the Songhai Branch wanted to move against the Demon Eye Heavenly King. At first, he refused, so I told him that the Demon Eye had gone too far, that he'd tracked me down to my university and nearly killed me."

He paused for effect. "To my surprise, Master Wuhen agreed immediately. I didn't expect it to be that easy."

Fu Qingyang seemed equally surprised. A beat of silence passed before the Centurion let out a sigh.

—I didn't realize Wuhen valued you that much.

Had they been speaking face-to-face, a veteran Scout like Fu Qingyang would have seen right through the lie.

"He gave me a jade talisman," Zhang Yuanqing continued. "A medium for connecting to him directly."

As he spoke, his fingers traced the surface of the black jade stone in his hand, smooth and cool to the touch. It looked identical to the Dream Entry Jade Talisman from before. Xie Lingxi still had one of her own that she'd never used. But the two talismans served different purposes.

The little green tea princess's talisman came with Wuhen's promise to save her life in a moment of dire need. A figure of his stature kept his word absolutely, which was precisely why Zhang Yuanqing hadn't tried to be clever and use Xie Lingxi's talisman to trick Wuhen into showing up. The most likely outcome would have been Wuhen whisking him away to safety while refusing to involve himself in a fight between the Demon Eye and the Five Elements Alliance.

To get Master Wuhen to create an illusion capable of deceiving the Demon Eye Heavenly King, Zhang Yuanqing needed the man's explicit, personal agreement. Nothing less would do.

—Keep it safe. Hand it over to me when you're back in Songhai.

The call ended shortly after.

***

Elder Teddy extended a vine tendril from the greenery around him, using it to nudge the computer on, log into the online conferencing application, and waited. One by one, the four elders came online.

"Well? Did Yuanshi Tianzun manage to get Wuhen on board?"

The Crimson Fire Gang elder's avatar had barely appeared before the question burst out from his lips. The other three elders held their silence, waiting.

Elder Teddy responded in his usual unhurried way. "Wuhen agreed to create the illusion, but that will be the extent of his involvement."

A collective wave of relief swept through the call.

The White Tiger Legion elder chuckled. "That's more than enough. If he actually joined the fight, I'd be more worried, not less. Now it all comes down to whether the Palace Master can lure the Demon Eye to the designated location."

Luoshen, the Water God Palace elder, spoke next. "That step is critical. Let's hope that woman doesn't make any mistakes."

The Central Court elder cut in with a different concern. "What were Wuhen's conditions?"

"None," Elder Teddy said.

The Central Court elder's tone sharpened with suspicion. "None at all?"

Luoshen echoed the sentiment. "Given Wuhen's reputation, he'd never act without a reason. How can there be no conditions?"

The reason they'd sent Yuanshi Tianzun in the first place was because the young Walker had a genuine connection to Wuhen's small circle. He was the only one with any hope of negotiating. Anyone else wouldn't even get an audience with the Nihilist. That was what they'd meant when they said Yuanshi Tianzun had the influence to make this happen. But Wuhen helping them out for free? That was something none of them had anticipated.

"Fu Qingyang confirmed it," Elder Teddy said. "I wanted to discuss this with all of you as well. According to the Centurion, the moment Wuhen heard that Yuanshi Tianzun had nearly died at Demon Eye Heavenly King's hands, he agreed without hesitation."

The curly-haired poodle paused, then asked a question. "His regard for Yuanshi Tianzun is extraordinary. What do we make of it?"

The Water God Palace elder sounded bewildered. "As a Sovereign-tier Evil Walker, he shouldn't have any reason to care this much about Yuanshi Tianzun."

The White Tiger Legion elder's voice carried a note of wariness. "If he values Yuanshi Tianzun that highly, what's his angle? Is he trying to turn one of our people?"

Poaching was the first possibility that came to mind.

Elder Teddy offered his own assessment. "Personally, I don't think it's that complicated. Yuanshi Tianzun has a talent for building relationships. And it's not just Wuhen. The Slaughter Cessation Palace Master is close to him too. During the Bronze Sparrow Tower incident, Yuanshi Tianzun did Wuhen a favor. This is most likely him repaying it. Still, it does tell us something. He holds Yuanshi Tianzun in genuinely high regard."

The White Tiger Legion elder relaxed noticeably and laughed. "The kid really knows how to expand his network."

Elder Teddy's tone turned playful. "There aren't many prodigies out there willing to kneel and pledge loyalty at the drop of a hat."

The atmosphere in the conference room lightened considerably.

***

In the reception area of Wuhen Inn, Zhang Yuanqing was lounging in the reclining chair behind the counter. Xiao Yuan used it regularly, and the rich and unmistakable trace of her perfume still lingered.

He picked up the glass of juice beside him and took a sip, his gaze drifting to the woman in front of him. Her back was to him, and he could see the smooth-flowing lines of her figure, her curves straining against pants that were meant to be loose fitting. That she filled them out so completely spoke less to the quality of the tailoring and more to the sheer natural endowment of the one wearing them.

"Auntie Yuan, business seems a bit slow," he commented.

In the hour he'd been resting, the inn had seen exactly three groups of guests, and one of them had only booked a room by the hour.

"We're on the outskirts of the city. Foot traffic is low, so naturally business is slow." She didn't turn around, and her voice came out cool and clipped. "Also, if you keep staring at my ass, I'll gouge your eyeballs out."

"Auntie Yuan, you're accusing an innocent man. I've just realized that the warped preferences caused by that item seem to have reduced dramatically."

His study of Xiao Yuan's rear had been a purely scientific endeavor. A controlled experiment to determine whether his tastes had returned to normal. The news was encouraging. The mental image of pigs' tails had almost entirely faded. Zhang Yuanqing felt a warm sense of relief.

Through rigorous self experimentation, he'd confirmed an important property of the Straw Doll. If you caught onto the corruption early enough and abandoned the item before it took deep root, the warped preferences could gradually go away on their own. He'd tested this theory on both Xiao Yuan and Guan Ya, and the results were consistent.

Xiao Yuan let out a cold laugh. "Even without the Straw Doll, I wouldn't call your preferences normal."

"What do you mean by that?"

"You seem to have a particular fondness for older women," she said flatly. "Is it because you lacked a mother's love growing up?"

"That's harsh," Zhang Yuanqing complained. "With one sentence, you've managed to criticize my taste and reopen an old wound at the same time."

A thinner-skinned young man would have been blushing furiously at that point, but Zhang Yuanqing was a professional socializer. He'd been trained for this. He never got flustered, and he never let a conversation die.

He took another sip of the cloyingly sweet juice. "I've heard that theory before. A person's romantic preferences and orientation begin forming in childhood and solidify during puberty. That's why most deviants tend to have unhappy childhoods. It's sad, really."

He continued to speak, really warming up to the subject at hand. "That's why you've got to ensure children have a happy upbringing. I'm definitely not a deviant, of course, but I do genuinely prefer older women. My father passed away when I was very young, and I became deeply attached to my mother. Then she turned around and left me with my grandparents."

He gave a small shrug. "I grew up starving for maternal affection. When you lack something, you end up craving it. I suppose that explains it."

Xiao Yuan had only meant to toss out a casual jab. She hadn't expected him to actually engage with the topic so earnestly. Caught off-guard, she found herself at a loss as to how to respond, and decided to simply ignore him.

Zhang Yuanqing, undeterred, kept talking. "Do you have a boyfriend, Auntie Yuan? Have you ever been married? Any kids?"

"Are you implying you want to pursue me?" Xiao Yuan said after a small pause. "Pursue an Evil-class Walker?"

"Now that's something I don't like hearing. You should know my stance on Evil and Lawful classes by now. If you say something like that, it makes me think you never believed me in the first place."

"I apologize. That was poorly worded."

There was another pause. "So you really do want to pursue me?"

"You're beautiful, Auntie Yuan, and have a great figure. Your only flaw is your age, and in my book, that's a bonus."

Xiao Yuan pulled a box cutter from the pen holder on the desk. "And so?"

Zhang Yuanqing knew when to fold. "Well, you know, just making conversation."

Just then, a delivery driver in a blue uniform pulled up to the inn on an electric scooter. The young man stormed into the lobby, fuming.

"Xiao Yuan, I quit! I'm done being a delivery driver!" He stopped mid=tirade. "Yuanshi Tianzun? What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?"

The delivery driver had a pale complexion, sharp dark brows, and bright eyes set in a face that was handsome without being the least bit effeminate. He looked like a young wolf, all fierce intensity and barely contained aggression.

Zhang Yuanqing raised an eyebrow. "You're doing deliveries now?"

"He's not the brightest, has no education, no work experience. What else is he going to do?" Xiao Yuan remarked, before turning her cold gaze on Kou Beiyue. "That's your choice to make. But don't expect me to give you money."

Kou Beiyue's expression crumpled. "I'm not trying to avoid work! But I seriously can't do deliveries anymore. I just had a woman grab my arm and try to drag me into her house. Said she wanted to 'be friends' and offered me twenty thousand a month. She kept touching me! I've got a full queue of orders. I didn't have time for that nonsense, so I left, and she turned around and gave me a one star review. This job is impossible!"

Zhang Yuanqing listened with a mixture of fascination and disbelief. The kid is still too young to appreciate the finer things in life. Give him a few more years and he'd understand the value of a wealthy older woman.

Xiao Yuan glanced back at him with a look that said, "See? That's what normal preferences look like."

Kou Beiyue pulled off his helmet, dropped it on the counter, and walked straight to the fridge. He hesitated between a bottle of soda and mineral water, then chose the one-and-a-half yuan bottle of water and took a long, greedy gulp.

He let out a satisfied belch and finally circled back to the important question. "What the hell are you doing here, you bastard?"

I'm here to flirt with your mom, Zhang Yuanqing thought, glancing at the mineral water in the young man's hand.

"If you need money but don't want to do deliveries," he said instead, "you might consider taking a more flexible approach to your moral boundaries. Scout around for people making dirty money nearby and 'borrow' some of it. Most of those funds are ill-gotten gains anyway."

Kou Beiyue scoffed. "What kind of garbage advice is that? Stealing costs you Morality."

"How much Morality did you earn from the Bronze Sparrow Tower mission?"

"Thirteen hundred."

"Do you normally do bad things?"

"Are you trying to insult me?"

"Exactly. If you don't do bad things, what's the point of hoarding all that Morality and letting it collect dust?" Zhang Yuanqing leaned forward. "Theft only costs five points per incident, at least for amounts under ten thousand yuan. Even if you only spent a third of your Morality, that's more than enough to live comfortably."

Kou Beiyue froze. The logic was annoyingly sound. After a moment, he pushed back.

"That's a one time deal, idiot. Morality runs out eventually."

"Then take half the money you steal and donate it to charity. You'll earn some Morality back. Sure, the return won't fully offset what you spend, but it'll keep the cycle going. With thirteen hundred points, you could work this system for at least a year without having to worry about living expenses."

Kou Beiyue fell into contemplative silence, while Xiao Yuan studied Zhang Yuanqing with an odd expression.

"You really shouldn't waste your cleverness on schemes like this," she chided. "Put it to better use."

"I'm just making conversation," Zhang Yuanqing replied.

He drained the last of his juice and stood. "I should get going."

"Wait." Xiao Yuan's voice caught him at the door. "The case around Kou Beiyue's sister has been closed. Even if the authorities deal with those officials involved, they'll never admit that one of their own Walkers was responsible for her death. They won't acknowledge that the Public Security Bureau captain fabricated evidence."

Her tone softened, just barely. "Without the case being overturned, he can never face his parents. Can you help?"

Kou Beiyue's gaze snapped toward him, taut with tension.

Zhang Yuanqing considered for a moment. "Getting it on the news is out of the question. But I can try to have the case record corrected and have someone from the Bureau visit his family to set things straight. If that's acceptable, I can see what I can do."

Kou Beiyue's voice came out rough. "That's enough. That's more than enough."

That's enough. Zhang Yuanqing saw it written across the young man's face, the quiet humility and helplessness of an ordinary person fighting a system that was never built for people like him. His own bright mood dimmed.

He said nothing more and walked out of the inn in silence.

***

Across Songhai, the Demon Eye Heavenly King leaped between residential buildings for hours, searching aimlessly, when his phone rang.

—Heavenly King, the target is on the move. She just left Songhai by car and is currently on the highway. Our people are in pursuit.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King gave a short grunt of acknowledgement. "Keep tailing her. Notify me if anything changes."

He hung up and resumed his search. Roughly half an hour later, the phone rang again. This time, his subordinate's voice was strained with urgency.

—Heavenly King, we've lost contact with our people. Our communications just cut off. We don't know if they're alive or dead.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King was already wrapping the sports headband around his forehead. "They're dead. I know where the target is. I'll handle the rest myself."

He'd planted tracking marks on the team assigned to follow the target. The marks had simply vanished, which meant his subordinates were dead. But the mark he'd placed on the target herself was still active.

The conclusion was clear. Slaughter Cessation Palace operatives had discovered the tail and eliminated them, but they'd missed the mark planted directly on the target.

The one who'd killed his people hadn't been the palace master herself. If it had been, he would have questioned why she was paying special attention to an ordinary member of the organization. And if the followers had gone completely undetected and actually located the Palace's base of operations, he'd have been equally suspicious of why the palace master had grown so careless.

Either scenario would have been a red flag. But this outcome was exactly what he'd expected.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King bent his knees and launched himself skyward like an arrow, streaking into the night.

***

It was late at night in a small town roughly sixty kilometers outside Songhai. At the edge of the town, Elder Teddy regarded the Slaughter Cessation Palace Master in her ancient crimson dress.

"I've summoned it," the curly-haired poodle said. "There are a few rules you need to keep in mind. First, do not say the word 'animal.' Second, if you see a rabbit approach you, ignore it completely. Third, if a staff member comes to speak with you, pay attention to their uniform. Do not respond to any staff in black uniforms under any circumstances. To the staff in blue uniforms, you say: 'I'm fine, I don't need any help.'"

The poodle paused for emphasis. "These are the rules for the outer layer. Whatever you do, do not venture deeper into the zoo."

The palace master's eyes glittered with curiosity. "What happens if I go deeper?"

Elder Teddy answered with a genial smile that didn't reach his button eyes. "There are three layers to the Zoo. The outermost layer corresponds to Level 7 of the Sovereign tier. The second layer corresponds to Level 8. That's the limit of what I can currently control. The core corresponds to Level 9. Even I don't dare enter it."

His voice dropped low. "If you'd like to return to the Spirit Realm, by all means, go right ahead."

Returning to the Spirit Realm was a polite way of saying permanent death.

An enormous shadow descended from above, blotting out the moonlight. It fell slowly, drifting down over the town, but it didn't land inside the town. It displaced it physically, in a very concrete way. The town's original position was replaced by the shadow, and the buildings were shunted to a point impossibly far away.

As the shadow settled, its true form materialized.

Facing Elder Teddy and the palace master was a massive gate. Long, motorized doors stretched across the entrance, which was firmly shut. The word "Zoo" was carved into a boulder beside them. Beyond the gate, dense vegetation pressed against the bars.

The Palace Master gazed into the depths of the zoo and smiled, her expression lovely yet knife-sharp. "Is Xiahou Chi in there? Where's he being held? Can I kill him on my way through?"

Elder Teddy's voice hardened. "How we deal with him is the Five Elements Alliance's business. Don't complicate things."

The Palace Master giggled, covering her mouth with delicate fingers in an exaggerated display of feminine coyness. "And what if I insist on killing him? If you refuse me, I'll refuse to cooperate."

The dangerous light flickering behind Elder Teddy's cute button eyes grew sharper. "I don't respond to threats."

The Palace Master's laughter only grew brighter as she pressed a hand to her lips, playing the ingénue. "You're no fun at all, you mangy thing. There's not a humorous bone in your body. Have you spent too long as a dog and forgotten how to take a joke?"

Her smile turned wicked. "Oh, I've heard poodles have an exceptionally strong sex drive, and you're a Wood Demon on top of it. Do you ever get the urge to breed?"

She tilted her head. "If so, do you prefer little female dogs, or regular women?"

Elder Teddy's understanding of this unhinged Palace Master was still insufficient for him to maintain true equanimity. His curly fur bristled violently, and it took considerable restraint not to put her down on the spot.

A voice cut through the tension, deep and commanding, from somewhere nearby. "He's here. I can sense him."

It was the White Tiger Legion elder. In matters of detection, an elder-level Scout possessed absolute authority. Even the most perceptive Ancient War God couldn't detect his surveillance.

Elder Teddy opened his mouth without hesitation and spat out a smooth, round black jade stone.

He dropped it on the ground, raised a paw, and brought it down with a sharp crack.

A wave of ashen gray light bloomed outward from the shattered stone, rolling across the landscape like a tide. Wherever it passed, the world lost its color. Within seconds, everything had turned to black and white.

A low, strained voice echoed through the colorless world, each syllable weighted with suppressed agony. "State your requirements."

"Transform my zoo into an extension of that town over there. Make it look like a seamless whole," Elder Teddy said firmly.

The moment he finished speaking, the Palace Master turned and stared. Behind her, the zoo had vanished. In its place stood rows of red brick houses of varying heights, some with lights glowing in the windows, others dark. Cement roads wound their way between the buildings. The whole scene blended perfectly with the distant town, as if it had always been part of it.

She let out a breath of genuine admiration. "Fascinating! I can't tell if it's fake at all."

As she spoke, the gray receded, and color bled back into the world.

Elder Teddy wasted no time. "Get in there."

The palace master didn't hesitate. She slipped into the illusion of the town and disappeared, while Elder Teddy retreated to a safe distance.

About ten minutes later, a car came down the straight asphalt road and drove into the town without slowing. A short while after that, a figure dropped from the sky and landed at the town's edge.

He wore a black T-shirt and gray athletic pants, with a sports headband wrapped around his forehead. He was handsome, athletic, and radiating casual confidence. The Demon Eye Heavenly King.

He removed the headband, revealing the vertical eye on his forehead. A beam of crimson light shot forth. The beam swept through the town in long, searching arcs, then turned to scan the empty wilderness beyond.

There were no other presences nearby. The palace master was the only one inside the town.

The Demon Eye Heavenly King's lips curled into a smile. "Found you."

He pushed off from the ground and rocketed into the town like a cannonball.