Chapter 161: Prince Heng

Chapter 161 -157: Prince Heng

Jiang Chaosheng heard him and frowned slightly.

‘He called me Dusk?’

‘Dusk is the designation the Anomaly Administration Bureau gave me.’

‘Isn’t the name ‘Dusk’ supposed to be top secret within the Anomaly Administration Bureau?’

‘How did he know?’

‘Did the Taiping Dao tell him?’

‘And… how did the Taiping Dao find out?’

Jiang Chaosheng took an interest in Wang Qinghai.

And not just because he was wearing the Ghost Costume.

Jiang Chaosheng slowly rose to his feet and walked toward Wang Qinghai.

Wang Qinghai watched Jiang Chaosheng approach, his eyes filled with horror.

Dusk had done nothing, yet his mere approach exerted an immense pressure on Wang Qinghai.

Wang Qinghai stared intently as Jiang Chaosheng walked right up to him:

“You… what are you going to do?”

Jiang Chaosheng looked up at Wang Qinghai, who was bound in mid-air by the Shadow Ghost Hand, and was just about to ask a question.

The Shadow Ghost Hand violently slammed Wang Qinghai to the ground.

WHAM!

Several Ghost Hands pinned Wang Qinghai flat on the ground, leaving him able to lift only his head.

Yang Xiao said coldly:

“How dare you make my master look up at you!”

Wang Qinghai felt like he’d rather be dead.

‘Weren’t you the one who lifted me up here in the first place?’

‘Are you nuts?’

Jiang Chaosheng looked down at Wang Qinghai:

“Who gave you this costume.”

Wang Qinghai’s mind raced.

‘I can’t tell him!’

‘As long as I don’t talk, I’m still useful.’

‘If I talk, I’m dead!’

Wang Qinghai said gravely:

“I won’t tell you! Unless you promise to let me go!”

Jiang Chaosheng replied without hesitation:

“Alright.”

Wang Qinghai was stunned.

‘He agreed that easily?!’

‘Wasn’t that a little too quick?’

Wang Qinghai said, gritting his teeth:

“You’re lying to me. You… you…”

Wang Qinghai wracked his brain but couldn’t think of a way to make Jiang Chaosheng keep his promise.

Of course Jiang Chaosheng was lying.

In his world, there were only two things: “useful” and “useless.”

If lies were useful, he used lies.

If the truth was useful, he used the truth.

Jiang Chaosheng was a man utterly devoid of morals.

It was just as he’d said: who defined the boundary between good and evil?

Whoever set the rules, whoever established the order distinguishing good from evil—they were the ones who defined it.

Jiang Chaosheng frowned, his thin lips parting to utter four words:

“Too much trouble. Daji!”

A silver light drifted from Jiang Chaosheng’s chest, materializing as a breathtakingly beautiful, white-robed, white-haired woman.

Yang Xiao bowed slightly and said respectfully to Daji:

“Mistress.”

Wang Qinghai stared at Daji in astonishment.

‘This woman… who is she?!’

Wang Qinghai sensed something was wrong and said quickly:

“Wait, wait, wait! I’ll talk!”

Daji flicked a finger through the air toward Wang Qinghai’s head.

A streak of green light shot into Wang Qinghai’s forehead.

Wang Qinghai’s gaze turned vacant, his expression dull and witless.

Daji turned to Jiang Chaosheng, her smile captivating:

“Husband, you may ask now.”

Wang Qinghai was now under Daji’s Enchanting Art.

This Magic was far more potent than the truth serums in spy movies.

Jiang Chaosheng asked:

“Who gave you this costume?”

Wang Qinghai said woodenly:

“The Taiping Dao. Prince Heng.”

Jiang Chaosheng raised an eyebrow.

‘Prince Heng?’

‘First there was Prince Qilin, and now there’s a Prince Heng?’

‘This Taiping Dao is ridiculous.’

Jiang Chaosheng continued his questioning:

“Tell me about Prince Heng.”

Wang Qinghai:

“Prince Heng’s name is Jin Fucheng. He is one of the five leaders of the Taiping Dao.

They are carrying out the Taiping Project.

I don’t know the details of the Taiping Project, but I know that each of the five leaders has their own mission.

I know what Prince Heng’s mission is.

He is collecting Taboo Items. His goal is:

To ensure the Manager of Antique Shop Zero can never leave Antique Shop Zero.”

Hearing this, Jiang Chaosheng felt a slight stir within him.

‘Make it so I can never leave Antique Shop Zero?’

Jiang Chaosheng was reminded of the curse of Antique Shop Zero.

If twelve Taboo Items were to become “lost,” he would only be able to go outside on rainy nights.

‘And what if even more Taboo Items become ‘lost’?’

‘I suppose one day, I really might become unable to leave Antique Shop Zero.’

‘There might even be a more terrifying curse!’

Jiang Chaosheng murmured:

“They even know about the curse of Antique Shop Zero? I’ve underestimated the Taiping Dao.”

If the Taiping Dao really was from the Qing Dynasty, then they likely possessed more intelligence than he did—maybe even more than Li Qinglian.

A hint of delight flashed in Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes.

‘The more they know, the better.’

‘The more they know, the more useful they are to me!’

Jiang Chaosheng looked at Wang Qinghai:

“Do you know the whereabouts of Prince Heng… hm… or other members of the Taiping Dao?”

Wang Qinghai:

“Prince Heng is collecting Taboo Items. His whereabouts are unpredictable.”

Jiang Chaosheng pondered.

‘Collecting Taboo Items?’

‘How would he contain them?’

‘If I were in his shoes…’

‘Hunting down the buyers would be the safest and most convenient option.’

‘After all, they have a way to block my ability to sense the Taboo Items.’

‘So, all the buyers who acquired Taboo Items are in grave danger, aren’t they?’

‘No, that’s not quite right.’

‘If they just took the Taboo Items, imprisoned the buyers, and then used some kind of profound Magic on the items that I’m unaware of, maybe the items would no longer be considered ‘lost’.’

‘Or perhaps, they’re just waiting for the right moment.’

‘To kill twelve or more buyers in one fell swoop, plunging me into the curse before I have time to react.’

Wang Qinghai continued:

“But I know the location of another Taiping Dao leader.”

A glint appeared in Jiang Chaosheng’s eyes:

“Where?”

He needed to capture a member of the Taiping Dao alive for more information.

Wang Qinghai said:

“Miss Mihua. In the South Sea.”

Jiang Chaosheng was silent for a moment.

‘Miss Mihua… right under my nose?’

Yang Xiao spoke up:

“I’ll find her.”

Jiang Chaosheng didn’t respond, his mind still racing.

‘Miss Mihua… what’s her objective in the South Sea?’

‘What is her mission?’

Jiang Chaosheng asked:

“Is that all?”

Wang Qinghai shook his head:

“That’s all.”

Jiang Chaosheng said:

“One last question.”

Jiang Chaosheng looked at Wang Qinghai, his gaze dark and penetrating:

“How did you know the name Dusk?”

Wang Qinghai:

“Prince Heng mentioned it.”

Jiang Chaosheng asked:

“And how did he know?”

Wang Qinghai:

“I’m just a minor figure in the Taiping Dao; I’m not privy to that kind of information.”

Jiang Chaosheng nodded.

To be fair, Wang Qinghai had already answered quite a lot.

To think, Wang Qinghai was the kingpin of Liancheng, yet he was just a low-level grunt in the Taiping Dao.

The power of the Taiping Dao could not be underestimated.

Wang Qinghai suddenly seemed to remember something and said:

“I overheard Prince Heng mention something once.

The Taiping Dao has a mole in the Anomaly Administration Bureau.

That person is a direct subordinate of Prince Heng.”

Jiang Chaosheng was taken aback.

‘The Taiping Dao’s reach extends even into the Anomaly Administration Bureau?’

Wang Qinghai continued:

“Once, when Prince Heng was drunk and in high spirits,

He said that Prince Qilin’s people in the Anomaly Administration Bureau had been purged.

Prince Heng and Prince Qilin don’t get along.

He told me he moved as quickly as possible to win over a new high-ranking official in the Anomaly Administration Bureau.

Originally, Prince Heng’s title was Commandery Prince Heng.

This success earned him a promotion to the rank of Prince, putting him one step above Prince Qilin.”

Jiang Chaosheng mused:

“It seems my enemies are stronger than I imagined.”

With that, Jiang Chaosheng turned and walked toward the door.

“Bring the Ghost Costume back to Antique Shop Zero.”

‘Since they’ve made their move, it’s my turn to respond.’

Yang Xiao looked at Wang Qinghai, a cold smile on his lips.

‘He’s of no more use to the Master. Now I can have some fun.’

Daji dissolved into a silver streak, returning to Jiang Chaosheng.